Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear return with the third book in their Iskryne trilogy, AN APPRENTICE TO ELVES (A Tor Hardcover, $26.99, On-Sale: October 13, 2015). The third collaboration between renowned fantasy writers Bear and Monette, the trilogy began with A Companion to Wolves, and continued inThe Tempering of Men. Separately, Bear and Monette  have been nominated for and won the Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and Locus awards –  among others. Together, they have created the world of the Iskryne, a warrior culture with telephathic wolf companions.

AN APPRENTICE TO ELVES picks up the story of Alfgyfa, a young woman who has been raised in the Wolfhall by her father, Isolfr. The warrior culture of Iskryne forbids many things to women-and most especially it forbids them bonding to one of the giant telepathic trellwolves. But as her father was no ordinary boy, Alfgyfa is no ordinary girl. Her father has long planned to send his daughter to Tin, a matriarch among the elves who live nearby, to be both apprentice and ambassador, and now she is of age to go.

Publishers Weekly declares that Bear and Monette "have boldly created a fascinating world that begs further exploration” and RT Book Reviews points out that “Monette and Bear each excel at creating unique worlds... It's no surprise that this joint effort combines their strengths into something extraordinary.” The third book from this stellar team is the perfect place to dive into their fascinating world.

Click through to read the excerpt and enter to win

A rollicking steampunk Wild West adventure featuring authentically diverse characters, including BASS REEVES, aka the coolest person ever. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and Karen’s voice. It’s funny and sad and serious all at the same time. I thought the mystery aspect was fairly well done, although I did see the solution a bit earlier than the characters. All in all, if you want the feel of a Wild West yarn without getting metaphorically punched in the face, this is a good one.

Come on boys and ghouls!  It's time to hop on Route 666 for a spooktacular Paranormal Road Trip.

Each week an author becomes our guide, taking us on a terrifying Paranormal Road Trip. This week Elizabeth Bear, author of KAREN MEMORY, shares Rapid City's Top 5 Spooky Places.

KAREN MEMORY GIVEAWAY

We are also giving away a hardcover copy of KAREN MEMORY to one lucky winner.

Join us for another spine-tingling Paranormal Road Trip...if you dare!

http://www.fromtheshadows.info/2015/02/paranormal-road-trip-destination-rapid-city.html

#steampunk #fantasy #book #giveaway #paranormal

So yes, updating last night did not happen. Baking bread while reading did (and it even turned out!). Today I’m at work until 5, which means the bulk of my reading will have to happen this evening.

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami-finished
Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson-finished
Pointe by Brandy Colbert-finished
Cold Steel by Kate Elliott
A Moment Comes by Jennifer Bradbury
Flygirl by Sherri Smith
Lost Girl Found by Leah Bassoff
A Bride’s Story 2 by Kaoru Mori-finished
She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear-finished
Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci-finished

Reading time: 11.5 hours total
Blogging time: 30 min total

On to short reviews!

Pointe by Brandy Colbert: This book is intense. Really intense. Also, heartbreaking, unsettling, and beautifully written. Theo’s story had me reading and reading because I couldn’t bear to stop before I knew how it ended. There’s a lot more to unpack in this one, but for now I’ll say that this is a very impressive debut and if you liked Charm & Strange last year, this is definitely one to look for.

A Bride’s Story 2 by Kaoru Mori: I’ve been liking this series of manga, set in Central Asia in the 19th century. It does a lovely job of both showing the characters as products of their time and place, and also not falling into the “any woman before now/any woman from a traditional culture was a repressed doormat!” The story also moves right along, and I love all the details of clothing and place that Mori depicts. A nice lighter break in the middle of some heavy books.

Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear: Everyone has been reading and praising Range of Ghosts since it was published and I finally gave it another try (I had read the first few chapters and hadn’t felt enthralled by them). This time went much more smoothly. Bear’s writing is quietly lyrical, with the kind of understated emotion that I often like quite a bit. I liked the main characters quite a bit, though Temur reads as a bit callous to me in one particular respect (which I don’t want to spoil).

Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci: I was feeling a bit burnt out on heavy books, so I hunted around for something lighter to try. Well. Tin Star is not necessarily what I would call “light”. Its main character, Tula, is beaten and abandoned on a space station by the leader of her colony ship, she has to make her way through an alien world where humans are not very well regarded, and there’s a lot of betrayal or possible betrayal. It’s interesting, in certain ways, and Castellucci uses this kind of staccato narration effectively. But I never felt the slightest emotional connection to Tula or her struggle.