Fantasy 07

File Updated: 29/01/2008

Tangled Web UK: New Fantasy Titles 07

Scott Lynch Red Seas Under Red Skies Published July 2007 by Gollancz at Ł18.99 ISBN: 057507695X
Thief and con-man extraordinaire, Locke Lamora, and the ever lethal Jean Tannen have fled their home city and the wreckage of their lives. But they can’t run forever and when they stop they decide to head for the richest, and most difficult, target on the horizon. The city state ofTal Verarr. And the Sinspire.
The Sinspire is the-ultimate gambling house. No-one has stolen so much as a single coin from it and lived. It’s the sort of challenge Locke simply can’t resist…
…but Locke’s perfect crime is going to have to wait.
Someone else in Tal Verarr wants the Gentleman Bastards’ expertise and is quite prepared to kill them to get it. Before long, Locke and Jean find themselves engaged in piracy. Fine work for thieves who don’t know one end of galley from another.
Scott Lynch has woven an engrossing and exciting tale of the high seas and the lowest cunning, a tale of trust and betrayal, a tale of friendship tested to breaking point. Fast moving, full of thrills and intricately plotted Lynch’s new novel is a sure-fire hit for all lovers of adventure and the art of the con.
Reviews for The Lies of Locke Lamora
‘Like Locke Lamora himself, Scott Lynch’s novel oozes charm, ability, guile, flair, courage, cheek, humour, brevity and bravery in equal measure. It’s an awesome debut, powerful and dangerous, romantic and relentless and it absolutely lives up to the hype. This is a novel you’ll have to work very hard not to be utterly blown away by’ John Berlyne, SFRevu
‘A complex and highly entertaining mix of magic, manipulation and mayhem… mesmerizing’ SFX
‘High octane fantasy. A great swashbuckling yarn of a novel’ Richard Morgan
‘A fresh, original and engrossing tale by a bright new voice’ George R R Martin

About The Author
Scott Lynch was born in 1978 in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he still lives now. In addition to being a freelance writer for various role playing game companies he has done all the usual jobs writers put in their bios: dishwasher, waiter, web designer, marketing writer, office manager and short order cook. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Scott Lynch Red Seas Under Red Skies Pbk published November 2007 by Gollancz at Ł7.99 ISBN: 0575079258

Thief and con-man extraordinaire, Locke Lamora, and the ever lethal Jean Tannen have fled their home city and the wreckage of their lives. But they can’t run forever and when they stop they decide to head for the richest, and most difficult, target on the horizon. The city state ofTal Verarr. And the Sinspire.
The Sinspire is the-ultimate gambling house. No-one has stolen so much as a single coin from it and lived. It’s the sort of challenge Locke simply can’t resist…
…but Locke’s perfect crime is going to have to wait.
Someone else in Tal Verarr wants the Gentleman Bastards’ expertise and is quite prepared to kill them to get it. Before long, Locke and Jean find themselves engaged in piracy. Fine work for thieves who don’t know one end of galley from another.
Scott Lynch has woven an engrossing and exciting tale of the high seas and the lowest cunning, a tale of trust and betrayal, a tale of friendship tested to breaking point. Fast moving, full of thrills and intricately plotted Lynch’s new novel is a sure-fire hit for all lovers of adventure and the art of the con.
Reviews for The Lies of Locke Lamora
‘Like Locke Lamora himself, Scott Lynch’s novel oozes charm, ability, guile, flair, courage, cheek, humour, brevity and bravery in equal measure. It’s an awesome debut, powerful and dangerous, romantic and relentless and it absolutely lives up to the hype. This is a novel you’ll have to work very hard not to be utterly blown away by’ John Berlyne, SFRevu
‘A complex and highly entertaining mix of magic, manipulation and mayhem… mesmerizing’ SFX
‘High octane fantasy. A great swashbuckling yarn of a novel’ Richard Morgan
‘A fresh, original and engrossing tale by a bright new voice’ George R R Martin
About The Author
Scott Lynch was born in 1978 in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he still lives now. In addition to being a freelance writer for various role playing game companies he has done all the usual jobs writers put in their bios: dishwasher, waiter, web designer, marketing writer, office manager and short order cook. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

George R.R. Martin Dreamsongs Pbk published October 2007 by Gollancz at Ł14.99 ISBN: 0575081481

George R.R. Martin is one of the most exciting storytellers of our time, a stylish, elegant writer who combines riveting plots with superb characterisation. He writes with equal verve and fervour about werewolves as he does spaceships, wizards and vampires, and he has won virtually every award in the fields of fantasy literature. His epic ongoing saga A Song of Ice and Fire has almost redefined fantasy for a whole new generation, and has won him a vast, devoted audience.
This massive collection features the very best of George R.R. Martin’s short fiction from the last thirtysome years, a dazzling array of stories and screenplays ranging from the novella The Hedge Knight, set in the world of the Seven Kingdoms, and the Hugo and Nebula-Award-winning The Sandkings, to the Hugo-Award-winning A Song for Lya, the Bram Stoker Award-winning The Pear-Shaped Man, and the World Fantasy Award-winning The Skin Trade. Dreamsongs is a treasure chest of stories, an indispensable volume, not just for all George R.R. Martin fans, but essential reading for an reader of fantastic literature.
‘The American Tolkien’ Time
‘Of those who work in the grand epic fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best’ Time
‘I always expect the best from George R R Martin, and he always delivers’ Robert Jordan
About The Author
George R. R. Martin was born in 1948 in New Jersey and went to university in Chicago. He published his first sf story, `The Hero', in 1971 and he rapidly established himself as a writer of rare quality, winning three Hugos, two Nebulas and the Bram Stoker Award. He spent ten years in Hollywood, writing screenplays and serving as story editor on The Twilight Zone and as writer/producer on Beauty and the Beast, before beginning his majestic fantasy series A Song o f Ice and Fire, which so far includes A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Anne McCaffrey Dragon Harper Published January 2008 by Bantam at Ł17.99 ISBN: 0593055284
With Todd McCaffrey
All Kindan ever wanted to do was become a Harper, singing, playing, and teaching the ballads of Pern, and he is thrilled when he becomes an Apprentice at the Harper Hall. But then he is offered the chance to attend a hatching and succeeds in Impressing the magnificent bronze fire-lizard, Valla.
There he meets Koriana, daughter of Lord Holder Bemin of Fort Hold. She also Impresses, in her case a gold fire-lizard, and there is an instant attraction between her and Kindan. Unfortunately an apprentice Harper is not considered a suitable consort for a Fort Holder’s daughter and they are quickly separated, leaving Kindan to wonder about his future - would it be possible for him to have more than just the life of a Harper?
But suddenly everything starts to go wrong for Kindan and he is accused of starting a fire which destroys ancient and extremely precious Records. Kindan is banished to Fort Hold in shame and dishonour However, his own worries pale into insignificance when a terrible plague starts to spread across Pern, killing nearly everyone infected. As it reaches Fort Hold, Kindan and the rest of Pern’s inhabitants know their very survival is in doubt.
Anne McCaffrey has created a complex, endlessly fascinating world uniting humans and great telepathic dragons. Millions of readers have followed book by hook the evolution of one of science fiction's most popular series.
Todd McCaffrey, Anne's son, is the approved heir to Pern and has now joined his mother in creating new adventures about the dragons and dragonriders of Pern.
`Anne McCaffrey, one of the Queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants’ Walter Ellis, The Times
`A proper Pern novel ... bodes well for future volumes.' SFX on Dragonsblood

About The Author
Anne McCaffrey was born on April 1st in the year of the fire tiger and has been writing about Pernese dragons for thirty years. This does not necessarily make her an expert on other dragons but she has diligently exposed herself to the 'lesser breeds without the law.' She lives in County Wicklow, Ireland and has replaced travelling the World with surfing the Internet and the web. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Anne McCaffrey Dragon's Fire Pbk published November 2007 by Corgi at Ł6.99 ISBN: 0552153486

With Todd McCaffrey
A New Adventure of Pern
When Masterharper Zist takes over as Harper for Natalon’s coal-mining camp, he takes with him his apprentice, the orphaned, mute Pellar, and Pellar’s fire-lizard Chitter. Pellar has become a gifted tracker and Zist gives him his own mission - to find out if the recent thefts of coal are the work of the Shunned, criminals condemned to a life of wandering and hardship.
Halla is one of the children of the Shunned. Though innocent of their parents’ crimes, these children have inherited their cruel punishment. With no shelter, when the lethal Thread falls again they will have no protection against it. Life is even tougher for Halla: all her family are dead and she must fend for herself. Yet Halla is kind and gentle, devoted to helping those more helpless than she - unlike Tenim, a fellow child of the Shunned. Tenim is in league with Tarik, a crooked miner from Camp Natalon, who helps him steal coal in exchange for a cut of the profit. But Tenim soon realizes there is a lot more to be made from firestone, the volatile mineral that enables the dragons of Pern to burn Thread out of the sky. Tenim doesn’t care what he has to do, or whom he has to kill, in order to corner the market.
Cristov is Tarik’s son. Dishonoured by his father’s greed and treachery, he decides he must make amends somehow … even if it means risking his life by mining the volatile firestone, which blows up on contact with the slightest drop of moisture.
When the last remaining firestone mine explodes in flames, a desperate race begins to find a new deposit of the deadly but essential mineral, for without it there can be no defence against Thread. But Tenim has a murderous plan to turn the tragedy to his own advantage, and only Pellar, Halla and Cristov can stop him - and ensure that there will be a future for all in the world of the Dragonriders
Anne McCaffrey has created a complex, endlessly fascinating world uniting humans and great telepathic dragons. Millions of readers have followed book by hook the evolution of one of science fiction's most popular series.
Todd McCaffrey, Anne's son, is the approved heir to Pern and has now joined his mother in creating new adventures about the dragons and dragonriders of Pern.

About The Author
Anne McCaffrey was born on April 1st in the year of the fire tiger and has been writing about Pernese dragons for thirty years. This does not necessarily make her an expert on other dragons but she has diligently exposed herself to the 'lesser breeds without the law.' She lives in County Wicklow, Ireland and has replaced travelling the World with surfing the Internet and the web. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Anne McCaffrey Acorna's Children: Second Wave Pbk published July 2007 by Corgi at Ł6.99 ISBN: 0552155373

With Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough are two of science fiction’s favourite authors. Together they have created the world of Acorna, the unicorn girl. Now Acorna‘s children start to have their own adventures.
Second Wave
Khorii, the rebellious daughter of the legendary Acorna and her lifemate, Aari, must contend with an overwhelming legacy to forge a path of her own through a universe filled with new adversaries and adventure.
In First Warning, she became a hero in her own right as she fought to save the universe from a mysterious plague that not even the healing powers of the Linyaari could stop. Now she and her genius android 'brother' must find the malevolent cause of the deadly disease before those behind it cripple the star system.
'Khorii is definitely a chip off the old horn. Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough are experts at being able to draw their readers into quite a complex and already well-established world' SFX
About The Author
Anne McCaffrey was born on April 1st in the year of the fire tiger and has been writing about Pernese dragons for thirty years. This does not necessarily make her an expert on other dragons but she has diligently exposed herself to the 'lesser breeds without the law.' She lives in County Wicklow, Ireland and has replaced travelling the World with surfing the Internet and the web. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Todd McCaffrey Dragon Harper Published January 2008 by Bantam at Ł17.99 ISBN: 0593055284
With Anne McCaffrey
All Kindan ever wanted to do was become a Harper, singing, playing, and teaching the ballads of Pern, and he is thrilled when he becomes an Apprentice at the Harper Hall. But then he is offered the chance to attend a hatching and succeeds in Impressing the magnificent bronze fire-lizard, Valla.
There he meets Koriana, daughter of Lord Holder Bemin of Fort Hold. She also Impresses, in her case a gold fire-lizard, and there is an instant attraction between her and Kindan. Unfortunately an apprentice Harper is not considered a suitable consort for a Fort Holder’s daughter and they are quickly separated, leaving Kindan to wonder about his future - would it be possible for him to have more than just the life of a Harper?
But suddenly everything starts to go wrong for Kindan and he is accused of starting a fire which destroys ancient and extremely precious Records. Kindan is banished to Fort Hold in shame and dishonour However, his own worries pale into insignificance when a terrible plague starts to spread across Pern, killing nearly everyone infected. As it reaches Fort Hold, Kindan and the rest of Pern’s inhabitants know their very survival is in doubt.
Anne McCaffrey has created a complex, endlessly fascinating world uniting humans and great telepathic dragons. Millions of readers have followed book by hook the evolution of one of science fiction's most popular series.
Todd McCaffrey, Anne's son, is the approved heir to Pern and has now joined his mother in creating new adventures about the dragons and dragonriders of Pern.

About The Author
Todd McCaffrey is a licensed pilot and software engineer living in Los Angeles. Todd took up writing full-time in 2002 and hasn’t looked back. Dragonsblood is his first solo Pern novel. He is also the author of several books, including a Pern novel, Dragon’s Kin, which he co-wrote with his mother. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Fiona McIntosh Odalisque Pbk published July 2007 by Orbit at Ł7.99 ISBN: 1841494607

Fifteen-year-old Boaz is the new Zar, freshly ascended to his throne. In the turmoil following the old Zar’s death, courtiers jostle and conspire to secure their positions - not least his scheming mother, the new Valide. It seems his only genuine friends are Pez, his late father’s mad jester; Spur Lazar, head of Percheron’s security; and Ana, a golden beauty - the new odalisque purchased in the foothills as a slave for the harem.
But can a madman, a soldier and a concubine be trusted to keep him safe from the Byzantine manoeuvres of his father’s ambitious entourage?
‘Fiona McIntosh goes from strength to strength. This is a dazzling start to her Percheron series’ Interzone
‘A bold new voice in high fantasy…two words ‘Fiona McIntosh’ always let me know that I’m in for a good read’ Robin Hobb
‘Gripping storytelling and a deep understanding of the human psyche’ SFX
‘The action is as remorseless as ever’ The GuardianThousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Karen Miller The Innocent Mage Pbk published April 2007 by Orbit at Ł7.99 ISBN: 1841496049

Kingmaker Kingbreaker Book One
They dreamt him and he came

`The Innocent Mage is come, and we stand at the beginning of the end of everything’

Being a fisherman like his father isn’t a bad life, but it’s not the one that Asher wants. Despite his humble roots, Asher has grand dreams. And they call him to Dorana, home of princes, beggars ... and the warrior mages who have protected the kingdom for generations.
Little does Asher know, however, that his arrival in the city is being closely watched by members of the Circle, a secret organisation dedicated to preserving an ancient magic.
Asher might have come to the city to make his fortune, but he will find his destiny.
Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Paul Park A Princess of Roumania Pbk published July 2007 by Tor at Ł6.99 ISBN: 0330452177

Many a girl may dream that she is really a princess fostered by ordinary folk. In the case of Miranda, however, this is literally true. Adopted in eastern Europe by an American couple, she has been brought up from childhood in a safe and quiet town in Massachusetts.
But unwittingly Miranda stands at the fulcrum of a deadly political and diplomatic battle between rival conjurers in an alternate world, a place of magic and intrigue that she is blissfully unaware of. Having been hidden by her aunt in our own comfortable world, Miranda nevertheless has inklings of her past and her ’foreignness’. So here then is the story of how, accompanied by two close friends, she eventually returns to her true home ... and what she discovers there.
Her mysterious Aunt Aegypta ... a mad baroness in Bucharest ... the sinister alchemist holding her mother captive in Germany ... as the story shifts between a familiar world and the mysterious ‘Roumania’, powerful forces are striving either to protect Miranda or ensnare her.
'A quietly and profoundly original novel. To compare Paul Park with Philip Pullmann or John Crowley gives a hint of the kind of satisfaction his fiction provides' Ursula K. Le Guin
‘Sharp characterization and an unusual historical backdrop distinguish Park’s charming lead-off to an intricate new fantasy series’ Publishers Weekly
‘Provides the pleasures of the familiar - indeed, the archetypal - without neglecting some twists and enigmatic variations all of its own’ Washington Post
‘Many of those who enjoyed the works of Philip Pullman or Madeleine L’Engle will be thrilled to discover A Princess of Roumania’ Kim Stanley RobinsonThousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Terry Pratchett The Last Hero Pbk published September 2007 by Gollancz at Ł8.99 ISBN: 0575081961

A Discworld Fable Illustrated by Paul Kidby
Now available in paperback with 16 pages of all-new illustrations

'The Last Hero is a 40,000 word, true Discworld novel that fits in with the other twenty-six books in the sequence. It's just that it has an extra dimension: some parts of it are written in paint!' Terry Pratchett

He’s been a legend in his own lifetime
He can remember the great days of high adventure
He can remember when a hero didn’t have worry about fences and lawyers and civilisation.
He can remember when people didn’t tell you off for killing dragons.
But he can’t always remember, these days, where he put his teeth . . .
He’s really not happy about that bit.
So now, with his ancient sword and his new walking stick and his old friends - and they’re very old friends - Cohen the Barbarian is going on one final quest. He’s going to climb the highest mountain in the Discworld and meet his gods. He doesn’t like the way they let men grow old and die.
The last hero in the world is going to return what the first hero stole. With a vengeance. That’ll mean the end of the world, if no one stops him in time . . .
`An awesome, yet comic, mission to save all Discworld’ Daily Telegraph
`A fable? Perhaps. Fabulous? Certainly’ The Times
`Those who get to know Terry Pratchett’s world soon understand why the likes of A. S. Byatt are fans. His characters are as eccentric yet richly human as any of Dickens’s . . . but he’s immensely funnier’ Waterstones Books Quarterly
`A hilarious return to the fantasy-satirising spirit of the earlier Discworld novels’ Dreamwatch
About The Author
Terry Pratchett is Britain's bestselling living novelist and lives behind a (very upmarket) keyboard in Wiltshire, where he answers letters in a desperate attempt to find time to write. He used to grow carnivorous plants, but now they've taken over the greenhouse and he avoids going in.
He says he doesn't want to get a life after all, because it feels like he's already trying to lead three. He is having a new conservatory built for the carnivorous plants, because they deserve it. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Andrzej Sapkowski The Last Wish Published June 2007 by Gollancz at Ł18.99 ISBN: 0575077832
A European superstar, in English for the first time!
Geralt was always going to stand out, with his white hair and piercing eyes, his cynicism and lack of respect for authority .. . but he is far more than a striking-looking man. He’s a witcher; his sorcerous powers, enhanced by elixirs and long years of training, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. He is no ordinary murderer, though: his targets are the vile fiends that ravage his land, preying on the unwary. But as he roams the country he comes to realise that first appearances are often deceptive: not everything monstrous-looking is evil, and not everything fair is good . . . and in every fairy tale, there is a grain of truth.
Ii his role as guardian of the innocent, Geralt, the witcher from Rivia, meets incestuous kings with undead daughters, vengeful djinns, rancorous maidens, shrieking harpies, love-lorn vampires and despondent ghouls. Many are pernicious, some are wicked, and none are quite as they seem ...
Andrzej Sapkowski seamlessly blends the familiar with delicious twists of originality. Geralt is an unforgettable hero in an unputdownable fantasy epic.
‘The epic world of Sapowski is a dreamland for those who are young, their age notwithstanding’ Polityka
Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Dan Simmons Hyperion Pbk published August 2007 by Gollancz at Ł7.99 ISBN: 0575081147

The book that reinvented epic Science Fiction
It is the 29th century and the universe of the Human Hegemony is under threat. Invasion by the warlike Ousters looms, and the mysterious schemes of the secessionist Al TechnoCore bring chaos ever closer.
On the eve of disaster, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set out on an epic journey. Their goal, the legendary Time Tombs on Hyperion, home to the Shrike, a lethal creature, part god and part killing machine, whose powers transcend the limits of time and space. The pilgrims have resolved to die before discovering anything less than the secrets of the universe itself.
Praise for the Hyperion Cantos
'Truly astonishing' Iain M Banks
‘Matches and perhaps even surpasses Isaac Asimov and James Blish’ Washington Post
‘Unfailingly inventive … bears comparison with FOUNDATION and DUNE’ New York Times
`Despite his grand scale, he fashions intensely human individuals whom the reader will take to heart’ Publishers Weekly
`I am in awe of Dan Simmons’ Stephen King
About The Author
Dan Simmons, a former teacher and director of programmes for gifted children, now writes full time. He lives with his wife and daughter in Colorado, USA. He has always been interested in writing/composing his first short stories at the age of nine. Since then he has been co- winner of the first Twilight Zone Magazine short story contest, winner of the Rod Serling Memorial Award and the winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel with Song of Kali.
Dan Simmons is also the author of the internationally acclaimed Hyperion, winner of the 1990 Hugo Award and Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, Phases of Gravity and Carrion Comfort, winner of the 1990 Bram Stoker Award, British Fantasy Society Award and Locus Award for Best Horror Novel. Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online