17 ;D

Well, I believe that they are actually 34 in Earth years, but I am not bother by it at all :) And since this year my party has one more permanent guest I will be away a bit celebrating. I do hope though that you will also have a marvelous day :D

Titles spotlight - Ekaterina Sedia's "Heart of Iron" & "Bewere the Night"

With vivid imagination and fresh and original stories Ekaterina Sedia is one of the names that imposed itself among my favorite writers. There is no surprise then that when Ekaterina Sedia’s name appears on the list of upcoming releases I am eagerly and joyfully looking forward to her next work. This time there is more than one good news, because not only that Ekaterina Sedia has a new novel coming up this year, but also a new anthology.

“Heart of Iron”, the fifth novel of Ekaterina Sedia, comes up in July from Prime Books and has a very intriguing and interesting concept. My previous experiences with the authors’ works were nothing but pleasant so I am convinced that “Heart of Iron” will be a pleasant surprise as well.

In a Russia where the Decembrists’ rebellion was successful and the Trans-Siberian railroad was completed before 1854, Sasha Trubetskaya wants nothing more than to have a decent debut ball in St. Petersburg. But her aunt’s feud with the emperor lands Sasha at university, where she becomes one of its first female students—an experiment, she suspects, designed more to prove female unsuitability for such pursuits than offer them education. The pressure intensifies when Sasha’s only friends—Chinese students—start disappearing, and she begins to realize that her new British companion, Jack, has bigger secrets than she can imagine.

Sasha and Jack find themselves trying to stop a war brewing between the three empires. The only place they can turn to for help is the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace, newly founded by the Taiping rebels. Pursued by the terrifying Dame Florence Nightingale of the British Secret Service, Sasha and Jack escape across Siberia via train to China. Sasha discovers that Jack is not quite the person she thought he was … but then again, neither is she.

Also from Prime Books, in April, Ekaterina Sedia will publish an anthology featuring stories of shapeshifters and werecreatures, with some very interesting names lined-up on the table of contents, such as Kaaron Warren, Cherie Priest, Holly Black, Nick Mamatas or Lavie Tidhar, just to name a few.

Kitsune. Werewolves. Crane wives. Selkies. Every culture has stories of such strange creatures – animals turning into humans, humans shapeshifting into animals. Sometimes seductive, sometimes bloodthirsty, but always unpredictable like nature itself, these beings are manifestations of our secret hearts, our desire to belong to both worlds: one tame and civilized, the other unfettered and full of wild impulse. Here are stories that will make you wish you could howl at the moon until your heart bursts with longing or feel yourself shedding your human body as easily as a snake sheds its skin. Beware the night … it might not kill you, but it will certainly steal you away!

Introduction
“The Thief of Precious Things” by A.C. Wise
“Poison Eaters” by Holly Black
“Go Home Stranger” by Justin Howe
“The Heavy” by Cherie Priest
“Tusk and Skin” by Marissa Lingen
“A Song to the Moon” by Richard Bowes
“In the Seeonee Hills” by Erica Hildebrand
“The Sinews of His Heart” by Melissa Yuan-Innes
“(Nothing But) Flowers” by Nick Mamatas
“The Coldest Game” by Maria V. Snyder
“Red on Red” by Jen White
“Extra Credit” by Seth Cadin
“Thirst” by Vandana Singh
“Grotesque Angels” by Gwendolyn Clare
“Blue Joe” by Stephanie Burgis
“The Werewizard of Oz” by Lavie Tidhar
“Seven Year Itch” by Leah Cutter
“An Unnatural History of Scarecrows” by Mario Milosevic
“The Gaze Dogs of Nine Waterfall” by Kaaron Warren
“Snow on Sugar Mountain” by Elizabeth Hand
“The Aphotic Ghost” by Carlos Hernandez
“The Fowler’s Daughter” by Michelle Muenzler
“Moonlight and Bleach” by Sandra MacDonald
“She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!” by Genevieve Valentine
“Coyotaje” by Marie Brennan
“Swear Not by the Moon” by Renee Carter Hall
“Infested” by Nadia Bulkin
“Watchmen” by Aaron Sterns
“And Neither Have I Wings to Fly” by Carrie Laben

It is certain that Ekaterina Sedia will keep me very busy this year, especially since I still have to catch up with “The House of Discarded Dreams”, the novel she published last year.

2011 Ditmar Awards

The nominees for the 2011 Ditmar Awards, awarded annually since 1969 and recognizing the achievement in Australian science fiction, have been announced. The winners will be announced at the Swancon36, the 36th Annual Western Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention, held between 21st and 25th April at Hyatt Regency Perth Hotel.

Best Novel:
“Death Most Definite” by Trent Jamieson (Hachette)
“Madigan Mine” by Kirstyn McDermott (Pan Macmillan)
“Power and Majesty” by Tansy Rayner Roberts (Voyager)
“Stormlord Rising” by Glenda Larke (Voyager)
“Walking the Tree” by Kaaron Warren (Angry Robot Books)

Best Novella or Novelette:
“Acception” by Tessa Kum (Eneit Press)
“All the Clowns in Clowntown” by Andrew J. McKiernan (Brimstone Press)
“Bleed” by Peter M. Ball (Twelfth Planet Press)
“Her Gallant Needs” by Paul Haines (Twelfth Planet Press)
“The Company Articles of Edward Teach” by Thoraiya Dyer (Twelfth Planet Press)

Best Short Story:
“All the Love in the World” by Cat Sparks (Sprawl, Twelfth Planet Press)
“Bread and Circuses” by Felicity Dowker (Scary Kisses, Ticonderoga Publications)
“One Saturday Night With Angel” by Peter M. Ball (Sprawl, Twelfth Planet Press)
“She Said” by Kirstyn McDermott (Scenes From the Second Storey, Morrigan Books)
“The House of the Nameless” by Jason Fischer (Writers of the Future XXVI)
“The February Dragon” by Angela Slatter and Lisa L. Hannett (Scary Kisses, Ticonderoga Publications)

Best Collected Work:
“Baggage” edited by Gillian Polack (Eneit Press)
“Macabre: A Journey through Australia’s Darkest Fears” edited by Angela Challis and Marty Young (Brimstone Press)
“Scenes from the Second Storey” edited by Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall (Morrigan Books)
“Sprawl” edited by Alisa Krasnostein (Twelfth Planet Press)
“Worlds Next Door” edited by Tehani Wessely (FableCroft Publishing)

Best Artwork:
Cover art – “The Angaelien Apocalypse/The Company Articles of Edward Teach” (Twelfth Planet Press) - Dion Hamill
Cover art – “Australis Imaginarium” (FableCroft Publishing) - Shaun Tan
Cover art – “Dead Sea Fruit” (Ticonderoga Publications) - Olga Read
Short film – “The Lost Thing” (Passion Pictures) - Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan

Best Fan Writer:
Robert Hood for Undead Backbrain
Chuck McKenzie for work in Horrorscope
Alexandra Pierce for body of work including reviews at Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus
Tehani Wessely for body of work including reviews at Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus

Best Fan Artist:
Rachel Holkner for Continuum 6 props
Dick Jenssen for cover art of Interstellar Ramjet Scoop
Amanda Rainey for Swancon 36 logo

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium:
“Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus” edited by Alisa Krasnostein et al.
“Bad Film Diaries” podcast - Grant Watson
“Galactic Suburbia” podcast - Alisa Krasnostein, Tansy Rayner Roberts and Alex Pierce
“Terra Incognita” podcast - Keith Stevenson
“The Coode Street” podcast - Gary K. Wolfe and Jonathan Strahan
“The Writer and the Critic” podcast - Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond

Best Achievement:
Lisa L. Hannett - cover design for “The Girl With No Hands and Other Tales” (Ticonderoga Publications)
Helen Merrick and Andrew Milner - Academic Stream for Aussiecon 4 Amanda Rainey - cover design for “Scary Kisses”
Kyla Ward - Horror Stream and The Nightmare Ball for Aussiecon 4
Grant Watson and Sue Ann Barber - Media Stream for Aussiecon4
Alisa Krasnostein, Kathryn Linge, Rachel Holkner, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts and Tehani Wessely - Snapshot 2010

Best New Talent:
Thoraiya Dyer
Lisa L. Hannett
Patty Jansen
Kathleen Jennings
Pete Kempshall

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review:
Leigh Blackmore for “Marvels and Horrors: Terry Dowling’s Clowns at Midnight”
Damien Broderick for editing “Skiffy and Mimesis: More Best of Australian Science Fiction” Review
Ross Murray for “The Australian Dream Becomes Nightmare”
Tansy Rayner Roberts for “A Modern Woman’s Guide to Classic Who”

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

Michael Moorcock's Elric: The Balance Lost comes to life this May with sensational art by Francesco Biagini & written by Superman's Chris Roberson

Experience the all original Free Comic Book Day prequel this May & Elric: The Balance Lost #1 this July

Beginning this May, BOOM! Studios brings action, adventure and fantasy like never seen before with ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST! Featuring sensational art by Francesco Biagini (DINGO, DEAD RUN) and written by New York Times bestseller Chris Roberson (SUPERMAN, STAN LEE'S STARBORN), this Free Comic Book Day the most action-packed name in comics is ELRIC!

“After seeing Francesco's pages for ELRIC there is no doubt in my mind that Michael Moorcock's legendary Multiverse is in great hands,” says BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “Francesco takes any story he's working on and turns it into a kinetic thrill ride on every page. It's only fitting that one of sword and sorcery's greatest characters is in the hands of comics' brightest talents!”

“Comics and fantasy fans will be blown away when they feast their eyes on the Free Comic Book Day ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST prequel!” says BOOM! Studios Marketing Director Chip Mosher. “With a true visionary of the comic arts medium like Francesco Biagini lending his talents to the already fantastic story penned by white-hot talent Chris Roberson, ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST will be the Free Comic Book Day grab no comic fan should miss!”

Francesco Biagini joins New York Times bestselling scribe Chris Roberson(SUPERMAN, iZOMBIE, STAN LEE’S STARBORN) beginning this May in an all-new, all-original ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST FCBD EDITION that’s not simply a preview of the July series, but a prequel that will excite longtime Elric fans and serve as an accessible entry point for the curious who have never experienced Moorcock’s saga.

For 40 years, comic book fandom has thrilled to the exploits of Elric since his introduction in Marvel Comics' CONAN THE BARBARIAN in the early 1970s. Neil Gaiman called Elric’s creator Michael Moorcock “my model for what a writer was” while Warren Ellis said he is one of the “eight core sites in my creative genome.” Now the godfather of the Multiverse teams up with hot New York Times bestseller Chris Roberson (SUPERMAN, iZOMBIE, STAN LEE'S STARBORN) for an ongoing series that sees a crisis break out across multiple worlds with Moorcock's other two most famous fantasy franchise characters, Corum of the Scarlet Robe and Dorian Hawkmoon! The workings of Fate are being tampered across the Multiverse, upsetting the Cosmic Balance. Elric is on a quest to restore The Balance and save the Multiverse from ruin! Elric, Corum, and Hawkmoon are forced into action far and wide, but will they fight on the side of Law...or Chaos?

ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST FCBD EDITION ships this May for Free Comic Book Day, featuring an original prequel story by New York Times bestseller and SUPERMAN writer Chris Roberson with art by Francesco Biagini and cover art by Erik Jones that leads directly into the first issue of the new ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST this July.

About BOOM! Studios

Award-winning "Best Publisher" BOOM! Studios (http://www.boom-studios.com/) generates a constellation of bestselling comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent, including Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE, Stan Lee's SOLDIER ZERO, THE TRAVELER, and STARBORN (the first new series in print from the industry icon in 20 years), new HELLRAISER comics written by Clive Barker as well as 20th Century Fox's PLANET OF THE APES, 28 DAYS LATER, and DIE HARD, Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, and The Henson Company's FARSCAPE. BOOM!'s recently rebranded all-ages imprint, KABOOM! will see publication of PEANUTS, SPACE WARPED, Roger Langridge's SNARKED!, Scholastic's WORDGIRL and DUCKTALES, as well as continuing to publish fan-favorite Disney Afternoon series DARKWING DUCK, CHIP 'N' DALE RESCUE RANGERS along with Disney standards MICKEY MOUSE, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE, and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES.

2010 Aurealis Awards nominees

The finalists for the 2010 Aurealis Awards, the annual award for the Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction, have been announced. The winners of the 2010 Aurealis Awards and the Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award for Excellence will be announced at the Aurealis Awards ceremony, sponsored by Harper Voyager, at The Independent Theatre, North Sydney on 21st May 2011.

Science Fiction Novel
“Song of Scarabaeous” by Sara Creasy (EOS Books)
“Mirror Space” by Marianne de Pierres (Orbit)
“Transformation Space” by Marianne de Pierres (Orbit)

Science Fiction Short Story
“The Heart of a Mouse” by K.J. Bishop (Subterranean Online, Winter 2010)
“The Angaelian Apocalypse” by Matthew Chrulew (The Company Articles Of Edward Teach/The Angaelian Apocalypse / Twelfth Planet Press)
“Border Crossing” by Penelope Love (Belong / Ticonderoga Publications)
“Interloper by Ian McHugh (Asimovs, Jan 2011)

“Relentless Adaptations” by Tansy Rayner Roberts (Sprawl / Twelfth Planet Press)

Fantasy Novel
“The Silence of Medair” by Andrea K Höst (self‐published)
“Death Most Definite” by Trent Jamieson (Orbit)
“Stormlord Rising” by Glenda Larke (HarperVoyager)
“Heart’s Blood” by Juliet Marillier (Pan Macmillan)
“Power and Majesty” by Tansy Rayner Roberts (HarperVoyager)

Fantasy Short Story
“The Duke of Vertumn’s Fingerling” by Elizabeth Carroll (Strange Horizons)
“Yowie” by Thoraiya Dyer (Sprawl / Twelfth Planet Press)
“The February Dragon” by LL Hannett & Angela Slatter (Scary Kisses / Ticonderoga Publications)
“All the Clowns in Clowntown” by Andrew McKiernan (Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears / Brimstone Press)

“Sister, Sister” by Angela Slatter (Strange Tales III / Tartarus Press)

Horror Novel
“After the World: Gravesend” by Jason Fischer (Black House Comics)
“Death Most Definite” by Trent Jamieson (Orbit)
“Madigan Mine” by Kirstyn McDermott (Pan Macmillan)

Horror Short Story
“Take the Free Tour” by Bob Franklin (Under Stones / Affirm Press)
“Her Gallant Needs” by Paul Haines (Sprawl / Twelfth Planet Press)
“The Fear” by Richard Harland (Macabre: A Journey Through Australia’s Darkest Fears /
Brimstone Press)
“Wasting Matilda” by Robert Hood (Zombie Apocalypse! / Constable & Robinson Ltd)

“Lollo” by Martin Livings (Close Encounters of the Urban Kind / Apex Publishing)

Best Anthology
“Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears” edited by Angela Challis & Dr Marty
Young (Brimstone Press)
“Sprawl” edited by Alisa Krasnostein (Twelfth Planet Press)
“Scenes from the Second Storey” edited by Amanda Pillar & Pete Kempshall (Morrigan Books)
“Godlike Machines” edited by Jonathan Strahan (SF Book Club)

“Wings of Fire” edited by Jonathan Strahan & Marianne S. Jablon (Night Shade Books)

Best Collection
“The Library of Forgotten Books” by Rjurik Davidson (PS Publishing)
“Under Stones” by Bob Franklin (Affirm Press)
“Sourdough and Other Stories” by Angela Slatter (Tartarus Press)
“The Girl With No Hands” by Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga Publications)
“Dead Sea Fruit” by Kaaron Warren (Ticonderoga Publications)

Best Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel
“Shakespeare's Hamlet” by Nicki Greenberg (Allen & Unwin)
“EEEK!: Weird Australian Tales of Suspense” by Jason Paulos et al (Black House Comics)
“Changing Ways Book 1” by Justin Randall (Gestalt Publishing)
“Five Wounds: An Illustrated Novel” by Jonathan Walker & Dan Hallett (Allen & Unwin)
“Horrors: Great Stories of Fear and Their Creators” by Rocky Wood & Glenn Chadbourne(McFarlane & Co.)

Young Adult Novel
“Merrow” by Ananda Braxton‐Smith (Black Dog Books)
“Guardian of the Dead” by Karen Healey (Allen & Unwin)
“The Midnight Zoo” by Sonya Hartnett (Penguin)
“The Life of a Teenage Body‐Snatcher” by Doug MacLeod (Penguin)
“Behemoth” (Leviathan Trilogy Book Two) by Scott Westerfeld (Penguin)

Young Adult Short Story
“Inksucker” by Aidan Doyle (Worlds Next Door / Fablecroft Publishing)
“One Story, No Refunds” by Dirk Flinthart (Shiny #6 / Twelfth Planet Press)
“A Thousand Flowers” by Margo Lanagan (Zombies Vs Unicorns / Allen & Unwin)
“Nine Times” by Kaia Landelius & Tansy Rayner Roberts (Worlds Next Door / Fablecroft
Publishing)

“An Ordinary Boy” by Jen White (The Tangled Bank / Tangled Bank Press)

Children’s Fiction (told primarily through pictures)
“Night School” by Isobelle Carmody (writer) & Anne Spudvilas (illustrator) (Penguin Viking)
“Magpie” by Luke Davies (writer) & Inari Kiuru (illustrator) (ABC Books)
“The Boy and the Toy” by Sonya Hartnett (writer) & Lucia Masciullo (illustrator) (Penguin Viking)
“Precious Little” by Julie Hunt & Sue Moss (writers) & Gaye Chapman (illustrator) (Allen &
Unwin)

“The Cloudchasers” by David Richardson (writer) & Steven Hunt (illustrator) (ABC Books)

Children’s Fiction (told primarily through words)
“Grimsdon” by Deborah Abela (Random House)
“Ranger's Apprentice #9: Halt's Peril” by John Flanagan (Random House)
“The Vulture of Sommerset” by Stephen M Giles (Pan Macmillan)
“The Keepers” by Lian Tanner (Allen & Unwin)
“Haggis MacGregor and the Night of the Skull” by Jen Storer & Gug Gordon, Aussie Nibbles(Penguin)

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

A trilogy in my own way

The day when I started my blog seems like yesterday, but paradoxically, it also seems like a long time ago. There were three years with good and bad, but fortunately the downside was scarcely present and passed in the blink of an eye. The reading experience became richer, but I’ve also become more pretentious with the books I read. I know that through time I accumulated a certain number of debts, in reviewing and interviewing terms, but I can only hope that someday I will be able to pay them back. But enough with the past and let’s look a bit to the future. Writing and updating this blog remains a joy and I miss it when I am not able to do it. I am conscious that in the past few months my priorities and schedule shifted due to the most delightful of reasons and I am not able to maintain the same rhythm as in the past three years. Still, although in the near future Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews might suffer a bit in consistency and schedule I will continue to put effort behind it, because it still brings me joy and fulfillment.

Therefore, if you bare with me I hope we will see each other again for the time being :)

Title spotlight - "The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2011" edited by Paula Guran

In the tradition of the anthologies gathering the best works of a particular genre for a certain period we’ve seen last year the appearance of the first collection of dark fantasy and horror edited by Paula Guran. “The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2010” edited by Paula Guran and released by Prime Books contained stories first published in 2009 and featured authors such as Ekaterina Sedia, Gary McMahon, Sarah Pinborough, Lucius Shepard, Peter Straub, Joe R. Lansdale, Ramsey Campbell, Catherynne M. Valente and Margo Lanagan just to name a few. This year, “The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror” features stories published in 2010 and as we can see in the line-up of the collection Paula Guran’s selection looks as powerful and appetizing as that of the previous year. “The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2011” will be released by Prime Books on August.

- “How Bria Died” by Michael Aronovitz (Weird Tales #356)
- “Frumpy Little Beat Girl” by Peter Atkins (Rolling Darkness Revue 2010)
- “The Broadsword” by Laird Barron (Black Wings)
- “Thimbleriggery and Fledglings” by Steve Berman (The Beastly Bride)
- “The Dog King” by Holly Black (The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
- “Tragic Life Stories” by Steve Duffy (Tragic Life Stories)
- “The Thing About Cassandra” by Neil Gaiman (Songs Of Love And Death, Tales Of Star-Crossed Love)
- “He Said, Laughing” by Simon R. Green (Living Dead 2)
- “Hurt Me” by M.L.N. Hanover (Songs Of Love And Death, Tales Of Star-Crossed Love)
- “Oaks Park” by M.K. Hobson (Haunted Legends)
- “Crawlspace” by Stephen Graham Jones (The Ones That Got Away)
- “Red as Red” by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Haunted Legends)
- “Mother Urban's Booke of Dayes” by Jay Lake (Dark Faith)
- “A Thousand Flowers” by Margo Lanagan (Zombies vs. Unicorns)
- “Are You Trying To Tell Me This Is Heaven?” by Sarah Langan (Living Dead 2)
- “The Stars Are Falling” by Joe R. Lansdale (Stories)
- “Sea Warg” by Tanith Lee (Full Moon City)
- “The Mystery Knight” by George R.R. Martin (Warriors)
- “The Naturalist” by Maureen McHugh (Subterranean Magazine, Spring 2010)
- “Raise Your Hand If You're Dead” by John Shirley (Dark Discoveries #17)
- “Lesser Demons” by Norman Partridge (Black Wings/Lesser Demons)
- “Parallel Lines” by Tim Powers (Stories)
- “The Moon Will Look Strange” by Lynda E. Rucker (Black Static #16)
- “You Dream” by Ekaterina Sedia (Dark Faith)
- “Red Blues” by Michael Skeet (Evolve)
- “Brisneyland by Night” by Angela Slatter (Sprawl)
- “Malleus, Incus, Stapes” by Sarah Totton (Fantasy Magazine, 20 December 2010)
- “The Return” by S.D. Tullis (Null Immortalis)
- “The Dire Wolf” by Genevieve Valentine (Running With the Pack)
- “The Things” by Peter Watts (Clarkesworld, January 2010)
- “Bloodsport” by Gene Wolfe (Swords & Dark Magic)

In the mailbox

Two new books arrived this week in my mailbox, one a new collaboration between Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert and a new novel by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. I have to admit that “Hellhole” sounds really interesting and I am very curious about it. On the other hand, “An Embarrassment of Riches” is the 24th novel in the author’s “Saint Germain” series, but I am not sure about it. It is true that my previous experience with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, “Beastnights”, was a very pleasant one, but here the vampire theme is not exactly appealing. Therefore I am not yet entirely sure if I pick the novel for a reading soon.

- "Hellhole" by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (through the courtesy of Tor Books);

Only the most desperate colonists dare to make a new home on Hellhole. Reeling from a recent asteroid impact, tortured with horrific storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and churning volcanic eruptions, the planet is a dumping ground for undesirables, misfits, and charlatans…but also a haven for dreamers and independent pioneers.

Against all odds, an exiled general named Adolphus has turned Hellhole into a place of real opportunity for the desperate colonists who call the planet their home. While the colonists are hard at work developing the planet, General Adolphus secretly builds alliances with the leaders of the other Deep Zone worlds, forming a clandestine coalition against the tyrannical, fossilized government responsible for their exile.

What no one knows is this: the planet Hellhole, though damaged and volatile, hides an amazing secret. Deep beneath its surface lies the remnants of an obliterated alien civilization and the buried memories of its unrecorded past that, when unearthed, could tear the galaxy apart.

- "An Embarrassment of Riches" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (through the courtesy of Tor Books).

More than two decades strong, the Saint-Germain cycle is one of the most compelling works of dark fantasy and horror of our age. Historically accurate, often involving key events or figures from throughout world history, these deeply emotional novels have a devoted readership. Each novel is written as a stand-alone and they are not chronologically consecutive, so readers may enter the saga with any book and move backward or forward in time as they choose, from Pharaonic Egypt to Paris in the 1700s, from the fall of the Roman Empire to World War II Europe.

In An Embarrassment of Riches, the vampire Count finds himself a virtual prisoner in the Court of Kunigunde in Bohemia in the 1200s. Rakoczy Ferncsi, as Saint-Germain is known, passes his days making jewels to delight Queen Kunigunde and trying not to become involved in the Court's intrigues. In this, the vampire fails. Handsome, apparently wealthy, and obviously unmarried, he soon finds himself being sexually blackmailed by Rozsa, an ambitious lady-in-waiting. If he does not satisfy her, she will denounce him to the priests and he'll be burned at the stake, resulting in his True Death. Despite his care, the vampire makes more than one enemy at the Bohemian Court, and by the end of An Embarrassment of Riches, the Count can see only one road to freedom...through death.

Thank you very much!

Cover art - "Die Tore zur Unterwelt" (Tome of the Undergates) by Sam Sykes

I cannot say too much about the cover artwork of Sam Sykes’ debut novel, “Tome of the Undergates”, featured on both UK and US editions, because I am not a fan of it. But looking over the German cover artwork for the same novel I cannot ask myself what went wrong. It is true that the cover of the German edition of Sam Sykes’ “Tome of the Undergates” (Die Tore zur Unterwelt), due to be released in April by Penhaligon an imprint of German Random House, features yet another hooded figure, but on the overall it looks far more better than the UK and US cover artwork. At least for me. The scene overlooked by the character is interesting enough and the color scheme is truly appealing. It is definitely the winner of the comparison. I believe that the German cover was made through the Hilden Design agency, by the artist Isabelle Hirtz.

"Temple of the Serpent" by C.L. Werner

"Temple of the Serpent"

by C.L. Werner

Format: Paperback, 416 pages

Publisher: The Black Library

Review copy received through the courtesy of the publisher, The Black Library

After a series of failures, Grey Seer Thanquol is offered a chance to redeem himself by going to the island of Lustria to kill the Prophet of Sotek. Dogged by assassins and stranded in a foreign land of giant lizards, temple cities and endless jungle, Thanquol must use all of his cunning and magic if he is to come out alive.

Last year, among my readings I discovered a character of repulsive nature, but that proved in the end to be surprising and a fun encounter. That character was Grey Seer Thanquol and after my initial meeting with him I was quite pleased to find him again in another novel, C.L. Werner’s “Temple of the Serpent”.

As was the case with the first novel featuring Thanquol, “Grey Seer”, where C.L. Werner deals with one of the least present races of the immense Warhammer universe, this time we can explore one of the least visited locations, Lustria. At least for me since I am not familiar with another Warhammer novel set on the island of Lustria. The reader discovers a luxuriant setting inhabited by the lizardmen, exploring dense jungles, hidden cities and vast pyramids. Lustria looks very much like a reflection of a Mesoamerican culture on the Warhammer universe, boosting one of its races with elements of the said culture such as topography, architecture, science or mythology. There are benefits aplenty from this mix, the reader running into plenty of occasions in which the locations inflict a claustrophobic and discomforting sentiment upon the characters, bringing more danger to the adventure and transforming it into an even more savory one.

I opened “Temple of the Serpent” with the hope of meeting again Grey Seer Thanquol and my expectations were not only fulfilled, but also surpassed. Because, once again, C.L. Werner gives voice to a disagreeable presence with great mastery, changing the skaven character if not into a pleasant one (that is still hard to do considering Thanquol’s nature), at least into a more tolerable one. “Temple of the Serpent” offers plenty of plots, twists and politics in the unmistakable style of the skaven race. The constant bickering between the members of the same expedition, the ever-present paranoia of Thanquol, his scheming and dreams of grandeur are the core of the adventure. All these and a few more elements set the story into motion, bringing a few twists and turns along the way and also plenty of hilarious situations and humorous thoughts from the part of Thanquol that make “Temple of the Serpent” an even more entertaining novel.

C.L. Werner’s “Temple of the Serpent” is fast paced and moves quickly, without downfalls in the rhythm. Plenty of action awaits the reader within the pages, fighting scenes, zombie pirates, dark corridors and giant snakes, all for the pleasure of that reader. However, like in the first “Thanquol & Boneripper” novel, the human characters do not rise to the same level as the rest of the cast and the story. The entire human cast seems rather flat, driven by a single purpose, pinpointed from the beginning of the story for each of them and without any element that will give them a strong presence. Most of the time I felt that they were a crutch for Thanquol and the skaven group to use at the times of need and nothing more.

There are characters that become legend and given the time and space needed Thanquol can turn into one in his own way. Luckily, we will get a chance to follow Thanquol in another adventure with a new novel, but I am not sure if that is not the last one considering its title, “Thanquol’s Doom”. Anyway, whatever Thanquol’s fate might be I am looking forward to the next novel, because as was also the case with “Grey Seer”, C.L. Werner delivers an extremely fast and fun story with “Temple of the Serpent”.

Title spotlight - "Ishtar" edited by Amanda Pillar & K.V. Taylor

I am attracted by mythology and although it is not one of my forefront interests it is always there. Therefore most of the times when I came upon mythology aspects and concepts it is most likely for me to not miss that chance. One such opportunity will arise in November when Gilgamesh Press, the little sister of Morrigan Books, will release “Ishtar”, a collection of stories edited by Amanda Pillar and K.V. Taylor. Not only is the mythological concept of the collection of interest for me, but also the three authors of the stories contained within the collection, three rising stars of Australian fiction, Kaaron Warren, Deborah Biancotti and Cat Sparks. Here is a presentation of “Ishtar” and the stories of the collection:

“The 5 Loves of Ishtar” by Kaaron Warren - Follow the path that the goddess Ishtar takes through the eyes of her most devoted worshippers, her washerwomen. Sharokin, Atur, Ninlil, Shamiran, Ninevah and Ashurina share in their goddess’ loves, losses and triumphs, as kingdoms rise and fall in the Land of Rivers.

“And the Dead Shall Outnumber the Living” by Deborah Biancotti - In modern-day Sydney, male prostitutes are dying. Their bones have turned to paste and their bodies are jelly. As Detective Adrienne Garner investigates the deaths, she finds rumours of strange cults and old gods whose powers threaten her city and, ultimately, her world.

“The Sleeping and the Dead” by Cat Sparks - Dr. Anna remembers little of her life before the war, merely traces of the man she used to love. When three desperate travellers rekindle slumbering memories, she begins a search that takes her to Hell and beyond. A search for love and, ultimately, enlightenment.

Book trailer - "Deathless" by Catherynne M. Valente

Last year, one of the titles that draw my attention towards it through its early concept and a quite catchy cover artwork was Catherynne M. Valente’s “Deathless”. I am looking forward for Tor Books to release “Deathless” at the end of this month, especially since I’ve learned about the title last year Catherynne M. Valente’s novel now has a very interesting trailer and a teasing synopsis.

Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. But Koschei has never before been seen through the eyes of Catherynne Valente, whose modernized and transformed take on the legend brings the action to modern times, spanning many of the great developments of Russian history in the twentieth century.

Deathless, however, is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation.

Cover art - "Blood of Aenarion" by William King

There is hardly a secret that I am a big fan of Raymond Swanland’s works. Last month I was happy to find that he put his great talent at work for Black Library too, producing yet another amazing piece, this time for a Warhammer novel, William King’s “Blood of Aenarion”. Raymond Swanland gave birth with his drawing tools once again to a very vivid piece of art, dark, powerful and richly detailed. Raymond Swanland is also one of the artists who might change my mind towards the characters featured on book covers, despite my reluctance for the covers that reveal characters depicted in their every detail. Anyway, for Raymond Swanland and his book covers in particular and artwork in general I have only a few words left: Keep them coming!

You can see more of the cover for William King’s “Blood of Aenarion” on the Black Library’s blog.

2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award shortlist

Last week the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award shortlist was announced:

“Zoo City” by Lauren Beukes (Angry Robot)
“The Dervish House” by Ian McDonald (Gollancz)
“Monsters of Men” by Patrick Ness (Walker Books)
“Generosity” by Richard Powers (Atlantic Books)
“Declare” by Tim Powers (Corvus)
“Lightborn” by Tricia Sullivan (Orbit)

Last year the winner was China Miéville with his excellent “The City & The City”. This year the winner will be announced on Wednesday 27th April.

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

In the mailbox

Three very interesting titles popped up this week in my mailbox, all three of them appealing to me and therefore taking positions close to the top of my TBR list:

- "Tymon's Flight" by Mary Victoria (through the courtesy of the David Gemmell Awards commitee);

The World Tree rises up out of the seething clouds like a green mountain, lifting its children up to the light. All creation nestles in its gigantic branches: all take shelter beneath its canopy. There is no world besides this one -- or so the priests in Argos city would have everyone believe. What then if the green God should wither away, or withdraw Her blessings from her children?
Tymon is an orphaned boy growing up at Argos seminary, in the lush heart of the Central Canopy. The Argosian priests have declared science to be a heretical pursuit, and banned travel beyond the confines of the Tree. But Tymon yearns to discover new horizons. He longs to break free of the seminary. When he discovers an interloper in the city baths -- a foreigner, a female, one of the stigmatised Nurian pilgrims brought to the town every year as slaves -- his life changes forever.
Punished for his temerity and exiled to the dry and forsaken Eastern Canopy to serve out his indenture, he finds that there are different ways of interpreting the cosmos beyond those taught to him by the priests in Argos. He discovers that the heresy of Grafting, belief in the mystic "Tree of Being", still persists in the eastern colonies. And he meets Samiha, the girl who holds the key to his own latent powers, as well as the ultimate fate of his world.

- "The Desert of Souls" by Howard Andrew Jones (through the courtesy of St. Martin's Press);

In 8th century Baghdad, a stranger pleads with the vizier to safeguard the bejeweled tablet he carries, but he is murdered before he can explain. Charged with solving the puzzle, the scholar Dabir soon realizes that the tablet may unlock secrets hidden within the lost city of Ubar, the Atlantis of the sands. When the tablet is stolen from his care, Dabir and Captain Asim are sent after it, and into a life and death chase through the ancient Middle East.
Stopping the thieves—a cunning Greek spy and a fire wizard of the Magi—requires a desperate journey into the desert, but first Dabir and Asim must find the lost ruins of Ubar and contend with a mythic, sorcerous being that has traded wisdom for the souls of men since the dawn of time. But against all these hazards there is one more that may be too great even for Dabir to overcome...

- "Son of Heaven" by David Wingrove (through the courtesy of Corvus Books).

The year is 2085, two decades after the great economic collapse that destroyed Western civilization. With its power broken and its cities ruined, life in the West continues in scattered communities. In rural Dorset Jake Reed lives with his 14-year-old son and memories of the great collapse. Back in '43, Jake was a rich, young futures broker, immersed in the datascape of the world's financial markets. He saw what was coming - and who was behind it. Forewarned, he was one of the few to escape the fall. For 22 years he has lived in fear of the future, and finally it is coming - quite literally - across the plain towards him. Chinese airships are in the skies and a strange, glacial structure has begun to dominate the horizon. Jake finds himself forcibly incorporated into the ever-expanding 'World of Levels' a global city of some 34 billion souls, where social status is reflected by how far above the ground you live. Here, under the rule of the mighty Tsao Ch'un, a resurgent China is seeking to abolish the past and bring about world peace through rigidly enforced order. But a civil war looms, and Jake will find himself at the heart of the struggle for the future.

Thank you all very much!

Romanian Steampunk

Steampunk picked a lot of speed lately and became one of the speculative fiction’s most fashionable subgenres. For once, the Romanian speculative fiction market is keeping the pace with the trend of the larger market and brings into play an all Romanian anthology dedicated to the steampunk subgenre. Once again the publishing house promoting the local speculative fiction is Millennium Books, whose work in the field deserves all the best things it can get. The anthology edited by Adrian Crăciun, “Steampunk: A Doua Revoluție” (Steampunk: The Second Revolution), benefits also from the graphical masterwork of Edward Miller, having a beautiful and very suggestive cover. Here is the complete line-up of the “Steampunk: The Second Revolution”:

- Prefață (Introduction) by Ștefan Ghidoveanu
- Plimbarea de dimineață a domnișoarei Vu (The Morning Walk of Miss Vu) by Ioana Vișan
- Cetatea Neagră (The Black Citadel) by Costi Gurgu
- De la țigani (From the Gypsies) by George Lazăr
- Povestea lui Calistrat Hadîmbu din Vizireni, ucis mișelește de nenicul Raul Colentina într-un han de la marginea Bucureștilor (The Story of Calistrat Hadîmbu, Meanly Murdered by Nuncle Raul Colentina in an Inn at Bucharest Outskirts) by Michael Haulică
- Suflete de plumb (Lead Souls) by Ștefana Cristina Czeller
- Lungul drum din cer acasă (The Long Road from Sky to Home) by Marian Truță
- Ultima clepsidră (The Last Hourglass) by Oliviu Crâznic
- Alchimistul (The Alchemist) by Mircea Opriță
- Profeții despre trecut (Prophecies about the Past) by Aron Biro
- Nostalgia revoluției (The Nostalgia of the Revolution) by Florin Pîtea

The title will be available this spring.

Awards round-up

February is the shortest month but this fact didn’t prevent it to offer plenty of action in the speculative fiction awards field. I’ll try to resume a few of them.

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2010 Bram Stoker Awards nominees

Horror Writers Association announced the nominations for the 2010 Bram Stoker Awards:

Novel:
“Horns” by Joe Hill (William Morrow)
“Rot and Ruin” by Jonathan Maberry (Simon & Schuster)
“Dead Love” by Linda Watanabe McFerrin (Stone Bridge Press)
“Apocalypse of the Dead” by Joe McKinney (Pinnacle)
“Dweller” by Jeff Strand (Leisure/Dark Regions Press)

“A Dark Matter” by Peter Straub (DoubleDay)

First Novel:
“Black and Orange” by Benjamin Kane Ethridge (Bad Moon Books)
“A Book of Tongues” by Gemma Files (Chizine Publications)
“Castle of Los Angeles” by Lisa Morton (Gray Friar Press)

“Spellbent” by Lucy Snyder (Del Rey)

Long Fiction:
“The Painted Darkness” Brian James Freeman (Cemetery Dance)
“Dissolution” by Lisa Mannetti (Deathwatch)
“Monsters Among Us” by Kirstyn McDermott (Macabre: A Journey through Australia’s Darkest Fears)
“The Samhanach” by Lisa Morton (Bad Moon Books)
“Invisible Fences” by Norman Prentiss (Cemetery Dance)

Short Fiction:
“Return to Mariabronn” by Gary Braunbeck (Haunted Legends)
“The Folding Man” by Joe R. Lansdale (Haunted Legends)
“1925: A Faall Roiver Halloween” by Lisa Mannetti (Shroud Magazine #10)
“In the Middle of Poplar Street” by Nate Southard (Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology)

“Final Draft” by Mark W. Worthen (Horror Library IV)

Anthology:
“Dark Faith” edited by Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon (Apex Publications)
“Horror Library IV” edited by R.J. Cavender and Boyd E. Harris (Cutting Block Press)
“Macabre: A Journey Through Australia’s Darkest Fears” edited by Angela Challis and Marty Young (Brimstone Press)
“Haunted Legends” edited by Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas (Tor)
“The New Dead” edited by Christopher Golden (St. Martin's Griffin)

Collection:
“Occultation” by Laird Barron (Night Shade Books)
“Blood and Gristle” by Michael Louis Calvillo (Bad Moon Books)
“Full Dark, No Stars” by Stephen King (Simon and Schuster)
“The Ones That Got Away” by Stephen Graham Jones (Prime Books)
“A Host of Shadows” by Harry Shannon (Dark Regions Press)

Nonfiction:
“To Each Their Darkness” by Gary A. Braunbeck (Apex Publications)
“The Conspiracy Against the Human Race” by Thomas Ligotti (Hippocampus Press)
“Wanted Undead or Alive” by Jonathan Maberry and Janice Gable Bashman (Citadel)
“Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews” by Sam Weller (Melville House Publications)

Poetry Collection:
“Dark Matters” by Bruce Boston (Bad Moon Books)
“Wild Hunt of the Stars” by Ann K. Schwader (Sam's Dot)
“Diary of a Gentleman Diabolist” by Robin Spriggs (Anomalous Books)
“Vicious Romantic” by Wrath James White (Needfire Poetry)

The winners will be announced on June 18th at the Stoker Weekend 2001 at Long Island, New York.

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2010 Nebula Awards nominees

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) announced the nominations for the 2010 Nebula Awards:

Novel:
“The Native Star” by M.K. Hobson (Spectra)
“The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms” by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit UK; Orbit US)
“Shades of Milk and Honey” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
“Echo” by Jack McDevitt (Ace)
“Who Fears Death” by Nnedi Okorafor (DAW)
“Blackout/All Clear” by Connie Willis (Spectra)

Short Story:
‘‘Arvies’’ by Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed Magazine 8/10)
‘‘How Interesting: A Tiny Man’’ by Harlan Ellison® (Realms of Fantasy 2/10)
‘‘Ponies’’ by Kij Johnson (Tor.com 1/17/10)
‘‘I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno’’ by Vylar Kaftan (Lightspeed Magazine 6/10)
‘‘The Green Book’’ by Amal El-Mohtar (Apex Magazine 11/1/10)
‘‘Ghosts of New York’’ by Jennifer Pelland (Dark Faith)
‘‘Conditional Love’’ by Felicity Shoulders (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 1/10)

Novelette:
‘‘Map of Seventeen’’ by Christopher Barzak (The Beastly Bride)
‘‘The Jaguar House, in Shadow’’ by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 7/10)
‘‘The Fortuitous Meeting of Gerard van Oost and Oludara’’ by Christopher Kastensmidt (Realms of Fantasy 4/10)
“Plus or Minus’’ by James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine12/10)
‘‘Pishaach’’ by Shweta Narayan (The Beastly Bride)
‘‘That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made’’ by Eric James Stone (Analog Science Fiction and Fact 9/10)
‘‘Stone Wall Truth’’ by Caroline M. Yoachim (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 2/10)

Novella:
“The Alchemist” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Audible; Subterranean)
‘‘Iron Shoes’’ by J. Kathleen Cheney (Alembical 2)
“The Lifecycle of Software Objects” by Ted Chiang (Subterranean)
‘‘The Sultan of the Clouds’’ by Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 9/10)
‘‘Ghosts Doing the Orange Dance’’ by Paul Park (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction 1-2/10)
‘‘The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window’’ by Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Magazine Summer ’10)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy:
“Ship Breaker” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Little, Brown)
“White Cat” by Holly Black (McElderry)
“Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press; Scholastic UK)
“Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword” by Barry Deutsch (Amulet)
“The Boy from Ilysies” by Pearl North (Tor Teen)
“I Shall Wear Midnight” by Terry Pratchett (Gollancz; Harper)
“A Conspiracy of Kings” by Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow)
“Behemoth” by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse; Simon & Schuster UK)

The Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation:
“Despicable Me” Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud (directors), Ken Daurio & Cinco Paul (screenplay), Sergio Pablos (story) (Illumination Entertainment)
“Doctor Who: ‘‘Vincent and the Doctor’’” Richard Curtis (writer), Jonny Campbell (director)
“How to Train Your Dragon” Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders (directors), William Davies, Dean DeBlois, & Chris Sanders (screenplay) (DreamWorks Animation)
“Inception” Christopher Nolan (director), Christopher Nolan (screenplay) (Warner)
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” Edgar Wright (director), Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright (screenplay) (Universal)
“Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich (director), Michael Arndt (screenplay), John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, & Lee Unkrich (story) (Pixar/Disney)

The winners will be announced on May 21st at the Nebula Awards Banquet.

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2010 Australian Shadows Awards nominees

The Australian Horror Writers Association announced the nominations for the 2010 Australian Shadows Awards:

Long Fiction:
“Madigan Mine” by Kirstyn McDermott (Picador Australia)
“The Girl With No Hands” by Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga Publications)
“Guardian of the Dead” by Karen Healy (Allen & Unwin)
“Under Stones” by Bob Franklin (Affirm Press)
“Bleed” by Peter M. Ball (Twelfth Planet Press)

Edited Publication:
“Macabre: A Journey through Australia's Darkest Fears” edited by Angela Challis & Marty Young (Brimstone Press)
“Scenes From The Second Storey” edited by Amanda Pillar & Pete Kempshall (Morrigan Books)
“Dark Pages 1” edited by Brenton Tomlinson (Blade Red Press)
“Scary Kisses” edited by Liz Grzyb (Ticonderoga Publications)
“Midnight Echo #4” edited by Lee Battersby (AHWA)

Short Fiction:
“Bread and Circuses” by Felicity Dowker (Scary Kisses)
“Brisneyland by Night” by Angela Slatter (Sprawl)
“She Said” by Kirstyn McDermott (Scenes from the Second Storey)
“All The Clowns In Clowntown” by Andrew J. McKiernan (Macabre: A Journey through Australia's Darkest Fears)
“Dream Machine” by David Conyers (Scenes from the Second Storey)

The winners will be announced on April 15th.

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4th Annual Black Quill Awards

Last, but not least let’s see also the winners of an award. Dark Scribe Magazine announced the winners of the 4th Annual Black Quill Awards, in both Editors and Readers categories:

Dark Genre Novel of the Year:

Editors’ Choice: “A Dark Matter” by Peter Straub

Readers’ Choice: “Sparrow Rock” by Nate Kenyon

Best Small Press Chill:

Editors’ Choice: “A Book of Tongues” by Gemma Files

Readers’ Choice: “A Book of Tongues” by Gemma Files

Best Dark Genre Collection:

Editors’ Choice: “Occultation” by Laird Barron

Readers’ Choice: “Blood and Gristle” by Michael Louis Calvillo

Best Dark Genre Anthology:

Editors’ Choice: “Haunted Legends” edited by Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas

Readers’ Choice: “Horror Library IV” edited by R.J. Cavender and Boyd E. Harris

Best Dark Genre Book of Non-Fiction:

Editors’ Choice: “The Conspiracy Against the Human Race” by Thomas Ligotti

Readers’ Choice: “Thrillers: 100 Must Reads” edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner

Best Dark Scribble:

Editors’ Choice: “The Things” by Peter Watts (Clarkesworld Magazine, January 2010)

Readers’ Choice: “We” by Bentley Little (Cemetery Dance #64)

Best Dark Genre Book Trailer:

Editors’ Choice: “Neverland” by Douglas Clegg - Video Production by Circle of Seven Productions

Readers’ Choice: “Neverland” by Douglas Clegg - Video Production by Circle of Seven Productions

Congratulations to all and good luck to all the nominees!