A return to the usual schedule

February is almost over and although it was a busy month it was fruitful. The schedule was quite hectic, but it still left me free time and despite a more slowed down reading rhythm than the usual I finished a few books. I still have to write their reviews, 5 of them, but since I return to the usual schedule I believe I will manage it soon. I missed blogging this month and it feels good to be back. Hopefully, starting from this week, I can return to the usual rhythm. How was your past month?

A small pause

Once again the month ahead announces itself extremely busy. The projects that kept last December almost fully occupied need to be consolidated now and that means a bit more work and the perspective of two business trips this February. That doesn’t mean I do not have free time at all, but since me and my wife keep discovering our new born son that free time is dedicated to him. I will still work on a few posts for my blog, but those will be posted most probably in March, because the time spent on the Internet this month will be scarce. I hope you’ll have a bit of patience with my absence and to see you again on regular basis next month. Until then, I hope you’ll have a great time! :)

Title spotlight - "The Best Horror of the Year", volume 3, edited by Ellen Datlow

Ellen Datlow, the prolific editor, delighted us through the years with many wonderful anthologies. Among them, a series of yearly collections of the best horror stories published in “Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror” volumes, which reached 21 annual collections, and recently with her two volumes of “The Best Horror of the Year” released by Night Shade Books in 2009 and 2010 respectively. In June this year Night Shade Books will release the third volume of Ellen Datlow’s “The Best Horror of the Year” and as we can see in the line-up of stories posted by the editor on her blog the anthology looks as appetizing as ever. After all there is no wonder, since Ellen Datlow used us with collections of stories of the highest quality.

What frightens us, what unnerves us? What causes that delicious shiver of fear to travel the lengths of our spines? It seems the answer changes every year. Every year the bar is raised; the screw is tightened. Ellen Datlow knows what scares us; the seventeen stories included in this anthology were chosen from magazines, webzines, anthologies, literary journals, and single author collections to represent the best horror of the year.

"Summation 2010" by Ellen Datlow

"At the Riding School" by Cody Goodfellow

"Mr. Pigsny" by Reggie Oliver

"City of the Dog" by John Langan

"Just Outside Our Windows, Deep Inside Our Walls" by Brian Hodge

"Lesser Demons" by Norman Partridge

"When the Zombies Win" by Karina Sumner-Smith

"--30--" by Laird Barron

"Fallen Boys" by Mark Morris

"Was She Wicked? Was She Good?" by M. Rickert

"The Fear" by Richard Harland

"Till the Morning Comes" by Stephen Graham Jones

"Shomer" by Glen Hirshberg

"Oh I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside" by Christopher Fowler

"The Obscure Bird" by Nicholas Royle

"Transfiguration" by Richard Christian Matheson

"The Days of Flaming Motorcycles" by Catherynne M. Valente

"The Folding Man" by Joe R. Lansdale

"Just Another Desert Night With Blood" by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr.

"Black and White Sky" by Tanith Lee

"At Night When the Demons Come" by Ray Cluley

"The Revel" by John Langan

Cover art - "Ravensoul" by James Barclay

As I said many times before I am not a big fan of the characters on cover, especially when the artwork clearly outlines the character of the book. However, when the artwork of the respective character is truly beautiful I have nothing against it. One such case is the series of covers made by Raymond Swanland for the Pyr editions of James Barclay’s “Legends of the Raven” novels. We have seen the amazing covers for the first three novels of the series, but the cover artwork for the “Ravensoul”, the novel that concludes James Barclay’s series, is the best of all in my opinion. Raymond Swanland saved the best for last and the result is this truly stunning book cover.

Cover art - “The Blade Itself” (Tăișul Sabiei) by Joe Abercrombie

There are several book covers that are simple, but that are truly effective and work better than the wide majority of the more complex ones. The UK editions of Joe Abercrombie’s novels have such covers. His debut novel, “The Blade Itself”, comes to Romania too, but I am sad to say that the cover doesn’t match any of my expectations. I was hoping for the Romanian publisher to keep the simplicity of the UK covers, but the same beauty and effectiveness of them. Well, they did not, although I have to admit also that it is not the worse of the Romanian covers I’ve seen. I am disappointed that the cover of Joe Abercrombie’s “The Blade Itself” (Tăișul Sabiei) is part of a series of stereotypical covers with which the Romanian publisher, Nemira, used me. It is true that I can recognize a novel published in Nemira’s speculative fiction collection, Nautilus, in any bookshop without looking at the publisher’s name, but none of their book covers remains in my memory once I stepped outside the bookshop’s doors. I really wish they will begin to show more imagination for the book covers, because after all the Romanian speculative fiction market showed that it has such potential. Only on a couple of occasions, but it really surfaced.

Oh, and one more thing. The Romanian edition of Joe Abercrombie’s novel will be released in two volumes, with the image you see above split in two. But the cover you see on the left half is for the second volume, while the right half is for the first volume. It seems odd to me, but maybe it’s just me, since I am used to look upon my personal library’s shelves from left to right. Actually, most of the times I start from the left.

A taste of Romanian SF, “LAPINS” by Michael Haulică available on The World SF Blog

I have my fingers buried deep within Michael Haulică’s “Fantastic Stories” (Povestiri Fantastice) and I am enjoying it a lot. It will take a little while until I’ll have a review of his collection of short stories, but until then I am happy to see that the English speaking readers have the opportunity now to have a taste of Michael Haulică’s works with the help of the wonderful The World SF Blog, which posted today his story, “LAPINS”. Also on The World SF Blog, at the end of the Michael Haulică’s short story, you can find a presentation of the author, one of the important names of modern Romanian speculative fiction. I hope that you’ll enjoy Michael Haulică’s “LAPINS”, translated by Adriana Moșoiu.

Book trailer - "The Fallen Blade" by Jon Courtenay Grimwood

Venice is a fascinating city and my travels in this marvelous location were wonderful experiences. In the last couple of years I’ve seen two fantasy settings that resembled this amazing city, reflecting it in an imaginary world. Tim Stretton’s “The Dog of the North” featured a city, Mettingloom, which resembled Venice adding to the mix a very interesting political system and Amanda Downum’s “The Drowning City” taking place in Symir, a location with many wonderful elements that remind of the Italian city. This month Orbit Books will release a new historical fantasy, Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s “The Fallen Blade”, a novel that takes place in Venice. I am not very thrilled about the vampire mentioned there, because this creature hit a new low for me, but the political intrigue and the location of the novel are giving me a couple of reasons for trying this new historical fantasy and see what it has in store.

Venice, 1407. The city is at the height of its powers. In theory, Duke Marco commands, but Marco is asimpleton so his aunt and uncle rule in his stead. They seem all powerful, yet live in fear of assassins better than their own.
On the night their world changes, Marco’s young cousin prays in the family chapel for deliverance from a forced marriage. It is her misfortune to be alone when Mamluk pirates break in to abduct her – an act that will ultimately trigger war.
Elsewhere Atilo, the Duke’s chief assassin, cuts a man’s throat. Hearing a noise, he turns back to find a boy drinking from the victim’s wound. The speed with which the angel-faced boy dodges his dagger and scales a wall stuns Atilo. He knows then he must hunt him. Not to kill him, but because he’s finally found what he thought was impossible – someone fit to be his apprentice.