Black Gate

Melissa Caruso is the author of Swords and Fire, a 4-book fantasy trilogy (there’s more of those than you think). I don’t know much about it, so that doesn’t tell me anything — although I note that the first book, The Tethered Mage, was shortlisted for the Gemmell Morningstar Award in 2017, and that’s definitely an asset in my book.

Her latest is The Obsidian Tower, the opening volume in a new series, and it’s been warmly received. Publisher Weekly calls it “no-holds-barred epic fantasy,” and James Tivendale at GrimDark magazine raves, saying:

Like Caruso’s previous trilogy, The Obsidian Tower is set in the world of Eruvia. The action takes place at least 150 years after the events of Swords and Fire… Ryx is a vivomancer but her magic is flawed and so twisted that it is dangerous. Anyone she touches dies, which, to her dismay, has happened a few times. At twenty-one years old, her role is to look after the castle in Gloamingard and at the beginning of the narrative, she is hosting a conference with neighbouring Alevar and the Serene Empire. Her castle is full of nooks, crannies, and secret passages, many of which seem only known to Ryx, as well as being host to a mysterious tower with a magical door which must not be unsealed….

Caruso is a terrific writer who weaves fascinating and intricate fantasy tales that are heavily focused on magic and politics. In The Obsidian Tower Caruso also introduces mystery elements to the mix which fit perfectly with her style…. [it’s] brimming with many well-crafted and colourful characters… My personal favourites were the formidable ruler of Morgrain The Lady of Owls, the mysterious Severin, the envoy from the neighbouring Alevar, the talking fox-like Chimera and castle guardian Whisper, and the loveable oddballs that make up the Rookery….

The Obsidian Tower is an entertaining, well-written, and expertly-paced novel with incredible magic schemes and a great cast of characters.

The Obsidian Tower was published by Orbit on June 2, 2020. It is 528 pages, priced at $16.99 in paperback and $9.99 in digital formats. The cover is by Peter Bollinger. Read a lengthy excerpt here.

See all our recent coverage of the best new SF and fantasy here.

It’s too early to be certain of course, but it seems to me that publishing is starting to get back to normal after the shock to the system that was the Covid-19 pandemic.

June, at least, has a healthy number of new releases, including plenty that perk my interest. Like John P. Murphy’s debut novel, a space western that Publishers Weekly calls “fast, fun… pure entertainment.” Here’s an excerpt from the PW review.

Murphy skillfully transports spaghetti western tropes to a lawless space station in this action-packed debut. The reclusive, unnamed heroine, an asteroid miner, docks at dilapidated Station 35 hoping to sell her ore, restock her supplies, and interact with as few people as possible. But Station 35 is a violent, unsavory place controlled by a corrupt, all-powerful corporation, and its inhabitants prove intent on cheating and exploiting her. So the Miner, a former intelligence-corps officer of mysterious, dark repute, sets about cleaning up the station by any means necessary — gathering allies, securing resources, and using the already-raging turf war between rival gangs and crooked cops to her advantage…. snappy dialogue and plenty of dry humor keep the pages turning.

SciFiNow has a worthwhile interview with Murphy that dives into his inspirations for the book, and I think Black Gate readers will find them interesting. I know I did.

I took a class in Japanese cinema. We watched and discussed several samurai movies, including Kurosawa’s brilliant film Yojimbo that was loosely based on the Dashiell Hammett novel Red Harvest. I watched the remakes of it: one of Clint Eastwood’s earliest films, Fistful Of Dollars, and Last Man Standing with Bruce Willis…

I became fascinated by how a very small kernel of story could be strong enough to power many very different books and films over the years, beyond that handful and in its precursors going back to Shakespeare. It wasn’t until the last few years though, when my thinking about current events crystallised with that old kernel, that I finally had a story of my own that I needed to tell.

The digital version of Red Noise will be published Angry Robot on June 9, 2020. The print edition lands on July 14. It is 448 pages, priced at $14.99 in trade paperback and $8.99 in digital formats. Read an interview with Murphy in the June issue of Clarkesworld magazine.

See all our coverage of the best new SF and fantasy here.

May was a tough month for new releases.  Many were pushed to the fall as a result of bookstore closure across the country — and the fact that Amazon dramatically slowed down shipping on all non-essential items.

But a few brave publishers stuck to the schedule, and virtual bookstore shelves weren’t empty last month. I think it’s all the more important to celebrate those books, and especially the ones that deserve special attention. Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s debut novel The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is definitely one of them. Kirkus calls it “Absolutely enthralling,” and Alex Brown at Tor.com says “Every single character is as deeply compelling as the world they live in… a remarkable novel and hands down one of the best of the year.” Here’s the description.

In a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic, a desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial lady find a connection on the high seas.

The pirate Florian, born Flora, has always done whatever it takes to survive — including sailing under false flag on the Dove as a marauder, thief, and worse. Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, a highborn Imperial daughter, is on board as well — accompanied by her own casket. But Evelyn’s one-way voyage to an arranged marriage in the Floating Islands is interrupted when the captain and crew show their true colors and enslave their wealthy passengers.

Both Florian and Evelyn have lived their lives by the rules, and whims, of others. But when they fall in love, they decide to take fate into their own hands — no matter the cost.

Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s sweeping fantasy debut, full of stolen memories, illicit mermaid’s blood, double agents, and haunting mythical creatures conjures an extraordinary cast of characters and the unforgettable story of a couple striving to stay together in the face of myriad forces wishing to control their identities and destinies.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea was published by Candlewick Press on May 5, 2020. It is 371 pages, priced at $18.99 in hardcover and $5 in digital formats.

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