Rooms by James L. Rubart

Rooms was an intriguing book. Thought-provoking, heart-warming, and very a solid work of speculative Christian fiction. I’ve heard some call the book “a cross between The Shack and Frank Peretti” and that describes the book better than anything else I could say. If you are looking for a new book to settle down with, I would definitely recommend Rooms. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it left me thinking for days after I finished.

Here’s the official blurb:

On a rainy spring day in Seattle, young software tycoon Micah Taylor receives a cryptic, twenty-five-year-old letter from a great uncle he never knew. It claims a home awaits him on the Oregon coast that will turn his world inside out. Suspecting a prank, Micah arrives at Cannon Beach to discover a stunning brand new nine-thousand square foot house. And after meeting Sarah Sabin at a nearby ice cream shop, he has two reasons to visit the beach every weekend.

When bizarre things start happening in the rooms of the home, Micah suspects they have some connection to his enigmatic new friend, Rick, the town mechanic. But Rick will only say the house is spiritual. This unnerves Micah because his faith slipped away like the tide years ago, and he wants to keep it that way. But as he slowly discovers, the home isn’t just spiritual, it’s a physical manifestation of his soul, which God uses to heal Micah’s darkest wounds and lead him into an astonishing new destiny.

Publisher: B&H Books, April 1, 2010
Trade Paperback, 400 pages
Amazon link: Rooms

Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov

Shadow Prowler is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a while. It is written first-person, something that seems to be hard for some authors to pull off. However, I think Alexey Pehov did it very well. His main character, a thief named Shadow Harold, was delightfully sarcastic and witty, something that only we (the readers) get to see on occasion as Shadow Harold doesn’t always voice his thoughts or opinions. Between that and the non-stop action, I found this book a lot of fun and was sorry to have it end. I am very much looking forward to the second book in this series, Shadow Chaser, but it is not scheduled to be released (in English) until April 2011.

Shadow Prowler was first published in Russia in 2002 as Stealth in the Shadows. Apparently it was a huge hit in that country, with international book rights being subsequently snapped up by Tor Books for six figures (U.S. rights), Simon & Schuster (U.K. rights, pre-empting the trilogy with a six-figure deal), and Piper (Germany). Shadow Prowler is Book 1 in “The Chronicles of Siala” series. Here’s the official blurb:

After centuries of calm, the Nameless One is stirring.

An army is gathering; thousands of giants, ogres, and other creatures are joining forces from all across the Desolate Lands, united, for the first time in history, under one black banner. By the spring, or perhaps sooner, the Nameless One and his forces will be at the walls of the great city of Avendoom.

Unless Shadow Harold, master thief, can find some way to stop them.

Shadow Prowler is the first in a trilogy that follows Shadow Harold on his quest for a magic Horn that will restore peace to the Kingdom of Siala. Harold will be accompanied on his quest by an Elfin princess, Miralissa, her elfin escort, and ten Wild Hearts, the most experienced and dangerous fighters in their world…and by the king’s court jester (who may be more than he seems…or less).

Reminiscent of Moorcock’s Elric series, Shadow Prowler is the first work to be published in English by the bestselling Russian fantasy author Alexey Pehov. The book was translated by Andrew Bromfield, best known for his work on the highly successful Night Watch series.

Hardcover published in the U.S. by Tor Books
Release date: February 2010, 400 pages

Alexey Pehov’s website: http://www.alexeypehov.com

For more info, here’s my affiliate link to Amazon. (If you place an order through this link, I do get a small commission.)

The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett

The Desert Spear, which just hit the shelves in April, is the sequel to Brett’s highly acclaimed novel, The Warded Man. Both are published by Del Rey–the former in hardcover while the latter is now available in both hardcover and paperback.

(One interesting fact about The Warded Man: the book was typed by the author on his Blackberry while riding New York’s subways. Wow. Now that is determination!)

Here’s the official blurb:

The sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that arise as the sun sets, preying upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind ancient and half-forgotten symbols of power. These wards alone can keep the demons at bay, but legends tell of a Deliverer: a general—some would say prophet—who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. Those times, if they ever existed, are long past. The demons are back, and the return of the Deliverer is just another myth… or is it?

Out of the desert rides Ahmann Jardir, who has forged the warlike desert tribes of Krasia into a demon-killing army. He has proclaimed himself Shar’Dama Ka, the Deliverer, and he carries ancient weapons—a spear and a crown—that give credence to his claim. Sworn to follow the path of the first Deliverer, he has come north to bring the scattered city-states of the green lands together in a war against demonkind—whether they like it or not.

You can read an excerpt here.
Here’s a link to the author’s website: http://www.petervbrett.com/

For more info on Amazon, click here.

Cover Art Released for “Way of Kings”

One of the things I love about fantasy fiction is the artwork. There are some incredibly gifted artists out there that create works for this genre. One of the most respected is Michael Whelan, who has been commissioned by Tor to create the cover art for Brandon Sanderson’s upcoming book The Way of Kings. Wouldn’t you agree with me that this is an absolutely stunning painting?

For the author’s thoughts on having a Michael Whelan cover for his new book, click on over to a post on the Tor.com website.

Huge Tor Giveaway!

One of the blogs I follow is Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist. This guy does an incredible job of keeping up with the world of fantasy and sci-fi fiction. He also frequently sponsors giveaways, no strings attached. If you’re interested in fantasy and sci-fi fiction, you might want to check this guy out.

Now, to give you the details promised in the headline above. Pat is offering on his website a huge prize pack being offered by Tor Books. To enter, visit Pat’s blog to get the details:
http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com/2009/12/tis-season-giveaway-tor-books.html

Here are the books in the pack:

- Signed copy of Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker
- Signed copy of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn: The Final Empire
- Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s The Gathering Storm
- Three The Wheel of Time comics (Dabel Brothers)
- Steven Erikson’s Gardens of the Moon
- ARC of Steven Erikson’s Dust of Dreams
- Richard Matheson’s The Box
- Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker
- R. Scott Bakker’s Neuropath
- R.A. Salvatore’s The Ancient
- Glen Cook’s Chronicles of Black Company
- Glen Cook’s The Return of Black Company
- Glen Cook’s The Books of the South
- Charles de Lint’s Muse and Reverie
- John Brown’s Servant of a Dark God
- Ian Cameron Esslemont’s Night of Knives
- Kate Elliott’s Spirit Gate and Shadow Gate
- Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s Bones of the Dragon
- L. E. Modesitt, jr.’s Imager
- L. E. Modesitt, jr.’s Imager’s Challenge

I recommend you stop by Pat’s blog and register for this prize pack. You may never see another one this big.

Offworld, By Robin Parrish (Part 3)

Robin Parrish

(Note: For a chance to win a copy of this intriguing science fiction novel, leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. I’ll draw a winner on Weds., Aug. 26.)

Although I really liked this book, I did find a few minor inconsistencies, such as people not being where they were supposed to be at the end of the book.

(SPOILER ALERT. If you don’t want to read the spoiler, skip this paragraph. If the people were returned to the place they disappeared from, there’s no way Owens’ family would have been at Rice University to greet him. Also, in retrospect, I think the ending was in some ways predictable. The story ended in the only place it could have in order to be tied up in a nice neat bow. But at least I didn’t have to worry about any loose ends that way. For some readers I know this is a critical ingredient to a good book, so they would be quite happy with the ending.)

Other themes in Offworld: There is definitely a theme in Offworld that focuses on the light–a blindingly bright beacon that beckons our heroes forward. They know somehow that it is only at the source of this light that the truth will be discovered. And so they struggle on toward the light in order to find the truth. The link was not made overtly, but it reminds me of our world where Christ is the Light. If we will race toward the Light, we will certainly find the truth there.

One other theme that I found particularly heartening centered on a reassurance that we are never alone. Throughout the book the characters find strength in each other again and again.

(BIG SPOILER HERE. If you don’t want to read the spoiler, skip this paragraph. In the end, Mae, the girl who never had a family, chooses to sacrifice herself for her friends, and finds as she crosses the border into eternity that she truly is not alone either.)

Overall, I found Offworld to be a mostly enjoyable read and I would not hesitate to read other books by Parrish. I like the pacing and easy flow of his writing style and his ability to keep the story moving forward rapidly without leaving me behind.

Who is Robin Parrish?

As a journalist, Robin Parrish covered pop culture and entertainment for 14 years. In addition, he has previously authored the recently published Dominion Trilogy (Relentless in 2006, Fearless in 2007, and Merciless in 2008). Parrish is a full-time writer residing in North Carolina with his wife and son. He reportedly is no stranger to pain–both emotional and chronic physical pain–experiences which bleed over into his writing in themes of the transitory nature of human existence. He professes to have been influenced by various speculative and SciFi television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Babylon 5, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The X-Files, comic books like Spider-Man, Avengers, and Runaways, and movies and movie makers like Star Wars, Pixar Animation Studios, M. Night Shyamalan, Christopher Nolan, Bond, Bourne and others. Parrish is now working on two additional novels, scheduled to be published in the summers of 2010 and 2011.

(To see Part 1 of my review, click here. Part 2 is here.)

ADDENDUM: I would like to correct an error I made above in the first spoiler alert paragraph regarding Owens’ family. Please see Robin’s note in the comments below. I apologize for the misstatement.

To see what others have to say here are links to their blogs:
Brandon Barr, Jim Black, Justin Boyer, Keanan Brand, Gina Burgess, Canadianladybug, Melissa Carswell, Valerie Comer, Karri Compton, Amy Cruson, CSFF Blog Tour, Stacey Dale, D. G. D. Davidson, Jeff Draper, April Erwin, Karina Fabian, Linda Gilmore, Beth Goddard, Todd Michael Greene, Katie Hart, Ryan Heart, Becky Jesse, Cris Jesse, Jason Joyner, Julie, Carol Keen, Krystine Kercher, Dawn King, Melissa Meeks, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Mirtika, Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week), Nissa, John W. Otte, Lyn Perry, Steve Rice, Chawna Schroeder, James Somers, Speculative Faith, Stephanie, Rachel Starr Thomson, Steve Trower, Fred Warren, Elizabeth Williams

For more information on Offworld, see: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764206060

Robin Parrish’s Web site - http://www.robinparrish.com/

Robin Parrish’s Twitter blog - http://twitter.com/robinparrish