Free Ted Dekker Audiobook

Can you believe it? A free Ted Dekker audiobook? Yep, you heard me right. Right now you can download a copy of Ted Dekker’s novel Black from the iTunes Music Store–free of charge. This is the 13-hour, unabridged version. Here’s the iTunes link:
Ted Dekker Black Audiobook

Here’s a short synopsis of Black from Ted Dekker’s website:

By day’s end, three million people will be carriers of the deadliest virus in history. There is no vaccine. There is no anti-virus. The world’s only hope is Thomas Hunter, and he has already been killed. Twice. Enter an adrenaline-laced epic where dreams and reality collide – and the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance of one man’s choices.

For more info on the author, here’s a link to his website:
http://www.teddekker.com

Star Wars: Death Troopers

The things we do as a mom. My son received Star Wars: Death Troopers for Christmas and enjoyed it so much he insisted I just had to read it. Both of my kids are avid readers so I try to follow the books they are reading from time to time to see where their interests currently are. So I agreed to read Deathtroopers.

Because my son is an avid Star Wars fan, I am aware of the gist of the Star Wars books, but Deathtroopers is an entirely different type of book from all the others. Let me suffice it to say that this is the first zombie book I’ve ever read. Zombie books will never be my favorite genre, but I admit this one was pretty easy to read. Joe Schreiber wrote the book with one action scene after another, making it a very fast read.

In case you want to read it, I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say I found a couple of surprises in the middle of the book, which served to increase my interest level.

Also, Schreiber did a good job developing the different characters. Each had their own particular voice that was different from the others and accurately reflected their skills and personalities. For me, the characterization and action sequences were definitely the book’s strongest points.

If you’re a Star Wars fan or lover of zombie books, you will probably enjoy Deathtroopers. I’m not an authority on horror books, but I have a feeling that if you are, Deathtroopers might be a little lightweight for you. As for me, it was an intriguing way to drift off into another world for a few hours while keeping an eye on my son’s interests.

Anne Rice: Surrender to Love

Anne Rice. When people hear her name, many immediately think of her wildly successful vampire books–books that have inspired films, television adaptations, live theater performance, comics, fan fiction and even music. We’re talking sales of 100 million books worldwide. Now that’s an audience!

What some don’t know is that in 2004, Rice announced that she had returned to the faith of her childhood and had determined that from that time forward she would “write only for the Lord,” leaving behind the “aetheistic despair, searching and misery” she had been mired in.

Since that time, her books “Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt” and “Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana,” (the first two books in a planned trilogy) and “Angel Time” have been published. “Angel Time: The Songs of the Seraphim” hit the shelves in October 2009.

On January 14, Rice appeared in an interview on The 700 Club. In the interview, she talks about her search for God and her subsequent return to the faith. With many of her loyal fans following her story, she has had opportunity to respond to others who are reaching out to escape the misery and search for meaning they identified with in her vampire books. What journey she has made.

You can see for yourself Rice’s current projects and story at her website:
http://www.annerice.com/

She also has a Facebook fan page at:
Anne Rice’s Facebook Fan Page

Meanwhile, here’s a link to the 8-minute video interview: Anne Rice Interview

The Word Reclaimed, by Steve Rzasa

The Word Reclaimed, written by Steve Rzasa, was published by Marcher Lord Press in October. I was graciously offered a pdf of the book for review purposes, which I gladly accepted. Although reading a pdf is not my favorite way to read a novel, I found that the effort was worth it. Steve Rzasa’s book is a wonderful, classic piece of space opera in the tradition of Star Wars.  The author was kind enough to grant me an interview, but before that, here’s the official blurb.

Far in the future, the five colonized systems have finally been freed of the curse of religion. By mandating tolerance across all colonies, no one can bring religious persecution upon anyone else. Things have been this way for a generation. Long enough for most of those living to have never known a Torah, Koran, or New Testament, except in stories. And the Kesek secret police work hard to keep it so. So what happens when a bitter teenage discovers a holy book that has been earmarked for destruction? What happens when it begins speaking to him. And now that Kesek is coming for him and his father and anyone else who gets in his way, what is he going to do with this troublesome book? The Word Reclaimedis epic space opera amidst civil war, treachery, and  political alliances as sifting as Martian sand.

And now for the interview. Enjoy!

What led you to write this particular story?

A few years ago I hit upon the idea, what if a man found a Bible in the wreckage of a starship? Then I wondered what it would be like if written religious texts were banned, and faith was regulated. From that came the genesis for “”The Word Reclaimed.”

In a way, The Word Reclaimed reminded me of several really great space operas–like Star Wars and Anne McCaffrey’s novels, among others. What particular books or movies impacted you as you were growing up?

Ah, you discovered the not-so-great secret! I love the Star Wars series and read several novelizations, especially the “Heir to the Empire” and “Black Fleet Crisis” trilogies – those I read in college. I did most of my science fiction reading in high school and college. I thoroughly enjoyed C.J. Cherryh’s “Merchanter’s Luck” as well as the Honor Harrington novels of David Weber.

Oh! And I can’t forget the canceled “Firefly” TV series. Best sci-fi show ever!

Who are your favorite authors, those whose books you’d love to settle down with on a cold winter afternoon or evening?

The aforementioned “Merchanter’s Luck” is one I re-read regularly. I also really enjoy David Drake’s “Lt. Leary, Commanding.” Kathy Tyers’ “Firebird” trilogy is a great one, too.

How long did it take you to write The Word Reclaimed?

The Word Reclaimed is actually the first half of a much longer epic I called “Commissioned.” It took about six years to write the whole works, with most of the work completed during nine months in 2008-09. Jeff Gerke of Marcher Lord Press decided he wanted to publish the novel but asked me to find a cut-off, a cliffhanger of sorts. I did, and “The Word Reclaimed” was born.

Who was your favorite character to write? What is your favorite thing about that character?

Well, my protagonist Baden was enjoyable if only for the fact that he’s an average guy struggling with some real questions of faith and belief. But I’d have to settle on Detective Chief Inspector Nikolaas Ryke of the Kesek secret police as my favorite to write. He’s just mean! It was fun to take one character and see just how much of a villain I could make him.

If you could be any character from a fantasy or sci-fi book, who would it be and why?

That’s easy – Han Solo! Or at least, somebody with his same job description. Come to think of it, I’d love to be on the crew of the good ship Serenity of Firefly fame …

What projects are you working on now?

I am in the midst of rewriting/editing the sequel or Book 2, entitled “The Word Unleashed.” The release date is April 2010. After that, well, I have lots of ideas for this universe.

How can readers find you on the web?

My website, www.steverzasa.com, has the latest information about “The Word Reclaimed” and background about the universe in which “The Face of the Deep” series is set. “The Word Reclaimed” is available for purchase through www.marcherlordpress.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

A Star Curiously Singing, by Kerry Nietz

A Star Curiously Singing is a first-person science fiction novel written by Kerry Nietz. It is a unique book in that it projects what the world might look like if sharia law became the ultimate authority worldwide. Mix that scenario with a future, technology-rich culture and you end up with the world Nietz has built.

The main character, Sandfly, is a debugger, a slave with an implant in his brain enabling him to connect to the electronic world around him in ways that only debuggers can. Sandfly’s primary job is to fix his master’s robots, but when he is called upon to unravel a technological mystery, everything changes. It seems a spacecraft capable of interstellar flight has successfully made a trip to the stars and back to Earth again, but on the way, one of the key robots on board has gone haywire and torn itself limb from limb. Now it’s up to Sandfly to figure out what went wrong and whether the robot poses a danger to humans. But as Sandfly pieces the robot back together, he finds a strange recording that sets his world on edge.

I found that the first-person viewpoint in Nietz’ book immediately drew me into the story. Maybe it’s just me but I found it intriguing to be in the head of a guy who has an implant in his head. (Ok, sorry. I couldn’t help myself.) Seriously, the technology in the book was fascinating to me. How great would it be to have your own wireless computer inside your head, complete with email and instant messaging in text or video or more? Of course, Sandfly had to deal with the whole do-what-I-want-or-I-zap-your-head situation, but he finds ways to survive and still keep his sanity.

I suppose it could be a side effect of reading fantasy books that are so long they could be used as doorstops, but when I reached the end of A Star Curiously Singing and turned the last page…aaaaaaa! I couldn’t believe it was the end! The book went by so fast and I wasn’t through with the story. Must…read…more. I’m sure the sequel will be well worth reading.

The publisher, Marcher Lord Press, was kind enough to provide me with a PDF for review and to set me up with Kerry Neitz, the author. In turn, Kerry was kind enough to answer a few questions for me. Enjoy!

What led you to write “A Star Curiously Singing”? Where did the story come from?

ASCS came out of a confluence of things, really. I was at a place in my writing where I was really questioning whether God wanted me to continue doing it. I’d spent at least a half dozen years writing novels and submitting and getting rejected. When you spend that long, you have to begin to question a little, I think. I love writing, but I didn’t want to keep spending time on it, if God had better things for me to do.

Thankfully, I had written one non-fiction book (FoxTales) that got published, so I could at least say I’d accomplished my writing dream to some extent. In that book, I wrote the introductory chapter in this very “in the moment” first person present style. I received a lot of positive comments on that book, but the chapter I got the most comments on was that first chapter. It made me wonder if I could write a whole book that way.

Also, for awhile I’d had this idea itching at me about this future computer programmer / robot maintenance guy. One that is just doing his job yet somehow solves an important mystery.

Plus, there was also this question in my mind about what sort of future I would hate my children to have to live in. What future frightened me the most for them?

In that context, with all those things working on me,  I was sitting in an airport terminal one day, with my laptop, and thought “I’m going to write something just for me—just to see if I can pull it off—without wondering whether anyone else will like it or even read it.”

So, I started with: “It’s hard to describe this buzzing in my head…” It grew from there.

How long did it take you to write the book?

I started in February of ‘08 and finished the first draft that spring. Even though I wrote it “for me” by the time I got to the end of it, I thought there was enough unique and cool about it that it might have a shot at being published.

So, I contracted this acquisitions editor turned freelancer (named Jeff Gerke) for his opinion. He got back to me in October of ‘08 with some fairly positive comments. Room for improvement, of course, but also enough encouragement (excitement, really) that I knew I had to revise it and “mature” it with his suggestions in mind.

As it happens, Jeff is the founder of Marcher Lord–and even though there were no guarantees–I got some pretty strong vibes from him that my book was one he’d be interested in. If it was a little longer and some targeted improvements were made.

I sent my second draft to him in January of this year. He got back to me in the spring with a few more suggestions. Then, in early July, he offered me a contract. There was a final round of revisions after that. Now here we are.

I love how Marcher Lord Press is publishing Christian science fiction and fantasy books that other publishers aren’t willing to give a chance. How long did you look for a publisher before finding MLP?

See my answer to the above question. <g>

Really, Marcher Lord was the first and only publisher that saw A Star Curiously Singing. But I think that’s where God wanted it. If it wasn’t for Jeff’s enthusiasm and willingness to help, my book wouldn’t be near as special. I owe him a lot.

Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

That would have to be Sandfly, the main character. He is this technological “fix-it” man. The guy people call when their machines are broken. I spent a good share of my life in the tech field as a computer programmer, so I know firsthand what it is like to be the guy people call when things go wrong.

Surprisingly, though, this is the first fictional story that I’ve written where the main character and I really had that “technically-skilled” connection. Maybe not so surprising is the fact that this is my first novel to be published. Write what you know, they say.

Do you have a sequel to ”A Star Curiously Singing” written or under contract?

A sequel to ASCS is in the works. In book contracts it is fairly standards for publishers to have a “right of first refusal” clause for the author’s next book. My publisher carved it in stone, though, by putting “Book 1” on the spine of ASCS. I’m OK with that. <g>

When it comes to other authors, which ones or which books are your favorites?

I use a lot of author names in my book—as swear words, actually. <g> That will give anyone who reads it a fairly good idea about some of the authors I admire. There are lots of others, though. Maybe I’ll use those in later books…

What projects are you working on now?

Primarily, the sequel to A Star Curiously Singing. There have also been quite a few marketing tasks for ASCS that has taken my time–just trying to get the word out. It’s tough!

Plus, I’ve been trying to help Jeff with Marcher Lord in whatever way I can. Mostly that means technical or website issues or advice.

Finally, I have two young children (both under five) so free time is always hard to come by.

If you could be any character from a science fiction or fantasy book, who would it be and why?

One character that I really liked as a teen (and still do) is John Carter of Mars. He’s a fairly archetypical “Hero With a Thousand Faces” type of hero. A “fish out of water” that not only thrives in his new environment but ends of saving it. He has fairly significant initials, too. (JC)

Where is your favorite place to write?

I have this well-insulated Media Room that doubles as my writing room. The only danger there is that there is a TV and an XBOX there as well. Ah well…we all make our sacrifices.

Do you have any additional projects in the works?

Well, we just found out that my wife is pregnant again. That’s fairly significant. <g>

Congratulations! How can readers find you on the web?

www.kerrynietz.com

Many thanks to Marcher Lord Press and Kerry Nietz for a great read and interview.

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss

Patrick Rothfuss is a fairly new author with only one published novel under his belt. The Name of the Wind was published in 2008 and quickly rose to appear on the New York Times best-seller list.

I found The Name of the Wind to be fairly well crafted. Rothfuss has built an extensive, believable world wirh complex characters. In addition, he has developed a deep backstory, much of which he has wisely cloaked, feeding the reader only enough to keep him or her interested.

On the down side, I found the story to ramble a bit through the middle portion, however, Rothfuss built a strong enough plot to keep me interested despite several slow chapters. To his benefit, the action picked up before I drifted too far astray.

There’s one more thing I want to mention about the book. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or not, but the end of the book left me wanting more. I found the book posed more questions than it answered. The book opened with a great deal of mystery, posing several dilemas that I looked forward to finding an answer to. However, by the end of the book, I found my questions still unanswered. In many ways, I wish I had waited to read the book until the sequel was available. Unfortunately, the second volume in the Kingkiller Chronicles will not be available until who-knows-when. The last I heard, there is not a projected publishing date because the author has not yet finished writing the book.

If you want to know more, here’s the official description from Daw Books, the publisher:

This is the riveting first-person narrative of Kvothe, a young man who grows to be one of the most notorious magicians his world has ever seen. From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic,The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

The author’s website is: http://www.patrickrothfuss.com