Book Giveaway: World of Warcraft Arthas Rise of the Lich King by Christie Golden

Today I have ten copies to give away of World of Warcraft: Arthas: Rise of the Lich King by Christie Golden, graciously provided by Simon & Schuster (you can opt-in here to receive all kind of yummy book news, videos and more from them.) So that's ten chances for you to win!

His evil is legend. Lord of the undead Scourge, wielder of the runeblade Frostmourne, and enemy of the free peoples of Azeroth. The Lich King is an entity of incalculable power and unparalleled malice--his icy soul utterly consumed by his plans to destroy all life on the...World of Warcraft.

But it was not always so. Long before his soul was fused with that of the orc shaman Ner'zhul, the Lich King was Arthas Menethil, crown prince of Lordaeron and faithful paladin of the Silver Hand.

When a plague of undeath threatened all that he loved, Arthas was driven to pursue an ill-fated quest for a runeblade powerful enough to save his homeland. Yet the object of his search would exact a heavy price from its new master, beginning a horrifying descent into damnation. Arthas's path would lead him through the arctic northern wastes toward the Frozen Throne, where he would face, at long last, the darkest of destinies.

You can read an excerpt from the novel here.

Or if you just can't wait to get your hands on it, you can purchase World of Warcraft: Arthas Rise of the Lich King here.

And for Facebook and Myspace users:
World of Warcraft: Arthas Rise of the Lich King on Facebook
World of Warcraft: Arthas Rise of the Lich King on Myspace

To Enter to Win: Send an email to pstotts@bloodofthemuse.com with the subject line "WARCRAFT" and include your name and mailing address in the body of your email. Multiple entries will be disqualified. Winners will be selected at random. No purchase is necessary. Contest is open to residents of US and Canada only. Contest ends: May 5, 2009 at 11:59pm PST.

For more Blood of the Muse giveaways: click here.

Bloggers: if you promote this contest on your blog, I will give you an additional entry. Email me at pstotts@bloodofthemuse.com with the subject line "WARCRAFT", and include the address to your blog in the body of the email, or you can leave the address to your blog in the comment section of this post. I'll check it out and make sure you get another entry.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

"The Adamantine Palace" by Stephen Deas (Gollancz)

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The Adamantine Palace
Stephen Deas
384 pp. Gollancz. £18.99
Pub. Date: 3/19/2009
ISBN-13: 978-0575083738

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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Dragons.

Dinosaurs, nightmarishly re-imagined. Fantasy’s Six Million Dollar Dino—built bigger, stronger, faster, meaner. Better. A Jurassic Park bogeyman; a spook story mommy dinosaurs tell to scare their babies, of big flying reptiles, covered in scales like lizardskin china, maws glistening with killer enamel, eyes twinkling with attitude, menace. Possibly fire-breathing. A predator. The top of the food chain.

Then people hit the scene. With their enormous egos, their misguided conceptions, and their fervent belief that they wear the ruler pants, proclaiming themselves top of the food chain. Ruler of the Universe. It’s our world; everything else is just a peasant groveling before our throne, basking in our glory. Dragons are fearsome, yes. But they’re beasts. Mounts. Like a pony. Only a hell of a lot scarier.

So we tame them, raise them, nurture them. So we can ride them. Like nobility. Like Dragon Lords. The biggest, scariest predator in the kingdom, and we put it between our legs. Like straddling fantasy’s ultimate weapon of mass destruction, a one hundred megaton nuclear reptile. Only a bad man could ride such a bad beast. As far as substitute penises go, dragons can’t be beat.

And dragons allow this. Allow being dominated, ridden. Like an obedient and compliant pony, happy and content, domesticated and mostly harmless, a gift you’d give your eight-year old daughter because she’s screaming: I want a dragon. Most dragons happily submit, yearning for a pat on the head, or an encouraging word, even though they’re often intelligent, self-aware, and rational. Some speak, others communicate telepathically. Some demonstrate immense brainpower, enough to humiliate a Harvard law student. Others speak like they’re channeling Jane Austen.

So why allow themselves to serve as a mount for some vainglorious yahoo, some Dragon Rider? Why allow themselves to be treated as inferiors? Are they good-hearted, or moved by a strong moral fiber? Or maybe it’s because of their deep friendship with the rider? Really. It’s friendship? When’s the last time you let your best friend ride on your back, while you carted them around? It’s fantasy’s magnificent mystery, a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. Unanswered.

Until now.

Stephen Deas shatters this mystery, sledgehammering the dragon mythos into fragments, in his awesome new novel The Adamantine Palace. Vicious, predatory dragons. Equally unpleasant humans, driven by personal agendas. Court intrigue, thick as tar, and just as black. A novel less about good and evil, and more about bad and worse. About who’s the greater monster. Dragons. Or people.

Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series has been the recent standard bearer for dragon-themed fantasy. Part Napoleonic war story, part travelogue, Temeraire is all buddy picture, the touching story between a boy—or a former naval officer, in this case—and his friendly, talking dragon. It’s generally happy, and leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Unlike The Adamantine Palace which crushes the necks (and hopes) of good dragons everywhere under its monstrous talon, stomping them repeatedly until their black swollen tongues loll from their crushed skulls, before finally urinating on the aftermath. It’s the anti-Temeraire, a novel where the dragons finally get pissed off, and do something violent about it. And it’s a revolution, an uprising in which Deas seizes the dragon mantle from Novik, becoming the new standard bearer. There’s a new sheriff in town. And his name is Stephen Deas.

The characters are fantastic, multi-faceted and morally complex. It’s not good versus evil; there is no good. There are no angelic choirboys here, no innocent doe-eyed farm boys. There’s only the most powerful, the rulers of the land, the ones with Machiavellian agendas, the ones looking out for number one, the self-serving. The kings and queens; the princes and princesses. All of them cutthroats and backstabbers. Not since George R.R. Martin’s series A Song of Ice and Fire has court intrigue been so deliciously wicked, so deliciously fun. The Adamantine Palace is about power. And those who struggle for it. Who lie for it. Who kill for it.

Prince Jehal shines as one of the book’s prime movers. He’s fratboy arrogance smothered in malice, a Teflon bully, smugness to a nauseating extreme. The character you’ll love to hate, the one who’ll have you begging for karmic justice, praying for it. Hoping, desperately, for fate to depants the twit. To expose his vulnerability. Just so you can savor its sweet taste.

Last Word:
Stephen Deas shakes up the dragon mythos wonderfully in his seismic, Richter-scale-popping novel, The Adamantine Palace. These aren’t your father’s dragons. These are the dragons your mom warned you about, the ones lurking in the shadows, doing bad things. Horrible things. These are the predators; the ones that floss with velociraptors. Unapologetic. Vicious. Intelligent. Unstoppable. And they might not even be the biggest monsters on the block. That distinction may be reserved for the people that ride them.

One of the best fantasy books of the year.

Final Grade: 88 out of 100

Related Posts:
"Victory of Eagles" by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
"His Majesty's Dragon" by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)

Collector's Corner: Cherie Priest

Monster stories. With a Southern flair. That's what Cherie Priest writes. Stories like hot and steaming nightmare biscuits, straight from the ovens of hell, smothered in pools of gravy. Delicious, and just a little bit deadly. So devour at your own risk.

Comic Giveaway: Perfect Dark by Eric Trautmann and Jason Carl

Like graphic novels? How about video games? If you do, I've got something just for you. I'm giving away a copy of the Perfect Dark graphic novel written by Eric Trautmann and Jason Carl.

The year is 2021. Corporations control everything. Everyone. Everywhere. With one exception.

Joanna Dark has trained since birth to become a bounty hunter, to follow in her father Jack's footsteps.

She was taught to battle an endless supply of crooks, con-artists, thieves, and murderers on a bleak battlefield of back alleys, seedy bars, and mean streets.

She thought she was ready. She thought she knew what the world was all about.

She was dead wrong.

Her father's murder has thrust Joanna into a world-within-a-world, the secretive, shadowy conflict between titanic corporations, vast entities called "Hypercorporations," which wage a terrible war for control of humanity's future.

Six months ago, she fought against the people that killed her father-agents of the sprawling, omnipresent dataDyne Corporation. Six months ago, she learned that her revenge would not be complete unti dataDyne was a smoking ruin, removed forever from the face of the Earth.

Her violent vendetta forced Joanna into an alliance with the mysterious Carrington Institute--run by the equally enigmatic Daniel Carrington--Joanna is now a footsoldier on this new, clandestine battlefield, where information is ammunition, where money buys deceit, and where a cold war in the new world order is about to turn hot...

To Enter to Win: Send an email to pstotts@bloodofthemuse.com with the subject line "DARK" and include your name and mailing address in the body of your email. Multiple entries will be disqualified. Winners will be selected at random. No purchase is necessary. Contest is open to all participants. Contest ends: May 3, 2009 at 11:59pm PST.

For more Blood of the Muse giveaways: click here.

Bloggers: if you promote this contest on your blog, I will give you an additional entry. Email me at pstotts@bloodofthemuse.com with the subject line "DARK", and include the address to your blog in the body of the email, or you can leave the address to your blog in the comment section of this post. I'll check it out and make sure you get another entry.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

"Fathom" by Cherie Priest (Tor)

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Fathom
Cherie Priest
384 pp. Tor. $25.95
Pub. Date: 12/9/2008
ISBN-13: 978-0765318404

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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Water witches are ambitious folk, always climbing that corporate witch ladder, not above dirty little tricks to get a rung up. Like putting two tons of water witch keister in the face of an earth witch reaching for the same rung, or repeatedly stomping on the knuckles of a fire elemental; only briefly satisfied when they’ve finally been promoted to President of Evil Doings. The Head Honcho of Hell on Earth, the big fish in an evil ocean.

And once minted in their new corporate top-dog position, with their high-tech ergonomic faux leather chair, and eager minions who salivate way too much—that’s when they go for the big Evil, the one that shakes things up. The kind of Evil that ruins the world for the rest of us, the little people.

And they cackle, maliciously, while doing it, like a scheming investment banker huddling over spreadsheets.

Stepping into the Chief Evil Doer role in Cherie Priest’s excellent novel “Fathom” is Arahab, water witch and bane of humanity. See Arahab has a plan, an ambitious plan, one that humanity isn’t going to like very much. Since it means their complete and utter destruction.

But she needs help pulling it off; someone to do the legwork for her. Someone who can actually walk across the land, and isn’t confined to bodies of water. Can’t get much evil accomplished if you’re stuck in a swimming pool. So she needs minions. Evil minions. Quicker than you can say winged monkeys, an opportunity arises. Two girls, cousins, running along the beach, crash into the surf. Into her world. One cousin Arahab will choose, one she’ll leave behind. To be unexpectedly chosen by another.

Cherie Priest’s “Those Who Went Remain There Still” was an incredible surprise, a three-ton jack-in-the-box of a novel, and an introduction to a new and unique voice in the genre. A voice so impressive it immediately plunged me into a mini-Cherie Priest bender. A lost weekend of fantasy/horror debauchery spent splashing around in delicious southern-flavored monster stories, consuming “Fathom” as if it came packaged in dime bags. This is the good stuff.

Priest’s novels are familiar, but unique. How? Imagine Greek mythology—the terrible monsters roaming the land; the larger-than-life gods, always bickering, always meddling, trying to get a leg up on their rival deity, using ignorant humans to accomplish their ends. Now beer-batter that Greek mythology up, coat it real good, maybe give it a dash of Gothic seasoning, and throw it in some sizzling grease. And fry it up—Kentucky style. That’s Deep South mythology. That’s “Fathom.” That’s Cherie Priest. She’s Neil Gaiman—if Neil Gaiman wrote about hillbillies, and the monsters that burp them up.

“Fathom” feels short, almost a tease, to the point where the characters still have an air of mystery afterwards. They still have hidden layers to reveal, their exposure far from complete, a few clothing articles short of a Full Monty. It’s like a charming dinner party conversation, brief but utterly engaging, almost addictively so. A tantalizing slice of life of the most interesting person you can imagine. You desire to know more, to see more, and to go beyond the introductory chit-chat. To hear other stories. Please—you beg—more. The end bringing only one question: then what happens?

Last Word:
Cherie Priest has quickly become one of my favorite writers for her ability to deliver unique and engaging stories; stories that embody a Southern-flavored mythos, about country bumpkins and the things that bump them back. It’s one half Greek mythology, one half Southern Comfort; the resulting concoction percolated out of some backwater still. It’s both exciting, and scary. Like moonshine from Hell. Because one taste can change you forever. “Fathom” exemplifies this, proudly; chin high up in the air. Taste it. It’s worth it.

Final Grade: 84 out of 100

Related Posts:
"Those Who Went Remain There Still" by Cherie Priest (Subterranean Press)
"Neuropath" by Scott Bakker (Orion)
"Hater" by David Moody (Thomas Dunne)

Winner of "Lethally Blond" by Kate White

The parade of winners continues. This lucky one is going to receive a copy of Kate White's novel "Lethally Blond."

The winner is: Pauline Mendes from Utah. Congratulations Pauline!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Winner of the Comic Grab Bag Giveaway

I'm really behind with announcing winners of the giveaways that have ended recently. But I'm going to remedy that right now. A winner has been selected to receive the a grab bag of 10 assorted comics.

The winner is: Raquel Rasmussen from California. Congratulations Raquel!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Young Adult Spotlight: "Max" by James Patterson (Little, Brown)

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Max (Maximum Ride #5)
James Patterson
272 pp. Little, Brown. $19.99
Pub. Date: 3/16/2009
ISBN-13: 978-0316002899

Reviewed by Lindsay Stotts

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Max and her “flock” are no normal group of kids. Far from it. They’ve been chased by various evil geniuses their whole lives, escaped from high security prisons, regained some sense of their identities and even found a place they could call home. If only those chasing them would stop, allowing them a well-deserved breather from continual pursuit.

These aren’t just normal kids, though. These kids are what you’d call special. And I’m not talking about special in an oh-they-are-so-cute-and-adorable-and-well-behaved kind of way. This is a different kind of special. A superhero kind of special. Like having wings, and super sharp vision, gills for underwater excursions, and being able to disappear right in front of people, as well as having the ability to go all Jedi mind-tricky and manipulate any living being’s thoughts. And not to mention their extraordinary um…shall we say…fragrance. Not exactly abilities you’d expect for a normal, run-of-the-mill teenager. (Well, except for the extraordinary fragrance part.)

And did I mention there’s also a talking, flying dog tagging along with the flock? Oh yeah—there’s one.

Most people have normal days. They wake up, go to work or school, come home, relax, before heading off to bed so they can do it all again the next day. Not Max.

Max’s normal day is like the nightmare of all nightmare days. A day of dread, filled with getting attacked by evil flesh-covered robot ninjas looking to go all martial artsy on your noggin, avoiding becoming a hot lunch for a monstrous sea creature, being kidnapped and threatened, chasing bad guys across an ocean to save a loved one, and trying to hold your family together, while remaining bullet hole free. It’s a tough gig. Try having that be your normal day.

James Patterson does a stellar job of furthering the story of Max and her flock in the latest installment of the Maximum Ride series, Max. The novel delves deeper into each character’s background and personality, as well as into their awesome superpowers! Each character is expanded upon in the book, making the story even more addicting and engaging. The true highlight, though, is how Patterson finally throws Max headfirst into a romantic relationship, filled with oodles of delicious teenage bird-kid awkwardness. He does an incredible job of making Max and her efforts for love relatable to the reader. It’s great to finally see her have something all her own in her life. Something personal.

Not only is the character development exemplary, but as always in a Maximum Ride novel, the action was non-stop, in-your-face, wow-I-haven’t-had-time-to-catch-my-breath intense. Written for a teens and tweens audience (but enjoyable for ANY age), the plot line is fast-paced, edge of your seat entertainment. The story never drags, never slows, rabbit-ing along to its stunning conclusion. Patterson writes the story from Max’s point-of-view, offering a fresh perspective, which lends itself to some very amusing one-liners that are interspersed perfectly between intense, nail-biting moments. It’s comic relief—Max style. And it’s awesome. There’s no way someone couldn’t fall in love with Max and her “flock.”

Last Word:
Once again James Patterson has created an entertaining, lightning-fast paced story that I just could’t get enough of. Like literary apple pie. With two scoops of vanilla ice cream on top. The only disappointment in the whole book: that there wasn’t even more to read! Max as well as the rest of the Maximum Ride series is wonderful for almost any age group and always rises to the occasion, each new installment seemingly better than the previous book. Once again Max rocks!

Final Grade: 89 out of 100

Related Posts:
Young Adult Spotlight: "The Dangerous Days of Daniel X" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (Little, Brown)

Comic Break: Groom Lake #1 (IDW Publishing)

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Groom Lake
Issue: #1
Writer: Chris Ryall
Artist: Ben Templesmith
32 pp. IDW Publishing. $3.99

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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Throughout human history, men have looked at the sky, at its vastness, and have wondered: could something be out there? Could there be life out there? Other people, living on some rock, orbiting a foreign sun? It makes for a great mystery. Like Agatha Christie meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

And like all great mysteries, speculative endings have been written, and theories put forth. Some intelligent, some not. Aliens exist, and they are out there. Maybe they inhabit the galaxy around that star over there, far, far away. Mars looks suspicious—maybe there are little green men living there, toiling like alien dwarves in underground caverns. Or—wait—maybe there are already here, living among us, hiding, camouflaging themselves. Or maybe they just stop by Earth to visit, a quick pop-in, in which they participate in fly-by alien abductions. Earth nothing more than a drive-thru, an interstellar McDonalds, anal probes on-the-go with a side of cattle mutilations.

Sounds great, but what we really need is proof. Like a snapshot of their spaceship. A Kodak moment featuring every alien nut’s holy grail—the U.F.O. Maybe this photographic evidence already exists, tucked deep in some government’s top secret installation. Maybe the evidence is something more. Something living.

Writer Chris Ryall and artist Ben Templesmith take their own crack at the alien mythos in IDW Publishing’s Groom Lake, crafting an incredibly amusing and satisfying debut issue. Disturbing and irreverent, Groom Lake humorously plays on every alien contact staple out there. Hillbilly alien abduction—check. Government cover-up—check. Evil giant robots—check. Anal probing—unfortunately—check. Little green men—well, actually they’re gray, but close enough. Check. It’s a veritable cornucopia of alien goodness. An extraterrestrial smorgasbord, highlighted by Ryall’s delicious scripting and Templesmith’s one-of-a-kind visuals.

And it’s funny as hell.

Groom Lake is not to be missed, so buy often and frequently. Buy five, and give them to your friends—alien or otherwise. It’ll bring a smile to their face, and a wince to their sphincter. Guaranteed.

Final Grade: 86 out of 100

Related Posts:
Comic Break: 30 Days of Night 30 Days 'Til Death #1 (IDW Publishing)
Comic Break: Locke & Key Head Games #1 (IDW Publishing)
Comic Break: Welcome to Hoxford #1 (IDW Publishing)

Winner of the Unknown Soldier Giveaway

A winner has been selected to receive the first four issues in Vertigo's incredible new comic series, Unknown Soldier.

The winner is: Daniel Cichy from Wisconsin. Congratulations Daniel!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Giveaway: Elvan Underpants

I've gotten bored with giving away books and comics; the thrill is unfortunately gone. So today I have something really special to giveaway--an authentic pair of Elvan underpants. Soiled.

Ripped straight off the loins of an elf passed out behind a dumpster after a drunken bender, this undergarment is of the finest quality, made exclusively for the famous lingerie retailer Tolkien's Secret. Hand-crafted and weather resistant, you'll be styling when you leave home in these leafy green bloomers. Heads will turn. People will stare. This isn't just frilly underwear, this is a piece of fantasy history.

To Enter to Win: Send an email to pstotts@bloodofthemuse.com with the subject line "APRILFOOLS" and include your name and mailing address in the body of your email. Multiple entries will be disqualified. Winners will not be selected. No purchase is necessary. Contest is open to worldwide residents. Contest ends: April 1, 2009 at 11:59pm PST.

For more Blood of the Muse giveaways: click here.

Bloggers: if you promote this contest on your blog, I will give you an additional entry. Email me at pstotts@bloodofthemuse.com with the subject line "APRILFOOLS", and include the address to your blog in the body of the email, or you can leave the address to your blog in the comment section of this post. I'll check it out and make sure you get another entry.

Good luck to everyone who enters!