Showing posts with label neal stephenson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label neal stephenson. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen, Polostan by Neal Stephenson, & Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

   

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen
Publication: October 8th, 2024
Redhook
Paperback. 400 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"A spine-tingling, queer gothic horror debut where two men are drawn into an otherworldly spiral, and a journey that will only end when they reach the darkest part of the human soul.

'A gothic masterpiece. A devastating exploration of humanity's capacity for evil.'​ – Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters

John Sackville will soon be dead. Shadows writhe in the corners of his cell as he mourns the death of his secret lover and as the gnawing hunger inside him grows impossible to ignore.

He must write his last testament before it is too late.

The story he tells will take us to the darkest part of the human soul.

It is a tale of otherworldly creatures, ancient cults, and a terrifying journey from the stone circles of Scotland to the icy peaks of Tibet. It is a tale that will take us to the end of the world.
"

This sounds so good and delightfully dark, I can't wait to check it out!

Polostan by Neal Stephenson
Publication: October 15th, 2024
William Morrow
Hardcover. 320 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Termination Shock and Cryptonomicon, the first installment in a monumental new series—an expansive historical epic of intrigue and international espionage, presaging the dawn of the Atomic Age.

The first installment in Neal Stephenson’s Bomb Light cycle, Polostan follows the early life of the enigmatic Dawn Rae Bjornberg. Born in the American West to a clan of cowboy anarchists, Dawn is raised in Leningrad after the Russian Revolution by her Russian father, a party line Leninist who re-christens her Aurora. She spends her early years in Russia but then grows up as a teenager in Montana, before being drawn into gunrunning and revolution in the streets of Washington, D.C., during the depths of the Great Depression. When a surprising revelation about her past puts her in the crosshairs of U.S. authorities, Dawn returns to Russia, where she is groomed as a spy by the organization that later becomes the KGB.

Set against the turbulent decades of the early twentieth century, Polostan is an inventive, richly detailed, and deeply entertaining historical epic, and the start of a captivating new series from Neal Stephenson.
"

I've been hit or miss with Neal Stephenson, but I think this premise sounds like it could be amazing in the hands of Stephenson, so I'm all for it!

Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy) by Maiga Doocy
Publication: October 15th, 2024
Orbit
Paperback. 416 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Desperate to undo the curse binding them to each other, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together.

Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.

He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.

That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.

Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.
"

This sounds really fun, and who doesn't love a curmudgeonly rival?

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrew Stewart, The City of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, & Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson


Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.
 

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart
Publication: November 11th, 2021
Orbit
Hardcover. 416 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound

"The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor. 

Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the north-east of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force. 

Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga – the powerful magicians of legend – have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace. 

But can she trust them?"
The Bone Shard Daughter was a really interesting story, and I felt really unsure of whether or not I wanted to continue the series when I first finished it... but since then, I find myself thinking about it a decent bit and looking forward to the sequel, and now I'm really curious to see how this story will continue. 

and...

The City of Mist: Stories by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Publication: October 23rd, 2021
Harper Perennial
Paperback. 208 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound

"Return to the mythical Barcelona library known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books in this posthumous collection of stories from the New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow of the Wind and The Labyrinth of the Spirits. 

Bestselling author Carlos Ruiz Zafón conceived of this collection of stories as an appreciation to the countless readers who joined him on the extraordinary journey that began with The Shadow of the Wind. Comprising eleven stories, most of them never before published in English, The City of Mist offers the reader compelling characters, unique situations, and a gothic atmosphere reminiscent of his beloved Cemetery of Forgotten Books quartet. 

The stories are mysterious, imbued with a sense of menace, and told with the warmth, wit, and humor of Zafón's inimitable voice. A boy decides to become a writer when he discovers that his creative gifts capture the attentions of an aloof young beauty who has stolen his heart. A labyrinth maker flees Constantinople to a plague-ridden Barcelona, with plans for building a library impervious to the destruction of time. A strange gentleman tempts Cervantes to write a book like no other, each page of which could prolong the life of the woman he loves. And a brilliant Catalan architect named Antoni Gaudí reluctantly agrees to cross the ocean to New York, a voyage that will determine the fate of an unfinished masterpiece. "
The Shadow of the Wind remains one of my favorite books (and it really needs a re-read...), and I am so thrilled to see that Carlos Ruiz Zafon has written even more in this world! I have loved just about everything he's written, so I am excited to check these stories out. 

and...

Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson
Publication: November 16h, 2021
William Morrow
Hardcover. 896 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound

"A visionary technothriller about climate change. 

Neal Stephenson’s sweeping, prescient new novel transports readers to a near-future world where the greenhouse effect has inexorably resulted in a whirling-dervish troposphere of superstorms, rising sea levels, global flooding, merciless heat waves, and virulent, deadly pandemics. 

One man has a Big Idea for reversing global warming, a master plan perhaps best described as “elemental.” But will it work? And just as important, what are the consequences for the planet and all of humanity should it be applied? 

Ranging from the Texas heartland to the Dutch royal palace in the Hague, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the sunbaked Chihuahuan Desert, Termination Shock brings together a disparate group of characters from different cultures and continents who grapple with the real-life repercussions of global warming. Ultimately, it asks the question: Might the cure be worse than the disease?"
I've still yet to make it through a Neal Stephenson book, but once again one of his books sounds really interesting and I'd love to have the opportunity to check it out!

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?