Hanging Mountains

Three More Pyr Reviews

Over on Sci Fi Weekly, Lois H. Gresh reviews Joel Shepherd’s Killswitch:

“Joel Shepherd delivers an android character that’s richer in human emotions than most real humans. …the strength of the novel, which lies in the character of Cassandra Kresnov, is full of promise…Cassandra Kresnov is such a delightful character that the reader wants to see her push beyond the tropes of science-fiction androids.”

Meanwhile, SF Signal JP reviews Sean Williams’ The Hanging Mountains:

“What Williams does well is in creating an interesting fantasy setting, without the usual fantasy tropes. …Obviously a lot of thought has gone into the world of the Cataclysm and Williams does a great job bringing it to life. …Williams has created a unique and interesting setting for his Cataclysm books, stuffing it full of unexpected creatures and sympathetic characters.”

And I was very gratified to see JP add: “One thing I must praise Pyr for is the physical book itself, specifically the dust jacket. The cover art is awesome, but the entire jacket is well done. From the electric blue runes surrounding the cover art to the green toned rest of the cover, the whole thing just looks amazing. In fact, all of the books in this series so far look terrific. Couple that with a very easy to read font and layout on the inside, and these are some very impressive books.”

And finally, Greg L. Johnson of SF Site reviews Alexis Glynn Latner’s Hurricane Moon. While Greg wasn’t 100% on some bits of the novel, he does offer this:

“In science fiction, one of the most difficult feats to accomplish is a simultaneous appeal to both the romance of the intellect and the romance of the heart. Hard SF writers are all used to invoking a sense of wonder that thrills the imagination, it’s what that particular game is all about. Fewer are able to at the same time involve the reader’s emotions in a story that evokes the character’s personal emotional attractions. …It’s very much to her credit, then, that Alexis Glynn Latner manages to pull this trick off in the very first chapter of her new novel.”

And he concludes, “It is in fact a nicely written novel, with well-drawn characters and a story that succeeds quite well in mixing a cosmic mystery with its characters personal lives. “

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Wrong Way Round

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SFRevu’s Colleen Cahill astounds me, having elected to dive into a four book series with book three. I’m talking about Sean Williams’ The Hanging Mountains,the third book in his Books of the Cataclysm series. Which can also be read as a set up followed by a three-act quest fantasy, albeit one that combines Mad Max scenarios with Ursula K. Le Guin. But such a perspective means that Colleen came in on the dreaded “middle book.” So how did The Hanging Mountains hold up read on its own? Pretty darn good.

“This book moves fast and it quickly swept me into the complex, beautiful and deadly work that Williams has so artfully crafted. In the second chapter, the boat is attacked by a large white snakelike creature, big enough to encircle the ship in its coils. The monster is made all the more eerie by its lack of eyes, nostrils or mouth. My heart was racing through this scene and I knew I had to finish this story. If an author can do that much in less than thirty pages, imagine how good the rest of the book will be!”

Colleen admits there are better ways to read the series, but adds, “If I thought it was good, just think how much better it will be when you have the whole story.”

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Something to Crow About x 3

Three new Pyr reviews up at SFCrowsnest.

First up, Eamonn Murphy’s review of Alan Dean Foster’s Sagramanda (A Novel of Near-Future India):

“Someone once said of George Bernard Shaw that he couldn’t write a boring sentence. Alan Dean Foster can but he doesn’t write very many of them. Even when adapting less than excellent animated ”Star Trek’ scripts, he turns in a good line or two. Presenting his own plots and characters his prose is frequently divine, full of apt phrasing and neat similes. If nothing else, this book is a pleasure to read. Happily, there is something else, mostly a good plot, an interesting cast of characters festooned with hi-tech gadgets and a rich setting…”

Then Tomas L. Martin reviews Sean Williams 2nd and 3rd Books of the Cataclysm. Here’s Tomas on Book 2, The Blood Debt:

“Williams is a great writer and an even better world-builder. Comparisons can be made to China Mieville’s Bas-Lag work with its assorted weirdness and willingness to bend and break the traditional tropes of fantasy worlds. This doesn’t feel like a fantasy adventure novel typically does. Its towns, citizens, technology and magic feel significantly alien and new which is a great and welcome achievement… Overall, Sean Williams has produced that rare of gems, a fantasy book that really feels like you’re visiting a new world, rather than a rehashed version of somebody else’s milieu. The easy style and likeable banter between protagonists makes the book an enjoyable read and the plot keeps you wanting to come back for more. Expect to buy all four if you get the first!”

And here is Tomas on Book 3, The Hanging Mountains:

“Sean Williams’ impressive world-building and enjoyable style and plot surprised me, providing me with the most enjoyable fantasy reads I’ve experienced since finishing China Mieville’s The Scar…Sean Williams is writing an important series here that does a great service to the fantasy genre by encouraging it to break tradition. His powerfully creative world-building should stand as a call to arms for fantasy writers to leave the world of Tolkien-aping lands behind and really start being adventurous. Read all three of ‘The Books Of The Cataclysm’ and when the fourth is released, buy that, too. I know I will be.”

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Sean Williams: Serving Up a Fantastic Stew

Over on SFFWorld, Rob H. Bedford posts his thoughts on Sean Williams’ The Hanging Mountains: Books of the Cataclysm: Three:

“The overall storyline isn’t losing any steam and the tension that comes off the pages during any scene with the Twins is building to great effect. One of the aspects of this series that I enjoy the most is how Sean Williams continues to evolve the landscape of our world. From the titular hanging mountains, to the sea serpents, to the sky wardens, to the strange races, part of what makes this series such a fun ride is knowing, at one point, the world the characters inhabit was our own. Williams is continuing to develop the characters, the transformed earth, and the plotline in equal amounts, culminating in an ultimately delectable stew.”

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Cataclysmic Contest

Fantasy Book Critic is hosting a Sean Williams Giveaway. Three lucky winners will be awarded the first three volumes of The Books of the Cataclysm by Sean Williams: The Crooked Letter,The Blood Debt,and The Hanging Mountains.Giveaway ends Tuesday, July 31, 2007 – 11:59AM PST.

“…the mind-blowing concept is enough to make me want more. ” Fantasy Book Critic

“[E]xplores the nature of life, death, and reality. Big subjects, but with the precision of an archaeological expert, Williams is more than up to the task. There is a lot to admire in Williams’ epic fantasy, the wide range of global religions and myths of which his afterlife is comprised, to the characterization of the protagonists. The story has the mythic resonance of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and American Gods, the dark fantasy/horror one might associate with something like Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga, the multiple universes/realities of Moorcock’s Eternal Champion mythos, and the strange, weird creatures one might associate with China Miéville’s Bas-lag novels. Williams imagined world is equal part those novels which preceded his, but fortunately, there is enough newness to both the approach and vision to make this the work of a singular vision….” [R]eading many of the other titles Lou Anders has published with Pyr, I shouldn’t have been surprised with both the quality of the writing and the breadth of Williams’ imagination. Like a lot of the other books published by Pyr, Williams captures what makes a tried and true genre like Epic Fantasy so popular and enjoyable of a genre and spins a tale with his unique voice. This is the type of book you finish and can’t wait to read the sequel.”- SFFWorld.com

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Sean Won’t Leave You Hanging

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Sean Williams’ The Hanging Mountains is in from the printer! That means it should start to show up for online ordering any day now and will begin appearing in stores in about three weeks. This is the third book in Sean’s epic Books of the Cataclysm quartet, which SFF World previously described as:

“The story has the mythic resonance of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and American Gods, the dark fantasy/horror one might associate with something like Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga, the multiple universes/realities of Moorcock’s Eternal Champion mythos, and the strange, weird creatures one might associate with China Miéville’s Bas-lag novels. Williams imagined world is equal part those novels which preceded his, but fortunately, there is enough newness to both the approach and vision to make this the work of a singular vision….”

What’s more, I’m also very pleased to announce that The Hanging Mountains has been designated as a Book Sense Notable for July!!!!!

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