Comments on: On The Smugglers’ Radar

By: Tina

Tina — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:30:42 +0000

Numbers is very good, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. It’s pretty dark and gritty and was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2009.

I look forward to your review.

By: Lusty Reader

Lusty Reader — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:18:33 +0000

Maggie and Doyle? I mean…they’re great and all but what about ADRIAN?! *banging on table and chanting* adrian, adrian, adrian!

ahem. sorry im a huge joanna bourne/adrian fangirl. can’t wait to read any word she’s written!

By: Dottie

Dottie — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 02:37:57 +0000

Lightborn is on my radar, Mind Games, Taint of Blood, and Moonshine also have found a place. Can’t wait to see what else pops up!

Dottie

By: Rhiannon Hart

Rhiannon Hart — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:40:06 +0000

I had the same reaction when I saw Nomansland on I was a teenage book geek this week: DROOL! Want now! Birthmarked is also high in my anticipated list. I can’t wait to hear the Smugglers’ opinions on these.

By: Estara

Estara — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:44:05 +0000

You’re quite welcome, Thea – I so desperately hope that review sites will pick up on the series this time around (she started writing it in the 80s!!!)
Can you think of any other 80s epic fantasy series with a female heroine and protagonist not part of a group and not in a young adult book?

Mouth-watering SPOILERS encoded in rot13.com – hope it works!!!!

Jub vf gbgnyyl va punetr, vs obgurerq ol zrzbel tncf naq ivivq qernzf, vadhvfvgvir, centzngvp, yblny, ragnatyrq va ure enpr’f sngr zhpu zber guna fur rire rkcrpgrq – fur’f n pngnylfg orpnhfr fur gheaf bhg gb or bar bs gur ningnef bs gur guerr-snprq tbqf bs ure enpr (juvpu fur fgvyy vfa’g dhvgr njner bs, ohg gur ernqref ner ol abj) – gur tbq bs qrfgehpgvba!

Ohg fur qbrfa’g jnag gb qrfgebl fur jnagf gb uryc – pnfr va cbvag gurer’f n engubea zner (gung nezbe cyngrq havpbea guvatl) qlvat sebz ure bja vibel tebjvat vagb ure urnq (abg hahfhny, gurfr thlf ner iveghnyyl hafgbccnoyr, naq rng syrfu, gurl’er cerqngbef) – Wnzr pna or fb pbzcnffvbangr vs urrqyrff bs yngre pbafrdhraprf gung fur’f jvyyvat gb xvyy gur zner rira gubhtu fur xabjf gung ure sbny jvyy vzcevag gb xvyy nalbar jub unezf uvf zbgure (gung’f gur tebja-hc sbny lbh frr ba gur pbire)…

Naq gura lbh trg gur snpg gung ure enpr jnfa’g rira angvir gb gur cynarg gurl yvir ba abj naq gur ybpny sbeprf nera’g unccl…, gung fur jnf gnxra nf n puvyq gb gur ovt onq rivy’f qjryyvat naq envfrq gb or uvf oevqr!! Juvyr ure gjva oebgure terj hc va abezny fcnpr-gvzr naq vf abj ebhtuyl gra lrnef byqre guna ure. Gung jura fur qnaprf, qhr gb orvat ure zbgure’f qnhtugre, fur pna qenj gur fbhyf sebz crbcyr jngpuvat – jvgubhg jnagvat gb.

V nz tbvat ba naq ba naq ba, V’z whfg fb unccl C.P. Ubqtryy vf abj ergverq naq pbapragengvat ba jevgvat zber va gur frevrf – nygubhtu erernqvat ntnva naq ntnva oevatf arj vafvtugf vagb gur qrafr jbeyq-ohvyqvat (N gbjre gung qevsgf guebhtu gur jbeyq naq jubfr qvssrerag yriryf arrq gb or napuberq, aba-fragvrag gerrf gung jnyx…) naq gur punenpgref – yngre ba jr trg gb frr ure gjva oebgure naq nabgure fheivivat eryngvir – jub nyfb frrz gb cynl vagb gur cebcurpl bs ure crbcyr.

Oh and if you read ebooks, you can get the previously released books extremely cheap at Webscriptions.net – which also has a great intro to the series.

By: Diana Peterfreund

Diana Peterfreund — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:08:48 +0000

No. Brown hair. Shoulder length brown hair, per the first book. But I kept it growing longer, since they were clearly going for “long dark brown hair” on all the covers.

By: Maya M.

Maya M. — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:55:15 +0000

“…..I read Darkborn by Alison Sinclair last year and I really enjoyed it (although not as much as Maya expected me to)….”

Hee! I’m glad you’re willing to give the sequel a try. Myself, I can’t wait.

And: I’m in awe at how you guys find books with such gorgeous covers. They all look lovely (exception 007-wannabe) although my perspective may be colored by the fact that I just finished ‘Written on Your Skin’ and saw its cover up close.

But the archer girl on horseback is absolutely stunning. What an unusual perspective.

By: Thea

Thea — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:52:38 +0000

Diana – I guess that makes sense (and yeah, when I think about all the different series’ – especially YA – I read, they all do follow the same theme)…but it would be so amazingly kickass to have a cover with Astrid firing arrows and facing down rogue kirin.

Still, the cover for Rampant is gorgeous and at least she looks like the character in the book! Even though, aesthetically, the Secret Society books look great, I have to admit I was confused. Doesn’t Amy have shorter blond hair? And the clothes, etc…gaah.

Estara – Thank you so much for the info! I knew that Bound in Blood was a book in an ongoing series, but I haven’t read any of the prior novels. But, thanks to you, now I know where to start!!!

And re: Baen covers…I kinda like them! I mean, they are cheesy and ridiculous, but they remind me of the scifi/fantasy books I used to buy when I was a lot younger. In a good way. Good cheese! But, to each their own!

By: Estara

Estara — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:33:38 +0000

Hello, Thea!

Really, truly, honestly, I adore P.C. Hodgell‘s Kencyrath series like a thousand burning flames (am trying to get Janicu to review the two-in-one omnibus that BAEN released last year), but if you start reading it with Bound in Blood you will likely be lost.

They all connect to each other with no recapping. They’re really good though ^^, she just was unlucky enough to have small publishers die on her before (I mean Meisha Merlin also published the Liaden Series and Diane Duane, etc. , etc. – but then they folded).

Please start from the beginning with the new BAEN collections:
The God Stalker Chronicles

Aside: to each their own – I really dislike the BAEN covers (although I’ll be repurchasing to support their continuing the series).

Bound in Blood _IS_ a new book in the series, sure enough, and she has a contract for the next one – the first one after Meisha Merlin. My favourte cover was To Ride a Rathorn: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51S8S2EJ4BL._SS500_.jpg

By: Diana Peterfreund

Diana Peterfreund — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:19:21 +0000

Thea: Yeah…. no. See, once the publishers decide on a concept, that’s where they stay for the series. Thus a spate of secret society books with a headless Amy dressed in preppy polo shirt/sweater outfits she would never ever wear. It wasn’t until book 3 that the character was dressed in something I could actually see her wearing, albeit only on the beach.

My relief with the unicorn books is mainly that the cover shows an Astrid that looks like Astrid.