“On The Smugglers’ Radar” is a new feature for books that have caught our eye: books we heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions into the Amazon jungle. This is how the Smugglers’ Radar was born, and because there are far too many books that we want than we can possibly buy or review (what else is new?) we thought we could make it into a weekly feature – so YOU can tell us which books you have on your radar as well!

On Ana’s Radar:

I got this ARC from Gollancz this week and it looks AWESOME. I read Sam Sykes’ story in the Dragon Book and I loved his characters so I am really looking forward to this one now. It is a debut novel that is creating quite the buzz online.

Lenk can barely keep control of his mismatched adventurer band at the best of times (Gariath the dragon man sees humans as little more than prey, Kataria the shict despises most humans and the humans in the band are little better). When they’re not insulting each other’s religions they’re arguing about pay and conditions. So when the ship they are travelling on is attacked by pirates things don’t go very well. They go a whole lot worse when an invincible demon joins the fray. The demon steals the Tome of the Undergates – a manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates. And whichever god you believe in you don’t want the undergates open. On the other side are countless more invincible demons, the manifestation of all the evil of the gods, and they want out. Full of razor-sharp wit, characters who leap off the page (and into trouble) and plunging the reader into a vivid world of adventure this is a fantasy that kicks off a series that could dominate the second decade of the century.

Melissa Marr’s next in her Wicked Lovely series has its cover!

I have on good authority *ninja* that this new series is VERY GOOD especially for fans of the Sookie Stackhouse series!

After being laid off from her job as Half Moon Hollow’s children’s librarian, Jane drowns her sorrows in Electric Lemonade and Mudslides using her severance package (a $25 Shenanigans gift certificate). Atthe bar she’s kept company by a magnetically attractive (if a bit pale) stranger, Gabriel Nightingale – who follows her out and takes matters into his own hands when Jane’s car breaks down and she’s mistaken for a deer by a drunk with a rifle as she’s headed home in the dark, on foot. If Gabriel doesn’t turn Jane, she’ll be, as the saying goes, dying young and leaving a pretty corpse. Being undead, though, is just the beginning of Jane’s problems. She’s still unemployed, has “family issues,” a best friend who finds love with a werewolf (werewolves and vampires don’t mix well); she’s also being framed for murder, stalked by a former crush, and romanced by her moody sire. What’s an undead girl to do?This hilarious, delightful debut novel combines MaryJanice Davidson’s sass and Charlaine Harris’ small town Southern charm to form the perfect read for lovers of paranormal romantic comedy.

I follow Jill Myles’ livejournal and her first book is going to be out soon. It sounds fun But I am so not a huge fan of the cover!

Jackie Brighton woke up in a Dumpster this morning, and her day has only gotten weirder. Her familiar B-cups have somehow become double Ds, her sex drive is insatiable, and apparently she had her first one-night stand ever…with a fallen angel. All she remembers is gorgeous Noah’s oddly hypnotic blue eyes…and then a dark stranger whose bite transformed her into an immortal siren with a sexy Itch. With help from Noah, Jackie begins to adapt to her new lifestyle — until she accidentally sends Noah into the deadly clutches of the vampire queen and lands herself in a fierce battle for an ancient halo with the queen’s wickedly hot righthand man. Who just happens to be the vampire who originally bit her. How’s a girl supposed to save the world when the enemy’s so hard to resist?

And since I am always on the lookout for new PNR: has anyone read this?

A twist of fate made Zoe Pappas heir to the Byzant throne. Bound by duty and devotion to keep the Empire safe, Zoe is captured while on a secret diplomatic mission and sent to an underground prisoner-of-war camp. In this strange, shadowy place, residents are governed by fellow inmate General Matthias “Doc” Raven, whose powerful magnetism rouses an urgent desire in Zoe. But the intensity of her attraction is matched by her surprise at discovering that Doc has a secret of his own: he is a vampire.

Zoe’s presence puts everyone in the camp in danger. Doc knows it, and knows too that Zoe’s royal status makes it impossible for her to bond with a vampire. The only way to save her is to help her escape, and lose her forever. But some fires are impossible to quench, even when following your heart is the ultimate taboo….

Finally, this is the first Steampunk title from Angry Robot, to be released in January. It looks great!

A brilliant criminal stalks the streets of London. Scotland Yard is on his trail. But how can the city remain safe when every book is a potential weapon?

On Thea’s Radar:

There are so many books I’m looking forward to in this edition of the stash, it’s not even funny. First up, one of my absolute favorite authors of all time…

Far from the land of her birth, Moirin sets out across Tatar territory to find Bao, the proud and virile Ch’in fighter who holds the missing half of her diadh-anam, the divine soul-spark of her mother’s people. After a long ordeal, she not only succeeds, but surrenders to a passion the likes of which she’s never known. But the lovers’ happiness is short lived, for Bao is entangled in a complication that soon leads to their betrayal.

Naamah’s Curse comes out in June 2010, and I am already salivating. Then, there’s the third book in Michael Grant’s awesome ongoing Gone series:

No synopsis yet, but the cover looks awesome. I love this series, and cannot wait for this next book! Then there’s this upcoming book from Mette Ivie Harrison – I’ve read and really enjoyed The Princess and the Hound (which I will get around to reviewing one of these days), and her covers are just awesome:

Again, no synopsis yet! But pretty cover. Heard about this next one from book pimp Karen Mahoney:

Beings of unimaginable power, classified as myths and legends, have been imprisoned in the secluded town of St. Ives for centuries watched over by guardians with supernatural skills. Te Evangeline’s father was one such guardian, a “binder” who died in the line of duty and who passed along his ability to his daughter. Now, Te must awaken the magic within her before her father’s killer releases his fellow prisoners on an unsuspecting world.

Then, there’s the new Aprilynne Pike:

Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger–and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?

I’m not crazy about the new cover (it kind of looks like bad calendar photo), but I really loved Wings and am eager for more from Ms. Pike. And finally, caught wind of this one thanks again to KMont over at Lurv a la Mode:

Sisters Serena and Meteora were once proud members of the high court of the Fairy Queen- until they played a prank that angered her highness. Separated and banished to the mortal realm of Earth, they must find a way to survive in a strange world in which they have no power. But there is more to their new home than they first suspect…

A sympathetic Meteora bonds with a troubled young girl with an ornate tattoo on her neck. Meteora recognizes it as a magic symbol that will surely bring danger down on them all. Serena, meanwhile, takes in a tortured homeless boy whose mind is plagued by dark visions. The signs point to a rising power that threatens to tear asunder both fairy and human worlds.

And the sisters realize that perhaps the queen cast them from their homes not out of anger or spite- but because they were the only ones who could do what must be done…

Jane Yolen was one of my favorite authors as a young adult (Sister Light, Sister Dark and the Pit Dragon books were my favorites), so I’m eager to try this new release.

Phew. That’s it from us – what books are you looking forward to?

Title: Gone and Hunger

Author: Michael Grant

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Speculative Fiction

Publisher: Harper TEEN
Publication Dates: Gone – June 2008; Hunger – May 2009
Hardcover: Gone – 576 pages; Hunger – 608 pages

Stand alone or series: Books 1 and 2 in the Gone series by Michael Grant.

Why did I read these books: I’d had my eye on Gone for a while last year – the premise sounded phenomenal, a sort of modern day Lord of the Flies with a supernatural twist. Finally I decided to pick it up a few months back…and I couldn’t put it down. And when I got an ARC of Hunger, book 2, I was ecstatic.

Summary: (from Amazon.com)

Gone
In the blink of an eye.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

Review:

GONE

Gone introduces us to the world of the FAYZ – the Fallout Alley Youth Zone. In the blink of an eye, everyone in the small seaside town of Perdido Beach over the age of 15 has disappeared. Poofed. Gone. A strange, shimmering barrier separates the residents of the FAYZ from the outside world; a dome-like structure that distorts even sunlight and stifles waves on the ocean. Frightened and alone, the children look for leadership and turn to 14 year old Sam, known throughout town for his single act of heroism a couple of years back, having calmly steered a school bus to safety when the driver had a sudden heart attack. As one of those marked by nature as a leader, Sam is still reluctant to claim responsibility for every living person in the FAYZ – and he’s spared from having to take control when kids from Coates Academy, the private school a few miles north of the beach, show up in town. Led by the handsome and charismatic Caine, the Coates kids take control of the beach, designating jobs for the other children. Though Caine initially seems smoothly benevolent, it becomes clear to Sam and a few others that Caine and his lackeys are more interested in power than the well-being of any of the children, especially after his makeshift “police force” (comprised of former bullies) beat a young girl to death. And soon, Sam discovers that something is very strange about the FAYZ – certain children, including Sam and Caine, have developed superhuman powers, and animals begin displaying shocking new characteristics. Snakes can fly, coyotes can talk, and something lurks in the darkness, hungry and ancient. Meanwhile a war is brewing between the Perdido Beach kids and the Coates kids, as Sam and Caine race for control of the FAYZ before they turn 15 – for at 15 years old, they too will disappear.

Gone is a forceful, relentless novel. A bit Lord of the Flies, a bit It, a bit X-Men, this was a novel that I could not tear myself away from. Tightly plotted, dark as hell, with a number of surprising twists along the way and a multitude of wonderful characters, Michael Grant won me over with this solid start to a new series. Though the main focus of Mr. Grant’s books isn’t necessarily an explication of man’s animal nature when stripped of its facade of civilization portrayed through the eyes of children (such as Lord of the Flies), there is something haunting and compelling about these sorts of post-apocalyptic/stranded/dystopian novels. Especially those that involve children.

Plot-wise, I couldn’t be more pleased. Michael Grant seems to me to be a Stephen King fan (and in turn, Stephen King is one of Mr. Grant’s), employing a broad scope of different, deeply flawed characters thrown into an impossible situation and letting them grow from there. Upon starting the book, I had absolutely no idea that nuclear radiation induced superpowers would play any role in the novel, nor did I expect the book to be so dark as it ultimately was. Though the writing level is decidedly young adult, the themes within the novel and the level of violence is certainly more mature. Children kill other children; they use guns; they reduce others to starvation and cruel imprisonment. If William Golding let his lost boys use automatic weapons and superpowers, Gone might have been the final product.

The similarities to Stephen King and Lord of the Flies are imbued in every sentence of this novel, as though Grant is paying homage in his own unique version of these dark, coming of age parables. The division between Perdido Beach and Coates, between Sam and Caine is very much the same divide between Ralph and Jack (of LOTF). The characters are similar in their notions of right and wrong, civilization versus survival instinct. And, like King’s It (and somewhat like The Regulators/Desperation for reason’s I won’t disclose for fear of spoiling), something ancient and very hungry waits to devour the young children of the FAYZ; evil, dark, patient. The blend is intoxicating, and it makes Gone something very different from the slew of speculative fiction young adult novels on the market.

Just as the plotting and ideas for the story were wonderfully imagined, the characters were also solid. Sam as the reluctant leader who makes more than his share of missteps is wholly believable, and his complete lack of interest in taking control of Perdido Beach endears him as the obligatory “hero” character. His transformation from someone who chooses to remain average and anonymous – reflected especially in his deteriorating friendship with best friend Quinn – to strong leader is an engaging, resonating read. Sam’s love interest, the brilliant Astrid (nicknamed “Astrid, the Genius” by the Perdido crowd) plays leading lady in Gone; Astrid is Sam’s second in command and though somewhat support-system-esque is a strong character in her own right, especially as a very smart girl caught in a very bad situation, and also as an older sister trying to protect her younger, autistic brother.

However, the most engaging characters in my opinion were the “baddies” (not exactly surprising – “bad” characters are so much more fun than the good guys). While Caine, as Sam’s opposite, is fascinating in his motivations and machinations for power (if somewhat predictable), the two standouts to me were his lieutenants, if you will: the malicious, sadistic Drake, and the manipulative Diana. Drake is every child’s nightmare; a bully, eager to inflict pain in any way he can, practically a serial killer in the making. Drake is bitterly angry at Caine and the other “freaks” who develop superpowers, but a dark twist of fate brings him power of his own late in the novel (a deliciously horrifying twist). Diana, in contrast, is an enigma. She manipulates characters to her own inconceivable ends – including Caine, who is in love with her. She is cold, calculating, and I had no idea what her endgame was…and that is something incredibly refreshing in any novel, let alone a young adult novel. The multitude of secondary characters, on both Sam and Caine’s respective “sides” of the FAYZ are wonderfully drawn and I applaud Mr. Grant’s keen sense of teenage (and younger) children. Very compelling stuff.

Perhaps the most wonderful, shocking thing about Gone was the fact that I was expecting it to be a self-contained (no pun intended) story, with a definitive resolution. More often than not, I’ve found that YA series’ tend to wrap things up in a single book and then later a “companion” novel (same world, different story) will be released as its own stand alone novel. Imagine my shock, then, when I finished the book and the FAYZ was still going strong – no resolution, but many provocative questions had been raised. I eagerly looked for the next entry in Mr. Grant’s Gone universe, and campaigned for an ARC of book two…

HUNGER: A GONE Novel

Hunger begins months after the events of Gone, detailing how life has soured in the FAYZ over the course of a few months. Though Sam has been able to beat turning 15 and has blossomed as the leader of Perdido Beach, he has a number of problems facing him ever day – the most pressing of which is food. In the early days of the FAYZ, the children ran amok, raiding the local Ralphs (a Southern California grocery chain) and homes for cookies, chocolate bars and chips, while the fresh produce sat untouched. Now, months later, the McDonald’s has run out of frozen food, everything perishable has rotted, and there are no more cookies or goodies remaining. Resorting to eating canned artichokes and condiments, the children of Perdido Beach begin to turn on each other – catching vermin, eating neighbors’ pets, and the jokes about cannibalism start to hold an ominous foreboding.

After being beaten by Sam and his crew of superhuman freaks, Caine has visited the mysterious, terrifying entity in the local mine called The Darkness, and has spent weeks in a terror-gripped coma. When he awakens, Caine has a singleminded mission and aims all his strength at taking Perdido Beach down once and for all. Though, Caine’s thoughts aren’t quite his own…the Darkness waits and like the children of the FAYZ, it is very hungry.

As the title suggests, this second novel focuses on the theme of hunger and the continued deterioration of civilization in the FAYZ. There are many deliciously creepy scenes in this installment – one of my favorites has to be the opening chapter, with killer flesh eating worms in the fields. Mutations are becoming more prominent in this book, and the X-Men comparisons are completely warranted. As one would predict, lines begin to be drawn in the sand of the Perdido kids – between the Normals (or, as their Stryker-minded leader calls them, the Human Crew) and the Muties/Freaks/”Moofs”. Kids are frustrated with their hunger, not wanting to work for their food and blaming Sam for their problems. When the Coates kids come back and make a stand for the nuclear power plant, Sam has reached the end of his rapidly fraying rope – which is completely understandable, given that he is just a fifteen year old boy with the weight of a community on his shoulders.

By and large, I think Hunger lived up to its predecessor, and in some aspects surpassed it. There is much more revealed in this installment about the source of the FAYZ, and much more explored with the maleficent Darkness that has its hooks into characters that have been in its presence. The violence is turned up in this book, as is the twisted, gleeful sadism Mr. Grant inflicts on his characters – and I mean that in the best possible way. This is not a series for the weak of heart!

However, there were some drawbacks to Hunger – namely, how boring Sam and Astrid were. I felt a little bit of Jack and Kate (of the TV show LOST) sort of apathy towards these two heroes; Sam is the woebegone leader who just doesn’t want to lead but just can’t help it, and Astrid spends way too much time relegated to a secondary, worried girlfriend role (for a genius, Astrid doesn’t do too much in this book – powers or no powers, I wish she had been given something more interesting to occupy herself with than cry about Sam and her brother Little Pete).

Once again, I found myself infinitely more interested in the Coates kids – namely Drake and Diana. Drake is less formidable in this book, but still remarkably terrifying; and Diana’s motivations are as ambiguous as ever. Her relationship with Caine is dark and twisted – and is it wrong that I am fascinated with them, much more so than boring, vanilla Sam and Astrid?

Back on the “hero” side of the line, Lana (the Healer) gets a whole lot of attention in this book, as do Computer Jack, Brianna “The Breeze”, and Albert. These secondary characters again are far more interesting than Sam and Astrid – particularly Lana’s tortured compulsion to the Darkness, Jack’s spinelessness, Breeze’s superhero fixation, and Albert’s cool calculating personality. Each of these characters are well rounded and fascinating, making for a wonderful ensemble cast.

As for the story, once again I found myself unable to put down this second book, and it was over far too quickly. Luckily for me, and for other fans, Hunger is just book 2 of a planned 6 book series. I cannot wait to read book 3, titled Lies, to see what next will befall the children of the FAYZ.

Notable Quotes/Parts: Harper Teen has a phenomenal LOOK INSIDE feature, where you can check out the first few chapters of many of their titles. Check out the opening of Gone and Hunger below.

Additional Thoughts: In addition to the wonderful Look Inside feature, the Harper Teen website also has a fantastic homepage for the Gone novels.

Also, make sure to check out the author’s blog (which took me forever to find!) HERE.

I also mentioned earlier that Stephen King, the Master of Horror himself, is a fan of these books. If you’re into King, you may know that his next novel coming out in November of this year is titled Under the Dome. It is a rewrite of a novel King began to write in the 1980s, with something of a similar premise:

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mills, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener’s hand is severed as “the dome” comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when—or if—it will go away.

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens—town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing—even murder—to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn’t just short. It’s running out.

~ Synopsis from Lilja’s Library

Dan Simmons has already given his stamp of approval. Who else is excited?

Verdict: Gone and Hunger are dark, compulsive reads embodying the best of post-civilization novels and supernatural fiction – for both young adult and adult readers alike. I, for one, cannot wait to return to the FAYZ once more.

Highly recommended…and Hunger just might make it on my list of favorite reads so far in 2009.

Rating:

Reading Next: Jasmyn by Alex Bell

Howdy !!!

We shall start by saying: yay, Roger Federer beat Roland Garros!!! He now holds the record (along with Pete Sampras) of 14 grand- slams titles. Congratulations to Federer – we are great fans here at the UK based office of the Book Smugglers!

OK, not that I got that off my chest, moving on to:

Winners of the Flash Giveaway:

The two winners, randomly picked by Ramdon.Org are

Christina (comment number 41)

And

Kimik (comment number 4)

Congratulations! Please send your snail mail address to contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com

We would also like to say thank you to all of you that entered the contest – we will have a few more of Flash giveaways in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned!

This week on the Book Smugglers

Monday

Last week, Ana reviewed a YA book, The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, a book that is already shortlisted for her top 10 of 2009. Because the book is so damn good, we invited the author to write a piece on her Inspiration and Influences for us and are delighted to say that she said yes. So tomorrow come by to see what she has to say and for a chance to win one of 5 copies of her books and a special goodie bag she is so generously giving away.

Tuesday

Ana reviews the Fantasy novel The Adamantine Palace by debut author Stephen Deas. There will be dragons, folks!

Wednesday

We will do a joint review of Night’s Rose by Annaliese Evans. The book is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale and we were both really looking forward to reading it and…. the book is not quite what we expected.

Thursday

Ana reviews Mark of the Demon by another debut author, Diana Rowland. The book is not out till June 23rd but already the word on the internets is that it is very good.

Friday

Thea reviews two YA post-apocalyptic novels : Gone and Hunger by Michael Grant.

Upcoming:

The next few weeks will be sort of crazy around these bands. We have LOADS of new books to review and super cool guests. On the Romance front, Loretta Chase will be interviewed by Ana on her new book Don’t Tempt Me in two weeks;

Then, on the Fantasy front, author Jacqueline Carey has written an exclusive article for our Inspiration and Influences feature. We will publish it around the 24th when her new book Naamah’s Kiss is coming out.

We are very excited about both of these and also about:

YA APPRECIATION MONTH.

It is coming.

~ your friendly neighborhood book smugglers