Waiting on Wednesday 05/13/15
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Bloodforged by Erin Lindsey: September 29, 2015 (Ace)
The Bloodforged is the sequel to The Bloodbound, and I’m super eager to get my next Erin Lindsey (also known as E.L. Tettensor) fix. I love books that feature a mix of fantasy and romance, especially those that balance the two elements. I really enjoyed the first book, and I’m looking forward to jumping back into this world to catch up with Lady Alix.
“The epic saga that started in The Bloodbound continues…
As war between Alden and Oridia intensifies, King Erik must defend his kingdom from treachery and enemies on all sides—but the greatest danger lurks closer to home…
When the war began, Lady Alix Black played a minor role, scouting at the edge of the king’s retinue in relative anonymity. Though she’s once again facing an attacking Oridian force determined to destroy all she holds dear, she is now bodyguard to the king and wife to the prince.
Still, she is unprepared for what the revival of the war will mean. Erik is willing to take drastic measures to defend his domain, even if it means sending Prince Liam into a deadly web of intrigue and traveling into the perilous wild lands of Harram himself.
Only the biggest threat to the kingdom might be one that neither Alix nor Erik could have imagined, or prepared for…”
Tiara’s Pick
Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson: May 19, 2015 (William Morrow)
I am relatively new to the Neal Stephenson party. I’m currently working my way through his Baroque Cycle series, which can be read in three bound books or eight separate novels, and I’m an almost in awe of how he’s blended science-fiction, fantasy, and history together to make such a compelling read. I wasn’t expecting it to be as cheeky as it is either, but he has quite the wry sense of humor. Now, I think I would like to try some of his futuristic science-fiction and see if its just as compelling as his historical endeavors.
What would happen if the world were ending?
A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.
But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain….
Five thousand years later, their progeny – seven distinct races now three billion strong – embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown…to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.
A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is both extraordinary and eerily recognizable. As he did in Anathem, Cryptonomicon, the Baroque Cycle, and Reamde, Stephenson explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.
The BiblioSanctum 
I heard about the first one but not the second I confess.
LikeLike
I do wanna try that first one but fantasy romance, skip the romance I am more in…still
LikeLike
OOh nice! Those are new to me! Hope you enjoy them both once you read them!
Here’s my WoW
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
LikeLike
The Bloodforged looks cool, although I’d have to catch up on The Bloodbound first. I’ve had an ARC of Seveneves on my Kobo for a couple of months now but just haven’t had the . . . well, initiative to get started. Stephenson fascinates me, but he’s a challenging read.
LikeLike
I can definitely agree there with Stephenson being challenging at some points in his book. As much as I love the whole Natural Philosophy and the founding of modern science he based at least parts of The Baroque Cycle on, I’m not going to deny it can get thick quick. He’s definitely not someone I can read before bed because when I wake up I’ve forgotten whole chapters have had to reread them. Not saying he’s a terrible writer because he’s definitely, but he’s definitely not a light read.
LikeLike
“Stephenson fascinates me, but he’s a challenging read.”
This is my view on Stephenson in a nutshell too – I have so many of his books in my Kindle and every time I want to start one, I can’t seem to find the motivation either. His books are challenging, and they’re also so HUGE. Seveneves is on my radar, but I probably won’t get to it for the same reason I haven’t gotten to Reamde, Anathem, Cryptonomicon, etc. But I did read Snow Crash.
LikeLike
I do love a good fantasy/science fiction romance from time to time, and I remember you loved the first book in the series, Mogsy! I might have to add this to the list. And I’ve heard really good things about Seveneves, although I haven’t tried any Neal Stephenson yet myself.
LikeLike
I just love the author E.L Tettensor/Erin Lindsey! Now that I’ll get no more Nicolas Lenoir, I’ll get my fix with Lady Alix 🙂
LikeLike
Well, it seems like Bloodbound was yet another book I missed the boat on, but I’ll be adding it to my tbr shelf as soon as I finish this comment! I love the sound of this series already! So exciting 😀 I’ve never heard of Seveneves either but a blend of fantasy and sci-fi is RIGHT up my alley!! Awesome picks^^ x
LikeLike
Bloodbound is awesome – great mix of fantasy and romance if that’s up your alley 🙂
LikeLike
I really want to read Bloodhound. And Sevenese has caught my eye as well. I really want to read another Neal Stephenson book
LikeLike
I’d like to read another Neal Stephenson book too, if only they weren’t all such doorstoppers.
LikeLike
His Baroque Cycle series that I’m reading now is bundled in three large books, which makes people think its a trilogy. It’s not. It’s 8 separate novels that have been housed together and they’re roughly 350 pages or so. He did that because it made more sense from a financial standpoint at the time. But they have been separated now, which might be an easier (if such a thing is possible) read than some of this other stuff. It’s less intimidating to think of his books in those terms (I have the bundled books f the Baroque Cycle and they’re huge) and they can found on GR in their separated editions as well. Even if you get the large book, it’s still separated into 3 books. The book is just huge as hell. LOL.
LikeLike
I still have the Erin Lindsey book to read – perhaps it can be a backburn book!
Lynn 😀
LikeLike
There you go! 🙂
LikeLike
I think you liked The Bloodbound more than I did, Mogsy, but I do want to read this second book, too.
And Sevenses is one I’d also like to read. I think The Diamond Age is my favorite Neal Stephenson book and it isn’t quite as long as the ones he’s written later. I find his long books challenging, too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is my first time reading him. I’ll have to check out The Diamond Age. I’m reading his Baroque Cycle series now, and he’s explained it’s not a trilogy, but 8 novels that were bundled together in 3 books (3 in the first, 2 in the second, 3 in the last) and can be read as separate novels and have now actually been published as separate novels. They’re only about 350 pages, so that has made it less intimidating read even if the books are as tall as my house. LOL. I’ve been treating it like I treated The Once and Future King, which has all The Sword in the Stone books in it (5 books total) and reading them a book at a time, finding the individual book on GR and marking it as read. LOL.
LikeLike