Books Received in March, 2014 part 1

March was a very busy month for me as the World's Biggest Bookstore closed its doors.  I worked extra during this crazy time at the store, as well as prepared to say goodbye to people I've worked with for 10 years.  I got a lot of reading done, despite all that - including quite a few history books from the library - and from the looks of the pile of books I got this month, I'll be doing a lot of reading in April too.  :)

The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley - I've already read and reviewed this book, finding it quite refreshing and well written.

In The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley, the emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.

Kaden, the heir to the Unhewn Throne, has spent eight years sequestered in a remote mountain monastery, learning the enigmatic discipline of monks devoted to the Blank God. Their rituals hold the key to an ancient power he must master before it's too late.

An ocean away, Valyn endures the brutal training of the Kettral, elite soldiers who fly into battle on gigantic black hawks. But before he can set out to save Kaden, Valyn must survive one horrific final test.

At the heart of the empire, Minister Adare, elevated to her station by one of the emperor's final acts, is determined to prove herself to her people. But Adare also believes she knows who murdered her father, and she will stop at nothing--and risk everything--to see that justice is meted out.

Psychomania: Killer Stories Edited by Stephen Jones - I've also read and reviewed this collection of creepy stories.

When journalist Robert Stanhope arrives at the Crowsmoor asylum for the criminally insane to interview the institutes enigmatic director, Dr. Lionel Parrish, little does he realize that an apparently simple series of tests will lead him into a terrifying world of murder and insanity…

In this chilling new anthology, compiled by multiple award-winning editor Stephen Jones, some of the biggest and brightest names in horror and crime fiction come together to bring you twisted tales of psychos, schizoids, and serial killers with occasional supernatural twists.

Reggie Oliver revives Edgar Allan Poe's wily French detective C. Auguste Dupin, and there is a new story from the popular British mystery series, “"Bryant & May" by Christopher Fowler. Internationally best-selling author Michael Marshall also contributes to this collection with the return of The Straw Men conspiracy.

An original wraparound sequence in the style of John Llewellyn Probert sets the tone for this dark collection of stories, as well as a hitherto unpublished introduction by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho and the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's famous film.

The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey - I've heard a lot of good things about this book, which comes out in June. I'm planning to get to this soon.

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don''t like her. She jokes that she won''t bite, but they don''t laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children''s cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she''ll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn''t know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.

Talus and the Frozen King by Graham Edwards - I'm currently reading this book, which basically sets Sherlock Holmes in a primitive Northern village.

Meet Talus - the world's first detective.

A dead warrior king frozen in winter ice. Six grieving sons, each with his own reason to kill. Two weary travellers caught up in a web of suspicion and deceit.

In a distant time long before our own, wandering bard Talus and his companion Bran journey to the island realm of Creyak, where the king has been murdered. From clues scattered among the island's mysterious barrows and stone circles, they begin their search for his killer. But do the answers lie in this world or the next?

Nobody is above suspicion, from the king's heir to the tribal shaman, from the servant woman steeped in herb-lore to the visiting warlord whose unexpected arrival throws the whole tribe into confusion. And when death strikes again, Talus and Bran realise nothing is what it seems.

Creyak is place of secrets and spirits, mystery and myth. It will take a clever man indeed to unravel the truth. The kind of man this ancient world has not seen before.