At The Gates by Tim Marquitz w/Bonus Review of Betrayal (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

Official Author website

Read FBC's Review of Armageddon Bound

Read FBC's Review of Resurrection

Read FBC interview with Tim Marquitz

Read the first three chapters HERE, HERE & HERE

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Tim Marquitz is the author of the Demon Squad series, and the Sepulchral Earth serial stories. He is also an editor, a heavy metal aficionado, a Mixed Martial Arts fan, and is also a member of the Live Action Role Playing organization. When he’s not busy writing dark stories which catch his imagination he also manages to go about his day job. Tim lives in El Paso, Texas with his wonderful family.

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: A revolt in Heaven, angels fighting angels. Who better to mediate a peaceful resolution than the Devil’s nephew, Frank “Triggaltheron” Trigg?

Don’t answer that!

When Scarlett arrives at his door, beaten to within an inch of her life, Frank finds himself in the middle of a war as the Nephilim arrive to finish the job. With only Eden still standing, the battle for Heaven spills over and ravages the Earth with deadly storms. Amidst the chaos, Frank must find a way to end the war before the battling hordes of half-breed angels, vampires, and lycanthropes reach Eden and bring about the end of existence.

No pressure!

FORMAT/INFO: Demon Squad: At The Gates is 179 pages long divided over twenty-three chapters. Narration is in the first-person, exclusively via the protagonist Frank “Triggaltheron” Trigg. At The Gates is the third book in the Demon Squad series after Armageddon Bound and Resurrection, it technically can be read as a standalone novel. However, there are more than a few references to the preceding books, so it’s not advisable to start the series at this point.

December 1, 2011 marks the Trade Paperback and e-book publication of Demon Squad: At The Gates via Damnation Books. Cover art is provided by Jessica Lucero.

ANALYSIS: It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Tim Marquitz’s Demon Squad series. There’s a perverse sense of humor which prevails in these books and almost exclusively at the expense of Frank Trigg, the series protagonist. In the previous two books Frank has had a rough ride of sorts however he’s finally getting settled at the end of the second book and the world does seem to be safe when the peaceful interlude is interrupted. His angel cousin Scarlett returns with news of a new war in heaven and if something isn't done about it, then the repercussions will be felt in all planes of existence.

The book begins right of the bat and picks up probably seconds later than the moment wherein book II ends. Scarlett’s sudden appearance along with news of massive disturbances in Heaven unsettle Frank but before he can comprehend the facts, he has to deal with the folks following her who want her silenced. Frank doesn’t get much time to be friendly as they are deadly serious about acquiring their quarry. After effectively dealing with them, he learns more about the heavenly shenanigans and has to intercede to save Earth one more time.

The story again hinges on the premise of the world ending however this time around not only does the Earth’s future hang in the future but also all other planes of existence. Scarlett’s short story Betrayal details some of the reasons as to the happenings in heaven and it will be helpful for readers to read it before they read this book. The cast of characters is also widened this time around as not only are the DRAC (Demonic Resistance And Containment) around but also other organizations come into the picture. However their agendas differ wildly from those of DRAC. The story is hinged on these events and then in typical Tim Marquitz fashion explodes and goes on to an action packed climax which also includes an epilogue cliffhanger to leave fans awaiting the fourth book in the Demon Squad series.

Tim’s prose skills have definitely improved after the first volume in the Demon Squad series. The twisted humor is still present however one can say that it is properly contained within the story. The last book focused on the nether regions of existence and so this time around the plot focuses on the reverse plane. The plot is a twisted one wherein the explanation is built amidst the events which occur. The pace again like its predecessors, is of the express variety, often things occur alongside the action and this way there’s no downside. The exposition is also better handled and is much smoother in delivery this time around. One of my complaints for the previous books was that the action was often concentrated in El Paseo and rarely left that specific environment so this time it was heartening to notice that certain sections of the book occur in different locales than the usual American ones. This I feel is a certain growth on the author’s part. This book also manages to give the readers a curious look into Frank’s lineage and more questions are raised regarding Frank’s sire and his past. This also helps to deepen the mystery regarding Frank and perhaps point a future direction of the series.

The book’s shortcomings are the same as the previous ones, these books are of the action-oriented variety and there’s not much of a difference here. They are primed at a certain type of reader and for those ones, it does entertain wildly. This is not to say that those who read these stories with an open mind, will not enjoy it. Readers should not go on certain things like say the cover which is a bit of a disappointment especially since the last one was such a terrific piece. The book’s ending again follows its predecessor’s pattern and this can cause consternation amongst readers as they are again left waiting to see what happens next.

CONCLUSION: Continuing the trend begun in the earlier volumes, At The Gates manages to carry the tempo as well as provide enough surprises to keep readers entertained. Tim Marquitz again shows why the Demon Squad series is his best work and hopefully he shall continue to write and excel with this series and gives us more of Frank, the incorrigible rogue who is on the side of angels even if they aren’t so sure of his presence among them.

Download Betrayal HERE (PDF, Epub, Mobi)

OVERVIEW: Betrayal is a short story detailing the events which predate the events of At The Gates. It is narrated by Scarlett and marks the change of narrators for the first time in the series. It starts in heaven and continues on to the events which lead her to Frank’s doorstep.

The story is again a microcosm of Tim’s writing style and books. It explores sufficiently the psyche of the narrator as well as gives us the required exposition to enjoy the story. This short story was written a few months ago and is featured free on the author’s site. Also included along with Betrayal is another short story called Prohibition Black and Blues and this one features Frank again but is a prequel set in the prohibition era of Chicago. This story features the first appearance of Lucifer and gives out a clue of sorts about the eventual disappearance of God and Lucifer.

Tim Marquitz shows his flair in these shorts as well giving the readers a punchy read and perhaps some clues about his future series plans. Check out both these stories over here

"A Transylvanian Tale" by Miklos Banffy (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)

Miklos Banffy at Wikipedia
Order the Kindle versions of They Were Counted (#1), They Were Found Wanting (#2) and They Were Divided (#3)

INTRODUCTION: Published originally in Hungary in 1934, 37 and 40, the old fashioned romantic epic written by the count Miklos (Nicolae) Banffy that has finally been translated in English in the late 90's as The Writing on the Wall to avoid the silly Dracula connotations that the original A Transylvanian Tale/The Transylvanian Trilogy had, had previously been one of the lost masterpieces of history.

First WW2 and then the Russian occupation and consequent communist takeover of both Romania and Hungary coupled with the status of "class enemy" of the count conspired to that, but as recounted in the foreword to the first volume, circumstances allowed the English translation by Patrick Thursfield in collaboration with the count's only daughter Katalin Banffy-Jelen.

The UK publication by Arcadia press has been available in print on and off and sometimes the asking prices were a bit high for some if not all volumes, so while I really wanted to read the trilogy for a number of years now, the recent publication in the Kindle edition at a very reasonable price (6.66$ each or 20$ all three) allowed me to do so and I have to say that despite the roughly 1600 pages of the three books together, I went through them quite fast, so compulsively readable the story is. Now They Were Counted (#1), They Were Found Wanting (#2) and They Were Divided (#3) are really one click away...

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Transylvanian Trilogy takes place between 1904 and 1914 with episodes in Budapest, Cluj Napoca aka Kolozsvar which was the capital of the province of Transylvania under the Dual Monarchy, the wonderful countryside and the noble estates, most notably the castle of ‘Denestornya’ modeled on the author's famous castle of Bontida/Bonchida who is now in reconstruction as a European Heritage monument after its destruction by the retreating German army in 1944 and neglect during the Communist era after, as well as interludes in various European cities, most notably a superb one in Venice.

The best description of the trilogy is Gone with the Wind of the Hungarian half of the unstable contraption that was the Austro-Hungarian Empire at least in its original and quite unworkable form which was based on the oppression of most of its people who were of other nationalities. An unjust and oppressive world on the brink of being swept away from history, but you still cannot stop and empathize with the main hero and author's alter-ego, politician Count Balint Abady and his tries to improve things - pathetic to start and laughed at both by his peers and by the representatives of the oppressed for different reasons, but still gaining the grudging respect of the people he was trying to help in the end - or with his love for the unhappily married Adrienne, while also following the tribulations of his orphan gambling but sympathetic cousin Laszlo and of various aristocrats, fortune hunters and noblewomen....

The first novel, They Were Counted, takes a little to get going but once the stage is set and we start understanding the delicate set of rules and relations that govern the aristocracy of Hungary and Transylvania, it is a true pleasure to read. The parts set on the hero's estate and in his castle are lyrical while his love affair with Adrienne is one of the most touching that I've read in a long time.

Very strong characters abound - not least the hero's mother, the widowed Countess Roza Abady who rules their lands, while the young Balint moves from diplomacy to politics and becomes a deputy in the part time Parliament of Budapest. Duels, parties, intrigues and even a touch of Jane Austen with the rogue handsome officer out for seducing young noble girls in hope of marrying a rich heiress, elopements and all, the tropes of the romantic epic are there and they sweep the reader of his or her feet...

Here is our first meeting with Adrienne:

"Adrienne came slowly up the steps, a smile on her face, conscious that she was looking her best and knowing that others thought so too. She knew how well the diamond stars set off her for once carefully dressed dark hair. She had put on her newest and most ravishing dress, which was cut princess-style in one flowing line from bust to flaring hem. Of flame-coloured shot silk, its folds glistened with subtly changing shades of colour as she moved; and she knew it would cause a sensation when she removed her cloak.

She was smiling, too, for another reason. She was pleased with a piece of news related to her by her youngest sister Margit – she who always knew everything – namely that Balint Abady had arrived that morning and so she would have someone to talk to who was more than a tailor’s dummy and who knew how to dance. At the same time a fleeting thought crossed her mind, a thought which also carried an unanswered question; did she have any reason to be made happy by this news? Did not the fact that he had not joined them at the skating rink show that he was avoiding her? It was only a passing doubt, so transient that she was still smiling when she joined her husband at the top of the steps."

The second and third volume follow the first and then one another naturally and the same exuberant but also wryly ironic on occasion style sweeps us in the events that lead inexorably to the end of the empire. The more we advance in pages and years towards the fateful summer of 1914, the more politics takes center stage, but the main story of Balint and Adrienne is still dominant. The trilogy has also a great ending which I found very appropriate and open to imagination!

Overall, A Transylvanian Tale (A++ and indeed worthy of all the praise showered upon it) is an epic romance that reminds one why great storytelling is immortal, while literary fashions come and go... While not speculative fiction in any way, the series is much closer to the epic side of the genre today than to a lot of what passes as literature and shows among other things why generally rejected by today's literary mandarins, the great storytelling which moved to the sff side is so loved by the readers!

More on Weird Fiction Review and "A Rising Thunder", first 2012 release read (by Liviu Suciu)

Last week I talked about the recent launch of Weird Fiction Review and also about the recent anthology Odd? and I thought I will finish it this week to have a review in the weekend. I read more stories for a total of some 10 of its 19 stories read to date and I have to say that so far Odd? is very impressive. As I want to savor the stories and do them full justice, it will take me several more days to finish Odd?, so look for a full review next weekend.

But in the meantime, some more goodies have appeared on Weird Fiction Review and Mr. Vandermeer was kind enough to let me know about them:

"Weirdfictionreview.com is happy to bring to your attention a new original webcomic, “Reading the Weird” by Leah Thomas.

“Reading the Weird” is a quest-journey undertaken by the mysterious Mary and an axolotl named Ed (who may or may not be the creature from the famous Julio Cortazar story) undertaken due to the power of a book of stories titled The Weird.

Along the way, they encounter monsters, delve deeper into the mystery of the book, and reveal their own personal secrets. The first three episodes are now up on WFR.com, with nine more to follow. Episode four will focus on Jorge Luis Borges’ “The Aleph” and George R.R. Martin’s “Sandkings”.

The process of creating the comic was also a journey of discovery for the young creator of the comic, 22-year-old Michigan State student Leah Thomas, a talented writer who attended the prestigious Clarion Writers Workshop in 2010 and has just started making her first story sales.

That journey is also real, because The Weird is an actual book—a 750,000-word, 100-year overview of strange, dark fiction, containing over 115 stories. As Thomas details in this great interview, encountering many of these stories for the first time was the adult equivalent of her childhood experience with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, the classic written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell. “Reading the Weird” is Thomas’s first comic for the public, and even within the 12-part series shows her growth as a creator in interesting ways. We hope you enjoy it.

Weirdfictionreview.com site turned to Kafka and writers allied with Kafka, with an exclusive online posting of John Kessel/James Patrick Kelly’s introductory essay to their new anthology Kafkaesque: Stories After Kafka. Also we featured new translated fiction and an interview with iconic Czech writer Michal Ajvaz, along with fiction by one of the best Finnish writers of her generation, Leena Krohn and an appreciation of The Other Side’s Alfred Kubin."

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Last week I also talked more about the 2011 releases that I have read so far and the 2012 books that have slowly started to make their way here. Though slightly delayed by an editor's illness, the earc of the new Honorverse offering, A Rising Thunder, has just been released by Baen and it can be bought HERE in multiple drm-free formats, while the first 8 chapters are available for free.

As I used to literally visit Webscriptions 5+ times a day during the waiting period, I saw it reasonably fast upon release this Thursday and bought my copy on the spot, while late that day my plans to open it and read a little and leave it for a more leisure read on Friday evening, got blown to bits when I simply could not put the book down and stayed way too late to finish it.

Of course as a March 2012 release in stores, I will have a full review then but in the meantime a few thoughts here (no spoilers):

"While as known for some time A Rising Thunder is a first half of a bigger book - there was a split as the original ART became way too big, but the good news is that the yet unnamed second part is in final editing and it should be available in late 2012, early 2013 - and it shows a little, ART is considerably better than Mission of Honor which was way too predictable and more of a "dot the i's and cross the t's novel" than anything else.

I loved all the little interludes and they interspersed well with the main political and military developments; there is a special "phone" call with an interesting aftermath and that was perfectly done too. All in all a great installment that starts for good the new Honorverse direction with a bang and left me wanting more asap, while confirming the status of the series as my #1 ongoing sff one."

You can read an overview of the series HERE and reviews of At All Costs, Storms From the Shadows and Mission of Honor, as well as of the recent YA series debut that takes place centuries before, A Beautiful Friendship, while I would note that Mr. Weber inserted a great reference to this last book in A Rising Thunder (the telepathic treecats have "memory singers", who well, remember...)

"Geist" by Philippa Ballantine (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

Official Philippa Ballantine Website

Order “Geist” HERE

Read FBC’s interview with Phillipa Ballantine

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Philippa Ballantine was born and brought up in New Zelaland. Shen then graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a BA in English and Political Science. She also holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Library Studies from The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. She is an avid Podcaster and has often released podcasts of her own books. Her podcasts have been short listed for the Parsec Awards, and won a Sir Julius Vogel award. She has had three books published before this one. She is married to Tee Morris, the co-author of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. They both currently reside in Virginia.

PLOT SUMMARY: Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists...

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha Faris, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?

FORMAT/INFO: Geist is 294 pages long divided over twenty-five numbered/titled chapters. Narration is in the third-person omniscient view via Sorcha Faris, Merrick Chambers, the Young Pretender Raed Rossin and the Rossin. Geist is self-contained and is the first book in the Chronicles of the Order.

October 26, 2010 marked the North American paperback and e-book publication of Geist via ACE books. Cover art is done by Jason Chan.

ANALYSIS: Geist was a book which I wasn’t aware of when it got released. I got hold of a copy of it this year when the second book was released. Geist seemed like a rural fantasy however when I read more about it, I knew it was set in an alternate world with a great catch.

In Geist we meet two Deacons; Sorcha Faris, a seasoned veteran of fighting geists, and Merrick Chambers, who is absolutely new to this whole protection gig. They are thrown together rather awkwardly when they are sent by their superiors to investigate a geist attack in a distant town. However they soon learn that nothing is as it seems and before too long Sorcha and Merrick find themselves embroiled in a conspiracy involving a previous contender to the land. Prince Raed Rossin is the other POV character who is also lead to this specific place through a random coincidence and he soon learns that there are some things which are much worse than inherited issues. The world of Arkaym introduced in Geist is a peculiar and dangerous one. I would like readers to hear this Podcast “In the Beginning” as it details a pivotal event in the history of the world which lead to its current state. It’s a telling of the first day the geists broke through into the world of Arkaym about one thousand years before the events chronicled in Geist.

The best thing about this book is its incredible setting & world structure. This setting wherein the world has been invaded by spirits from the other side called geists, is incredibly exciting to read about as it slowly brings about a thin edge of horror to the overall story. The story literally explodes from the first chapter and from then continues to increase its pace all through the end. The characters are a bit stereotypical to begin with however the author slowly hints and reveals layers about them which aids in making them more three dimensional. This process which is begun is not complete however the characters do manage to engrave themselves in the reader’s minds and with the promise of more to be revealed in the forthcoming volumes. It will be interesting to see how the author develops them and their intrinsic relationships.

The author has to be congratulated for her timing, as through out the story the twist and turns definitely keep the reader on their toes and have them wondering what will happen next. This specific factor along with Philippa’s ability as a gifted storyteller is what manages to make this tale rise above its ordinary beginnings. The cover art by Jason Chan is also good and adds to the book's plus points. Another funny thing that I noticed was when the two primary characters meet for the first time, the situation is pretty electrified and reminded me greatly of another series which I like. Right down to its kitty-kitty line! Lastly the magic system which is present in this story is kinda cool with the introduction of runes of dominion which are controlled by the Deacons and aid them in defeating geists. I felt this system was a pretty cool one and which should be further explored in the future volumes.

The downsides to this story are that while the story is fast paced and twisted, it’s slightly predictable. The character interactions seem contrived in a couple of situations and the main romance between the characters is one which the readers will like to root for however is as predictable as most Jennifer Aniston romantic-comedies. The main mystery is the big point of this book and will be decipherable to most veteran mystery readers however with the twist in the end manages to save itself from being entirely predictable.

CONCLUSION: A terrific start to a new series which has a devious magic system, terrible supernatural threats, assassinations and much more. With Philippa’s smooth storytelling abilities, Geist is a good freshman volume of the Chronicles of the Order and with Spectyr being already out, readers won’t have to wait too long in between the volumes. I was enamored by this book and can’t wait to start the sequel and see what further mysteries of the world of Arkaym are unveiled.

Pretty Little Liars

Most people think of the book series when they hear the phrase Pretty Little Liars, and would not be wrong. The books introduced this intriguing story to the public, but it was not thought of it that way.

Originally, entertainment, alloy wheels, though they themselves are a book packaging company, had to sell the rights to what was originally intended as a television program the author Sara Shepard in 2006, and only after the series had been printing, they found the popularity he needed to make your way on television. It was written and published by HarperTeen between 2006 and 2010, and books in order, Pretty Little Liars, flawless, perfect, incredible and Wicked.

In response to its success, the story in its original form (TV script) was picked up by ABC Family a 10-episode first season, which was again due to the success of the series, quickly extended for another 12 episodes complete the first season of 22 episodes.

The story itself is simple (for those familiar with the teen drama genre, at least), and revolves around a gang of girls that friendship collapsed when its leader, if you will, mysteriously disappeared. Her name was Alison, and when they begin receiving messages from someone calling herself "A", and when the startup messages threatening to expose their innermost secrets (those who thought that only Alison knew), things begin to warm up.

While critical comments were mixed (the program is not intended to please them, after all, but rather girls 12-16 years) show cleaned up at this year's Teen Choice Awards.

Pretty Little Liars: a great success on American television

June 8, 2010 marked the debut of Pretty Little Liars on American television, a show is based on the series of novels written by Sara Shepard with the same title. The series is set in the town of Rosewood and revolve around the lives of four girls: Hanna Marin (played by Ashley Benson), Emily Fields (played by Shay Mitchell), Spencer Hastings (Trojan Bellisario) and Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale). The four girls used to be good friends, however, when the queen bee DiLaurentis Alison (played by Sasha Pieterse) disappears, his clique falls apart. One year after the disappearance of Alison, a mysterious figure called "A" starts sending messages from the girls threatens to reveal their secrets, only Alison could know.

Each of the girls has their own personality and struggles with his personal conflict. Hanna, who was chubby before, became the new "it" girl of the school after Alison disappeared. But as the series develops, is reconciled with his old friends and become less interested in being popular. Committed and loyal are words that best describe Emily. When a new family moves into the former home of Alison, Emily became friends with the daughter of the new residents and realizes that she is attracted to this new girl. Spencer comes from a wealthy family and is represented as an additional merit. She is constantly compared and live under the shadow of his older sister, Melissa. After spending a year in Iceland, Aria and her family back to Rosewood. His father had an affair with his pupil that is known about Aria and to support his mother. Aria was found in a similar situation with her father when she became romantically involved with Ezra Fitz (played by Ian Harding), their new English teacher.

The premiere of Pretty Little Liars holds the record for ABC debut as the highest-rated series through the demographics of your target. Some 2.47 million viewers watched the premiere of the series making it number two in total viewers schedule. And in the Teen Choice Award for 2010, the series received the award for Choice TV summer.