"The Scar-Crow Men: Swords of Albion Book 2" by Mark Chadbourn (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman)

Read FBC's Review of "The Silver Skull" Here

OVERVIEW: The whole city of London is living in the fear of the Black Death. People are dying left and right from the plague which has brought a black shadow over the whole city. People who normally go out are forced to stay indoors and the smell of death lingers in the air.

While the plague sweeps the city and kills thousands, another force is working to systematically kill off England’s greatest spies. This force is killing off the spies in a ritualistic fashion that almost seems as if it is planned and has a purpose. The problem is, after the death of Sir Francis Walsingham, England is more concerned with politics and self-advancement than the looming threat of a dark force that could be working for the Unseelie Court.

However, England cannot ignore the threat any longer when the devil is channeled in the middle of Christopher Marlowe’s play and Marlowe ends up dead in a remote inn room. It is up to England’s greatest spy, Will Swyfte to uncover the Unseelie Court’s plot, find the killer, and see that justice is done to Marlowe’s killer. He must do this all while being shadowed by a realistic image of Jenny his long lost love.

FORMAT: The Scar-Crow Men is the second book in The Swords of Albion series. It is a mixture of historical fiction, fantasy and mystery. While it could be read without reading the first, it is recommended to read The Silver Skull due to the many references to events and people that could be confusing if the first book was not read. The Scar-Crow Men also ends on a cliffhanger feeling. It was published on February 8, 2011 by Pyr.

ANALYSIS: After reading Mark Chadbourn’s first book The Silver Skull I was in love with this series. I recommended it to everyone I knew and could not wait for the next book in the series. So when The Scar-Crow Men showed up on my doorstep I was overjoyed and couldn’t wait to see what happened. Unfortunately, my experience with this second book is a bit of a mixed bag of disappointment and excitement.

Sure, The Scar-Crow Men is still filled with all the historical elements that I enjoyed and Mark Chadbourn does not spare the readers the details of the sights, sounds and smells of London during the plague, but there were parts of the book that left me longing for something else and feeling as if I missed out on something.


The Scar-Crow Men is more about the mystery and helping to unravel the problems that England is facing. Maybe if I had gone in with the expecatation that this was a mystery and not an advanture, I would have had a better experience but after loving the first book so much, it was hard not to go in with pre-set expectations.

The lack of adventure wasn’t the only problem I encountered during the book. Another problem I had was there seemed to be a lot of elements that either were not fully developed or could have been and had a feeling of fizzling out. The biggest example that comes to mind is the whole secret weapon that is supposed to destroy The Scar-Crow Men. I felt it wasn’t developed and just sorta thrown out there and the readers were denied any explanation on how it worked, what needed to be done or really what it was.

All of this leads me to the major problem that I had after finishing this book and sense of forward plot movement. When I completed the book I felt as if the plot or story didn’t move forward any further than when I finished the first book. Granted, we aren’t at the same spot as the first book but readers were moved maybe a centimeter which was disappointing. This could be because unlike the first book this book ended with a cliffhanger, there was no sense of closure and now I must read the third book to see what happens.

Despite all the problems I encountered I don’t plan on giving up on this series. While I loved The Silver Skull, I just thought this book was “okay”. I believe a large portion of my issues could have been expectations that I had mentally formed for this book, that it obviously didn’t live up to. That being said, I view The Scar-Crow Men as a huge setup for the third book in which I plan on reading eagerly and hopefully it’ll live up to my expectations.One of the biggest things that I enjoyed about The Silver Skull was the adventure scenes that left you sitting at the edge of your seat. The problem is The Scar-Crow Men doesn’t have these scenes. There is very little action and because that was a huge part of what I felt made this series so special I was extremely disappointed in what this book gave me. Granted it wasn't a disappointment caused by the author but more because I went in with a set expectation and it didn't meet that. ,

Two Short Reviews: Bakker, Kristian (by Liviu Suciu)

Since I am trying to showcase as many 2011 interesting books of various kinds as I can, but the number of full reviews I can do is limited and is becoming even smaller due to various reasons, it is inevitable that some books won't receive as complete coverage as I wish. I keep the continually updated post with 2011 books read HERE. Here I will talk about two books I would have usually reviewed in full, but since I cannot do it, I will just summarize my thoughts.

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First, one the highly awaited novels of the year: The White Luck Warrior by Scott Bakker. I greatly enjoyed the original Prince of Nothing trilogy though I was less enthusiastic about The Judging Eye (FBC Rv) which at the time I thought it was too prologue-like. Now after reading The White Luck Warrior, I realize that my discontent had to do with where the author took the series more than anything else.



The White Luck Warrior (D, series drop) was the first truly disappointing major expected release of 2011 for me. Most of it I would say it's probably me moving on beyond the kind of book this represents but I found it dull, boring and pretentiously empty. All the talk about kings, faith, all the philosophizing for which Scott Bakker is renowned just made me yawn and I couldn't give a fig for any of the characters of the book, except for Kelhus of course. If the No God would come and sweep them into history more the better.

A series drop and I kind of regret it given how much I enjoyed the first trilogy at least at the time, but overall books about ancient evil awakened and the mobilizing of huge armies to combat it, all done in an earnest, "oh, I am taking this really seriously" manner seems to have become another sub-genre I will give a pass from now on. I'd rather have some subtlety, some irony, some understanding of the human nature, than what the author offered here and the only thread that was palatable for me in The Judging Eye - with Mimara and Achamanian - became here another "fight and philosophize fest" that I could not wait to be over even at my fast reading rate.

The only redeeming moments were the ones with Kelhus who as usual was pure awesomeness since he is the only "alive" character of the new series, but few pages here and there cannot compensate for the drudgery of the rest.

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Odin's Wolves (A/A+) by Giles Kristian is the third and temporarily last - hopefully since I want more for sure - tale of the Viking adventurers under Jarl Sigurd and Raven his protegee seemingly marked by Odin.

The promise of Raven: Blood Eye and Raven: Sons of Thunder is fully realized here with a rip-roaring tale of adventure, intrigue and even occasional heartbreak, that starts on the coasts of France, passes through Moorish Spain, the Mediterranean and ends as expected in Constantinople where the throne is fiercely contested by ambitious nobles and generals, while Sigurd and his fellowship may just be the ones to decide who wears the purple...

Since Odin's Wolves picks up where Sons of Thunder ends, the increasingly diverse band of Sigurd and Raven having just lost their treasure to save their lives, needs another goal and the Jarl sure provides it. On the way they have the usual adventures, great duels, cunning tricks, great banter and blood curling happenings, while the book keeps the "no putting down" breakneck pace of the first two volumes. The ending has a special quality to it because it provides enough closure to be satisfied with the trilogy as a whole, but leaves open the future of our heroes for more adventures to come. Bring them on!

“Venom” + “Tangled Threads” by Jennifer Estep (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

Official Jennifer Estep Website

Order “Venom” HERE

Order “Tangled Threads” HERE

Read FBC’s Review of “Spider’s Bite”

Read FBC’s Review of “Web of Lies”

Read FBC’s Interview with Jennifer Estep HERE

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Jennifer Estep has a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism, and a Master's in Professional Communications. Her bibliography includes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, the Mythos Academy YA urban fantasy series, and the Bigtime paranormal romance series. She is also a member of Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and other writing groups.

ABOUT VENOM: What kind of assassin works pro bono?

It's hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family. Which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most.

To the public, I'm Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland's best barbecue joint. To my friends, I'm the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker—Mab's right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists. At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I'll take my chances. Then there's Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland's finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I'm a cold-blooded killer . . . who is about to save her life...

ABOUT TANGLED THREADS: I'd rather face a dozen lethal assassins any night than deal with something as tricky, convoluted, and fragile as my feelings. But here I am; Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assassin known as the Spider. Hovering outside sexy businessman Owen Grayson's front door like a nervous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesn't shy away from my past—or my present. And right now I have a bull's eye on my forehead.

Cold-blooded Fire elemental Mab Monroe has hired one of the smartest assassins in the business to trap me. Elektra LaFleur is skilled and efficient, with deadly electrical elemental magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone powers which means there's a fifty-fifty chance one of us won't survive this battle. I intend to kill LaFleur—or die trying—because Mab wants the assassin to take out my baby sister, Detective Bria Coolidge, too. The only problem is, Bria has no idea I'm her long-lost sibling . . . or that I'm the murderer she's been chasing through Ashland for weeks. And what Bria doesn't know just might get us both dead...

CLASSIFICATION: The Elemental Assassin novels are darkly tinged, action-packed Urban Fantasy with a side helping of romance.

FORMAT/INFO: Venom is 416 pages long divided over a Prologue and thirty-two numbered chapters. Narration is in the first-person, exclusively via the protagonist Gin Blanco. Venom is self-contained, but is the third book in the Elemental Assassin series and contains overarching story threads from the previous two books. September 28, 2010 marked the North American Mass Market Paperback publication of Venom via Pocket. Cover art and design is provided by Tony Mauro.

Tangled Threads is 357 pages long divided over thirty-one numbered chapters. Narration is in the first-person, exclusively via the protagonist Gin Blanco. Tangled Threads is the fourth volume of the Elemental Assassin series after Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies and Venom. Because Tangled Threads features overarching story threads from the previous three books, it’s not advisable for new readers to start the series with book four. April 26, 2010 marked the Mass Market Paperback publication of Tangled Threads via Pocket. Cover art and design is provided by Tony Mauro.

ANALYSIS: After reading the first two books in the Elemental Assassin series, I knew this was another series I was going to have to follow. When Venom came into my hands, I finished reading the book in a day, and Tangled Threads is a good continuation of the story. While the first two books in the series are more standalone, both Venom and Tangled Threads are much more closely connected due to their plots and character arcs.

Venom begins with Gin Blanco gearing up to assimilate the information revealed to her at the end of book two, when she learns that Mab Munroe had a particularly cruel hand in the demise of her family. Gin realizes that from now on she will have to be extra careful and persistent if she wants to take down Mab Munroe and her underlings, but before that can happen, Blanco has a rather unfortunate encounter with Mab’s right and left hands: Elliot Slater and Jonah McAllister. Jonah is still vexed at Gin due to the disappearance of his son in the climactic events of the second book. So Gin is forced to take a severe beating in order to hide her identity and come out alive. Around the same time, Elliot Slater takes a rather special interest in Roselyn, the vampire madam who supplied the men & women for the party in the climax to Web Of Lies. Slater’s violent fascination with Roselyn fuels the majority of the plot threads in Venom. Also introduced in the book are Bria Coolidge, Gin’s long-lost baby sister who is searching for her family and has an interest in Mab Munroe, and Owen Grayson who has taken a liking to Blanco and might have a previous connection with her as well. Personally, Venom was my favourite entry in the series so far as it has the perfect amount of action and intrigue, while also introducing some interesting new characters into the mix.

Tangled Threads begins where Venom ends and continues Gin’s shady war with Mab Munroe and her empire. However, after the events of Venom in which she is recuperating from her losses, Mab decides to bring in heavy artillery in the form of Elektra LaFleur, an assassin who is possibly more powerful than Gin. In the meantime, things are heating up between Gin and Owen, and unlike her previous interest, Owen seems to be reciprocating her attention. The problem lies with Gin revealing her identity to Bria Coolidge, who is thrust into a difficult situation because of her profession. Also thrown into the mix is a spy amongst Roselyn’s workforce and shocking revelations about Gin’s family and Fletcher Lane which have been bubbling since the first two books, all of which comes to an epic climax in Tangled Threads.

Both Tangled Threads and Venom are entertaining novels full of action-packed story arcs that continue to progress as the series nears fruition, while seamlessly fitting in with the clues and subplots developed in the earlier books. Prose meanwhile is commendable, deftly describing both action scenes and romance, while the fast pacing of the books never lets the reader’s attention slacken.

Drawbacks include the predictability of the story. While there are a few surprises in store for the reader, overall the plot seems to be heading to a certain conclusion. This isn’t such a bad thing as the author has done her best to give the readers a polished and entertaining ride in spite of the predictable nature of the tale. Secondly, I’ve noticed Gin constantly focuses on the nature of her relationship with Owen and whether or not he will be able to accept the dichotomy within her, which can get a bit repetitive. Lastly, with the ever expanding character cast, not enough time is available for all of them to be developed as fully fledged characters. Fortunately, Jennifer Estep has written a number of short stories that helps reveal more about certain characters including Fin (Wasted & Poison), Bria (Tangled Schemes) and the Deveraux sisters (Tangled Dreams).

CONCLUSION: In Spider’s Bite and Web of Lies, Jennifer Estep wrote two books that got the Elemental Assassin series off to a good start, but with Venom and Tangled Threads, the author has upped the stakes, and with the final book—Spider’s Revenge—set to be released September 27, 2011, all the cards are in places for an explosive finale. So now’s the time to jump in if you happen to like stories about an assassin bent on revenge, a quirky supporting cast, and generous helpings of action, humor & romance...

“Queen of Kings” by Maria Dahvana Headley (Reviewed by Robert Thompson)

Official Maria Dahvana Headley Website

Order “Queen of Kings” HERE (US) + HERE (UK)

Read An Excerpt HERE

Watch the Book Trailer HERE

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Maria Dahvana Headley is a MacDowell Colony Fellow whose writing has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, The Washington Post, and other publications. She is also the author of the memoir The Year of Yes, which has been translated into nine languages and optioned for film adaptation by Paramount Pictures. Queen of Kings is the author’s debut.

PLOT SUMMARY: The year is 30 BC. A messenger delivers word to Queen Cleopatra that her beloved husband, Marc Antony, has died at his own hand. Desperate to save her kingdom and resurrect her husband, Cleopatra summons the fearsome warrior goddess, Sekhmet, and strikes a mortal bargain.

In exchange for her soul, Cleopatra is transformed into a vampiric creature of mythical proportions, an immortal shapeshifter with superhuman strength and an insatiable hunger for human blood—a being at once ferocious and seductive. And she is bent on vengeance against those who have wronged her family and her kingdom.

Clashing against witches and monsters, gods and warriors, Cleopatra journeys from the tombs of Egypt to the great amphitheaters of Rome to the ancient underworld—where she will meet her love once again, and where the battle between man and beast will determine the fate of the world...

FORMAT/INFO: Queen of Kings is 416 pages long divided over a Prologue, Epilogue and three Books with each Book divided into numbered chapters. Narration is in the third person via several different POVs including Cleopatra, Marc Antony, Octavian/Augustus, Nicolaus the Damascene, Chrysate, Usem, Auðr, Marcus Agrippa, the Senate, Cleopatra’s children, and various minor viewpoints. Queen of Kings is self-contained, but is the first volume in a trilogy.

May 12, 2011 marks the North American Hardcover publication of Queen of Kings via Dutton. The UK edition (see below) will be published on July 21, 2011 via Bantam Press.

ANALYSIS: What if Cleopatra, one of the most famous women in history, was a vampire? That’s the basic concept behind Maria Dahvana Headley’s entertaining debut novel, Queen of Kings, which combines the historical events surrounding Cleopatra’s death in 30 BC, with Greek and Egyptian mythology, resulting in a historical/fantasy/horror hybrid that brought to mind The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, Douglas Clegg’s The Vampyricon, and Homer’s the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Starting out, Queen of Kings is decidedly more historical than fantastical, with Octavian’s invasion of Alexandria, Marc Antony’s suicide, Cleopatra’s imprisonment and eventual suicide, the execution of Cleopatra’s son Caesarion, and other historical events taking precedence over Cleopatra’s summoning of Sekhmet, the “goddess of the end of the world”, and the new powers that Cleopatra gains. This disparity remains so for the first one hundred pages of the novel, which also happens to be the weakest part of the book. The problem with this section of the book is twofold. One, the novel’s historical elements lack detail and authenticity, making it seem more like I was reading something off of Wikipedia instead of being transported back to Ancient Egypt. Secondly, the decision to narrate Queen of Kings through multiple point-of-views coupled with shallow characterization prevented me from connecting with or caring about any of the characters in the book.

Fortunately, once the novel starts focusing more on the fantastical than the historical—Cleopatra’s new abilities (shapeshifting, commanding animals); Sekhmet’s children (Plague, Famine, Earthquake, Flood, Drought, Madness and Violence); a journey through the Underworld in order to bargain with Hades & Persephone; the search for a weapon that can kill an immortal; the three sorcerers Marcus Agrippa finds for Augustus: Chrysate, a priestess of Hecate who can summon shades; Usem, the Chieftain of the Psylli tribe, who can control snakes and is married to the daughter of the Western Wind; Auðr, a seiðkona (fate spinner); et cetera—Queen of Kings is not only much more interesting and fun to read, but it also becomes easier to ignore the book’s deficiencies, which includes the aforementioned shallow characterization and an unconvincing love story between Cleopatra and Marc Antony. Negatively, the novel’s supernatural/mythological elements are occasionally too fantastical, which made it difficult at times to suspend my disbelief.

My biggest complaint with Queen of Kings though is with Cleopatra herself, who is not even the star of her own book. Instead, Cleopatra is overshadowed by Octavian/Augustus and numerous supporting characters like Marc Antony, Chrysate, and Marcus Agrippa. This is particularly disappointing because the author could have significantly fleshed out the love story between Cleopatra and Marc Antony and the motivations behind Cleopatra’s vengeance—important factors in the book—if she had focused more on Cleopatra instead of the supporting cast. On the plus side, Maria Dahvana Headley’s writing is smooth and accessible throughout, heavily contributing to the novel’s overall charm and readability.

CONCLUSION: Shallow characterization, unconvincing historical detail, and spending too much time with the supporting cast instead of Cleopatra may prevent Maria Dahvana Headley’s Queen of Kings from living up to its full potential, but the author’s debut novel is still primed for success thanks to an accessible writing style, a thrilling story full of heart-pounding drama and adventure, and appealing to a wide audience—fans of historical fiction, supernatural fantasy, romance, Greek & Egyptian mythology, and horror should all take note. Plus, all of the problems that can be found in Queen of Kings are issues that can be easily corrected, meaning the sequels could be even better. For myself, Queen of Kings started out slowly after an interesting Prologue, but from the Book of Divinations through the end of the novel, Maria Dahvana Headley’s debut was as exhilarating a thrill ride as any big budget blockbuster movie, leaving me with high expectations for the sequels...

Spotlight on May Books

This month we are featuring 36 books. There are probably twice as many new sff and related releases this month in traditional publishing not to speak of the countless indies from Amazon and Smashwords but we are limiting ourselves to books that will be reviewed here or are similar with such. For the full schedule of May 2011 titles known to us, you can consult the Upcoming Releases page.

The release dates are US unless marked otherwise, though for books released in the UK and US in the same month but on different dates we use the earliest date without comment and they are first edition unless noted differently. The dates are on a best known basis so they are not guaranteed; same about the edition information. Since information sometimes is out of date even in the Amazon/Book Depository links we use for listings, books get delayed or sometimes even released earlier, we would truly appreciate if you would send us an email about any listing with incorrect information.

Sometimes a cover image is not available at the time of the post and also sometimes covers change unexpectedly so while we generally use the Amazon one when available and cross check with Google Images, the ultimate bookstore cover may be different.

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“The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists & Strange Literature” by Jeff VanderMeer. May 1, 2011. Abrams. (MISC)
"The Door to Lost Pages" by Claude Lalumiere. May 3, 2011. Chiz-Zine. (FAN)

“Extremis” by Steve White & Charles E. Gannon. May 3, 2011. Baen. (SF).

“Hounded” by Kevin Hearne. May 3, 2011. Del Rey. (UF).

“Throne of Fire” by Rick Riordan. May 3, 2011. Hyperion. (MG).

“The Damned Busters” by Matthew Hughes. UK May 5, 2011. Angry Robot. (UF).

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“Vampire Warlords” by Andy Remic. UK May 5, 2011. Angry Robot. (FAN).
“Dark Mist Rising” by Anna Kendall. UK May 5, 2011. Gollancz. (YA).

“The Deserter” by Peadar O'Guilin. UK May 5, 2011. David Fickling Books. (YA).

“The Ritual” by Adam Nevill. UK May 6, 2011. Pan Macmillan. (HF).

“Stonewielder” by Ian C. Esslemont. May 10, 2011. Tor. (FAN / US Debut).

“The Chaos Crystal” by Jennifer Fallon. May 10, 2011. Tor. (FAN / US Debut).

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“Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti” by Genevieve Valentine. May 10, 2011. Prime Books. (STPK).

“The Quantum Thief” by Hannu Rajaniemi. May 10, 2011. Tor. (SF / US Debut).

“The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making” by Catherynne M. Valente. May 10, 2011. Feiwel & Friends. (YA).

“Hell's Bells” by John Connolly. UK May 12, 2011. Hodder & Stoughton. (YA).

“A Girl Called Tennyson” by Joan Givner. May 15, 2011. Thistledown Press. (MG).

“Embassytown” by China Mieville. May 17, 2011. Del Rey. (SF).

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“Eclipse 4: New Science Fiction & Fantasy” ed. Jonathan Strahan. May 17, 2011. Night Shade Books. (ANTHO).

“The Dark City” by Catherine Fisher. May 17, 2011. Dial. (YA / US Debut).

“The Order of the Scales” by Stephen Deas. UK May 19, 2011. Gollancz. (FAN).

“Savage City” by Sophia McDougall. UK May 19, 2011. Gollancz. (AH).

“City of Ruins” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. May 24, 2011. Pyr. (SF).

“The Falling Machine” by Andrew P. Mayer. May 24, 2011. Pyr. (STPK).

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“The Warlock” by Michael Scott. May 24, 2011. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. (YA).

“Blood Magic” by Tessa Gratton. May 24, 2011. Random House Books for Young Readers. (YA).

“The Girl in the Steel Corset” by Kady Cross. May 24, 2011. Harlequin. (YA / STPK).

“The Necklace of the Gods” by Alison Goodman. UK May 26, 2011. Bantam UK. (FAN).

“Dead of Veridon” by Tim Akers. May 31, 2011. Solaris. (STPK).

“Degrees of Freedom” by Simon Morden. May 31, 2011. Orbit. (SF).

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“Timecaster” by Joe Kimball. May 31, 2011. Ace. (SF).

“The Fecund's Melancholy Daughter” by Brent Hayward. May 31, 2011. ChiZine (FAN).

“Centuries of June” by Keith Donohue.May 31, 2011. Crown. (MISC).

“The Midnight Palace” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. May 31, 2011. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. (YA).

“The Five” by Robert McCammon. May 31, 2011. Subterranean Press. (MISC).

“The Fly-By-Nights” by Brian Lumley. May 31, 2011. Subterranean Press. (HF).