Luke Taylor's Blog

*******HAPPY 2018 EVERYONE!!!********

This new year holds many new things for me, including the release of a new book and a new album!

The book, A Saga of Secrets and Lies, is the first in a trilogy surrounding teenage spy Sage Wickham. Set in London, England, and based on my time there, it's a fun romp through the night streets and the labyrinthine clues of past connections and future friendships. The trilogy will be a lot of fun! Laura Moyer outdid herself yet again on the cover artwork, and it looks really splendid.
A paperback copy can be ordered on Amazon.com worldwide or through the Createspace website!

2018 also sees the release of my first solo album! It's an instrumental hard rock/metal record called Perpetual Winter and it's very near and dear to my heart for so many reasons. It has 8 songs and runs 38 minutes and each song tells a story. The album will be released very soon and I couldn't be more excited to share this wonderful album with the world and hope that it helps and inspires others through the cold and difficult seasons in their life as playing music has inspired and helped me. The album means a lot to me and I hope it really means a lot to you too! Perpetual Winter will be available on all platforms of sale coming very soon! If you'd like to hear a bit of the sound and style and watch me play a bit, I've included a link to my YouTube page, which will have many more videos this next year, featuring playthroughs, live jams, gear reviews and demos, and of course, the tracks to the albums themselves! So, if you're a fan of the song I have linked you'll love the album! Please like and subscribe and share with your friends! And enjoy the music!

Have a great year everybody and hold on to your dreams! You can do it!

Best always!
Luke :D

Link to A Saga of Secrets and Lies paperback $7.99 on Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692968105/...

Link to "Diviner" by Luke Taylor on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiZYR...

It's finally here!!!

Vault of Dreams is now available for sale on Amazon in paperback and ebook!



Buy here!

https://www.amazon.com/Vault-Dreams-L...

The paperback is $12.79, the ebook is $0.99

It also has the "Look Inside" Feature if you want to read a bit...

The paperback is gorgeous! Rena Hoberman outdid herself with the cover! It's magical and mysterious and looks pretty cool on twitter and instagram if I do say so.

Check out more of Rena's work here.

http://www.coverquill.com/portfolio/

Jason and Marina at Polgaris Studio formatted the ebook specifically for Kindle and did an amazing job.

http://www.polgarusstudio.com

A big thank you to all who entered the ARC giveaway and marked VoD to-read! Just about 3,700 people entered, which was amazing! :D

And some really cool blogger friends who got their hands on VoD early were kind enough to ask for interviews on their beautiful blogs. (Book blogs are amazing things, I feel I can get lost in them for hours!)

Amanda Lim who runs Mybooksopinionsite

Interview
https://mybooksopinionsite.wordpress....

Amanda's Review
https://mybooksopinionsite.wordpress....

Lonna Yen who runs www.flylef.com and reviews.flylef.com

Interview
http://reviews.flylef.com/2016/07/vau...

Jacqueline Boyster who runs Fallinlovewiththesoundofwords

Interview
https://fallinlovewiththesoundofwords...

Jackie's Review
https://fallinlovewiththesoundofwords...

Lauren Hassan who runs Laurens Page Turners

Release Day
https://pageturner20.wordpress.com/20...

Goodreads Monday
https://pageturner20.wordpress.com/20...

Stacking The Shelves
https://pageturner20.wordpress.com/20...



VoD also somehow made its way onto two lists, which is very cool. If you want to vote or see the lists, here they are. I wildly agree VoD should be on these lists and sincerely thank whomever put it there.

Beautiful YA Covers of 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

Young Adult and Middle Grade Books That Should Be TV Shows
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

And the biggest thank you goes out to those amazing friends like Julie Eshbaugh, who supported me from the moment she heard about VoD, friends who believed in me and supported my work like a diamond in the rough. I am forever humbled by the love VoD is given and I am so thankful for the story. It really is just another step in an amazing journey and I'm so thankful for all those who have cared so much about me and what I am doing.

If you've already read VoD, I would be so glad if you told everyone you know about it and left and Amazon review, and if you haven't read it yet, I sure hope you love it. I know I do. I couldn't be happier.

Thank you all so much and God bless!

Luke :D

The following is a email conversation/interview with the lovely Rose Reid, Author of Crown of Crimson, and author of more upcoming awesomeness in her ever unfolding saga, The Afterlight Chronicles.

We talk about our books, the process, music, and other fun stuff things about being a writer.

ME : I thought Crown of Crimson was really awesome. Do you know how much you're going to write for The Afterlight Chronicles?

ROSE : I'm so glad you liked it! It's definitely been a roller coaster of a ride. I have plans for The Afterlight Chronicles but they're just that: plans. It's such a complex universe to me that it isn't a question of do I have the material, it's a question of, how long before it gets boring??

I have to admit, I haven't had the privilege of reading ALL of your books but I've read a few and Vault of Dreams was absolutely my favorite. What inspired the novel?

ME : Well, as long as you’re writing it’ll be anything but boring, and I’m glad you do have so much to work with. And as far as the inspiration for Vault of Dreams, I can say Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows and Neil Oliver’s A History of Scotland in equal measures, Six of Crows because it opened my eyes to character-driven ensemble YA fantasy, and I’m best at character-driven ensemble and I’d just written Celtic fantasy with The Muiread, so I had plenty of practice but I had to read Six of Crows to realize that you could do that in YA, since the only YA I had encountered to that point had been first-person dystopian and things involving high-school. A History of Scotland because I’m Scottish and I love the land. It’s so inspirational. Beyond that, it just formed out of the blue, thank God!

Howabout The Afterlight Chronicles? I mean, that’s quite a deep universe. Did it develop over time? Where did the story start with you?

ROSE : That's fantastic! I have plenty of Scottish heritage, myself, and would love nothing more than to visit either Ireland or Scotland!

In answer to your question, yes, the series absolutely took shape over many many years. Honestly, the entire book and everything in it was based off of this one moment that I had stuck in my head. It wasn't a dream really, but wasn't a daydream either. It was the moment in the first book that Lyom pulled Aerietta out of the Hook Gulch in the Menca Denu. I had this crazy idea that two of the hardest, cruelest people in the world could come together as enemies and eventually be the very people to soften each other's hearts. So that is where The Afterlight Chronicles began. After that, I just couldn't shut up!

I don't know about you, but I've got so many songs in my head I used as a playlist during the writing of Crown of Crimson. Almost every moment had a very special, unique song that went along with it; seemed to be written for it! Did you have a song playlist? Can I hear some of the songs you listening to during the writing of Vault of Dreams?

ME : Amen to Scotland! I'm sure we'll both go there sometime.

I know what you mean! I've had that happen to me. So much comes from a photo, or a moment, or a thought, and that is a great moment, and that's part of what seals your book for me as completely amazing. Lyom and Aerietta have such a great journey through their relationship. That's hard to do. But I'm glad the whole universe, with all the lore and all the kingdoms and action, all comes from two people reaching out in a moment far bigger than both of them. That's great.

Well I'd like to hear your playlist! You have to tell me before I re-read! 

I actually included all of my musical inspiration in the Acknowledgements section of Vault of Dreams because it was so important to me for the writing of Vault of Dreams. I listen to albums from start to finish, and for this book it was EvanescenceThe Open Door, Flyleaf Beyond The Stars, and Trivium Silence in the Snow, and Shogun. Shogun is my favorite album of all time and always inspires me!

And now you have to tell me your playlist! Do you listen while you write or would you listen and visualize and then write. Some people have to have silence for writing. Does your music get you into "that" place?

ROSE : That's brilliant! I don't guess I caught it in the Acknowledgments! I'm absolutely going to have to listen to those songs.

Well, I'm definitely one of those people that needs silence. I can only tune out so much! I go into a cave to write! Or sometimes just sit outdoors and enjoy the breeze and write on my laptop or even just daydream! What is your best writing place?

Well, when I was writing Crown of Crimson there weren't nearly enough great songs that I loved to listen to, but to name a few, they were songs like "Stay the Night" by Zedd, or "Chains" by Nick Jonas, or "Young Girls" by Bruno Mars. Now that I am writing MY most-anticipated book, "The Swordmaster," my playlist is much improved! A song I just can't get out of my head and that fits Lyom so well is "Colors" by Halsey. When you listen to it next, try to picture Lyom and I have no doubt you will be able to!

I'd love to know how long it takes you to crank out a book! Because in the short time that I've known you, you've released 2 (that I know of!)

ME : I used to need silence, and then, I learned to embrace the need for music. But I'm with you! It can be so hard. You just have to focus. Editing is different than writing, but, I get to have a guaranteed 2 to 3 hours of silence late at night, and my best writing place is on the floor in the dining room. I read there, too!

That's great that Lyom has his own song! That's so awesome, though, putting lyrics to a character or letting that different artistic interpretation speak to expanding aspects of your character. That's great! I haven't heard any of those songs and I'll listen to them when I get a chance.

And yes, I am very excited for "The Swordmaster"! 

And for the time…well, that's variable. I'd say 3-4 months, but The Quiet Kill was 5 weeks and Evening Wolves was a year and a half. And The Muiread took four years of thought and planning and then four or five months of intense writing. But I have a few that I started years ago and still haven't finished!

So, are you going to wait a bit to release the sequel to Crown of Crimson after you release The Swordmaster? You know how much I like that sequel!!!

ROSE : Oh yes, editing I'll listen to music the whole time! And when I'm scheming for inspiration. I have a playlist for each book and depending on which one I am writing, I just listen to that playlist wherever I go.

Wow, well it sounds like you've really gotten your writing process down to a science! What's your solution to writer's block?

You know, I'm not sure which book I'm going to release first. I may end up releasing the sequel first and then releasing Lyom's prequel shortly after, depending on when The Swordmaster is completed and gone through editing and all that great stuff. I'm in no rush, as I'm sure you know! You can't rush writing.

It's nice to have that option with the music, too, isn't it? I mean, it's there if you want it, or need it, and then you can shut it off.

ME : Ha! The "science" is very fluid and elastic and I can't be too rigid about wanting it to be a certain way because you never know what's going to happen when the sun rises, and there are those times where not much comes out and I think about what I'm working on or the future of the book, maybe the climax, maybe the ending, visualizing, all day, in the back of my mind. Other times I don't think at all and my fingers fly across the keyboard in a blank fury.

I actually don't get writers block at all, but I do deal with adverse circumstances that make it hard to focus or hard to write. But, I don't have a moment where I can't, just that it's very hard. If I come to a place in a story where I either don't know what to do or don't like what's going on, I have tons of other stories in various states of completion to work on, so, I'm never out of work. And like you said, I don't rush, but I don't linger. There's a nice balance that evens itself out as you write more and more and get more comfortable with your own process, though, so far, each book has been its own unique experience.

But I think the cure all for writer's block is a walk. I think constantly walking is part of what ensures that I don't get writer's block!

And whatever you release first, you know where your first review is coming from!!! And if it is The Swordmaster you know I'm not the only one that wants to know more about the enigmatic Lyom Livingstone. Did you ever plan to have him be so popular? Did you think about it, writing? I've wondered about that with Vault of Dreams, since it's an 8 character ensemble. Who will everyone like? How will each character, their conflict, their personality, register with each different reader? And the thing about Lyom is he just gets better as a character throughout the story, and that's very skillful. So, was that in your mind, writing him?

ROSE : That’s a fantastic way to get rid of writer’s block! Take a walk! And I’m the same way. I have so many projects constantly going on (and not all of them are just books but screenplays and movies too) that I have plenty to work on when I’m stuck on a certain scene in any novel. But that’s great advice! Sometimes it’s great to just take a walk, clear your mind, and don’t get frustrated.

Oh, man. That’s a question, alright. Did I ever expect Lyom to be likable? I hoped he would be! Lyom is someone that is a combination of all sorts of people in my life, good and bad. His personality and flaws come from some of my past boyfriends and current friends. Of course, his good qualities―like his loyalty, his protectiveness, his sense of honor―come from past acquaintances as well. So to me, I had to like him, but I could absolutely see why some people wouldn’t. I was pleasantly surprised to read in the reviews of Crown of Crimson that so many people shipped Lyom and Etta right off the bat! It’s part of the reason I jumped on a prequel.

Lyom is pretty much every guy that has ever made an impact on my life all wrapped up into one character, and I’m thrilled that people can relate to him and love his relationship with Etta!

So while we’re on the topic of Vault of Dreams and its fabulous characters, how in the WORLD did you create such complex characters? And 8 of them? Because when I first read in the synopsis that you were going to kind of do a “buddy” book, I was amazed and a little skeptical, because I’ve read some bad ones before, but Vault of Dreams does not disappoint! How did you go about coming up with these characters? Were they all influenced by people in your life, as Lyom was?

ME : Okay, I can see that. To me, their relationship really developed, and that initial antagonism between Lyom and Etta is very magnetic, but the respect and the loyalty and all that developed over time and the journey of the plot really made their relationship a winner, and, no spoilers from me, but it's technically very deep as well. And I'm talking about lore. It's not your average girl meets boy. It's complicated.

Thank you for saying that! In a way they weren't, in a way they were. The best fiction is a blend of the real and the imaginary. My characters usually always come from the story, though. With Vault of Dreams, the ensemble needed to be all balanced out. They couldn't all be the same! And I think giving each character their own vignette to introduce them was essential.



Thank you so much for reading!!! Check the links below if you’d like to find out more!

Crown of Crimson
Rose Reid

Vault of Dreams

I'm taking a much needed break from writing, effective immediately, concerning the release of Vault of Dreams (VoD)

Writing can really take it out of you and Vault of Dreams did just that, and though it did, I'm so thankful for everything that happened during the course of writing it, as it is my absolute favorite book that I've written. I can't wait to release it, and it looks like an undetermined date in the summer will see it hit the cybershelves of Amazon with a bang.

That said, now comes the time to rest and relax and enjoy the MAAAAASIVE TBR I somehow managed to accumulate during the writing of VoD, and so far, I have been enjoying everything I have read, save the one DNF that will remain nameless, and if you're in the greater Seattle area, and you see me sitting on a park bench with a 20 oz. cup of dark roast and a book this spring, don't forget to wave, although, well, let's just say I've been craving a good old fashioned reading binge, because writing a book doesn't allow one to read that much and I might not wave back because I'm indulging in that craving to read with every cell in my body.





And among the books I'm so excited about just releasing or yet to be released along with VoD are signed copies of The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi, The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows and of course, the rapturously beautiful debut Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh.

I wish you lovely authors all the best with your releases! :D

MARCH COVER MADNESS
AND BRACKET TOURNAMENT
_______________________________

Well, the time has come again for people to go bananas over that strange phenomenon that is sports, and whether you went to college or played basketball or cheered for your team or your parents team or even like sports, you might find yourself filling out a bracket or overhearing people talk about filling out theirs.

I might be in the minority here. I loved to play basket ball as a kid (and being 5'11" in sixth grade always saw me picked first, despite my inability to score points) but I grew out of it, taking to a love of football (soccer) and wishing I was in England so I could support Chelsea every week.

That said, here in America, sports are something of a religion, and this time of year, people find themselves embroiled in the quest to fill out a perfect bracket for the NCAA basketball tournament, loosely known as The Final Four.

So, I thought it would be fun to do the same with Young Adult book covers.

I always judge a book by it's cover (you might say, "buy" its cover) and my love affair with covers will never end.

That said, this is just for fun, and it's just my opinion, but I'd love for you to continue to see how the tournament went.

Below are the list of contestants, numbered 1 - 32. The tournament goes best against worst (opposite ladder style) and continues battle royale till but one remains victorious.

Read on and enjoy! Let me know what you think!

I even threw in my own story, Vault of Dreams, since early feedback on the cover has been phenomenal and I have a feeling the paperback will look pretty fine on bookstagram and booktube.

*NOTE* I have not read all of these books but I have thoroughly ogled all the covers and dreamt about reading them.

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!!

1 Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
2 The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
3 Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
4 Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
5 Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
6 Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray
7 A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
8 Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes
9 Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
10 Across the Universe by Beth Revis
11 These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman
12 A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
13 Soundless by Richelle Mead
14 Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
15 Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
16 Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh
17 The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows
18 Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
19 The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye
20 The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
21 Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
22 The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
23 Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
24 The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
25 Everbound by Brodi Ashton
26 Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
27 Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
28 Vault of Dreams by Luke Taylor
29 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
30 Crown of Crimson by Rose Reid
31 Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
32 The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater


FIRST ROUND!!!

#1 VERSUS #32..........Crooked Kingdom takes it in a tough opener...









#2 Versus #31..........The Star Touched Queen wins easily.









#3 Versus #30......….No mourners. No funerals.









#4 Versus #29..........Harry Potter takes our fist upset!









#5 Versus #28..........Vault of Dreams by sheer author bias









#6 Versus #27..........Upset alert! Sisters Red!










#7 Versus #26..........Schwab sweeps the competition clean. No sweat.









#8 Versus #25..........Umm…Frozen Tides, yes please.









#9 Versus #24..........Will Herondale.









#10 Versus #23..........Though far less romantic, Morgan Rhodes gets the win for the cinematic promise of magic and mystery.









#11 Versus #22..........These Broken Stars, easily.









#12 Versus #21..........Graphic versus graphic. Graphic wins.









#13 Versus #20..........Celaena will be hard to beat in this tournament.









#14 Versus #19..........Clockwork Princess wins by being slightly more beautiful. Just slightly.









#15 Versus #18..........Morozova's Firebird torches the competition.









#16 Versus #17..........Ivory And Bone. That cover is both brutal and artistic, and you'll know what I mean after you've read it and cried your eyes out.









SECOND ROUND!!!

#1 Versus #16……….Crooked Kingdom wins by a page.









#2 Versus #15……….The Star Touched Queen's mysterious light steals the victory.









#3 Versus #14……….The shimmery Princess foils the Dregs in this greyscale battle.









#29 Versus #20……..Celaena wins the duel. And revenge for the QoS matchup in the earlier round.









#28 Versus #12……….I love my cover but there's just something about this art. I want a print of it on my wall. ADSoM wins.









#27 Versus #11……….The sinister nature of Sisters Red scares the competition into submission.









#7 Versus #23……….Schwab takes this battle of magic. A show of hands, who agrees? See, the cover agrees with me!










#8 Versus #9……….The hardest battle of the second round, Herondale charms his way to a win.










ROUND THREE!!!

#1 Versus #9……….Herondale versus Brekker. That's enough to make me want to write fan fiction. Herondale wins.










#2 Versus #7……….The Star Touched Queen's ethereal hues and source of light beat the papery magic of AGoS. But these are tough battles.









#27 Versus #14……….The Princess, all the way.









#20 Versus #12……….ADSoM. But, Celaena would like to read it, too, I'm sure.









FINAL FOUR!!!

#9 Versus #12……….Herondale charms Delilah Bard in a close battle.









#2 Versus #14……….The Queen bests the Princess.









THE CHAMPIONSHIP

#9 Versus #2……….For everything that inspires me as a writer, The Star Touched Queen wins for capturing the dark magic of storytelling that sleeps in the fall of night or the coming of the dawn. Capturing the essence of movement and journey, the mystery of light and word-building, The Star Touched Queen touches my artists heart and wins this fun battle of the covers.









AND THE WINNER IS……….








Thank you so much for reading this, please like it if you enjoyed the fun. I hope this inspires you to play your own version! I'd like to hear your opinions!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON SATURDAY, SARAH!
ON BEHALF OF A GREATFUL NATION, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE GIFT OF YOUR STORIES! MAY THEY NEVER CEASE!

Hello and happy February!




In the dead of winter, there's not much better up here in the northwest (under the long shadows of pine trees with a crackling fire in the fireplace and a cup of coffee at your side) than a good mystery, and my own Alaskan cold case mystery, The Quiet Kill, was recently reviewed by my friend Trang Tran from Bookidote. I gave them a special hardcover edition (not available for sale!) and along with her partner in crime Lashaan, they asked me some great questions in my first interview.

Please check out their lovely blog, Bookidote!

Links below!

Review
https://bookidote.wordpress.com/2016/...

Interview
https://bookidote.wordpress.com/2016/...

Also, booktuber Ash Rich, known as the TurtleBookWorm, reviewed The Quiet Kill in its first video review!

https://youtu.be/SxbJ32PKxwY

If you are a blogger or booktuber and would like a copy of The Quiet Kill to review on your own site, please send me a message and let me know and I would love to arrange something with you.

The Quiet Kill






Thank you so much!

Keep reading! :D

PS, I'll be starting Throne of Glass on February 14th!
Throne of Glass

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope everyone had a lovely season of bookishness, a veritable ingathering of new titles and TBR's to entertain and perhaps even educate in the new year.

2016 holds some gems I've been looking forward to for awhile, and some new delights as well.

As always, I will review every title I read, and hope to talk about some of the series others have enjoyed long before me.

With limited shelf space, 2016's TBR was approached with some strategy, headlined by the passionate fans of Sarah J. Maas, known only in some circles as "Queen Maas' Assassins".

All literary allegiance considered, (with so much discussions concerning relationships and the possible futures of book #5) I am excited to dive into the series myself.

Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass Series, paperback.

Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin's Blade


Throne of Glass

Crown of Midnight


Heir of Fire


Queen of Shadows








Controversially viewed by readers as either derivative and mundane or utter genius that knows no bounds, I have also been looking forward to diving into Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series with the purchase of the hardcover edition of Red Queen, and pre-ordering of hardcover editions of Glass Sword and Cruel Crown. Of Glass Sword I have heard only the best, and I am very eager to read the novels of a screenwriter by trade, enjoying the promise of a more graphic and less loquacious visualization of the heroic YA narrative, seeing as the covers so beautifully offer such.

Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen Series, hardcover.

Victoria Aveyard


Red Queen


Glass Sword


Cruel Crown







Perhaps closer to the season of warm darkness and mosquitoes I'll be digging into a rave-review retelling of one of my favorite pieces of literature of all time, The Arabian Nights, and trust Reneé Ahdieh’s The Wrath and the Dawn will not disappoint one who realized, at a young age, the potency of losing oneself in the exotic magic and mystery of Scheherazade's story within a story within a story within a story. And while Richard Burton's classic translation is a sacred building block in my own development as an author, I will in no way expect Renee to live up to some factual reinvention, or structured reinterpretation, but rather, am just plain flat overjoyed that she chose to take on such amazing material for a brave new YA series that promises much in the way of imaginative adventure. I also pre-ordered The Rose and the Dagger. Howabout those covers? And those titles! :D

Renee Ahdieh's The Wrath and the Dawn Series, hardcover.

Renee Ahdieh


The Wrath and the Dawn


The Rose and the Dagger







Also coming highly recommended to me is Robin Lafevers’ His Fair Assassin Trilogy, which is nice to get on board with a series or trilogy after it's finished. I don't know much about these books, but the one woman with the bow on the cover made me think if I made it to her book I'm sure I would be happy that I did.

Robin LaFevers


Grave Mercy


Dark Triumph


Mortal Heart







I also felt it was time to embrace the expansive classicism of 90's fantasy and buy Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time Series. If I read one of these every month, they should last a year. I think it was the cover of A Memory of Light, the final book in the series, written by fantasy master Brandon Sanderson (he wrote the last three in the series) that kept catching my eye in the store. It seems The Stormlight Archive, with its incredible Michael Whelan covers, is a generational ancestor of The Wheel of Time, (one might even call it The Wheel Reborn) and while opinions on the series and the work of Robert Jordan are scattered far and wide, it is important to note what a contribution he has given to the fantasy community. It might also help understanding the context of Sanderson's lectures (which you can see on YouTube) since much of his Widsom on how to sustain character and plot development over a long period of time (or many books) and other such subjects jumped between The Wheel of Time and Lord of The Rings. It's great to have all the artwork together, too. The work of Darrel K. Sweet beautifully and imaginitively captures generously-detailed visual interpretations of a post-Tolkien landscape in magnificently subtle oil paintings, and the wonderful title, A Memory of Light, in essence, honors the memory of two titans of the fantasy genre, Robert Jordan and Darrel K. Sweet, who have captured the hearts and minds of millions and inspired legions of writers to forge their own adventures, characters, and worlds. So at the end of the year, I look forward to voting on the poll that rates The Wheel of Time Series' best books.

Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time Series, mass market paperback.

Robert Jordan


The Eye of the World

The Great Hunt


The Dragon Reborn


The Shadow Rising


The Fires of Heaven


Lord of Chaos


A Crown of Swords

The Path of Daggers

Winter's Heart

Crossroads of Twilight


Knife of Dreams


The Gathering Storm


Towers of Midnight


A Memory of Light










AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, JULIE ESHBAUGH'S IVORY AND BONE! GO PRE-ORDER IT NOW!

Julie Eshbaugh


Ivory and Bone

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo


I must thank The Book Geek Emily May for her sterling recommendation on her YouTube channel and didn't know what I was getting into, not having read The Grisha Trilogy prior to Crows and knowing nothing about Leigh Bardugo's magical and wintry Grishaverse. But Six of Crows is far more than one can possibly imagine, even though the sheer beauty of the physical hardcover book sparks thoughts of a dark fairy tale set in an intricate little music box. Part The Dirty Dozen, Part Oceans Eleven, Part YA, Part late-Victorian Noir, Six of Crows thrills down to its last drop with Leigh Bardugo's rich flourishes and promises an excellent cast of characters for a brand new series.

If you haven't read it, make sure to buy the hardcover.

Dawnbreaker by Jay Posey


The final book in Jay's Legends of The Duskwalker Cycle, Dawnbreaker blew me away like a direct shotgun blast to the chest. I loved Three, and I admired the bravery it took to end Three the way he did, and I was completely thoughtless about where the trilogy would go after the end of Morningside Fall, so my expectations were very high, but I had no pre-conceived notion of what the end of such an original trilogy would be like. Everything about Dawnbreaker worked perfectly, like a high-powered car engine winding up through the gears, ending the trilogy in a manner worthy of meriting his series an instant classic, (and hopefully the big screen) as a true original in its hybridization of genres and the execution in which he narrated his epic vision. If pressed, I would say Dawnbreaker was my favorite book of the series, for a great many reasons, one being I just don't know how Jay managed to pack so many awesome and truly meaningful scenes in the book while continuing to stretch out the incredible gravity of the trilogy's scope and plot, and if you don't have these books on your shelves you're definitely missing some pure and unfiltered awesomeness. The characters will stay with you long after you've finished the book.

Here's to Outriders! Pre-order now!

Storming: A Dieselpunk Adventure by K.M. Weiland


I was honored to beta-read Katie's passion project Storming and I don't know if I've ever had as much fun reading a book as I had with Storming. Much like watching The Magnificent Seven or The Adventures of Robin Hood, even Raiders of The Lost Ark, Storming carries the perfect balance of being light-hearted but packing enough gravitas for every punch and every punchline to really resonate on the page. I've never read anything like it, and I don't think I will ever again, unless of course, Katie has a sequel in mind, which is possible knowing how much fun she herself said she had in writing it. I can't recommend it highly enough, seeing as good entertainment of this kind is hard to come by.

Tell me your favorite books of the year! Top 3? Top 10?

My next post in January will concern the epic New Year's Book Haul!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Luke

Happy Birthday Amy Lee!

Your ethereal voice will forever be tattooed in the ears of my heart.



God bless you and keep rocking, keep walking through that open door.