Najave za maj

U ponudi fantastike za mesec maj ove godine izdvojilo se nekoliko novih naslova. Na prvom mestu, valjda naglasiti da je svetlost knjižara ugledao (navodno) poslednji naslov iz serijala o telepatskoj konobarici Suki Stekhaus i njenim fengbeng pustolovinama. Ako sam se dobro sračunao, ovo je dvanaesti roman, a trinaesta knjiga u serijalu. Ako je zaista tačno da će ovo biti poslednji roman, Harisova je svega za dve knjige prešla preko granice mrcvarenja svog serijala. Naime, poslednja dva romana pročitao sam čisto reda radi i mahom uz zevanje. Gledajući Lorel Hamilton i Kim Haris, izgleda da je deset knjiga najveći mogući domet za jedan serijal, ako pisac hoće da taj serijal bude uspešan. Naravno, moglo bi se reći da je Džim Bučer izuzetak od tog pravila, ali Bučer je ipak u pretposlednjem romanu iz korena porušio sve što je gradio u prethodnim knjigama, te je praktično otpočeo novi serijal. No, o tome nekom drugom prilikom.

Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 12) by Charlaine Harris



It’s vampire politics as usual around the town of Bon Temps, but never before have they hit so close to Sookie’s heart…

Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on there were things she’d rather not know. And now that she’s an adult, she also realizes that some things she knows about, she’d rather not see—like Eric Northman feeding off another woman. A younger one.

There’s a thing or two she’d like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet—Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It’s the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric’s front yard—especially the body of the woman whose blood he just drank.

Now, it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s set out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.

Alchemist of Souls je roman koji sam na prvi mah preskočio. Čak mi se ni pogled nije zadržao na najavi. Međutim, knjiga je pokupila izvanredne kritike i odlično je primeljena kod publike. Spaja alternativnu istoriju sa fentezijem, što nije prvi put da se to dešava u istoriji fantastike - ali ne sećam se da je u skorije vreme neka knjiga tako spontano hajpovana. To jest, da pohvale stižu iz smera publike, a ne plaćenih kritičara.

The Alchemist of Souls: Night's Masque, Volume 1 by Anne Lyle



When Tudor explorers returned from the New World, they brought back a name out of half-forgotten Viking legend: skraylings. Red-sailed ships followed in the explorers’ wake, bringing Native American goods--and a skrayling ambassador--to London. But what do these seemingly magical beings really want in Elizabeth I’s capital?

Mal Catlyn, a down-at-heel swordsman, is seconded to the ambassador's bodyguard, but assassination attempts are the least of his problems. What he learns about the skraylings and their unholy powers could cost England her new ally--and Mal his soul.

Silence by Michelle Sagara je knjiga koja me je iznervirala. Zapravo, nakačio sam se na njen fentezi serijal Cast in... tako da sam se neprijatno iznenadio kada sam umesto novog Cast in... naslova dočekao nešto potpuno novo. Međutim, knjiga ima svega 256 stranica, tako da pretpostavljam da je pisana u nekim pauzama između ostalih knjiga - a pošto je roman urban fantasy, verovatno je reč o pokušaju autorke da opipa kako bi je to tržište prihvatilo. Reakcije čitalaca su više nego pristojne.

Silence by Michelle Sagara

It began in the graveyard…
Ever since her boyfriend Nathan had died in a tragic accident, Emma had been coming to the graveyard at night. During the day she went through the motions at her prep school, in class, with her friends, but that’s all it was. For Emma, life had stopped with Nathan’s death. But tonight was different. Tonight Emma and her dog were not alone in the cemetery. There were two others there--Eric, who had just started at her school, and an ancient woman who looked as though she were made of rags. And when they saw Emma there, the old woman reached out to her with a grip as chilling as death...
Emma was not quite like others teenagers. It was true that other girls had experienced grief. Other girls had also lost their fathers, or had their boyfriends die in a senseless accident. But though she hadn’t known it till that night in the graveyard, unlike those other girls, she could see, touch, and speak with the dead. In fact, Emma could draw upon the essence of the dead to work magic. That was what Necromancers did. But Emma had no desire to be a Necromancer. She just wanted to help the ghosts who walked the streets of Toronto, unable to escape from the land of the living. And that was just as well, because had she chosen the path of the Necromancer, Eric would have had to kill her.
Instead, Eric and his fellow Necromancer hunter Chase found themselves violating every rule they were sworn to follow, becoming part of Emma’s group, helping her to stand against those who preyed upon the dead. But whether Emma and her friends could survive such a battle was anyone’s guess. And whether Emma could learn to use the magic of the dead against her enemies without herself falling victim to the lure of such power remained to be seen. Eric seemed to think she could, and her living friends would never abandon her. But only time would tell what Emma’s true destiny was...