Nova fantazija u 2014. godini - deo prvi

Kada je reč o fantaziji i srodnim podžanrovima fantastike, 2014. za sada veoma obećava. 

Na prvom mestu su svakako najavljeni nastavci najvećih fantazijskih noviteta iz 2013. Naravno, reč je o novim romanima Entonija Rajana i Brajana Maklelanda. 

Tower Lord (A Raven's Shadow Novel) by Anthony Ryan

 In Blood Song, Anthony Ryan introduced readers to “a fascinating world of conflicting religions and the wars fought in the name of those faiths” (Library Journal). Now Ryan’s epic tale continues as Vaelin Al Sorna discovers that there is no escape from the call of destiny…

“The blood-song rose with an unexpected tune, a warm hum mingling recognition with an impression of safety. He had a sense it was welcoming him home.”

Vaelin Al Sorna, warrior of the Sixth Order, called Darkblade, called Hope Killer. The greatest warrior of his day, and witness to the greatest defeat of his nation: King Janus’s vision of a Greater Unified Realm drowned in the blood of brave men fighting for a cause Vaelin alone knows was forged from a lie. Sick at heart, he comes home, determined to kill no more. Named Tower Lord of the Northern Reaches by King Janus’s grateful heir, he can perhaps find peace in a colder, more remote land far from the intrigues of a troubled Realm.

But those gifted with the blood-song are never destined to live a quiet life. Many died in King Janus’s wars, but many survived, and Vaelin is a target, not just for those seeking revenge but for those who know what he can do. The Faith has been sundered, and many have no doubt who their leader should be. The new King is weak, but his sister is strong. The blood-song is powerful, rich in warning and guidance in times of trouble, but is only a fraction of the power available to others who understand more of its mysteries. Something moves against the Realm, something that commands mighty forces, and Vaelin will find to his great regret that when faced with annihilation, even the most reluctant hand must eventually draw a sword.

The Crimson Campaign (The Powder Mage Trilogy) by Brian McClellan

When invasion looms...

Tamas's invasion of Kez ends in disaster when a Kez counter-offensive leaves him cut off behind enemy lines with only a fraction of his army, no supplies, and no hope of reinforcements. Drastically outnumbered and pursued by the enemy's best, he must lead his men on a reckless march through northern Kez to safety, and back over the mountains so that he can defend his country from an angry god, Kresimir.

But the threats are closer to home...

In Adro, Inspector Adamat only wants to rescue his wife. To do so he must track down and confront the evil Lord Vetas. He has questions for Vetas concerning his enigmatic master, but the answers will lead Adamat on a darker journey.

Who will lead the charge?

Tamas's generals bicker among themselves, the brigades lose ground every day beneath the Kez onslaught, and Kresimir wants the head of the man who shot him in the eye. With Tamas and his powder cabal presumed dead, Taniel Two-shot finds himself as the last line of defense against Kresimir's advancing army.

In a rich, distinctive world that mixes magic with technology, who could stand against mages that control gunpowder and bullets? THE CRIMSON CAMPAIGN is the epic sequel to Brian McClellan's Promise of Blood.

 

Maklelan je u protekloj godini bio nešto aktivniji i objavio je par priča maskiranih u novele, pa je očigledno da je pošao koracima svog učitelja, Sandersona, koji često objavljuje kraće radove smeštene u svoje svetove, ali ih objavljuje u formi samostalnih naslova. Elektronsko izdavaštvo sve je naklonjenije kraćim književnim formama, pa se izgleda i pisci privikavaju na mogućnosti koje im se nude.

Ne mogu a da odmah nakon ova dva naslova ne izdvojim 

The Dark Defiles by Richard Morgan

Nažalost, o završnici trilogije No Land for Heroes ne zna se ništa sem da je reč o završnici trilogije. Za neupućene, istaći ću da je reč o romanima koji dele žanrovske poklonike na istinske sladokusce i legitimne poznavaoce žanra, koji su ih pročitali - i na diletante koji nisu. Zaista je reč o obaveznom štivu.

Petnaesti roman u serijalu "Drezdenovi dosijei" još je jedan roman na čije se objavljivanje dugo čekalo. Bučeru je pošlo za rukom da u romanima od Changes pa na ovamo u potpunosti sruši Drezdenov svet, ali da ostavi temelje na kojima će zapravo podići novi serijal u starom ruhu... ili možda obratno. 

Bilo kako bilo, novi Bučerov roman je nešto što se mora pročitati čim bude objavljeno, makar zarad opšte kulture - ali i zbog toga što su "Drezdenovi dosijei" jedan od retkih serijala urbane fantastike koji nisu skliznuli u paranormalnu romantiku ili čak nepatvorenu erotsku fantaziju.

Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15) by Jim Butcher

 

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day….

Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it’s something awful.
He doesn’t know the half of it….

Mab has just traded Harry’s skills to pay off one of her debts. And now he must help a group of supernatural villains—led by one of Harry’s most dreaded and despised enemies, Nicodemus Archleone—to break into the highest-security vault in town so that they can then access the highest-security vault in the Nevernever.

It’s a smash-and-grab job to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure hoard in the supernatural world—which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld and generally unpleasant character. Worse, Dresden suspects that there is another game afoot that no one is talking about. And he’s dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Especially Harry.

Dresden’s always been tricky, but he’s going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess—assuming his own allies don’t end up killing him before his enemies get the chance…

Sworn in Steel (Tales of the Kin, #2) by Douglas Hulick

Halikov prvenac bio je potpuno veličanstven i možda čak i bolji od Low Town-a Denijela Polanskog. Međutim, na drugi naslov u serijalu čekalo se toliko dugo da je dobar deo publike već zaboravio na ovog izvanredno pisca, koji je zajedno sa Polanskim potpuno promenio pejzaž urbane fantastike i skrenuo je prema tradicionalnom maču&magiji.

It’s been three months since Drothe killed a legend, burned down a portion of the imperial capital, and unexpectedly elevated himself into the ranks of the criminal elite. Now, as the newest Gray Prince in the underworld, he’s learning just how good he used to have it.

With barely the beginnings of an organization to his name, Drothe is already being called out by other Gray Princes. And to make matters worse, when one dies, all signs point to Drothe as wielding the knife. As members of the Kin begin choosing sides – mostly against him – for what looks to be another impending war, Drothe is approached by a man who not only has the solution to Drothe’s most pressing problem, but an offer of redemption. The only problem is the offer isn’t for him.

Now Drothe finds himself on the way to the Despotate of Djan, the empire’s long-standing enemy, with an offer to make and a price on his head. And the grains of sand in the hour glass are running out, fast…

Kad smo kod nastavaka, Đango Veksler je već napisao nastavak svog prošlogodišnjeg prvenca. Moglo bi se reći da se već formira novi podžanr "barutske fantazije", koja je mahom okrenuta vojnoj tematici, premda ima tu i nešto malo detektivskih romana zabašurenih u alternativnu istoriju. Meni se Vekslerov prvenac nije posebno dopao i batalio sam ga relativno brzo, premda sam baš i mogao da mu posvetim nešto veću pažnju.

The Shadow Throne (The Shadow Campaigns, #2) by Django Wexler

Anyone can plot a coup or fire an assassin’s bullet. But in a world of muskets and magic, it takes considerably more to seize the throne.

The ailing King of the Vordan lies on his deathbed. When he dies, his daughter, Raesinia Orboan, will become the first Queen Regnant in centuries—and a ripe target for the ambitious men who seek to control her. The most dangerous of these is Duke Orlanko, Minister of Information and master of the secret police. Having meticulously silenced his adversaries through intimidation, imprisonment, and execution, Orlanko is the most feared man in the kingdom.

And he knows an arcane secret that puts Raesinia completely at his mercy.

Exposure would mean ruin, but Raesinia is determined to find a way to break herself—and her country—out of Orlanko’s iron grip. She finds unlikely allies in the returning war hero Janus bet Vhalnich, fresh from a brilliant campaign in the colony of Khandar, and his loyal deputies, Captain Marcus d’Ivoire and Lieutenant Winter Ihernglass.

As Marcus and Winter struggle to find their places in the home they never thought they would see again, they help Janus and Raesinia set in motion events that could free Vordan from Orlanko’s influence—at the price of throwing the nation into chaos. But with the people suffering under the Duke’s tyranny, they intend to protect the kingdom with every power they can command, earthly or otherwise.

The Emperor’s Blades by Brian Staveley

O ovome ne znam ništa sem da se gradi neverovatan hajp. Ubrzo ćemo saznati kakav je roman.

When the emperor of Annur is murdered, his children must fight to uncover the conspiracy—and the ancient enemy—that effected his death.
Kaden, the heir apparent, was for eight years sequestered in a remote mountain monastery, where he learned the inscrutable discipline of monks devoted to the Blank God. Their rituals hold the key to an ancient power which Kaden must master before it’s too late. When an imperial delegation arrives to usher him back to the capital for his coronation, he has learned just enough to realize that they are not what they seem—and enough, perhaps, to successfully fight back.
Meanwhile, in the capital, his sister Adare, master politician and Minister of Finance, struggles against the religious conspiracy that seems to be responsible for the emperor’s murder. Amid murky politics, she’s determined to have justice—but she may be condemning the wrong man.

 Their brother Valyn is struggling to stay alive. He knew his training to join the Kettral— deadly warriors who fly massive birds into battle—would be arduous. But after a number of strange apparent accidents, and the last desperate warning of a dying guard, he’s convinced his father’s murderers are trying to kill him, and then his brother. He must escape north to warn Kaden—if he can first survive the brutal final test of the Kettral.