Indie Roundup
Summer reading in fantasy and space opera, by indie authors I've enjoyed.
Star Nomad, by Lindsay Buroker. Buroker has written a number of "kitchen sink" fantasies that I enjoyed--colorful characters, lots of humor and action. She's a natural for space opera. Don't seek these out for skiffy sophistication. These are space operas, the story taking place after a major war, when all the various planets are trying to recover. People on opposite sides find themselves on the same junky freighter that happened to belong to the mother of Alisa Marchenko, a recovering pilot who woke to find out that her husband was killed in the fighting. She's trying to get back to her little daughter. Along the way she picks up some interesting characters, and gets into plenty of trouble, having to use her wits as her old freighter is entirely unarmed.
Right now there are three out, with a couple of short stories, and another due next month--I hope.
Agent of the Crown, by Melissa McShane. This is fantasy, in which a princess is living a double life, as an agent. McShane takes the times to establish place and characters before events begin to accelerate, and once they do, it’s a gallop to the finish, with some lovely high moments and some hard hits before we reach the end. Part of a series, but stands alone.
The Sleeping Life by Andrea K.Höst (check out the gorgeous cover art!). One doesn't have to have read the first one in this loose series--we begin with all new characters, catching up with Rennyn Claire (of stained Glass Monsters) in a much-diminished capacity. But far from being out of play, as she has to remove a nasty spell, and deal with the golems left behind. But as always in this author's books, wove into the action and the interesting magic system are threads about friendship, love, student/teacher, and what it means to be human.
Breath of Stone, by Blair Macgregor, with another wonderful cover. This is also a sequel, and I strongly urge interested readers to begin with the first, Sand of Bone, as this begins right where the first ends. Vivid characters, a very dark magic tautly woven into a desert culture, with wandering ghosts, this is a dark fantasy with a military overlay as brother hunts sister, and sister turns herself into a warrior fit to deal with the rising threat. I've only begun it, but the tension line goes from 0 to 60 straight off the mark. I'll read it slowly, not because I'm bored--far from it--but because at times Blair's books go so tense and so dark I need breathing space.
Now a couple I bought but haven't gotten to yet:
Khuldar's War, by Leigh Kimmel, an old friend from the circular mailed fanzine days. She's now starting into e-pub. I read this in draft a while back; it features her signature complex world building, with a Russian flavor, as the hunt is on for five separated clone brothers, each raised in different cultures. Add in bio-science, psi, and mer-people, and I guarantee you won't be saying "This is just like [name other author]. . ."
And over here, Leigh Kimmel has some recommendations for summer reading by indie authors. (Including a couple of mine read in draft back in the Paleozoic era!)
Eidolon, by Grace Draven. This indie author has shot up in popularity on the sheer voice of her first in this series, Radiance, which I loved in spite of the fact that it was riddled with typos and spellos, something that can happen when you're an indie just starting out and you have no budget for editing, proofing, etc. I haven't read this one yet--saving it for the right day--but I'm assured that Draven has been working hard to up her game with respect to getting a polished copy out there.
Any discoveries you want to recommend?
Star Nomad, by Lindsay Buroker. Buroker has written a number of "kitchen sink" fantasies that I enjoyed--colorful characters, lots of humor and action. She's a natural for space opera. Don't seek these out for skiffy sophistication. These are space operas, the story taking place after a major war, when all the various planets are trying to recover. People on opposite sides find themselves on the same junky freighter that happened to belong to the mother of Alisa Marchenko, a recovering pilot who woke to find out that her husband was killed in the fighting. She's trying to get back to her little daughter. Along the way she picks up some interesting characters, and gets into plenty of trouble, having to use her wits as her old freighter is entirely unarmed.
Right now there are three out, with a couple of short stories, and another due next month--I hope.
Agent of the Crown, by Melissa McShane. This is fantasy, in which a princess is living a double life, as an agent. McShane takes the times to establish place and characters before events begin to accelerate, and once they do, it’s a gallop to the finish, with some lovely high moments and some hard hits before we reach the end. Part of a series, but stands alone.
The Sleeping Life by Andrea K.Höst (check out the gorgeous cover art!). One doesn't have to have read the first one in this loose series--we begin with all new characters, catching up with Rennyn Claire (of stained Glass Monsters) in a much-diminished capacity. But far from being out of play, as she has to remove a nasty spell, and deal with the golems left behind. But as always in this author's books, wove into the action and the interesting magic system are threads about friendship, love, student/teacher, and what it means to be human.
Breath of Stone, by Blair Macgregor, with another wonderful cover. This is also a sequel, and I strongly urge interested readers to begin with the first, Sand of Bone, as this begins right where the first ends. Vivid characters, a very dark magic tautly woven into a desert culture, with wandering ghosts, this is a dark fantasy with a military overlay as brother hunts sister, and sister turns herself into a warrior fit to deal with the rising threat. I've only begun it, but the tension line goes from 0 to 60 straight off the mark. I'll read it slowly, not because I'm bored--far from it--but because at times Blair's books go so tense and so dark I need breathing space.
Now a couple I bought but haven't gotten to yet:
Khuldar's War, by Leigh Kimmel, an old friend from the circular mailed fanzine days. She's now starting into e-pub. I read this in draft a while back; it features her signature complex world building, with a Russian flavor, as the hunt is on for five separated clone brothers, each raised in different cultures. Add in bio-science, psi, and mer-people, and I guarantee you won't be saying "This is just like [name other author]. . ."
And over here, Leigh Kimmel has some recommendations for summer reading by indie authors. (Including a couple of mine read in draft back in the Paleozoic era!)
Eidolon, by Grace Draven. This indie author has shot up in popularity on the sheer voice of her first in this series, Radiance, which I loved in spite of the fact that it was riddled with typos and spellos, something that can happen when you're an indie just starting out and you have no budget for editing, proofing, etc. I haven't read this one yet--saving it for the right day--but I'm assured that Draven has been working hard to up her game with respect to getting a polished copy out there.
Any discoveries you want to recommend?