Today we are excited to host an guest post from R. S. Belcher, author of The Night Dahlia. Sub genres can feel somewhat nebulous at times, so we are very grateful and happy to help get this clearer explanation on what differentiates Noir Fantasy. And as an added bonus, we also have a GIVEAWAY, so be sure to scroll to the bottom and enter. Noir Fantasy: Cynicism in a World of Magic by R.S. Belcher Before we get our knuckles bloody, I wanted to thank the wonderful folks at the Speculative Herald for the privilege of allowing me time and space to talk about the genre of Noir Fantasy and about my new book, The Night Dahlia, coming out April 3rd from Tor Books. The Night Dahlia is the second novel in my “Nightwise” series. The Nightwise books are Noir Fantasy (with some Hardboiled genre thrown in too, but that’s a post for another day). But what exactly distinguishes Noir Fantasy from say Urban Fantasy? In one word, one of my favorite words: cynicism. Noir’s origin references back to a 1945 french pulp magazine and to crime movies of the 1940s and 50s. I think the noir atheistic may have come…

Today we are excited to host an excerpt of DAYFALL by Michael David Ares, an exciting near future dystopia. Be sure to check out the details below (set in a walled off Manhatten, featuring a bold serial killer and corrupt cops, sounds like an exciting read!). And as an added bonus, we also have a GIVEAWAY. EXCERPT FROM DAYFALL By Michael David Ares About the Book About the Author MICHAEL DAVID ARES is an entrepreneur and educator who has started four community service businesses while writing and editing books for other people on the side. He is now a full-time author, and lives with his family in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Michael is the author of Dayfall.   Giveaway

Today, we are thrilled to not only host an excerpt from Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra, but also offer a giveaway. Markswoman releases Januray 23, 2018 but you can get a brief look below! And in case you missed my review last week, be sure to check it out. The tl;dr? Markswoman has a great mix of badass women, action and an interesting world. Assassins, magical blades, betrayal and more. Enjoy the excerpt, enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the book! Excerpt from Marskwoman  By Rati Mehrotra   Giveaway     About the Author Born and raised in India, Rati Mehrotra now lives and writes in lovely Toronto. She is represented by Mary. C. Moore of Kimberley Cameron & Associates. Markswoman is her first book. You can check out her short stories at http://ratiwrites.com/short-fiction/       About the Book Kyra is the youngest Markswoman in the Order of Kali, one of a handful of sisterhoods of highly trained elite warriors. Armed with blades whose metal is imbued with magic and guided by a strict code of conduct, the Orders are sworn to keep the peace and protect the people of Asiana. Kyra has pledged to do so—yet she secretly harbors…

Today we are excited to offer a giveaway of Halls of Law by V. M. Escalada. And as a bonus, we have an excerpt to share. Please check out more information on the book and author below! Halls of Law – Excerpt By V. M. Escalada Giveaway About the Book The first book in the Faraman Prophecy introduces a world of military might and magical Talents on the brink of destruction  The Faraman Polity was created by the first Luqs, and has been ruled for generations by those of the Luqs bloodline. It is a burgeoning empire maintained by the combined efforts of the standing military force and the Talents of the Halls of Law. While the military preserves and protects, it is the Halls’ Talents—those gifted from birth with magical abilities—who serve as the agents and judges of the Law. For no one can successfully lie to a Talent. Not only can they read people by the briefest of physical contacts, but they can also read objects, able to find information about anyone who has ever come into direct contact with that object. Thanks to the Talents and the career military, the Polity has long remained a stable and…

Thanks to the good people at Tor Teen, we are happy to offer up a giveaway for the first two books in the Steeplejack series by A. J. Hartley. The second book, Firebrand, releases this week. If you’re not already familiar with the series, b ssure to check out information on the series below!   ​​ ABOUT THE BOOKS   Thoughtfully imaginative, action-packed, and set in a 19th-century South African fantasy world, Steeplejack by New York Times-bestselling A.J. Hartley was met with resounding critical acclaim from authors, reviewers, and readers alike. Steeplejack introduced the world to Anglet Sutonga, and brave and smart young woman navigating the complicated world of Bar-Selehm. In Firebrand, Ang goes undercover at an elite club in order to unmask a thief selling government secrets, but stumbles upon a greater plot that endangers the most vulnerable in Bar-Selehm.   Once a steeplejack, Ang is used to scaling the heights of Bar-Selehm. Nowadays she assists politician Josiah Willinghouse behind the scenes of Parliament. The latest threat to the city-state: government plans for a secret weapon are stolen and feared to be sold to the rival nation of Grappoli. The investigation leads right to the doorsteps of Elitus, one of the most exclusive social clubs in the city. In…

Today we are excited to host a giveaway for High Stakes, edited by George R. R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass. The book just released this week and while it may be the 23rd Wild Cards book, it is actually a great starting pointing for new readers. Thanks to the good people at Tor who have given us 2 copies of High Stakes to giveaway to our readers! ABOUT THE BOOK After the concluding events of Lowball, Officer Francis Black of Fort Freak, vigilante joker Marcus “The Infamous Black Tongue” Morgan, and ace thief Mollie “Tesseract” Steunenberg get stuck in Talas, Kazakhstan. There, the coldblooded Baba Yaga forces jokers into an illegal fighting ring, but her hidden agenda is much darker: her fighters’ deaths serve to placate a vicious monster from another dimension. When the last line of defense against this world weakens, all hell breaks loose, literally…. The Committee in New York sends a team of aces to investigate. One by one, each falls victim to evil forces–including the dark impulses within themselves. Only the perseverance of the most unlikely of heroes has a chance of saving the world before utter chaos erupts on Earth. Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author George R….

Blood in the Water, the 11th book in the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen saga by Taylor Anderson is releasing June 14, 2016. The good people at Roc have given us a Destroyermen Starter Kit bundle containing the first four books in the series to giveaway. This is a great opportunity to get a start on the series! “Taylor Anderson…[has] steamed to the forefront of alternative history.”—E. E. Knight, national bestselling Author “Intriguing what-ifs…combine with churning, bloodthirsty warfare.”—Kirkus Reviews “Action sci-fi doesn’t get significantly better than this.”—Booklist     The four books we have for the giveaway are, you can read their descriptions below the giveaway: Destroyermen Series ORDER Into the Storm Crusade Maelstrom Distant Thunders Rising Tides Firestorm Iron Gray Sea Storm Surge Deadly Shores Straits of Hell Blood in the Water (out June 14, 2016) Giveaway   ABOUT THE BOOKS INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY Enter Giveaway About the Author Taylor Anderson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Destroyermen series, including Straits of Hell, Deadly Shores, and Storm Surge. A gunmaker and forensic ballistic archaeologist, Taylor has been a technical and dialogue consultant for movies and documentaries, and an award-winning member of the National Historical Honor Society and of…

  What could be more exciting than heading into a three day weekend? How about giving away one of our favorite books! Today we are very excited to offer a giveaway of Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine. If you’re not familiar with the book, it took the #2 spot on our Best of 2015 list! (and the #1 spot requires reading about 14 books first, and this one is a first in series! A great place to start) Pretty much, we loved this book and thanks to the great people at NAL, we have a copy of the paperback to share! If you’d like to hear more about it, feel free to check out our review or see the details below!     ABOUT THE BOOK

The wonderful people at Tor have offered a giveaway, not just Brian Staveley’s latest book The Last Mortal Bond, but the entire Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy for one lucky winner. The first book is a really fun read, but the next two books are just amazing. This is a trilogy that ends spectacularly, I just can’t recommend it enough. So, if you have been curious, this is a great chance to load up on some books and read the entire series! See below to learn more about the books, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway: GIVEAWAY     ABOUT THE BOOKS  

Today, we are taking a look at the cover for James A. Moore’s upcoming book The Silent Army. The artwork for these covers is created by Alejandro Colucci. The Silent Army is the fourth in series, but if you haven’t read the first three books, checkout our GIVEAWAY. Thanks to the generosity of the great folks at Angry Robot, we are giving away three bundles that contain the first three books in the series! This is a great chance to load up on some great books and catch up before the fourth is released!     The City of Wonders has been saved by nearly miraculous forces and the Silent Army is risen, ready to defend the Fellein Empire and Empress Nachia at any cost. The power that was hidden in the Mounds is on the move, seeking a final confrontation with the very entities that kept it locked away since the Cataclysm. Andover Lashk has finally come to accept his destiny and prepares to journey back to Fellein. The Sa’ba Taalor continue their domination over each country and people they encounter, but the final conflict is coming: The Great Wave of the Sa’ba Taalor stands to destroy an empire…