New Release Tuesday in the Realms of SciFi and Fantasy

Here are this week's suggestions in new releases in the realms of fantasy and scifi:


Born of Ice (A League Novel) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Product Description
In the Ichidian Universe, the League and its ruthless assassins continue to keep rule. But at what cost? Welcome back to the future…and a whole new world.
Devyn Kell spent his life in service to the League until he learned of the double dealing and backstabbing that was costing innocent people their lives. Refusing to play those politics, he became a Runner—someone who makes sure planets get the weapons, medicine and supplies they need to survive. May the gods have mercy on any who get in his way, because he definitely won’t.
Alix Garran is a woman on the run from a past she can’t escape. Signing on to work for Devyn as a System’s Engineer, she finds a cause she can fight for—and a man she can respect. But as Alix’s past catches up to her, and Devyn’s old enemies turn lethal, they have to fight together…or fall alone.

Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey
Product Description
In March 1987, a young author from Oklahoma published her first novel, Arrows of the Queen. This modest book about a magical land called Vademar was the beginning of a fantasy masterpiece that would span decades and include more than two dozen titles. Now sixteen of today's hottest fantasy authors-including Tanya Huff, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Fiona Patton, and Judith Tarr-visit the world of Valdemar, adding their own special touches.

Worldbuilding Wednesday: Community Interaction (Part 2)

Last week, on Worldbuilding Wednesday, we looked at Community Interaction, specifically with language and its usage.

Sometimes words and customs can seep into a society through an unexpected source -- slaves. Slave women often raised the young children of the richer element of the community and inadvertently infiltrated foreign words into their language, as well as stories, and sometimes the ideas of right and wrong. Slaves might also introduce new farming techniques and tools into a settlement. Anything which improves the life of the larger group will likely be kept, including the words. This is a concept Dave Berry used in his prequel to Peter Pan – explaining how these kids were on their own, and, even though they were children, had to adapt quickly to their circumstances and learn about finding shelter and foraging for food. They had their own ways of communicating, choosing a leader (who could spit the farthest) and dealing with circumstances dealt them.

Again, in the concept of language, remember that accents, even when using the same words, can make something nearly incomprehensible from one group to another. This proved true in much of Medieval England, where a person living twenty miles away was considered a foreigner because he talked differently. Words reflect the culture from which they originate. If two cultures overlap, usually through invasion, you might find strange combinations.

Place names can reflect either an older city by the original name, or a new city, founded by the invaders. Also after an invasion there can be a dichotomy in the names of items between natives and the invaders. For instance, Anglo-Saxon peasants raised cattle, but the Norman lords ate beef.

There is a theory that our lives are so conditioned by words that it may be impossible for us to experience something we cannot put a word to. We think in words, so -- if this theory is correct -- the larger a person's vocabulary, the more of the world the person can experience.

A number of fantasy and science fiction writers enjoy creating languages for their new worlds and it can be a lot of fun and a great intellectual game. However, once you begin writing the story, remember not to let the new language take over the story so much that it's impossible for a non-native to understand what's going on. Remember your readers.

The creation of slang is a difficult aspect of language. It can sometimes look stupid when first introduced in a book, but with care can be worked into a story in such a way that the use becomes natural to the reader. Slang should have some real world basis in which it exists. This, in some ways, is much harder to do than creating a language from scratch. Slang has to slide into the language we speak and make some sort of sense -- although you may have to explain it the first time.

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New Release Tuesday in the Realms of SciFi and Fantasy

To Try Men's Souls: A Novel of George Washington and the Fight for American Freedom by Newt Gingrich (Author), William R. Forstchen (Author), Albert S. Hanser (Author)

Product Description
After two bestselling series examining the Civil War and WWII, Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen have turned their sharp eye for detail on the Revolutionary War. Their story follows three men with three very different roles to play in history: General George Washington, Thomas Paine, and Jonathan Van Dorn, a private in Washington’s army.

The action focuses on one of the most iconic events in American history: Washington cross - ing the Delaware. Unlike the bold, courageous General in Emanuel Leutze’s painting, Washington is full of doubt on the night of December 25, 1776. After five months of defeat, morale is dangerously low. Each morning muster shows that hundreds have deserted in the night.
While Washington prepares his weary troops for the attack on Trenton, Thomas Paine is in Philadelphia, overseeing the printing of his newest pamphlet, The Crisis.

And Jonathan Van Dorn is about to bring the war to his own doorstep. In the heat of battle, he must decide between staying loyal to the cause and sparing his brother who has joined up with the British. Through the thoughts and private fears of these three men, Gingrich and Forstchen illu minate the darkest days of the Revolution. With detailed research and an incredible depth of military insight, this novel provides a rare and personal perspective of the men who fought for, and founded the United States of America.

I love altrnative history timelines - the ultimate "what if". This sounds great!!

Star Trek: Enterprise: The Romulan War: Beneath the Raptor's Wing (Star Trek : Enterprise) by Michael A. Martin (Author)

Product Description
At the start of the twenty-first century, unconditional war swept across the Earth. A war that engulfed the great and the small, the rich and the poor, giving no quarter. Each side strove for unconditional victory, and as battle built upon battle, the living began to envy the dead.

Chastised by the cataclysm that they had unleashed, the governments of Earth came together. Humanity vowed to put an end to war and to strive for the betterment of every living creature. A united Earth created Starfleet, an interstellar agency whose mission was to explore the cosmos, to come in peace for all mankind. It was a naïve wish that was battered by interstellar realities, yet man persists in the belief that peace is the way. Banding together with other powers to form a Coalition of Planets, humanity hopes that the strength each can offer the other will allow for peaceful exploration.

However, the rise of the Coalition strikes dread within the Romulan Star Empire. They feel its growing reach will cut them off from what is rightfully theirs. The Romulans know that the alliance is fragile, that the correct strategy could turn allies into foes. Perfecting a way of remotely controlling Coalition ships and using them as weapons against one another, the Romulans hope to drive a wedge of suspicion and mistrust between these new allies.

One Starfleet captain uncovers this insidious plot: Jonathan Archer of the Enterprise.

Determined not to lose what they have gained, outmanned and outgunned, the captains of Starfleet stand tall, vowing to defend every inch of Coalition space until the tide begins to turn.
The Romulans now plan to strike at what they see as the heart of their problem. With nothing left to lose, the Romulan Star Empire engages in all-out war against humanity, determined once and for all to stop the human menace from spreading across the galaxy.

Okay, we all know I am both a Star Wars and a Star Trek geek - what can I say, lol?!

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