Books to take note of

We've had a mountain of submissions to IFR and it's going to take some time to work through all the books. Whilst I've been busy with editing commissions I've not been able to commit to detailed reviews. I have, however, read excerpts of a number of books and would like to share the following with you:

Robert J. Duperre's "The Fall" is not fantasy in the strict sense but it should appeal to lovers of the genre nevertheless. It has archaeological mysteries reminiscent of Indiana Jones, Mayan prophecies and some pretty scary zombies. It's a well presented and beautifully illustrated book. Lots of atmosphere and some creepy moments. There were also some nice innovations in the writing.

Another book that's not in the fantasy genre. This is SF but it had some of my favourite plot elements - aliens wiping out the human race and first contact. I read the first half before I was interrupted by editing work. It's well written, intriguing, and features good POV throughout. There were shades of the early episodes of BSG (the new series, not the Dirk Benedict one), which as far as I'm concerned is reason enough to read it. Strong descriptions of alien spaceships and technology and some frightening moments for the survivors of the first attacks.

I've only had time to read the first few chapters of "The Girl Born of Smoke" so far but it's deeply atmospheric and raises a lot of quesitons that, as a reader, I was keen to see answered. Intriguing tale with some excellent POV.

I've dipped into "Morlah's Quest" with my son. He's enjoying it very much. David Daigle writes very well - strong prose and great imagination.

The second book of the Alterran tales has been the boy's bedtime reading the past few weeks. It's a massive book and we're almost halfway through it. This is another beautifully told story with complex and believable characters. The mise en scene is powerfully evocative as the companions journey in the desert and meet a host of new, and often quite devious, characters.

This is a very impressivel looking book. I've only glanced over it due to work commitments but it's well presented and appears extremely well written. So much so that I lent my copy to one of my beta readers and he was impressed. Panzer tanks, Nazis, zombies and dragons...what more could you ask for?