Blogging’s been a
little light lately, due to me being busy with other stuff (Crown of
Blood should be out later March/April, incidentally).
Time for a look back at
the best samples of the last four Snapshot reviews, in which I single
out the books I might actually end up buying. Links at the end of the
post lead to the sample reviews (I’ve picked at least one from each
post. The first snapshots post was written separately, some time
earlier).
I’ll start with the
mega-sampled The Chronicles of the Black Gate (books 1-3), by Phil
Tucker, from the most recent post. To be honest, the only reasons I
didn’t immediately buy this (I read the whole circa 40,000 word
sample and really enjoyed it) was because I already have a comically
large to-read pile, and I use my Kindle for proofreading (which I did
immediately after finishing the sample). Highly likely I’ll buy
this book.
Perhaps the most
unexpected delight was Storm Glass (Harbinger book 1), by Jeff
Wheeler. I selected books without reading descriptions and this one
has plenty of stuff I wouldn’t normally consider. Child
protagonist, ghost story, orphan. Not my cup of tea. Usually. But
it’s very well-written and genuinely intriguing.
The Copper Promise
(Copper Cat Trilogy), by Jen Williams, is a lot more my usual cup of
tea. Fantastical doings, a spot of torture, multiple POV characters
on a quest for treasure. The sample was entertaining and piqued my
interest.
One of the samples I
liked the most was Kingshold (Wildfire Cycle book 1), by DP
Woolliscroft, (at the time of writing, this is an #SPFBO finalist,
with the ultimate winner of the current contest undecided). Multiple
engaging POVs, an intriguing world, and a major city about to make
the transition from monarchy to democracy. Another one I’m very
likely to end up buying.
I liked the daft comedy
of Space Team (Volume 1), by Barry J Hutchison, (with the caveat that
bodily fluid stuff generally isn’t my thing). Otherwise, fun,
fast-paced, and amusing (which is helpful, for a comedy).
And so we move to the
weird collection of excellence I accidentally threw together for the
earliest (of the most recent batch) snapshot review. By chance, this
included two #SPFBO winners and practically every damned sample was
excellent. So, I’ve set myself the challenge of picking only two.
Which I already know is going to be difficult because I can remember
three off the top of my head, and want all of them.
In the end, I went for
The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble’s Braids (Amra Thetys Series book
1), by Michael McClung, and Dangerous to Know (Chronicles of Breed,
book 1), by KT Davies, both of which feature thief-type protagonists.
Both have engaging lead characters and interesting worlds, and both
set up intriguing premises within the scope of the sample.
Anyway, that’ll be
the last bit of sample reviewing for a little while. I think there
are some real gems in there, as well as some books I never would’ve
checked out if it weren’t for the slightly random approach I took.
Hope you found something interesting to read too.
Sample review links:
Thaddeus
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