Free short stories from Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy

I've become quite a fan of Patrick Ness over the past year or so. After reading Monsters of Men as part of the Indie Lit Awards  a few years back, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it (being a YA sci-fi, it should have been everything I disliked) but I was hooked.

I was also lucky enough to give away copies of The Knife of Never Letting Go as part of World Book Night this year, and a good number of people who took a copy from me were equally enthralled by his writing.

After all that, how pleased was I to see this Tweet from Patrick Ness pop up in my feed?

Announcement time! The brand new Chaos Walking short stories are now available electronically for fans o' the books. #chaoswalkingstories
— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness) May 16, 2013

The stories are available from www.chaoswalkingstories.com, and once you sign up you'll be sent an email to download the three short stories from the Chaos Walking trilogy; A New World, The Wide, Wide Sea and Snowscape.

I'm looking forward to getting stuck into these myself, once I've reduced my TBR Tower a little.

About the author
Jamie Gibbs is the overlord of Mithril Wisdom as well as a terminal geek and great lover of sandwiches.You can follow him on his Google+ or Twitter profiles for a daily dose of fanboy rants.

Dragonslayers by Joseph McCullough [book review]

Dragonslayers by Joseph McCullough

Published by Osprey Adventures

Paperback - 80 pages

Published April 2013

Review copy provided by publisher

The second part in the Myths and Legends series that starts with Jason and the Argonauts, Dragonslayers takes a look at some of the most famous historical figures to against the evil winged serpents.

Beowulf and St. George, as the title suggests, form part of the main focus of the book, which sets to give the narrative tale of each dragonslayer without all the Olde Worlde flowery language or any intense academic discourse that leaves your head reeling.

What makes Dragonslayers different to the first book in the series is that is offers tales from all around the world and across time periods, showing that dragon lore shares common traits that span continents. Most cultures have some form of belief when it comes to dragons and the heroes that deal with them.

It was also fun to spot little snippets from old tales (mostly Norse) that formed part of the mythology for Tolkien's Middle Earth, such as the broken sword that was reforged and flamed when wielded (sound familiar? It should; that's the origin for Anduril, Aragorn's sword).

The text is written in a straight, no nonsense style that gives you the story without any extra fluff. There are images and tidbits of information pulled from historical sources should you wish to delve a little deeper, and the original artwork by Peter Dennis is superb.

My only beef with these books is that they're too short for my liking, but I'm greedy like that. If I get my hands on something that makes complex mythology accessible, I want more. For readers with less voracious appetites, these form a perfect introduction to the dragon mythos.

Dragonslayers has continued the trend started by Jason and the Argonauts in providing a highly accessible and succinctly written collection of mythological tales that serve as a fantastic entry point into the topic without scaring away non-academics. Short but brilliant.

About the author
Jamie Gibbs is the overlord of Mithril Wisdom as well as a terminal geek and great lover of sandwiches. He started out as an Egyptologist before changing tack and delving into the digital world, where he now blogs by day and blogs by night.
You can follow him on his Google+ or Twitter profiles for a daily dose of fanboy rants.

Share your top survival item and win zombie books [giveaway]

It's that time again, folks. After the extra books in my April book haul, the bookshelves in my flat are starting to bow like nobody's business, so it's time to clear a little space and have a giveaway!

This giveaway is all about the zombies (everyone loves zombies, and the one's who say they don't are lying) and there are three books up for grabs - The Return Man by V.M. Zito, Juggernaut by Adam Baker and The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga. Three great reads for three awesome winners.

Take a look at the Rafflecopter widget to see how you can enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That's it! Good luck, everyone, and may your feet be swift against the shambling hordes! Drop me a line if you've any questions of problems with entering.

PelleK - Ocean of Opportunity [album review]

PelleK - Ocean of Opportunity
Released May 2013
Self-released album 
Running time 48:09
Promotional copy provided by band management
Preview Ocean of Opportunity on iTunes

Ocean of Opportunity tells a compelling story about a Norwegian civil clerk who, after the untimely death of his wife and the news of his own impending demise, embarks on a fantastic voyage around the world; first by sea towards Russia, through China and onto West Coast America, then taking to the skies in a hot air balloon.

The story is ultimately optimistic in its telling; the protagonist has a thirst for adventure and a spirit that can't be broken. This is brilliantly played out in the uplifting power metal melodies and in the four-octave range vocals for which PelleK is best known.


There are elements of progressive and symphonic metal to add gravitas to the narrative where needed (like in Stars and Bulletholes), and there are ethnic touches here and there to emphasis the vast expanse of the journey.

New additions to the book tower from April

If you're reading this in Google Reader, Feedly, Bloglovin or some other RSS type aggregator, the image won't be interactive. Come read the post on the site itself for full interactive magic!
----------

When it rains it pours; eight new additions to my TBR Tower. The shelves are starting to bow under the weight, I tells you. It might be time to shed some literary weight, and that can only mean that a giveaway is imminent. I've a few more book reviews to post up from last month too; it's been a busy month!

I'm particularly excited about Ganymede and The Inexplicables by Cherie Priest. After these steampunk lovelies hit the UK, I've become a bit of a fan, eagerly devouring both Boneshaker and Dreadnought with relish (not literal relish, that'd be weird).

The Bone Season  was a bit of a surprise from Bloomsbury, but it looks interesting.

Some of the keen eyed amongst you will spot that I now have a second copy of Red Moon and Tomorrow the Killing, which means that a giveaway is definitely on the cards. Watch this space.

Hover over the icons in the interactive image below to find out more about my latest haul!