The Great Self Published Fantasy Blog-Off: State of Play - #2

Well, I did promise that I’d have the second State of Play in my Great Self Published Fantasy Blog-Off up this weekend, and it doesn’t come with the best of news for competitors with several books being ruled out of the running. I am slowly developing a shortlist so far of books that I will consider for my final nomination, but for now, these are the lists of the books that are 100% ruled out, for various reasons or another. If you read on, you'll also get some advice (that should hopefully be helpful), a link to the first State of Play Article as well as the full list of books that I was given to cover.

The Machine Awakes by Adam Christopher (Titan Books)

I review The Machine Awakes by Adam Christopher, the latest novel in his science fiction Spider Wars series from Titan Books, currently available to buy.

The Games I Brought In the Steam Summer Sale

With the Steam Summer Sale currently in its last day (estimated finish time 10am Pacific), I thought I’d share what I’ve purchased over the previous week or so in the form of PC Games. I’ve left out a game that I’ve been given as a gift (namely because I’ve already reviewed the Xbox 360 Version, mainly got this for the expansion), but these are my picks from the Summer Sale, limited by budget and computer compatibilities. The games below are listed in a random order, and it is important to note that these are not reviews, merely observations. Full reviews will come further down the line. 

Sid Meier's Civilization V: Complete Edition (PC)

I cover the complete edition of Sid Meier’s Civilization V, a turn based strategy game currently available in the Steam Sale for PC, but only for a limited time.

The Film Column #5: Death Proof, Fargo, Frank, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & Tomorrowland

In the fifth entry of my Film Column, I look at the following movies – Fargo, Frank, Tomorrowland, Death Proof and Kill Bill Vol. 1

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi (Knopf/Orbit)

I review Paulo Bacigalupi’s The Water Knife, the latest standalone novel by the author of The Windup Girl. This dystopian thriller is published by Knopf in the USA and Orbit in the UK, and currently available to buy.

The Red Queen's War #2: The Liars Key by Mark Lawrence (Ace/Harper Voyager)

I share my thoughts on the second novel in The Red Queen’s War trilogy by fantasy author Mark Lawrence, entitled The Liar’s Key and published by Ace in the USA and Harper Voyager in the UK. Currently available in the USA it is not released in the UK until 18 June. 

10 TV Shows To Catch Up On This Summer

In a new article, I highlight the ten TV shows that are worth catching up on this summer. If you’re looking for something different and exciting to watch beyond the normal staples like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, this article’s for you. I’ve tried to offer a diverse selection and we’ve got a variety of crime, science fiction, horror and period dramas to be found within. Hit the break to find out what these shows are, and they're mostly in a pretty random order and I've kept this as spoiler free as possible.

The Shadow Campaigns #2: The Shadow Throne by Django Wexler (Del Ray)

I review the second novel in The Shadow Campaigns series, The Shadow Throne, a military flintlock fantasy novel from Django Wexler, published by Del Ray and currently available to buy in both the USA and the UK.

The Film Column #4: A Most Violent Year, Dr. No, Fight Club, From Russia with Love & Mad Max: Fury Road

In the fourth film column, I start my attempt to watch all of the James Bond films before the release of the upcoming Spectre movie, starting with Dr. No and From Russia with Love. Also covered is Mad Max: Fury Road, A Most Violent Year and Fight Club, all of which like usual, I watched for the first time.