Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.
Midwinter by Matthew Sturges
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Winter only comes to the land once in a hundred years. But the snow covers ancient secrets: secrets that could topple a kingdom.
Mauritaine was a war hero, a Captain in the Seelie Army. Then he was accused of treason and sentenced to life without parole at Crere Sulace, a dark and ancient prison in the mountains, far from the City Emerald. But now the Seelie Queen–Regina Titania herself–has offered him one last chance to redeem himself, an opportunity to regain his freedom and his honor.
Unfortunately, it s a suicide mission, which is why only Mauritaine and the few prisoners he trusts enough to accompany him, would even dare attempt it. Raieve, beautiful and harsh, an emissary from a foreign land caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perrin Alt, Lord Silverdun, a nobleman imprisoned as a result of political intrigues so Byzantine that not even he understands them. Brian Satterly, a human physicist, apprehended searching for the human victims of the faery changeling trade.
Meanwhile, dark forces are at work at home and abroad. In the Seelie kingdom, the reluctant soldier Purane-Es burns with hatred for Mauritaine, and plots to steal from him the one thing that remains to him: his wife. Across the border, the black artist Hy Pezho courts the whim of Mab, offering a deadly weapon that could allow the Unseelie in their flying cities to crush Titania and her army once and for all.
With time running out, Mauritaine and his companions must cross the deadly Contested Lands filled with dire magical fallout from wars past. They will confront mounted patrols, brigands, and a traitor in their midst. And before they reach their destination, as the Unseelie Armies led by Queen Mab approach the border, Mauritaine must decide between his own freedom and the fate of the very land that has forsaken him.
The Twilight Herald: Book Two of the Twilight Reign by Tom Lloyd
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Lord Bahl is dead and the young white-eye, Isak, stands in his place; less than a year after being plucked from obscurity and poverty the charismatic new Lord of the Farlan finds himself unprepared to deal with the attempt on his life that now spells war, and the possibility of rebellion waiting for him at home.
Now the eyes of the Land turn to the minor city of Scree, which could soon be obliterated as the new Lord of the Farlan flexes his powers. Scree is suffering under an unnatural summer drought and surrounded by volatile mercenary armies that may be its only salvation.
This is a strange sanctuary for a fugitive abbot to flee to–but he is only the first of many to be drawn there. Kings and princes, lords and monsters; all walk the sun-scorched streets.
As elite soldiers clash after dark and actors perform cruel and subversive plays that work their way into the hearts of the audience, the city begins to tear itself apart–yet even chaos can be scripted.
There is a malevolent will at work in Scree, one that has a lesson for the entire Land: nations can be manipulated, prophecies perverted and Gods denied.
Nothing lies beyond the reach of a shadow, and no matter how great a man s power, there some things he cannot be protected from.
The Twilight Herald is the second book in a powerful new series that combines inspired world-building, epoch-shattering battles and high emotion to dazzling effect.
Air Vol. 1: Letters from Lost Countries by G. Willow Wilson (writer) and M. K. Perker (artist)
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Collecting the story that started it all, from AIR # 1 – 5! Blythe knew it was a risky time to be an airline stewardess, but the skies might be much more dangerous than anyone imagines. She’s just learned of the Etesian Front – vigilantes dedicated to take the skies back from terrorism. They’re after a mysterious man she’s just met. And whether he’s an average frequent flier or a terrorist, finding out will lead Blythe to discover the weird science of hyperpraxis – an innovation that will change the way we see technology forever.
From the comics imprint known for breaking new ground, G. Willow Wilson and M. K. Perker bring a flight of fantasy for the age of technology.
More in Part Two.