In the e-mail: THE LAST GRADUATE (The Scholomance Book 2)

Naomi Novik’s THE LAST GRADUATE dropped at midnight last night, and that’s a real problem for me. No, really: I have stuff I have to do today. I really shouldn’t try to squeeze it in.

But I will.

Moe Lane

PS: What’s it about? Oh, it’s part of a series about a magical school that’s horrible in every way, but the kids go because the alternatives are all worse. Novik’s a brilliant writer, and this is an excellent series: I can’t wait to hear this year’s excuse as to why they won’t give her a Hugo.

Patreon Microfiction: Wartime Catastrophe.

There’s a longer short story embedded in ‘Wartime Catastrophe.’ A very bloody and extremely merciless one. So much so I’m not sure if I should be the one to write it: after all, when all is said and done I’m just this big pussycat…

Book of the Week: Byzantium Express.

I’m very tired, so I’m just going to note that Alexander Rooksmore’s BYZANTIUM EXPRESS imagines a world where Byzantium never fell, and WWI has just begun. Alternate history purists — and some mere enthusiasts — will likely quibble at how little a difference the survival of the Byzantines made to history*, but the story is engrossing enough that I did not mind. I liked it quite a bit, really. It had the feel of realness to it.

*A world without Lepanto or the Siege of Vienna would be… significantly different from our own, surely.

Ooooh New Tim Powers (STOLEN SKIES) coming out in January.

STOLEN SKIES is available for pre-order, but we all know that I’m just gonna buy the Baen EARC as soon as it’s available. Without shame, too. Giving writers money for an early look at their latest book is exactly what I want to use the Internet for, and I will be doing that until the day I die. And nobody can stop me, either.

Moe Lane

PS: I dunno, it’s about aliens or something. Tim Powers, remember?

Buy my books! Although it may be my kids’ books, some day.

The eldest is starting to get into writing, which is way cool. The youngest is likewise firmly on the graphic artist track, which is just as way cool — and not particularly surprising, honestly. We were an artistic family, growing up: painting, drawing, dancing, writing, textile arts, and my dad was the cook. And since my wife’s a polymath, the odds were good the relevant genes would get passed on. Here’s hoping my kids surpass me.

But I wouldn’t mind if they had to work at it a little, so: buy my books!