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Posts tagged ‘Michael Pryor’

Gap Year in Ghost Town

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By: Michael Pryor

Anton Marin has ghost-sight, it runs in his family, even though his father doesn’t have it. It is their job to send the ghosts out of this world. Their’s is a gentler approach to many of the others who pursue the same calling. Into his uncertain world crashes Rani Cross, her method involves a lot more slashing and sword work, needless to say they don’t see eye to eye. This is a moot point however when it becomes clear something is going on causing a massive spike in ghostly manifestations. In order to get the the bottom of things they need to find a way to work together. As things become more violent and crazy Anton needs to somehow find the time in this his gap year, to decide if this is the career he really wants.

In this book it is the girl who is more physical and this makes for a delightful extra dimension in the buddy hunting theme. Anton is a torn character, he knows ghost hunting is a family thing, and if he has the gift he should probably use it, however it is so not really what he wants to do with his life. He also doesn’t want to disappoint his dad. This story is not only intriguing and entertaining, it delves into some real family issues that people feel growing up and that makes Anton easy to identify with, even if his choices are beyond the bounds of what us normal folk experience. Anton and Rani balance each other well and keep the story moving at a good pace. A fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Published: 26th July 2017

Key Words: Ghosts, Ghost Hunting, Family, Intrigue

ISBN: 9781760292768

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

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Gap Year in Ghost Town

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This is the cover for the new Michael Pryor book. I know very little about it except to say this looks incredibly cool.

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News

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Machine Wars

machine-warsBy: Michael Pryor

Bram was late home from music practice, these things happen but this time something is very wrong when he gets home. This is a moment he has been training for. For some reason a paranoid, super intelligence is out to get him. His mum always said she hoped this would never happen but she made sure he was prepared if it did. Thing is Bram really wasn’t expecting it to be today. The plan calls for Bram to scatter and hide. It sounds so simple but with so much technology around that the intelligence is able to tap into to use to hunt for him, that is no easy task. Bram isn’t alone in this, somehow his best friend gets dragged into his disaster. Also there is one piece of technology left that is on his side, a Roboduck called Bob. This unlikely group have to survive, if they can do that they will be instrumental in saving the world.

A fun roller coaster of a read. The pace of it does not stop. Bram is a bit of a loner, all his moving about has made it difficult for him to make friends. Stella gets through his defences by being herself. She refuses to let herself be boxed into one group, instead she goes out of her way to be friends with everyone. This is beneficial in this situation because she has learnt some neat little bits of information along the way. Bob is such a wonderful addition to the story. He is part comic relief, part necessary associate and a reminder of another robot with self esteem issues from another series of books.

The world Pryor has created seems not too distant from our own in many ways, just with an abundance of technology that we don’t live with.I enjoy the way Pryor has blended together the familiar and the not so familiar to create a place that is very easy to visualise. you can almost hear the machines, (though it’s entirely possible that that is my over active imagination). I also like the way the characters work together, how Stella is an equal partner in their survival. The story touches on some interesting ethical issues around the topic of artificial intelligence, but the ethics don’t bog it down.

Another wonderful read from one of my favourite authors. For ages 10+

Recommended.

Publisher: Random House Australia Children’s Books

Published: 01 April 2014

Format: Paperback 288 pages

Categories: Artificial Intelligence, Action

ISBN 13: 9780857982766

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on side of the page.

 

Category:

Fiction 8-12, Uncategorized

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Being a Book-a-holic

So here’s the thing, I don’t think I’ve really done a post like this before but I figure now is as good a time as any.

It should be quite obvious to anyone that I am a book-a-holic. It’s not a secret, not even a little bit of one. I unashamedly love reading, books and well all things booky, though sometimes films from books make me a little crazy, in a bad way.

Books though are no different from any other fandom. Those of us who love some authors can have fan girl or fan boy moments. One of my first was when I worked my first Matthew Reilly book signing; I asked when I could get my book signed and was told just add my book to the pile for the store – my response ‘no you don’t understand I will be meeting him,’ and that’s how I ended up working my first signing.

It was AWESOME!

Since then I have worked a few. I have also been fortunate enough to network with some of my fave authors and as such have met some.

Marianne de Pierres is truly lovely and such a generous lady with her time for fans and bloggers.

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This year I met Raymond E Feist – whose book Magician I read when I was 11 or 12 and loved it so much I read bits of it by torchlight when I was supposed to be asleep.

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I also got to meet Michael Pryor, who is a wonderful and fascinating conversationalist. I loved every minute of my time with him, just talking writing, processes and what ever else took our fancy.

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I have also met Jay Kristoff, who writes the Lotus War books. I even stayed in the same hotel as Jay this weekend just gone, how spun out was I? A bit.

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The thing is though for me these things are as cool as meeting the movie and tv show stars I get to meet at SupaNova and similar cons.

Fandom is an awesome thing and authors love to meet their fans and get positive feedback. You know I’ve gotten to witness some wonderful moments of fandom over the years and I don’t think fanboys and girls should ever be ashamed to put their hand up to acknowledge their fandom. Sadly I have seen some terrible things said in the name of fandom. There is never any time you should think a writer owes you, don’t ever tell them how to do their job. They don’t report to you.

(If you noticed that there are a couple of book covers instead of pics of me with the author it’s because sometimes it really isn’t appropriate to ask.)

And for heavens sake if there was something you thought wasn’t great, you don’t need to lambast them for it. They make their writers choices, you make readers ones. I will say though, I love meeting writers and don’t begrudge the fact that they like to do things other than writing. This topic is a whole other thing really so I’ll leave it there. I prefer to focus on the positive.

I love the places authors can take me to. I love to sink into their worlds and I love to meet them. Sure my ‘I love your work’, is unlikely to stand out amongst the others but each one counts. I think there is a Authors Appreciation Day, and if there isn’t there should be.

Also, next year I will be going to an event just to meet one of my other all time favourite authors- the incredible Tamora Pierce, and man will I ever be a fan girl. I’ll be the one with a bag of books for her to sign and if she only signs one well that will be fine because I will have gotten to say ‘wow I love your stuff and recommend it to as many people as I can’.

So if you haven’t already read anything written by these authors I’ve mentioned, do yourself a favour and do so.

Category:

A Little Fun

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The Subterranean Stratagem – Book Trailer

This is the second book in The Extraordinaires series.

Oh oh oh, you know I love Michael Pryor Books, now I just need pay day to rock around so I can get this one, that and for it to be out. It has an April release date.

Category:

Book Trailers

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10 Futures – Book Trailer

Yes, yes we all know I am a huge fan of Michael Pryor and so it seems obvious that I would be looking forward to his next offering. Now just to make you all aware of it, here is the new book trailer.

Category:

Book Trailers

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Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

Now I had this great idea to put in one post a bunch of trailers from a wide variety of my have Aussie authors…but then I struck a problem, there just aren’t that many clips out there.

So instead I will list for you just a few Aussie authors worth checking out, if you haven’t already, and leave it at that.

In no particular order and by all means not a comprehensive list, (the heat here today is over the old hundred mark and my brain is trying to pretend it is somewhere cool).

Michael Pryor

Marianne de Pierres

Jackie French

Anthony Eaton

Marcus Zusak

Michael Gerard Bauer

Wendy Harmer

Cath Crowley

Lili Wilkinson

Margo Lanagan

Lian Tanner

James Roy

Kate Forsyth

Andy Griffiths

Morris Gleitzman

And then of course once I started thinking about Aussie authors I wanted to add, the list kept getting longer and then I could find more clips but not necessarily trailers and so I will leave you with just a few and apologise to anyone I didn’t add by saying it’s only because my brain is sweating.

 

Category:

A Little Fun

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Top Titles 2011

As I’m going to not be posting between now and the new year I thought I would put my top picks of this year down now.

These aren’t the only ones I loved and there is no order to them, they are simply some of the ones released this year as far as I know that stand out in my mind.

Picture Books

The Flying Orchestra – Clare McFadden

The Last Viking – Norman Jorgensen/James Foley

The Jewelfish of Karnak – Graeme Base

Fiction 4-9

Violet Mackeral’s Natural Habitat – Anna Branford

Mystery in Paris – Thea Stilton (As with the rest of the series)

The Amazing Voyage – Geronimo Stilton (really I love the whole series)

Fiction 8 – 12

Eight Keys – Suzanne LaFleur

The Medusa Plot – Gordon Korman

Wonderstruck – Brain Selznick

Young Adult Fiction

Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor

The Extraordinaires – Michael Pryor

Mastiff – Tamora Pierce

Category:

Topics and Recommendations

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The Extinction Gambit


By: Michael Pryor

Book one of The Extraordinaires series

Kingsley Ward had left home to pursue a career as a stage magician. It doesn’t start well. In fact it couldn’t have started much worse. Instead of amazing the audience with his sleight of hand and death-defying escapology, his first real performance ends in disaster. He loses control of his hidden wolfish nature. In steps Evadne Stephens, juggler, inventor and weaponsmith, who has decided to take an interest in Kingsley. As his hopes and dreams look likely to collapse, Kingsley’s father is abducted and his home ransacked.

Kingsley finds himself swept into a world that had previously been hidden from him, called the Demimonde. Some of the residents of the Demimonde have more than a passing interest in Kingsley though, and he finds himself targeted by two warring factions: the immortal magicians with nefarious plans for mayhem and little interest in Kingsley’s survival; and the last of the Neanderthals who are working on a plan to wipe out the human race once and for all.

Kingsley is not alone as Evadne proves far more resourceful and talented than he could ever have guessed. Also the famous author, Rudyard Kipling, is keen to help, though Kingsley isn’t sure why.

Michael Pryor has a way with first sentences, they just draw me in – Kingsley Ward’s wolfishness was a problem. If it weren’t the howling, it was the occasional desire to bite boorish people, which was rarely acceptable, no matter how boorish the boor.

This world that has been put before us is more familiar than Albion from the Laws of Magic series and yet in some ways more bizarre. The Demimonde is extensive, dark and just as layered as the surface world.

Kingsley’s animal nature holds him apart from many around him. The addition of Kipling gives Kingsley’s character yet another dimension. Underneath it all Kingsley is a nice person who struggles with his own secrets and loves to challenge himself. His magic skills add to his mystery and are a useful tool when he finds himself in certain situations. His willingness to accept Evadne’s capabilities is a trait that Pryor gives several of his male characters and this is a wonderful treat as it allows the female characters to stand on their own and in some cases really shine.

Evadne is in someways very open, she knows herself well, and in other ways she is very guarded. She has depths and strengths that make her interesting. I love the way she is the one who creates the weapons. For me proactive females in a story are a huge plus and Pryor has once again delivered on that front.

As the story weaves together from various points of view, a more fully realised landscape is laid out for us. I love the way the sinister and bizarre are blended seemlessly in through the mundane. As with other of this authors novels, there is more than one story thread going on and as always Pryor handles them deftly in a manner that never comes across as confusing. If you love steampunk, old school performance magic and fascinating characters definitely give this a try. Highly recommended.

Publisher: Random House Australia

Published: 1 December 2011

Format: Paperback 376 pages

Categories: Steampunk Fantasy

ISBN 13: 9781864718201

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on side of the page

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

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The Extraordinaires – Book Trailer

Here is the trailer for  The Extinction Gambit – The Extraordinaires, by Michael Pryor, due for release in December.

I totally cannot wait for this book, I love Michael Pryor’s Laws Of Magic Series.

 

Category:

Book Trailers, Coming Soon

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