New release! The Shadow of Black Wings by James Calbraith
Ready for a little steampunk, alternate history, and historical fantasy all wrapped up in one? Check out The Shadow of Black Wings by James Calbraith:
It is the Sixteenth Year of Queen Victoria. In the powerful empire of Dracaland, Bran, a young dragon rider, joins his father on a military expedition to the mysterious lands of the Orient. In the reclusive Yamato, Sato, a tomboy samurai girl, strives to prove her right to inherit her father’s school of western magic. Nagomi, a timid shrine apprentice, is haunted by the visions of dark future she must keep secret even from her best friend.
They don’t know it yet, but their paths will cross… And when they do, nothing will ever be the same again.
Welcome to The Shadow of Black Wings, a steam-powered romp across the land of dragons, wizards and samurai. It’s big, it’s fast, it’s been compared to Tolkien in terms of world-building, it has strong female characters and lots of carefully researched detail. You will meet the Royal Marines sailing mighty ironclads and Chinese walking machines; mysterious warlords and crazy inventors; you will discover dark prophecies, family secrets and blood-thirsty demons. And all that in just the first volume!
“Fast paced and full of energy”
–Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the Shadows of the Apt“This manuscript is full of highly crafted detail that will make readers shiver at times with fear and delight … a familiar yet highly original fantasy that is a worthwhile read.”
– Publishers Weekly“The real-world cultures are incredibly well-researched and truthful, and yet well-balanced with the fantasy elements. An intriguing and impressive series.”
– Ben Galley, author of the Emaneska Series
March 8th, 2013 at 7:34 pm
Great listen!
Leaves with such a cliff-hanger… I need the next one! NOW!
I really hope he (James Calbraith) decides to either Pod-cast the next ones in the series, or even release them as audiobooks. I would certainly pay to hear them
I feel like he’s only just scratched the surface of a huge fantasy world… There’s so much more to find out still.
March 23rd, 2013 at 4:42 pm
Interesting…but unsatisfying. The individual “pieces” were well written and narrated, but overall the storyline seemed disjointed. I couldn’t find an underlying string that tied the pieces together. Left saking my head, saying “what???”
March 31st, 2013 at 7:49 am
I could only bear 2 minutes of this. The narrator sounds as if she’s trying to make her voice sound more deep than it is and frankly it sounds uncomfortable and weird. Totally ruined it for me.
April 4th, 2013 at 9:37 am
Great listen, well narrated and interesting. I wish second book was also made into podcast!
May 14th, 2013 at 11:27 pm
I reall enjoyed this book. When I read the description it intrigued me enough to try it, but I had my reservations. Nonetheless it pulled me in quickly and didn’t let go. I found myself ignoring other podcasts to listen to this one. Of course now the problem is getting the next installment…