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Tag: Nathan Makaryk

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Lists

Holiday Gifts for Every Reader

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Happy New Release Day! Here’s what went on sale today.

By His Own Hand by Neal Griffin

Image Placeholder of - 6 The body of a young man has been found in the woods outside Newberg, dead from a close-range shotgun blast. The gun—his own—lies beside the body.

Certain things don’t add up for Detective Tia Suarez. Where did the fat envelope of cash in his pocket come from? Who called the police to report the body, then disappeared before the cops arrived?

Head On by John Scalzi

Image Place holder of - 17 Hilketa is a frenetic and violent pastime where players attack each other with swords and hammers. The main goal of the game: obtain your opponent’s head and carry it through the goalposts. With flesh and bone bodies, a sport like this would be impossible. But all the players are “threeps,” robot-like bodies controlled by people with Haden’s Syndrome, so anything goes. No one gets hurt, but the brutality is real and the crowds love it.

Until a star athlete drops dead on the playing field.

NEW IN PAPERBACK

Avengers of the Moon by Allen Steele

Placeholder of -73 Curt Newton has spent most of his life hidden from the rest of humankind, being raised by a robot, an android, and the disembodied brain of a renowned scientist. Curt’s innate curiosity and nose for trouble inadvertently lead him into a plot to destabilize the Solar Coalition and assassinate the president. There’s only one way to uncover the evil mastermind—Curt must become Captain Future.

The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis

Poster Placeholder of - 53 They say it’s not the fall that kills you.

For Josette Dupre, the Corps’ first female airship captain, it might just be a bullet in the back.

On top of patrolling the front lines, she must also contend with a crew who doubts her expertise, a new airship that is an untested deathtrap, and the foppish aristocrat Lord Bernat, a gambler and shameless flirt with the military know-how of a thimble.

Night Magic by Jenna Black

Place holder of - 70 Philadelphia is locked in the grip of an evil magic that transforms its streets into a nightmare landscape the minute the sun sets each night. While most of the city hunkers down and hopes to survive the long winter nights, Becket Walker is roaming the darkened streets having the time of her life.

Once, the guilt of having inadvertently let the night magic into the city—and of having killed her onetime best friend—had threatened to destroy her. But now she’s been Nightstruck, and all her grief and guilt and terror have been swept away—along with her conscience. So what if she’s lost her friends, her family, and her home? And so what if her hot new boyfriend is super-controlling and downright malevolent?

NEW FROM TOR.COM

The Atrocities by Jeremy C. Shipp

When Isabella died, her parents were determined to ensure her education wouldn’t suffer.

But Isabella’s parents had not informed her new governess of Isabella’s… condition, and when Ms Valdez arrives at the estate, having forced herself through a surreal nightmare maze of twisted human-like statues, she discovers that there is no girl to tutor.

Or is there…?

NEW IN MANGA

Monster Girl Doctor Vol. 2 Story by Yoshino Origuchi; Art by z-ton

Spirit Circle Vol. 3 Story and art by Satoshi Mizukami

Holiday Gifts for Every Reader

By Jennifer McClelland-Smith

When you were a kid, the holidays were simple. You got a gift for you family members, and maybe a gift for you bestie. Now you’ve got to get gifts for you family, bestie(s), close friends, and do those acquaintances deserve a gift, too? Probably. If there’s a significant other in the picture, well, they definitely need a gift, plus their family and friends, and don’t even get me started on coworkers…Figuring out who you need to get gifts for is a headache. But add in the pressure of figuring out what to get for everyone? Ugh, forget about it.

Fear not! Forge is here to help. Not with figuring out who in your life you need to give a gift to, you’re still on your own there. But when it comes to deciding what to buy for everyone, we’ve got your back. Our handy list of holiday gifts for every reader will definitely save you some shopping time!

Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber

For that friend who owns the comfiest robes, softest cookies and heartiest teas, invite them into this cozy read. Anna Kate returns to small-town Alabama to settle her grandma’s estate and finds herself drawn to quirky townspeople and the magic that abounds. Have snacks close by as you read… the descriptions of the scrumptious offerings of the Blackbird Cafe will be enough to keep every reader’s mouth watering.

48 Hours by William Forstchen

Got a survivalist on your list? Look no further than 48 Hours, the latest from William R. Forstchen, the master of apocalyptic potboilers. A huge solar storm shuts down the electrical grid and threatens humanity itself. A group of ordinary Americans band together to save humanity. It’s an unputdownable page-turner that will set your mind reeling.

 

Darkness at Chancellorsville by Ralph Peters

For your resident Civil War enthusiast…Take a front-row seat for one of the war’s most surprising battles. Ralph Peters is one of the top historical fiction writers out there, and this extensively researched and enthralling epic shows why. Get a fresh perspective on the battle that almost ended the Civil War and trace the steps that led Confederate general Robert E. Lee to embark on the Gettsyburg Campaign.

 

Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

Sure, this is the obvious choice for your Murderino friend, but Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered is a great read for anyone looking for a fun, funny read full of advice only your older sister could give you. It’s a memoir disguised as a life manual. It’ll have you laughing until you cry. And crying while you laugh. And every combination of laughing and crying you can imagine.

 

Nottingham by Nathan Makaryk

Fill that Game of Thrones-sized hole in your favorite reader’s life with this fresh spin on the myth of Robin Hood. You’ll get to know his merry men and all of the characters that haunt Nottingham Castle in a whole new light. You think you know what to expect, but the twists and thrills in this study of power will keep those pages turning all the way through the thrilling conclusion.

 

A Dog’s Promise by W. Bruce Cameron

If you’ve got a dog-lover on your list, you’re no doubt familiar with the heartwarming works of W. Bruce Cameron. A Dog’s Promise is the follow-up to the wildly popular A Dog’s Purpose and A Dog’s Journey, both major motion pictures! It’s a new tale of Bailey, a very good dog who is joined by Lacey, another very special dog. Together, they show the love and loyalty only our canine friends can offer.

 

Empire of Lies by Raymond Khoury

It’s a time travel book. It’s an alternate history. It’s a sweeping thriller like you’ve never read before. If you’ve got a reader on your list who loves a book that will keep them thinking, this is the one. Set in a world where the Ottoman Empire conquered Europe in 1683, it’s a race through time for a member of the Sultan’s secret police force and the mysterious tattooed stranger he encounters. It’s a race through time to save the world, or destroy it.

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Lists / What's New

Classic Tales, Modern Tellers: 5 Retellings to Check Out

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Classic Tales, Modern Tellers: 5 Retellings to Check Out

By Alison Bunis

Everybody’s got their favorite classic novel. And these days, everybody’s got their favorite retelling of a classic novel, too. Personally, if we’re talking movies, I stand by Clueless until the end of time. If we’re talking books, though, there are so many incredible options that it’s pretty much impossible to choose just one. To help you out, here are five of my favorites! I tried to pick a wide range, but I’m not gonna lie, you guys, I like what I like. So let’s kick things off with my current favorite…

Lady Hotspur by Tessa Gratton

Lady HotspurGather ye round, my fellow Shakespeare nerds: Tessa Gratton has given us an incredible gift. She’s already reimagined King Lear as an entrancing fantasy novel with The Queens of Innis Lear.

Now she’s turned Henry IV Part I into a heart-stopping novel of betrayal, battlefields, and destiny, Lady Hotspur. Here’s a glimpse at the characters to give you a quick taste of what it’s about: 

Hal Bolinbroke: A lady knight known for playing tricks and causing scandals, Hal is suddenly made heir to the kingdom when the mother she has not seen since childhood wins the crown. She loathes being a Prince but yearns to live up to the wishes of everyone she loves best—even if that means sacrificing her own heart.

Banna Mora: Heir to the overthrown king, Banna Mora is faced with an agonizing choice: give up everything she’s been raised to love and allow a king-killer to be rewarded—or retake the throne and take up arms against Prince Hal, her childhood best friend.

Lady Hotspur: The fiery and bold knight who stands between these two fierce Princes, and whose support may turn the tides of the coming war and decide everyone’s fates.

Tessa Gratton’s lush, lyrical fantasy world is the perfect setting for this gender-swapped retelling. Mark your calendars, Shakespeare-loving friends: Lady Hotspur hits shelves in January!

Black Leviathan by Bernd Perplies

Black LeviathanBuckle up, everybody, because Black Leviathan is the Herman Melville classic Moby Dick—but with dragons. You heard me. Moby Dick. Except instead of whales, it’s dragons, instead of “Call me Ishmael,” dragons, and instead of chapters on whaling technique, more dragons. And don’t worry, the revenge stuff is still in there. Seriously, what more do you need? 

In the coastal city Skargakar, dragon-hunting powers the economy. Dragons are used in everything from clothing to food, while airborne ships hunt them in the white expanse of a cloud sea, the Cloudmere. Lian does his part carving the kyrillian crystals that power the ships through the Cloudmere, but when he makes an enemy of a dangerous man, Lian ships out on the next vessel available. But he chooses the wrong ship. The fanatic captain, Adaron, hunts the Firstborn Gargantuan—and he is prepared to sacrifice everything for revenge.

You know what they say… revenge is a dish best served with dragons. (This particular dish comes out February 25th, 2020.)

Nottingham by Nathan Makaryk

NottinghamMost authors retelling a classic start with their favorite book, story, legend, myth…Not Nathan Makaryk. He saw all the things he hated about the Robin Hood legend, and he just had to rewrite the whole thing into an epic novel that examines who’s really the hero or villain of a story. Think less Men-In-Tights and more historically-accurate Game of Thrones.

The setup is a political nightmare: King Richard is half a world away, fighting for God and his own ambition. Back home, his country languishes, bankrupt and on the verge of anarchy. People with power are running unchecked. People without are growing angry. And in Nottingham, one of the largest shires in England, the sheriff seems intent on doing nothing about it. But don’t worry, Robin Hood and his Merry Men are here to save the day! Steal from the greedy rich and give to the poor! …Not really. Nothing is that simple in this world. Instead, the lives of six people—Arable, a servant girl with a secret, Robin and William, soldiers running from their pasts, Marion, a noblewoman working for change, Guy of Gisbourne, Nottingham’s beleaguered guard captain, and Elena Gamwell, a brash, ambitious thief—become intertwined. And a strange story begins to spread…

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen 

Briar RoseNo list about retellings is complete without including a fairy tale reimagining. It’s kind of a rule. And Jane Yolen’s Briar Rose, a historically sensitive retelling of Sleeping Beauty set amid forests patrolled by the German army during World War II, is a terrifically moving, graceful entry into the fairy tale retelling genre.

It starts off with a tale being passed down through the generations: Since childhood, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma’s stories of Briar Rose, a young girl who arrived at a castle controlled by an evil army in the Polish forest during the summer of 1942. As Gemma tells it, Briar Rose was corrupted by dark deeds and choked by poisonous mist, and plunged into a deep sleep in the castle that soon came to be known as Chełmno extermination camp. Becca would have sworn the stories were made up, but on her deathbed Gemma extracts from Becca a promise to fulfill three impossible requests: find the castle, find the prince, and find the spell-maker. Her vow sends Becca on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma’s astonishing claim: She is Briar Rose.

Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey

Miranda and CalibanAnother Shakespeare retelling? Yes. Let’s go there with Jacqueline Carey’s gorgeous retelling of The Tempest. We all know the tale of Prospero’s quest for revenge, but what about Miranda? Or Caliban, the so-called savage? In Miranda and Caliban, Jacqueline Carey gives us their side of the story: the dutiful and tenderhearted Miranda, who loves her father but is terribly lonely. And Caliban, the strange and feral boy Prospero has bewitched to serve him. The two find solace and companionship in each other as Prospero weaves his magic and dreams of revenge. Always under Prospero’s jealous eye, Miranda and Caliban battle the dark, unknowable forces that bind them to the island even as the pangs of adolescence create a new awareness of each other and their doomed relationship. 

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New Releases

New Releases: 8/6

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New Releases

Happy New Releases Day! Here’s what went on sale today.

Blood of an Exile by Brian Naslund

Place holder of - 91Bershad stands apart from the world, the most legendary dragonslayer in history, both revered and reviled.

Once, he was Lord Silas Bershad, but after a disastrous failure on the battlefield he was stripped of his titles and sentenced to one violent, perilous hunt after another. Now he lives only to stalk dragons, slaughter them, collect their precious oil, and head back into the treacherous wilds once more. For years, death was his only chance to escape. But that is about to change.

The king who sentenced Bershad to his fate has just given him an unprecedented chance at redemption. Kill a foreign emperor and walk free forever.

Kingmaker by Margaret Weis & Robert Krammes

Poster Placeholder of - 2In this exciting adventure, Kate and Sophia and their dragon Dalgren form a desperate plan to free Phillip from prison. Thomas is crowned king and discovers a plot by King Ullr to invade Freya. And Henry is forced to flee to the Aligoes where he makes a discovery that could change the fortunes of his beleaguered nation.

Nottingham by Nathan Makaryk

Placeholder of -24No king. No rules.

England, 1191. King Richard is half a world away, fighting for God and his own ambition. Back home, his country languishes, bankrupt and on the verge of anarchy. People with power are running unchecked. People without are growing angry. And in Nottingham, one of the largest shires in England, the sheriff seems intent on doing nothing about it.

As the leaves turn gold in the Sherwood Forest, the lives of six people—Arable, a servant girl with a secret, Robin and William, soldiers running from their pasts, Marion, a noblewoman working for change, Guy of Gisbourne, Nottingham’s beleaguered guard captain, and Elena Gamwell, a brash, ambitious thief—become intertwined.

And a strange story begins to spread . . .

NEW IN PAPERBACK

The Unfortunates by Kim Liggett

Image Place holder of - 11When seventeen-year-old senator’s son Grant Tavish is involved in a fatal accident, all he wants to do is face the consequences of what he’s done. But those consequences never come, even if headlines of “affluenza” do. The truth soon becomes clear: due to his father’s connections, Grant is going to get away with murder.

As a family tradition approaches, a cave excursion on the Appalachian Trail, Grant seizes the opportunity to take justice into his own hands by staging an accident and never coming back. But before he has a chance to enact his plans, the cave system collapses, trapping him miles beneath the surface with four other teens from much less fortunate circumstances. As they struggle to survive, they share their innermost secrets and fears, and just when it seems they might be on track to finding a way out, they realize…

There’s something else down there.

And it’s hunting them.

Vallista by Steven Brust

Image Placeholder of - 68Vlad Taltos is an Easterner—an underprivileged human in an Empire of tall, powerful, long-lived Dragaerans. He made a career for himself in House Jhereg, the Dragaeran clan in charge of the Empire’s organized crime. But the day came when the Jhereg wanted Vlad dead, and he’s been on the run ever since. He has plenty of friends among the Dragaeran highborn, including an undead wizard and a god or two. But as long as the Jhereg have a price on his head, Vlad’s life is…messy.

Meanwhile, for years, Vlad’s path has been repeatedly crossed by Devera, a small Dragaeran girl of indeterminate powers who turns up at the oddest moments in his life.

Now Devera has appeared again—to lead Vlad into a mysterious, seemingly empty manor overlooking the Great Sea. Inside this structure are corridors that double back on themselves, rooms that look out over other worlds, and—just maybe—answers to some of Vlad’s long-asked questions about his world and his place in it. If only Devera can be persuaded to stop disappearing in the middle of his conversations with her…

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Author Features

Write What You Hate

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Writers are often told to write what they know but Nottingham author Nathan Makaryk has a different idea. Below he shares how his virulent dislike of Robin Hood led him to write a novel about the classic steal-from-the-rich-give-to-the-poor hero.

Image Place holder of - 47By Nathan Makaryk

Much like a thousand other people, I’ve written a book about Robin Hood—and I’m preparing for the troll complaints about reboots and unoriginal ideas. But I think my version perhaps started rather uniquely. In the summer of 2011, my theatrical partner suggested a Robin Hood script for me to direct, to which I said:

“I hate Robin Hood.”

Those four words would transform—over eight years—into my debut novel NOTTINGHAM, which I’m happy to say has been turning some notable heads. The Robin Hood legend has been told and retold and re-retold to death, begging the question of why I think I have anything to add to it. But with countless new movies and books, I’ve still never seen a version that addresses the things I hate.

And truth be told, I don’t actually hate Robin Hood. It has tons of things I love—medieval history, castles and swordfights, corruption and adventure—and Robin Hood should be my proverbial jam. But in my opinion it also has a lot of problems, which is what I wanted to fix. Here are just a few:

Good Guys vs Bad Guys: I’m not the first person to suggest that everyone is the hero of their own story, but somehow every incarnation of “The Sheriff of Nottingham” is more cruel and moustache-twirling than the last. And while nobody knows who Robin Hood really was (if anyone), we do know who the Sheriff was. But somehow most retellings never even give him a name (aside from Men In Tights’s “Mervin”). My research for NOTTINGHAM started with learning more about the actual historical figures that held this office, and exploring the story from the point of view of people in Nottingham who rightfully saw Robin Hood as a threat.

So Many Dudes: Admittedly, Medieval England isn’t a great time for women. But I’m pretty sick of “Maid Marian” being the only female—especially when she’s relegated to nothing more than Robin’s love interest, and often incomprehensibly kidnapped by the Sheriff to be forced into a marriage. I think we’ve evolved past the “damsel in distress” trope, haven’t we? I did everything I could to (realistically) add more women without resorting to gender-bending established characters. NOTTINGHAM has multiple repeating POVs, and I’m happy to report that (gasp!) half of them are women.

Nameless, Faceless Guards: One of my biggest pet peeves is any horde of guards that can be endlessly killed off with no consequences. Zombies and Nazis are the only mass-enemy that it’s okay to kill by the dozen, but Robin Hoods always seem to kill a whole lot of castle guards that were just doing their job. So I strove to have no nameless deaths. You’ll get to know the many characters of the Nottingham Guard just as well as the “Merry Men” … so when either side kills someone, you’ll know exactly who the victim was.

These three topics were just the beginning. I also wanted to take a new look at the wickedness of Prince John, the righteousness of King Richard, the infamous deus ex machina of his return, the idea of holding an archery tournament to lure Robin Hood out of hiding, and about a dozen more.

The moral of the story is as a writer, feel free to be motivated not just by the things you love, but also by the things you don’t. My biggest inspirations are the things I hate—so rather than just all-caps raging about something on Twitter, turn your criticisms into the next big thing … that someone else can hate.

Order Your Copy of Nottingham:

Place holder of amazon- 20 Poster Placeholder of bn- 87Place holder of booksamillion- 41 ibooks2 1 indiebound

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Events

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in August

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Your favorite Tor/Forge authors are hitting the road in August! See who’s coming to a city near you this month.

Max Gladstone, Empress of Forever

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Tuesday, August 6
Housing Works
New York, NY
7:00 PM

Arkady Martine, A Memory Called Empire

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Tuesday, August 6
Housing Works
New York, NY
7:00 PM

Mark Oshiro, Anger Is a Gift

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Wednesday, August 7
Books of Wonder
New York, NY
6:00 PM

Nathan Makaryk, Nottingham

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Tuesday, August 6
Barnes & Noble
Orange, CA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, August 7
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:00 PM

Heather Webber, Midnight at the Blackbird Café

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Thursday, August 8
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH
7:00 PM

Tuesday, August 20
Lyn’s Gracious Goodness
Huntsville, AL
5:00 PM

Wednesday, August 21
Florence Lauderdale Public
Florence, AL
11:30 AM

Ward Larsen, Assassin’s Revenge

Tuesday, August 20
Barnes & Noble
Sarasota, FL
11:00 AM

Hank Phillippi Ryan, The Murder List

Tuesday, August 20
Brookline Booksmith
Brookline, MA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, August 21
RJ Julias Booksellers
Madison, CT
7:00 PM

Saturday, August 24
The Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
2:00 PM

Sunday, August 25
Book Carnival
Orange, CA
3:00 PM

Monday, August 26
Anderson’s Bookshop
La Grange, IL
7:00 PM

Tuesday, August 27
FoxTale Book Shoppe
Woodstock, GA
6:30 PM

Wednesday, August 28
Vero Beach Book Center
Vero Beach, FL
6:00 PM

Thursday, August 29
Orlando Public Library
Orlando, FL
6:30 PM

Cora Carmack, Rage

Tuesday, August 27
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:00 PM

Thursday, August 29
The Neverending Bookshop
Edmonds, WA
6:00 PM

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