Book Review: We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson
We Ride the Storm has author Devin Madson introduce us to the start of a fantasy epic where a tottering Empire’s spin toward disaster is seen through the eyes of a Princess, a warrior, and an assassin with a most unusual gift. Princess Miko of the Kisian Empire is an untenable position. Descended from the Otako family, she has an uneasy relationship with Emperor Kin Ts’ai, who usurped the throne and is attempting to cement his power. Formally she and her brother are of the Emperor’s family, but the Emperor is surely aware that there are many, even years later, who would flock to an Otako banner. Keeping her autonomy, keeping the chances for her brother alive, and avoiding a purge runs through Miko’s days. When a promise of marriage to try and cement a peace with the dangerous Chiltaens to the north might end Miko’s freedom forever, Or help destroy the empire should the marriage contract fail. In the meantime, Rah e’Torin, a Levanti exile from the steppe and grasslands his horse riders are from, has a problem, too. His exile, with a group of loyal men and women, have led them into a desolate land to the south, with few signs of Chiltae, their destination. There are stories of former Swords of the steppe coming south to act as mercenaries and riders for the Chiltae, but as the food and water dwindles, Rah and his followers might think they are making a mistake. And when they do meet the Chiltae, their status and role, and the fate of those who migrated before them becomes dangerously, painfully clear.
Best of 2019 and Award Eligibility Post
2019: Umm, yeah. Let’s instead talk Award Eligibility first and then get to the best of 2019. I am eligible for BEST FAN WRITER, for my work at BN Sci Fi (now sadly closed) Tor.com, Skiffy and Fanty and Nerds of a Feather. I write and publish in a number of places, I do wonder sometimes that no one realizes my prolific output because it is all over the place. And of course, quantity does NOT have a quality all of its own. And there are people who do more, and are more. Me, I just plod along here. Anyway, besides blog posts, reviews and the like, I also do podcast like things. I am of course a central member of the Skiffy and Fanty Show, a central member of SFF Audio and also participate in Juliette Wade’s Dive Into Worldbuilding. All three of those are eligible in the BEST FANCAST category.
Episode 97 — Roundtable Discussion: Scifi and Your Worldview (w/ Myke Cole, Stina Leicht, and Paul Weimer)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow97seasonThree–RoundtableDiscussionScifi/Sandf–Episode97–RoundtableDiscussion–ScifiAndYourWorldview.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSA whole bunch of awesome folks (Myke Cole, Stina Leicht, and Paul Weimer) have decided to join us this week for an oddly personal discussion of how science fiction and fantasy influenced our lives, what it’s like to grow up geek, and other related topics. The humor meter is on high alert with this one, folks. We hope you enjoy the episode! Feel free to tell us how SF/F changed your worldview in the comments. Note: If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below): Episode 97 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 1:03:51) Myke Cole’s Website Our interview w/ Myke! Myke’s guest post: “Superhero Ethics“ Stina Leicht’s Website Our first interview w/ Stina! Our second interview w/ Stina! (Part One and Part Two) Stina’s guest post: “Tacking Other Cultures in Fiction“ Paul Weimer’s Website Paul’s Twitter Buy Myke’s and Stina’s book(s)! Trust me. They’re good. Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks! Thanks for listening. See you next week.
