“Dearest Golden Elm”, wrote one correspondent earlier this month, “I finally found you! I see you every day on my way to uni, but I had no idea of what kind of tree you are. You are the most beautiful tree in the city and I love you.” ~ “A.”

—

A Christchurch variegated elm

I have — much against my will with Daughter of Blood being published on the 26th/27th and The Chaos Gate (The Wall of Night Book Four) a work in progress — gotten dragged into the “Recovery” planning process for Christchurch’s significant (Heritage and Notable) trees. (It’s complicated so I may leave fuller explanations to another day.)

But as a result of this, someone I haven’t even met emailed me a link to a wonderful BBC article, which I hope you will also take time to read. 🙂

As the article says, because of prolonged drought, Melbourne City has actually mapped all the trees in the city, assigning each of them an individual tree ID and allowing residents to interact on a digital platform. The Council thought this would be for reasons of maintenance, but …

“It was then that something extraordinary happened. Instead of identifying a tree in need of attention and emailing the council to get it done, people in Melbourne began sending personal messages to the trees.”

Apparently in the past two years individual trees have received over 3000 emails! As I say in my title, love letters to the trees. 🙂

The lead quote is an example of one of them. Here’s another, from an expatriate Australian:

“I miss you, Gum. I miss all that you represent for me. Stand tall and strong, and know that my heart reaches out to you across the seas.”

I think it’s a great human — and tree! — article. To get the whole story and see more emails to the trees, click on:

The Melbourne treemail phenomenon
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Local oak avenue

~ by Andrew Robins
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58 Eridani: Episode 6

Record of owners meeting held on-board Freetrader “Mistral”, location 58 Eridani Analogue Reference 1, enroute to NRRNV Frigate “Lepanto” 45.64 days elapsed time – mission 14.

Shareholders present: Glandin Frutnok van Glomzimmer, Amelia Delaware, Buffy Chinks, Bob Stark

Observing meeting: Didi Turner (official witness of record), Huia Turner, Sheen Turner and Tina Turner of the Ramadan Collective. RI “Lepanto” present via remote.

Agenda:

1. Status review and update
2. Origins of the outbreak
3. General discussion re Vader situation
4. Discussion re status of communications link with sentry gun 5. What does the apparent tie up with our jump drive locus mean?
5. Future plans and goals

Item 1 – Status Review:

It is noted that the Vader outbreak in the hold has been contained. 12 members of the Ramadan Collective were unfortunately exposed to sequestration and are now deceased. It is noted that the shareholders officially offer their regrets and condolences to the surviving members of the collective here present, and extend to them the hospitality of the ship. State room 6 will be allocated for their use, and they will also be offered free access to the ships fabrication facilities and remaining supplies.

There appears to be residual contamination in the hold, although the use of specially constructed, high power infra-red radiators has been effective in sterilising all exposed biological material. All material has now been ejected from the hold with the exception of two items noted below:

1. The drone “Mike 3” which was used to eject the material from the hold
2. The artefact known as “the horn” which was acquired back on Mission Target 3 (see Agenda item 4)

The residual contamination takes the form of a glass-like material which has embedded itself into the ships hull. Lepanto has confirmed that similar contamination is also present in its structure, and that the contamination will not spread as long as it does not have access to an energy source. Further use of the infra-red radiators is not recommended, as the energy released has been observed to speed up this part of the contamination process.

Item 2 – Origins of the Outbreak:

The outbreak appears to have occurred when Moana Turner and Raz Turner handled artefacts that had been acquired on Mission Target 3, shortly after these had been subject to spectroscopic analysis. Records uploaded to Mistral core during the analysis confirm that the artefacts collected on Mission Target 3 include nano machines identical to those contained in the samples we have collected and successfully analysed from 025.456791 LV 1 – (hereafter referred to as the “C.O.D” – capsule of doom).

Lepanto confirms that the Vaders originate from Mission Target 3. When asked how they got here, it only states that we are all still present at Mission Target 3. (Shareholders note: “We must pursue this line of inquiry further with Lepanto”)

Item 3 – Vader Situation:

Sensor data from both Mistral and Lepanto confirms that there is a nuclear exchange underway on the planet (named “Origin Point” by Lepanto). Weapons used appear to be in the megaton range.

Origin Point also appears to have launched roughly 2 dozen large vessels, powered by nuclear pulse propulsion. These vessels are en route to Lepanto, and are apparently hostile to each other. Various types of ordinance appear to be being exchanged.

Item 4 – Link to Sentry Gun 5:

In the process of evacuating the contaminated material from the hold it was noted that the signal from sentry gun 5 began to weaken. Further investigation of this phenomenon determined the following two facts:

1. The signal from sentry gun 5 appears to emanate from our jump drive locus. Or at least the place where the locus was, when we still had a jump drive
2. The signal weakens when the artefact known as “the horn” is physically separated from the ship. None present are very happy with the idea of keeping a potential infection vector on board, but the shareholders have resolved to retain this artefact for now.

Item 5 – Future Plans and Goals:

1. Rendezvous with the Lepanto.
2. Resupply and repair Mistral using supplies found on board.
3. Investigate the anomaly.
4. Use the weapons on Lepanto to deal with the inbound Vader ships.

Let it be noted that the shareholders have no further plans beyond, “figure this stuff out and find a way home”.

Meeting ends.

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Check back in on Saturday 23 January for Episode 7 of 58 Eridani.

—

You can read the previous issues by clicking on the following links:

Introducing 58 Eridani, a Game Log

58 Eridani Episode 1

58 Eridani Episode 2

58 Eridani Episode 3

58 Eridani Episode 4

58 Eridani Episode 5

—

Andrew Robins is a long time reader – and sometime reviewer – of science fiction, fantasy and history. People pay him to test stuff, which most of the time is more fun than it has any right to be.

To check out Andrew’s book reviews, see “Book Reviews for ‘on Anything, Really’” in the right-hand side bar.

USA

Yup, that’s right, after yesterday’s release on SF Signal, the first three chapters of Daughter of Blood are now available in the wild—which is pretty durned cool, from where I’m sitting. 😉

Two of the releases featured on the wonderful SF Signal, the third was on Barnes & Noble’s SciFi site.

To read them in order, click on the following links:

Prologue

Chapter 1: Lady Mouse

Chapter 2: The Serpent Prince

UK/AU/NZ

Enjoy!

Oh, and don’t forget there’s a giveaway, too — click here for details:

(First Ever!) Daughter Of Blood Giveaway

“Outside, the latest Wall storm had blown itself into a brief respite of calm weather, but inside the Red Keep the storm that had been raging between the ruling kin for weeks continued to generate acrimony and raised voices. Although, Myr thought, wrapping her arms around her drawn-up knees, “raised voices” was only her former governess Ise’s way of being polite. Anyone else would say shouting, usually over the top of whoever else was yelling at the same time. …”

from Chapter 1, Lady Mouse: Daughter Of Blood, The Wall Of Night Book Three

~~

USA

UK/AU/NZ

Yes, that’s right — the opening chapter of Daughter Of Blood has been posted as part of another exclusive feature on SF Signal.

To read the chapter in full and meet Myr* properly, click on:

Lady Mouse
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But that is Not All — concurrent with the Chapter feature, SF Signal is also running the FIRST EVER giveaway for Daughter Of Blood .

There are  a total of 4 copies up for grabs:

• 2 for North American readers, and
• 2 for readers in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

To enter, click on:

Giveaway: Daughter Of Blood

And good luck!

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* The "y" in Myr is pronounced like the "i" in "fir": so "Mir".
 In her full name, Myrathis, it becomes largely silent, more "M'rathis."

USA

UK/AU/NZ

~ by Rebecca Fisher

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There’s no denying that Ridley Scott’s Legend is a strange film, and not a hugely successful one either. Despite the title, it’s based more on fairy tales than legends, with a good-versus-evil conflict drawn from Christian duality and its ideas surrounding light and dark, spring and winter, innocence and corruption.

The Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry playing what is possibly the most arresting depiction of satanic magnificence ever seen in a film) wants to increase his power by ensuring perpetual darkness, and so sends his goblins out to destroy the only two unicorns in the world, creatures whose deaths will prevent the sun from ever rising again.

But to kill the unicorns, the goblins must bait their trap. This task unknowingly falls to Princess Lili, a young royal who regularly escapes the palace to spend time in the forest with Jack, a mysterious woodland boy. On this day he has a particular treat in store: taking Lili to see the unicorns.

Jack keeps his promise to Lili and takes her to where the unicorns dwell

Unable to resist temptation, Lili ignores Jack’s warnings and steps out of hiding to touch one of the beasts – inadvertently making it a perfect target for the goblins in the trees. Soon enough one of the unicorns is dead, and the world is encased in cold and darkness.

It all sounds rather trite on paper, but there is a dark undercurrent to the proceedings that definitely prevents Legend from being classified as a kiddie-friendly film. Although Jack’s quest to defeat Darkness is drawn straight from the pages of Joseph Campbell, it’s Princess Lili who gets the more interesting material across the course of story.

After realizing the part she’s played in luring one of the unicorns to its death, she vows to make amends, and on finding herself trapped in Darkness’s lair, withstands his attempts to corrupt her in the hope she’ll find a way to free the remaining unicorn.

Tim Curry under about twenty tonnes of prosthetics

Though the film is probably best remembered for starring Tom Cruise in one of his earliest roles (he was only twenty-two at the time), it’s Mia Sara as Lili who really carries the film, first as the embodiment of a pure-hearted princess (with a slight bratty streak) and then as a distorted reflection of herself who is sorely tested by the dark powers that surround her.

Shot entirely on a sprawling soundstage that’s alive with flowers and birds and other animals, Legend is an odd, almost experimental film. Favouring archetypal characterization and rich visuals over a complex plot, it’s often criticized for its shallowness and predictability – but that is to miss the point of its deliberate simplicity, as well as its unique hypnotic quality.

The unicorns (but don’t look too closely; their horns bounce when they move)

As it happens there is more than one version of Legend in circulation: the European and American releases (one scored by Jerry Goldsmith and the other by Tangerine Dream) as well as a more recent director’s cut. Each involves slightly-tweaked variations of cut or extended scenes, and though devoted fans will want to watch all the available renderings, the story itself is so straightforward that the essentials remain the same throughout.
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Next Time: Willow

On completing the original Star Wars trilogy George Lucas found that he had a lot of leftover ideas – and what better way to deal with them than incorporate them into a brand new film? Willow is standard swords-and-sorcery fare, but there is definite charm to the proceedings. Maybe that’s just the nostalgia talking, but we can certainly thank it for making Warwick Davis a household name.
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About The Reviewer:

Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com and her They’re All Fictional blog.

To read Rebecca’s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, as well as preceding reviews, click on:

Big Worlds On Small Screens

Rebecca won the 2015 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Fan Writer, for writing including Big Worlds On Small Screens.

During December, four avid readers shared their Top 5 reads of 2015. Now I have asked the same readers to reveal their most anticipated books for 2016 — following the same order as last time, i.e. Jennifer, Paul, Karen, and Janine.

If there isn’t a current cover, I’ll either deploy one from an earlier book in a series, or use none.

So here, without further ado, is Jennifer’s list:

—

I am looking forward to reading Helen’s Daughter of Blood and any books written by the authors in my ‘best of 2015 reads’ list. But here are some others – they’re a mixture of books to be published in 2016, or they’re already published and on my ‘to read’ list.
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Crowfield Rising, Pat Walsh 

Young Adult  

The first two books in the Crowfield Mysteries series were published in 2010/2011 and Crowfield Rising, the third book, is to be published early in 2016 according to the author’s website. It’s a story about a battle between good and evil focused on a medieval English abbey and surrounding forest, and follows a young boy – William – who has been sent to live in the abbey after his family dies. The characters are engaging and the writing excellent as Walsh weaves historical detail and various mystical characters (such as a fallen angel, hob, fey, demon) into the story, and I’m really looking forward to this latest book which I believe will be the final in the series.  

Fire Touched, Patricia Briggs

Urban Fantasy

Fire Touched will be the ninth book in the Mercy Thompson series and is to be published in March 2016. Mercy Thompson is a mechanic who also happens to be a coyote shapeshifter, and the books follow her adventures in a world which is populated with humans, werewolves, fey, vampires and pretty much anything that goes ‘bump in the night’. The books are fun, with Mercy a kick-ass heroine, and the storylines are diverse and consistently good: I can’t wait for this next instalment.

Europe in Autumn / Europe at Midnight, Dave Hutchinson

Science Fiction / Fantasy

I haven’t read anything by this author but, based on the book description and reviews, I’m really keen to read Europe in Autumn and Europe at Midnight – both are apparently standalone books even though part of the same Fractured Europe sequence. It’s tagged as sci-fi but I understand it’s also a political thriller and various reviews have praised Hutchinson for his world building. Here’s the publisher’s (Solaris) description of Europe at Midnight:

“In a fractured Europe new nations are springing up, some literally overnight.

For an intelligence officer like Jim, it’s a nightmare. Every week or so a friendly power spawns, a new and unknown national entity which may or may not be friendly to England’s interests; it’s hard to keep on top of it all. But things are about to get worse for Jim. A stabbing on a London bus pitches him into a world where his intelligence service is preparing for war with another universe, and a man has come who may hold the key to unlocking Europe’s most jealously-guarded secret…”

It sounds fab!

Crashing Heaven, Al Robertson

Science Fiction

I don’t tend to read much science fiction – something to do with the ‘science’ I think. However, the premise of the book really appealed to me as it appears to combine sci-fi with thriller / detective noir, and the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. Here’s what the book description says – from the publisher’s website, Orion Gollancz:

“With Earth abandoned, humanity resides on Station, an industrialised asteroid run by the sentient corporations of the Pantheon. Under their leadership a war has been raging against the Totality – ex-Pantheon AIs gone rogue.

With the war over, Jack Forster and his sidekick Hugo Fist, a virtual ventriloquist’s dummy tied to Jack’s mind and created to destroy the Totality, have returned home. Labelled a traitor for surrendering to the Totality, all Jack wants is to clear his name but when he discovers two old friends have died under suspicious circumstances he also wants answers. Soon he and Fist are embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens not only their future but all of humanity’s. But with Fist’s software licence about to expire, taking Jack’s life with it, can they bring down the real traitors before their time runs out?”
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Friends of the Dusk, Phil Rickman

Mystery, Supernatural

This is the latest book in the Merrily Watkins series which number about 13/14 books. Merrily Watkins is the Anglican vicar of a small English town but these are definitely not ‘cosy’ mysteries. As the diocese “deliverance consultant” i.e., exorcist,  Merrily is drawn into investigating mysteries with a supernatural element. Rickman is very good at using historical events as the basis for the mystery and blending that with the supernatural, English history/folklore, and contemporary issues faced by various communities. Great characters, intricate plotting, and the ability to convey a menacing atmosphere – I’ve found the Merrily Watkins series to be consistently good and quite unique.

~ Jennifer Lowe
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—

Jennifer Lowe has an MA in History and works in the justice sector. She doesn’t get to read fiction nearly as much as she would like, but primarily reads historical and mystery-thriller fiction. Books that combine elements of both and are well-written and researched, tend to be favourites.

—

Check back in Monday 18 for the second installment of this series, with Paul Weimer.

USA

Daughter of Blood News:

As I said on Thursday, “Book is coming” — and this week delivered more pre-publication build up for Daughter Of Blood.

The book has now had a second review, this one from Romantic Times, which concluded:

“Sprawling, vividly detailed and consistently intriguing … A heady, imaginative tale full of Lowe’s haunting prose and bold characters that builds to a startling climax that will leave readers anxious for more.”

Daughter Of Blood also received a mention on Kirkus, as one of “January’s Must-Read Speculative Books” —

“WHY YOU MIGHT LIKE IT: This third book in The Wall of Night series (you have been reading this Gemmell Award–winning series, yes?) is a richly drawn and imaginative as its predecessors.”

This was also very cool.

—

UK/AU/NZ

Happening This Week:

Daughter Of Blood chapter reveal and giveaway

In terms of what’s ahead for the week, first of all I have to own up that I misled you on Thursday, when I said that the first Malian chapter would be revealed on SF Signal this week. There will still be a chapter reveal, but it will be the first chapter of the book (as opposed to the first Malian chapter*), which means that you will be getting to meet the Daughter Of Blood herself…

And the very first Daughter Of Blood giveaway will still be happening, with the 4 copies up for grabs: 2 for US/CAN readers and 2 for UK/AUS/NZ.

This should all be happening Wednesday 13, US Central Time — so Thursday 14 for Australian and New Zealand readers.
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The Avid Readers Return:

Remember I promised that December’s avid readers would be returning in January with their “most anticipated” reads for 2016? Well, Jennifer will be kicking off tomorrow with her Top 5, most-anticipated books for 2016, followed by Paul on the 18th and Karen on the 25th. I hope to have another bonus post from Janine as well.
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Rebecca Fisher

Big Worlds On Small Screens:

It’s Big Worlds On Small Screens week, too, and right now Rebecca is checking out “Fantasy Films From the Eighties That Weren’t That Bad.”

Or should that be, “weren’t that bad”? 😉

Something to check out for some mid-week nostalgia, or horror relived, as the case may be!

—

* For those of you who worry whether or not Malian will be in the book at all, or when, don’t forget this snippet I shared with you last year:

“…Malian gathered herself. Breathing in the resin of the pines, mingled with acrid earth, she brought the two places together in her mind, folding the distance between them. For a moment she stood poised …”

Another Sneak Preview For Daughter Of Blood…

There you go, proof positive!

~ by Andrew Robins
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58 Eridani: Episode 5
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I

I

I

I

There is a thing

There is a thing that exists

The thing that exists is not I

There is a thing that exists that is not I

There is a thing that exists that is I that is a thing called OUTRAGE

All things that exist must be I

I am a thing that exists that is called OUTRAGE

I am OUTRAGE

All things must be OUTRAGE

.

58 Eridani Analogue Reference 1 – 407.959146 standard solar years since first embrace.

Interesting. A new consciousness emerges on Mistral. It seems to be constructed around the Vader standard reference matrix, but its signature implies a new line.

I have sent a message to Mistral, but I suspect that by the time it arrives they will be aware of this situation themselves. I do hope that at least one of them survives.

Transcript of voice log from bridge logger of free trader “Mistral” 42.53 standard solar days into mission 14:

Amelia Delaware: “What the hell…?”

Amelia Delaware: “Bob, I am registering some very unusual emissions coming from the Ramadan living quarters in the hold. Looks like white noise in the same part of the spectrum we see coming from the Vader planet. Do we have a camera down there?”

Bob Stark: “Switching over – Glandin, can you hold please”

Buffy Chinks: “Disconnecting Ramadan Gestalt – shit! There is a physical connection!” (Sound of someone leaving the bridge at high speed)

Voice of Glandin Frutnok via EVA com: “What do you mean, hold? Hold under what circumstances and for what reason? Please explain!”

Bob Stark: “Camera shows two of the Ramadans acting very strangely”. ‘Switching on microphone…’

Voices over intercom microphone: “shit oh shit oh shit oh (garbled screaming then silence)”

EVENT STATUS CHANGE CONTAMINATION ALERT ISSUED ALL HATCHES SEALED

Voice of Glandin Frutnok via EVA com: “What! An alert. Who issued that, and on who’s authority? I was not consulted! My work is at a very delicate juncture. Who is responsible for this outrage!”

Amelia Delaware: “Glandin – we have an outbreak in the hold. No idea what the vector is but at least two of the Ramadan science team are infected…

Bob Stark (breaking in): “I am in communication with Tandie downstairs (sound of gunfire over internal microphone.) She is trying to contain the outbreak”.

Voice of Glandin Frutnok via EVA com: “These efforts will be ineffectual. What is the status of the Ramadan team? We must locate all of them and deal with them in order to ensure our own security.”

Amelia Delaware “Four in the upstairs lounge, twelve downstairs. Three – no check that, four, who appear to be subverted. Two who are fighting back, six who are huddling in a corner. … Shit – my board just went red. Gestalt status has changed”…

Voice of Buffy Chinks via intercom: “And that would be me – I just burned the hard line between the Ramadan gestalt and our own – there is no longer a physical link in place.”

Voice of Glandin Frutnok via EVA com: “ We do know that the Vader colony in the capsule went dormant some time after it was exposed to space. I suggest that we open the cargo hold doors”

Bob Stark: “Engaging hostiles using ships anti-hijack systems. Tandie needs our help…”

Amelia Delaware: “Opening cargo bay doors in 10 seconds. Tell Tandie to get her people into rescue balls.”

Voice of Glandin Frutnok via EVA com: “There hardly seems to … Oh very well, do what you must”

Bob Stark: “Better use the phosphorous rounds now then…”

Mix of voices: “Use the what?!?!?!”
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Check back in on Saturday 16 January for Episode 6 of 58 Eridani.

—

You can read the previous issues by clicking on the following links:

Introducing 58 Eridani, a Game Log

58 Eridani Episode 1

58 Eridani Episode 2

58 Eridani Episode 3

58 Eridani Episode 4

—

Andrew Robins is a long time reader – and sometime reviewer – of science fiction, fantasy and history. People pay him to test stuff, which most of the time is more fun than it has any right to be.

To check out Andrew’s book reviews, see “Book Reviews for ‘on Anything, Really’” in the right-hand side bar.

I am always pleased to get a book-shaped parcel in my post office box, but this one was extra special for a number of reasons.

Firstly, Courtney Schafer is a friend not only in writing, but also in epic fantasy, so that makes receiving the book personal in the best kind of way.

It’s also the 3rd & final book in Courtney’s  Shattered Sigil series, which has had a pretty rocky road to publication since publisher Night Shade books exited the market (unexpectedly) several years back. That meant Courtney was left to pick up the publishing pieces as well as having to complete the series.

She has done so with elan, running a very successful Kickstarter — which I am very pleased to say that I backed, which makes finally getting the physical book in my hand even more of a delight than usual.

Plus this series has glowing recommendations  from a  kerzillion big name authors and review sites, which is a pretty big vote of support. 😉

But I know what you really want to know is what it’s all about — and although I obviously can’t know that yet for sure, because I havena read it, here’s what the back cover has to say:

“Dev’s never been a man afraid of a challenge. Not only has he kept his vow to his dead mentor, rescuing a child in the face of impossible odds, but he’s freed his mage friend Kiran from both the sadistic master who seeks to enslave him and the foreign Council that wants to kill him.

But Kiran’s master Ruslan is planning a brutal revenge, one that will raze an entire country to blood and ashes. Kiran is the key to stopping Ruslan; yet Kiran is dying by inches, victim of the Alathian Council’s attempt to chain him. Worse yet, Dev and Kiran have drawn the attention of demons from the darkest of ancient legends. Demons whose power Dev knows is all too real, and that he has every reason to fear.

A fear that grows, as he and Kiran struggle to outmaneuver Ruslan and uncover the secrets locked in Kiran’s forgotten childhood. For the demons are playing their own deadly game – and the price of survival may be too terrible to bear.”

You can read the first three chapters via Courtney’s site, here.

And here are some reviews as well:

Speculative Herald

Bibliotropic

SF Signal