BOOK HOT LINKS FOR FEB. 16TH: TOLKIEN RE-TELLING, ZOMBIE APOCOLYPSE, AND MORE

Lord of the Rings reworking a hit with fans, but not Tolkien estate via The Guardian

“The Last Ring-Bearer, by palaeontologist Kirill Yeskov, retells Tolkien’s epic story from the perspective of the region of Mordor, from where Sauron, the Dark Lord, waged war on the free peoples of Middle Earth in the War of the Rings…”

The Ultimate Zombie Homage: New Choose Your Own Adventure is a Zombie Fiction Lover’s Dream via Barnes and Noble

I loved the choose your own adventure books! I am totally getting this!

Kameron Hurley, Author of God’s War, on “Fearing the Woman in the Dark Alley” via Omnivoracious

“No, really, they aren’t [scary]. If the leather pants weren’t a clue, the sexy poses should have tipped you off. These women are not meant to actually be threatening. Even if you’re a vampire and she kills vampires, there’s just as good a chance she’ll sleep with you as shoot you. That’s the conflict, after all.”

Farlander: Col Buchanan’s Hypnotic Debut Novel is an Epic Fantasy Classic in the Making via Barnes and Noble

“The Northern Ireland native’s recently released debut novel Farlander – the first installment of his Heart of the World saga – is a deceptively deep read. At first, I thought I had immersed myself in yet another assassin-powered fantasy and while Farlander certainly is powered by characters who are assassins, that’s just the first layer of this multi-tapestried novel.”

The Zeppelin Dreamers via Borders

“I’m with Gibson when he says that science fiction doesn’t really say much about our future, but it does say a great deal about our present. Cyberpunk couldn’t really have been written any other time than in the 80s, and is purely an expression of that time. I don’t think the same can be said of fantasy though, at least not in the general sense. So, in this way, I think steampunk is more like science fiction than it is fantasy…There’s an obvious follow up to this. What does steampunk say about us, that we’re writing it now?”

Puffin Snaps Up A Second Two-Book Deal For The Wereworld Series via Book Trade

“As a result of the fantastic initial performance of the first book, shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, Puffin is moving the second volume from an early 2012 publication date to the summer of 2011. The two new novels will follow in 2012.”