Reviews, Part 31

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1) Christopher Valin at Wax Tadpole thought Circle of Enemies was the best of the Twenty Palaces books: “If Circle of Enemies were made into a film and marketed by the wrong people, the tagline would definitely read: “This time it’s personal.” Still, in a nutshell, that’s what makes the third Twenty Palaces novel stand out from the other two.

2) Stewart at Flying Turtle really liked Circle of Enemies: “Note I originally gave this an 8.5 but then decided to switch to a less numeric system. It’s now under Books I Love.

3) Mark Stone at Slacker Heroes thought Circle of Enemies was a big step up from the first two books: “Ray remains a flawed and very human hero emotionally torn by the difficult duties he must perform on behalf of the world.

4) Garrett at The Ranting Dragon thought Game of Cages was even better than Child of Fire: “This is not a series any urban fantasy enthusiast should miss out on.

5) Kiara at Waiting for Fairies thought Child of Fire was terrific even if she didn’t much like the characters: “The language was great, with good imagery, and the pace was rocket-fast.

6) Bastard at Bastard Books really liked Circle of Enemies: “What has attracted me to this series, and what I’ve enjoyed the most, is how horrific and disturbing some of the events and situations are. They often feed off some of our inner most fears, and in Circle of Enemies it’s no different, though a bit more toned down from the previous two novels.

7) Bethany K. Warner at Word Nerd thought Game of Cages was good but hesitates to recommend it because the series has been cancelled: “Connolly’s Twenty Palaces series is like a cross between Jack Reacher and Harry Dresden — all the violence that Reacher can mete out with a hefty does of Dresden-esque magic.

Reviews, Part 30

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1) Author Nicholas Kaufmann liked Circle of Enemies, but wishes Ray could have a happy fun romp in the hay: “This is a truly special series, and exactly the kind of fantasy that appeals to readers like me who involuntarily shudder when fantasy novels open with a map and end with a glossary.”

2) Maria at Bear Mountain Books liked Child of Fire: “It’s edgy and very fast paced, but the characters display enough emotion and humanity to make it a very good read.

3) Jeremiah at jbullfrog.net thinks that Circle of Enemies is the “Best book in the series yet. Damn you Harry Connolly for making me stay up so late the past few days.

4) S. C. Green at The Shadowed Quill liked Child of Fire well enough but wanted there to be more explanation of the background: “Even though the book is subtitled a Twenty Palace Novel, by the last page I still have no idea what or who the Twenty Palace Society is. I get their basic function (to a very small degree), but I want more answers to the “why” of everything.

5) Stewart at The Flying Turtle gave Circle of Enemies an 8.5: “The stakes are more personal in this book as the victims are all Rays former friends, who are well written enough to make you care about them pretty quickly.

6) Bethany at Word Nerd likes Child of Fire but thought the ghost knife was overused? “Normally, I would say run right out and start reading, but… sigh… the writing is solid, but if you’re looking for a long-term relationship with a series, know that you’re going to be left hanging here.” (As a quick note, I’ve never read anything by Weis/Hickman.)

7) Andrew at Pleasure for the Empire really enjoyed Child of Fire: “I really can’t say enough how awesome this book is.

I need to offer another thank you.

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The response to my previous post has been tremendous, both on my main blog and on LiveJournal, not to mention Twitter, G+, PMs, email, and Facebook. People have been very kind and enthusiastic about my upcoming works and hopeful for a return to the series.

I’m hopeful and enthusiastic, too. Thank you all for linking to that post, for commenting, and for general awesomeness. Once again I am humbled.

Now I have a bubbling crock pot, a skillet full of onions in the over, a living room that needs to be vacuumed, and a kid that needs to do some math. Plus, there are even more comments on that post that I haven’t responded to yet. (Which is why I’m turning off comments here.)

Thank you all.

It’s Official: The Twenty Palaces Series Has Been Cancelled (long)

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(Update to this post: I’m shutting down comments because it’s been over a week and they’re still coming. What’s more, I don’t really want to keep talking about it. Thank you.)

(Second update: Disabling new comments hid the old comments, which I didn’t want, so comments are back on again.)

(Third update: This cancelled series is sort of uncanceled. Self-published novellas seem like a viable path forward, and that’s what I’m trying. Check out my books page for new entries into the series.)

Yep. It’s true. Based on the sales of Circle of Enemies, Del Rey has decided not to offer me a contract to write more Twenty Palaces books.

What? Why?

Well, Pretend Questioner, let me address that in a very long blog post Continue reading

Reviews, Part 29

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1) The person writing at “The Entropy Pump” seems to think that Ray’s successes in the first couple books show that he’s a “million-to-one snowflake” and disapproves.

2) Paolo Gabriel V. Chikiamco writes a very interesting (and positive) review of Child of Fire at Fantasy Faction: “While the characters are the heart of the novel, and the reason why I enjoyed it so much the first time I read it, what I grew to appreciate in subsequent readings is the way that Connolly manages to both hew to and eschew a tried and tested fantasy formula.

3) LiveJournaler Zornhau really enjoyed it: “It’s what you’d get if James Ellroy spent a month reading Lovecraft. Macho. Dystopian. Touching. Disturbing. The horror is horror, but the heroes go up against it and gain not entirely futile victories.

4) Alice at All there is… and the rest of it liked Child of Fire: “I like the main character, Ray Lilly. He changes, almost against his will over the course of the book. It’s a matter of regaining a moral compass. He doesn’t necessarily want to be a better person, but he knows he has to. I will definitely read the rest of the series.

5) Garrett at The Ranting Dragon gives Child of Fire a big thumbs up: “This novel is an exhilarating addition to the urban fantasy genre.

6) Bill Martell, the screenwriter at Sex in a Submarine, really liked Circle of Enemies: “I really liked that this is Ray dealing with people from his past – that made this more than just an entertaining story. It deals with lost loves and ex-friends and guilt and remorse and every messy friendship situation you’ve ever had.” It’s nice when a reader really sees what I was trying.

7) Drew Bittner at SFRevu gives Circle of Enemies a “Recommended”: “Harry Connolly delivers another high-powered and fast-paced adventure, with a great protagonist in Ray Lilly.

This is how today went:

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Me: “Hey, book.”

Book, still sprawled out all over my life like the non-rent-paying couch-surfer it is, looks up. “Hmm?”

Me: ::Punches book in the face so hard it flies through the window, over the city, and lands in an open grave. The impact is so powerful that the piles of dirt on either side collapse onto it, burying it completely.::

Me, an hour later: ::Saunters up to grave, a celebratory burger in one hand, a marble tombstone tucked under the other. Drops tombstone in place and takes out broken, petrified femur stolen from Dorothy L. Sayers’s coffin. Kneels down and carves “A KEY, AND EGG, AN UNFORTUNATE REMARK” at top of headstone with bronzed tip. Below that line, carves “Agent has called this one to judgement.”::

Me: ::Walks away, eating burger::

(Actually, I haven’t sent it to my agent yet. I have to prep a nice little thing to accompany it it first.)

Reviews, part 28

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1) Owlcat Mountain thought Circle of Enemies was the best Twenty Palaces book yet: “The unique system of magic, the complex characters, and the fresh and vibrant plotline all combine to form one of the summer’s best fantasy novels.

2) Dean Fetzer liked both Game of Cages and Child of Fire enough to use the word “genius”: “Okay, if you don’t like anything fantastical or supernatural, my advice would be to look away now. But you’ll be missing good reads. Your loss.

3) Samantha Holloway at the NY Journal of Books liked Circle of Enemies quite a bit. “It’s noir made vital again with really strange monsters. It’s a thriller almost totally lacking the usual obsession with the technical details of the weapons, leaving more space for thrills. It’s one man against the dark with only a paper knife and woefully little education. And it’s addictively compelling.

4) Beth at Library Chicken also liked Circle of Enemies: “It’s a gripping combination of characters and situation, and finishing the last book makes me want to start the series all over again.

5) Michael B. Sullivan also also liked Circle of Enemies: “But if you’re looking for a dark, action-and-investigation oriented modern day fantasy series, nobody else is writing books quite like Harry Connolly, and you should check out Child of Fire.

6) Charlaine Harris says nice things about my books: “I think Connolly’s books are startlingly original and suspenseful, and I recommend them all highly.” (Which is very nice! I expect I’ll have to update that link very soon, though)

7) K.C. Shaw at Skunk Cat Book Reviews thought Circle of Enemies was the best book yet: “Connolly’s monsters would freak the hell out of Lovecraft.

This is how you can tell I’m cool

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Yesterday I was making the rounds signing copies of my books and, as I was walking to my first B&N, I pushed up my slipping glasses and heard a tink!

And my glasses fell off my face in two pieces. The metal bridge finally succumbed to fatigue and snapped apart.

How can you tell I’m cool?

So cool, Brewster.

Hell yeah.

By the way, none of the B&Ns in town had copies of Circle of Enemies in stock. Hurricane Irene delayed them, I’m told. Can I tell you how happy I am that the biggest bookstore chain in the country won’t stock my books in a great many of their stores until at least a week after it’s come out?

This is how happy I am:

So cool, Brewster.

Anyway, my wife “fixed” them by wrapping a wire around the nose bridge and hot-melt gluing it in place. That’s better than tape, I guess? I think she’s mad at me.