Emperor’s Edge | #A2ZChallenge23

Emperor’s Edge is both a novel and a series, both of which therefore start with E. Lucky that, as E is today’s A2Zchallenge letter!

The plan for the month is to feature daily a book I’ve reviewed in the past (or review it that day), and also highlight others: not all are included each day.

• review/featured
• spacetime challenge (I host this reading challenge – you can join here)
• middle grade (childrens) choice
• series (love a good series – there’s a challenge for finishing those, too)
• ‘notable’ reads
• ‘outstanding’ books
• my books!

Featured book (and series) | Emperor’s Edge

Lindsay Buroker is an indie author who started around the same time as I did, with her steampunk Flashgold series. She’s now got several series and spin-off series out, in scifi, fantasy, steampunk and scifi romance, too. She makes me feel inadequate, but I still like her stories 🙂

As it says on the front of this early collected edition cover, the Emperor’s Edge is a high fantasy series in an era of steam. Our heroine is trying to make a living as a palace guard. Hard when you get kicked out due to not getting on with the bullying boss. So she sets up her own gang of investigators. They discover that the Emperor himself (a rather sweet boy, under an evil uncle’s influence) needs help. They become something to give the Emperor an edge against the conspirators against him.

That probably constitutes a spoiler for the first in the series, but don’t worry, there are at least nine to go. It depends how many short story interludes you count. Actually, it was going to stop at three. Then seven. After which Republic and Diplomats and Fugitives turn up and I haven’t read those yet.

Two things to know about Lindsay Buroker’s books. The heroine is always wronged and feisty (easy to empathise with) and there is always a cold, brooding, often hardened killer around who just needs to fall for someone with the heroine’s charms. Which is not to say that, in this series, Sicarius is not hotter than hot. You should notice I can remember his name without looking it up, and I can’t quite put my finger on the heroine’s name….

Ah yes, synergy works: I had a character called Aramintha, this heroine is Amaranthe.

Middle Grade and Spacetime book

I had trouble finding books beginning with E I wanted to feature. Then I had trouble deciding whether to feature Escape from the Forbidden Planet as a middle grade book or as a spacetime read. It’s both, of course. Then I had trouble finding the cover–it’s one of the earliest books I reviewed on this blog, and falls in a time when I lost all my graphics files. Never mind, my review is still here. It seems to emphasise all things caramel, but really, it’s a rollicking good space adventure with evil robots and grandparents with healing powers. Great for kids and scifi lovers 🙂

Outstanding Reads

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage: my review on Goodreads simply says: I’d forgotten I’d read this until I saw someone else’s review. Shackleton was amazing, and this book led me on to more books about Antarctica. Gripping stuff! I thought I owned it, but both books on my shelf start with S.

Endurance by Frank A Worsley: is even better, as it’s in Worsley’s own hand. It also covers his post-endurance exploits in World War 1. From the hell of the Antarctic to the hell of the Great War….

And an Anthology:

Equus was one of the first anthologies edited by Rhonda Parrish that I found. I have read and reviewed several since. She has an excellent eye for brilliant writing. I aspire to be included in one of them, one day (although I have been short-listed.) If only I’d seen the call for the last horse one in time…. But then, Untethered is in the letter U!

That’s all for today, so come back tomorrow for more. I’m hoping to meet more people who like the same kinds of book, so feel free to recommend something you’ve read beginning with the letter of the day!