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Travis Baldree’s BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST North American Tour Starts Next Week!

Posted on Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

With BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST releasing next week(!), Travis Baldree is heading out on a North American book tour! Full details can be found on Tor Books.

The highly-anticipated prequel to the author’s best-selling and critically-acclaimed debut, LEGENDS & LATTES, the novel is due to be published by Tor Books in North America (November 7th) and in the UK (November 9th). Here’s the synopsis…

When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn’t always what we seek.

Set in the world of New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree’s Bookshops & Bonedust takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and secondhand books.

Viv’s career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam’s Ravens isn’t going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she’s packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk — so far from the action that she worries she’ll never be able to return to it.

What’s a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn’t possibly imagine.

Still, adventure isn’t all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

Also, if you have pre-ordered the novel, don’t forget about the offer that Tor Books is running at the moment…

Here are just a few of the many great reviews the novel has already received, in advance of publication…

‘What I love about Travis Baldree is that set against an epic world of adventure, he writes about the small victories that make life worthwhile. BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST does this and it is glorious’ — Ben Aaronovitch

‘… a lovely coming-of-age story about a character trained for war who learns that there’s more to life than endless battles. What makes the story special is the way that so many stock fantasy archetypes are cast against type and find new modes of prospering that don’t involve big weapons and bigger wars… This prequel is the perfect place for readers to start Baldree’s cozy fantasy series where folks band together for good, and evil is conquered through cleverness and friendship.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review), SFF Pick of the Month

‘Baldree’s prequel to Legends and Lattes (2022) cements his talent for cozy fantasy, engaging characters, and anachronistic references that would be at home in a Discworld novel… Knowing where a character ends up often drains tension from a prequel, but Baldree avoids that pitfall because the joy of reading here isn’t a simple uncertainty over who lives or dies but rather watching friendships blossom and characters grow. Folks who enjoyed the camaraderie and settings of this year’s Dungeons & Dragons movie—as well as anyone who likes the idea of an orc warrior becoming a devotee of the power of reading and its ability to broaden your horizons—should check out Viv’s adventures.’ — Booklist (Starred Review)

‘Bestseller Baldree’s cozy standalone sequel to LEGENDS & LATTES shows that even a battle-hungry orc can find happiness in life’s simple pleasures… The innocent joy of Viv and Fern’s love is delightful and Baldree’s formula of placing low-stakes stories in high-fantasy settings remains good fun. Series fans will eat this up.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘This prequel gives readers a glimpse of Viv as a young orc, still committed to the fighter’s life, just taking an enforced break in a charming town populated by compelling, richly drawn characters, and the slightest hint of danger in the wind. Despite the lurking necromancer, the vibes are decidedly warm and cozy, and the plot is just as much about saving the bookstore and building relationships as it is about protecting the town from the man in gray. As a prequel, it can stand alone, but will certainly satisfy fans as well. Warm and wonderful.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

Travis Baldree’s LEGENDS & LATTES is a Best of 2022!

Posted on Tuesday, December 20th, 2022

As 2022 draws to a close, we’re very happy to report that Travis Baldree‘s acclaimed debut novel, LEGENDS & LATTES has been selected as a best-of-the-year by a number of outlets! This, in addition to getting to the final round of the Goodreads Choice Award, too!

First, the audiobook edition of the novel, also narrated by the author, has been selected as a Best Audiobook of the Year by Audible!

The novel has also been selected as one of the Top Science Fiction & Fantasy books of 2022 by Kobo (US)!

Finally, the novel has been selected as one of Barnes & Noble’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy novels of 2022!

LEGENDS & LATTES is published by Tor Books in the UK and in North America. Here’s the synopsis…

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.

Here are just a few of the many great reviews the novel has received…

‘This is a story about following your dreams, even when they take you away from who you thought you had to be. It’s sweet, beautiful and, most of all, kind. I hugely recommend this book.’ — Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart A Doorway

‘The most fun I’ve ever had in a coffee shop.’ — Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Rivers of London

‘This slice-of-life cozy fantasy novel has everything you’ve been searching for.’ — Buzzfeed

‘An orc retires from adventuring to start a fantasy city’s very first coffee shop. This setup combined with the positive messages of defying societal stereotypes, letting go of violence to build peace, and trusting in your friends feels like a premise from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld… LEGENDS & LATTES is a novel, and shop, that will delight anyone who enjoys coffee-shop alternate universes, slow-burn romances, and the vindication of friendship.’ — Booklist, starred review

‘A stunningly-well done story at every level’ — Fantasy Faction

‘If you like fantasy but you’re tired of reading about wars and general intensity, this is the book for you… Cozy fantasy at its best.’ — Literary Hub

Michael Cobley’s HUMANITY’S FIRE Series on Sale in US

Posted on Thursday, July 28th, 2016

The first three novels in Michael Cobley‘s critically-acclaimed Humanity’s Fire series are currently on sale in the US! The novels — SEEDS OF EARTH, THE ORPHANED WORLDS and THE ASCENDANT STARS — are included in Barnes & Noble‘s 2-for-3 paperback sale. The sale will continue until September 5th.

The three novels are published by Orbit Books in the US (and UK). Here’s the synopsis for SEEDS OF EARTH…

Merciless. Relentless. Unstoppable.

The first intelligent species to encounter mankind attacked without warning. Merciless. Relentless. Unstoppable. With little hope of halting the invasion, Earth’s last roll of the dice was to dispatch three colony ships, seeds of Earth, to different parts of the galaxy. The human race would live on… somewhere.

150 years later, the planet Darien hosts a thriving human settlement, which enjoys a peaceful relationship with an indigenous race, the scholarly Uvovo. But there are secrets buried on Darien’s forest moon. Secrets that go back to an apocalyptic battle fought between ancient races at the dawn of galactic civilization. Unknown to its colonists, Darien is about to become the focus of an intergalactic power struggle where the true stakes are beyond their comprehension. And what choices will the Uvovo make when their true nature is revealed and the skies grow dark with the enemy?

Here are some of the great reviews the novels have received…

‘There’s a grand tradition within SF of galaxy-wide, aeon-spanning scenarios, with escalating magnitudes of scale and concomitant ramping up of narrative tension, and Michael Cobley’s Humanity’s Fire series is the latest example… Cobley excels at presenting his thoroughly lived-in future with a slew of technological marvels and an engaging cast of characters.’ — Guardian

‘Cobley’s debut, first published in the U.K. in 2009, is a well-constructed space opera with a sense of vast scope, populated with an array of beautifully differentiated intelligences both organic and artificial… this is a thick and satisfying 10-course meal of starchy pageantry, meaty characters, bitter losses, and sweet romance.’ — Publishers Weekly on SEEDS OF EARTH

‘The story is huge, complex and moves between its varied cast with assured purpose… a tightly plotted, action packed epic that leaves you wanting more.’ — SciFi Now on SEEDS OF EARTH

‘Cobley writes energetic space opera, rarely dallying with sentiment and mostly assaulting the reader with exotic locations and sudden skirmishes. There are joyous moments of invention but overall there’s too much going on… Fortunately, as the saga progresses, THE ORPHANED WORLDS begins knotting some of the threads together – it still feels like an over-shaken can of fizzy diet Banks…’ — SFX

‘Fast and exciting… an excellent middle book in the trilogy, expanding on SEEDS OF EARTH and setting everything in place for a thrilling conclusion.’ — Waterstone’s Book Quaterly on THE ORPHANED WORLDS

‘THE ASCENDANT STARS is the culminating book in the Humanity’s Fire trilogy, a space opera of mind-bending depth and scope which sets complexly thought-out alien races and chilling cyborg armies against humans riven by competing political philosophies and agendas. The result is a marvellously readable examination of people under extreme stress, a convincing depiction of startlingly alien aliens, and a mature political analysis often lacking in the genre. Cobley expertly juggles multiple plot-lines and brings them to thematically satisfying conclusions while providing the landmark trilogy with a thrilling finale.’ — Guardian

The fourth, stand-alone novel in the series, ANCESTRAL MACHINES, was published earlier this year, also by Orbit Books.

Michael’s first trilogy, the grimdark fantasy Shadowkings series, is available in eBook.