Chandler Birch has written a book to fall in love with on his first outing. In 2014, Simon & Schuster held a contest for emerging speculative fiction writers; The Facefaker's Game was the winner. Chandler Birch was 22. He will be 24 when the book is published in November. And folks, what a book!
Just briefly: a young protagonist, a world so well done that you adapt immediately, terrific characters, and a plot that kept me happily engrossed.
I'll do another mention closer to time for publication, but you can pre-order now.
The cover may change. I notice on Amazon, there is no cover image, but I would not have chosen this one based on the cover. The description is what caught my attention, and I was not disappointed. In fact, it was so much more than what I could have expected.
“It’s Les Miserables meets Harry Potter in Atlantis with the protagonist as the Tenth Doctor, but as a teenager,” mused Birch in a Skype interview. “Ashes is the main character and gets in way over his head.” (source)
Highly recommended!
NetGalley/Simon & Schuster
Fantasy. Nov. 1, 2016. Print length: 464 pages.
Already a winner at 22. That's awesome. Good for him. I just wonder how long it will take my library to buy this book. :)
ReplyDeleteTry to get it on NetGalley first. I thought of you when I was reading it; I think you would really enjoy it!
DeleteI'm so glad you liked this one, Jenclair! I was just approved for it this weekend, so it was pleasant surprise to see your post today. :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it, too! I believe there will be more of Ashes and Candlestick Jack to come, but there is no cliffhanger, just the feeling that these characters have more adventures ahead. :)
DeleteThis definitely sounds like a winner but truth be told, that cover didn't catch my attention at first glance. ;-p Still, I'm glad I read your post so I know what kind of a story this is and will check it out when it is released.
ReplyDeleteThe cover did not grab my attention at all, so I'm glad I decided to read the description. When I was posting the link to Amazon, I noticed that there was no image, so maybe a more appealing cover will follow. And there you go--the importance of a good cover makes a huge difference!
DeleteI read the blurb and then the news article you linked to about this author, and I'm psyched to read this when it releases. I love that a young author is getting a chance to shine. I liked his quote about not "aping Tolkien" as so many others do in fantasy. I love LOTR but love originality.
ReplyDeleteHe really is a talented author, Rita! I, too, like to see that a young author can create a fascinating fantasy world and be recognized for his talent. :)
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