In this episode I catch up with James who is still in America, with some final thoughts on the US tour and the experience over there. We chat about the possibility of competitive games being played there in the future, as well as catching up on all the latest from the transfer market (inwards and outwards). We also have questions about what it means when Mikel Arteta pushes hard for a specific player, what the future holds for Fabio Vieira, whether we have any concerns over the manager's contractual situation, and lots more.

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In this episode we chat about the 2-0 win over Lyon in the Emirates Cup, and focus on how a familiar looking team won a game in a familiar way as our set-piece prowess was on show again. There's discussion of some key individuals, the debut for Riccardo Calafiori, and whether the absence of Eddie Nketiah is a signal about his future as rumours involving Marseille continue. We also answer listener questions about positions and skill-sets, what Arsenal still need to do in the transfer window ahead of the new season, Pedro Neto and Mykhaylo Mudryk, our preferred starting XI for Wolves, and lots more.

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In this episode we chat about the 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday. We discuss the opening day performance in the context of a tournament summer, the impact of Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, David Raya's big moment, and some of the issues that we experienced in the game which we can certainly improve on ahead of our next match. We also talk about how Wolves were lucky not to have a man sent off, before we answer listener questions about Declan Rice as the 6, Thomas Partey, whether we have enough up front for the season ahead, the future of Jakub Kiwior after he didn't make the squad on Saturday, and lots more.

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In this episode we recap the 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday evening, which was a strange game with lots of incident. We discuss the big chances the home side missed, as well as waxing lyrical about the quality of David Raya's second half save from Ollie Watkins. We also chat about how the introduction of Leandro Trossard changed the game from an Arsenal perspective, and how he has likely played himself into the starting XI for the next game against Brighton. We talk about Ben White and William Saliba, and answer questions about what Arsenal need to do in the final week of the transfer window, what this season holds for Jorginho, and lots more.

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In this episode we look back at the 1-1 draw with Brighton on Saturday, chatting first about how the game was going with Kai Havertz's excellent goal putting us in front, before we turn to the big incident: the Declan Rice red card. We discuss the referee's decision, and the consequences for the player and the team – which aren't limited to just this game. Then we talk about Arsenal's response, the goal we conceded, and the chances we had to take all three points. After the break there are questions about the transfer window, the arrival of Raheem Sterling and the window as a whole, Rice's role in this team which is now complicated by the Mikel Merino injury, a left-hand choice between Martinelli, Trossard and Sterling, and lots more.

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In this Interlull episode we take stock of what's been going on in this international break, from Declan Rice scoring against his former country, to Riccardo Calafiori suffering a ridiculous injury while playing for Italy against France. We take stock of all the players in action, before we examine our summer transfer predictions to gauge how wrong we were now that it has all played out. Then there are listener questions about players potentially going on strike, Leandro Trossard's future, what we might do without Rice for the North London derby, there's the Player Ratings game, and lots more.

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In this episode we look back at the 1-0 North London Derby win on Sunday, making it three in a row at the Toilet Bowl. We examine how, in the absence of key players, Mikel Arteta leaned into the Gunners' defensive strength to keep the opposition at bay – a demanding approach that asked a lot from every player on the pitch. We chat about missed opportunities, elements of the performance that weren't perfect, and a team that fights for each other in every aspect of the game. There's discussion of key moments, not least Gabriel's goal, and the importance of winning this one with the players we had available. Then we have questions about the Man City case, Bukayo Saka and his contributions at both ends, the tactics we deployed, and lots more.

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In this episode we look back at the 2-2 draw with Man City on Sunday, discussing the early stages of the game in which the home side dominated, before we talk about the moments that changed the game. Rodri's injury seemed to spark Arsenal into life, and we scored twice through Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel to go 2-1 up, before another contentious red card decision saw us play the second half with 10 men. We chat about that sending off, the heroic defensive effort, the late equaliser, and whether or not this game signified a shift in the rivalry between the two sides. Then there are questions about Myles Lewis-Skelly, our potential Carabao Cup team, David Raya, Gabriel Jesus and lots more.

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In this episode we look back at the action packed 4-2 win over Leicester on Saturday. It looked like it would be a routine win with Arsenal leading 2-0 at the break, but two goals for the visitors meant we had to keep plugging away to win it in injury time. We chat about the way the game turned, the Gunners response, an extraordinary goalkeeping display which played a big part in frustrating us after what was a very intense attacking performance from Mikel Arteta's team. There's discussion of those aspects, how the two full-backs were so important to that, the team's mentality, plus listener questions about Gabriel Jesus, Pep Guardiola's reaction to Arteta's comments, some recently departed young players, Ethan Nwaneri starting against Southampton and lots more.

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In this episode we look back at the 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday. We discuss the decision to start Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, and how much of an impact that had on a first half which Arsenal dominated but without enough cutting edge. We chat about the goal we conceded and the emphatic response from the team in the shape of Kai Havertz's equaliser, Gabriel Martinelli getting on the scoresheet again, the continued brilliance of Bukayo Saka, and how Mikel Arteta might reflect on these last two games as we go into an Interlull. There are questions about Gabriel Jesus, some defensive instability, Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice, and lots more.

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In this Interlull episode we chat about the Arsenal players who have been on international duty, including Bukayo Saka who has returned home after picking up a small injury with England. There's discussion of Martin Odegaard amid rumours of a set-back, a little chat about a difficult week for Arsenal Women, and Graeme Souness's comments about Arsene Wenger. Then in part two we answer questions about over-saturation of football, the introduction of half-time interviews from next season, more legal wrangling, and because it's an Interlull there's an abundance of other nonsense involving James' dramatic reading of song lyrics, sandwiches, sweetcorn, wormholes, and lots more.

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In this episode we look back at Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth. We start with discussion of the starting XI, before moving to the big incident which saw William Saliba sent off for apparently denying a goalscoring opportunity. There's chat about that decision and how Mikel Arteta reacted and reshaped his team, Gabriel Martinelli's miss, the goals we conceded, the delay in making a change when we went 1-0 down, and Ethan Nwaneri's cameo. Then there are listener questions about officiating/PGMOL, how we set up against Liverpool next weekend without Saliba, how heightened expectations impact how we feel about losing games, and lots more.

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In this episode we look back at Sunday's 2-2 draw against Liverpool. We chat about the impact on Bukayo Saka on his return to the team, with an outstanding goal, and Arsenal's response to the Liverpool equaliser. Mikel Merino gave us a deserved lead at the break, but in the second half the performance levels dropped a bit so we analyse the reasons for that, key of which was the loss of Gabriel, as well as finishing the game with a very makeshift back-four. We also discuss the second Liverpool goal, some of the officiating decisions, and how to view the result in the context of the season so far. Then there are questions about what kind of team to pick for the Carabao Cup, media narratives, the framing of Mikel Arteta's style as a manager, and lots more.

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In this episode we look back at Saturday's disappointing 1-0 defeat away at Newcastle. We discuss the team selection, the lack of any kind of attacking threat after we went behind, and try to understand why collectively and individually we had such a bad day. Has all the juice been squeezed from the lemon? And where does this leave the team with more difficult away games this week? We also take listener questions about the reported departure of Edu from his role as Sporting Director, whether the team needs more pace, and lots more

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In this episode we look back at Sunday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. We chat about the return of Martin Odegaard and his influence on the team, going ahead and letting the lead slip again, tight offside decisions and missed chances, how to view a point away from home in the context of the game, and well the season so far. We also discuss the analysis of the team and the way it has played this campaign, with lots of issues to deal with but also plenty of room for improvement. Then there are listener questions about the future of Gabriel Jesus, whether Odegaard should play for Norway during the Interlull, the amount of goals we're conceding, the January window, and lots more.

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It all starts with the anything-but-smooth introduction...

An artist's rendering of a black hole

Did you know that advanced threat actors can infiltrate the identity systems of major organizations and extract sensitive data within days? It’s a chilling reality, becoming more common and concerning by the day. These attackers exploit vulnerabilities in SaaS and cloud environments, using compromised identities to move laterally within networks, causing widespread damage. Cybersecurity and IT

Google has warned that a security flaw impacting its Android operating system has come under active exploitation in the wild. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-43093, has been described as a privilege escalation flaw in the Android Framework component that could result in unauthorized access to "Android/data," "Android/obb," and "Android/sandbox" directories, and their respective

Canadian law enforcement authorities have arrested an individual who is suspected to have conducted a series of hacks stemming from the breach of cloud data warehousing platform Snowflake earlier this year. The individual in question, Alexander "Connor" Moucka (aka Judische and Waifu), was apprehended on October 30, 2024, on the basis of a provisional arrest warrant, following a request by the

Over 1,500 Android devices have been infected by a new strain of Android banking malware called ToxicPanda that allows threat actors to conduct fraudulent banking transactions. "ToxicPanda's main goal is to initiate money transfers from compromised devices via account takeover (ATO) using a well-known technique called on-device fraud (ODF)," Cleafy researchers Michele Roviello, Alessandro Strino

An ongoing threat campaign dubbed VEILDrive has been observed taking advantage of legitimate services from Microsoft, including Teams, SharePoint, Quick Assist, and OneDrive, as part of its modus operandi. "Leveraging Microsoft SaaS services — including Teams, SharePoint, Quick Assist, and OneDrive — the attacker exploited the trusted infrastructures of previously compromised organizations to

The China-aligned threat actor known as MirrorFace has been observed targeting a diplomatic organization in the European Union, marking the first time the hacking crew has targeted an entity in the region. "During this attack, the threat actor used as a lure the upcoming World Expo, which will be held in 2025 in Osaka, Japan," ESET said in its APT Activity Report for the period April to

An ongoing phishing campaign is employing copyright infringement-related themes to trick victims into downloading a newer version of the Rhadamanthys information stealer since July 2024. Cybersecurity firm Check Point is tracking the large-scale campaign under the name CopyRh(ight)adamantys. Targeted regions include the United States, Europe, East Asia, and South America. "The campaign

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Thursday added a now-patched critical security flaw impacting Palo Alto Networks Expedition to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, citing evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-5910 (CVSS score: 9.3), concerns a case of missing authentication in the Expedition migration tool that

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a new malware campaign that infects Windows systems with a Linux virtual instance containing a backdoor capable of establishing remote access to the compromised hosts. The "intriguing" campaign, codenamed CRON#TRAP, starts with a malicious Windows shortcut (LNK) file likely distributed in the form of a ZIP archive via a phishing email. "What makes the CRON#

A new campaign has targeted the npm package repository with malicious JavaScript libraries that are designed to infect Roblox users with open-source stealer malware such as Skuld and Blank-Grabber. "This incident highlights the alarming ease with which threat actors can launch supply chain attacks by exploiting trust and human error within the open source ecosystem, and using readily available

The threat actors behind the AndroxGh0st malware are now exploiting a broader set of security flaws impacting various internet-facing applications, while also deploying the Mozi botnet malware. "This botnet utilizes remote code execution and credential-stealing methods to maintain persistent access, leveraging unpatched vulnerabilities to infiltrate critical infrastructures," CloudSEK said in a

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new phishing campaign that spreads a new fileless variant of known commercial malware called Remcos RAT. Remcos RAT "provides purchases with a wide range of advanced features to remotely control computers belonging to the buyer," Fortinet FortiGuard Labs researcher Xiaopeng Zhang said in an analysis published last week. "However, threat actors have

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a new ransomware family called Ymir that was deployed in an attack two days after systems were compromised by a stealer malware called RustyStealer. "Ymir ransomware introduces a unique combination of technical features and tactics that enhance its effectiveness," Russian cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky said. "Threat actors leveraged an unconventional blend

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed new security flaws impacting Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop that could be exploited to achieve unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE) The issue, per findings from watchTowr, is rooted in the Session Recording component that allows system administrators to capture user activity, and record keyboard and mouse input, along with a video stream of the

Microsoft on Tuesday revealed that two security flaws impacting Windows NT LAN Manager (NTLM) and Task Scheduler have come under active exploitation in the wild. The security vulnerabilities are among the 90 security bugs the tech giant addressed as part of its Patch Tuesday update for November 2024. Of the 90 flaws, four are rated Critical, 85 are rated Important, and one is rated Moderate in

…remind them of this. I was recently reading “Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans” by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager. The War of 1812 was going badly for the Americans. The British had burned the White House, and a huge contingent of British troops was in Louisiana planning to march north in conquest. […]

It is possible, even likely, that we will not have a projected winner of the presidential race on Nov. 5 – Election Day. And that doesn't mean there's something nefarious going on with the vote-counting.

The post Election Night Expectations appeared first on FactCheck.org.

You can now download Peter F. Hamilton's Pandora's Star for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars, contains more than six hundred worlds interconnected by a web of transport “tunnels” known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: over one thousand light-years away, a star . . . disappears. Since the location is too distant to reach by wormhole, the Second Chance, a faster-than-light starship commanded by Wilson Kime, a five-times-rejuvenated ex-NASA pilot, is dispatched to learn what has occurred and whether it represents a threat.

Opposed to the mission are the Guardians of Selfhood, led by Bradley Johansson. Shortly after the journey begins, Kime wonders if the crew of the Second Chance has been infiltrated. But soon enough he will have other worries. Halfway across the galaxy, something truly incredible is waiting: a deadly discovery whose unleashing will threaten to destroy the Commonwealth . . . and humanity itself.

Here's the blurb:

The mind-blowing new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion—currently in development as a motion picture at Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners

“You are the next step in human evolution.”

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.

Here's the blurb:

Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first volume in the new swashbuckling fantasy series set in the universe of THE GREATCOATS.

Damelas Chademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.

He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles - until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city's most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.

With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who'd just as soon see him dead, this failed grandson of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.

Oh, and there's still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him . . .

Now that I've read it, I can tell you that my fears were unfounded. Indeed, the book isn't a novelization of the videogame and it takes place thousands of years before. Hence, other than sharing that far-reaching universe, one can fully enjoy the book without playing the game and vice versa. Moreover, I'm pleased to report that Exodus delivers on all fronts and that it's Hamilton's best novel in years! For my money, it's the best SFF work of 2024 thus far!

Here's the blurb:

Explore EXODUS, a new sci-fi action-adventure RPG coming soon from Archetype Entertainment featured in this epic novel from legendary author Peter F. Hamilton.

Forty thousand years ago, humanity fled a dying Earth. Traveling in massive arkships, these brave pioneers spread out across the galaxy to find a new home. After traveling thousands of light-years, one fleet of arkships arrived at Centauri, a dense cluster of stars with a vast array of potentially habitable planets. The survivors of Earth signaled to the remaining arkships that humanity had finally found its new home among the stars.

Thousands of years later, the Centauri Cluster has flourished. The original settlers have evolved into advanced beings known as Celestials and divided themselves into powerful Dominions. One of the most influential is that of the Crown Celestials, an alliance of five great houses that controls vast areas of Centauri. As arkships continue to arrive, the remaining humans and their descendants must fight for survival against overwhelming odds or be forced into serving the Crown Dominion.

Among those yearning for a better life is Finn, for whom Earth is not a memory but merely a footnote from humanity’s ancient history. Born on one of the Crown Dominion worlds, Finn has known nothing but the repressive rule of the Celestials, though he dreams of the possibility of boundless space beyond his home.

When another arkship from Earth, previously thought lost, unexpectedly arrives, Finn sees his chance to embrace a greater destiny and become a Traveler—one of a group of brave heroes dedicated to ensuring humanity’s future by journeying into the vast unknown of distant space.

Like all previous series/novels by Peter F. Hamilton, the Archimedes Engine duology is vast in scope and vision. Covering more than 40,000 years, from the time the first arkships left Earth to the present day political intrigue within and withour the Centauri Cluster, the worldbuilding is extensive to say the least. Alas, some of the information the reader requires must needs be conveyed via info-dumps. Having said that, the author managed to avoid that particular pitfall for the most part and the majority of the details/revelations are shared in a more streamlined fashion. Such info-dumps, few and far between as they are, act like a necessary evil and can't truly be avoided entirely. Given its size, there is a lot to take in from the disparate storyines of Exodus. Especially at the beginning, and it does take about 200-250 pages for the players to be introduced and the plotlines to be set into motion. To say that this novel features a multilayered plot would be the understatement of the year. Thankfully, there is a timeline and a Dramatis Personae at the start of the book. I rarely say this, but this is a work that would have benefited from having a substantial glossary at the end. Still, overall Hamilton does a good job of keeping his readers apprised of what they need to know throughout.

As mentioned, there are several storylines and it does take a while for a somewhat cohesive whole to take form. The heart of the tale that is Exodus seems to revolve around the Crown Dominion, comprised of six adjacent star systems ruled by a different House. Centuries before, one of the Queens launched a subversive campaign to evolve the Imperial Celestials in a fashion that was anathema to the others, forcing her counterparts to united their forces and destroy her and her entire House. Since then, the five remaining Queens signed the Imperial Accord and each of them in turn will rule as Empress for sixty years. But cracks have appeared in this alliance and external factors have come into play to destabilize the entire Crown Dominion. Since the Remnant Era, which saw the violent rise and fall of interstellar civilizations through atrocious wars that saw countless worlds laid waste, armed conflicts have become extremely rare. Every Dominion has its Archons and their agents and this Cold War is waged through their proxies. This unwritten rule has defined intra- and extra-Dominion antagonism for millennia, yet someone appears to be fomenting chaos that could start a new war and various Archons are now trying to discover which Dominion could be the culprit. Finally, the relationship between humans and the various transhuman species that have evolved to become the Celestials is the third main story arc of Exodus. Some Celestials see them as little more than chattel, while others have given them lands and liberties. But for some, it's not enough. When the arkship Diligent arrives in the Kelowan system after a 40,000-year sojourn through space, Josias Aponi, a man who has walked on Old Earth, will not settle for a life of servitude under the woke of an oppressive regime. And Finn, who dreams of seeing the stars and living the exciting life of a Traveler, sees the arrival of the arkship as his ticket out of his boring existence. And behind all these contrasting and seemingly unconnected storylines, someone or something is manipulating events. To what end? This remains a mystery. . .

Given the number of plotlines, there are a multitude of perspectives that witness events throughout the novel. Some POVs are better and more interesting than others, yet I would say that all are probably important for the author to convey everything that needs to be shared. There is a lot going on all across the Centauri Cluster, so various eyes and ears are necessary to follow the action and make sure that it all makes sense in the end. I found Finn to be an annoying, entitled brat at the beginning. But he does grow on you as time goes by, especially after Ellie knocks a bit of sense into him. Which was Hamilton's plan all along, I'm sure. I found everything that has to do with the Queens of the Crown Dominion to be a bit irritating, to be honest. Though the Hunger Games-esque trials of the Congregant daughters were compelling, if a little overdone. Personally, it's the Archons and their espionage that I found the most captivating. Hence, my favorite character was probably officer Terence Wilson-Fletcher, a human detective who becomes an Archon's agent. The sections featuring him are more police procedural than space opera, but it's through his actions and discoveries that the plot becomes clearer and clearer. I'm still not sure how/why the fight for human rights angle was necessary. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

One would expect a 900+ pages doorstopper to suffer from certain pacing issues, yet you'd be wrong in this case. As mentioned above, it does take quite some time for the overall plot to take shape, and Hamilton needed more than 200 pages to lay the groundwork for everything that comes after, but I wouldn't say that the rhythm is ever an issue. True, some chapters move at a faster clip than others, but I never found the pace to be a problem. If anything, Exodus might be one of the fastest novels of its size that I've ever read. The author had me hook, bait, and sinker from the get-go, so I always wanted to learn more and more.

I won't lie, the cliffhanger ending was frustrating. And yet, Peter F. Hamilton came up with a thrilling endgame and a rousing finale that closed the show with panache. Seriously, the last 200 pages or so made for compulsive reading. After such a page-turning experience, I just wish I didn't have to wait till next year for the conclusion!

Exodus is space opera at its best!

The final verdict: 9/10

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

For those interested in the Exodus action-adventure RPG, check out their website.

Here's the blurb:

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Windup Girl and The Water Knife comes a sweeping literary historical fantasy about the young scion from a ruling-class family who faces rebellion as he ascends to power.

"You must be as sharp as a stilettotore’s dagger and as subtle as a fish beneath the waters. This is what it is to be Navolese, this is what it is to be di Regulai."

In Navola, a bustling city-state dominated by a handful of influential families, business is power, and power is everything. For generations, the di Regulai family—merchant bankers with a vast empire—has nurtured tendrils that stretch to the farthest reaches of the known world. And though they claim not to be political, their staggering wealth has bought cities and toppled kingdoms. Soon, Davico di Regulai will be expected to take the reins of power from his father and demonstrate his mastery of the games of Navolese diplomacy: knowing who to trust and who to doubt, and how to read what lies hidden behind a smile. But in Navola, strange and ancient undercurrents lurk behind the gilt and grandeur—like the fossilized dragon eye in the family’s possession, a potent symbol of their raw power and a talisman that seems to be summoning Davico to act.

As tensions rise and the events unfold, Davico will be tested to his limits. His fate depends on the eldritch dragon relic and on what lies buried in the heart of his adopted sister, Celia di Balcosi, whose own family was destroyed by Nalova’s twisted politics. With echoes of Renaissance Italy, The Godfather, and Game of Thrones, Navola is a stunning feat of world-building and a mesmerizing depiction of drive and will.

You can now download R. Scott Bakker's The Darkness That Comes Before for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

A score of centuries has passed since the First Apocalypse. The No-God has been vanquished and the thoughts of men have turned, inevitably, to more worldly concerns...Drusas Achamian, tormented by 2,000 year old nightmares, is a sorcerer and a spy, constantly seeking news of an ancient enemy that few believe still exists. Ikurei Conphas, nephew to the Nansur Emperor, is the Exalt-General of the Imperial Army and a military genius. He plots to conquer the known world for his Emperor and dreams of the throne for himself. Maithanet, mysterious and charismatic, is spiritual leader of the Thousand Temples. He seeks a Holy War to cleanse the land of the infidel. Cnaiur, Chieftain of the Utemot, is a Scylvendi barbarian. Rejected by his people, he seeks vengeance against the former slave who slew his father, and disgraced him in the eyes of his tribe. Into this world steps Anasurimbor Kellhus, the product of two thousand years of breeding and a lifetime of training in the ways of thought, limb, and face. Steering souls through the subtleties of word and expression, he slowly binds all - man and woman, emperor and slave - to his own mysterious ends. But the fate of men - even great men - means little when the world itself may soon be torn asunder. Behind the politics, beneath the imperialist expansion, amongst the religious fervour, a dark and ancient evil is reawakening. After two thousand years, the No-God is returning. The Second Apocalypse is nigh. And one cannot raise walls against what has been forgotten...

You can now download Guy Gavriel Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan -- poet, diplomat, soldier -- until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever.

Meanwhile, in the north, the conquered Jaddites' most celebrated -- and feared -- military leader, Rodrigo Belmonte, driven into exile, leads his mercenary company south.

In the dangerous lands of Al-Rassan, these two men from different worlds meet and serve -- for a time -- the same master. Sharing their interwoven fate -- and increasingly torn by her feelings -- is Jehane, the accomplished court physician, whose own skills play an increasing role as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond.

Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, The Lions of Al-Rassan is both a brilliant adventure and a deeply compelling story of love, divided loyalties, and what happens to men and women when hardening beliefs begin to remake -- or destroy -- a world.

Here's the blurb:

A collection of shockingly prescient stories covering topics from aliens to AI, including some that have never before been seen, from the New York Times best-selling author of the Silo trilogy

Hugh Howey is known for crafting riveting and immersive page-turners of boundless imagination, spawning millions of fans worldwide, first with his best-selling novel Wool, and then with other enthralling works such as Sand and Beacon 23.

Now comes Machine Learning, an impressive collection of Howey’s science fiction and fantasy short fiction, including three stories set in the world of Wool, two never-before-published tales written exclusively for this volume, and fifteen additional stories collected here for the first time. "Glitch" asks what happens when a battle bot refuses to fight. “The Automated Ones” introduces ideas of discrimination in a world populated by both humans and AI, and its sequel “WHILE (u > i) i –;” explores the challenges a human woman and an android face after falling in love. In "Select Character" a new mother who is bored with being stuck at home starts playing her husbands' video game according to her own rules-- and makes a surprising discovery. These stories explore everything from artificial intelligence to parallel universes to video games, and each story is accompanied by an author’s note exploring the background and genesis of each story.

Howey’s incisive mind makes Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories a compulsively readable and thought-provoking selection of short works—from a modern master at the top of his game.

Here's the blurb:

Three fantasy novels of war and wizardry by a “fabulously talented” New York Times–bestselling author (Charlaine Harris).

In The Ladies of Mandrigyn, a brilliant mercenary must lead his army against the forces of the most powerful wizard alive. Gifted with courage, strength, and the intelligence to know when to fight, Sun Wolf is the greatest mercenary in a land overrun by war. With his first lieutenant, Starhawk, at his side, he has laid waste to countless cities, taking the best of their treasures for himself, and distributing the rest among his bloodthirsty crew.

Then a woman comes to him, an emissary from the town of Mandrigyn, a lush port city recently sacked by a powerful, mad wizard of unmatched abilities. She offers Sun Wolf untold riches for the use of his army, but the captain is not fool enough to wage war against a magician. He refuses her offer, but that is not the end of it. The women of Mandrigyn can be very persuasive.

In The Witches of Wenshar, to harness his newfound magical powers, Sun Wolf must cross the desert in search of a witch who can teach him the ways of sorcery. Accompanied by his lieutenant, Starhawk, he travels across the forbidding desert to the land of Wenshar, where witchcraft is said to flourish. There he seeks out a witch with powers far beyond her years, who is rumored to have mastered the ancient art of white magic. But when he and Starhawk finally reach her, there is evil in the air—an evil against which all their might is useless. Sun Wolf must learn to harness his newfound powers—or be taken by this sinister trap.

In The Dark Hand of Magic, Sun Wolf must use his immature magical powers to rescue his old army from an evil wizard’s curse. A string of rotten luck has befallen his old crew’s latest campaign, and they have begun to suspect a curse. Their arrows break; their food rots; their tunnels cave in. They have heard rumors of Sun Wolf’s magical abilities, and beg for his help. But when he goes after whatever is targeting his men, he finds himself up against the deadliest force he has ever encountered.

Here's the blurb:

New York Times Bestseller

From Neal Stephenson—who coined the term “metaverse” in his 1992 novel Snow Crash—comes a sweeping, prescient new thriller that transports readers to a near-future world in which the greenhouse effect has inexorably resulted in a whirling-dervish troposphere of superstorms, rising sea levels, global flooding, merciless heat waves, and virulent, deadly pandemics.

One man—visionary billionaire restaurant chain magnate T. R. Schmidt, Ph.D.—has a Big Idea for reversing global warming, a master plan perhaps best described as “elemental.” But will it work? And just as important, what are the consequences for the planet and all of humanity should it be applied?

Ranging from the Texas heartland to the Dutch royal palace in the Hague, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the sunbaked Chihuahuan Desert, Termination Shock brings together a disparate group of characters from different cultures and continents who grapple with the real-life repercussions of global warming. Ultimately, it asks the question: Might the cure be worse than the disease?

Epic in scope while heartbreakingly human in perspective, Termination Shock sounds a clarion alarm, ponders potential solutions and dire risks, and wraps it all together in an exhilarating, witty, mind-expanding speculative adventure.

You can now download Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

The three next installments, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn, and The Shadow Rising are also on sale.

Here's the blurb:

The Wheel of Time ® is a PBS Great American Read Selection! Now in development for TV!

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs—a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts— five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

Here's the blurb:

Dragonlord Linden Rathan, last-born of a race of immortal weredragons, has spent six hundred years alone, searching for his soultwin while his fellow Dragonlords watch over humanity’s Five Kingdoms.

When the Queen of Cassori dies mysteriously, Linden and the other Dragonlords are called upon to prevent civil war as two human claimants vie for the regency. As the battle for Cassori rule escalates, Linden becomes the target of the Fellowship, a secret society of true-humans who could actually destroy his immortal life.

Then he meets a beautiful young ship captain named Maurynna who may be the only one who can help Linden bring Cassori back from the brink of chaos. The Last Dragonlord is the debut novel in Joanne Bertin’s acclaimed Dragonlord series.


You can also download Greg Bear's Eon for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

In a supernova flash, the asteroid arrived and entered Earth’s orbit. Three hundred kilometers in length, it is not solid rock but a series of hollowed-out chambers housing ancient, abandoned cities of human origin, a civilization named Thistledown. The people who lived there survived a nuclear holocaust that nearly rendered humanity extinct—more than a thousand years from now.

To prevent this future from coming to pass, theoretical mathematician Patricia Vasquez must explore Thistledown and decipher its secret history. But what she discovers is an even greater mystery, a tunnel that exists beyond the physical dimensions of the asteroid. Called the Way, it leads to the home of humanity’s descendants, and to a conflict greater than the impending war between Earth’s superpowers over the fate of the asteroid, in “the grandest work yet” by Nebula Award–winning author Greg Bear (Locus).

Here's the blurb:

INTRODUCING
HONOR HARRINGTON

Having made him look a fool, she's been exiled to Basilisk Station in disgrace and set up for ruin by a superior who hates her.

Her demoralized crew blames her for their ship's humiliating posting to an out-of-the-way picket station.

The aborigines of the system's only habitable planet are smoking homicide-inducing hallucinogens.

Parliament isn't sure it wants to keep the place; the major local industry is smuggling; the merchant cartels want her head; the star-conquering, so-called "Republic" of Haven is Up To Something; and Honor Harrington has a single, over-age light cruiser with an armament that doesn't work to police the entire star system.

But the people out to get her have made one mistake. They've made her mad.

At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (DRM Rights Management).