I knew this one would be intriguing right from the get-go. I mean, who wouldn't have interest in a book with the premise of the whole earth's population disappearing without a trace? With no explanation.
Not exactly what four astronauts from Mars want to come home to. But it's exactly what happens, and we spend the whole book discovering along with them what really took place.
I'm not a sci-fi die hard or anything, but I just can't resist a good speculative title like this. Robin managed to hold my interest, like he did with his first novel Relentless. Towards the end I had to stretch my imagination a little, but really. This whole premise is about blowing our disbelief out of the water. A great summer novel!
And guess what? I'm giving away a copy. Just leave me a comment with your favorite Christian speculative fiction title, and I'll enter your name in the drawing. Winner will be picked next Monday.
Try Fear by James Scott Bell (July, Center Street)
Bell grabbed my attention with Book #1 in this series (Try Dying) and held it through Book #2 (Try Darkness). Can't wait to see what lawyer Ty Buchanan is up to in this next installment. I'm sure of one thing--it'll be a ride!
Intervention by Terri Blackstock (October, Zondervan)
As a fan of the TV show, I'm intrigued right off the bat with this one. Here's the publisher's description: Barbara Covington has one more chance to save her daughter from a devastating addiction: staging an intervention. But when eighteen-year-old Emily disappears on the way to drug treatment—and her interventionist is found dead at the airport—Barbara enters her darkest nightmare of all.
I've been a fan of Tim Downs ever since his first novel, Shoofly Pie. This next book is another Bugman novel, and I can't wait! Publisher's description says: Dr. Nick Polchak is called to a farm community in eastern North Carolina to investigate a murder. The victim is the owner of a failing organic farm who had developed a drug problem, and the police think his murder is drug-related.
Singer wowed me with his last novel By Reason of Insanity, and I'm guessing it's more of the same great stuff here! Plus there was a very interesting marketing plan for this one---fans got to vote on the final outcome. Looking forward to seeing if my vote was the majority. :)
The high-concept of this novel has totally grabbed me. Check it out: The return of NASA's first manned mission to Mars was supposed to be a momentous day. But when the crew loses touch with ground control before entry, things look bleak. Safe after a treacherous landing, the crew emerges to discover the unthinkable--every man, woman, child, and animal has vanished without a trace. Alone now on their home planet, the crew sets out to discover where everyone has gone--and how to get them back--only to discover they may not be as alone as they thought.
I read Jordan's novel Forsaken and became an immediate fan. Publisher summary: Raised by a father who was a former Special Forces officer, Taylor is beautiful and brilliant and knows how to take care of herself. But she is haunted by her past and the sacrifice her father made to save her from a brutal rape when she was seventeen. After a controversial stint in the Secret Service, she has become the most prominent private security specialist in America. When she discovers the body of a former client’s top assistant, all the evidence points to embezzlement and suicide. But Taylor has no way of knowing that her mother, who ran out when Taylor was nine, is about to reappear and lead her down a twisting path of danger and deceit. It’s a road that won’t end until they reach the spot where Taylor’s father died—where Taylor learns some sacrifices can never be earned.
What are some novels you're looking forward to reading? Let me know in the comments!
All good things must come to an end, and with Merciless it's The Dominion Trilogy by Robin Parrish.
Starting with Relentless, continuing with Fearless, and now finishing with Merciless, the Dominion Trilogy has been quite a ride.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Robin Parrish had two great ambitions in his life: to have a family, and to be a published novelist. In March of 2005, he proposed to his future wife the same week he signed his first book contract.
More than ten years he spent writing for various websites, including About.com, CMCentral.com, and Infuze Magazine, which is a unique intersection between art and faith which he also conceived of and created.
One of his more "high concept" ideas for Infuze was to return to his love for storytelling and create a serialized tale that would play out every two weeks, telling a complete, compelling story over the course of nine months. That serialized story eventually came to the attention of several publishers, who saw it as a potential debut novel for Robin Parrish.
In 2005, Bethany House Publishers brought Robin full circle by contracting him for the rights to not only that first book, Relentless -- but two sequels including Fearless and Merciless. A trilogy that unfolded in the consecutive summers of 2006, 2007, and this year, 2008. One massive tale -- of which that first, original story would form only the foundational first volume of the three -- spread across three books.
Robin Parrish is a journalist who's written about pop culture for more than a decade. He and his wife, Karen and son live in North Carolina.
And the winner is...
