Jennifer Jackson – Literary Agent

Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal

Lady Jane and Sir David Vincent, a husband and wife team of glamourists, accept a commission in London and take Jane’s sister with them, in hopes of broadening her prospects for marriage; in the process, they become embroiled in treasonous conspiracies and familial tribulations that threaten far more than their marital content.

England in 1816 is cold and dreary, and staying with her family for an extended visit is a pleasure wearing thin for Jane and her husband. When they are invited to London to create a glamural (a mural created by magic, or “glamour”) in the ballroom of a baron, the couple accepts. Melody, Jane’s younger, unmarried sister, has few prospects in their rural neighborhood, so they take her with them. Melody meets Mr. O’Brien, son and heir to their client, and they are mutually interested. Jane learns the family is Irish Catholic, however, and discourages a match. More disturbing, Jane meets Vincent’s father, an earl who cast his son off when he pursued the art of glamour. Despite the couple’s success, including commissions from the Prince Regent himself, the Earl of Verbury maintains a cool attitude with them, which moves toward malice as the plot unfolds. Events in England are tumultuous. It is the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, which affects society in unexpected ways, and the unseemly weather (based on actual historic events related to the eruption of Mt. Tambora) creates even more unrest and uncertainty, which place Jane, Vincent and Mr. O’Brien in dangerous territory.

Kowal has penned a wonderful Regency romance/fantasy crossover with fascinating tidbits of and nods to history. The characters are unique and authentic, whether they are heroes or villains, and include a surprising degree of human foible. At the heart of the successful story are an intriguing world built around a clever concept of everyday magic and a sweet, unconventional marriage of two oddly yet perfectly matched partners. A creative, elegantly crafted novel that combines magical elements, historical intrigue, and both a broad and an intimate canvas of human weakness and virtue. –Kirkus Reviews

Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Meg Corbyn is a cassandra sangue, a blood prophet who sees the future when her skin is cut. Along with others like her, she has lived under the tight reins of her Controllers, with no actual experiences of the real world. Knowing that eventually blood prophets lose their usefulness and, usually, their lives, Meg seeks refuge at the Lakeside Courtyard, a part of the city owned and operated by the Others—shapeshifters and other supernatural creatures. Even thoough the Others have ample reasons to despise humans, they give Meg a job as the Human Liaison, dealing with the elements in the outside world that do business with the shapeshifters. As Meg learns more about both the world of experience and the society of the Others, she also becomes aware that her Controllers are not going to let her go without a fight. The award-winning author of the Black Jewels series (Daughter of the Blood; Heir to the Shadows; Queen of the Darkness; The Invisible Ring) continues to craft well-plotted fantasy that is filled with sensuality and detail and populated with characters who compel the reader’s attention. This urban fantasy should appeal to fans of Tanith Lee, Tanya Huff, and Storm Constantine. –Library Journal

Shattered Pillars by Elizabeth Bear

Bear’s astonishing world building is in full swing here, and she builds the arcs of her two major characters into what hopes to be a brilliant whole in the forthcoming final book. Temur and Samarkar still search for Edene, captured by the leader of the Uthman cult, who are bent on sowing war in the lands of the Celadon Highway. Edene, escaped, travels under the deadly sky of a vanished empire. The wizards’ city is besieged, a sickness felling the population. Tsering is at the heart of studying it, and she is a tremendous force despite never having developed the wizard’s power. Temur and Samarkar’s journey, under the skies of many people, is epic. But Bear maintains the nuance she is so capable of, in the way characters interact with and respond to new places, not quite subverting genre but pointing out how much more it should be. This is a novel with no padding: everything is necessary and linked, and the politics that run through the various empires are rooted solidly in believable human motivation. — Booklist

Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Bishop has always been a storyteller whose world-building is second to none, but she really outdoes herself with her brand new series featuring a re-imagined Earth where humans are most definitely not at the top of the food chain. All of the myriad characters in this tale, whether protagonists or minor players, are mesmerizing and beg for further exploration. At times brutally realistic, there is also an air of sweetness in this novel that focuses on a young woman’s fight for freedom. Awe-inspiring and absolutely not to be missed! –Romantic Times, 4 1/2 Stars, Top Pick Gold!

Shattered Pillars by Elizabeth Bear

Edene, having been kidnapped and fought her way free, must now raise an army for her betrothed, Temur, and find her way back to him. Meanwhile, Temur is attempting to wrangle his way through political intrigue and plague to reunite with Edene, reclaim his birthright from his uncle and discover the truth behind the magics that are engulfing his lands. Former princess Samarkar is faithful and steadfast, throwing all her influence — and not insignificant skill — behind Temur.

Shattered Pillars is the remarkable continuation of the first in the series, Range of Ghosts. Bear’s prose continues to weave itself effortlessly throughout the novel, with a detailed substance that does not hinder the action of the novel. The characters are full blooded and rich, shaped by their environment, and also by the challenges and casualties of it. Not recommended as a stand-alone; start with Range of Ghosts but then definitely pick up Shattered Pillars! — Romantic Times, 4 1/2 Stars, Top Pick!