Book Season
Every year there seems to be a two-month span where almost every bestselling author decides to publish a book. This year, the “book season,” as I like to call it, is September and October. Here is a list of a few authors who are publishing their books during this season.
The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson is BACK! The House of Hades picks up where Mark of Athena left off, with Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus. The House of Hades is the fourth in a series of five books featuring demigods Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Leo, Hazel and Frank who must unite Roman and Greek demigods and beat Gaea-the earth goddess. The question is: how do you beat the earth? The second question: the Doors of Death must be shut from both sides, so wouldn’t shutting them trap Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus? From the get-go, The Heroes of Olympus was darker than the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, but The House of Hades takes it to an entirely new level. Riordan makes several nods to characters from the original series for his older fans, and it is clear Riordan is now trying to market toward an older group of kids. While the Heroes of Olympus had good pacing and was well put together, the last bit of innocence from the original series was finally stripped away: you will know the scene when you see it.
Rick Riordan reads a scene from the House of Hades
Russian Roulette (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz
For everyone who loved reluctant teenage spy Alex Rider and were sad to see him go in the series finale, Scorpia Rising, Horowitz wrote a prequel starring a fan favorite: Yassen. For everyone who needs a refresher, Yassen Gregorovich was the assassin who murdered Alex’s uncle, was mentored by his father, and eventually died saving Alex. The prequel illustrates a young man who story has some very strong similarities to Alex, with one big difference: he decided to use his talents for evil. Russian Roulette tracks Yassen from where he began all the way to the end and fills out the back story of possibly the most interesting character in the series.
Book Trailer for Russian Roulette
Interview where the actor who plays Yassen discusses his character
The Royal Ranger (Ranger’s Apprentice) by John Flanagan
The Ranger’s Apprentice series is releasing its last book…again. While John Flanagan has a bad history of telling fans that the next book will be the last, most people are pretty sure this will be the last, since it brings all the characters to a full circle. The Ranger’s Apprentice series follows Will Treaty who becomes an apprentice to a mysterious organization that turns out to be more like a CIA in medieval times. While the Royal Ranger has yet to be released in the US, it has been released in Australia. From what we have heard, Will, who was apprentice to the ranger Halt in the first book, is finally taking on his own apprentice. Since the book is called “The Royal Ranger”, most fans have a pretty good idea of who the new ranger will be.
Ranger’s apprentice book trailer
Merlin’s Shadow (Merlin’s Spiral) by Robert Triskillard
The Merlin’s spiral series is a series that really puts a twist on the Legend of King Arthur. While most stories do a cute little retelling with a few differences between authors, the Merlin’s spiral series-and this is coming from someone who will read anything that says Arthur on it-this is probably the most original take on Arthurian legend I have ever seen. The first book centered around a teenaged Merlin who is blind-and the book is told from his point-of-view, which with some authors would have turned into a pile of disaster. However, Triskillard handled it masterfully and threw in tons of shout outs for Arthurian Legend fans. It also answers a valid question: why in the world would anyone think it was a good idea to push a sword in a stone? Unless, of course, the stone itself was the enemy. The second book picks up with Merlin on the run and his hateful sister in pursuit. The series-and I don’t bestow this praise lightly-is an excellent example of high fantasy. Good old fashioned swordfights, true love, good themes and good morals. Some people might not like the multiple storylines that weave in and out of one another, but others will. The series also has a pretty good line between good and evil, which is something we are seeing less and less of ever since have anti-heroes as main characters got popular. Although it is technically classed under “Christian Fantasy” it is not cheesy at all for readers who are afraid of that and doesn’t let the message it is trying to get across hinder a very complex storyline with lots of characters and its creativity.
Allegiant (Divergent) by Veronica Roth
Allegiant is the third novel in the dystopian future series by Veronica Roth. It will come out on October 22. Not much is known about what will be in the book-reviewers have been tight lipped-but fans are not only excited about the upcoming movie, but are also wondering if a…ah..location change will happen due to the cliffhanger in its predecessor, Insurgent.
Divergent: The Factions explained
Eye of Minds
The man behind the Maze Runner is back with a new thriller series set in the future, but it is not a dystopian! About time, too. The series is about a time in the future where people who enjoy gaming fully immerse themselves in a sort of video game. However, everyone who plays the game hacks it, because following the rules is no fun. As the saying goes, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. In this case, someone died in the game for real. The government now wants the main character to find out what is going one, and blur the lines between reality and the game-world. Bottom line: if Inception held your attention, give this book a shot.
The Fall of Five (The Lorien Legacies) by Pittacus Lore
I know, I’m pushing it with this book. It was released on the twenty-ninth of August. I’m doing it anyway. The of Five is the latest book in the Lorien Legacies series, more commonly referred to as the I am Number Four series. The series is about a group of alien teenagers who are on the run from the aliens that destroyed their home planet and have now decided that they want to destroy Earth. By now, the entire group that was spread out across the planet is pretty much together. While the books are good, some pretty important explanations are in the short stories that are only available for purchase online. Other than that small quibble, the series has come a long way from the “Twilight for boys” that book one was.
