Today is the official release day for Jim Butcher's First Lord's Fury, the sixth and last volume of the epic Codex Alera series.

For years he has endured the endless trials and triumphs of a man whose skill and power could not be restrained. Battling ancient enemies, forging new alliances, and confronting the corruption within his own land, Gaius Octavian became a legendary man of war-and the rightful First Lord of Alera.

But now, the savage Vord are on the march, and Gaius must lead his legions to the Calderon Valley to stand against them-using all of his intelligence, ingenuity, and furycraft to save their world from eternal darkness.

Also available today, Princeps' Fury -- now in paperback.

The Codex Alera series:
Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, Book 1)
Academ's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 2)
Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 3)
Captain's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 4)
Princeps' Fury (Codex Alera, Book 5)
First Lord's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 6)

# of queries read this week: 112
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 2
genre of partials/manuscripts requested: fantasy (1), YA (1)


Unless you were hiding under a rock these last couple days in the publishing world, you will have heard of Harlequin's new venture Horizons. There are plenty of comment threads about it: Absolute Write, Dear Author, etc.

RWA responded by revoking Harlequin's approved publisher status (text on Kristin Nelson's blog). Then MWA got into the mix (text of their statement on Lee Goldberg's site). Harlequin responded by.... changing the name of the venture, which, imo, doesn't address the points that RWA and MWA were raising. Or, as SFWA put it in their statement: "does not believe that changing the name of the imprint, or in some other way attempting to disguise the relationship to Harlequin, changes the intention."

Here's how some other agents feel about it:
* Ashley Grayson - Harlequin Horizons, a mug's game
* Janet Reid - here and here.
* Rachelle Gardner - a self-publishing rant.

Jackie Kessler's version of the author/Harlequin conversation over the last couple days is a must-read!

Some quick definitions:

Self-publishing -- Writer as publisher. The writer undertakes to arrange editing, printing, distribution, etc. without a third party holding any rights or share of the proceeds.

Vanity/subsidy publisher -- A company that publishes books at the author's expense. A vanity press derives its profits from authors. Sometimes provides additional services -- for a fee -- for design, publicity, etc. These fees can generate many thousands of dollars for the press. It's pay-to-play.

Traditional publisher -- Pays an advance/royalty share to authors on the sale of their books. Money flows towards the author. Profits are based on sales. The publishing company's overhead covers editorial, production, distribution, etc.

What these things mean in a query....

If the query mentions a book that has been published, but does NOT mention the publisher, the tendency is to assume that it's either self-published or from a vanity publisher. On some occasions, a google search might turn up the information, but that depends on whether one has the time or inclination to look.

As far as I'm concerned, a book that has been self-published rarely has much impact in a query. I'm not against self-publishing. There are times when it makes sense for the author (see this interview with Wil Wheaton, for example). And, indeed, there are books like The Shack or Eragon, which show it can sometimes lead to more opportunities. And this isn't a new thing either: The Joy of Cooking was originally self-published in 1931 (3,000 copies by a company that printed fancy labels but had never printed a book before). Those success stories are still a decided minority. Then, again, it depends on the author's definition of success and what the author is looking for in the experience. But the same holds true for an agent looking for new clients.

A book that is published by a vanity or subsidy press.... this can be a bit more complex. Many say it's a negative mark on the writer's reputation to have been involved in this approach. Why moreso than self-publishing? Perhaps it's just the sour taste it leaves behind as these types of publishers tend to prey on an author's hopes and use them to their own advantage. In this scenario, it feels like the publishers are making the writers pay for their dreams, often with little hope of any return due to lack of distribution and poor design quality. On top of that, many of them will often take a cut of the profits (sometimes most of it), so the author is not only footing the bill but then paying the publisher a share of the proceeds too. In this case, what motivation does the publisher have to help the author succeed? As for an agent's feelings on this -- well, see those links above, but in most cases it provides a sheen of unprofessionalism, shows a lack of understanding the workings of publishing, and would put the author in the position of starting with a poor hand on a publishing field that is already anything but level.

Would I tell an author not to self-publish? Not necessarily. But I would tell them to employ due diligence and research what it entails and what they are likely to see in return for all their hard work. The author really needs to understand publishing and reaching their readers in order to decide if this is the right path for them to take.

# of queries read this week: 272
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 0
genre of partials/manuscripts requested: n/a


A lot of people have good luck rituals. Lucky ties, shirts, jewelery, etc. Throwing salt over their shoulder. Not stepping on cracks. And so on. Many people believe that Friday the 13th is unlucky. For me, however, this day seems auspicious: it's the first time my query folder has been under 200 since early April (pre London Book Fair). On the other hand, I can remember a time that I used to be surprised that it got over 100.

On this day, Friday the 13th, I bring you some query letter superstitions:

* What time of year a query is sent makes a difference.
* A random sampling of people liking the book guarantees it will sell widely.
* Spell-checking and proof-reading are done by copy-editors and therefore the manuscript doesn't need that beforehand.
* Arguing with a rejection will change the agent's mind.
* Sending the same exact query 3 weeks later will get a different reply.
* In the same vein, repeat queries over the course of many months will wear an agent down until they agree to representation.
* Agents never remember who they meet and what they've requested, so it's okay to lie about that. This is particularly successful if referencing a conference the agent has never attended.
* You can't get published without an agent; you can't get an agent without being published.

Some agent superstitions about queries:
* It is bad luck to read queries on vacation, on birthdays, and during the holiday season.
* Burying a query at the cross-roads means it won't come back to haunt you.
* Don't feed them after midnight or get them wet.
* They breed while you sleep. (Oh, wait. That one's true.)

What query superstitions can you think of? Or, do you do anything that smacks of ritual when you send a query out? What is it and what is it supposed to augment/prevent?

# of queries read this week: 209
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 1
genre of partials/manuscripts requested: fantasy


Writers who take their approach to seeking traditional publication as seriously as writing the novel itself seem to do an awful lot of research. Not for them the rush to dash off a spurious query lacking in the information it should provide. They do everything possible to give their submission an advantage. But even the most dedicated sometimes misses something.

And then there are those just starting out. They hardly know where to look and are quickly overwhelmed by the myriad suggestions on agentquery.com or the many writer forums, or from their critique groups, etc. --- if they are even lucky enough to find such sources. Sometimes there are those that seem to come across agent contact information in mysterious ways (voodoo?) that give no hint or clue as to the best way to start.

The veterans were all new to it at one time, and eventually the new ones will become more experienced. If you could go back in time and share with yourself information about the query process -- What is the one thing you have learned that you wish someone had told you when you first began?

via Teresa Wilde

Dear Writer who thinks you deserve more of my time and attention than the other 200 or so people querying me this week:

Quit it.

Query letters in which you tell me that your book can't possibly be appreciated in the mere five pages our submission guidelines request so therefore you have sent me many unsolicited chapters do not endear you or your novel to me. They tell me you have no respect for the other writers submitting. I have news for you. Some of them are better writers than you are. Some of them are worse. Many of them may not be writing something I want to read. But they are all just as special as you are. They have worked hard and finished their novel. They are amazing for doing that. Each and every one of them.

Don't you think I know that five pages isn't enough to fully appreciate a story? Certainly anyone could agree with that sentiment. But that's not the point of the query package. It's a presentation. An invitation to read. To be enticed.

And I have news for you. This attitude means I would rather work with them than you. I would rather read their book than yours. So your book would have to be hands down, 8000% better than theirs for me to consider it.

Because, I repeat, they are just as special as you are.

To everyone out there who follows submission guidelines, who takes the time to send what an agent asks for, who helps us in our constant search for new books we can love and clients we can adore: THANK YOU.

Congratulations to client Ekaterina Sedia AKA squirrel_monkey for Paper Cities winning the World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology.

"Original genre anthologies have been a mixed bag in recent years, with an overreliance on established household names at the expense of nurturing new talent. At times, too restrictive themes have tended to create a sense of sameness. Not so with urban fantasy. As Jess Nevins points out in his excellent introduction, urban fantasy is "a mode of storytelling rather than a subgenre, and as such accommodates a variety of themes and approaches." This idea of variety, along with a willingness to publish new and established writers alike, helps explain the considerable appeal of this ambitious and entertaining anthology." --Jeff Vandermeer (in Publishers Weekly)

And congratulations to the winners in all the other categories.

# of queries read this week: 204
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 1
genre of partials/manuscripts requested: fantasy

In honor of the holiday....

How queries are like--

--zombies: sometimes they eat your brain

--ghosts: they often aren't laid to rest until unfinished business has been resolved

--witches: they weigh the same as a duck

--vampires: despite popular mythology, holy symbols have no effect

--werewolves: just when you think you're getting to know them, they change into something else

--Frankenstein: they're afraid of fire (and possibly pitchforks)

--bunnies: what do they need such good eyesight for anyway?

--sparklepires: when you meet the right one for you, you'll know

--Halloween candy: sometimes they're a trick; sometimes they're a treat

Anyone have any others?

Happy Halloween!

Mike Shevdon's debut novel Sixty-One Nails comes out today in the U.K. -- appearing in the U.S. this coming Spring.

Niall Petersen thinks he's having a heart attack on the London Underground. The woman who saves him reveals that a creature was attempting to possess his dying body. She has used her abilities to bring him back to block it from entering the world. She warns the creature may come after him again. Or stalk his daughter, as she too has the bloodline this creature can use. So Niall plunges into the hidden world of the Feyre, an uncanny place of legend that lurks just beyond the surface of everyday life. The Untainted, the darkest of the Seven Courts, have made their play for power, and unless Niall can recreate the ritual of the Sixty-One Nails, their dark dominion will enslave all of the Feyre, and all of humankind too.

“Sixty-One Nails is Neverwhere for the next generation. The pacing is spot-on, the characters engaging, and the world fits together beautifully to create a London that ought to be. I stayed up too late finishing it.” - C.E. Murphy

Learn more about the Sixty-One Nails and the Quit Rents Ceremony of England.

Read the first chapter

Today is the official publication day for By the Mountain Bound by Elizabeth Bear.

In this complex prequel to Hugo-winner Bear's All the Windwracked Stars (2008), Ragnarok has already occurred, but the world must still be cleansed of the residue of the former realm. When immortal einherjar war-leader Strifbjorn rescues a strange woman from drowning, she claims to be the Lady, a long-awaited deity, and defeats Strifbjorn's champion and lover, Mingan the Gray Wolf, to take command. The ensuing internal power struggles set the einherjar at odds while the Lady attempts to rally the community against a supposedly imminent attack by giants. Numerous fantasy authors adopt the tropes of Norse mythology, but Bear actively pursues them, channeling those myths directly rather than overlaying them on more familiar ones. The result demands much from readers, but repays it in vivid, sensual imagery of a wholly different world. --Publishers Weekly

Chapter One in three parts: The Wolf; The Historian; The Warrior




Also available, Mike Shepherd's: Kris Longknife: Undaunted, the 7th book in the series. Kris Longknife and her crew have just jumped the Wasp into an uncharted system when they encounter an alien Death Ball pursued by two battle cruisers. The aliens insist on meeting with the leader of the human worlds. They are, they say, on a mission of peace. Since the leader of the human worlds just happens to be her grandfather, she is able to arrange the meeting--where the aliens reveal their message. They've come to warn of an unidentifiable force that is roaming the galaxy, obliterating everything in its path--a path now leading directly toward human space.

Book 1: Mutineer
Book 2: Deserter
Book 3: Defiant
Book 4: Resolute
Book 5: Audacious
Book 6: Intrepid




Now available in paperback: Strength and Honor, the 4th book in the Tour of the Merrimack series.

Peace between earth and the star-born Roman Empire seems about to break out. But the peacemaking Caesar is assassinated, and his successor wants to fight some more. The Merrimack is on a diplomatic mission deep in Roman space when the ship’s resident Roman disappears, and the all-devouring alien menace the Hive returns in force. Fast action, hairbreadth escapes, and Meluch’s facility for humor in an astonishing range of situations incumbent on military life become the order of the day. Whether you favor the marines, the pilots, or the Romans, a fine yarn to chuckle along with, just like the previous Tour of the Merrimack adventures. --Booklist

Book 1: The Myriad
Book 2: Wolf Star
Book 3: The Sagittarius Command

# of queries read last week: 219
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 2
genre of partials/manuscripts requested: YA (1), fantasy (1)


I've been hearing a lot lately about how the query system is "flawed", "broken", etc. (though there doesn't seem to be much in the way of viable alternatives suggested*). I also see a lot of conflicting advice online about how to write queries. And not just from agents. Writer forums and writer blogs have a stunning amount of advice -- about half of which strikes me as tactics that would never work on me or most agents I know. And it seems like some of it may be backfiring. Too much muddying of the waters when all that's going on is that people are trying to be helpful (with varying degrees of actual success). Some writers sound resentful, intimidated, upset, frustrated. Others simply ignore the guidelines because "writing a query is too hard."

Now, I'm not going to say that it's not hard to sum up the book that the writer has spent months, or even years, producing in a way that will make someone want to read it. I think it's a challenge. And you should definitely give it your best shot. Because, yes, the query is an important part of the initial submission. It sets the stage for reading the synopsis and sample pages. It can reveal things such as the writer's background, whether their approach is professional, how they see their novel, and other intangible gut feeling responses.

Here's a quick guide to the query letter to hopefully demystify it a little more:

* Item 1: Most agents want a personalized query. What does this mean? Well, it seems many of my fellow agents are satisfied with a simple use of their name (painfully obvious example: "Dear Ms. Jackson:"). There are so many queries addressed generically, or to huge lists of cc:ed agents -- that this alone will give a query a more professional demeanor.

* Item 2: A bit of info about the book itself. Something like: "I am seeking representation for my suspense novel of approximately 100,000 words, titled THE NOVEL I HAVE WRITTEN." It could also mention here if the book is the start of a series.

* Item 3: The pitch. This is the hardest part, or at least I think it is. This is where the writer's voice can come through. And the queries where this happens are definitely stand-out. But it's tricky. Overwriting it can make it stale or too slick. Dashing it off can make it sound thin. So, give it some attention. All it needs to do, though, is this: make clear the protagonist, the conflict/antagonist they are facing, and any details of plot or setting that are important.

* Item 4: A little about the writer. This is the place for relevant publication credits and background. Notice the word relevant. Don't just pad it out here. If there aren't any previous publication credits, don't sweat it. Just skip to the end.

* Item 5: The end: A closing line perhaps thanking the agent for their time in reviewing the query or something like that. Signed with the writer's name (don't make them guess what it is) and including the snailmail address, phone number and email address all in one place.

* Item 6: The part after the end: Here's where whatever additional material the specific agent being contacted has requested in their submission guidelines goes. For the record, I ask for the first five pages of the novel and a synopsis.

Here's some links to other agents' guides to queries:
Agent Janet's Query Letter Checklist: http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2004/07/query-letter-checklist.html
Agent Nathan's Query Letter Mad Lib: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2008/03/query-letter-mad-lib.html

So, there you have it: the "simple" art of writing the query. What aspect of query writing/submitting do you find the most challenging?


*Note: Ditch query letters and read every manuscript submitted all the way through is not a viable alternative.

* Some interviews with Laura Anne Gilman, author of Flesh and Fire, book 1 of the Vineart Wars: on Romance Bandits (in which the reader discovers the true source of the author's inspiration for these books) - and - on "rival" Lucienne Diver's blog, where she talks about changing gears and shifting from urban fantasy to a different type of historical fantasy.

* Ken Scholes is on the B&N.com forums participating in this discussion about his recent release Canticle, the 2nd book in the Psalms of Isaak.

* Amanda Downum reveals the cover of The Bone Palace, sequel to The Drowning City (The Necromancer Chronicles).

* Teresa Wilde continues her October is Zombie month with the psychology of the zombie walk

* Chris F. Holm reports that his story "A Better Life" is now available.

* And Genevieve Valentine has "Light on the Water" at Fantasy Magazine.

* Reviews of "Where the Wild Things Are" (which I hope to find time to go see before it's out of the theatre): that was my favorite arm (Elizabeth Bear), where the wild things are and aren't (Mary Robinette Kowal)

New series from Laura Anne Gilman officially launches today: Flesh and Fire: Book One of The Vineart War

With a unique, pleasingly consistent magic system based on the production and consumption of wine, urban fantasist Gilman (the Retrievers series) turns a standard coming-of-age tale into something wholly new. Young Jerzy, a vineyard slave, possesses the rare and extraordinary ability of the Vinearts, magicians who create spellwines from the most potent grapes. When someone begins sabotaging the fields of the traditionally reclusive winemakers, it is up to Jerzy and his master to save their way of life. A slow build of tension as Jerzy progresses from slave to student to spy keeps the reader engaged without any need for frenetic fight scenes. The tale is dominated by vivid, absorbing characters, and Jerzy's powerful narrative voice makes his joys and sorrows dramatic, authentic and potent. This intoxicating high fantasy will satisfy oenophiles and bibliophiles alike. --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review




Today marks the official release of: Canticle (The Psalms of Isaak) by Ken Scholes

The conspiracy deepens in this sequel to Scholes' epic, marvelously complex fantasy debut (Lamentation, 2009).

In the previous installment, ancient spells of the Wizard King Xhum Y'Zir leveled the city of Windwir, repository of knowledge from the Old World. The instigator of the destruction, a Y'Zirite cult, reveals itself as the sequel opens by assassinating several major political figures, an act which the cult sees as the necessary prelude to the advent of its prophesied Crimson Empress. As civil war spreads across the Named Lands, nobleman schemer Vlad Li Tam and his extensive family search for the stronghold of their foe; the Gypsy King Rudolfo seeks a cure for his ailing infant son Jakob, heralded by Y'Zirites as the Child of Promise; Windwir survivor and prophetic dreamer Neb seeks his destiny in the Churning Wastes; and his beloved, the young Marsh Queen Winters, faces the unpleasant, deadly truth that the Y'Zirite cult sprang from her own people. Not only is Scholes a capable world builder, he ably handles the tough task of keeping the series momentum going, intensifying the mystery so deftly that even if readers can't foresee where the story's going, it's clear that the author knows exactly what he's doing. --Kirkus, Starred Review

# of queries read this week: 191
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 1
genre of partials/manuscripts requested: post-apocalyptic sf/f


Dear Authors:

Welcome to an edition of good idea / bad idea....



* Good Idea:
Dear Ms. Jackson:
Some months ago you requested and read a partial manuscript of mine titled VERY COOL TITLE, and offered some feedback, though, at the time, you decided this novel wasn't right for you. I have since workshopped this story and revised it significantly. Your comments were very helpful in this process and I would like to invite you to reconsider my novel. To refresh your memory: [pitch, plus synopsis and new first five pages as per query guidelines].

* Bad Idea:
Dear Agent:
30 seconds ago you rejected my query letter and you must be blind. I suggest you revisit that decision as these are the reasons my book will sell and make millions:
[list of reasons follows]

World of difference.

As you know Bob, agents review a staggering number of queries and submissions (I'm currently approaching the 7000 mark for this year). Writing back immediately to have the agent reconsider will not yield results -- or at least not good ones. Either the query doesn't work or the pages aren't riveting enough, and so that needs to be addressed first. It seems like it should be obvious but, taking my own submissions as an example, one tends to get far more of the 2nd example above than the first.

Happy weekend!

Today is the official release day for Vigilante: A Major Ariane Kedros Novel by Laura E. Reeve

Thanks to an intriguing ensemble cast and their varied takes on the nicely complex universe, readers who missed 2008's Peacekeeper will find it easy to catch up in this entertaining second military SF adventure for Ariane Kedros, a secret agent of the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds. Kedros and her pilot, Matt Journey, are co-opted into transporting CAW Master Sergeant Joyce to system G-145, home to an anomaly of interest to multiple parties, including the mysterious alien Minoans and the Terran Expansion League. When terrorists arrive with a stolen temporal-distortion bomb, seeking vengeance for perceived wrongs of the past, alliances form and shift as the tension mounts. Reeve immediately immerses the reader in her universe's vernacular, acronyms and backstory, an approach most rewarding to those who are versed in learning from context. --Publishers Weekly




Also available today: At Home on Ladybug Farm

Proving true friendship can create fierce family ties, Ball's exceptional sequel to 2009's A Year on Ladybug Farm updates the trials, tribulations and triumphs of three single women of a certain age struggling to renovate Blackwell Farms, a rundown Virginia estate. A year has passed since Lindsay Wright, Cici Burke and Bridget Tindale arrived from Baltimore to live on the farm. Adding joy and sometimes frustration to the household are crusty old housekeeper Ida Mae; Cici's 20-year-old daughter Lori, who doesn't want to return to college in California; and Noah Clete, a fatherless 15-year-old Lindsay wants to adopt. Ball's bright examination of their efforts to rehab a place that was burned down during the Civil War, rebuilt, and then served as a winery, a home for WWII military wives and a creamery known for its cheeses, is absolutely delectable. Injecting extra zing are Ball's fascinating flashbacks, while Noah's transformation from misfit to responsible teen is another sweet note in this entertaining treatise of how love overcomes adversity. -- Publishers Weekly

To celebrate the release of At Home on Ladybug Farm, Donna is giving away a one-of-a-kind hand-crafted journal. Everyone who posts a comment on her blog between October 6 and October 31 will be entered in a drawing for the journal, which will be held on November first. See this entry for more details.

# of queries read this week: 203
# of partial/full manuscripts requested: 1
genre of partial/full manuscripts requested: fantasy


Though it might not be apparent from this weekly posting, I'm actually not a big fan of statistics. There are so frequently other variables to take into account. For example, looking at the numbers above one might think an author had only 1/2 of 1% chance of garnering a request based on a query. Which is, well, technically true (this week). But there a host of other factors. Does the book fall into a category the agent is interested in representing (or, even reading)? Did the query contain the information needed to actually make a decision possible? (Too amazed at queries that actually say barely anything about the book and also don't include the first five pages as per our submission guidelines.) Did the query convey an impression of a professional author (e.g. spell-checking and at least a vague attention to grammar would be a plus)? It hardly seems fair that these queries should count but they do mean that good queries actually have a higher chance than it at first seems on the surface.

Lately, I've noticed some people including statistics in queries. And, as an agent assessing a work, I find them particularly useless. Sure, one needs to have a readership for one's story, but, again, there seem to be factors not taken into consideration.

These queries say things like x% of people in the U.S. are women and my book is about women therefore I will have an audience of x% of people in the U.S.; or, x% of people have an alcoholic / cancer victim / popular over-diagnosed disease of this year / etc. in their immediate family; or x% of people are of this or that racial ethnicity, religious persuasion, have this or that alternative lifestyle, etc. and so forth. Or x% of people in the world are secretly paranormal magical creatures, and therefore.... Well, you get the idea.

Many of the queries that cite these statistics seem to make an odd assumption. And this is that everyone of whatever vector they've chosen is a reader. Would that it were so. These queries do not take into account how things like literacy rates or capacity for leisure income being spent on books (particularly in this economy) impact any of these groups. Did you know there are people who can't even conceive of the notion of reading for pleasure? Seriously.

But most of all, the implicit assumption here doesn't address the fact that the story itself still needs to be well-written and have a hook of its own. The statistical group on its own just isn't sufficient. If it's simply treated as marketable window-dressing, it doesn't belong there. Would I read a book with a strong cultural basis? Yes. Western, Middle-Eastern, Asian, Slavic, etc. I'm all for it. Do I represent authors who have novels with characters that are living alternative lifestyles? Why, yes, I do. But whatever flavor or texture the world in the book might have, it's the story that carries the day.

Just out of curiosity: Is there a statistic that would make you pick up a book and read it based on that alone?

Today is the official publication date for Cold Case Affair by Loreth Anne White

The sad legacy of Safe Harbor, Alaska, is the bomb that killed 12 miners including Muirinn’s father. When her grandfather dies, Muirinn returns home for the first time in years and runs into Jett, the great love of her life, and the reason she’s stayed away. While the passion between them hasn’t died, they both have some big secrets. When Muirinn learns that her grandfather was following up on clues regarding the still unsolved bombing and was murdered, she and Jett vow to finally find out the truth. White hits the jackpot with this newest addition to the Wild Country series. There’s an intriguing mystery, but the real pull is the passion and magic between this dynamic pair. --Romantic Times, 4 1/2 Stars, Top Pick

Today is the official release date for Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, though copies have already been sighted in the wild.

"Maternal love faces formidable challenges in this stellar steampunk tale. In an alternate 1880s America, mad inventor Leviticus Blue is blamed for destroying Civil War­era Seattle. When Zeke Wilkes, Blue’s son, goes into the walled wreck of a city to clear his father’s name, Zeke’s mother, Briar Wilkes, follows him in an airship, determined to rescue her son from the toxic gas that turns people into zombies (called rotters and described in gut-churning detail). When Briar learns that Seattle still has a mad inventor, Dr. Minnericht, who eerily resembles her dead husband, a simple rescue quickly turns into a thrilling race to save Zeke from the man who may be his father. Intelligent, exceptionally well written and showcasing a phenomenal strong female protagonist who embodies the complexities inherent in motherhood, this yarn is a must-read for the discerning steampunk fan." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"A steampunk-zombie-airship adventure of rollicking pace and sweeping proportions, full of wonderfully gnarly details. This book is made of irresistible." --Scott Westerfeld

"Boneshaker is without a doubt Cherie Priest's breakthrough work: this hollering, stamping, crackling thing is the best fun you'll have with a book all year." --Warren Ellis

Banned Book Week runs from September 26th to October 3rd. No one has ever mentioned to me that any books by my clients have been banned....

According to the ALA site, over the past eight years, American libraries were faced with 3,736 challenges.

• 1,225 challenges due to “sexually explicit” material;
• 1,008 challenges due to “offensive language”;
• 720 challenges due to material deemed “unsuited to age group”;
• 458 challenges due to “violence”
• 269 challenges due to “homosexuality”;

You can see the top 10 books challenged in 2008 here.

You've probably read a book on the banned list. Yes, you. There are a number of classics like Charlotte's Web and Winnie the Pooh, as well as adult genre books like Invisible Man or Lord of the Rings. And there's also some very popular contemporary ones, like the Harry Potter series.

Which ones will you admit to reading?

Are there any books on the banned list that you plan to read? Will you read them this week in response to banned book week?

Are there any books on the list that you would never read, and if so, why not?

Do you think there are books that aren't appropriate for children to be reading?

Do you think parents should have the right to decide what's appropriate for their children to read?

Do you think they should have the right to object when it will have an effect on other people's children?

Shades of Fahrenheit 451, or more recently Equilibrium... if you were going to save just one book from a mass burning of them all, which one would it be?