Rock climbing and magic, seems like a winner combination to me. The Whitefire Crossing is the debut novel by Courtney Schafer, first in The Shattered Sigil series. She's a rock climber herself, so quite curious on how it'll come about in this fantasy novel.
I haven't read the book myself, but I certainly plan to get it in the near future. A couple of reviewers whose opinion I've trusted (Robert from FBC and Justin from Staffer's Musings), have given some high praises for this debut, so I thought it was worthwhile to help a new author get a bit of freebie promotion. I very much like the book, looks pretty sweet.
Book is published by Night Shade Books. Not sure about the publishing date as it was supposed to come out mid August, but it seems like online sites already have it in stock. There's already a planned sequel with the title The Tainted City which looks to be published at some point next year.
The Whitefire Crossing description:
"Dev is a smuggler with the perfect cover. He's in high demand as a guide for the caravans that carry legitimate goods from the city of Ninavel into the country of Alathia. The route through the Whitefire Mountains is treacherous, and Dev is one of the few climbers who knows how to cross them safely. With his skill and connections, it's easy enough to slip contraband charms from Ninavel - where any magic is fair game, no matter how dark - into Alathia, where most magic is outlawed.
But smuggling a few charms is one thing; smuggling a person through the warded Alathian border is near suicidal. Having made a promise to a dying friend, Dev is forced to take on a singularly dangerous cargo: Kiran. A young apprentice on the run from one of the most powerful mages in Ninavel, Kiran is desperate enough to pay a fortune to sneak into a country where discovery means certain execution - and he'll do whatever it takes to prevent Dev from finding out the terrible truth behind his getaway.
Yet Kiran isn't the only one harboring a deadly secret. Caught up in a web of subterfuge and dark magic, Dev and Kiran must find a way to trust each other - or face not only their own destruction, but that of the entire city of Ninavel."http://www.courtneyschafer.com/whitefirecrossing.html
Short Excerpt
First 6 chapters on PDF
You can order The Whitefire Crossing from The Book Depository or whatever your online bookstore of preference is.
More info on Courtney Schafer's site:
http://www.courtneyschafer.com
Anyone read it yet or plans on reading it?
I've had my eye on this one lately too. Looks good and seems to be getting some good reviews like you said. I think Fantasyliterature.com has one up too.
ReplyDeleteI've been lazy checking my RSS feeds, so I haven't kept up with what Fantasyliterature.com has up.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, there's something about this one that feels fresh enough to have a look.