UPDATE: Contest open to international readers!
hi all! I’m Dave Williams, author of the Autumn Rain trilogy, which began with 2008′s THE MIRRORED HEAVENS and last year’s THE BURNING SKIES, and concludes this week with THE MACHINERY OF LIGHT. And I’ll be giving away three copies of the first book, and one copy of the entire #$# trilogy, so what more could you ask for?
And special thanks to Ilona for the opportunity to tell you more about the books, though she may not thank me when she hears the awful confession I have journeyed to her blog to make:
Feline Unit #1: Captain Zoom – Click for larger image
I am remote-controlled by my cats.
There are two of them–Ajax and Captain Zoom–and they vie for control of my teleoperated brain. They force me to run all over my apartment looking for stupid fake mice, and then they go and make me write blog posts like this one where I humiliate myself for all and sundry to see. I think it started with Ajax’s hacking of my computer. From there, it was only a matter of time till Zoom hacked my mind. Now I’m a pawn in their twisted little game.
But as I reflect on the pathetic fate I’ve been reduced to, I can’t help but note the similarities with the future to which we’re heading (that’d be the bit about the mind’s vulnerability, not necessarily the bit about the cats. . . )
Feline Unit #2: Ajax – Click for larger image
The world of the early 22nd century is one where people wear powered armor smarter than they are, and the razors — the hackers — have tiny fractions of a second to distinguish friend from foe. Foremost among those razors is Claire Haskell, who–subsequent to the terrorist group Autumn Rain’s nuking of the world’s space elevator–gets paired on assignment with her former lover Jason Marlowe. She hasn’t seen him in ten years. But they learn early in the book that their spymaster handlers are #$# with their memory. So . .. were they ever really lovers in the first place? This Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-meets-James Bond dynamic is what got me an agent, Jenny Rappaport; she then turned around and sold the whole trilogy to Bantam as “John LeCarre on sci-fi crack.” I’m not precisely sure what sci-fi crack is like, but I have spent much of the last several years looking for it. If I pretend it’s something like catnip, my cats might even let me find it.
But back to Claire. She’s verging on posthuman with her abilities, but she can’t trust anyone.. . certainly not that onetime lover of hers. But most of all, she can’t trust her own mind. Once it becomes clear that the terrorists Autumn Rain might have hacked her already, she’s forced to start writing stuff down on her own skin — the only surface that they might not have access to. And when she starts to get glimpses of the future… well, that’s when things get downright demented. There’s a trailer video for the third book that I think captures her predicament in a nutshell. . .
I can see my own future too, and it involves feeding my cats and scratching their damn bellies. It’s as though I have no will of my own. At any rate, it looks like the Feline Units did a nice job with THE MACHINERY OF LIGHT. I can’t wait to buy it and see how it all turns out.
To enter, please comment on this blog post by Friday, June 4th, 2010. Contest is open to US and international readers.
I think the Jewish people call it Chutzpah !
I was a very lucky winner of the first in the series just a very short time ago and actually just started reading it yesterday evening. I am now on page 51 “Haskell become aware that somethings wrong. She’s cold She’s wet”
Now I am enjoying the book and thinking that I would like to finish the series but being a retired person, I have to budget carefully.
First I though ” I will just enter and hope I get lucky. I won’t mention I won the first book. Maybe Dave won’t notice.”
Then my innate honesty kicked in and I though ” no I can’t do that. I will have to come clean”
So here’s hoping Honesty Is The Best Policy !
Thanks for changing it to be open to worldwide entries.
All the best.
Neville
P.S. You got a good review of the first book on Only the Best SCi-FI blog.
Did you see it ?
Neville
this looks lilke a great book. Considering I go through a book every other night, I am excited to find another author I might like.
Captain Zoom and Ajax are sooo adorable!
Please count me in! Would love to get my hands on those Autumn Rain books!
Re-posted your contest at: http://contests-freebies.blogspot.com/2010/06/win-autumn-rain-books-at-ilona-andrews.html
The books sound interesting. I read a lot and am always looking for new authors. I’d love to win!
This looks like a great series. The summer is coming and I would love to relax and read a new series.
This series sounds really interesting! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Everyday, I learn more and more about the wonders of cats. I bet they wrote a good book!
Thanks for the insight into their series!
Please sign me up for the book drawing, kitties and Mr. Williams!
Don’t feel bad about being controlled by your cats. My cats have a blog that I need to help them with!
I’d love a chance to win your books. I wish I was still in the US so I could check them out at the library even if I didn’t win. Alas…
I loved the post – humans are much better at training humans than vice-versa – and the book sounds excellent.
My tribe of feline companions insisted that I post a “Hello” to Ajax and Captain Zoom.
So a big furry hello all the way from the land of Oz from the evil minions – Pood, Kitten, Toady, Squeek, Phebe, Zan, Julies & Jessie.
Now that is out of the way, I hope you do well with your books – they sound intriguing.
Hmmm…I thought ALL cats controlled their owners. Are you saying this is NOT the case? Damn, and I thought I was normal:) Thanks for the giveaway!
Always looking for new authors, would love to get my hands on this series. Kitties are devious creatures.
Sounds spectacular.
Your cats must’ve told my cat to have me add these to my must-read list – it’s the only explanation
My cats say hi.
I am allergic to cats but thought I would try and win these books anyway.
I would like to be counted in for this giveaway. Would love to win these books for my son who would really enjoy them.
Mmmm, a little cyberpunky spice to freshen the palette sounds like just the thing. Please count me in!
Always looking for a good new book!
I always love hearing about new authors and new books. Thanks for the review. I’d love to win some new books.!
This sounds great! I’ve been looking for another series to get into…
hey Im always look for new storys and authors that will capture my love for reading and imagination. Im deffinatly a series reader and would love to experience your series.