Elitist Book Reviews

After having only very recently lauded praises on Mr. Abraham for a great middle book in his urban fantasy series (EBR review), I found it kind of humorous that I would now be writing a review for a great middle book in his epic fantasy series (no need to go anywhere for that review--you can just keep reading and find it presently). This guy keeps putting out quality books, and it's no surprise that this is yet another in his growing list of entries to our Books We Love.

THE TYRANT'S LAW is the third book of The Dagger and The Coin epic fantasy series by Daniel Abraham. Halfway done now and though it seems like there is so much left to go, there are only two books left to come. This book picks up where the previous one in the series, KING'S BLOOD (EBR review), left off,  and follows the same four characters.

Geder Palliako, Lord Regent of Imperial Antea is continuing his war against the fleeting goal of wide-spread peace and stability for the kingdom.  He's sending his armies and bands of his Spider Priests to bring one nation after another beneath the banner of the spider goddess, spreading himself far beyond the point of thin. Yet despite his success and power, his weakness and driving desire to find true friendship allow him to be shifted by the many winds that are blowing.

Beneath Geder's nose, living in the Antean capital city of Camnipol, Clara Kalliam has begun in earnest to try and manipulate the social and political strings with which she is so familiar and is yet now far-removed from after being ostracized from the court after her husband's assassination attempt on the Lord Regent.

Cithrin bel Sarcour has become an official apprentice of the Medean Bank and is sent to a far off city to work beneath the tutelage of its Magistra and learn how the bank manages its dealings. Yardem Hane accompanies her in the absence of Captain Marcus Wester, and for a time they believe that Geder's war will not reach them.  But they soon find they are wrong.

Marcus Wester accompanies Master Kit in his quest for a rumored poisoned sword in far-off Lyonea with which they mean to kill the goddess of the Spider Priests and terminate the domination that Master Kit is certain will otherwise come to pass.

Again, as in previous books of the series, character development is key to this story. It's just one of the reasons I loved the book so much. Abraham handles each of these stories with a deft hand, showing the shaping and formation of the people each of these characters is becoming. Cithrin, as she grows more into the woman that she's been pretending at for so long now, and in her fight against the inner demons of her past experiences and choices. Geder, as he is torn between wanting what is good and right for the future of Antea and handling the horrible weight and intoxicating power that comes with his position. He wants it all so badly, that it takes very little for those around him to manipulate him to their purposes. Clara, as she learns to control the world from within her new set of limitations and place in the Antean court. In a lesser-author's hands, these character changes could easily have come off feeling weak and contrived. But not here. There is a breath and life to these characters that makes it all just seem...right. This is how it would have happened had it been real.

Purely fiction? Says who?

Solid writing. Steady world-building. Great pacing. Each and every chapter accomplishes something important. All the boring parts of the story have been left out. Hooray! He gives us brick after sturdy brick in this wall, building to an ending that will change everything. I was completely unprepared for just how central Clara is becoming to the story. Or for what Captain Wester and Master Kit find in their travels. Or for the choice that Geder makes at the end that may very well begin the process of his eventual fall. Each piece of this puzzle elucidates more of what is really behind everything that has come before, all that is now, and all that will yet be. While along the way we learn just what The Dagger and The Coin really mean to this world that is painted vivid and replete with texture. 

This is fantasy how it is meant to be done, people. Take a word of advice from those that know. This is not a series to miss. Mr. Abraham is not an author to pass by. Buy his books. Be part of the reason that he gets to keep doing what he loves to do so that we can keep reading the stories that we love to read.

Recommended Age: 15+
Language: Not very much, but offerings from the full gamut are included.
Violence: There is a war going on, so it's discussed quite a bit, low levels of violence, no gore.
Sex: One high-level scene, general references, and some mild discussion.

And the links:

THE DRAGON'S PATH
THE KING'S BLOOD
THE TYRANT'S LAW

It is with no small amount of irony and quite a large piece of humble pie that I finally sit down to write this review a full month after the book's release.  With how much I harped on the poor treatment Mr. Abraham received surrounding the publication of his Long Price series and the single fact that I consider Daniel Abraham to be my current favorite fiction author today, you'd think that I'd be more on top of things when it came to the release of this book.  The U.S. trade omnibus paperback treatment of his story has been a long time coming--longer than I think it had any right to be--but I am supremely happy to see it finally happen.  In my mind, this is one of those stories that deserves all the praise and publicity that can be heaped upon it.

THE PRICE OF WAR is an omnibus of the final two novels in the Long Price quartet (AN AUTUMN WAR and THE PRICE OF SPRING).  The first two are found in the omnibus SHADOW AND BETRAYAL, which was released earlier this year.  The four books in this series make up one of the most engaging and engrossing fantasy stories that I've ever read.  It's just that good.

AN AUTUMN WAR picks up about 15 years after the close of BETRAYAL IN WINTER.  The characters that we've been introduced to in the first half of the series have grown again from those that we know.  Maati, the andat Poet.  Itani become Otah Machi and Khai of the Cities Khaiem.  Liat, past lover of them both and mother to Maati's child.  New to the cast of characters is the Galtic general, Balasar Gice.  The story herein revolves around these few as the Galts finally come within reach of their ever-present drive to destroy the power protecting the cities of the Khaiem and thus the people themselves.  Although there is little actual "war" in this book, the characters and their lives are all intimately affected by the results of the devastating punishment inflicted upon the cities of the Khaiem by the Galts.  It is devastating and yet supremely powerful in its portrayal of the events.

THE PRICE OF SPRING comes in another 15 years after the close of AN AUTUMN WAR and brings to a close the story of Otah and Maati that began in A SHADOW IN SUMMER.  The people of the Khaiem are suffering the effects of the Galtic war, reeling from the blow dealt to their power and learning a new way of living.  But there are those that will not give up the old ways, those that want the Khaiem to return to their position of power, and they will give anything to see them have it once again.

The ultimate strength of this series is found in the presentation of its characters and their intimate connection both with the world at large and with each other.  They are strong and nuanced and driven.  There's no real "bad guy" in this series, and although the Galts can definitely be seen as the antagonist of the series, their motives and passions are relayed to us through Balasar Gice and given a humanity and level of sympathy that makes the lines of "good" and "evil" disappear completely.  It is through these characters, through the morals and decisions of each, that the world is shaped and changed.

And oh boy is it changed.

It was so easy to get caught up in these books.  Every story line and every character was my favorite.  I loved them all.  Seriously.  So often in books there'll be a character or two that I just want to get done with.  I think we all have them.  There weren't any like that in this series for me.  True, the story is a fairly slow-moving one.  None of these are books that fly by and quickly forgotten.  They build slowly and surely, and every piece weighs upon the next.  The amount of extraneous in this series is essentially nil.

Don't read this series to learn everything there is to know about the Khaiem and its people, although you will learn of them.  Don't seek to understand completely their religion or the economy of their enemies, but you will see plenty.  Find these characters and let them live and breathe through the pages.  It'll be an easy path from there.  Mr. Abraham will take you on a trip through their lives and the strength and heartache and even devastation that comes to both them and the world around them.

This is an amazing series and not one to be missed by anyone that loves fantasy.  This guy has everything in his stories that I, over three decades of reading, have come to love and admire.

He makes me believe.  And a little bit more of that is exactly what this world needs.

Recommended Age: 16+
Sex: It's been a while since I read these, but I don't remember there being much
Violence: The war fallout gets pretty brutal
Profanity: Infrequent but strong

Buy these books and read them all!  Start your year off right with some goodness from the mind of Daniel Abraham:
SHADOW AND BETRAYAL
THE PRICE OF WAR

Wow!

I finished reading Daniel Abraham’s new book THE KING'S BLOOD the other day (second in his Dagger and Coin series) and my wife happened to be sitting next to me as I finished.  I looked up at her and all I could say was “WOW!”

Guys, this is a great book.  This is as good as it gets.  There’s a quote on the cover of the book from George R. R. Martin that says “Everything I look for in a fantasy book”.  The quote is talking about the first book in the series (THE DRAGON'S PATH for those of you who haven’t read it) and the second book is even better!

For those of you who haven’t read this series yet, STOP NOW!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING!  GO READ THESE BOOKS!  You’ve been warned!  For those of you who have read the first book, read on.

Once again the book follows the exploits of four main characters.  Here’s the synopsis:
WAR AND MADNESS CAST SHADOWS

OVER THE LANDS DRAGONS ONCE RULED.

Geder Palliako's star is rising. He is a hero of Antea, protector to the crown prince, and darling of the court. But storms from his past are gathering, and with them, a war that will change everything.

Cithrin bel Sarcour founded a powerful bank on stolen wealth, forged papers, and ready blades. Now every move she makes is observed, recorded, and controlled. Unless Cithrin can free herself from her gilded cage, the life she made will be for naught; war may provide just the opportunity she needs.

An apostate priest sees the hidden hand behind all: a long-buried secret of the dragon empire threatens everything humanity has built. An age of madness and death is on the way, with only a few doomed heroes to stand in its way.

And guys, let me tell you, the synopsis doesn’t do the book justice. 

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about books.  We talked about books that have great characters, and books that have great action, and books that have big fun great ideas.  There are many examples easy available for any of the three, but we talked and wanted to know of the books that contained all three.  The list was short.  Very short.  Books can be overcrowded with ideas and the characters in those books serve only to take us from one plot point or idea to the next.  A book can focus so much on a character that the ideas are glossed over or the world isn’t explored enough.  Etc…. The list of books that does all three just got one longer.

I love these characters.  Which is not to say that I would want to hang out with these people.  Quite the contrary.  They are flawed, but remain human and are easy to relate to at the same time.  These aren’t “gritty” characters in the sense I’ve seen a lot lately.  “I’ll have him swear and sleep with prostitutes so that he can be 'gritty'.”  These are actual people working off of their own information and biases and personalities.  Horrible things happen and often they come from the protagonists of the story.  Real live people who I understand.  They are good and they are bad and they are struggling just to keep up.  They are tough people, but I understand them.

The world is fun and amazing and only getting better.  In THE DRAGON'S PATH we got a glimpse of the world, an intro into the thirteen races of humanity, a brief glimpse of the church of the spider goddess, a gleaning of the dragons who have passed a millennia ago.  Here the world gets bigger and cooler and more interesting while still keeping us intimately connected with the main characters.  No mean feat.  I learned more and saw more and still have the sense that Abraham is keeping some stuff back from me, just waiting to blow my mind in the next book.

Then there’s the pacing itself.  I read this book in a whirlwind.  I would read and think, “Ah, now I see where the book is headed.  We’ll be dealing with this crisis until the end of this book.”  Only to be proven wrong again and again.  There’s 3 or 4 books worth of stuff that happens here.  There are scenes that are still buzzing around in my head.  I laughed out loud in sheer enjoyment of what was happening a few times. 

There’s really only one problem with THE KING'S BLOOD.  And it’s that I have to wait a whole year to see what happens next.

Age Recommendation: 16+ for a variety of issues.  A bit of violence a  bit of language and bit of sexual stuff.
Violence: A scene or two.  Not prolonged and not abundant, but it’s there.
Language: Not a lot, but again, it’s there.
Sex: One scene, not detailed, and some references.

Abraham's Dagger and Coin Series is shaping up to be one of the best out there. Here are your links so you can buy them NOW:


THE DRAGON'S PATH
THE KING'S BLOOD

I know there are those that will disagree with me, but I believe that there are times when “the numbers” just flat-out lie. Everything in the publishing industry, as has been frequently stated, comes down to the numbers. Writing and selling books is a business, and if the author doesn't make his/her publisher enough money, then the numbers will tell them that the best idea is to drop the author and move on. Sometimes though, as I said, the numbers will lie. Sometimes, sometimes, the best thing to do is to put the numbers away and just go with your instincts.

SHADOW AND BETRAYAL is an omnibus of the first two books of the Long Price Quartet (A SHADOW IN SUMMER and A BETRAYAL IN WINTER) originally published by Tor in 2006 and 2007, and is the beginning half of my favorite fantasy series ever, bar none. Yes, there are other series I've read wherein I've enjoyed individual books more, but for a series as a whole, this one absolutely takes the ever-present cake (which is not a lie, in this case).

Of all the mighty cities of the Khaiem, Saraykeht is the heart and lifeblood of all its wealth. It is through this grand city that the mighty cotton trade flows, empowered by the all-important poet Heshai, who is both master and slave to the mighty andat, Seedless. The andat, singular ideas given human volition and form, are the power of the East. They provide not only economic strength--in the case of Seedless by removing the seed, or the-part-that-continues, from cotton or unwanted children from their mother's wombs--but political clout (read: intimidation) as well. Thus, there are those from outside the Empire of the Khaiem that would love to see that power fail.

The story mainly follows three characters. Itani is a young man that had once studied to become a Poet of the andat, but left after finding out more about their methods, and has become a dock worker in the famed city of Saraykeht. Maati, another poet-hopeful and once friend of Itani, has been assigned to assist, and some day take the place of, the poet Heshai. Also involved, is Amat, a woman of some repute, that must run from what she knows of trade to survive in the halls of a brothel and save the life of a young foreign girl.

The first thing that really pulled me into these books was the completely different setting, the engaging, believable characters, and the fluid prose. Instead of western medieval, the setting is decidedly eastern, with very formal ways of communication, including a set of physical poses and cants. This formality within the story gave a sense of importance to the relationships between the various characters that really intrigued me, and was an easy way of relaying more information in a fast, succinct way. The development of the world in the small circle that surrounds the main characters was very well done. In this, Abraham gives readers the knowledge they need about the wide-world without including gratuitous info-dumps and thus makes is very accessible and real. I'm also one that loves clear prose, and this stuff is crystal, people.

Another part of this story that I really loved was the way the magic was integral to the world. This isn't just another world of “outcast magic users”. In the world of the Khaiem, life itself revolves around and is driven by the “magic” of the poets and their captive andat. It is this simple magical construct that allows the relational stories that arise between the Khaiem and their enemies, between Itani and Maati and their common lover, and between Heshai and Seedless, to be so complex without confusing the issues surrounding them. The story is at once personal and epic at the same time. It is a story of a nation and how the choice of a single individual can drive that nation into the ground or on to glory.

I remember the first time that I read A SHADOW IN SUMMER. I read it twice, actually. My opinion was that it was a solid book with a great core of world-building, characters, and story. What it wasn't was a rip-roaring adventure of inventive mayhem. (If that's what you're looking for, might I suggest the Burton and Swineburne books of Mark Hodder, or the Ketty Jay books of Chris Wooding.) Instead, these books were more focused upon the individual, the forces pushing and pulling them toward decisions they make, how those choices weigh upon their souls, and the impact those decisions have over their lifetime. This is an intelligent story, and one that I loved. It's epic and yet each book is only 350-400 pages in length. Yeah. I know. Unheard of, right?

One minor problem for me included the fact that these first two books were fairly similar to each other in the sense of their structure and goal. The real step-up comes in the third and fourth books though, and so from this side of things I can say that this problem is indeed a very minor one.

I do find it interesting, on this side of things, that Tor has decided to publish this series again. The first time around, while they had Mr. Abraham under contract to write the series in the first place, they decided not only to not publish a paperback version of the fourth and final novel in the series (THE PRICE OF SPRING), but to let him find another publisher as well. My guess is that it probably had something to do with “the numbers”. But were the numbers lying? In some ways, the publication of these two omnibuses (the first here, and the second soon to follow) is validation that Mr. Abraham did do something right when he wrote these books. Because, for some reason, the numbers are now saying that he's a good bet. Me, I've always thought he was a good bet--right from the first time I finished A Shadow in Summer--and I can't wait to see what he has up his sleeve for us next.

This series is some absolutely great reading for all lovers of fantasy that didn't catch it the first time around. Don't miss it this time. Do yourself a favor and pick up something from Mr. Abraham. If you're tastes are anything like ours, you won't be sorry you did.

Recommended Age: 16+
Language: Infrequent, but strong at times
Violence: A few of the scenes get pretty violent and killing is handled very personally
Sex: A couple ends of scenes and memories, spoken of but not in detail

If there was ever a time to get into the awesomeness that is Daniel Abraham, is is now. Buy this book. Now. Here's your link:

SHADOW AND BETRAYAL

For some unknown, benevolent reason, we fantasy readers have fallen into the good graces of the genre gods. Why is that? you ask. I simply don't know. Truly. But isn't it obvious? We're smack in the middle of a veritable geyser that has brought, or will bring to our greedy little eyes and hands titles from those authors that we most love: WAY OF KINGS, THE HEROES, WISE MAN'S FEAR, THE WHITE-LUCK WARRIOR, BLUE REMEMBERED EARTH, THE CRIPPLED GOD. And who can forget the recent announcement for A DANCE WITH DRAGONS (maybe it will actually happen this time)? Enough big-name books to keep any good fantasy reader satisfied for most of a year, entire. And yet, despite the excitement, despite the fervor, despite the sheer giddiness of it all, there was no other book that I anticipated more than this one. It wasn’t even close (sorry KJ Parker, even this one trumped you).

THE DRAGON'S PATH is the first in The Dagger and the Coin Quintet, a new series of books by Daniel Abraham that should prove to be a staggeringly good ride. After reading his amazing Long Price Quartet, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. (Did you notice the number of books there? Four in the first series. Five in this one. Trust me, as a reader of fantasy fiction you should already respect this guy for not writing trilogies and/or single-series libraries. Not to mention the fact that the books in this series are scheduled for release at one per year…)

The story itself revolves around four main characters:

Captain Marcus Wester--A man of wide repute, who has dined with kings, commanded soldiers to victory, and won against overwhelming odds, and is now only looking to fill his retinue of guards to make good on a promise of protection for a caravan of trading goods. In doing so, he quickly meets and is affected by--

Cithrin bel Sarcour--Almost seventeen, a ward of the Medean bank in Vanai, every bit the sheltered girl, and suddenly thrust into responsibility and necessary deceit, on behalf of the bank, with the arrival of what has the sense of being a rote gentlemen’s war. Within the advancing army rides--

Sir Geder Palliako--Lover of speculative essay and target of mockery for most of the other soldiers, he’d rather be translating another good book than marching to war, but there’s nothing to be done about it now. It won’t be long though until he’s made a surprising name for himself, earning the immediate notice and extreme gratitude of--

Baron Dawson Kalliam--Friend of King Simeon and self-styled protector of justice in the realm. He wants nothing but to see the kingdom thrive, but struggles against others of his station to steer the direction of the king’s choices to what he believes they should be. He wants nothing more than to do the right thing. And yet, despite all he does, he may have no say in the matter at all.

When I say the story revolves itself around these people, I mean that in every way. Possibly the single-most powerful piece of Abraham’s story-telling is his ability to relay both the impact of his characters upon the world and corresponding impact of it upon them as well. He makes the epic story feel personal, and the intimate one, earth-shattering.

Something that most will notice upon reading any of Abraham's books, besides his clear and effective prose, is the efficiency with which he writes. This is every bit the case here. There are no pages of descriptive setting, no boring treatises on mythology or history, nor any overly-long explanations as to “why things are the way they are”. We get what we need. We get an engaging story, set in a world as complex and detailed as it is interesting, and we get it through the eyes, and ears, and fingers of the characters. We feel the story. We experience it. Thus, we don’t know everything right at the beginning. There’s no massive learning curve of magic or politics, making the story very accessible. We learn as the characters act, interact, and develop. We see the world at it unfolds in the character’s lives. In this, readers will find that the story moves fluidly and constantly toward its end. And thankfully, we can’t always see to that end. Making for surprises aplenty.

The feel of this book is much more consistent with typical genre fantasy, and is thus significantly different than those of the Long Price. Although, I did find it interesting that this book was very much like the first of the Long Price in nature, in that it told a cohesive story about several characters, gave us a good introduction to the world at hand, and provided an ending that brought satisfactory closure to the story arcs presented. Main threads tied off; larger, very interesting threads, begun.

And can you say anticipation? Whoa. The ending literally had me giggling with it.

The single piece of advice that I would give all readers of this book would be to take your time. The more opportunity you give this book, the more you will love it. I read it twice in preparation for writing this review, and I can honestly say that I liked it more the second time through. First time, I inhaled it. The second, I simply enjoyed.

This is absolutely a fantasy series that no fantasy-lover should miss. If you love story (like us), if you love character (like us), if you love everything that a fantasy story should be (…duh, like us), BUY THIS BOOK! Seriously, people. This train is well worth the price of the ticket. And trust me, you don’t want to miss it.

Recommended age: 16 plus
Language: Very little, though about PG-13 level
Violence: Lotta fighting, no gore, with large-scale slaughter and intimate execution, both
Sex: Infrequent discussion, one brief post-entanglement summary

Daniel Abraham’s Website

Bonuses: Who doesn't love a bonus? Paperback has a chapter from The King's Blood, book two of the series, at the end. And if you get the e-Book, there's a complimentary copy of Leviathan Wakes, Abraham's new co-authored space opera, attached. Happy reading.

Daniel Abraham is, quite possibly, my favorite author. It’s awfully difficult to pick one amongst the masses, but he regularly goes head to head with my other faves (yes, even Ms. Parker) and so I can’t help but place him amongst the elite. After reading his Long Price Quartet, I’ve found it incredibly difficult to put my hands on another series of fantasy books I’ve enjoyed more. So naturally, when I heard that he was going to be releasing a short story anthology I was completely on board. Hook, line, and sinker. Does that mean that you should take this review with a grain of salt? Absolutely not. Please, if you will, follow me down this road of awesome, into the mind of a great. And though you need not swallow the gravy, it will certainly make the colors more magnificent.

I don’t know if I can count the number of times that I’ve read about a “new author” that has finally made it onto the publishing scene only to quickly release a short story compilation with a bunch of mediocre, pre-publishable mess that scares off potential readers. This was certainly not the case here with Abraham's LEVIATHAN WEPT AND OTHER STORIES (just released through Subterranean Press). Right off we get "The Cambist and Lord Iron", a hilarious piece about the value of things that made me both laugh out loud and think in silence. A great combination. Follow that up with "Flat Diane", a gut-punch of the horrific that deftly plucked the strings of my paternal instinct, which was made all the more intense by reading it immediately after "Lord Iron". These were both stories that I had consumed through online media prior to buying the anthology, but I still completely loved reading this time through.

One of the coolest things about this anthology is that there’s something for everyone in it. Science-fiction romps about removing the switch in our mind that controls our level of attraction in "Best Monkey", or having the ability to remove from our physical perception certain individuals that we don’t want to deal with in "Exclusion", showcase some of the great ideas that Mr. Abraham brings to the table. Woven throughout each of these stories are worlds colored by individual perception. Strong character is one of the reasons that I love Mr. Abraham’s work so much. "Hunter in Arin-Qin" gives us the fear and self-recrimination of a single mother that has lost her child to a beast and the journey she makes with a strange, foreign hunter to reclaim what they both wish to regain. Then a woman in "As Sweet" struggles with the concept of monogamy when so much of what she teaches to her students, and feels in her heart, deals with passion and wild abandon.

The first time that I read through the book, I was surprised by the endings of most of them. I’d get there and say, “Hmm. Probably not where I would have ended that one.” Yet despite this fact, I continued to think about those stories and what they were really about. On the back end, I’m quite impressed with where the endings landed me. The one that hit this most strongly was the title story, "Leviathan Wept". In it, Abraham posits the idea that as cells and neurons are a small part of what makes up us, so we might be a smaller part of something larger as well; and in the way that there is very little interaction between us and our neurons, even to the extreme that such neurons could not be cognizant of our own existence, so too might we not be cognizant of this larger thing of which we are a part. Like so many other science fiction stories, it pulls into it concepts and thoughts of deity, of that something that is greater than us, and what kind of interactions we have with it. Extremely interesting stuff.

Now, did I like them all? Not the entirety of each individual story, no; though I do have to admit as to being pulled in by every single one. Mr. Abraham has a great way of telling stories and a keen eye as to the development of his characters. He cares for all of it, and it shows.

Before I go, I have to give you a vision as to what this guy is doing too. Not only can he write amazingly well, but he does quite a lot of it too. And he’s not restricting himself to a single arena either. He’s taking his ability all over the place, and I think that’s a grand idea. The Long Price Quartet is done, alas. Man was it great. Go and buy this whole thing, as two omnibuses from Orbit, as soon as possible. Next up on the fantasy line? First book of five for The Dagger and the Coin, The Dragon’s Path, is now being drafted and should be released from Orbit in mid-2011. He does urban fantasy as MLN Hanover: The Black Sun’s Daughter series--two books done, a third near finished, and a fourth up and coming. Comic books? Yup. Writing for a couple of those too, one associated with GRRM’s Wild Cards series. Science Fiction? Of course. Here he’s James S. A. Corey with Leviathan Wakes, coming in mid-2011 from Orbit as well. And then there’s the short stories. Always the short stories.

He’s putting out for us people. Take advantage of this. You will NOT be disappointed by his work.

Recommended Age: 18 and up. Intense thematic content is what made the call here.
Language: Yup. Not a ton, but it’s there and can get fairly strong at times.
Violence: Not really.
Sex: Some dialogue that ties into the Language content, intense themes associated with "Flat Diane" specifically.

Daniel keeps a blog at http://bram452.livejournal.com/ and you can find some love for him at Orbit, his current publisher, as well: http://www.orbitbooks.net/