If you haven’t discovered the hardnosed, uniquely talented Ray Lilly, reluctant hero of Harry Connolly’s Twenty Palaces series, check out this cool video. (Harry Connolly has friends in the film business who like his books so much that they created this trailer to show the love.) If you haven’t experienced the first book in the series, Child of Fire, you can now at a great low price. We’re reissuing the eBook edition at only 99 cents for a limited time, to introduce more readers to this stellar paranormal series. (I hesitate to call it urban paranormal, since the first two novels take place in rural Washington State; the third novel, though, is set in L.A., so OK, now it qualifies as urban paranormal.)
ANYWAY. Both Jim Butcher and Charlaine Harris love the books. Butcher called Child of Fire “excellent reading and has a lot of things I love in a book: a truly dark and sinister world, delicious tension and suspense, violence so gritty you’ll get something in your eye just reading it, and a gorgeously flawed protagonist.” And Charlaine Harris said about the sequel, Game of Cages: “Ray Lilly is one of the most interesting characters I’ve read lately, and Harry Connolly’s vision is amazing. I can hardly wait for the next one.” (That won’t be long now; Circle of Enemies goes on sale August 30.)
Here’s a sample chapter from Child of Fire if you need any more decision-making assistance. So many people who have discovered this series are now big fans–give it a try and let us know what you think.
I have read both Child of Fire and Game of Cages a couple times now, hoping to catch some clue I might have missed the first few times. Ray Lilly is a flawed, complex and fascinating character- just like the world of The Twenty Palaces society. Harry Connolly has captured my imagination and interest and I want him to write MORE! I have been WAITING for Circle of Enemies (not patiently) and there are only a few authors that I like enough to bother keeping up with their publishing schedule. Imagine my dismay when I heard a rumor that Del Ray was on the fence about keeping this series. (Dropping it would be a mistake- Jim Butcher wasn’t a star in his first books either- and look at him now. )
If you haven’t read Child of Fire DO IT. Do it now. This series is good- without the annoying angsty female romance plot disguised as urban fantasy. This is an excellent story told by a unique character and teases the reader with a glimpse into a more detailed and complex world and mythology guaranteed to get you thinking.