Saturday, May 23, 2015

PRESS RELEASE: Dark Circus by Laura Lam Purchased by Pan MacMillan

PAN MACMILLAN BUYS DARK CIRCUS SERIES BY LAURA LAM

Pan Macmillan is very happy to announce that it has acquired world rights in PANTOMIME, SHADOWPLAY and MASQUERADE by Laura Lam, from Juliet Mushens at The Agency Group.


These enthralling books are set within a circus in a world somewhat like our own – but where wonders and magic really exist. A young runaway seeks escape from a life of injustice and secrets, and the circus promises freedom. There, Micah will become who she was meant to be, yet the future also holds conflict and dangerous mysteries. 


PANTOMIME and SHADOWPLAY were originally published by Osprey Publishing’s Strange Chemistry, before the imprint closed its doors in 2014. But MASQUERADE, the final book in the Micah Grey trilogy, will be published by Pan Macmillan for the first time. Unlike Lam’s upcoming near-future thriller FALSE HEARTS, this series is written for young adults and adults alike.


Laura Lam said: ‘When I found out that the Micah Grey series would be re-released and completed by Pan Macmillan, I was so relieved and absolutely ecstatic. It's been an interesting journey for Micah, and I'm extremely honoured and grateful to have the support of everyone at Macmillan for both my fantasy and my near-future thrillers.’


Senior Commissioning editor Bella Pagan commented: ‘I absolutely adored Laura’s False Hearts and am so delighted we’ll also be publishing her captivating first series too. These books also show off Laura’s huge talent and I just can’t wait for a new army of readers to discover this for themselves.’
Pan Macmillan plans to release PANTOMIME AND SHADOWPLAY in ebook this autumn. Physical reissues will follow from summer 2016, ending with MASQUERADE, the new book.


ABOUT PAN MACMILLAN 
Pan Macmillan UK is one of the largest general book publishers in the UK, with imprints including Macmillan, Mantle, Pan, Picador, Boxtree, Sidgwick & Jackson, Bello, Tor, Macmillan Children’s Books, Campbell Books, Macmillan New Writing and Macmillan Digital Audio. Pan Macmillan is part of the Macmillan Publishing Group which operates in over 70 countries.www.panmacmillan.com

REVIEW: Tibetan Cross by Mike Bond

Tibetan Cross by Mike Bond
Publishing information: Kindle
Publisher: Mandevilla Press; 1 Oct 2014
ISBN: 9781627040129
ASIN: B00O5BU52S
Standalone
Copy: Provided by publisher
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "An American climber in the Himalayas stumbles on a shipment of backpack nuclear 
weapons headed into Tibet for use against China. Pursued by spy agencies and other killers 
across Asia, North Africa, Europe and the United States, he is captured then rescued by a 
beautiful young woman with whom he forms a deadly liaison. They escape, are captured and 
escape again, death always at their heels. A terrifying international manhunt and stunning 
love story, Tibetan Cross is a European best-seller. "

I found Tibetan Cross while looking for new books to review and the synopsis and the cover really sold me. The idea of a thriller taking place in an exotic and relatively unknown locale really appealed to me. 

While I have never read a Mike Bond story before I found his style a little to terse. His dialogue is choppy and I don't like it. His characters talk in an infodump style that you rarely find in real life regardless of the situation. The action scenes are also hard to follow. As someone who reads a lot and many of them being action-thrillers, I found myself either not caring for what happening or having to jump to conclusions in order to follow it. Many of his characters take massive damage and they don't even slow down. I like larger than life heroes but I don't want to read about unrealistic survivable wounds. 

I had a real hard time trying to finish this book as there was a lot to swallow, while he seems to have down well with his research in matters of the military and politics, Bond had some difficulty with keeping things manly and yet staying within the realm of possibility. I wanted to like Tibetan Cross but after only a few chapters found myself watching the percentage left in the book spiral upward towards the 100% mark. Tibetan Cross was a huge disappointment.

Overall 5/10