My Book Haul/In My Mailbox

The Story Siren hosts a weekly meme where bloggers can share what goodies they've purchased/received this week. If you get a chance head over to The Story Siren and check out what everyone is up to!

I know Borders are shutting stores in the US, but I found out that British Bookshops is in recievership in the UK as well. I used to buy a lot of books here so I'm going to miss them. At the moment though I've taken advantage of the closing down sale with a selection of books...

Bite Marks (Jaz Parks 6) - Jennifer Rardin

Publisher: UK - Orbit (October 2009)

 

Jaz is possessed. After biting the neck of a domyter during a forced visit to his territory, she now has unwelcome voices in her head. While fighting for supremacy in her own mind, she finds herself confronted with a near-impossible task: perform perfectly on her next mission or face the unemployment line. This goal wouldn't be unreasonable, except that her newest target, the leader of a security software firm, plans on transporting a boatload of gnome larvae into NASA's deep space communication complex. Why gnomes? Let's just say that their god is a little peeved with humanity and plans on the usual: total annihilation.
Joining Jaz and Vayl are their old buddies Cole, Bergman, Cassandra and Jack the malamute, each of whom has his or her own agenda. Between Cassandra's curse, Jaz's literally mental personal demons, and a host of angry gnomes, this mission is definitely going to be more complicated than any that have come before.

I was really sorry to hear about the death of Jennifer Rardin last year. I've been enjoying her Jaz Parks series over the last couple of years - particularly the action involved!  I have put off buying this for a while as I know there were only two more books to read and wanted to enjoy the anticipation. Couldn't resist this week though! :-)

The Prodigal Mage - Karen Miller

Publisher: UK - Orbit

 The weather magic that holds the kingdom of Lur safe is failing, and the earth feels broken to those with the power to see. Among Lur's sorcerers only Asher has the skill to mend the antique weather map that governs the seasons, keeping the land from being crushed by natural forces. Yet when Asher risks his life to meddle with these dangerous magics, the crisis is merely delayed, not averted. Asher's son Rafel has inherited his father's talents, but has been forbidden to use them. Many died in the last Mage War and these abilities aren't to be loosed lightly into the world. But when Asher's last desperate attempt to repair the damage leaves him on this deathbed, Rafel's powers may not be denied. For his countrymen are facing famine, devastation and a rift in the very fabric of their land.

I loved the first two books set in Lur and this one has been on my wishlist for a while!

Altar of Eden - James Rollins

Publisher: UK - Orion Books

 Louisiana veterinarian Lorna Polk stumbles upon a shipwrecked fishing trawler carrying a caged group of exotic animals, clearly part of a black market smuggling ring. Yet, something is wrong with these beasts, disturbing deformities that make no sense. They also all share one uncanny trait - heightened intelligence. To uncover the truth about the origin of this strange cargo and the terrorist threat it poses, Lorna must team up with Jack Menard, a man who has a dark and bloody past. Together, they must hunt for a beast that escaped the shipwreck while uncovering a mystery that traces back to mankind's earliest roots...

James Rollins is always a fun read for me - I love some adventure stories!

Ringworld - Larry Niven

Publisher: Gollancz

Pierson's puppeteers, strange, three-legged, two-headed aliens, have discovered an immense structure in a hitherto unexplored part of the universe. Frightened of meeting the builders of such a structure, the puppeteers set about assembling a team consisting of two humans, a puppeteer and a kzin, an alien not unlike an eight-foot-tall, red-furred cat, to explore it. The artefact is a vast circular ribbon of matter, some 180 million miles across, with a sun at its centre - the Ringworld. But the expedition goes disastrously wrong when the ship crashlands and its motley crew faces a trek across thousands of miles of the Ringworld's surface.

This is one of my challenge books for my classics challenge from my friend Kris.

The Last Vampire: The Eternal Dawn - Christopher Pike

Publisher: UK - Hodder's Children's Books

Alisa has spent the past five thousand years as a vampire, living alone and fighting for survival. In her loneliness, Alisa cannot resist bringing Teri — a descendant of her human family — into her life. But Alisa is surrounded by death and destruction, and just by knowing Alisa, Teri’s life is at risk.
Alisa’s guilt grows when she becomes involved in a dangerous conspiracy. A top-secret group knows Alisa’s secret and will stop at nothing to use her powers for their cause. As Alisa desperately tries to protect herself and Teri from the unknown enemy, she discovers a force more powerful and more lethal than anything she has ever seen. Alisa doesn’t know who to trust, who to challenge, or who she will become....

I loved Christopher Pike's Last Vampire series when I was a teen and as I'm planning on re-reading them for Book Vixen's YA of the 80s and 90s challenge, I couldn't resist picking up the new story in the series.

So what have you picked up this week? :)