South Dakota's own Chris Johnson has added his voice to the chorus of bloggers saying that The Gamble of the Godless is a mighty fine piece o' work. After characterizing the book as "unique" on a number of different levels, Chris goes on to say that "You will laugh, cry, feel pain, laugh a bit more, and feel frustrated with [the characters]." I'm thinking that the feeling pain and frustration part is actually a good thing--an indication that the reader is so involved with the story and characters that s/he feels emotionally committed to the happy and awful things that befall them. Feel free to let me know if I've gotten that wrong, Chris.

He goes on to describe the book as "an emotional roller coaster, just like a good fantasy novel should be," and "a fantastic book." So there you go; that's pretty unequivocal, I think.

Not quite as unequivocal as his Goodreads review, in which he compares reading Gamble to reading Tolkein, but you know, I'll take it.

The whole review can be read here.

Thanks for the Blog Tour memories...

So, today marks the final day of my eight-day blog tour, which kicked off Sunday on The Next Best Book Blog, then zipped across a half dozen blogs before winding up at TNBBB before finishing up here. I'm thoroughly humbled and gratified at the very kind response that bloggers have been giving The Gamble of the Godless--both those bloggers affiliated with the tour, and others, who have taken it upon themselves to read the book and then talk it up. Not only have the bloggers affiliated with the tour been kind and generous with their time, but other have as well. A complete listing of reviews, interviews and guest-blog posts can be found just bt scrolling down the page a bit.

The good news is that the fun's not over yet. Even as we speak, another blogger has posted a five-star review on his blog--I'll post the link in a day or two. And the Goodreads Goodreads page for Gamble continues to see positive reviews added almost daily. Even if you're not a member of Goodreads.com--and really, you should be--you can check out what people are saying by clicking here.

Once again, a hearty thanks to all the bloggers involved in the David Maine Blog Tour, 2011 edition. It's my hope that we can do it all again, bigger and better than ever, in the pring/summer of 2012, when Book II of The Chronicles of Avin comes out. Sound good to everybody?

Dave Maine Blog Tour Winds Up at TNBBC blog...

...which is as it should be.

The ever-energetic Lori not only reviews Gamble in some depth, but offer capsule reviews on my first four books as well. Among many other kind things, Lori characterizes The Gamble of the Godless as "a fun read that you will find yourself easily slipping into." I certainly think that's true, and it's gratifying to hear the statement coming from someone as experienced and savvy as Lori.

So I invite you to stroll through the TNBBC garden for a while, sniffing the flowers as you go, and if you enjoy yourself,l let Lori know with a comment. The same goes for all the others bloggers who have participated in the past week, all of whom are listed in the entries below. The coming weeks will see even more reviews coming out, as I have sent the book off to numerous people since its release at the start of August, so stay tuned.

And needless to say, if you happen to read the book (and especially if you like it), don't be shy Feel free to post a review on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, or your blog, or any combination thereof.

Look what I got in the mail!

Check out the excellent T-shirt by The Mast, a Brooklyn-based duo that I've been championing for a few weeks over here. My review of the album, Wild Poppies, ran on PopMatters, and the band kindly responded by sending me a just-about-perfect-for-Dave T-shirt. Thanks, guys!

Here's video of them, in case you're late to the party:

The train kept a-rollin'...

...with this interview with Rena Rossner over at her blog, My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors. (I think we've found our proze winner in the Best Blog Name category).

Rena asks me a bunch of good questions about, among other things, the music I play while writing, and how the fantasy stuff relates to the non-fantasy stuff, and also, like, drug-addicted cheetahs. (Which is something I get asked about a lot these days.) So take a look at the interview and, as ever, leave a comment if you like what you see.

Tomorrow, it's back to Lori's Next Best Book Blog and then this party wraps up on Sunday with, I guess, a word or two from me. Thanks to all of you who've been along for the duration, your interest is much appreciated...

Book Sexy Reviews goes ga-ga over Godless

Okay, early response to The Gamble of the Godless has been gratifying--but the kind folks over at the Book Sexy Review blog has just set a new standard in gushing positivity. Big thanks to the folks over there for taking the time to read it with such passion and enthusiasm.

A couple of choice excerpts:

"David Maine has created a wonderful cast of characters and a elaborately detailed world – one of the most engaging I’ve experienced... I found myself glued to the page. I read this book, cover to cover, in two 3-hour sittings. If Book 2 were available, I’d have downloaded it immediately and kept on reading."

That's some mighty kind reviewing right there. So please, if you have even a whisper of interest in what Book Sexy might have found so engaging in the book, please jog on over and have a look. And consider leaving a comment for the reviewer. It will be much appreciated.

Bibliophiliac falls for Fallen

...Sorry, bad pun. Couldn't resist.

But hey! It's not all about The Gamble of the Godless these days. The ever-lively bibliophiliac blog is running an in-depth (and quite glowing) review of my 2005 novel Fallen, which I much appreciate and heartily recommend to anyone and everyone. Among other things, the review states that "David Maine is one of the most original writers I have ever encountered." Aw, shucks.

The same site promises to post a review of Gamble down the road, so that's a twofer I'll take any day. Meanwhile, I encourage one and all to trundle on over to the Fallen review and take a look, say howdy, leave a comment and generally make your presence known.

Guest post at Steve Himmer's blog

Take a gander at Steve Himmer's always-lively blog for a guest post I wrote in response to the question of why I jumped genres, from literary fiction to fantasy. Steve has a multifaceted blogging style and it's worth taking a few minutes to snoop around his site.

As always, if you like what you see, let Steve know in a comment. It means a lot to the people who have taken time to post stuff.

My guest post on The Next Best Book Blog

Today I have a guest post over at The Next Best Book Blog, which is undoubtedly the most enthusiastic webspace in existence when it comes to my books. Moderator Lori is a dynamo of energy and passion, not just for my books but for books in general--she's the kind of reader that I wish there were a lot more of. But since she's unique, I urge you to trundle on over there, check out her blog in general and my post in particular (if you're interested) and leave a comment telling her she's doing a fantastic job. I'm sure she already knows it, but hey, it never hurts to hear it one more time.

And while you'rea at it, you can even pick up a T-shirt or coffee mug. How cool is that?

New Interview up on Mandy the Bookworm Blog

The always-lively Mandy the Bookworm blog has a new interview with me posted today, in which I rattle on about writing The Gamble of the Godless, along with thoughts on pets, inspirations, switching from literary fiction to fantasy, and a bunch more. Take a look if you just can't get enough of me through ordinary channels...

Virtual Book Tour Kicks Off on Sunday

This Sunday (Aug 21) marks the start of a week-long whirlwind of events called The Gamble of the Godless/David Maine Blog Tour. It kicks off with the excellent Next Best Book Club blog and then swirls through another half-dozen blogs in the ensuing six days before wrapping up on TNBBC on the 28th. I'll be posting updates and links as they appear, but take a moment to take a gander at the schedule put together by Lori over at TNBBC, which is here.

As you can see, there is a fair amount of stuff going on, so please, support these dedicated bloggers with a look-in. If you're inclined to leave a comment, they'll appreciate it that much more.

Cheers, and enjoy the festivities!

New review at Indie Book Blogger

The always-lively Indie Book Blogger site, which ran an interview with me a few days ago, is now running a 4.5-star review of The Gamble of the Godless, which it describes as "a lot of fun." Take a look at it here, if you're so inclined.

An extract: "I had a lot of fun reading this book with it's unique rules for interaction between the races. The cultural differences are much more pronounced than is normally found in fantasy novels which led to some interesting difficulties for the group as they traveled through the various regions."

There's more, so take a look. And it means a lot to these independent bloggers if you leave a comment and tell 'em you like what they've done, so think about doing that. And thanks, Indie Book Blog!

Guest blog entry at Best O' Books

Take a gander at The Best O' Books review blog to hear some of my thoughts on the transition from traditionally published author to indie author (not that the two are mutually exclusive). Best O' Books usually focuses on mysteries and thrillers, but Rae, who runs it, was kind enough to give me a forum to air some thoughts. You can find me here at thebestobooks. If you're so inclined, feel free to add a comment or otherwise let Rae know that she's doing a fine job.

Great interview at Indie Book Blogger

The excellent Indie Book Blog site is running a mighty fine interview with me these days, so go check it out and maybe leave a comment to tell the fellow what a terrific job he's doing. The site plans to run a review of The Gamble of the Godless sometime next week, so that's nice too.

Here's a link to the interview.

It's here!

The Gamble of the Godless is now available at Amazon.com. Follow this link to check out info, reviews, download sample chapters or just buy the whole darn thing:

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=The%20Gamble%20of%20the%20Godless&index=blended

To reiterate: this is an epic fantasy, and it rules.

Want more? Here's the description that I wrote for Amazon:

"Avin del Bors has a problem. His brother Drew has run off to fight in a war against the wolves, even though the wolves weren’t responsible for the vicious attack against the humans on the Free Plains. Avin’s companions—the warrior Ax, one-armed sorcerer Jocen, plucky owl Ulkia, drug-addled cheetah Summon the Wind and raccoon stand-up comic Onesso—all have their own reasons for accompanying him through the animal territories across the Bladebone Mountains. Their travels will take them from the highly regimented wolf cities, to the richesse and luxury of the Equine Commonwealth, all the way to the vertiginous tunnels of the serpents’ underground Net and across the waters of the Autonomous Dolphin Collective—to whatever unknown awaits them.

"What neither Avin nor his companions yet understand is that the real force behind the Free Plains attack is neither canine nor feline, nor yet crocodile, insect, raptor, bear or shark. Far to the east, in the scorched wasteland known as The Barrens, lives the ragged clan that calls itself The Godless. There, Avin will confront his brother, his companions and himself, and discover two truths: one that changes everything he understands about himself, and another that threatens the balance of the entire world."

Sounds pretty dire, no? Well, things are tough out there.

Want to check out my Chronicles of Avin web site? Sure you do! After all, The Gamble of the Godless is merely the first in an ongoing series called The Chronicles of Avin. So, you know, there's plenty to find out about, and there's no better place to start than here:

http://thechroniclesofavin.com

So cheerio, and happy reading. I hope you enjoy the book!