Blurbing the blurbs.

Well, it's not terribly often I run into books with local authors as the source of short reviewer quotes, a.k.a. "blurbs". But recently I've seen not one but two such books.

The first is Southern Gods by debut novelist John Hornor Jacobs, out from Night Shade Books both in print and (from Brilliance Audio) in audio:

Here's the publisher description:

Recent World War II veteran Bull Ingram is working as muscle when a Memphis DJ hires him to find Ramblin' John Hastur. The mysterious blues man's dark, driving music--broadcast at ever-shifting frequencies by a phantom radio station--is said to make living men insane and dead men rise.

Disturbed and enraged by the bootleg recording the DJ plays for him, Ingram follows Hastur's trail into the strange, uncivilized backwoods of Arkansas, where he hears rumors the musician has sold his soul to the Devil.

But as Ingram closes in on Hastur and those who have crossed his path, he'll learn there are forces much more malevolent than the Devil and reckonings more painful than Hell . . .

In a masterful debut of Lovecraftian horror and Southern gothic menace, John Hornor Jacobs reveals the fragility of free will, the dangerous power of sacrifice, and the insidious strength of blood.

And here's what Pittsboro author David Drake had to say, printed at the top of the front cover: “Southern Gods is scary, smart, and effective both as Lovecraftian fiction and as a Southern Regional novel set in 1951.” While best known for his millions-in-print science fiction and fantasy novels, Drake is both a great writer of short horror fiction (the cover blurb attributes him as the author of Balefires, Drake's short fiction collection from Night Shade Books) as well as a voracious reader and collector of "weird tales" short fiction.

The second concerns Isles of the Forsaken by Carolyn Ives Gilman, out from ChiZine Publications:

Here's the publisher description:

The Forsaken Isles are on the brink of revolution. Three individuals are about to push it over the edge and trigger events that will lead to a final showdown between ancient forces and the new overlords of the land. Spaeth Dobrin is destined to life as a ritual healer—but as the dhotamar of the tiny, isolated island of Yora, she will be caught in a perpetual bond between herself and the people she has cured. Is it slavery, or is it love? Meanwhile, Harg, the troubled and rebellious veteran, returns to find his home transformed by conquest. And Nathaway, the well-intentioned imperialist, arrives to teach Spaeth’s people “civilization,” only to become an explorer in the strange realm of the Forsakens. These two men will propel Spaeth into a vortex of war, temptation, and—just possibly—freedom.

And here's what Raleigh author Kij Johnson had to say: "Vivid world-building, fascinating characters, and a rich, complex story - I love this book!"

Well, that's pretty much all I have today. Blurbing the blurbs!