Thomas Wayne Batson, author of the The Door Within trilogy has posted a most interesting contest on his blog to promote his newest book, Isle of Swords.  Readers and fans can click on over to Batson's blog site for the full details, but to summarize, the 5 folks who help Batson promote his novels the most from now until Christmas will get to see themselves as a character in his next series of books.  And the person who does the MOST will recieve signed copies of Batson's future novels - FOR LIFE.  Sounds like a pretty good deal, so get out there and start earning points!

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Editor's note: Moderate spoilers below.

I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final volume in J.K. Rowling's towering achievement of a fantasy series, well over a month ago now. And it's been dancing around in the back of my head in all that time, begging for a review.

But how on earth is anyone supposed to write a review that does justice to the staggering nature of the capper to a series that is nothing less than a global publishing phenomenon -- the likes of which have never been seen before and will likely not be seen again? How can I possibly explain how astounding it is that Rowling faced a vast, insurmountable level of unprecedented anticipation... and managed to not only meet, but exceed fan expectations?

It is an incredible, daunting challenge to find words to describe such an accomplishment, and I do not feel adequate to the challenge. So I'll just approach it like I do every other review.

Influential author Madeleine L'Engle died Thursday, September 6, at the age of 88. She was the author of over 60 books, including the award-winning fantasy, A Wrinkle in Time.

There will be a service on Saturday, September 15th at the Church of Christ, Goshen, CT, and a later public memorial service around her birthday, the actual date to be decided, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests that memorial gifts be made to Crosswick Foundation, Ltd, 924 West End Ave, apt 95, New York, New York, 10025.

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Brandt Dodson, author of Original Sin, Seventy-Times Seven, and Root of All Evil returns hard-bitten P.I. Colton Parker to the fray with his latest mystery-du-jour, The Lost Sheep. Continuing to craft an entertaining gumshoe series, mixing elements of faith, redemption, and self-forgiveness with suspense, excitement, and classic pavement pounding P.I. action, The Lost Sheep takes Colton Parker and readers down a deep, twisting rabbit hole that eventually leads to the light, but only after plunging to the depths of darkness first.

As The Lost Sheep opens, Colton Parker is frantic, beside himself with worry -- and impatient over the seeming ineptitude of the Indianapolis Police Force -- because his daughter Callie has run away, leaving nothing behind but a fearful message on their answering machine that says:

"Daddy, please don't try to find me. Please."

Things had been looking up lately for Colton and Callie; old wounds from their mother's untimely death and their estrangement had started to heal, business was picking up, they were more financially stable, and Colton had just begun to acknowledge and accept his developing feelings for former FBI partner and dear friend, Mary Christopher. Callie's sudden disappearance throws everything into a tailspin, as he hunts with dread heart and angry vengeance whoever has abducted his little girl.

The words "journal" and "journey" coalesce in Jim Palmer’s Wide Open Spaces: Beyond Paint-by-Number Christianity, a sequel of sorts to his book Divine Nobodies. After leaving organized religion in search of... well, God, Palmer outlines the questions that ultimately led him to the reality of God's Love. Questions like "Do we need a purpose?" "Can church be everywhere?" and "Is God a belief system?" open each chapter, thrusting us into a journey whose destination is the Answer.

So what does it look like when you color outside the lines? Palmer's book, despite an ample share of theology, philosophy, and even a little psychology, doesn't neglect practical, everyday examples of what it means to feel and live the love of God. He writes, "God is not somewhere up in the sky; He's living His life in and through us, the body of Christ, in the neighborhoods where we live, the places where we work and play, and the people we come across each day." Yes, Palmer departs from the idea of God who lives out there past the Milky Way, but only to find the God who is, and has always been, here.

The long awaited sequel to A.E. Vogt’s Slan is wonderfully nostalgic; unfurling a far away world glowing with the relentless enthusiasm of Science Fiction’s Golden Age (1930s – '50s). Slan Hunter boasts Flash Gordon high-adventure alongside thought-provoking themes in a tale that’s intriguing, epic, and just good fun.

No one knows how the Slans -- mutated humans with psychic head tendrils, inhuman strength and uncanny intelligence -- came to be, but regular humans know this: they're to be destroyed, at all costs. Certain the Slans are bent on worldwide domination, humans hunt them mercilessly, sparking the Slan Wars. Though humans eventually wipe out all but a few stragglers, the victory is costly: the war's devastation sets Earth back hundreds of years, and much technological progress is lost.

The Skewed Throne is an excellent fantasy boasting fresh literary mechanisms and original concepts. Detailed and complex, it should become an enduring series that'll please hardcore and casual fantasy fans alike.

Orphaned as a child, Varis has been forced to harden early. Surviving by her wits, trusting few, and loving no one, she's carved out a place for herself in the slums, far from Amenkor's central city, home to the rich and the Mistress -- the mystical ruler Amenkor who sits on The Skewed Throne. Life is hard, but Varis gives little thought to anything past surviving each day. She possesses strange abilities, though, which link her to something vast and unknowable, beckoning her to become more than she is.

Eric Wilson is a writer who's been there and back again -- the places that we hate to venture toward of brokenness and humility and now back again to a new place of hope and promise. And he's learned you can't have one without the other. With a couple new books out and on the way and an entire new trilogy ahead, Wilson gives us the inside scoop on what's coming as well as his true strength as a writer.

Eric: When I sat down to write this book, I was facing the end of my publishing contract and thought my career might be over. This led to some depression and doubts as I began to work on the manuscript. It was very hard to sit in the chair and write. I decided to take some old advice and "write about something I was passionate about." I could relate to Aramis Black and his struggle to live a life for the Lord while still dealing with questions from his past, and I was frustrated with the religious extremism we see in our world today. I married those ideas and had Aramis face secrets from his past that are being manipulated by a very personalist, a zealot who uses God's Word as a justification for his own -- like many of those we see in the news.

Jack Cavanaugh is a full time writer who has published more than twenty novels to-date. His books have been translated into six languages, and he's won prestigious awards for his work including the ECPA Silver Medallion Award, and multiple Christy Awards.

Matt: Jack, can you tell us how you developed the idea of the Kingdom Wars series?

Jack: I came across a most unusual incident in Genesis and became fascinated with the Bible’s unapologetic approach to the unseen supernatural world. Jacob is taking a journey. He happens upon an encampment of angels. Spends the night. The next day he continues his journey as though this sort of thing happens all the time. I thought it would be fun to tell a modern day story with the same unapologetic approach to the supernatural.