Geto Boys The Geto Boys

Download Geto Boys The Geto Boys full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Geto Boys The Geto Boys ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Geto Boys' The Geto Boys

Author : Rolf Potts
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1628929499
Total Pages : 117 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (289 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Geto Boys' The Geto Boys by : Rolf Potts

Download or read book Geto Boys' The Geto Boys written by Rolf Potts and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2016-05-19 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the outset of summer in 1990, a Houston gangsta rap group called the Geto Boys was poised to debut its self-titled third album under the guidance of hip-hop guru Rick Rubin. What might have been a low-profile remix release from a little-known corner of the rap universe began to make headlines when the album's distributor refused to work with the group, citing its violent and depraved lyrics. When The Geto Boys was finally released, chain stores refused to stock it, concert promoters canceled the group's performances, and veteran rock critic Robert Christgau declared the group "sick motherfuckers." One quarter of a century later the album is considered a hardcore classic, having left an immutable influence on gangsta rap, horrorcore, and the rise of Southern hip-hop. Charting the rise of the Geto Boys from the earliest days of Houston's rap scene, Rolf Potts documents a moment in music history when hip-hop was beginning to replace rock as the transgressive sound of American youth. In creating an album that was both sonically innovative and unprecedentedly vulgar, the Geto Boys were accomplishing something that went beyond music. To paraphrase a sentiment from Don DeLillo, this group of young men from Houston's Fifth Ward ghetto had figured out the "language of being noticed" - which is, in the end, the only language America understands.

Diary of a Madman

Author : Brad "Scarface" Jordan
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0062302663
Total Pages : 159 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (623 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Diary of a Madman by : Brad "Scarface" Jordan

Download or read book Diary of a Madman written by Brad "Scarface" Jordan and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2015-04-21 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of Rolling Stone’s Best Music Books of 2015 From Geto Boys legend and renowned storyteller Scarface, comes a passionate memoir about how hip-hop changed the life of a kid from the south side of Houston, and how he rose to the top-and ushered in a new generation of rap dominance. Scarface is the celebrated rapper whose hits include "On My Block," "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" and "Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta" (made famous in the cult film Office Space). The former president of Def Jam South, he's collaborated with everyone from Kanye West, Ice Cube and Nas, and had many solo hits such as "Guess Who's Back" feat. Jay-Z and "Smile" feat. Tupac. But before that, he was a kid from Houston in love with rock-and-roll, listening to AC/DC and KISS. In Diary of a Madman, Scarface shares how his world changed when he heard Run DMC for the first time; how he dropped out of school in the ninth grade and started selling crack; and how he began rapping as the new form of music made its way out of New York and across the country. It is the account of his rise to the heights of the rap world, as well as his battles with his own demons and depression. Passionately exploring and explaining the roots and influences of rap culture, Diary of a Madman is the story of hip-hop-the music, the business, the streets, and life on the south side Houston, Texas.

All Music Guide

Author : Vladimir Bogdanov
Publisher : Hal Leonard Corporation
ISBN 13 : 9780879306274
Total Pages : 1508 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (62 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis All Music Guide by : Vladimir Bogdanov

Download or read book All Music Guide written by Vladimir Bogdanov and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2001 with total page 1508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Arranged in sixteen musical categories, provides entries for twenty thousand releases from four thousand artists, and includes a history of each musical genre.

Why Bushwick Bill Matters

Author : Charles L. Hughes
Publisher : University of Texas Press
ISBN 13 : 1477322310
Total Pages : 209 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (773 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Why Bushwick Bill Matters by : Charles L. Hughes

Download or read book Why Bushwick Bill Matters written by Charles L. Hughes and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2021-06-15 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1989 the Geto Boys released a blistering track, “Size Ain’t Shit,” that paid tribute to the group’s member Bushwick Bill. Born with dwarfism, Bill was one of the few visibly disabled musicians to achieve widespread fame and one of the even fewer to address disability in a direct, sustained manner. Initially hired as a dancer, Bill became central to the Geto Boys as the Houston crew became one of hip-hop’s most important groups. Why Bushwick Bill Matters chronicles this crucial artist and explores what he reveals about the relationships among race, sex, and disability in pop music. Charles L. Hughes examines Bill's recordings and videos (both with the Geto Boys and solo), from the horror-comic persona of “Chuckie” to vulnerable verses in songs such as “Mind Playing Tricks On Me,” to discuss his portrayals of dwarfism, addiction, and mental illness. Hughes also explores Bill’s importance to his era and to the longer history of disability in music. A complex figure, Bill exposed the truths of a racist and ableist society even as his violent and provocative lyrics put him in the middle of debates over censorship and misogyny. Confrontational and controversial, Bushwick Bill left a massive legacy as he rhymed and swaggered through an often-inaccessible world.

The Art & Science of Respect

Author : James Prince
Publisher : Amistad
ISBN 13 : 9780062959874
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (598 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Art & Science of Respect by : James Prince

Download or read book The Art & Science of Respect written by James Prince and published by Amistad. This book was released on 2019-07-23 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Foreword by Drake The successful Hip Hop mogul, boxing manager, and entrepreneur who has had a lasting impact on modern popular music reveals the foundation of his success--respect--and explains how to get it and how to give it. "I was taught that you must believe in something bigger than yourself in order to get something bigger than yourself." For decades, serial entrepreneur James Prince presided over Rap-A-Lot Records, one of the first and most successful independent rap labels. In this powerful memoir, told with the brutal, unapologetic honesty that defines him, Prince explains how he earned his reputation as one of the most respected men in Hip Hop and assesses his wins, his losses, and everything he's learned in between. Throughout his life, Prince has faced many adversaries. Whether battling the systemic cycle of poverty that shaped his youth, rival record label executives, greedy boxing promoters, or corrupt DEA agents, he has always emerged victorious. For Prince, it was about remaining true to his three principles of heart, loyalty, and commitment, and an unwavering faith in God. The Art & Science of Respect brings into focus a man who grew up in a place where survival is everything and hope just a concept; who outlived most of his childhood friends by age twenty-four; who raised seven children; who helped develop international superstars like Drake and world champion boxers like Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward; who rose to the heights of a cutthroat business that has consumed the souls of ambitious hustlers and talented artists alike. Throughout this raw memoir, Prince's love of family, music, boxing, and Houston's Fifth Ward-- "Texas' toughest, proudest, baddest ghetto" (Texas Monthly)--shines through. Yet one major lesson looms over all: Respect isn't given, it's earned. In recounting his compelling life story, Prince analyzes the art and science of earning respect--and giving respect--and shows how to apply these principles to your life.

The Geto Boys

Author : Rolf Potts
Publisher : Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN 13 : 9781501305214
Total Pages : 137 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (52 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Geto Boys by : Rolf Potts

Download or read book The Geto Boys written by Rolf Potts and published by Bloomsbury Academic. This book was released on 2016 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Charts the rise of the Geto Boys from the earliest days of Houston's rap scene and documents a moment in music history when hip-hop began to replace rock as the transgressive sound of American youth"--

Houston Rap Tapes

Author : Lance Scott Walker
Publisher : University of Texas Press
ISBN 13 : 1477317937
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (773 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Houston Rap Tapes by : Lance Scott Walker

Download or read book Houston Rap Tapes written by Lance Scott Walker and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2019-01-29 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The neighborhoods of Fifth Ward, Fourth Ward, Third Ward, and the Southside of Houston, Texas, gave birth to Houston rap, a vibrant music scene that has produced globally recognized artists such as Geto Boys, DJ Screw, Pimp C and Bun B of UGK, Fat Pat, Big Moe, Z-Ro, Lil’ Troy, and Paul Wall. Lance Scott Walker and photographer Peter Beste spent a decade documenting Houston’s scene, interviewing and photographing the people—rappers, DJs, producers, promoters, record label owners—and places that give rap music from the Bayou City its distinctive character. Their collaboration produced the books Houston Rap and Houston Rap Tapes. This second edition of Houston Rap Tapes amplifies the city’s hip-hop history through new interviews with Scarface, Slim Thug, Lez Moné, B L A C K I E, Lil’ Keke, and Sire Jukebox of the original Ghetto Boys. Walker groups the interviews into sections that track the different eras and movements in Houston rap, with new photographs and album art that reveal the evolution of the scene from the 1970s to today’s hip-hop generation. The interviews range from the specifics of making music to the passions, regrets, memories, and hopes that give it life. While offering a view from some of Houston’s most marginalized areas, these intimate conversations lay out universal struggles and feelings. As Willie D of Geto Boys writes in the foreword, “Houston Rap Tapes flows more like a bunch of fellows who haven’t seen each other for ages, hanging out on the block reminiscing, rather than a calculated literary guide to Houston’s history.”

Houston Rap

Author : Lance Scott Walker
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781938265051
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (65 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Houston Rap by : Lance Scott Walker

Download or read book Houston Rap written by Lance Scott Walker and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Houston, Texas, neighborhoods of Fifth Ward, Third Ward and South Park have grown to be hallowed ground for modern rap culture, populated with celebrities, entrepreneurs, support networks and a micro-economy of their own. Photographer Peter Beste (photographer of True Norwegian Black Metal) and writer Lance Scott Walker spent nine years documenting the most influential style in twenty-first-century hip hop and the vibrant inner city culture from which it stems. Houston Rap, edited by Johan Kugelberg, profiles noted artists such as Bun B of UGK, Z-Ro, Big Mike, K-Rino, Willie D of the Geto Boys, Lil’ Troy and Paul Wall, alongside reflections on the lives of departed legends such as DJ Screw, Pimp C and Big Hawk. The book also features community leaders, rappers, producers, businessmen and family members, all providing an astonishing and important insight into a great American cultural narrative. In addition to featuring Beste’s previously unseen images of the contemporary Houston rap scene, Houston Rapincludes a detailed timeline charting the growth of rap music in Houston from its origins to the present.

Check the Technique

Author : Brian Coleman
Publisher : Villard
ISBN 13 : 030749442X
Total Pages : 530 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (74 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Check the Technique by : Brian Coleman

Download or read book Check the Technique written by Brian Coleman and published by Villard. This book was released on 2009-03-12 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Tribe Called Quest • Beastie Boys • De La Soul • Eric B. & Rakim • The Fugees • KRS-One • Pete Rock & CL Smooth • Public Enemy • The Roots • Run-DMC • Wu-Tang Clan • and twenty-five more hip-hop immortals It’s a sad fact: hip-hop album liners have always been reduced to a list of producer and sample credits, a publicity photo or two, and some hastily composed shout-outs. That’s a damn shame, because few outside the game know about the true creative forces behind influential masterpieces like PE’s It Takes a Nation of Millions. . ., De La’s 3 Feet High and Rising, and Wu-Tang’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). A longtime scribe for the hip-hop nation, Brian Coleman fills this void, and delivers a thrilling, knockout oral history of the albums that define this dynamic and iconoclastic art form. The format: One chapter, one artist, one album, blow-by-blow and track-by-track, delivered straight from the original sources. Performers, producers, DJs, and b-boys–including Big Daddy Kane, Muggs and B-Real, Biz Markie, RZA, Ice-T, and Wyclef–step to the mic to talk about the influences, environment, equipment, samples, beats, beefs, and surprises that went into making each classic record. Studio craft and street smarts, sonic inspiration and skate ramps, triumph, tragedy, and take-out food–all played their part in creating these essential albums of the hip-hop canon. Insightful, raucous, and addictive, Check the Technique transports you back to hip-hop’s golden age with the greatest artists of the ’80s and ’90s. This is the book that belongs on the stacks next to your wax. “Brian Coleman’s writing is a lot like the albums he covers: direct, uproarious, and more than six-fifths genius.” –Jeff Chang, author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop “All producers and hip-hop fans must read this book. It really shows how these albums were made and touches the music fiend in everyone.” –DJ Evil Dee of Black Moon and Da Beatminerz “A rarity in mainstream publishing: a truly essential rap history.” –Ronin Ro, author of Have Gun Will Travel

The History of Gangster Rap

Author : Soren Baker
Publisher : Abrams
ISBN 13 : 1683352351
Total Pages : 636 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (833 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The History of Gangster Rap by : Soren Baker

Download or read book The History of Gangster Rap written by Soren Baker and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 636 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Journalist Soren Baker’sThe History of Gangster Rap takes a deep dive into this fascinating music subgenre. Foreword by Xzibit Sixteen detailed chapters, organized chronologically, examine the evolution of gangster rap, its main players, and the culture that created this revolutionary music. From still-swirling conspiracy theories about the murders of Biggie and Tupac to the release of the film Straight Outta Compton, the era of gangster rap is one that fascinates music junkies and remains at the forefront of pop culture. Filled with interviews with key players such as Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, and dozens more, as well as sidebars, breakout bios of notorious characters, lists, charts, and beyond, The History of Gangster Rap is the be-all-end-all book that contextualizes the importance of gangster rap as a cultural phenomenon. “History has so often been written by the victors, that you very rarely ever get the real story behind anything. So it’s really important to hear from the people that were there, which is exactly what Soren Baker shares in this book. He writes about it and he’s honest about it.” —The D.O.C.

Hip Hop in Houston

Author : Maco L. Faniel
Publisher : Arcadia Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1625840462
Total Pages : 190 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (258 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Hip Hop in Houston by : Maco L. Faniel

Download or read book Hip Hop in Houston written by Maco L. Faniel and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2013-07-30 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rap-A-Lot Records, U.G.K. (Pimp C and Bun B), Paul Wall, Beyonce, Chamillionaire and Scarface are all names synonymous with contemporary hip-hop. And they have one thing in common: Houston. Long before the country came to know the chopped and screwed style of rap from the Bayou City in the late 1990s, hip-hop in Houston grew steadily and produced some of the most prolific independent artists in the industry. With early roots in jazz, blues, R&B and zydeco, Houston hip-hop evolved not only as a musical form but also as a cultural movement. Join Maco L. Faniel as he uncovers the early years of Houston hip-hop from the music to the culture it inspired.

The Rap Year Book

Author : Shea Serrano
Publisher : Abrams
ISBN 13 : 1613128193
Total Pages : 639 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (131 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Rap Year Book by : Shea Serrano

Download or read book The Rap Year Book written by Shea Serrano and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2015-10-13 with total page 639 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times–bestselling, in-depth exploration of the most pivotal moments in rap music from 1979 to 2014. Here’s what The Rap Year Book does: It takes readers from 1979, widely regarded as the moment rap became recognized as part of the cultural and musical landscape, and comes right up to the present, with Shea Serrano hilariously discussing, debating, and deconstructing the most important rap song year by year. Serrano also examines the most important moments that surround the history and culture of rap music—from artists’ backgrounds to issues of race, the rise of hip-hop, and the struggles among its major players—both personal and professional. Covering East Coast and West Coast, famous rapper feuds, chart toppers, and show stoppers, The Rap Year Book is an in-depth look at the most influential genre of music to come out of the last generation. Picked by Billboard as One of the 100 Greatest Music Books of All-Time Pitchfork Book Club’s first selection

Handbook of Texas Music

Author : Laurie E. Jasinski
Publisher : Texas A&M University Press
ISBN 13 : 0876112971
Total Pages : 2008 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (761 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Handbook of Texas Music by : Laurie E. Jasinski

Download or read book Handbook of Texas Music written by Laurie E. Jasinski and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2012-02-22 with total page 2008 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The musical voice of Texas presents itself as vast and diverse as the Lone Star State’s landscape. According to Casey Monahan, “To travel Texas with music as your guide is a year-round opportunity to experience first-hand this amazing cultural force….Texas music offers a vibrant and enjoyable experience through which to understand and enjoy Texas culture.” Building on the work of The Handbook of Texas Music that was published in 2003 and in partnership with the Texas Music Office and the Center for Texas Music History (Texas State University-San Marcos), The Handbook of Texas Music, Second Edition, offers completely updated entries and features new and expanded coverage of the musicians, ensembles, dance halls, festivals, businesses, orchestras, organizations, and genres that have helped define the state’s musical legacy. · More than 850 articles, including almost 400 new entries· 255 images, including more than 170 new photos, sheet music art, and posters that lavishly illustrate the text· Appendix with a stage name listing for musicians Supported by an outstanding team of music advisors from across the state, The Handbook of Texas Music, Second Edition, furnishes new articles on the music festivals, museums, and halls of fame in Texas, as well as the many honky-tonks, concert halls, and clubs big and small, that invite readers to explore their own musical journeys. Scholarship on many of the state’s pioneering groups and the recording industry and professionals who helped produce and promote their music provides fresh insight into the history of Texas music and its influence far beyond the state’s borders. Celebrate the musical tapestry of Texas from A to Z!

Nuthin' but a "G" Thang

Author : Eithne Quinn
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231518102
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Nuthin' but a "G" Thang by : Eithne Quinn

Download or read book Nuthin' but a "G" Thang written by Eithne Quinn and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2004-11-17 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the late 1980s, gangsta rap music emerged in urban America, giving voice to—and making money for—a social group widely considered to be in crisis: young, poor, black men. From its local origins, gangsta rap went on to flood the mainstream, generating enormous popularity and profits. Yet the highly charged lyrics, public battles, and hard, fast lifestyles that characterize the genre have incited the anger of many public figures and proponents of "family values." Constantly engaging questions of black identity and race relations, poverty and wealth, gangsta rap represents one of the most profound influences on pop culture in the last thirty years. Focusing on the artists Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, the Geto Boys, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac Shakur, Quinn explores the origins, development, and immense appeal of gangsta rap. Including detailed readings in urban geography, neoconservative politics, subcultural formations, black cultural debates, and music industry conditions, this book explains how and why this music genre emerged. In Nuthin'but a "G" Thang, Quinn argues that gangsta rap both reflected and reinforced the decline in black protest culture and the great rise in individualist and entrepreneurial thinking that took place in the U.S. after the 1970s. Uncovering gangsta rap's deep roots in black working-class expressive culture, she stresses the music's aesthetic pleasures and complexities that have often been ignored in critical accounts.

Rap Tees

Author : DJ Ross One
Publisher : powerHouse Books
ISBN 13 : 9781576877753
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (777 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Rap Tees by : DJ Ross One

Download or read book Rap Tees written by DJ Ross One and published by powerHouse Books. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the world's foremost collectors of all things hip-hop, DJ Ross One presents--for the first time ever--a much sought after collection of T-shirts in this lushly produced and detailed catalog showcasing over 500 of the genre's best. Rap Tees outshines all other rap tee collections and will be the definitive reference for generations to come. Providing not only a valuable reference and style guide to these ultra-rare shirts, Rap Tees is also a unique chronology of the history of hip-hop. Beginning with the earliest rap concert shirts from the Sugar Hill Gang and New York Fresh Fest, circa 1980-84, and spanning the next two decades, Rap Tees includes rare shirts from a wide selection of the who's-who of the business including: Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Beastie Boys, Eric B and Rakim, Wu Tang Clan, Jay Z, Nas, EMPD, and many, many more. Rap Tees bookends the golden age of rap with unique street-corner memorial shirts commemorating the deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. Unlike typical rock n' roll shirts, hip-hop tees were often made in extremely limited quantities. The elusive concert, promotional, and bootleg tees included in this book are nearly impossible to find on the open market. Only DJ Ross One could track down these gems for you in this one-of-a-kind book, making Rap Tees the consummate guide for these unique pieces of music history.

Marvel

Author : Various
Publisher : Marvel Entertainment
ISBN 13 : 1302493329
Total Pages : 155 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (24 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Marvel by : Various

Download or read book Marvel written by Various and published by Marvel Entertainment. This book was released on 2016-09-21 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Watch creative worlds collide like never before in the ultimate fusion of hip-hop and the House of Ideas! With an introduction by award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates - a National Book Award winner, a recent MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and the writer of Marvel's BLACK PANTHER - this stunning volume showcases 70 comic-book covers inspired by some of the most iconic albums in music history. Experience page after page of incredible artwork featuring the heroes of the All-New, All-Diff erent Marvel Universe - from A-Force to the X-Men - by an unbelievable roster of talent including Adam Hughes, Brian Stelfreeze, Jim Cheung, Mike Del Mundo, Sanford Greene, Jenny Frison, Phil Noto, Mahmud Asrar, Damion Scott, Tim Bradstreet, Keron Grant, Ed Piskor and more! Their finished covers sit side-by-side with behind-the-scenes sketches, showing the process of rendering some of the most famous images in hip-hop, Marvel style. Straight outta comics - and onto your bookshelf!

Gift of the Shaper

Author : D. L. Jennings
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1948080540
Total Pages : 535 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (48 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Gift of the Shaper by : D. L. Jennings

Download or read book Gift of the Shaper written by D. L. Jennings and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-02-07 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this epic fantasy series opener, humans and other beings must halt the release of an imprisoned god who could destroy the world. For thousands of years, the Breaker of the Dawn has been locked away in the ethereal plane of the Otherworld. Now, a young blacksmith’s apprentice finds himself trapped in a war between the noble Athrani, a subset of humanity gifted with the ability to transmute matter, and the malevolent and powerful Khyth, who seek to free the ancient god from his prison. Gift of the Shaper chronicles the epic struggle between the existing forces of good and evil, with both sides vying for control of the key that unlocks the Otherworld. The very powers of creation and destruction hang in the balance, and only a heroic effort can possibly stop the Khyth from unleashing ruin upon their world. Praise for Gift of the Shaper: “An exceptional series opener with memorable characters and simple but enticing worldbuilding.” —Kirkus Reviews “A rollicking good read that is for the fantasy fiction lover in all of us. . . . Packed full of adventure, action, suspense, and horror. . . . Akin to the classics of fantasy fiction from Tolkien and modern-day George RR Martin.” —Seattle Book Review “Jennings uses seamless world-building like [Robert] Jordan and [Brandon] Sanderson. The language elements are beautiful and consistent and the Otherworld is much greater and larger than the slice that we are treated to.” —Christopher D. Schmitz, author