Summary: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Dance-Ilana-C-Myer/dp/0765378329"></a>In episode 361 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome back Ilana C. Myer, author of the new book FIRE DANCE.<br> About <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Dance-Ilana-C-Myer/dp/0765378329" rel="noopener" target="_blank">FIRE DANCE</a>: Espionage, diplomacy, conspiracy, passion, and power are the sensuously choreographed steps of the soaring new high fantasy novel by Ilana C. Myer, one woman’s epic mission to stop a magical conflagration.<br> Lin, newly initiated in the art of otherwordly enchantments, is sent to aid her homeland’s allies against vicious attacks from the Fire Dancers: mysterious practitioners of strange and deadly magic. Forced to step into a dangerous waltz of tradition, treachery, and palace secrets, Lin must also race the ticking clock of her own rapidly dwindling life to learn the truth of the Fire Dancers’ war, and how she might prevent death on a scale too terrifying to contemplate.<br> Myer’s novel is a symphony of secret towers, desert winds, burning sands, blood and dust. Her prose soars, and fluid movements of the politically charged plot carry the reader toward a shocking crescendo.<br> <a href="https://ilanacmyer.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">About Ilana C. Myer:</a> Ilana C. Myer has written for the Globe and Mail, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon, and the Huffington Post. Previously she was a freelance journalist in Jerusalem for the Jerusalem Post, The Forward, Time Out Israel and other publications. She lives in New York City.<br> Ilana was born in New York but grew up in Jerusalem, Israel, where she spent her teen years haunting secondhand bookstores in search of books written in English—especially fantasy. It was in one of these shops that she discovered David Eddings and realized that epic fantasy continued after Tolkien, and from there went on to make such marvelous discoveries as Tad Williams, Robin Hobb, and Guy Gavriel Kay.<br> Since learning to read, Ilana had decided she would write books, but during college in New York City was confronted with the reality of making rent, and worked as a receptionist, administrative assistant, and executive assistant where she on occasion picked up dry cleaning. She afterwards found more fulfillment as a journalist in Jerusalem where she covered social issues, the arts, and innovations in technology, and co-founded the Middle East environment blog, Green Prophet. It was during these years in Jerusalem, on stolen time, that Last Song Before Night took shape.<br> She writes as Ilana Teitelbaum for various outlets, but decided early on—since the days of haunting bookstores, in fact—that “Teitelbaum” was too long for a book cover. “Myer” is a variation on the maiden name of her grandmother, whose family was exterminated in Germany. It is a family with a long history of writers, so it seems appropriate to give credit—or blame—where it’s due.<br> This week’s picks:<br> <br> * Ilana: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Front-Dark-Arts-Novel/dp/0765383195" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Midnight Front by David Mack</a><br> * John: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oathbringer-Book-Three-Stormlight-Archive/dp/076532637X" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OathBringer by Brandon Sanderson</a><br> * Patrick: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwievZ1Tx-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Avengers: Infinity War</a><br> <br> Links:<br> <br> * <a href="https://twitter.com/IlanaCT">Ilana on Twitter</a><br> * <a href="https://twitter.com/johnanealio" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Anealio on Twitter</a><br> * <a href="https://twitter.com/atfmb" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Patrick Hester on Twitter</a><br> * <a href="https://www.patreon.com/functionalnerds?ty=h" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Functiona...</a>
