Archive for January, 2010
And another *stunning* piece of art
Posted by: | CommentsToday it’s the cover for Ian Whates‘ first fantasy novel, City of Dreams & Nightmare. The cover is by Greg Bridges, the Australian artist who also graced us with the cover for Kaaron’s Walking the Tree.
This time we’re in the land of brass and clockwork, amongst the many towering spires of Thaiburley, City of a Hundred Rows – a setting that is as much of a character in the novel as any of the people. We see a vast metal and glass heart that appears to be running the city through some mysterious alchemical process, while through the great iron-worked windows you can glimpse a brief part of the vast city. To our minds, this is just stunning.
Click this image for a bigger version and check out all that incredible metalwork detailing. Seems almost a shame to shove lettering all over it.
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Mass debates on cover art
Posted by: | Comments(Just don’t read that out loud if you’re in polite company).
There has been a lot of conversations online recently concerning cover art, and the depiction of black characters as part of the overall design. Angry Robot author Maurice Broaddus has written about it on his blog. Not surprising, as his Knights of Breton Court trilogy for Angry Robot features the main cast on the covers, and they’re *gasp* not white! [cue: end of the world music]
Read what he has to say here. Do read the links from his post, too, as they provide excellent background reading. His, is always an interesting blog.
The Bookman continues to attract critical acclaim:
This is a steampunk gem. The settings are marvellously detailed, giving you the feeling that there is a London in which Lizards reign and whales swim up the Thames to sing lullabies to the city dwellers… Bring on a sequel, Tidhar! I’m craving to know what happens after the ending!
Read the rest of the review over at SFF World.
Dan Abnett, meanwhile, continues to dominate Borders’ US blog, Babel Clash and has taken the opportunity to talk about Triumff and his other work for Angry Robot.
It’s energising to find an imprint like Angry Robot that happily wears its awareness of those risks on its sleeve, and is eager to see them being taken. It’s about attitude.
This is the bit where I snap my fingers and say someting street, like “you go, girl”. Honestly – if you were in the office right now, you’d see I can make it work.
Over at the superb Falcata Times, Mike Shevdn’s Sixty-One Nails is given the once-over:
If you’re looking for something in the UF Genre for someone special in your life or if you’re just wanting something that’s pretty unique and mind blowing then you just have to buy this book… The second novel in the series is out next year but take a tip from me. Get this now before the hype hits.
The sequel (The Road to Bedlam) hits the UK this summer.
And finally, UK Steampunk author Adam Christopher listed what he’d like from the Apple iPad, and rather encouragingly he had this to say aout Angry Robot:
If the tablet can deliver an exemplary reading experience, I want to subscribe to publishing houses. For an annual fee, I’ll take everything from Angry Robot Books, thanks very much, delivered to my tablet on release… There’s not a single title from Angry Robot that hasn’t been an excellent read, and I’ll happily take the rest of their output on spec.
It brings a tear to my eye, it truly does…
A two-author signing, and WIN immortality by being killed!
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On Friday 12th February at the superb Forbidden Planet Megastore in Shaftesbury Avenue, London, join John Meaney (aka Thomas Blackthorne) and Aliette de Bodard for a signing session. This is a rare opportunity to meet Aliette, who isn’t in the UK very often. She will be on hand to sign her already-acclaimed debut novel, Servant of the Underworld and John will available to sign his latest book, Edge, written under his new alter-ego, Thomas Blackthorne.
The signing is from 6.00pm until 7.00pm, but you’ll have the opportunity to chat with the authors afterward – we’ll no doubt retire to a local hostelry for this part of the evening.
As well as the opportunity to meet Aliette and John, we have two rather splendid prizes to give away. There is no fee to enter (of course), and no purchase necessary, but you do need to be at the signing to pick up the contest card.
Click to see a bigger version
Answer a simple question to win either:
1) a wonderful 23cm stone replica of an Aztec Calendar, to celebrate Aliette’s book, or
2) get yourself written into the sequel to Edge as a throwaway character, likely to die a violent death! How cool is that? Point is currently being written, and will be published this summer.
Two fantastic prizes from two fantastic authors!
If you can’t make it to the event, you can pre-order signed copies of the books from Forbidden Planet.
See you there!
More gorgeous cover art
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OK, so there’s been a “healthy debate” recently about the featuring (or the avoidance of featuring) characters from non-white cultures on fantasy and SF books. For us, well, perhaps we’re being a tad naive but it never occurred to us. Zinzi, the “girl who finds things” in Lauren Beukes’ very urban fantasy Zoo City, is a black South African, so of course that’s what she looks like on John Picacio’s cover.
And King, the hero of Maurice Broaddus’ superb resetting of the King Arthur mythos among the drug gangs of an American inner city, well, how else could you possibly portray him? If this was a movie – and these incredible books damn well should be! – we wouldn’t blink at a movie poster showing Denzel or Will in the role of our hero. So anyway, here’s the cover art for book two, King’s Justice, which ain’t even out for months and months. Artist once again is the superb Steve Stone. Damn, he’s good.
And here’s our Maurice on his own reaction to the process of depicting his characters in these illustrations.
[As usual, click for a bigger version.]
A few more snippets of loveliness for you, because we care
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Lord Abnett of Englandshire moves into his second week blogging at Babel Clash, and some very fine insights there are, too. A must-read for all would-be authors, whether you want to write original fiction, or tie-in. His most recent blogs are looking at the transition from creating tie-in fiction into being master of his own universe, with the writing of his first original novel, the fabulous Triumff: His Majesty’s Hero:
My own private universe
England, my England
In that second one he even talks about the yet-to-even-be-flipping-announced Triumff sequel, so check it out. And you can continue to penetrate Dan’s mind via the medium of letters combined into word-format over at Babel Clash for the rest of this week.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy blog reviews Aliette de Bodard’s Servant of the Underworld.
With Servant of the Underworld Aliette de Bodard has managed to create a living, breathing world from a long dead civilisation. It is clear that a massive amount of research about the Aztec people has gone into this novel, and it really does show. You could be forgiven for thinking that Aliette had lived among the living breathing Aztec’s rather than studying a people that died out centuries ago… Servant of the Underworld is an intelligent, involving and very rewarding novel which I have no hesitation in recommendation to one and all.
5 *****
Val’s Random Comments blog also talks about Servant of the Underworld:
An interesting and unusual setting, a well rounded main character (did you ever meet a priest of the dead being the good guy in a fantasy novel?) and a brisk pace. This novel has a lot going for it… Servants of the Underworld is one of the better débuts I have read recently. Definitely worth checking out. I am certainly going to keep an eye out for the second book.
Meanwhile, Maurice Broaddus (author of the superb King Maker) has been interviewed over at The Occult Detective and he’s a great interviewee.
Mr. Broaddus is more than the words he writes on a page… Maurice draws you in with a warm smile and a twinkle in his eye that belies the deep reflection that comes from a man who knows that there is more to life than the day to day drudgery. Maurice Broaddus is a man who knows all to well that what truly matters are the affairs of the heart and the weight of the soul.
Colin Harvey’s Winter Song gets the review treatment at The Future Fire.
That the characters, social interactions and cultures are so nicely constructed and observed is no detraction from this novel’s claim to be a hard science fiction adventure, and it is the stronger book for it.
A few things to help your Friday along
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Dazed Rambling have a good write-up of J Robert King’s wonderful Angel of Death.
King manages to handle the characterization of our two main characters expertly. The Angel of Death experiences a lot throughout the novel and changes accordingly and though the change is sometimes radical, it cannot be said that they are unexpected or unwarranted. The same goes with Leland, who is pretty much put through the wringer in the novel and shows it more and more as the novel progresses.
Read the full review here.
Over at Babel Clash, Dan Abnett continues his fascinating insight into all things writery: Hi, I’m Dan and I’ll be your God-Emperor of mankind.
Finally (for now) here’s an interview I did with The Literary Project some time ago, which has gone live today.
Your Thursday linkages of joy
Posted by: | CommentsDan Abnett continues his quest for world domination over at Babel Clash (the Borders US genre blog). Yesterday he talked about writing in someone else’s universe, with his post Put Everything Back Where You Found It. Some really interesting stuff, there.
Over at State of Review Kell’s Legend comes under the spotlight, and again impresses.
I have to say that I really enjoyed this novel… At the heart of this novel is a very good hack and slash but, instead of just getting blood and guts you get a fairly decent story with a really great main character and a interesting supporting cast… I have already preordered the next book in the series as I really enjoyed reading this book. If you love Gemmell you will love Remic.
Another Angry Robot author threatening to take over the blogosphere is Lavie Tidhar, author of our current steampunk release, The Bookman. At The Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf and Book Review Lavie tells of the story of the weirdest book he’s ever read…
Servant of the Underworld – great review
Posted by: | CommentsAliette de Bodard’s debt novel, Servant of the Underworld, continues to garner critical acclaim. Dave Brendon’s Fantasy and SciFi Weblog tells us that:
Servant of the Underworld is an incredibly strong and promising debut, showing her talents at full effect – she can create amazing, believable worlds; her characters are solid and relatable, and she knows how to do interesting magic, great action and creepiness in spades.
It’s true. So go buy it!
More praise for Gary McMahon
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Yesterday we announced our latest signing – the not-at-all-scary-but-writes-really-scary-things Gary McMahon. We’d just received a great quote from Stephen Volk about Gary’s debut Angry Robot title, Pretty Little Dead Things, and put it up on Gary’s page. Pop over there in a mo. For now, here it is:
Thomas Usher is a great character treading a twilight world between Manhunter and Most Haunted; conflicted by grief, haunted by blame, a ‘magnet for ghosts’ who sees the skull beneath the skin. In Pretty Little Dead Things, Gary McMahon nails genuine horror as few British writers can – or dare. He gets under your skin, then burrows even deeper. Terrifyingly, dangerously, hauntingly so.
And just a few minutes ago, this came in, from Ramsey Campbell – one of the greatest horror writers of his (or any other) generation:
Gary McMahon’s vision is as bleak as a Yorkshire moor, but it glows with a wintry light that illuminates the dark we live in. His prose and his sense of place are precise and evocative, and his characters are as real as you and me. He’s one of the darkest – which is to say brightest – new stars in the firmament of horror fiction.
You know, I think we may have done the right thing in signing Gary… 
Dan Abnett on Babel Clash
Posted by: | CommentsBabel Clash is the lively daily blog for all fans of SF & F (and maybe a bit of WTF if we’re lucky) from the American Borders bookstore chain. Starting today, and for the next two weeks, Dan Abnett is going to be providing some insights into his world(s) – and also into some of the worlds that he writes tie-in fiction for, such as Dr Who and Warhammer.
Along the way he’s also promising some sneak info on his next novel, the hard military SF nove Embedded, and maybe some thoughts on the next Triumff novel, The Double Falsehood. So check it out today, and pop back every day for the next couple of weeks.
