Author Archive
Walking the Tree – now with free novella!
Posted by: | CommentsAngry Robot set its stall out from the very start as an imprint that would be trying different approaches to delivering stories. Over the last year we’ve been fortunate to be in a prime position to take advantage of the surge in eBook editions. Now here’s another idea we’d like to run past you.
While writing Walking the Tree, ace AR author Kaaron Warren naturally concentrated on her central character, Lillah. But as she explored that woman’s incredible journey around Botanica’s immense Tree, she became just as fascinated with the story of one of her young companions, Morace.
So fascinated, in fact… that she rewrote the whole book from Morace’s point of view! Well, we couldn’t just hide that away and so, if you buy a physical copy of Walking the Tree you’ll find, amongst our usual swathe of extras and freebies at the end, the first two chapters of his story… and a secret download link and password, that will allow you to download or read the entire novella. And if you get the eBook edition, well, you get the whole thing as an added extra.
Who knows – perhaps this sort of thing could catch on. I’m sure we could all think of secondary characters whose adventures we’d like to read from their POV. And plenty more who we wouldn’t, of course.
And now… more fabulous art
Posted by: | CommentsAre you getting bored of this yet? We’re definitely not. It seems like pretty much every day in the Angry Robot office is a “woah, that’s just awesome!” day at the moment, and as long as the weather remains cold and wintery long may that little flash of sheer joy continue to light up our chilly world.
Today’s wonderful specimen is the cover art for Dan Abnett’s September title, Embedded. Our artist is the almost supernaturally talented Larry Rostant, who also provided the cover image for Dan’s most recent book for us, that wild historical fantasy romp extravaganza, Triumff; Her Majesty’s Hero.
Embedded is the first of Dan’s original novels in the vein of his bestselling military SF tie-ins for the Black Library, being set on the battlefield of a future war. In this case, we’re on a desert planet just a few hundred years from now. Rebellious first colonists are fighting back against more recent arrivals, and the war is getting grim. A journalist manages to get himself to the front line by being chipped into the brain of a combat soldier… but when that soldier is killed, he has to take over the body and get himself back home again somehow, broadcasting on an open feed the whole time.
You want hardcore future war? You got it. As per usual, click on this image to get a larger version. Try not to dribble.
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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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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.]
Dan Abnett on Babel Clash
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Babel 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.
Robot fun for the holidays
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That’s the end of our Twelve Days. The Angry Robot offices are now closed until January 4th 2010, but we will be picking up email, Twitters and Facebook messages pretty much as normal throughout so don’t hold back. Perhaps just don’t expect an instant reply.
While you’re waiting for our Christmas Day Message, or in the long days that will stretch out between now and our return, here are some robot-related links to keep you amused, bemused or downright confused.
Thanks to each and every one of you for your support, help and wild creativity this year. Here’s to a very Robot New Year. Brace yourselves, North America – you’re next.
– Marco & Lee & Chris xxx
Those links…
• Fabulous handmade retro robots
• Even more cute, with top robot love sequence (courtesy Graham Linehan)
• The Old Robots page (cheers, Lauren)
• Amazing what shows up on CCTV: One and Two
• Faces in odd places, including an angry robot
• Robot ferrets to find drugs
• That robot Xmas tree dance
• That amazing short in which giant robots attack Montevideo
• Lovely Russian kids’ book robots
• Why yes, we’d love one each if you’re feeling flush
• Not us
• We don’t talk about this one
• And finally, how we actually genuinely totally truthfully came up with the stunning imprint name Angry Robot (not really)
Cover love: King Maker!
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s no use, we just can’t keep this to ourselves a moment longer. Here’s the cover art for King Maker, book one of Maurice Broaddus‘ extraordinary Knights of Breton Court trilogy. These books, if you recall, are a retelling of the King Arthur myths, set amongst the inner city gangs of Indianapolis. It’s dark, vicious and totally of the moment: like The Wire meets Excalibur. Because when Angry Robot does urban fantasy, we never forget the “urban” part.
This art is by the fabulously talented Steve Stone of Artist Partners, whose work you will undoubtedly notice from several superb recent cover designs. Steve’s now hard at work on the covers for books 2 and 3 as well. Click on this thumbnail for a much larger version. (Hint – this would make a seriously tasty desktop.)
While we’re on cover art, what’s going on with the new habit, it seems, of “certain publishers” not to credit cover artists? Shame on you, guys, shame on you. The cover art is a big part of the experience of any fantasy novel, and as we all know a superb piece of art can sell a book regardless of the merits of its content. Credit where it is due, fellow publishers!
New Bookman review: “an intricate work of art”
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Lavie Tidhar’s superb steampunk novel The Bookman is steaming out to bookstores across the UK ready for its January 7th release. And as you can imagine, we’ve been sending out advance copies to the great and good across the SF and steampunk world. Among the first to breast the tape with a review is the mighty Dailysteampunk.com. And just how much do they love this book?
“The Bookman is without a doubt the most enjoyable, fascinating and captivating book I have read in a long time. It has managed to claim the throne as my favorite steampunk novel from Moorcock’s A Nomad of the Time Streams. The Bookman is steampunk on multiple levels. Not only because of the plot and the world with its automatons, simulacra and the giant space cannon, it is also in itself an intricate work of art, very much like clockwork. The story’s depth is revealed piece by piece, gear by gear, during the entire length of the novel up until the end, which makes for a very exciting and captivating read.
Whenever I thought I finally understood what was going on and what motivations the protagonists had, another layer of the plot was revealed, another important detail added. This way, a number of theories about what was really going on were shattered and The Bookman kept on surprising me… Finally in the end I understood and was left with the images of a truly fascinating story and world in my mind. But it is not only the depth of the plot, its many twists and mysteries which kept me glued to its pages, it is also the cast of characters and the many striking details of the world, which make this book so enjoyable.”
That’s only the start of a very in-depth review, so check out the full thing for yourself. And hey, it’s Christmas. You’ve been working hard and you really deserve a treat, so pre-order The Bookman today from your own favourite online store.
Free Maurice Broaddus!
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No, no, not from some kind of human bondage or incarceration in a dank and dismal prison cell.
Free as in “gratis”, for nowt, zilch, zero spondooliks. To get to the point, Apex are featuring a bloody fabulous short story by Maurice Broaddus, dashing and debonair author of King Maker, which is just the first of three volumes in his frankly brilliant Knights of Breton Court series. It’s called Pimp My Airship, and if that title alone doesn’t make you reach for a damp cloth, well, we’re going to have to take away your membership and boot you out the door, kid.
Go read it now.
Novacon this weekend
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Says it all, really. Except to add that:
- Novacon is one of the UK’s most venerable SF conventions.
- For years it was held in a truly dismal venue in Walsall, one of the world’s great locations (for fans of urban blight).
- This year it’s moved to Nottingham. To a hotel maybe 400 feet from the Angry Robot offices. Across the road from the official Angry Robot local pub. Our manor, basically.
- (Yes, the rumours are true: we did try to persuade the landlord of the Grosvenor to change hisname to the Angry Robot for the weekend. No dice, worse luck. We’d trash the place, but hell, it’s the nearest pub to the office, y’know.)
- There’ll be all manner of fabulous science fictional types around. As well as fragrant guest of honour Justina Robson, meet and greet with Angry Robot types Mike Shevdon and Ian Whates, and at least one of the AR multitude. OK, me.
