Month: April 2014

A Correct Sentiment, Strangely So Rare in Expression…

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SandersonJordan-WoT14-AMemoryOfLightUKThis piece by Brandon Sanderson is mostly about the nomination of the entire Wheel of Time series in the Hugo Best Novel category (Brandon wrote the final four volumes), and the reactions this has elicited from various corners of fandom. There are some, as Brandon notes and are readily visible on Twitter, who have complained about the WoT fanbase, the apparent travesty of the nomination, and many other less-than-praiseworthy reactions.

As I haven’t read the series, nor particularly care about awards, the nomination didn’t really stir much of an opinion or reaction. However, Brandon’s article has a second point, growing out of his impression of the treatment of the WoT fans, which I think is even more important. After eloquently and fairly addressing the “issue” of the series’ nomination, Sanderson moved on to what amounts to a general call for more open-armed civility in the SFF community. It seems so odd that this sentiment should be so noteworthy, but on the internet it is far from the most oft-expressed… The extent to which the post has been re-circulated partly illustrates the rarity of the sentiment, but is also what inspired me to share it here.

First up, on welcoming WoT fans into the community:

“Welcome the Wheel of Time fans into our community. Welcome the next group of fans in too. Give whatever it is they’re passionate about a try. You might like it, and if not, you’ll still probably like them…”

Side-bar: Wouldn’t they technically already be part of the SFF community…?

“… You can’t beg people to come and participate in fandom, then tell them not to vote on your awards because you don’t like their preference in books. Indeed, attacking the fans of a work rather than criticizing the work itself is crossing a very big, and important, line. For many years, we in fandom have had to suffer these kinds of dismissive, hurtful, and destructive attitudes from those who attack us because we like science fiction. Do not side with the bullies. Do not hold your own opinion in such high regard that you dismiss all others.“It is not shameful to like the Wheel of Time. No more than it should be shameful to be the kid who read Dune in middle school while others snickered. We should never have to feel embarrassed for honestly expressing our taste in fiction… If you have said these kinds of things about the Wheel of Time or its fandom in the past few days, I challenge you to take a long, hard look at your tone and what you’re implying. Ask yourself if you really want to belong to a world where only one kind of opinion is valid, where only your taste is acceptable. Because in my experience, these are the sorts of attitudes that science fiction and fantasy fiction have spent their history combatting.”

As the kid who would read Star Wars and Warhammer novels covertly at school (at least, more covertly than I would have preferred), in order to avoid being picked on, or have my stuff defaced/destroyed by others, I wholeheartedly approve of (and embrace) the We’re All Fans Here atmosphere in the SFF community. We’re a Very Big Tent, encompassing a very wide array of speculative fiction genres. There’s room for all tastes and fandoms in the larger SFF community. It’s what makes it one of the most vibrant – if not the most vibrant – of fan communities out there. The fact that you’re more likely to come across snark and attacks directed at others on the internet is by no means a SFF-exclusive phenomenon. But it was certainly nice to, for a change, come across a post like Brandon’s.

Disagreements are common and natural, as are differences in taste, but instead of driving wedges or sorting ourselves into opposing camps, these differences should be used to highlight similar tastes and interests (and values), and introduce others to that which we feel strongly about. Not to berate or push away.

That being said, I still don’t particularly care about awards, even if I can – from time to time – feel strongly about a nominee.

Guest Post: Ben Kane on the “Romani Walk”

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Photo Credit: North News and Pictures

On the 27th April, I will be setting off from the Roman amphitheatre at Capua, north of Naples, on a 130 mile/208 kilometre walk to the Colosseum in Rome. I’ll be doing it not in modern hiking clothes, but in the uniform and with the kit of a Roman legionary from the time of the Second Punic War. In all, my equipment and weapons will weigh over 3.5 stone/24kgs. I won’t be alone, either. Two other authors, Anthony (Tony) Riches and Russell (Russ) Whitfield, will be with me, dressed as different types of Roman soldier.

Before you ask, we’re not insane. We all write novels set in ancient Rome, and we’re doing it for charity. We’ve also done this before, although over a shorter distance. In 2013, we walked the length of Hadrian’s Wall, raising nearly £19,000 for the charities Combat Stress and Medecins Sans Frontieres. It’s hard to know if we’ll reach the same amazing total, but there’s over £9,100 in the pot as of the 18th April.

I’ve been training for the march since November last year. I did this after seeing how hard it was to wear a mail shirt (1.5 stone/9.5kgs) on the Hadrian’s Wall walk. Russ wore it then, and it damn near killed him – despite the fact that he’d been training for a Tough Mudder event for ages. So, three times a week for the last five months, I have religiously donned the shirt and my shield (1 stone 2lbs/8kgs) as well as a sword and helmet, and headed out on the tracks and roads around where I live in Somerset. To being with, I only walked for about 5-6 miles each time, but I increased that as the walk drew nearer. During the really wet weather in January and February, I took to a rowing machine, complete with mail shirt! It was a bit hard-core, but good for fitness.

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Photo Credit: North News and Pictures

For the last few weeks, I’ve been hiking 8-12 miles three times weekly. Yesterday, I walked 15 miles. It wasn’t too bad, and I could still move this morning, so I am hopeful that the walk itself will be manageable. That said, we will have to march 19 miles every day for 6 days, leaving an ‘easy’ 12 miles for the last day. It will be no easy feat, and our feet will have to remain injury-free enough to achieve those distances. Apart from wanting to repay the generosity of everyone who’s donated by completing the walk, we will have the incentive of being on camera. We took the decision to film the entire experience for a number of reasons. With a bit of luck, we might get it onto TV. At the least, we will have a product to be used at literary festivals and other events, and something for our children to laugh at for the rest of our lives.

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You can follow the #RomaniWalk: Facebook, via Twitter (@BenKaneAuthor, @AnthonyRiches, @Russ_Whitfield). If you’d like to donate, thank you! You can do so here.

(A great variety of sponsorship packages are available. They start at £25, and the sponsors receive all kinds of goodies, from DVDs of the documentary to signed pictures and books, and even tickets to the film premiere in London, later this year. See the list here.)

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KaneB-Hannibal4-CloudsOfWarBen Kane’s latest novel, Hannibal: Clouds of War, is out now – published in the UK by Preface. It is Kane’s third Hannibal novel, following Enemy of Rome and Fields of Blood. He has written a number of other excellent, best-selling historical novels – including the Spartacus and Forgotten Legion series. Here is the synopsis for Clouds of War:

As Rome’s war with Carthage continues, two friends – now on opposing sides – confront each other in one of the most brutal sieges of all time…

213 BC. Syracuse. Under the merciless Sicilian sun, a city is at war.

Outside the walls, a vast Roman army waits. Yet the city’s incredible defences, designed by Archimedes, mean that Syracuse will not be taken easily.

A veteran of the bitter war since its beginning, Quintus is ready to give his life in the service of the Republic. But dangers face him from within his own ranks as well as from the enemy – who include his former friend, the Carthaginian, Hanno.

Hanno has been sent by his general Hannibal to aid Syracuse in its fight against Rome. Pledged to bring death to all Romans, he is diverted from his mission by the discovery of Quintus’ sister Aurelia, a captive within the city.

Two friends on opposing sides. A woman caught between them. They are about to meet in one of the most brutal sieges of all time.

Who will survive?

An Aside: An Endearing Moment From RAT QUEENS, Vol.1 (Image)

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Last month, I reviewed the first volume of RAT QUEENS, a new fantasy comic series published by Image Comics. It’s a great new take on warband-fantasy tales, populated by a colourful cast of great characters. The series is written by Kurtis J. Wiebe (who also writes the excellent Peter Panzerfaust), and art duties are handled by Roc Upchurch.

I’ve been thinking a lot about it since I finished (and reviewed) it, and I thought I’d share this short scene from it. Not only is it amusing, but also I could relate…

RatQueens-Vol.1-BestScene

If you are a fan of fantasy, comics, or both, then I would highly recommend Rat Queens. It blends humour and the tropes we have come to love (and, sometimes, hate) so very well.

Rat Queens, Vol.1: “Sass and Sorcery” is out now in the UK and US.

Interview with JAY POSEY

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PoseyJ-AuthorPicLet’s start with an introduction: Who is Jay Posey?

I’m pretty much a professional typist. Sometimes I like to tell people I work with my hands, which I guess is technically true. I’m author of the Legends of the Duskwalker series from Angry Robot Books, and I’m also a Senior Narrative Designer at Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment. I’ve spent almost a decade contributing to Tom Clancy’s award-winning Ghost Recon franchise as a writer and game designer.

Your next novel, Morningside Fall, is due to be published by Angry Robot Books in April 2014. It is the sequel to Three. How would you introduce the series to a new reader, and what can fans of the first book expect here?

The Legends of the Duskwalker series is a mid-future post-apocalyptic sci-fi with cyberpunk elements and heavy Western influence. The first book, Three, tells the story of a lone gunslinger who reluctantly agrees to escort a woman and her young son across an urban wasteland to a distant oasis in hopes of finding the boy’s father.

Morningside Fall picks up about a year or so after the events of Three, and continues the story of two of the first book’s main characters. Fans of the first book will get to see more of what the world looks like from inside one of the few remaining great cities, several new characters, lots of action and suspense, a few big surprises, and more about who and what the Awakened are.

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What inspired you to write the series? And where do you draw your inspiration from in general?

I’d had the basic idea of the story for Three for a while and had just never found quite the right setting for it. There were lots of elements I thought were cool and might be interesting to explore, but every time I started investigating one path, I kind of started to miss the other things I’d chosen to leave out. At some point I realized “Hey, I can do what I want if I just build a world where all these things can coexist.” Three, for me, was a small story in a big world. For that novel I was primarily interested in developing the relationship between the three main characters, and exploring ideas on heroism, sacrifice, and fatherhood. But the world I created let me play around with a lot of different ideas about technology and humanity.

I think my inspiration typically comes from a combination of my natural curiosity and my tendency to think a lot about human nature and why we do the things we do. I just like learning about things, so I read about a lot of different subjects, and then I can’t help but wonder what things mean for people in general. I ask a lot of what if questions, and that usually leads me into interesting places. Sometimes scary places.

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How were you introduced to reading and genre fiction?

Like a lot of writers, I grew up in a family of readers, and given my interest in science and my tendency to daydream a lot, I was just sort of naturally drawn into the world of science-fiction and fantasy. Piers Anthony and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman were some of my first forays into genre fiction. I never really thought about it as being “genre” fiction, of course. Back then, I just called them books.

How do you enjoy being a writer and working within the publishing industry?

When I’m not writing, I love being a writer. Sometimes when I’m in the process of it, I feel sad and broken and I wonder what I’m doing with my life. But for the most part, it’s really cool to have reached a point where I can share my daydreams with other people in a way that they finding exciting, or moving, or entertaining.

I’m also blessed to be working with Angry Robot Books; they’re a publisher that embraces author individuality, and it’s refreshing to work with people who want to help you succeed and achieve your own vision, rather than trying to dictate what your vision should be.

What’s it like, being an author? Is it what you expected? Do you have any specific working, writing, researching practices?

Well, I was assured that becoming a published author meant Instant Fame and Riches, so you can imagine my surprise when Three came out and there was no yacht waiting for me.

Other than that, I kind of go back and forth between being amazed that I reached this particular milestone (getting published) and trying to remember why I thought it was going to be such a big deal. I maybe thought that once I was a Published Author, I would suddenly find it so much easier to write books, but in fact it’s still very hard work, and I still have to wrestle with The Fear on a regular basis (as any creator does). Also, having become a part of that community, I have lots of friends who are published authors, so it doesn’t make me feel quite as special as I had thought it would.

But that being said, every once in a while I remember to step back and look at where I am now in my career, and I’m completely blown away by the fact that I wrote something that is out there on bookshelves in book stores and libraries, and people I’ve never met are reading it and sending me all sorts of very kind and generous emails about how much they love the work and how moved they’ve been by it.

As far as working, writing, and researching, it really depends on the project. I tend to do most of my writing at night, which is mostly a result of having a full-time job and a family. I don’t generally start writing until after I’ve put my kids to bed (after reading to them of course!), so that can make for long days. It’s also why I’m not as prolific as I probably could be, if I were a little more diligent. Research is sort of a full-time thing for me; I’m just interested in lots of different topics, so I tend to follow news and developments in a lot of different areas, and a lot of that ends up informing my writing.

When did you realize you wanted to be an author, and what was your first foray into writing? Do you still look back on it fondly?

I’ve loved writing since I was very young, but it wasn’t until I was in my mid-20s that I thought I might actually want to try to write at a professional level. I got my start as a screenwriter, which translated well into writing for video games, and then the novels grew out of a desire to create something that was truly my own rather than being creatively driven by someone else’s vision.

It’s funny because I occasionally find myself missing those very early days in elementary and middle school when I wrote with reckless abandon and had zero concept of character arcs or punchy dialogue or pacing. I’m sure those stories would be tedious and derivative to read, but back then writing felt a lot more like play than work so I certainly look back on that fondly.

What’s your opinion of the genre today, and where do you see your work fitting into it?

I think there’s a lot of great stuff going on in the genre today; a lot of different kinds of stories with a lot of different voices, and it’s an exciting thing to be a part of. I honestly don’t know how or where my work fits in, but I hope I’m doing my part to continue to advance and elevate the genre.

What other projects are you working on, and what do you have currently in the pipeline?

I’ve got the third and final book in the Duskwalker series going on, and then a few other concepts patiently waiting in line for me to get to them. A short story of mine will be showing up in an anthology called War Stories from Apex Publications, and I’ve got a military sci-fi project that I’m working up. I’d like to tackle a more Young Adult idea I’ve had for a while, but I’m not sure when I’ll have time to get to it.

What are you reading at the moment (fiction, non-fiction)?

I tend to read a few books at a time, depending on my mood, so in my current pile are: The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett, The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough, Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne, Makers by Chris Anderson, and The Consequences of Ideas by R. C. Sproul.

PoseyJ-Reading

What’s something readers might be surprised to learn about you?

PatchAdams-MoviePosterI was an extra in the movie Patch Adams, starring Robin Williams, back in the late 90s. I played a generic medical school student and I’m actually fairly easy to spot if you know who you’re looking for. Of course I had a lot more hair back then.

What are you most looking forward to in the next twelve months?

I’m really looking forward to attending Phoenix Comicon this year and getting to hang out with fans and other creators. I’m also going to be especially happy when I wrap up work on the final Duskwalker book.

Thanks for letting me stop by!

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Be sure to check out Jay Posey’s website and follow him on Twitter for news on his novels, writing, and more.

A Quick Comment on the Gemmell Award Shortlists, and One of the Nominees. Sort of…

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This post is a bit of a break from the norm for me. I’m also not really sure what it’s meant to do. It’s a bit waffley, for which I apologise only slightly, and in not entirely a heartfelt manner. Fiction awards mean very little to me, being neither author, editor, publisher, nor agent. (At least, not yet…) This means I have never (to my recollection) written a post of any worth/note about shortlists or winners.

Brett-DaylightWarUKAward lists tend to pass me by without comment or thought. Invariably, this is because there aren’t any books featured that I’ve read – or, if there is, it is one that didn’t leave much of an impression one way or another. This year has been a bit different, however. For example, Kameron Hurley’s God’s War has been cropping up on a few shortlists, and it’s a book I rather enjoyed. So that made a nice change.

The shortlists for the Gemmell Awards were announced today at Eastercon. In a real break from the norm, the shortlist for the Legend Award (best fantasy) features not only five authors I have read, but also a book I feel particularly strongly about. So I thought I’d write a quick blog post about it. The book in question is Peter V. Brett’s The Daylight War, the third in his Demon Cycle series.

[Before I continue, let me just state that my focus on this book is not an indictment of the other authors nominated for the award. I just feel particularly strongly about this one. The other Legend nominees – Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and Brandon Sanderson – are great authors, too, whose works I have enjoyed very much. I just haven’t read their nominated novels.]

I’ve been experiencing a phase of fantasy disenchantment, lately. In fact, looking back over the past year or so, I’ve read far less (epic) fantasy than I would have expected. I have picked up and discarded more fantasy novels than I usually do, too. I just can’t get into anything, nor can I rustle up the enthusiasm to sit through hefty tomes.

Brett-DaylightWarUSThere is one clear exception to that, though, and that’s Brett’s series. Every time I think about reading a fantasy novel, I find myself wistfully wishing that the next novel in the Demon Cycle was already available. This is because there are very few authors who do it better. That’s not to say other fantasists writing today aren’t good, or are lacking in talent – far from it. But, really, I think the only epic fantasy series I would happily drop everything to read the next book in, is the Demon Cycle. Everything about the novels just works for me – the story, prose, characters… everything. I don’t think, across the three novels published so far, I’ve come across anything that gave me pause. I read the first, The Painted Man, in three sittings – the final sitting a 300-page marathon, which I finished at 4am. I read the second and third novels back-to-back (something I rarely do), eschewing everything else – true, I was unemployed at the time, and had little else to do; but nevertheless, all I wanted to do was read the books.

I haven’t experienced that level of Reading Insistence since I read Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora – the book that got me back into reading fantasy in the first place (as I think I’ve mentioned ad infinitum on the blog). In the case of Lynch’s series, I went straight out and bought Red Seas Under Red Skies when I was only two-thirds of the way through the first book – I even didn’t mind that it was the (frankly ghastly) shiny red-covered edition. Since then, and given the understandable delay before the third book came out, I have been almost afraid to go back and re-read the series to catch up.

Oh actually, that’s not entirely true – I was also incredibly impatient about getting hold of Brent Weeks’s Night Angel Trilogy. I must have pestered the Orbit publicist to the point of irritation, requesting the final two books… I was also really late to Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy, and I do consider Before They Are Hanged to be one of my favourite novels.

Regardless, the point I’m trying to make is that very few epic fantasy novels have really grabbed hold of my imagination and attention. And, I think, none more so than Brett’s Demon Cycle.

So, to bring this ramble back around to the topic at hand, I really hope The Daylight War wins the Legend Award.

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The David Gemmell Awards ceremony will take place at London’s Magic Circle on June 13th, 2014.

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Peter V. Brett’s The Daylight War is published in the UK by Voyager, and in the US by Del Rey. The first two volumes in the series – The Painted Man (UK)/The Warded Man (US) and The Desert Spear are published by the same publishers. Two novellas have also been collected into a single volume: The Great Bazaar and Brayan’s Gold. If you haven’t read them yet, and have any interest in fantasy, then I could not recommend them enough. You won’t regret reading them, I’m sure.

My reviews of the books: The Painted Man, The Desert Spear, The Daylight War and The Great Bazaar and Brayan’s Gold.

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Regarding the Other Shortlists…

For the Morning Star category (best debut), I really enjoyed Brian McClellan’s Promise of Blood – it is also the only novel on the shortlist I’ve read.

In the Ravenheart category (best artwork), I actually like them all, and quite a lot. But I don’t understand why any of the covers for Elizabeth Bear’s Eternal Sky fantasy trilogy didn’t make it onto the final list… (I haven’t read any of the novels, but I want to, and those covers are frankly stunning.)

Short Review: “The Humans” by Matt Haig (Canongate)

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Haig-TheHumansAn excellent examination of what it means to be human

It’s hardest to belong when you’re closest to home… One wet Friday evening, Professor Andrew Martin of Cambridge University solves the world’s greatest mathematical riddle. Then he disappears. When he is found walking naked along the motorway, Professor Martin seems different. Besides the lack of clothes, he now finds normal life pointless. His loving wife and teenage son seem repulsive to him. In fact, he hates everyone on the planet. Everyone, that is, except Newton. And he’s a dog. Can a bit of Debussy and Emily Dickinson keep him from murder? Can the species which invented cheap white wine and peanut butter sandwiches be all that bad? And what is the warm feeling he gets when he looks into his wife’s eyes?

The standfirst says it all, really: The Humans is an excellent examination of what it means to be human – everything from the horror and ugliness, to the beauty and wonder of life on Earth. It is a novel that is filled with insight, depth, affection, and humour. From the beginning, we are introduced to an imposter on earth – an alien who has taken the place of one of Cambridge University’s most respected mathematicians, who has just solved one of the great mysteries of mathematics. The race from which this being hails believes the solution will bring great upheaval to the universe: it could, after all, allow humans to leave Earth, and venture out into the universe. This would, of course, bring all their baggage with them. After all, from the outside, human can come across as miserable, money-obsessed, violent assholes.

As the new Andrew Martin navigates his new life, quashing all knowledge of the real Martin’s discovery, he finds himself confronted with everything that is good about life as a human. His obliviousness to what the real Andrew did before he was replaced, gives him a childlike innocence and fresh slate – something that has a real impact on his family life, in both positive and negative ways. He starts to go native, despite the frequent warnings of his superiors – the Hosts.

It doesn’t take long to read The Humans – the novel is very focused, the pacing is brisk, and Haig’s prose is pretty sparse. It is also superb – elegant in its focus, nuanced, affectionate yet not uncritical, and often very funny. His characters are well-rounded and expertly brought to life on the page. The book will also make you want to read more Emily Dickinson…

Haig is fast becoming one of my favourite writers, and I’ve only read two of his novels. The Humans is a must read. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and can’t recommend it enough.

Books Received (Easter Week & a Bit)

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Featuring: Mark Alder, Charles Cumming, Stella Gemmell, Terry Hayes, Sarah Pinborough, Justin Richards, Marcus Sakey, Tom Rob Smith

AlderM-SonOfTheMorningMark Alder, Son of the Morning (Gollancz)

Edward the Third stands in the burnt ruin of an English church. He is beset on all sides. He needs a victory against the French to rescue his Kingship. Or he will die trying.

Philip of Valois can put 50,000 men in the field. He has sent his priests to summon the very Angels themselves to fight for France. Edward could call on God for aid but he is an usurper. What if God truly is on the side of the French?

But for a price, Edward could open the gates of Hell and take an unholy war to France…

This has been creating quite the buzz around the UK SFF community. It took me a little while to discover that “Mark Alder” is a pseudonym for “M.D. Lachlan” (which, incidentally, is also a pseudonym…). I really enjoyed Wolfsangel and Fenrir, but have yet to catch up with the rest of Lachlan’s werewolf series. Soon, hopefully. You can read an excerpt from the novel, here.

Also on CR: Interview with M.D. Lachlan, Catch-Up Interview

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Cumming-AColderWarUKCharles Cumming, A Colder War (Harper)

A top-ranking Iranian military official is blown up while trying to defect to the West. An investigative journalist is arrested and imprisoned for writing an article critical of the Turkish government. An Iranian nuclear scientist is assassinated on the streets of Tehran. These three incidents, seemingly unrelated, have one crucial link. Each of the three had been recently recruited by Western intelligence, before being removed or killed.

Then Paul Wallinger, MI6’s most senior agent in Turkey, dies in a puzzling plane crash. Fearing the worst, MI6 bypasses the usual protocol and brings disgraced agent Tom Kell in from the cold to investigate. Kell soon discovers what Wallinger had already begun to suspect – that there’s a mole somewhere in the Western intelligence, a traitor who has been systematically sabotaging scores of joint intelligence operations in the Middle East.

Charles Cumming is one of my favourite authors – not just of thrillers, but of any genre. I’ve fallen behind a bit, but I’m really looking forward to jumping into this novel. A Foreign Country, the first in this series, is one of the books I haven’t read, so I’ll be reading that in a few days, before starting in on this one.

Also on CR: Reviews of Typhoon and The Trinity Six

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GemmellS-CityUKPBStella Gemmell, The City (Corgi)

The City is ancient and vast and has been waging almost constant war for centuries. At its heart resides the emperor. Few have ever seen him. Those who have remember a man in his prime – and yet he should be very old. Some speculate that he is no longer human, others wonder if indeed he ever truly was. And a few have come to a desperate conclusion: that the only way to halt the emperor’s unslakeable thirst for war is to end his unnaturally long life.

From the crumbling catacombs beneath the City where the poor struggle to stay alive to the blood-soaked fields of battle where so few heroes survive, these rebels emerge. Their hopes rest on one man. A man who was once the emperor’s foremost general – a revered soldier who could lead an uprising and liberate a city, a man who was betrayed, imprisoned, tortured and is now believed to be dead…

The paperback release of this novel arrives. I received the large, trade-paperback last year. I started reading it when I was really not in the mood for fantasy. It was very well-written, and the world was really well-realised. But at the time I found it rather slow, and a bit too heavy on the world-building over the story-telling. I’ll give it another go, hopefully, some time later this year.

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Hayes-IAmPilgrimTerry Hayes, I Am Pilgrim (Corgi)

Can you commit the perfect crime?

Pilgrim is the codename for a man who doesn’t exist. The adopted son of a wealthy American family, he once headed up a secret espionage unit for US intelligence. Before he disappeared into anonymous retirement, he wrote the definitive book on forensic criminal investigation.

But that book will come back to haunt him. It will help NYPD detective Ben Bradley track him down. And it will take him to a rundown New York hotel room where the body of a woman is found facedown in a bath of acid, her features erased, her teeth missing, her fingerprints gone. It is a textbook murder – and Pilgrim wrote the book.

What begins as an unusual and challenging investigation will become a terrifying race-against-time to save America from oblivion. Pilgrim will have to make a journey from a public beheading in Mecca to a deserted ruins on the Turkish coast via a Nazi death camp in Alsace and the barren wilderness of the Hindu Kush in search of the faceless man who would commit an appalling act of mass murder in the name of his God.

Another novel I’ve heard great things about, but for some reason haven’t got around to reading. It’s a biggie, but I’m really interested in reading it.

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PinboroughS-LT2-MurderSarah Pinborough, Murder (Jo Fletcher Books)

Dr. Thomas Bond, Police Surgeon, is still recovering from the event of the previous year when Jack the Ripper haunted the streets of London – and a more malign enemy hid in his shadow. Bond and the others who worked on the gruesome case are still stalked by its legacies, both psychological and tangible.

But now the bodies of children are being pulled from the Thames… and Bond is about to become inextricably linked with an uncanny, undying enemy.

This is the next in Pinborough’s historical London crime novels (with a hint of the supernatural). I’m currently reading the first, Mayhem, and really enjoying it. Review pretty soon, hopefully.

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RichardsJ-SuicideExhibitionUKPBJustin Richards, Suicide Exhibition (Del Rey UK)

WEWELSBURG CASTLE, 1940.

The German war machine has woken an ancient threat – the alien Vril and their Ubermensch have returned. Ultimate Victory in the war for Europe is now within the Nazis’ grasp.

ENGLAND, 1941

Foreign Office trouble shooter Guy Pentecross has stumbled into a conspiracy beyond his imagining – a secret war being waged in the shadows against a terrible enemy.

The battle for Europe has just become the war for humanity.

Another paperback release, and another novel I’ve been so slow about getting around to reading. I do like the sound of it, I’ve just been distracted constantly whenever I think about reading it. Maybe now I’ll get my act together.

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Sakey-B2-ABetterWorldMarcus Sakey, A Better World (Thomas & Mercer)

The brilliants changed everything.

Since 1980, 1% of the world has been born with gifts we’d only dreamed of. The ability to sense a person’s most intimate secrets, or predict the stock market, or move virtually unseen. For thirty years the world has struggled with a growing divide between the exceptional… and the rest of us.

Now a terrorist network led by brilliants has crippled three cities. Supermarket shelves stand empty. 911 calls go unanswered. Fanatics are burning people alive.

Nick Cooper has always fought to make the world better for his children. As both a brilliant and an advisor to the president of the United States, he’s against everything the terrorists represent. But as America slides toward a devastating civil war, Cooper is forced to play a game he dares not lose – because his opponents have their own vision of a better world.

And to reach it, they’re willing to burn this one down.

This is the sequel to Brilliance, which I have but have not yet got around to reading. (That is a bit of theme for this post…) I’ve never read anything by Sakey, but I’ve heard lots of very good things.

*

SmithTR-TheFarmUSTom Rob Smith, The Farm (Grand Central)

If you refuse to believe me, I will no longer consider you my son.

Daniel believed that his parents were enjoying a peaceful retirement on a remote farm in Sweden. But with a single phone call, everything changes.

Your mother… she’s not well, his father tells him. She’s been imagining things – terrible, terrible things. She’s had a psychotic breakdown, and been committed to a mental hospital.

Before Daniel can board a plane to Sweden, his mother calls: Everything that man has told you is a lie. I’m not mad… I need the police… Meet me at Heathrow.

Caught between his parents, and unsure of who to believe or trust, Daniel becomes his mother’s unwilling judge and jury as she tells him an urgent tale of secrets, of lies, of a crime and a conspiracy that implicates his own father.

Tom Rob Smith’s previous novels have been huge, international hits. Which, as with so many in an ever-busier publishing environment, I haven’t managed to try, yet. After seeing it on NetGalley, and my request being accepted, I’m hoping to get around to this very soon. Especially since I seem to have developed a real taste for international thrillers, lately.

*

Which of these catches your eye? Have you been waiting for any of them?

“The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair” by Joel Dicker (MacLehose Press)

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DickerJ-TruthAboutTheHarryQuebertAffairUKA gripping and absorbing, slightly flawed thriller

August 30, 1975. The day of the disappearance. The day a small New Hampshire town lost its innocence.

That summer Harry Quebert fell in love with fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan. Thirty-three years later, her body is dug up from his yard along with a manuscript copy of his career-defining novel. Quebert is the only suspect.

Marcus Goldman – Quebert’s most gifted protégé – throws off his writer’s block to clear his mentor’s name. Solving the case and penning a new bestseller soon blur together. As his book begins to take on a life of its own, the nation is gripped by the mystery of ‘The Girl Who Touched the Heart of America’. But with Nola, in death as in life, nothing is ever as it seems.

This is not an easy book to review. It has been on my radar for a while, and I’ve been eager to read it ever since I saw it mention on (I think) The Bookseller. I would say it mostly lived up to my expectations. It is expansive, brilliant, absorbing, briskly-paced, but also flawed and at times frustrating, even aggravating. A confounding novel to review. Despite the issues I had with certain elements of the novel and story, it was utterly gripping, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

First of all, I very much enjoyed reading it – I was always eager to get back to it, when life forced me to stop reading (sleep, meetings, etc.). Dicker has written an engaging thriller, one that brings a decades-old disappearance back into the spotlight, as a beloved member of a small town community – the titular Harry Quebert – is accused of two shocking, heinous acts: continuing an affair with a fifteen year-old girl, and also her murder. What follows is an investigation by the accused’s protégé (of sorts), in an attempt to clear his name and salvage his reputation. Along the way, things get very messy indeed. Threats and revelations abound, which keeps readers guessing all the way through – the truth is only revealed in the final 10% of the novel (I read it as an eARC). I really liked the way Dicker keeps throwing out red herrings, and also that Marcus’s investigation does one hell of a lot of damage along the way: relationships are shattered, secrets (related and not) are brought into the light, and the competing agendas at work tear the community apart.

Speaking of these competing agendas: there are times when Dicker’s character come across as cartoonish, and not in a good way. For example, Marcus’s editor/publisher is rather unrealistic – as if every commercial consideration that any publisher would need to take into account is exaggerated and overblown. He is an awful person, and there’s no reason to disbelieve the existence of such characters, but he does certain things that seem so stupid. Considering he’s able to offer $2,000,000 dollar advances, he comes across as singularly devoid of the emotional intelligence to be a high-powered, successful publisher in New York. The publishing aspects of the novel were, actually, the most lacking in verisimilitude, which was a real pity.

Dicker’s writing is, for the main, excellent and the translation is superb, too. The pacing is superb, and I was absolutely captivated by the narrative and investigation. At the same time, there were instances when the dialogue – especially that featuring Marcus’s editor, Nola and select other characters – appears melodramatic and just not very good. At the risk of sounding condescending or unfair, I can’t help but wonder if this is an instance of lost-in-translation?

There were times when the investigation – official and Marcus’s amateurish actions – veered off in strange ways. Partly, this was to allow for the frequent upending of their attempts to get to the bottom of things. For the main, it worked very well, but there were certainly times when I became frustrated. Without shedding too much light on particulars, some of the switcheroos felt forced. In addition, some of the characters are morons – especially when it comes to the writing of the book-within-the-book. Marcus and his editors commit some astonishing failures and cock-ups, one that didn’t ring true at all. One in particular, very near the end, is an unforgivable oversight that I just can’t see happening in real life – something that could so easily have been rectified over the course of the investigation. Frustrating moments like this robbed the novel of some of its impact.

This review is, I recognise, rather vague on the details. This is because, despite this flaws – and some might consider them huge – I could not stop reading. In terms of sheer enjoyment, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a while. Given how picky I can be, and how easy gaffs and inconsistencies can ruin a novel for me, I think that’s saying something. It is not surprising to me that this has been such a success.

If the goal of any novel should be to entertain, be thought-provoking, and get the reader thinking, this this novel succeeds on every level. That is has some shortcomings is made almost irrelevant by just how good the rest of it is.

Gripping and absorbing, this is well worth reading. Definitely recommended, but be warned that there are some niggles.

Cover Reveal: DREAM STALKERS by Tim Waggoner (Angry Robot)

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This is a deliciously creepy image: an evil, Joker-esque clown wielding a sledgehammer? Less sleep… Here is the cover for Tim Waggoner’s upcoming Dream Stalkers, the second in the author’s Shadow Watch series:

Waggoner-2-DreamStalkers

The cover is by amazing15. Here is the novel’s synopsis

A new drug – Shut-Eye – has been developed in the dreamland, and smuggled into our world. It’s addictive, and dangerous, and Shadow Watch agents Audra and Mr Jinx are on the case, preparing new recruits to deal with the problem.

Meanwhile, a wave of ancient, bodiless Incubi are entering the dreams of humans in an attempt to possess them and live new lives. Only the criminally insane would ever risk a confrontation with them.

Thank goodness, then, for Mr Jinx: clown, Shadow Watch agent, psychopath.

The novel is due to be published by Angry Robot Books in October 2014. It is the sequel to Night Terrors. Be sure to check out Tim’s website and follow him on Twitter for news about his writing.

Horus Heresy Short Reviews: CENSURE and WOLF OF ASH AND FIRE (Black Library)

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Just wanted to flag up two Horus Heresy short stories I’ve read recently, as they were both very good, and well worth an enthusiast’s time.

Kyme-HH-CensureCENSURE by Nick Kyme

In the depths of Calth’s arcology network, the Underworld War has raged for years. Aeonid Thiel, previously an honoured sergeant of the Ultramarines, once again finds himself in trouble – pitted against the daemonic forces of the Word Bearers, he has no choice but to venture back to the ravaged surface and brave the deadly solar flares that have scoured all life from this world. With a lowly Imperial Army trooper as his only companion, it falls to him to drive the maniacal Dark Apostle Kurtha Sedd and his warband from the overrun XIIIth Legion stronghold.

This was originally released as an audio-drama. When it was released as an eBook, however, I picked it up right away. Kyme is really growing as an author – each new story of his that I read, I can see that he’s just getting better and better. This story is set (once again) on Calth, the planet at which the Heresy and the extent of the betrayal truly exploded out into the open. After the battle of Calth, there could be no denying that the galaxy had indeed been set on fire. Censure is set some years after the events of Mark of Calth and Know No Fear, and Aeonid Thiel has returned to the ravaged world to fight against the Word Bearers and support the remnant loyalists. It focuses on a specific mission and conflict, and is fast-paced, nuanced, and expertly paced. Quite excellent, and very highly recommended.

*

McNeill-HH-WolfOfAshAndFireTHE WOLF OF ASH AND FIRE by Graham McNeill

The Wolf of Ash and Fire is a Horus Heresy short story that takes place during the Great Crusade, before the outbreak of the Horus Heresy. The Wolf of Ash and Fire follows Horus Lupercal, fighting alongside the Emperor Himself, as the Luna Wolves fight for control of the Ork-held planetoid of Gorro. The Wolf of Ash and Fire was released as a free e-book with every copy of Macragge’s Honour.

This short story was released free through the Black Library website some time ago. It’s a quick, battle-filled tale of Horus’s strategic expertise, battlefield fury, and pre-Heresy devotion to the Emperor. It is also one of the few stories that features both the Emperor and Horus on the battlefield together – and it is epic. The battle scenes are great, swirling and furious. I’d really like McNeill (or any of the Heresy writers, actually) to revisit this campaign, or just write some more stories like this. As with Censure, this is highly recommended for all fans of the series. I can’t wait for McNeill’s next Heresy novel, Vengeful Spirit (out later this year).