Gollancz

CR20: The Interviews

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For a long time, I only posted reviews on Civilian Reader. For some reason, I resisted branching out into other types of content. Partly, it was an issue of how much time I had (postgraduate degrees take up a lot of time), and how much I wanted to commit to the website. As I started to become more interesting in publishing and writing in general, though, the website took up more of my attention and energy, and I started to think about other types of content I could publish.

In December 2010, while taking a train back to university in the UK, my partner convinced me to try some interviews. I’ve always loved the long, feature-length interviews in magazines like Rolling Stone, but I didn’t feel like I had the journalistic chops to pull off anything remotely as in-depth or interesting. (I’m also not entirely sure that there are many authors who offer the chance for this type of interview; rock and movie stars just live the kind of lives that do.)

I’d just read, and very much enjoyed, Ari Marmell’s The Conqueror’s Shadow, so decided to reach out to him, and he agreed to answer some questions. I published that Q&A on December 31st, and it began a long run of interviews on CR — at the time of writing, there are 390 published interviews on the site. (I only did the math today.) The interview is recreated, below, entirely as it was published on the original, Blogspot version of CR, except for some typos. (I’ve also added the now-normal “Follow the Author” stuff, and updated some links to mentioned titles.)

After the interview, I’ve included a few general thoughts on interviewing, and why they became less-common on Civilian Reader.

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Upcoming: NO MAN’S LAND by Richard K. Morgan (Del Rey / Gollancz)

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Next year, readers will finally be able to read No Man’s Land, a new novel from Richard (K.) Morgan — the author of, among others, Altered Carbon. I’ve been a fan of the author’s work ever since Altered Carbon appeared on the shelf in my local bookstore in 2002 (probably the Waterstones in Durham or Cambridge).

Thus far, I’ve very much enjoyed his science fiction novels (the Takeshi Kovacs series and stand-alones) more than his fantasy work (A Land Fit for Heroes series). This new novel looks like it’ll offer something a little different; and, despite the fact that it features the fae (which I’ve found uninteresting in pretty every iteration I’ve read), I find myself very intrigued by the premise and setting:

The Great War was supposed to be the war to end all wars — and maybe it would have been, had an even greater, otherworldly foe not risen to extinguish the conflict. Overnight, as guns blazed in France and Flanders, village after village in the quiet British countryside was swallowed by the Forest. And within the Forest lurk the Huldu — an ancient fae race, monstrous in their inhumanity, who have decided that mankind’s ascendency over the world can endure no longer.

Enter Duncan Silver. Scarred by the war, fueled by a rage deeper than the trenches in which he once fought, Duncan is determined to show the Huldu that the world is not theirs for the taking. Armed with a deadly iron knife and a cut-down trench gun filled with iron shot, Duncan will stop at nothing to return the children the Huldu have stolen to the arms of their families. No matter how many Huldu he may have to slaughter along the way.

But when he is hired by a mother to return her four-year-old daughter, Miriam — taken by the Huldu six months past and replaced with a changeling — all hell breaks loose. Miriam is a pawn in a much bigger game for dominance than Duncan ever expected, and several long-buried secrets from his past are about to be violently resurrected.

Richard K. Morgan’s No Man’s Land is due to be published by Del Rey in North America and Gollancz in the UK, on March 24th.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, BlueSky

Excerpt: WITCH QUEEN OF REDWINTER by Ed McDonald (Tor Books)

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McDonaldE-R3-WitchQueenOfRedwinterUSHCOn November 12th, Tor Books is due to publish WITCH QUEEN OF REDWINTER by Ed McDonald, the third novel in the Redwinter series. To mark the upcoming release, and to whet readers’ appetites for the novel, the publisher has allowed CR to share the first two chapters! Before we get to the excerpt, here’s the synopsis:

Having been saved from execution at the hands of the Draoihn — powerful magic users Raine used to count as allies — Raine finds herself in the Fault, a vast magical wasteland, which is falling apart before her eyes.

Alongside her two closest companions, they are searching for the only person Raine believes can help them get back home: the enigmatic and infuriatingly elusive Queen of Feathers.

But what home are they trying to get back to? Ovitus LacNaithe, power-hungry traitor that he is, has taken control of the Draoihn and is unwittingly doing the bidding of a darker master. He is soon to take control of the Crown of Harranir and plunge the land into unending darkness.

The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance. The stakes have never been higher. It’s going to take Raine’s dark, terrible powers, as well as the unbreakable bond of three friends, to ensure everyone lives to see the dawn.

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Excerpt: STORMING HEAVEN by Miles Cameron (Mobius/Gollancz)

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CameronM-AoB2-StormingHeavenUSHCTo celebrate the release of Storming Heaven, the second novel in Miles Cameron‘s Age of Bronze series, Mobius Books has provided us with an excerpt to share with you all! The excerpt is comprised of the prologue and some other information to help readers get situated, and hopefully whet your appetite to read the rest of the novel. First, though, here’s the synopsis…

Before iron helmets and steel swords, when dragons roamed the world, was an age of bronze and stone, when the Gods walked the earth, and people lived in terror.

A scribe, a warlord, a dancer, a mute insect and a child should have no chance against the might of the bickering gods and their cruel games. But the gods themselves are old, addicted to their own games of power, and now their fates may lie in the hands of mere mortals . . .

By divine plan a plague of cannibals has been unleashed across the world, forming an armada which preys on all who cross their path. Meanwhile the people who allied against the gods have been divided, each taking their own path to attack the heavens — if they can survive the tide of war which has been sent against them.

All they need is the right distraction, and the right opportunity, to deal a blow against the gods themselves . . .

An original, visceral epic weaving together the mythologies of a dozen pantheons of gods and heroes to create something new and magical, this tale of the revolt against the tyranny which began in Against All Gods is a must read from a master of the fantasy genre.

Now, on with Storming Heaven…

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Upcoming: THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE by Aliette de Bodard (Gollancz)

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deBodard-RedScholarsWakeUKHCsmEarlier today, Gollancz unveiled Alyssa Winan‘s eye-catching cover for Aliette de Bodard‘s next novel: The Red Scholar’s Wake! Set in the author’s beloved Xuya universe, albeit separated from the region/events of universe’s other novels and stories. The author has said that it is a “[s]tandalone plot and more intimate, more focused on romance. (And some piracy, politics, and space battles obv. And tea and dumplings).” Here’s the synopsis:

Xích Si: bot maker, data analyst, mother, scavenger. But those days are over now-her ship has just been captured by the Red Banner pirate fleet, famous for their double-dealing and cruelty. Xích Si expects to be tortured to death-only for the pirates’ enigmatic leader, Rice Fish, to arrive with a different and shocking proposition: an arranged marriage between Xích Si and herself.

Rice Fish: sentient ship, leader of the infamous Red Banner pirate fleet, wife of the Red Scholar. Or at least, she was the latter before her wife died under suspicious circumstances. Now isolated and alone, Rice Fish wants Xích Si’s help to find out who struck against them and why. Marrying Xích Si means Rice Fish can offer Xích Si protection, in exchange for Xích Si’s technical fluency: a business arrangement with nothing more to it.

But as the investigation goes on, Rice Fish and Xích Si find themselves falling for each other. As the interstellar war against piracy intensifies and the five fleets start fighting each other, they will have to make a stand-and to decide what kind of future they have together…

Really looking forward to reading this! The Red Scholar’s Wake is due to be published in the UK (and Commonwealth) by Gollancz on November 24th. There is no news (yet) of a North American release.

Also on CR: Guest Post/Excerpt on The House of Shattered Wings

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Twitter

Excerpt: THE FIRST BINDING by R. R. Virdi (Gollancz/Tor)

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VirdiRR-ToT1-FirstBindingUKHCR. R. Virdi‘s The First Binding, book one in the author’s Tales of Tremaine epic fantasy series, generated a lot of great pre-publication buzz. It’s a hefty beast (clocking in at over 800 pages), but one that promises a deep, gripping, and immersive read. The novel is now available in the UK (Gollancz) and North America (Tor Books).

As part of the book tour celebrating the novel’s release, Gollancz has provided an excerpt for me to share with you today. Before we get to that, though, here’s the official synopsis:

All legends are born of truths. And just as much lies. These are mine. Judge me for what you will. But you will hear my story first.

I buried the village of Ampur under a mountain of ice and snow. Then I killed their god. I’ve stolen old magics and been cursed for it. I started a war with those that walked before mankind and lost the princess I loved, and wanted to save. I’ve called lightning and bound fire. I am legend. And I am a monster.

My name is Ari.

And this is the story of how I let loose the first evil.

Thus begins the tale of a storyteller and a singer on the run and hoping to find obscurity in a tavern bar. But the sins of their past aren’t forgotten, and neither are their enemies. Their old lives are catching up swiftly and it could cost them the entire world. No one can escape their pasts and all stories must have an ending.

This excerpt follows directly on from the previous stop on the blog tour, at Stephen’s Bookish Life. So, if you missed that one, go read the excerpt there before continuing below.

For those who are caught up… on with the excerpt!

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Excerpt: THE GARDEN OF EMPIRE by J. T. Greathouse (Gollancz)

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GreathouseJT-P&P2-GardenOfEmpireUKHCTo help kick off the blog tour marking the release of The Garden of Empire, J. T. Greathouse‘s second Pact & Pattern novel, Gollancz has provided CR with an excerpt! Picking up the story after The Hand of the Sun King, here’s the synopsis:

WAR MAKES MONSTERS OF EVERYONE.

Foolish Cur, once named Wen Alder, finds that his allies in the rebellion might cross any line if it means freedom from the Empire. But he can’t overcome a foe as strong as Emperor Tenet alone.

REBELLION HAS UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.

Koro Ha, Foolish Cur’s former tutor, discovers the Empire is not so forgiving of those who raise a traitor. And their suspicion may cost him and his people more than he can imagine.

THE GODS ARE LURKING IN THE SHADOWS.

As war against the Empire rages, Foolish Cur knows there is a greater threat. The emperor plans his own coup against the gods, and they will wreak destruction if he tries. To stop him, Foolish Cur might have to risk everything – and resort to ancient magics that could tear the world apart.

It’s quite a substantial excerpt, so read on and enjoy!

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Excerpt: UNTIL THE LAST by Mike Shackle (Gollancz)

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ShackleM-LW3-UntilTheLastUKHCThe final novel in Mike Shackle‘s excellent Last War series, Until the Last, is one of my most-anticipated novels of the year. The first in the series, We Are the Dead is one of the best fantasy debuts I’ve read: it did everything a modern fantasy novel should do, and I was hooked from very early on. Today, Gollancz has provided an excerpt to share. First, though, here’s the synopsis:

SEKINOWARI – THE LAST WAR – HAS ARRIVED.

The breakneck conclusion to the trilogy that started with We Are the Dead. To beat the ultimate evil, sometimes the price is more than you can pay…

The war with the Egril has changed Tinnstra forever. A coward no more, she’ll go to any length to defeat every last one of her enemies.

Zorique has grown into her powers. It’s time for her to lead her army into Jia and spearhead the fight for her homeland.

But at what cost? The Egril emperor Raaku – the Son of Kage himself – is waiting for them. And he intends to destroy Zorique, Tinnstra and all their allies.

They will need to put everything on the line if Jia hopes to see the dawn.

And now, on with the excerpt…

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Upcoming: HELL BENT by Leigh Bardugo (Flatiron/Gollancz)

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BardugoL-AS2-HellBentUSHCThe first book in the Alex Stern series, Ninth House was the first of Leigh Bardugo‘s novels that I read.  (I’ve since also watched the Shadow & Bone TV series, which I very much enjoyed.) As a big fan of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians series, the “dark academia” aspect caught my attention. I thoroughly enjoyed it, so after finishing I naturally tried to figure out when the sequel would be out — at the time, there wasn’t much information available. A few weeks ago, though, the cover and title were finally unveiled! Hell Bent, due out early 2023, is one of my most-anticipated novels. Check out the synopsis:

Alex Stern returns in another tale of murder and dark magic set among the Ivy League elite.

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of hell — even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale. But Alex is playing with forces far beyond her control, and when faculty members begin to die off, she knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if Alex is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

Leigh Bardugo’s Hell Bent is due to be published by Flatiron Books in North America and Gollancz in the UK, on January 10th, 2023.

Also on CR: Review of Ninth House

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Twitter

Annotated Excerpt: THE COLLARBOUND by Rebecca Zahabi (Gollancz)

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ZahabiR-CollarboundUKHCIn The Collarbound, we get to discover a complex world, with khers and mages, fleshbinding and mindlink, lightborns and long-lost giants. I’ve picked this excerpt because it’s a good example of how worldbuilding can be woven into the plot without slowing it down.

This piece is from Tatters’ POV. For the moment, we know little about Tatters except that he is a mage, and that he has a voice called Lal speaking inside his head. We’ve met the head of guards, a kher, and we’ve learnt what khers look like: they’re humanoids with reddish skin, often tattooed, who have long horns that grow out of their foreheads and curve around their skulls, like a ram’s horns.

That’s where we’re at when Tatters and the head of guards meet. She brings him to the watchtower to check he’s on the Nest’s records (he’s trying to sneak into the castle that is the Nest without being invited), and she starts laboriously looking through the entries in chronological order.

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