Alex Davis

This spring residential weekend focuses on the imaginative landscapes of fantasy, combining a range of group and individual writing activities, free writing time and much more. It is ideal for anyone wanting to break into this exciting area of fiction.

The guest author is Adrian Tchaikovsky, creator and author of the Shadows of the Apt series.

Places cost just £150, including two nights’ accommodation, meals, tea/coffee throughout, goodie bag and a host of writing activities. Full details HERE

To book your place, contact Alex Davis at alexdavisevents [at] hotmail [dot] co [dot] uk

The 2013 Sunburst Award jurors have now been announced. They are: Rebecca Bradley, Tony Burgess, Shari Lapeña, Barbard Roden and Leon Rooke. Full details HERE

While Sleepless Knights is Mark Williams’ first novel, his writing has already been commissioned in the past by entities as diverse as BBC Cymru Wales TV and Radio, as well as Welsh National Opera, and the Courtyard Theatre, Hereford for whom he is also working on a future main stage adaptation.

Jimmy Broxton, whose work has graced the pages of Knight & Squire, Saucer Country and The Unwritten, will be providing his prodigious gifts to the outsides of Sleepless Knights, with a ‘concept sketch’ of the cover art already in hand.

“When I read the manuscript,” said Atomic Fez’s Publisher / Proprietor Ian Alexander Martin, “it was tough to remember it was a first novel by the author; it felt like something by a far more practised writer. I’m lucky to be trusted with the work.”

Tackling the Arthurian and ‘Knights of the Round Table’ legends was a daunting task which author Mark Williams undertook with respect and foreknowledge of its possibilities. “I’ve always loved the King Arthur legend,” says Mark. “For me, it’s the recipe for the perfect story.

“It’s got magic and monsters in spades,” he continued. “Incredible feats and outlandish quests. Heroes and villains, love and betrayal. Humour and scares, twists and turns. And, at its heart, a very human story of idealism and frailty; about the aspiration to create something good in this world, no matter how far you might fall short of it.”

Mark points to Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman as influences, calling them both “writers who inspired me with their entirely serious approach to comic fantasy. I started [during University] to develop a taste for novels like The Princess Bride – books that approach the fantasy genre with a spring in their step, a twinkle in their eye, and a strong story at their heart.”

About the Book:
It’s not easy being the man behind the myth.

Sir Lucas is butler to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, the person who managed every epic legend behind the scenes. He’s the one who made sure each quest happened in the right place at the right time, and that everyone involved had comfortable accommodation for the weekend. The man whose average working day involved fighting dragons, defeating witches, banishing demons, and ensuring the Royal pot of tea never crossed the thin line separating ‘brewed’ from ‘stewed’. What’s more, 1,500 years after that golden age, he’s still doing it: here in modern Britain, right under our noses…

Through ten working days in the life of Sir Lucas the Butler, discover what really went on at Camelot. The story behind Lancelot’s affair with Guinevere. The truth about the quest for the Grail. And find out what happens one fateful day in June, when King Arthur and six of his knights are revealed as living among us. A revelation that brings about the return of Merlin and the end of the world, uncovering secrets from the past that King Arthur would rather stay buried, and forcing Lucas to confront the truth about his own unique and peculiar destiny. A destiny he will do anything to avoid, even if it means sacrificing the love of his life in the service of his master.

In short, the kind of crisis only the ultimate butler can resolve.

Snorri Kristjansson is currently teaching at a London primary school, but he has been at various times a journalist, web-designer, computer programmer, caretaker for ill people, cement-packer,longshoreman, musician, writer, actor and, most recently, a comedian. His Edinburgh Fringe show was the first to combine puffins, Icelandic revolutions and Jude Law – well, in recent history that is. Swords of Good Men is his first novel.

Geraldine said: ‘I met Snorri on the night Iceland finally went down the tubes – as he was doing a gig in the West End: he was so funny I thought I’d get him to do book on Iceland . . . little did I know that he was already writing a fantasy. This is a story of betrayal, war and emotion with comedy along the way.’

Snorri says: ‘When I found out that Jo Fletcher herself had expressed an interest in my book I had to go have a sit down. I am proud, privileged and tremendously excited to join JFB’s list of fresh, intriguing authors.’

Jo Fletcher says:  ‘There’s nothing like a good, rip-roaring Viking yarn to get the blood flowing, and when you add a recently converted warrior king determined to bring Christianity at the point of his sword and a powerful Northlands witch determined the Old Gods will triumph and, you know you’re in for a good time. I’m really thrilled to welcome Snorri to JFB, as part of my commitment to publish the very best in fantasy, SF and horror.’

Eric Brown

About the book:
“The Helix is a vast spiral of ten thousand worlds turning around its sun. Aeons ago, the enigmatic Builders constructed the Helix as a refuge for alien races on the verge of extinction. Two hundred years ago, humankind came to the Helix aboard a great colony ship, and the Builders conferred on them the mantle of peacekeepers. For that long, peace has reigned on the Helix.

But when shuttle pilot Jeff Ellis crash-lands on the world of Phandra, he interrupts a barbarous invasion from the neighbouring Sporelli – who scheme to track down and exterminate Ellis before he can return to New Earth and inform the peacekeepers.”

Eric Brown is widely acknowledged as one of the defining voices in British SF – enter the mind-bogglingly vast universe of The Helix and discover a world beyond even the scale of Arthur C. Clarke’s Rama or Larry Niven’s Ringworld.

Jonathan Oliver

Solaris have already published Daniells’ King Rolen’s Kin trilogy very successfully, and are publishing her Outcast Chronicles trilogy this year.  The new book, provisionally titled King-Maker, King-Breaker, will complete the story of King Rolen’s Kin.

Jonathan Oliver said: “It’s great to be working with Rowena again and I can’t wait to read this finale to her brilliant fantasy series.”

Rowena Cory Daniells first became involved in speculative fiction in 1976. Since then she has run a bookshop, then a graphic art studio where she illustrated children’s books, had 6 children in 10 years, sold nearly 30 children’s books and an earlier fantasy trilogy internationally, established R&D Studios and served on the management committees of state and national arts organisations. She lives by the bay in Brisbane with her husband and children, and has a Masters in Arts (Research).

Ecko Rising follows a savage, gleefully cynical anti-hero immersed in his own fantasy world. Ecko joins a misfit cast of characters and strives to conquer his deepest fears and save the world. Danie Ware says, “Ecko Rising is sardonic fantasy, a sharp new slant on the genre, scattered with a healthy dusting of sex, violence and sarcasm. I’ve read fantasy, on and off, since I was a teen – and you can’t put a new twist on something unless you fell in love with it to start with! I wanted to push back its boundaries, make it do something different, something smarter and darker – but also something that we’d understand and recognise.”

Ecko Rising, and its sequel scheduled for publication next year, will appeal to those who love fantasy, classic or modern, those intrigued by new concepts, and those with a liking for twisted anti-heroes.

Danie Ware is the publicist and event organiser for cult entertainment retailer Forbidden Planet. She has been immersed in the science-fiction and fantasy community for the past decade. An early adopter of blogging, social media and a familiar face at conventions, she appears on panels as an expert on genre marketing and retailing.

The American scholar and internationally best-selling novelist will be visiting the UK to talk about her phenomenally popular books A Discovery of Witches and brand new sequel Shadow of Night. The first two epic volumes of The All Souls Trilogy – a sophisticated sequence full of magic, witches, vampires, demons and sweeping historical romance – have captured the imagination of millions of readers around the world. Waterstones Nottingham is delighted to announce an evening event with Deborah, here to answer questions on her work and discuss the research that goes into creating such a compelling world. This will be followed by a book signing.

The event takes place at Waterstones Nottingham,1-5 Bridlesmith Gate, Nottingham, NG1 2GR (to book your tickets ring 0843 290 8525).

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature: Lisa Goldstein, The Uncertain Places (Tachyon Publications)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature: Delia Sherman, The Freedom Maze (Big Mouth House)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies: Carl Phelpstead, Tolkien and Wales: Language, Literature and Identity (Univ. of Wales Press, 2011)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies: Jack Zipes, The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films (Routledge, 2011)

Full details from the Mythopoeic Society’s website  HERE

The story sees Jacey Jackson collapsing with a brain tumour while sitting her final history exam at school. While deep in a coma, she struggles through a quasi-historical sixth century dreamscape as surgeons fight to save her life. Jacey is helped by a stranger called George, who finds himself trapped in her nightmare after a terrible car accident. There are quests, battles, and a love story ahead of them, before we find out if Jacey will awake from her coma or perish on the operating table. And who, or what, is George? In this book, Dave Weaver questions our perception of reality and the redemptive power of dreams; are our experiences of fear, conflict, friendship and love any less real or meaningful when they take place in the mind rather than the ‘real’ physical world?

The book will be published as an e-book in winter 2012 and in print in 2013.

Reviewed by Jeff Jones

I have never before read any Warhammer books and it was with some trepidation that I volunteered to review this one expecting it to be outside my comfort zone and not to my liking, but nothing could be further from the truth.

The story starts with an elf being washed ashore on Ulthuan, land of the High Elves, presumably having been involved in a shipwreck. He is found by Kyrielle, daughter of Anurion, a mage of Saphery. He cannot recall his name or what happened to him, the only clues being the uniform he is wearing and the pledge ring he is wearing. Although he cannot remember why he claims he has to see Teclis, Lord of the White Tower and the most powerful mage of Ulthuan

Anurion reluctantly agrees to try and restore his memory, but fails, discovering instead that the stranger’s memories have been locked away deliberately by use of some powerful magic. Intrigued, Anurion and Kyrielle agree to take him to see Teclis and seek his help.

Elsewhere on the island, Caelir’s former lover, Rhianna and his brother Eldain, have been mysteriously summoned to the White Tower and are being escorted there by the Swordmaster, Yvraine.

Eldain is fearful that his betrayal and deceit has been discovered. After their father was killed by the High Elves’ ancestral enemy, the Druchii, Caelir and Eldain led a raid on the Druchii homeland. In the course of the raid, Caelir was wounded but instead of saving his brother, Eldain rode away knowing that it would mean a slow and painful death for Caelir. Eldain also knew that it would be his chance to steal Rhianna away from his brother.

Unravelling the secrets of Caelir’s mind is not the only concern of the High Elves, however. The Druchii have been raiding the southern coast of Ulthuan in their terrifying Black Arks and a deadly assassin has infiltrated the key Eagle Gate fortress and killed the commander.

When Caelir arrives at the White Tower, Teclis attempts to help him but in doing so unleashes a terrifying evil that was locked away in Caelir’s mind. Fearsome demons attack and kill many of the mages and Swordmasters before they are eventually defeated.

Distraught at what he has unwittingly done, and fearful of reprisals, Caelir flees catching a brief glimpse of Eldain and Rhianna whom he still doesn’t recognise. Knowing that she is the only person left who might be able to help him, Caelir makes his way to the forest realm of the Everqueen. Upon meeting her, the true purpose of the dark magic inside him is revealed.

Meanwhile, in the west and south, the Witch King and the Hag Sorceress Morathi, have invaded Ulthuan with their vast armies of Dark Elves and corrupt humans. The war for Ulthuan has begun.

What I particularly loved about this book was the depth of the characters and the fact that they were so well-defined. It was nice to read about the emotional side of them for a change, instead of the stoic almost bland way they are sometimes portrayed.

British Fantasy Award- and HWA Bram Stoker Award-winning author Allyson Bird will have her BFA award-winning first fiction collection, Bull Running For Girls (originally publised in the UK by Screaming Dreams), released in the States by JournalStone in January 2013.

Four-time HWA Bram Stoker Award-winning author, Lisa Morton, has been signed by JournalStone to release her original Halloween-themed horror novella, Summer’s End, fittingly just in time for Halloween in October 2013.

Finally, JournalStone is proud to announce that it has signed international bestselling author Joseph Nassise, and will be releasing his new novel, The Fall of Night, in the US on or about March 2013.

JournalStone Publishing is a small press publishing company, focusing in the science fiction/fantasy/horror genres in both the adult and young adult markets.  They publish in multiple book formats and market on a global level. In addition to showcasing new authors, JournalStone publishes a yearly anthology of collected short stories, and host an annual contest for horror novels. The company’s main goal is to publish quality novels that will showcase and promote an author’s work.

The AngeLINK series comprises four novels: Archangel Protocol, Fallen Host, Messiah Node and Apocalypse Array. They were originally published by Roc in the USA. Archangel Protocol won the 2002 Shamus Award, which is for detective fiction, and the 2002 Barnes & Noble Maiden Voyage Award for debut SF&F novels. The final book, Apocalypse Array, was the runner up in the Philip K. Dick Award in 2005, beating hotly tipped fellow finalists such as Air by Geoff Ryman and City of Pearl by Karen Traviss.

The books combine religious themes with cyberpunk in a very different story of the End Times. Yes, the Apocalypse is coming, but not all of the heavenly host agrees with God’s plan. After all, Gabriel, who now calls himself Jibril, has converted to Islam, while Uriel is a cross-dressing Buddhist. Michael is trying to do the right thing, but there’s this woman detective in New York that he’s met… Lucifer is trying hard to be evil, but is he less dangerous than the word’s greatest criminal, a brilliant hacker from the slums of Cairo called Mouse?

Morehouse said, “Perhaps it’s deeply ironic to never have had an e-book version of the AngeLINK books previously, but I’m deeply grateful to Cheryl Morgan and Wizard’s Tower Press to finally have the opportunity to get my books into the hands of new and returning readers.”

For Wizard’s Tower Cheryl Morgan said, “I really enjoyed these books when they first came out, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to bring them to a new audience. The series ticks many of my boxes, being science fiction by a woman writer featuring queer characters and ethnic diversity.”

The AngeLINK series will be available through the Wizard’s Tower bookstore on the Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and through other online venues.

Wizard’s Tower Press is owned and managed by Cheryl Morgan and based in the UK. Cheryl has won four Hugo awards for her online writing and editing. Cheryl is also a director of San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions Inc, and of the Association for the Recognition of Excellence in SF & F Translation.

Read the full report HERE

Nights of Villjamur was first published by Macmillan/Tor UK in 2009 and has been followed by three other successful books in the Legends of the Red Sun series. The first of a new series, Drakenfeld, will debut in 2013.”

The winners were:
Ravenheart Award (best cover art): Raymond Swanland – Blood of Aenarion
Morningstar Award (best debut): Helen Lowe – Heir of Night
Legend Award (best novel): Patrick Rothfuss – The Wiseman’s Fear

It was also announced that next year’s Gemmell Awards ceremony will take place as part of the 2013 World Fantasy Convention.

The convention takes place in Brighton, UK between 31 October and 3 November 2013.  The only other times that the World Fantasy Convention has moved outside North America was in 1988 and 1997, when it was staged in London, so we feel privileged to be a part of this prestigious international event.

Held at Brighton’s Metropole Hotel and the West Pier, WFC 2013 boasts an impressive line-up of guests, including Richard Matheson, Richard Christian Matheson, Brian Aldiss, Alan Lee and Tessa Farmer.  The Master of Ceremonies is China Mieville; and a host of other authors, artists, publishers and industry insiders will also be attending.

For full details of the convention visit the official website HERE

As the Gemmell Awards will be presented in October/November next year, and not in mid-June as usual, the voting cycle will be altered to accommodate the change of date.  To keep abreast of the changes check the awards website where you can sign-up for the free newsletter. The change of venue and date is for one year only – 2014 will see the awards returning to the Magic Circle.

Plasma Frequency Magazine is a paying market, paying 1 US cent per word for fiction. They are also seeking cover and interior artwork and books for review.

Full details can be found HERE

A Face Like Glass

“Child, thief, madman, spy – which speaks the truth and which one lies?

In the underground city of Caverna the world’s most skilled craftsmen toil in the darkness to create delicacies beyond compare – wines that can remove memories, cheeses that can make you hallucinate and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as they slit your throat.

The people of Caverna are more ordinary, but for one thing: their faces are as blank as untouched snow. Expressions must be learned, and only the famous Facesmiths can teach a person to show (or fake) emotion.

In this dark and distrustful world lives Neverfell, a little girl with no memory of her past and a face so terrifying to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times. But the secret behind Neverfell’s mask makes her more dangerous than even she knows, and it won’t stay hidden forever… ”

Frances Hardinge grew up in a huge old house that inspired her to write stories from an early age. She read English at Oxford University before a persistent friend encouraged her to send a few chapters of her book, Fly By Night, to a publisher. Macmillan made her an immediate offer and the book was published to huge critical acclaim, winning the Branford Boase First Novel award. A Face Like Glass is Frances’ fifth novel. Talking about where the idea for the book came from Frances had the following to say, “The core concept of A Face Like Glass has been nestling in my mind for a long time – a girl whose thoughts show in her face, and who thus becomes the ultimate luxury item in a decadent realm of perfect liars.”

The Mythopoeic Society – a non-profit group devoted to the study of fantastic and mythopoeic literature – have announced the Mythopoeic Awards finalists. See HERE for details

The Association for the Recognition of Excellence in SF and Fantasy Translation (ARESFFT) have announced the finalists for the 2012 Science Fiction and Fantasy Translation Awards (for works published in 2011). See HERE for details

Locus Online reports that The Asimov’s Readers’ Awards and the Analog 2011 AnLab Awards were presented during the recent Nebula Awards Weekend. See the Locus website HERE for the list of winners

Finally, The 2012 Compton Crook Award winner is T.C. McCarthy‘s Germline (Orbit). This Award is presented by the members of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society for the best first novel in the field of science fiction, fantasy or horror. Further information HERE

Interzone

Contents include fiction from Lavie Tidhar, Elizabeth Bourne, Ray Cluley, Vylar Kaftan and Tracie Welser; an interview with Nancy Kress (by Maureen Kincaid Speller); together with the usual mix of up-to-the-minute news and reviews.

Cover art is by Ben Baldwin.

For further information and purchase details visit the TTA Press website HERE

For the full list of nominees and winners see the SFWA website HERE

A full list of the winners is provided on SFScope HERE

Reviewed by R A Bardy (@mangozoid)

I should say at the outset that I’m not usually the kind of person who goes for Film Guides of any description, although even I have an old Halliwell’s from the 80s (when I considered such an item to be a must have for any self-respecting genre editor/fan). Regardless, I recently had the opportunity to access a preview copy of Claws and Saucers, and chose to snap it up. I’m pleased to say that this proved to be an excellent decision, because Claws, or Claws and Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Film: A Complete Guide: 1902-1982 to give it its full not-so-easy-to-roll-off-the-end-of-your-tongue title, is a whopper… and a darn good one at that.

As mentioned above, I’m not big on knowing the ins and outs of all the blockbuster genre films that ever existed, and consider anyone who can name all the Dracula films by rote, or maybe list all the actors that ever played Flash Gordon on the big (and small) screen, as somebody who is a truly unique individual, and also probably: a). very very sad, b). short of friends, and c). a crazy madman/genius. That said, what the author has done here is present an alphabetical list of literally thousands of genre movies, all with their original release dates, approx. running time, appropriate director(s), and whether the film is in colour or black and white… So far, so good, so au-fait, and nothing you couldn’t obtain by searching the internet and/or the IMDb (Internet Movie Database), maybe? So… just why should you invest your time and money in this mammoth reference?

Well…  Not only does David Elroy Goldweber offer up a good summary of the action in every film listed (and yes, he personally watched every single one of them over the course of several years), and provide additional commentary if for example, there’s an accompanying documentary on the DVD; but he also applies his own truly unique take on each movie with a few brilliant one-liners, and it is these that really make this a must-have, in my opinion.

Every film listed has a one-line synopsis of the plot next to the ‘What’s happening?’ tag, as well as a ‘Famous For’ line detailing why this may or may not be a remarkable and/or important film, and there are a few other key ‘tags’ added: There is a ‘Don’t miss’ section, that quite rightly picks a stand-out part of the film, be it funny, controversial, or just plain bad; and finally, for the true would-be aficionado, the author has a string of varied and notable one-liners quoted directly from the film, usually providing amusing reference and/or a alluding to mirthful endeavour on the part of one of its characters.

All in all, it was the author’s original aim to provide an accessible work of ready reference that any reader could literally read from start to finish if they chose to, and in this I believe he’s succeeded admirably. The direct, casual style of the writing, and the manner in which the films are reviewed, makes this a veritable goldmine of nuggets and potential movie trivia questions, and it really does help to draw you in, making you think you’ve just met this guy down the pub and he’s telling you all about a movie he’s just seen.

The author freely admits he originally intended stopping at the year 1980 with this work, but various developments led him to stretch it through to 1982: a year that saw computer special effects technology start to work its way more extensively into movie studios (notably with Tron), and a whole decade that saw several masterpieces and breakthrough work that effectively re-defined films and genre boundaries back then.

On his website – www.clawsandsaucers.com – you can see a sample excerpt yourself (film entries under the letter ‘C’), but while you’re there, I really would recommend you click through and get your own personal copy, be it as an eBook or in a more traditional paper format. An excellent, massive resource, that comes with equally huge recommendation, and deservedly so.

Raven Waiting

Dan is a comics book illustrator and filmmaker whose inspiration for Raven Waiting comes from his love of films like The Dark Crystal, Pan’s Labyrinth, Lord of the Rings and Brazil.

The story of Raven Waiting takes us within the confines of a decaying Dickensian town where the inhabitants live in fear of creatures attacking in the night. The film follows Juliette as she is drawn into a story of underground societies and creatures that protect the night.

“The film at first appears to be a Dickensian drama but quickly reveals itself to be a fantasy adventure full of creatures, sprites and adventurers,” says director Dan Rowbottom.

The film will work with local talent in the North West, and is currently featured on www.sponsume.com as part of a crowd funding campaign.

Check out the film’s blog HERE

View the full list of finalists HERE

Wormwood Issue 18

Full details, including pre-order information, are available HERE

Gollancz

Stephen is the author of six fantasy novels published by HarperCollins Voyager in the UK and Tor in the US, as well as in various translation editions, and runs the SF Crowsnest news and reviews site.

Here is Stephen’s introduction to the world on which this series takes place:

“Plenas has two unique characteristics worth noting, the first – and most significant of which – is that it’s a world on a mind-boggling scale where peddler caravans can take a thousand years to complete a limited circuit of their trade territory, a land where the guild of radio signallers can relay messages between their stations for multiple lifetimes and still never make a clean circumnavigation of the globe.

It is a world where, should a youngster be gripped by wanderlust, they can simply head off and travel with merchant nomads for their entire lifetime, taking in thousands of exotic nations, strange races and mysterious wonders, while still only travelling across a minute fraction of the globe.

The second distinctive facet of Plenas is that the land has no mineral resources worth mining except around the stratovolcanoes dotted across the world, massive shield volcanoes that stand about three times the elevation of Mount Everest above sea level. These vomit out great gobs of ore-bearing rocks into the air for harvesting by sky mines, and this wealth is always jealously hoarded by the empires that rise to pre-eminence around the stratovolcanoes, growing rich with their monopoly over metals, crystals and coals.

Reliance on sustainable resources means that most societies, races and nations on Plenas are throttled somewhere between a Roman and Victorian level of progress, with only the great empires of the stratovolcanoes reaching a higher level of development.”

The deal for World Rights was brokered by the John Jarrold Literary Agency.

This issue contains a feature on the much-hyped Cabin in the Woods, which hits UK cinemas on 13 April 2012. In the first of two reports from the sets of upcoming horror films, Alan Jones recalls his trip to Italy to the set of Dario Argento’s Dracula 3D, while Nina Romain looks at the Count’s popularity with moviegoers. Russ Gomm travelled to America to speak to the Blair Witch team on the set of their latest film Lovely Molly. There is also a preview of the upcoming Terracotta Film Festival, and many other articles of interest to fantasy and horror film fans.

Download a free copy HERE

They will not accept submissions for short story collections, graphic novels or erotica.

Full details on how to submit your manuscript HERE

Kickstarter describes itself as “the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects… On Kickstarter, a project must reach its funding goal before time runs out or no money changes hands.” This allows project creators to test the market without risk, since no project will be started without the necessary funds.

Regarding Beyond the Black Gate:

“This anthology takes readers to the Free City of Taux, a fantasy port of cursed stones, dark plots, and a core of rich characters who share space inside the infamous Black Gate District.

This rich anthology links characters and tales in an interwoven mosaic that helps draw the reader on, and with authors like Lynn Flewelling, Harry Connolly, Juliet McKenna, Martha Wells, Robert Mancebo and Julie Czerneda sharing characters with newcomer Michael Tousignant and iconic fantasy artist turned writer Todd Lockwood, the book plumbs the depths of dark city-born fantasy.

Editor and contributor R. Scott Taylor helps create the shadowed metropolis of Taux, where Razor Duelists and mailed and heavily armed Sturgeons try to hold back the tide of ghosts, Moon Cultists, and shadow magic that lurks inside the slithering coils of Wizard’s Mist.  Rogues, harlots, and merchant princes share the same streets, and all watch their backs as the stones of the city call out to the living in a never ending game of cat and mouse for the true ownership of the great port.”

If you would like to pledge funds to this project please visit the Kickstarter website HERE

The Minister of Chance

“Now in his fourth incarnation, defrocked Time Lord, The Minister Of Chance, finds himself saddled with Kitty – an assistant he apparently cannot get rid of – and perilously entangled in the court intrigues and military politics of a forest planet on the brink of war. Jenny Agutter, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann and Paul Darrow join Julian Wadham (The Iron Lady) and Lauren Crace (EastEnders) in a mould-breaking audio adventure that will take you to a spectacular world where science is heresy and magic is law…”

What’s more, downloads are FREE! For more information, visit the website HERE or download Episode 1: The Broken World from HERE

There are many more leading names to be announced for the event, with the first two Guests of Honour for the 2012 event confirmed as Christopher Fowler and Geoff Ryman.

Christopher Fowler is a multiple award-winning author with thirty novels and twelve short story collections to his name. He is best-known for his Bryant and May mystery novels, with his most recent title in the series being Bryant and May and the Memory of Blood. Christopher has also written a number of successful thrillers, as well as the highly succesful graphic novel Menz Insana. His other credits include creating the War of the Worlds video game for Paramount, as well as running a successful film marketing company and writing for TV and film stars such as Kenneth Williams, Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan, Leslie Neilsen and the stars of Monty Python.

Geoff Ryman is an acclaimed author of science-fiction and fantasy, with his most recent title, The King’s Last Song, drawing stellar reviews. Other leading titles include Was…, Lust and Air, with his novels having claimed a host of awards including the British Science Fiction Award, World Fantasy Award, Arthur C. Clarke Award, The Philip K. Dick Award and many more. He is also a lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester University.

Edge-Lit runs from 10am – midnight on Saturday 14 July 2012, with tickets just £25, including access to all activities on the day. For more information, and to book your tickets, visit the website HERE

Ben LeRoy, publisher of Tyrus Books, who is spearheading the project says: “I envision Prologue Books not simply an e-book publisher for out-of-print titles, but as a living record of the crime, science fiction, and fantasy genres. There’s a great opportunity to shine the spotlight on authors who may have been significantly influential on the current state of publishing, but who have never really received their due for one reason or another.”

See the catalogue HERE

See the full list of nominees HERE

Reviewed by Karen Stevens

Taran Elijah is an Artesan, one of the rare individuals who can wield control over the four elements, but after his father’s death he has been unable to find a teacher to advance his talent with the craft. Desperate to learn more, he opens a portal to the Andaryon realm and after being tricked into a vicious duel he accidently kills an Andaryon noble and barely manages to escape back to Albia with his life, and a weapon of frightening power. In the wake of his actions the Andaryons launch vicious raids in the realm and Taran and his friends are forced to travel to the nearby garrison and speak to major Sullyan, who is responsible for stopping these raids. But there is a dark plot underlying events, and it may be beyond their abilities to stop.

King’s Envoy is the first book in the Artesans of Albia series (I’m assuming a trilogy). The focus of the novel is squarely on the half dozen or so many characters – there may be a war in the near future, but the book deals with events at a personal level rather than being a mammoth epic with a cast of thousands. It’s a fairly standard high fantasy tale, with the ideas about the portals that can be raised between five different realms and the elemental magic gives it a slightly unusual twist. I hope that as the series continues we’re going to see more of these other realms; only the Andaryon realm has so far been mentioned in any detail, and it would be nice to see how the other realms and races compare.

The book is well written with likeable characters and an enjoyable plot that moves along at a rapid pace. The only problem with this book is that it’s in a crowded field and though good by its own merits I feel it doesn’t have the spark needed to lift it above the crowd; if you’ve read any high fantasy, you’ve undoubtedly read something very similar to this already. On the other hand, if you’re unfamiliar with this branch of fantasy you could do worse than to check it out.

Torchwood

“Twins Matt and Emily Calder have imaginations so powerful that they can make art come to life. Their powers are sought by villains intent on accessing the terrors of Hollow Earth — a place where all the devils, demons and monsters ever imagined lie trapped for eternity. If Hollow Earth is breached, the world will be plunged into chaos. If Hollow Earth is breached . . .

… the twins are as good as dead.

Hollow Earth is a thrilling debut novel from the brother and sister team. The first in a compelling series, this page-turning fantasy for children echoes the likes of Christopher Paolini, Marcus Sedgwick and Rick Riordan.”

Full details HERE

“The Church of the Book has assembled a team of twelve battle-hardened adventurers to slay Greatshadow, the evil elemental dragon who spies through every candle flame, once and for all.

But tensions run high between the leaders of the team who view the mission as a holy duty, and the superpowered mercenaries who add power to their ranks but who view this as a chance to claim Greatshadow’s vast treasure. If the warriors fail to slay the beast, will they doom mankind to death by fire?

A striking mix of adventure, fantasy and lurking menace, Greatshadow promises to be the beginning of a stand-out new series in 2012, written by a real master of the genre.”

Full information HERE

All three polls will be open until 31 March 2012.

A Stark and Wormy Knight is a new collection by best-selling fantasy author Tad Williams, due next summer. Tad Williams is an acknowledged master of the multi-volume epic. A Stark and Wormy Knight, though, offers readers something both special and surprising: a virtuoso demonstration of Williams’ mastery of a variety of shorter forms.

Secondly, Subterranean announce the largest collection of Jonathan Carroll‘s short fiction yet published. The Woman Who Married a Cloud will feature 37 stories-including his limited edition novella, “The Heidelberg Cylinder”. Always better known as a novelist, Carroll has also created a compelling and deeply moving body of short fiction. Perhaps more eclectic and slant-wise than some of his novels, stories like World Fantasy Award winning “Friend’s Best Man” and Pushcart Prize and Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire honouree “Home on the Rain” stand amongst his very best work.

The Woman Who Married a Cloud: Collected Stories will be the best and most complete collection of Jonathan Carroll’s fiction ever published. It collects 35 stories written across a thirty year long career, a number appearing in print for the first time, in a single landmark volume that stands as the perfect introduction to this unique and wonderful writer.

With its READ ANYTHING campaign and commitment to producing first rate genre fiction, the Abaddon Books team are firm believers in new forms of publishing. The Twilight of Kerberos series is a perfect fit for experimenting with an ebook only release. And with the success of the recent series omnibuses – including the The Best of Tomes of the Dead and Afterblight: America – and capitalising on the growing US readership who are finding our shared-worlds through them, Abaddon Books has decided to focus the Twilight range on this format.

The long-awaited third book of the Lucius Kane Trilogy by Matthew Sprange, Legacy’s Price, will see print in March 2012 as part of the first Twilight of Kerberos Omnibus, with two more omnibuses in the series to collect the titles by Mike Wild and Jonathan Oliver.

The MORNINGSTAR and RAVENHEART polls will open shortly.

The agent was John Jarrold, and the deal was for UK/US rights.  Solaris provisionally plan to publish early in 2013.

Babylon Steel, former Avatar of the goddess of sex and war, runs the best brothel in Scalentine; a city with gateways to many worlds and a widely varied and occasionally violent populace.  Babylon has also become, somewhat against her will, bodyguard to the controversial new member of the ruling council in the nearby country of Incandress.  Not to mention ‘unofficial Scalentine envoy’ or, to put it more bluntly, ‘spy’.  And while she is trying to protect her charge, avoid clashing with Incandress’s rigid morality laws, and stop the whole country plunging into race massacre and civil war, someone back on Scalentine is killing weres.  The city militia can’t, or won’t, catch them.  And when your lover is the Chief of the city militia, who also happens to be a were, this is more than a little worrying…

Gaie Sebold works for a charity.  She has won a few awards for poetry and has sold short stories to magazines including Black Gate, Legend and City Slab, the recent Under the Rose anthology (Norilana) and the forthcoming End of an Aeon anthology (Fairwood Press).  She is an occasional performance poet.  She was born in the US but has lived in the UK most of her life, currently in an ‘up and coming’ area of London which doesn’t appear to have got very high yet. She is a member of T Party Writers, a London-based genre critique group.’

Laini Taylor

Read the story HERE

First guests announced are Peter F. Hamilton, Graham Masterton, Mark Chadbourn, Gav Thorpe, Kim Lakin-Smith, Fred Warrington and Gavin Smith, so it’s all shaping up to be a great event!

Full details HERE

Darrell K. Sweet

Since the 1970s, his instantly recognisable cover artwork has graced many epic fantasy novels, including Robert Jordan’s series The Wheel of Time.

You can read his obituary, and see some of his amazing artwork, HERE

In the highly imaginative The Corpse-Rat King, readers are introduced to Marius Helles as he plunders the bodies of the dead after a major battle – a crime punishable by death. The dead tell Marius that they need a King – the King is God’s representative, and they need someone to speak to God and remind him where they are, thank you very much! He doesn’t actually want the job, but when the alternative is to deny a legion of angry corpses, it’s that or find a suitable compromise – and quickly: the dead aren’t known for their patience…

The deal was negotiated by Angry Robot editor Lee Harris, and Battersby’s agent Richard Henshaw of the Richard Henshaw Group, after The Corpse-Rat King came to Angry Robot’s attention during their first Open Door Month open submission period, earlier this year.

It’s one of a number of lots up for bidding on eBay to raise money for Orion’s chosen charity, The Samaritans, with 100% of the proceeds going to the cause. The winning bidder gets 10,000 words of their novel or story reviewed and edited by Gollancz Editorial Director Gillian Redfearn, editor for bestselling authors such as Joe Abercrombie. You can also bid to have new Gollancz editor Marcus Gipps review 15,000 words of your story.

If you or a loved one is a fantasy fan, there’s a unique and exciting chance to name a character in a future novel by Brandon Sanderson, the bestselling author of The Way of Kings and The Alloy of Law. There’s also an exclusive bundle of signed and limited edition promotional materials from Brandon.

Advice on how to promote your book from Gollancz Senior Marketing Executive Jennifer McMenemy, who has masterminded campaigns for many of Gollancz’s biggest names including Alastair Reynolds and Charlaine Harris, is also up for bidding, along with lunch in London with members of the Gollancz publishing team, with the opportunity to seek some advice.

Other auctions include signed books, lunch with an author and the chance to get a copy of every single arc proof produced by Gollancz in 2012. Gollancz proof editions, usually reserved for booksellers and media, are often hotly sought after by fans and collectors.

For the full list of items to bid on to help this worthy cause, please go HERE or search for seller id orionbooksforcharity on eBay.

The first book in a series provisionally titled Drakenfeld introduces the eponymous hero, an investigator. The series is set in a fantasy world, but will appeal to fans of historical mysteries. In this opening volume, Lucan Drakenfeld is called home after the death of his father – but is immediately thrown into the investigation of a royal death. He also finds that his father’s demise is not as clear-cut as it at first appears…

Tor UK have previously successfully published three fantasy novels by Mark in the Legends of the Red Sun series since 2009, with a fourth to appear in the summer of 2012.  They have been strongly acclaimed by reviewers on both sides of the Atlantic.

The first book in the new series will be published in 2014.”

“Rebellion Publishing

Everything from SF to horror and fantasy to urban fantasy will be available direct from our Solaris and Abaddon Books imprints for the first time, and in both ePub and mobi formats – perfect for anyone with a Kindle or eReader.

You can visit the new store HERE

The ideal one-stop shop for the 21st century reader, the Rebellion Publishing store offers digital downloads for all our titles with competitive prices, special sales and promotional offers – it’s the perfect place to stock up with winter warmers for the festive season.

Offering Steampunk, SF, fantasy, urban fantasy and horror, the site is easily navigable and each book is categorised in multiple ways. Alternatively, in search of a new read with a strong female lead? Or maybe a good anti-hero? Find what you want quickly with our ‘popular themes’ sections.

And to kick off, not only is there 10% off of all ebooks but, inspired by the lingering chill of Hallowe’en, for this week only all the novels in our Tomes of the Dead zombie series and the Infernal Game series are just £2 each!”

Ian Whates

Later in the year, there will be a collaboration between NewCon Press and Un:bound.  This will involve a podcast programme, individually downloadable readings of original stories, plus an anthology (e-book and hardcopy).

Finally, plans for the Imaginings series of signed limited editions are well under way with individual issues devoted to the work of Tanith Lee, Nina Allan, Adam Roberts, Stephen Baxter, Pat Cadigan and Jon Courtenay Grimwood. Volume 1 will feature the work of Tanith Lee. Entitled Cold Grey Stones, the book will comprise eleven stories, six of which have previously appeared in such publications as Interzone, Realms of Fantasy, and Fantasy Magazine, while five are completely original to this collection. The cover features atmospheric artwork by Tanith’s husband, John Kaiine.