Warhammer Wednesday: Warhammer Age of Sigmar

On Sunday, Games Workshop announced the latest Black Library eShorts week. It starts on Monday 2nd October 2023 and the focus this year is on Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.

The sharp-eyed among you will notice that one of the eShorts is a story by Yours Truly. Expect more news on Monday, when the eShorts subscription goes live.

Happy 53rd Birthday, Doctor Who!

And what better way to celebrate the occasion than by joining the Doctor on one of his most recent adventures?

Gamebook Friday: Alice's Night of the Kraken in Wonderland

People have been saying some rather nice things about my two most recent gamebooks on Amazon lately, which is always very pleasing for an author.

First of all, here's a review from Amazon.com about Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland:

"This book is so creative and cool! Its basically Dungeons and Dragons meets Goosebumps choose your own path set in Wonderland... To do combat you either need two 6-sided dice or a pack of 52 playing cards, depending on how you want to play/what you have available, but you don't need to do combat to enjoy, you can read through and pretend you win every battle!"

And then there's this review from Amazon.co.uk about Doctor Who: Choose the Future: Night of the Kraken:

"In all honesty I was hoping for, but not expecting, a fully-fledged adventure gamebook where I would be fighting Sontarans armed with some dice and a pencil. But Doctor Who doesn’t entirely lend itself to that medium and ‘Night of the Kraken’ is still more in the ‘choose your own adventure’ bracket than adventure gamebook. 

"However, it is a well written and structured adventure aimed at a much older audience than the ‘Decide Your Destiny’ books. The reader also, sort of, gets to play the Doctor. The book is written in the second person rather than the first, which is the more traditional for adventure gamebooks, so you direct his actions rather than being him. This does feel more suitable for Doctor Who. 

"Despite its relatively short length of 150 sections there’s a fairly intriguing story and a relatively complex adventure. The author creates a believable historical setting with plenty of atmosphere that engrosses the reader in the interactive setting. 

"One of the major strengths of the adventure is that there are two quite independent explanations for events depending upon what options you select relatively earlier on. The less obvious one is reasonably tricky to find so this gives the book extra potential for replay. 

"As normal with gamebooks there are several possible endings. These are mostly partial victories where you win by immoral methods or genocidal tactics. To gain one of the few true victories you must succeed by being faithful to the spirit/character of the Doctor. It is also possible to kill the Doctor off, and the only way to ‘regenerate’ is to return to page one. 

"This is possibly the best crossover yet between adventure gamebooks and Doctor Who. It is a strong start to the new ‘Choose the Future’ series."

I've you've read  Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland or Doctor Who: Choose the Future: Night of the Kraken, why not go and line and post your own review?

Gamebook Friday: The Kraken Released!

It's a brand new choose your own style adventure gamebook, it features the Twelfth Doctor, and there's my favourite submarine monster in it... What more do you need to know?

Release the Kraken!

New Book Day! Doctor Who: Choose the Future: Night of the Kraken

In the same week that the Doctor's new companion was announced, a previously untold Twelfth Doctor story is unleashed upon the space-time continuum...

When one choice can lead to triumph or failure, life or death, glory or destruction . . . which will you choose? With Choose the Future, YOU decide how, when, where and with whom the Doctor will fight to save the world!

In this brand new adventure, Night of the Kraken, the Twelfth Doctor meets a roguish time-smuggler and faces a terrifying creature from the deep with a plan to destroy the Earth.

The fate of the Doctor and the universe he protects are in your hands...

Tie-in Tuesday: Doctor Who: Choose the Future: Night of the Kraken

There are only two days to go until my latest Doctor Who book is released.

First there was 2010's Night of the Humans...

Then there the 2013 minisode The Night of the Doctor...

And now there is the first in a brand new series of Doctor Who adventure gamebooks, Choose the Future: Night of the Kraken.

It's about time...

Tie-in Tuesday: Doctor Who - Terrible Lizards

Available now in paperback in the US and as an eBook here in the UK, my 2012 Eleventh Doctor story Terrible Lizards!

And coming soon, my brand new 2016 Twelfth Doctor adventure gamebook Night of the Kraken!

Steampunk Thursday: The Leviathan Rises

As fans of my Pax Britannia books will already know, Steampunk hero Ulysses Quicksilver encountered the legendary Kraken in Leviathan Rising. But now Professor Mark McMenamin is proposing that the Kraken isn't a legend after all.

To read more about the professor's startling claims, click this link.

Steampunk Thursday: Build A Squid

My second Pax Britannia novel Leviathan Rising involves, in part, a team of scientists building their own cyber-squid. Well if you fancy having a go at constructing a Kraken of your own, why not follow this link?

The Kitschies' Gothic Evening - The Morning After

If you were reading this blog yesterday, you'll know that last night Blackwell's Charing Cross Road hosted the Kitschies' Gothic Evening. It followed a similar format to the Steampunk Evening that took place back in December only this time focusing on Gothic in art and literature. John Courtenay Grimwood read an extract from his new book and Christopher Fowler and Marcus Hearn then chatted about Hammer Horror's legacy and recent revival (or should that be resurrection?) of the gothic genre on celluloid.

There were also sorts of writers and creators there - including artist-author John Kaiine and photographer Joel Meadows - and the usual friends, enthusiasts and literary literati. I wasn't there as a guest this time but that didn't stop Den Patrick making sure I earned my Kraken Rum for the night!

Den's Pen was put to good use on the night.

Amongst those in a attendance (and who I spent all too little time talking to) were Tom Pollock, Will Hill, Jenni Hill (no relation), Sarah Pinborough (who I actually managed to say more than two words to), Philip Reeve (who I failed to speak to at all), Jon Oliver, David Moore, Bex Levene, James Wallis, Magnus Anderson, Lou Morgan, Scott Andrews, James Long, Emily Banyard, Celeste Sharp, Tom Hunter, Sophia McDougall and a whole host of others... apologies to anyone I've left off the list.

I was excited to meet author Tanith Lee. (Can you tell?)

Once the bookshop shut, proceedings moved across the road to the pub where Lavie Tidhar very sweetly tried to be my agent, brightly coloured drinks were drunk and generous offers of free editing expertise were made. Not to me, but a friend of mine. (I can't think why.)

Esther getting better acquainted with Abaddon Dave.

Thanks of course, must go to Jared and Anne of Pornokitsch who (along with Den) organised the evening, and Kraken Rum for keeping the conversations well oiled. Jared flattered me by saying that the twist ending of the story I have in the forthcoming Stories of the Smoke surprised even him - and that's saying something!

Anne in suitably Gothic bat earrings.

Should grown-up drinks really be this colour?

The Usual Suspects.

Leviathan Rising - a new review

Not read my Pax Britannia mash-up of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express and James Cameron's The Abyss, Leviathan Rising yet?

Still need persuading?

Then check out this new review by David Kenyon:

I've always loved those old Jules Verne stories and this story in it's underwater setting provided plenty of references to those undersea escapades, this time accompanied by the dashing Quicksilver and his faithful manservant Nimrod as they piece together a murder mystery at the bottom of the sea. There were enough red herrings not to mention some rather gory murders as one by one they are killed off. Coupled with the threat of being eaten by giant sharks and bio-mechanical giant squids and you have yet more exciting set pieces that Green excelled at in Unnatural History...

The writing is imaginative and witty without being dogged down by too much exposition and detail, but the world is very vivid in my mind and I had no trouble immersing myself in the inky brine of the Kraken's embrace... take the dive into the world of Pax Britannia. You will be 'suckered' into it's embrace.

You can buy Pax Britannia: Leviathan Rising here.

The Kitschies

Just in case you don't already know, the Kitschies (sponsored by The Kraken Rum) are a set of annual awards that celebrate those books which best elevate the tone of genre literature - the most progressive, intelligent and entertaining works. Basically the titles that do the science fiction and fantasy community proud.

There are four judging categories: Red Tentacle (Novel), Golden Tentacle (Debut), Inky Tentacle (Cover) and the Black Tentacle (Discretionary). Winners receive a cash prize in addition to a lovingly hand-crafted Tentacle trophy, not to mention a bottle of The Kraken's fine ink-black liquid.

A record number of submissions have been received for the 2011 Kitschies - a total of 152 books from 38 different publishers. The finalists in each category will be announced tomorrow - Friday 13 January - and the winners will be announced on 3 February at the SFX Weekender, the UK's largest science fiction convention.

And there's only 19 hours to go until the shortlisted finalists are announced at 3.00pm tomorrow...

A Steampunk Evening - update!

The Steampunk Evening organised by the Pornokitsch guys, and taking place on Thursday 8 December, has had a timing update.

It will now be running from 6:00pm until 8:30pm, which basically means that if you attend you'll get to spend even more time at Blackwell's Charring Cross alongside such luminaries as Kim Lakin-Smith, China Miéville, Philip Reeve, Adam Roberts, Lavie Tidhar and Plarchie the Squid.

And remember, tickets are not necessary and the event is free to attend.