Evolution Expects reviewed

Came across this review of Evolution Expects the other day.

"Awesome." (4 out of 5 stars)

Nice and succinct, I think you'll agree.

Pirates of the Black Skull

Seeing as how Bloodbones (my fourth Fighting Fantasy adventure) is being re-released next year, I thought I'd get you all in the mood for a slice of swashbuckling voodoo with this...

Crisis on Coruscant is coming

28 January 2010.

You can pre-order your copy here.

And while we're on the subject of all things Star Wars...

Abaddon Books gets a facelift

Exciting news! The Abaddon Books* website has had a make-over - and very cool it looks too. To check it out for yourself, along with news of Abaddon's first ever competition, click here.

* Publishers of the Pax Britannia series.

Franchise fiction vs original fiction - the debate continues

Came across this today over at Jeff Vandermeer’s Ecstatic Days blog. It's a conversation between Dan Abnett and fantasy author Mark Charan Newton (who also happens to work for Games Workshop’s Black Library range of tie-in novels). Dan has how had over three dozen novels published but, amazingly, Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero is his first non tie-in book.

Mark and Dan talk about the frustrations and advantages of writing tie-in work versus the advantages and frustrations of working in your own universe. It's a cracking read and seems all the more timely to me as my latest piece of tie-in work dropped through my letterbox yesterday to be proofed. You can read The Relic in the forthcoming Legends of the Space Marines Warhammer 40K anthology.

Night of the Necromancer competition

Just a quick reminder that the guys at Wizard Books are offering one lucky reader the chance to be immortalised in the new Fighting Fantasy gamebook Night of the Necromancer (to be published in April 2010).

To find out more about the competition and its money-can't-buy prize click here.

The Ultimate Christmas Quiz at the UCS Beyond Words Festival 2009

Well I survived the What is Myrrh Anyway? Ultimate Christmas Quiz experience at the UCS Beyond Words Festival and sold a few more books, which is always nice. It just remains for me to thank Martin Hitchcock and his able assistants Sophia, Katie, Hal and Ian, for all their help and for making me feel so welcome, and Najma of Icon Books for arranging the session.

Fighting Fantasy

In the last 16 years I have written seven Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebooks, which are part novel and part game in which you, the reader, are the hero. They are Spellbreaker (1993 and 2007), Knights of Doom (1994), Curse of the Mummy (1995 and 2007), Bloodbones (2006), Howl of the Werewolf (2007), Stormslayer (2009) and Night of the Necromancer (to be published in April 2010).

Pax Britannia

The Pax Britannia books are all set within a steampunk world where history has followed a wildly different course. Queen Victoria is still on the throne, kept alive by advanced steam-powered technology, robot Bobbies patrol the streets and there are dinosaurs on display in London Zoo.

To date I have had four Pax Britannia novels published with a fifth coming early next year. They all feature the dandy adventurer and agent of the British crown Ulysses Quicksilver and are, in reading order, Unnatural History (2007), Leviathan Rising (2008), Human Nature (2008), Evolution Expects (2009) and Blood Royal (2010).












To find out more about the world of Pax Britannia click this link or watch the following stereopticon presentation.

Non-Fiction

I have written a number of non-fiction titles. There is the highly popular Go, Go Crazy For Those Bones (2008), Match Wits with the Kids: A Little Learning For All The Family (2008), and What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Christmas (2008) which now has an American edition, re-titled as Christmas Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Christmas (2009).

Black Library

My work for the Black Library includes six novels and numerous short stories. I wrote the Warhammer novels The Dead and the Damned (2002), Magestorm (2004) and (2005), and the Warhammer 40,000 novels NecromancerCrusade for Armageddon (2003), Iron Hands (2004) and Conquest of Armageddon (2005).


My most recent work for the Black Library is a short story entitled The Relic and will appear in the new short story collection Legends of the Space Marines (published April 2010).

Doctor Who

To date I have contributed twice to the Doctor Who universe. I wrote the Decide Your Destiny gamebook The Horror of Howling Hill (published in 2008) and I also wrote about a third of The Official Doctor Who Annual 2010 (published in 2009).

JG at Beyond Words 2009

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Tuesday 10 November, I shall be appearing at the Beyond Words Festival, at University College School from 2.30-3.45pm. I shall be talking briefly about the how I came to write What is Myrrh Anyway? and will then be hosting a fun - but challenging - Christmas quiz, as well as signing copies of my books. It's not too late to reserve your ticket for this event, just ring the UCS Box Office on 020 7433 2219, or you could try turning up on the day.


Might see you there.

What is Myrrh Anyway? at Ealing's leading Art and Craft fair

Just a reminder that I will be at St James' Art and Craft Fair tomorrow - Saturday 7 November - between 10.00am and 4.00pm, selling - and of course signing! - copies of What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas.


I also have a limited number of copies of the brand new American edition of the book Christmas Miscellany available, as well as some of my latest Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebook Stormslayer.


Admission is free, so if you're in the area, why not pop along and say "Hello"?

Pax Britannia badges

A rather exciting package arrived in the post. Well at least I thought it was rather exciting because it contained these...


As part of my on-going efforts to self-publicise I've had some Pax Britannia badges made. One bears Simon Parr's new PB logo and the other is the central image from Mark Harrison's cover for Dark Side, which is coming next summer.

The first place where you will be able to get your hands on one (or two) of these beauties is at my talk at the University College School Beyond Words Festival next Tuesday afternoon, so book your ticket now!

Bloodbones

Good news, Fighting Fantasy fans! Bloodbones, one of my older FF adventures is going to be re-printed and re-packaged next year to bring it into line with the new look FF adventures, such as the brand new Stormslayer and forthcoming Night of the Necromancer.

And here's the brand spanking new look cover!


And here's a little more about the adventure (for the benefit of those not already in the know)...

Bloodbones lives! Cinnabar, evil Pirate-Lord and scourge of the twelve seas, is back from the dead and seeking revenge with the dark powers of voodoo at his command. Only YOU can stop the pirate captain and his crew of bloodthirsty cut-throats.

In this fantastic new adventure you are a heroic sailor seeking revenge on one of the most feared pirate-lords of Titan 'Cinnabar', a creature without remorse, a murderer, and a follower of the bloodthirsty voodoo death-god Quezkari, whose mark is the black skull.

Having sworn to have your vengeance against Cinnabar, for the past six years you have sailed the seas of Titan never forgetting a promise you made to yourself a decade ago. Throughout the years you have spent at sea you have learned more and more about Cinnabar and this information eventually leads you to Ruddlestone and the notorious Port of Crabs.

Prepare to set sail on the adventure of a lifetime.

Stormslayer redux

I came across this the other day, thanks to the magic of Google alerts...


I was absolutely blown away when I realised that someone had re-imagined a scene from Stormslayer and done such a fantastic job of rendering it in full colour. The level of detail is amazing, and it is totally faithful to a scene described in the book.

I did a little digging and discovered that the piece was by Emerson Tung (a.k.a. Zeo-X) who has also produced his own versions of the Steam Golem and the Tremor Worm from the book.


There's loads more to see through his online gallery which you can find here. And if you happening to be reading this, Zeo, drop me a line and say "Hi!"