The Bastards and the Knives by Scott LynchBad News.

According to both Mithfânion from SFFWorld and Pat from Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, it looks like Scott Lynch, the ever heralded author of The Lies of Locke Lamora (go read it, you won’t be disappointed) has been late handing in both the manuscripts of the novels that many of his rabid fans hoped to get their hands on this year.

Mithfânion contacte Bill, from Subterranean Press, the specialty publisher with first rights to The Bastards and the Knives, and the response wasn’t very promising:

I got a reply from Bill from Subpress yesterday, told me he has no idea when Scott even intends to hand in the novellas, or one of them. So probably not this year.

On top of this, Pat’s reporting that The Republic of Thieves, the third novel in Lynch’s successful Gentleman Bastards Sequence, was also handed in late:

As I mentioned on Westeros yesterday, I received word from Anne Groell that Lynch was late in delivering the manuscript. Which means that the pub date for Republic of Thieves, sequel to the highly entertaining The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies, has been pushed back to March 2009, if all goes well. . .

As a fan of Lynch’s work, it’s hard to see it all pushed back, but the writer in me also understands that novels take time to come together and I wouldn’t want Scott to publish anything that would tarnish the high level of quality he’s becoming known for. Either way, when we finally do get our hands on these novels, I’m sure they won’t disappoint!

Discussion
  • Dark Wolf April 3, 2008 at 2:19 am

    I was waiting for this to read the hole trilogy, but now I think I have to start reading it one at the time.

    Aidan, can I put your blog on my blogroll, please?

  • Joe Sherry April 3, 2008 at 3:27 am

    DW: You definitely want to start sooner than later. It’s a planned 7 book sequence, not 3.

  • Dark Wolf April 3, 2008 at 5:11 am

    Thank you Joe. I didn’t know that.

  • aidan April 3, 2008 at 11:31 pm

    Dark Wolf,

    Of course you can put a link to my blog on yours. I’d be honoured!

    And, as Joe points out, Lynch’s series is set to be seven novels, and there’s no better time to start than now. Each book has been, more or less, standalone.

  • Dark Wolf April 4, 2008 at 2:00 am

    Thank you Aidan. Like I said to my shame I didn’t know that will be 7 books.

    Keep up the good work.

  • […] Take a look at the cover for Lynch’s upcoming Novella collection, The Bastards and the Knives for an example of what Gollancz is doing. digg_skin = ‘compact’; […]

  • […] So, looks like the rumours were false. Again. Either that or the manuscript has been turned in (doubtful, given the wording of the twitter announcement) and needs a lot of work. Whichever way, I guess it’s just another delay for The Republic of Thieves. Still, with all this time in the oven, I think we can expect a pretty rockin’ book when it finally hits shelves. Now… where is The Bastards and the Knives? […]

  • […] botch if you tried). I like the originally leaked cover better (or was it the cover for The Bastards & The Knives? I can never tell…). Either way, Lynch has to be happy with the covers he’s been […]