Cover Art

Cover Art | Shadowheart by Tad Williams (UK)

By Aidan Moher June 9th, 2010
Shadowheart by Tad Williams

A good companion to the previous UK covers, and nice overall colouring and tone. Still, I find the digital painting to feel too unnatural for the series, and prefer the Todd Lockwood art featured on the North American versions (though it’s also digitally created, it captures the feel of the series in a much more organic nature.) Interesting to see that both the North American and UK covers feature a predominantly black and red colour scheme; I wonder if this will tie into the novel at all, or whether it’s just coincidence.

Cover Art

Cover Art | Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan

By Aidan Moher June 8th, 2010
Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan

The first volume in a noirish, gritty urban fantasy for adults from the bestselling author otherwise known as Darren Shan. Quick-witted and cocksure, young upstart Capac Raimi arrives in the City determined to make his mark. As he learns the tricks of his new trade from his Uncle Theo — extortion, racketeering, threatening behaviour — he’s soon well on his way to becoming a promising new gangster. Then he crosses paths with The Cardinal, and his life changes forever. The Cardinal is the City and the City is The Cardinal. They are joined at the soul. Nothing moves on the streets, or below them, without the Cardinal’s knowledge. His rule is absolute. As Capac begins to discover more about the extent of the Cardinal’s influence on his own life he is faced with hard choices. And as his ambition soars ever higher he will learn all there is to know about loss, and the true cost of ultimate power!

I’ve not read anything by Darren Shan, nor do I really have any inclination to, but when this book arrived on my doorstep, I thought the cover was pretty damn cool.

News

Free Readin’ | Shadow’s Son by Jon Sprunk

By Aidan Moher June 7th, 2010
Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk

In the holy city of Othir, treachery and corruption lurk at the end of every street, just the place for a freelance assassin with no loyalties and few scruples.

Caim makes his living on the edge of a blade, but when a routine job goes south, he is thrust into the middle of an insidious plot. Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers, and sorcery from the Other Side, his only allies are Josephine, the socialite daughter of his last victim, and Kit, a guardian spirit no one else can see. But in this fight for his life, Caim only trusts his knives and his instincts, but they won’t be enough when his quest for justice leads him from Othir’s hazardous back alleys to its shining corridors of power. To unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he must claim his birthright as the Shadow’s Son….

Shadow’s Son by newcomer Jon Sprunk, recently released by Pyr Books and Gollancz first caught my eye because of the Michael Komarck cover. Ironic, given my reputation for showing utter dismay every time a hood is present on a cover. Still, the book itself sounds fun (and I liked what Sprunk had to say on this podcast), so it’s been on my radar ever since.

In a moment of genial comradeship, Tor.com is hosting an extended excerpt from Shadow’s Son, available for all to read. If, like me, the synopsis and cover have you interested, this is a great chance to get a better glimpse at Sprunk’s debut novel.

News

An Aside | No paperback release for ‘The Price of Spring’ by Daniel Abraham

By Aidan Moher June 4th, 2010

He’s a Hugo Award nominee. His series has been called ‘one of the more accomplished fantasy series of recent years‘, and it’s got gorgeous cover art. But despite all this, Tor Books just never seemed to have much faith in Daniel Abraham or his Long Price Qurtet. Case in point? They’re not publishing a paperback edition of the fourth (and final) volume of the series, The Price of Spring. Call it a business decision, his books don’t sell enough to be worth the overhead of printing, but also consider that Tor completely dropped the ball on what should be a preeminent series in the genre. Hell, they couldn’t even get it stocked on store shelves. They expect casual fans to buy it when they can’t find it at their local bookstore? I sure couldn’t. What good’s cover art if it’s not on the shelf to catch your eye?

In any case, it’s a frustrating reality of the industry that quality ≠ success. I’m sure Tor will be shaking their heads, and kicking themselves in the ass, when Abraham eventually finds the success he’s worthy of, likely with his next series, The Dagger and the Coin, which they passed on.

So, if you’re interested in reading The Price of Spring, but are waiting for the more affordable Mass Market Paperback, you’re shit out of luck. Buy the Hardcover before it leaves shelves forever (if it hasn’t already, I had to order mine online.) Even better, buy a copy of the omnibus edition of the series published by Orbit Books (who will be publishing The Dagger and the Coin), and support the publisher that will (hopefully) promote his work the way it deserves.

Interview

An Aside | A Chat with Guy Gavriel Kay

By Aidan Moher June 3rd, 2010

Yesterday, I teamed up with the good folk at Suvudu and hosted a live chat with Guy Gavriel Kay. Fans dropped by and asked question of Kay, and I slipped several of my own in there. It’s certainly an interesting, informal interview with one of my favourite authors.

My favourite quote came in response to my question about his work on The Silmarillion:

One thing many of your readers may not know is that you worked with Christopher Tolkien as he edited THE SILMARILLION, a seminal work of his father, J.R.R. Tolkien. At the time, you were a young, unpublished author.

What did this experience teach you about the craft, and how did it effect your path to becoming a leading genre writer?

Well, we worked in an English village, so in the evenings I learned a lot about beer. The Plough and The Black Horse. My two pubs…

More seriously …

One thing I learned was the number of false starts and dead ends even a genius gets involved in, even on a book that ends up as masterful. I received a very early education in the degree to which time and effort are central to craft. Obvious truth, but sometimes one needs to SEE it.

I am constantly grateful to my readers … I sell enough books to be ABLE to take my time. One can be more successful by being prolific, but I have always believed that quality demands patience, and I am TRYING for quality.

It’s an interesting observation in a current climate that puts so much pressure on authors like Scott Lynch and Patrick Rothfuss for taking longer than usual on their novels.

Guy also talks a fair bit about Under Heaven, its influences; whether it’s connected to his other work; how history affects and directs the stories he tells, whether he’s an outliner or a free-writer, and jokes around with a few of his fans. It’s a great way to get a bit of insight into Kay and his work.