Dark Wraith of Shannara by Terry BrooksAfter the success of my last giveaway (signed copies of The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson), I decided it was time for a new giveaway!

This time I’ve got my hands on an ARC (Advance Review Copy) of Terry Brooks’ upcoming graphic novel, Dark Wraith of Shannara, and item any Shannara fan would love to get their hands on early!

To enter is easy:

– Email darkwraith@(no-spam)aidanmoher.com [remember to remove the (no-spam) thingy!]
– Put Dark Wraith Giveaway! in the subject line.
– In the body of the email please include:
     Name
     Snail mail address
     Where on the ‘net you can be found (message boards, blogs, etc…)
– Send away!

The submission deadline is January 18th, 2008.

You can find my review of Dark Wraith of Shannara HERE! Also, keep your eyes out for an interview with Terry Brooks, Edwin David (the Illustrator) and Robert Place Napton (the Adaptor) in the coming weeks!

Shawn Speakman, that aspiring writer and terrific blogger, just posted the prologue to his current work-in-progress, The Dagda King.

Shawn explains the drive behind the story on his blog:

The Dagda King, which is a reference to the king of the British Isles Celtic gods, is an urban fantasy that takes place 1/3 in the homeless burrows of Seattle, 1/3 in the fey world of Avalon, and 1/3 inside the 108 acre confines of Vatican City in Rome. I already have two sequels very loosely outlined as well.

My main protagonist is an adult male—breaking away from the young protagonist motif that litters epic fantasy. Other point of view characters include a homeless “knight” in the dregs of his life, a Cardinal who is part of a secret society known as the Vigilo, Merlin in what I hope will be a very interesting take on a very old character, and an 18th century British second royal son who believes much is owed him after 300 years of doing his father’s bidding. I’ll get to discuss religious extremism, faith in oneself as well as in others, and the hardship and great things that come with being part of two different worlds. I’m excited about it, as you can probably tell, and I think it is a story people will enjoy.

Of course, the most fun part of this will be the Celtic mythology in the fey world. I am taking all of those gods and goddesses and weaving them into the story while remaining faithful to their origins. I think it will be this that draws interest from people, but time will tell.

If you’re interested, you can head over to his WEBSITE and download the prologue for yourself!

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Dark Wraith of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Dark Wraith of Shannara

AuthorTerry Brooks

Paperback
Pages: 208 pages
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Release Date: March 25th, 2008
ISBN-10: 0345494628
ISBN-13: 978-0345494627

Official Web Site for Dark Wraith of Shannara: HERE
Trailer: HERE
Illustrator’s Web Site: HERE


Let me preface this review with a warning: I know dick all about Graphic Novels and Comic Books.

I’ve read several (I’m a big fan of the Dabel Brothers’ adaptations of various fantasy series, for instance), but I’m far from an authority on the subject. I can’t comment on the effectiveness of the panel layout, or the deftness of the inking and the delicacy of the pencil work, but what I can comment on is what I, a long timefan of Shannara, felt as I read Dark Wraith of Shannara, Terry Brooks’ first attempt at a graphic novel.

Rone Leah from Terry Brooks' The Dark Wraith of ShannaraIn fact, I think the opinion of reviewers such as myself are just as important as those who have a strong history with graphic storytelling. Del Rey has recently been heavily pushing their line of graphic novels, and I’d be willing to bet that the majority of Brooks’ fans have never picked up a graphic novel. So, the question is, did he (along with Edwin David and Robert Place Napton, the illustrator and adaptor respectively) succeed in roping me in this Graphic Novel virgin?
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Brian Ruckley, author of Winterbirth recently gave us a sneak peak of the cover for his next novel, Bloodheir. Pretty cool, eh? I really liked the cover of Winterbirth and I’m glad to see they’re staying with the same style.

Bloodheir by Brian Ruckley

I didn’t enjoy Winterbirth as much as some people, but I saw a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to seeing what Ruckley brings to the table in the next novel!

You can find my interview with Brian Ruckley HERE and my review of Winterbirth HERE.