Gemmell Awards 2017 at Edge-Lit 6

DAVID GEMMELL AWARDS FOR FANTASY TO BE PRESENTED AT QUAD AS PART OF DERBY’S EDGE-LIT 6 EVENT

The David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy are among the most prestigious awards in genre fiction, presenting prizes for the very best in fantasy novels and artwork each year. Presented in memory of one of epic fantasy’s biggest and most loved authors, the awards have been presented since 2009 and have a roll of honour including Brent Weeks, Patrick Rothfuss, Mark Lawrence, Brandon Sanderson and many more bestselling names in the field.The awards will be presented for the 9th time in 2017 as part of Edge-Lit 6, Derby’s annual fantasy, horror and science-fiction day. The prize-giving ceremony will see the award presented for Best Fantasy Novel of 2016 (the Legend Award), Best Fantasy Debut of 2016 (the Morningstar Award) and Best Fantasy Cover Art of 2016 (the Ravenheart Award).Edge-Lit 6 runs on the 15th July 2017 at QUAD, Derby’s independent cinema and art space, and each year brings together some of the finest UK talent in genre fiction. With a growing reputation for quality and an audience of 200+ each year, the event offers an array of panels, workshops and book launches as well as popular yearly features such as the live Edge-Lit raffle.Alex Davis, Literature Officer for QUAD, said: ‘Over the last decade the Gemmell Awards have become a high point in the genre calendar, and have been presented at some of the biggest conventions and fantasy events in the UK. I’m delighted to be working with them to bring the ceremony to Edge-Lit, which makes the 2017 running even more exciting!’Stan Nicholls, Chair of the David Gemmell Awards For Fantasy, said: ‘Edge-Lit has established itself as one of the highlight events of the genre year, and the Gemmell Awards are thrilled to be part of 2017’s line-up. Devoted as they both are to championing the best of speculative fiction, the Gemmells and Edge-Lit are a perfect match. Roll on next July!’Edge-Lit 6 runs from 10am-11pm on the 15th July 2017 at QUAD, Derby. Tickets are on sale at http://www.derbyquad.co.uk/film/edge-lit-6.aspx and cost £30, including access to all sessions on the day and an event goodie bag. For more information, or for any queries, simply email Alex Davis, Literature Officer for QUAD, at alexd@derbyquad.co.uk

Shadow Moths by Cate Gardner

Shadow Moths is a chapbook containing two stories by Cate Gardner, 'Blood Moth Kiss' and 'We Make Our Own Monsters Here'.


And they are two cracking little tales.

First to the table is 'We Make Our Own Monsters Here', a really creepy tale of a puppeteer seeking out the best in the business to take him on as an 'apprentice' - be careful what you wish for. This had everything I want from a creepy story, in fact, how Ms. Gardner managed to get so much story into these few pages is quite an accomplishment. Very creepy and unsettling

Next up was 'Blood Moth Kiss', a total change of pace. Hard to explain without spoilers but what Cate did here has left me with an earworm that I never saw coming.

Highly recommended and has certainly left me wanting to find more Cate Gardner stories and more from the publisher - Frightful Horrors

'The Heart Of What Was Lost' by Tad Williams - some thoughts (spoiler free)

January 3rd 2017 sees the long awaited return of Tad Williams to the land of Osten Ard which was the setting for his mammoth beast of a trilogy (or quadrilogy if you bought the paperback version) Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. I was fortunate enough to get hold of an advance copy so here are my thoughts.

It has been 23 years (give or take) since Tad wrote in this setting and since then has gone on to write other series in other worlds - Otherland, Shadowmarch, The Bobby Dollar series - and the stand alone novel War of the Flowers. My main concerns when hearing of the return to writing in Osten Ard, I guess, were, would it be the same OA we left behind all those years ago, would the characters feel the same?

I can safely and happily say that after only a few pages reading THoWWL it was clear that we were back in Osten Ard I remember and all was good. I guess it was the literary equivalent of comfy slippers and a favourite arm chair.

The story is set just after events at Green Angel Tower. The day has been won, Ineluki, The Storm King, has been defeated and his Norn army are in retreat, heading north to their ancient citadel Nakkiga harried by an army led by Duke Isgrimnur.

Character views come from both sides and although the Norns are the obvious 'bad guys' Williams does a good job of making us bothered about them. You feel for their plight as they rush toward Stormspike and (hopefully) safety. Don't get me wrong though, there are still heinous acts performed by some of their number (one of which, quite early on, had me thinking for days 'did they really just do that?). But also there are moments of poetic beauty in here - the revelation of The Heart of What Was Lost (don't worry it'll all make sense when you read it) nearly moved me to tears.

All things, as they must, come to an end and as this chapter in the history of Osten Ard closes both sides are put through the wringer. How it all ends I will leave you to find out for yourselves but what I will say is, I'm glad Tad decided to return to Osten Ard and to allow us to travel the paths again with him, THoWWL leaves me waiting eagerly for The Witchwood Crown, the first in he series 'The Last King of Osten Ard (Spring 2017)

One final thought, and this is just a personal thing really. When I first picked up The Dragonbone Chair (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn book 1) back in 1988 I was a mere strippling  of 21 years old. The character of Simon was very easy to associate with but now, with The Heart of What Was Lost more or less ending M,S and T I find myself knocking on the door of 50 and find myself associating more with Duke Isgrimnur (older and more weary I guess ;-D)

Looking towards next year (or, It's All About The Williamses)

I know, it's only just November, but as the nights draw in I like to look to nose round and see what new books are on the horizon. Early January 2017 sees the return of Tad Williams to the land of  Osten Ard, the setting of his much loved series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, with a short novel 'The Heart of What Was Lost (set just after To Green Angel Tower). April then sees the start of a new series from him, The Last King of Osten Ard  (again, same land but this time set 30 years on) with The Witchwood Crown. It's been a long while since we walked these paths and I for one cannot wait to see what's in store.

Another new series I am waiting excitedly for starts with The Ninth Rain (23rd February). To say I am a fan of Jen Williams would probably be a bit of an understatement. Her Copper Cat series had it all - good storytelling, variety of settings and characters you want to be your friends. The new series promises to be just as much fun. Here's the description from Amazon:


Jen Williams, acclaimed author of the Copper Cat trilogy, featuring THE COPPER PROMISE, THE IRON GHOST and THE SILVER TIDE, returns with the first in a blistering new trilogy. 'An original new voice in heroic fantasy' Adrian Tchaikovsky
The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold. Now its streets are stalked by wolves. Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the realm of his storied ancestors falls to pieces - talk about a guilt trip. Better to be amongst the living, where there are taverns full of women and wine.
When eccentric explorer, Lady Vincenza 'Vintage' de Grazon, offers him employment, he sees an easy way out. Even when they are joined by a fugitive witch with a tendency to set things on fire, the prospect of facing down monsters and retrieving ancient artefacts is preferable to the abomination he left behind.
But not everyone is willing to let the Eboran empire collapse, and the adventurers are quickly drawn into a tangled conspiracy of magic and war. For the Jure'lia are coming, and the Ninth Rain must fall...


All in all 2017 looks to be another good year for fantasy fiction. More of my choices will follow in the weeks ahead

     

Dominion by Peter McLean - A Review

Dominion is the second book in McLean's 'Burned Man' series but is contained enough to work as a stand-alone novel (and I know because I hadn't read the first, 'Drake', when this popped through the letter box.

The 'hero' of Dominion is Don Drake, a diabolist and former hitman who is conned into going up against The Rotman, an entity that is destroying the underparts of London. When Rotman turns out to be the archdemon Bianakith Drake soon realises he is out of his depth - and Bianakith is only the beginning. With his unrequited love interest, his Guardian Angel (almost fallen Angel) Trixie and his patron, The Burned Man he still needs every trick up his sleeve to save the day.

Drake is an interesting lead, a mix of Harry Dresden and Felix Dexter with maybe a bit of Bobby Dollar thrown. He seems a bit worn down by life and having Trixie living with him is affecting him  (he seems equal parts in love and in fear of her), as is keeping The Burned Man in a 9 inch tall fetish in a spare room. Drake likes a drink and swears a lot but, for me, that makes him more believable. Events later in the story leave him even more 'put upon' but I'm not going into those here - wouldn't want to spoil the fun for you.

With stories like this the supporting cast are essential to get right and McLean has done just that. The crowd in Wormwood's club, a supernatural meeting place, for example, are various shades of grey, any of them could be friend or foe. Even Drake isn't sure who he can and can't trust.

Dominion is very much a Dark Urban Fantasy tale and the London setting, as it usually does, serves the story well. The city is dark and grimy, the lower levels, below the Underground and populated by Gnomes, is even darker and grimier and is also rotting away (thanks to The Rotman). Will Drake and friends save the day, save the Gnomes and save the city? That's for you to find out but you'll enjoy the journey - I know I did

As I said at the beginning of this review Dominion is the second book in the series but, and this is where it feels Peter McLean has been really clever, there is enough here to inform you of past events (in 'Drake') but not enough to make reading the previous novel unnecessary - in fact I'm planning on reading 'Drake' as soon as I get chance. I also feel that, with everything that is going on in the backstory, the whole tale of Don Drake has a lot more to offer and more surprises to reveal

Highly Recommended

Spectral Book of Horror Stories (Book 3) - A Review

Every year, as Halloween approaches, there is, as you would expect, a surge in the number of horror novels and collections that are available. With all this choice though it is not always clear which to go with for the best chills and frights.

Thankfully my attention was drawn to Spectral Book of Horror Stories 3 (SBoHS3), not least because of the cracking cover art by Holly Madew. On looking at the contents list I saw a few 'reliable' names (Dan Weatherer, Adrian Cole, Dave-Brendon de Burgh) but many more that I didn't know. As with all books of this ilk there is a range in the quality of the stories but I'm happy to say they were all good, none stood out for the wrong reasons.

If I had to pick favourites I guess I'd go with Lou Antonelli's 'Three Twilight Zone Variations on a High School Reunion' (an author goes back to his old school and relives 1975), Jason V Brock's 'COULROPHILIA' (because, y'know, it's got clowns) and Cotton Face by Dan Weatherer (which has a definite Bloody Mary/Candyman vibe going on. But there are so many others I could have chosen from, Monster Horror, Ghost Horror, whatever takes your fancy I'm pretty sure you'll find something here to keep you looking over your shoulder on a dark night.

A very nicely put together book

4.3/5 *

The Wrong Train Blog Tour with Jeremy de Quidt

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of 'The Wrong Train' (Jeremy de Quidt, David Fickling Books) for review. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale and repost my review here.


"It's late at night, a boy runs for the train but on catching it he realises that it's not the one he meant to catch. He gets off at the first possible station he can but doesn't recognise it. After a while an old man and his dog turn up and regale the boy with a story while he waits for a train to take him back.

And so begins one of the creepiest, scariest books I've read in a while.

The stories the old man tells, you see, are of the ghostly and unsettling variety.

As the night goes on the boy gets more uncomfortable with the old man and the old man himself gets slightly more sinister. It's clear from the off that the old man is in charge of the game, indeed all the events and storytelling seem to be leading towards what he refers to as 'my little game'. And when it comes time to play, when all becomes clear - well, let's just say this reviewer had his socks knocked clean off.

The storytelling here is very much of the highest standard, the stories within a story idea works really well and I'm not ashamed to say, the author unnerved me at times. There were certainly several occasions when I could see where he was taking the story and I thought 'NO!! He's not going to do that. I was wrong and he did.

The Wrong Train is aimed at a Young Adult audience but shouldn't be restricted to that bracket. It is not a comfortable read but it is a very good one. This book will be enjoyed by older readers too.

So, in short, I cannot recommend The Wrong Train Highly enough. Go get yourself a copy soon as you can (it's from David Fickling Books)

5* It's been a long while since a book unsettled me like this and I loved every uncomfortable minute of it"


When the chance came to take part in the 'The Wrong Train' Blog Tour I didn't need asking twice. So, with no further ado, please welcome Jeremy to the BlogCave as I ask him "What scared you as a child"







Andy looked at me over his laptop.

“You told Beth at Reader’s Corner that you never read scary stories when you were a child because you had nightmares?”

“That’s right,” I said.

He looked at the laptop, I could see him reading the tour blog post.

“So, scary stories were never your inspiration,’ he said. “You just pour it all out of that dark ink you carry round in your head now.”

“That’s right.”

He looked up.

“Do stories scare you, now?” He asked.

“Not really,” I said. “I don’t read scary things. If I do it’s to take them apart - admire all the ropes and pulleys behind the words. See how other people do it.”

“Some stuff must scare you, though?”

“Course it does,” I said. “Fear’s not rational. Once someone lets a story into that part of their head they don’t have the key to, all the dark things in there will get up and play with it.”

He grinned, turned the lamp round so that it was pointing directly at me and said.

“So, what actually was it scared you, kicked off all those nightmares, when you were a child?”

“Specifics?”

“Specifics,” he said.

“How many do you want?” I could see we were going to be there all day if I tried to give him the whole list.

“Three,” he said.

“Ok,” I said. “Three.”

I thought about it for a moment and then held up a finger.

“Number One:

Because I didn’t read or want to watch scary stuff, what I just glimpsed in pictures - in photographs in newspapers and magazines, on covers of books - they were a big way to let the bad things in. Some would be awful in the way that only those pictures can be - I remember seeing a photograph of Belsen in the pages of a history book an uncle had. Others were awful in a way intended to shock and entertain - there was a series of American Civil War bubblegum cards that were all gore and death.

What they did was put the image in that unlit closed-off part of my head that I didn’t have the key to - added it to the ones that were already there - and come nighttime and darkness all the bright lights went on in there and that dark imagination of mine would feed on it and turn it into something else, much worse.”

I held up another finger. “Number Two:

Being alone in the dark - bedroom light out, hall light out, dark. Especially in the dead of night.

Home is supposed to be safe, but it didn’t feel safe and when everyone else was asleep they might just as well not have been there at all. All I was left with is whatever I wanted to fill up the dark with, and I was never short of ideas for that. They came creeping across the floor, around the doorpost, down the walls from the ceiling - tapped at the glass behind the curtains, hid in folds of cloth.”

I held up a third Finger. “Number Three,” I said.


“I listened too much and asked too many of the wrong questions. There’d have been a scary film on that I hadn't seen, and lamb to the slaughter I wouldn’t able to stop myself asking what it had been about. ‘What happened?’ I’d say, and even as I said it I knew that I was going to regret asking. Maybe not then, maybe not an hour later, but come the dark - come that bright light getting switched on in the locked room inside my head, boy was I going to regret it. And I did. Every time.

“Were you a timid child?” asked Andy.

“Not at all. I sawed a .410 shotgun cartridge in half on a stone step at infant’s school because I fancied the shiny brass bit at the end…”

“You what?”

“But you could say that was plain ignorance. And I put a .22 brass starting pistol cap in a brick wall once and hit it with a hammer and nail…”

“at infant’s school? A shotgun cartridge…”

“And if there was anything of a bone breaking height to throw myself off or round, I was your boy. But dark imagination, that was a demon I had no hold on at all.”

I looked up at Andy and felt myself slowly smiling in what I hoped was a friendly way.

“Still don’t…” I said.


And on that note Jeremy must leave for the next stop on his tour and all that remains is for me to say "Thank you for stopping by"

*WARNING: NOT FOR PASSENGERS OF NERVOUS DISPOSITION* THE WRONG TRAIN Jeremy De Quidt Publishing in hardback from David Fickling Books on 1st September 2016, priced £10.99


Master of horror, Jeremy de Quidt, is back with this terrifyingly good collection of ghost stories that will send shivers down your spine. 
Just don’t say we didn’t warn you…


“It dawned on him slowly that there was something wrong…”
It’s late. Dark. A boy rushes to catch a train, leaping aboard just before it pulls away. Suddenly he realises that it’s the wrong train. He’s annoyed, of course, but not scared… Yet.
He gets off at the next station, but the platform’s empty, and it doesn’t look like any station he’s seen before. But he’s still not scared… Yet.
Then a stranger arrives – someone with stories to help pass the time. Only these aren’t any old stories. These are nightmares, and they come with a price to pay.
…Scared yet? You will be.

Praise for Jeremy de Quidt: “Pacy, exciting and inventive” - Guardian        “Thrilling, dark and exciting” - The Bookseller

About the Author:



Jeremy de Quidt is available for interview and to write features. For further information please contact Carolyn McGlone, PR Manager: carolyn@davidficklingbooks.com; 01865 339 008