Niffenegger praises Jonathan Strange, JK Rowling tweets and thumbs up for Ghost Hunter
Here follows a round-up of the best fantasy-related news items from the past seven days.
Audrey Niffenegger’s novel The Time Traveller’s Wife has sold more than five million copies. In a recent interview she was asked “What book do you wish you’d written?” And her reply?
“Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It’s mind-bending – a perfect blend of historical reality and fantasy.”
We completely agree with Audrey Niffenegger’s thoughts on this wonderful and truly unique novel – read our review to find out why.
In an attempt to counter numerous fake Rowlings on Twitter, JK Rowling has set up her own account. But she warned that she didn’t plan many tweets.
"I should flag up now that although I could twitter endlessly, I’m afraid you won’t be hearing from me very often as pen and paper is my priority at the moment.”
To follow Ms Rowling’s likely-to-be infrequent tweets, visit http://twitter.com/jk_rowling.
October 12, 2009 will be the 30th anniversary of the launch of Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It will also be the day on which the sixth instalment, And Another Thing? (penned by Eoin Colfer), will be unleashed upon a slightly-wary public.
To celebrate this, Colfer will be touring the UK, promoting and signing copies of his new book beginning with Hitchcon’09 in Central London, where a gathering of the largest number of Hitchhiker fans ever will take place.
The History Channel will air an episode on JRR Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings as part of its “Clash of the Gods” series. The episode airs at 10 pm EST, Monday October 5 and again at 2 am EST on Tuesday, October 6.
Karen George, an undiscovered illustrator from London and graduate of the Royal College of Art, has been named the winner of Waterstone’s and Macmillan Children’s Books ‘Picture This’ competition. She beat more than 900 aspiring artists to take the prize of illustrating a new book by Julia Donaldson. George receives a full publishing contract, with advance and royalties, to illustrate Freddie and the Fairy, a charming tale of a boy and a hard-of-hearing fairy told in Donaldson’s trademark rhythmic rhyme. Freddie and the Fairy, by Donaldson and George, will be published by Macmillan Children’s Books in Autumn 2010.
Ghost Hunter, Michelle Paver’s six-part series comes full circle. Torak, the boy orphaned in the first book, Wolf Brother, is drawn by a tantalising glimpse of the ghost of his adored father into the clutches of the most powerful of the Soul-Eaters, the Eagle Owl Mage. The Independent says that “the finale is a climax as intense as Tolkien’s fall of Mordor, with demonic dogs, fiendish one-time children, and Soul-Eaters summoned from beyond the grave. Best of all, Paver succeeds in creating a conclusion with no mawkishness when she resolves the relationship between Torak and Renn – and, of course, Wolf.”
Posted: September 26th, 2009
Author: Floresiensis
Categories: Eoin Colfer, JK Rowling, JRR Tolkien, Julia Donaldson, Michelle Paver, Susanna Clarke
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Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And its been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
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Graham Hancock is the author of The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis, Heaven's Mirror, Supernatural and other bestselling investigations of historical mysteries. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. Written with the same page-turning appeal that has made his non-fiction so popular, Entangled is his first work of fiction. We have five signed copies of Entangled to give away as prizes. Email us the answer to the following question and the lucky winner, chosen at random, will receive a copy of the book, signed by the author.
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Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
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