An email from Kathryn Whitney arrived saying that she had recently read a fantasy book called Small Magics and asked if we would mind publishing it. It is a fantastic review on a debut novel by author Erik Buchanan. A snippet can be seen below - read the full Small Magics review “Small Magics as a volume might have benefited from one further glance from its editor: proof-readers missed a number of typos that were easily spotted by this reader. Also, the journey to the city featured ... read more
Fantasy author Royce Buckingham is riding high after making the best seller list* in Germany with his debut fantasy novel and is celebrating the U.S. release of his second novel, Goblins! Random House-Germany released Buckingham’s first book, Demonkeeper, last month as part of its new fantasy imprint, Penhaligon. The book’s German title is Damliche Damonen. Buckingham has recently inked additional deals with Random House-Germany for a sequel to Demonkeeper and his book, ... read more
Director Guillermo del Toro has announced plans to write a trilogy of vampire novels with crime author Chuck Hogan. The 43-year-old, best known for making Pans Labyrinth, Hellboy and The Devil’s Backbone, said the trilogy would advance in “unexpected ways”. The first book, The Strain, will be released next summer. Hogan’s novels include The Blood Artists, The Killing Moon and Prince of Thieves, which is being adapted into a feature film, starring and directed by Ben ... read more
Disabled author, Lanaia Lee, has published the first book in a five-book historical-fantasy series, Of Atlantis, released in July to rave reviews. One reviewer called it, “Page to Screen Material”. Based upon one of the kings of the lost continent of Atlantis, Lee’s main character, Archimedes, prevails in war, survives the destruction of Atlantis and with his arch-enemy, Uric, goes on to play crucial roles in subsequent historical events like the Mayan Doomsday Prophecy, the Prophecies ... read more
Karen Tableiou reviews the latest release from Patricia McKillip. World Fantasy Award-winning Patricia A. McKillip’s newest novel, “The Bell at Sealey Head,” is the tale of a seaside fishing town that is haunted with the ringing of an ethereal bell at sunset and the people who become wrapped up in discovering the truth. Ridley Dow, a mysterious scholar from the big city, comes to Sealey Head in search of the bell and sets up a series of events leading to the destruction of ... read more
Mervyn Peake’s Titus Groan has entered the top 100 fantasy books of all time at #8. “Deliciously dark, Titus Groan is the first book of the Gormenghast trilogy so it is to be expected that towards the end of the story new characters are introduced and new plots begin whilst old ones are left resolved. This certainly gives an air of ‘cliff hanger’ to the final chapter and I am impatiently looking forward to reading the next book in the series.” Read the full Titus Groan ... read more
An Australian woman who wrote a fantasy novel as a gift for her nine-year-old daughter could soon be joining the literary ranks of authors such as JK Rowling and CS Lewis. Avtar Kaur, 49, has written a children’s fantasy book called The Moon Mermaids. Now, literary agents are knocking on Ms Kaur’s door to acquire the intellectual property and publish it. The process has happened suddenly for Ms Kaur, who this week said she was coming to terms with her pending fame – and possible ... read more
A book publisher is to harness an army of eager readers through the internet to sift the thousands of unsolicited manuscripts that it receives each year. HarperCollins is the latest publisher to encourage writers seeking publication to place their work on a new site, Authonomy.com. Rather than relying on a few overstretched editors, HarperCollins hopes to use keen readers and other would-be writers to spot the next J.K. Rowling by shortlisting the best submissions. It receives more than fifty ... read more
The U.S. publisher of Harry Potter will premiere a highly ambitious series with a mystery ending. “The 39 Clues” is a planned 10-volume set about young Amy and Dan Cahill and their worldwide search for the secret to their family’s power. The first book, “The Maze of Bones,” is written by Rick Riordan of “The Lightning Thief” fame and has an announced first printing of 500,000. Steven Spielberg has already acquired film rights to the series. Designed ... read more
Gritty novels about knife crime and violence have made it on to the shortlist for a prestigious teenage book award. The Knife That Killed Me by Anthony McGowan, about peer pressure and gang warfare, and Tanya Landman’s Apache – about an orphan avenging the death of her brother – are among the six contenders for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. It rewards contemporary writing for teenagers, with organisers working to put books in schools and libraries. The winner will be announced on ... read more