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Stonewielders by Esselmont Coming Late 2010

The new Malaz novel by Ian Cameron Esselmont Stonewielders will be released late 2010. This will be the third in Esselmont’s additions to the Malaz world that he and friend Steven Erikson created.

Erikson has become a household name in fantasy with his Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Esselmont’s books take place in the same world as Erikson’s, however not in the same period of time that Erikson writes, rather looking at events that took place before Gardens of the Moon, Erikson’s first novel.

Greymane believed he’d outrun his past. He now ran a school for swordsmanship in Falar and was looking forward to becoming fat and lazy. With him was Kyle, though the plains youth was not quite so contented with civilian life outside the mercenary company the Crimson Guard. Yet it is not so easy to disappear when you are an ex-Fist of the Malazan Empire, especially one denounced and under a death-sentence from that very Empire.

For there is a new Emperor on the throne of Malaz, and his thoughts turn to the lingering drain of blood and treasure that is the failed invasion of the Korel subcontinent. In the record vaults beneath Unta, the Imperial capital, lie the answers to that disaster. And out of this buried history surfaces the name Stonewielder.

In Korel, Lord Protector Hiam, commander of the Stormguard, faces the potential annihilation of all that he loves as with the blood of his few remaining men and a crumbling stone wall that has seen better days, he labours to stave off the sea-borne Stormriders who would destroy his lands.

Meanwhile, religious war has broken out all across these lands as the local cult of the Blessed Lady, who has stood firm for millennia against the assaults of the Stormriders, seeks to stamp out all rivals; a champion refuses to stand against the alien ‘Riders’ and takes up arms in rebellion; and a local magistrate innocently pursuing the mystery of a series of murders is brought to the very heart of a far larger and far more terrifying ancient crime that has stained the entire subcontinent.

Subterranean Press are selling 50 copies of the two volume slipcase set, so head along to the book’s page to have a look.

Posted: June 9th, 2010
Author: JoshSHill
Categories: Steven Erikson

News round-up: The search for the next JK Rowling continues…

Are you the next JK Rowling?
Writers who fancy themselves as the next JK Rowling are being invited to submit entries to a national children’s book writing competition. The competition, which is open to previously unpublished authors over the age of eighteen, carries a first prize of £2,000, with second and third prizes of £300 and £200 respectively.

The competition is run by The Academy of Children’s Writers and a spokesperson said competition is fierce.

"This is the most prestigious competition for unpublished authors of children’s books in the UK. With over two thousand entries received in 2009 it proved that writers everywhere are on the alert to hear the announcement that the competition is up and running every year."

Independent judges will read the entries and they will be looking for qualities such as originality, imagination, and how the story will appeal to children.

The closing date for receipt of entries is 31st March 2010. Details of winners will be sent to all entrants.

Entry forms, along with competition rules, are available on receipt of a stamped addressed envelope from The Academy of Children’s Writers. PO Box 95, Huntingdon, Cambridge, PR28 5RL.

Alternatively download the information from the website at: www.childrens-writers.co.uk

Source: Bexhill Observer

Steven Erikson versus R. Scott Bakker
ED Kain compares the virtues of Canada’s leading fantasy writers in a very interesting article on The League of Ordinary Gentlemen website. Read the piece in full here.

“And that’s my take on the Erikson vs. Bakker question. Read both authors, but only read Bakker if you want something really, really painfully dark. Erikson’s work is violent and dark, too, but it’s palatable. There’s some comic relief, and you (mostly) like the characters, which is always nice. That’s also one of Martin’s strengths. Even his anti-heroes have a good side, or at least a side we can relate to.“

Source: The League of Ordinary Gentlemen

Post-Christmas book sales down on last year
January sales have had book-buyers flocking to the high street but post-Christmas sales are down on last year. In total, £28.2m was spent at UK book retailers, including online, last week – down 26.6% on the previous week and 9.7% year on year.

The high street performed slightly better, with sales through Nielsen BookScan’s General Retail Market, a strong indicator of high street bookshop performance, down a shallower 7%, to £18.6m year on year.

Source: The Bookseller

Jonathan Stroud’s The Amulet of Samarkand is The Telegraph’s January book choice
Once upon a time, in children’s literature, the young protagonist’s best friend would be a faithful hound or well-groomed horse. Since Harry Potter, though, all that’s changed. In our January book choice, The Amulet of Samarkand, our hero’s constant companion is not a lovable, furry animal, but a smoke-emitting, wisecracking demon called Bartimaeus, who not only doesn’t like children, but absolutely can’t stand being summoned and bossed around by them.

Read this article in full here.

Posted: January 6th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling, Steven Erikson

My Most Anticipated Books of 2010

With the beginning of a new year come resolutions, gym memberships, budgets and more. But, honestly, none of that really matters in the face of some of the books that are coming this year. So here’s a small taste of what is coming in 2010 from some of fantasy’s best, and why I’m looking forward to them.

Crack’d Pot Trail by Steven Erikson

It is an undeniable truth: give evil a name and everyone’s happy. Give it two names and . . . why, they’re even happier.

Hot on their heels are the Nehemothanai, avowed hunters of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. In the company of a gaggle of artists and pilgrims, stalwart Mortal Sword Tulgord Vise, pious Well Knight Arpo Relent, stern Huntsman Steck Marynd, and three of the redoubtable Chanter brothers (and their lone sister) find themselves faced with the cruelest of choices. The legendary Cracked Pot Trail, a stretch of harsh wasteland between the Gates of Nowhere and the Shrine of the Indifferent God, has become a tortured path of deprivation.

Will honour, moral probity and virtue prove champions in the face of brutal necessity? No, of course not. Don’t be silly.

With Dust of Dreams released late last year, Erikson, author of the wildly popular Malazan Book of the Fallen series, has released another novella in his Bauchelain and Korbal Broach series. I’m yet to read any, much to my disappointment, but hopefully with the release of the fourth novella I’ll rectify that and read all of them. Very excited for more Erikson.

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

Set in a world where color is the basis of all magic, Gavin Guile is the current Prism – and one that happens to have many secrets. Secrets like his brother Javen, who he defeated in the great war years earlier and now keeps in a dungeon below his home. Or secrets like his son Kip, a young man raised in another land who has yet to realize the full extent of his powers.

As Kip begins to learn the truth behind Gavin and Javen’s great schism, he will also learn that time is running out for the world as they know it. For the Prism is not what he seems to be, and there are greater powers afoot than could ever have been imagined.

Brent Weeks is an author that I enjoy, most of the time. I read his first book, The Way of Shadows, and liked it but didn’t keep reading. The book didn’t grab me entirely, but I am told that I am wrong (my girlfriend, if you needed to know and hadn’t guessed). So I’m really looking forward to his next series.

The Desert Spear by Peter V Brett

The sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that arise as the sun sets, preying upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind ancient and half-forgotten symbols of power. These wards alone can keep the demons at bay, but legends tell of a Deliverer: a general—some would say prophet—who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. Those times, if they ever existed, are long past. The demons are back, and the return of the Deliverer is just another myth . . . or is it?

Out of the desert rides Ahmann Jardir, who has forged the warlike desert tribes of Krasia into a demon-killing army. He has proclaimed himself Shar’Dama Ka, the Deliverer, and he carries ancient weapons—a spear and a crown—that give credence to his claim. Sworn to follow the path of the first Deliverer, he has come north to bring the scattered city-states of the green lands together in a war against demonkind—whether they like it or not.

But the northerners claim their own Deliverer. His name was Arlen, but all know him now as the Warded Man: a dark, forbidding figure whose skin is tattooed with wards so powerful they make him a match for any demon. The Warded Man denies that he is the Deliverer, but his actions speak louder than words, for he teaches men and women to face their fears and stand fast against the creatures that have tormented them for centuries.

Once the Shar’Dama Ka and the Warded Man were friends, brothers in arms. Now they are fierce adversaries. Caught between them are Renna, a young woman pushed to the edge of human endurance; Leesha, a proud and beautiful healer whose skill in warding surpasses that of the Warded Man himself; and Rojer, a traveling fiddler whose uncanny music can soothe the demons—or stir them into such frenzy that they attack one another.

Yet as old allegiances are tested and fresh alliances forged, all are blissfully unaware of the appearance of a new breed of demon, more intelligent—and deadly—than any that have come before.

The Painted Man (The Warded Man in the US) was the first book by newcomer Peter V. Brett, and I enjoyed it tremendously. It was simple, and fun, and really interesting. Some books aim for complicated and epic but fail to remember to make it fun and interesting. So I am really looking forward to the sequel.

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

After their adventures on the high seas, Locke and Jean are brought back to earth with a thump. Jean is mourning the loss of his lover and Locke must live with the fallout of crossing the all-powerful magical assassins the Bonds Magi. It is a fall-out that will pit both men against Locke’s own long lost love. Sabetha is Locke’s childhood sweetheart, the love of Locke’s life and now it is time for them to meet again. Employed on different sides of a vicious dispute between factions of the Bonds Sabetha has just one goal – to destroy Locke forever. The Gentleman Bastard sequence has become a literary sensation in fantasy circles and now, with the third book, Scott Lynch is set to seal that success.

I’m a really big fan of Lynch and his Gentleman Bastard series. I loved the first two, and I can’t wait for this book to be released because we finally get to meet Sabetha, an oft mentioned never seen character. And really, what’s life without more stealing?

A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again–beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has three times three thousand enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

To the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone–a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge yet. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

And from all corners, bitter conflicts soon reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.

It’s been a dirty great long time since the last book in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, and I am really excited for the fifth book in the series which, I’ve been told by a lovely and reliable source, will be coming out in November of 2010. More Jon Snow and more Daenerys Targaryen is a sure fire way to get me excited.

The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”

An escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe discovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King’s road.

All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived. Under her tutelage, Kvothe learns much about true magic and the ways of women.

In The Wise Man’s Fear Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.

Easily the most anticipated book of 2010 (I hope) is Patrick Rothfuss’s long awaited sequel to his massively popular and successful The Name of the Wind. The Wise Man’s Fear has been thrown around as a title coming soon for awhile now, and we can only hope that this year does indeed bring us the next in this wonderful series. Patrick Rothfuss has, in my mind, easily secured himself a place in the top 10 fantasy writers of all time. Let’s hope he can secure it with the next book.

And that’s it for me. There are probably going to be a lot of books that didn’t make this list simply because I don’t know about them, or I don’t know the authors. But I have no doubt there are going to be some surprises for FBR this year, as there is every year. And please, leave your comments as to what you’re looking forward to and what I missed.

Posted: January 5th, 2010
Author: JoshSHill
Categories: George RR Martin, Peter V Brett, Scott Lynch, Steven Erikson

Steven Erikson’s Crack’d Pot Trail Pre-Orders Available

Fans of Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen will be happy to hear that there is a new novella entitled ‘Crack’d Pot Trail.’ Subterranean Press has placed an order with PS Publishing and copies are, according to the books order page, “en route to us.”

This will be the fourth novella for the Malazan universe that Erikson has created, following Blood Follows, The Healthy Dead and The Lees of Laughter’s End. All books focus on Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, and this new one is no different.

The blurb;

It is an undeniable truth: give evil a name and everyone’s happy. Give it two names and…why, they’re even happier.

The intrepid necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, scourges of civilization, raisers of the dead, reapers of the souls of the living, devourers of hope, betrayers of faith, slayers of the innocent and modest personifications of evil, have a lot to answer for and answer they will. Known as the Nehemoth, they are pursued by countless self-professed defenders of decency, sanity and civilization. After all, since when does evil thrive unchallenged? Well, often: but not this time.

Hot on their heels are the Nehemothanai, avowed hunters of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. In the company of a gaggle of artists and pilgrims, stalwart Mortal Sword Tulgord Vise, pious Well Knight Arpo Relent, stern Huntsman Steck Marynd, and three of the redoubtable Chanter brothers (and their lone sister) find themselves faced with the cruelest of choices. The legendary Cracked Pot Trail, a stretch of harsh wasteland between the Gates of Nowhere and the Shrine of the Indifferent God, has become a tortured path of deprivation.

Will honour, moral probity and virtue prove champions in the face of brutal necessity? No, of course not. Don’t be silly.

So get to the site as soon as possible and order your copy now! Do I sound like I’m advertising, probably, but it’s Erikson, so you know why!

Posted: January 5th, 2010
Author: JoshSHill
Categories: Steven Erikson

Fantasy Book Review: Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson

On the Letherii continent the exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore begins its march into the eastern Wastelands, to fight for an unknown cause against an enemy it has never seen. The fate awaiting the Bonehunters is one no soldier can prepare for, and one no mortal soul can withstand – the foe is uncertainty and the only weapon worth wielding is stubborn courage. In war everyone loses, and this brutal truth can be found in the eyes of every soldier in every world. Destinies are never simple. Truths are neither clear nor sharp. "The Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen" are drawing to a close in a distant place, beneath indifferent skies, as the last great army of the Malazan Empire seeks a final battle in the name of redemption. Final questions remain to be answered: can one’s deeds be heroic when no one is there to see it? Can that which is unwitnessed forever change the world? The answers await the Bonehunters, beyond the Wastelands.

Fantasy Book Reviewer George Roesch says “I don’t know about you, but I was lead to believe by reading interviews that this book was to be a bit slower paced so that everything could be put in order for that concluding push in the final book. Well I’ll tell you, this is my kind of slow.”

Read George’s full review of Steven Erikson’s Dust of Dreams

Steven Erikson began writing fiction when he was in his early twenties and this was when he wrote what was, in is own words "a bad fantasy novel". Then followed a few years of archaeology and travelling plus two writing courses. Then, unemployed and with a pregnant wife, he started and completed the first draft of Gardens of the Moon. It was another 9 years until the book was published.

Posted: December 30th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Steven Erikson

Competition: Win a copy of the 10th Anniversary Edition of Steven Erikson’s Gardens of the Moon

*** THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED ***

It’s been 10 years since the first Malazan title, Gardens of the Moon was published in the UK. To celebrate this we are offering 5 copies of the special edition hardback of the title.

This is the first ever UK hardback edition of the book and it includes a special foreword from Steven Erikson. Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen has established itself as one of the most celebrated and acclaimed works of epic fantasy in the new Millennium.

To win a copy of the 10th Anniversary Edition of Steven Erikson’s Gardens of the Moon simply send an email here including the answer to the question below:

Question: In Gardens of the Moon, what is the name of the city that is home to Kruppe, Coll, Rallick Nom, Crokus and Murillio?

a) Pale
b) Darujhistan
c) Capustan

Bled dry by interminable warfare, infighting and bloody confrontations with Lord Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, the vast, sprawling Malazan empire simmers with discontent. Even its imperial legions yearn for some respite. For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners and for Tattersail, sole surviving sorceress of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, still holds out – and Empress Lasseen’s ambition knows no bounds. However, it seems the empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister forces gather as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand…

Gardens of the Moon book review
Steven Erikson biography
Steven Erikson interview (September 2009)

The 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Hardback of Gardens of the Moon was published by Bantam Press on Thursday 5th November 2009 priced at £20.00.

Posted: November 7th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Competitions, Steven Erikson

The latest Fantasy Book Reviews

It has been a busy week on Fantasy Book Review with new reviews being added daily.

The nominations for the World Fantasy Award were announced in August and we are reading and reviewing the five books that have been shortlisted for the prestigious award. Margo Lanagan’s stunning Tender Morsels has been reviewed while Jim Eaton has also provided an excellent review on Jeffrey Ford’s The Shadow Year (before moving onto The House of the Stag By Kage Baker and Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory). The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was reviewed by Indra quite some time ago so that will soon be able to say which we believe to be the best of a damn good bunch.

Preita Salyer has been a fantastic addition to the team and has recently reviewed the entire Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs as well as Rick Riordan’s children’s fantasy The Lightning Thief.

Angela Black has reviewed Palimpsest by Catherynne M Valente and Sandy Lender has reviewed the final book in the Bridei Chronicles The Well of Shades. Sandra Scholes has read and reviewed Blackwyrm Book’s Albrim’s Curse, by Trevis Powell and there is also a good debut by an English author, Harriet Goodwin, entitled The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43.

And on top of all this we interviewed Steven Erikson, the author of the magnificent Malazan Book of the Fallen series. His answers are brilliant, please take the time to have a read.

We are also running a poll on what is the best fantasy film of all time. The poll itself is on all pages so please tell us what you think if you get the chance. Also, feel free to comment below if you think we are missing a classic…

It will be a busy month coming up, hopefully we can get as many books reviewed as we have already this year…

Posted: September 6th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Awards, Blackwyrm Books, Margo Lanagan, Neil Gaiman, Patricia Briggs, Steven Erikson

Steven Erikson interview (September 2009)

Steven Erikson’s ongoing fantasy series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen has brought new life and originality into the fantasy genre. Steven Erikson kindly spoke to Fantasy Book Review in September 2009, shortly after the publication of the ninth novel in the series, Dust of Dreams.

We believe that you are now living in the UK full time. We would like to welcome you back to our little island and ask you if it was the weather or the cuisine that prompted your move across the Atlantic?

Neither. Out of the blue our son decided he would like to study archaeology in the UK, and this, combined with my wife’s desire to be closer to her family, as well as my hankering to be closer to two of my publishers (Transworld and PS Publishing) and the many UK-based friends I have made over the years, all led to yet another crossing of the Atlantic. That said, we’re probably getting too old to keep doing this, and I’m hoping this time we’ll find roots, maybe in Cornwall, or maybe somewhere else on the island. For the moment, however, Cornwall is home.

We live in a small village, and I am presently sitting in a very nice country pub a short ten minute walk down a footpath from my home. That path takes me through a graveyard so I am looking forward to the winter and walks in the grey dusk, with the wind howling.

We are all [at Fantasy Book Review] enthusiastic readers of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series but not one of us can claim to fully understand everything that has happened in the series so far. Should we beat ourselves up for not concentrating hard enough or is it simply that much is yet to be explained?

Honestly, don’t beat yourself up over it. One of the things both Cam and I were agreed on regarding this series, was to write in a style that conveyed a sense of vastness, with a strong flavour of realism where not all answers are forthcoming, not all truths survive their utterance, and sometimes mystery abides no matter how desperate we all are for an end to the questions. That said, there will be plenty of resolutions, but the world will not be wrapped up with a pretty bow.

As for the events that have been recounted in the books, well, things are always open to interpretation, and I am also rather pleased to learn from readers that the books fair well in re-reads. I am a writer obsessed with layering my narrative, so there’s plenty to find for the reader even after the raw events of the story are well-known.

Dust of Dreams is the ninth novel in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Do you believe that you have significantly improved as an author since the publication of Gardens of the Moon? Were there any weaknesses that you detected early on and remedied?

I certainly hope that I have improved as an author! Certainly I now possess a greater comfort with things like structure and pacing (although I sense that in the case of the latter some of my readers would rather I cut to the chase quicker than I do; to which I can only respond that my reasons for doing what I do continue to satisfy me, and trust me, if I am not satisfied absolutely no-one else will be. I am very deliberate in my approach, and I would humbly remind those impatient readers that their pace is not my pace; that reading is an engagement distinct from that of writing, and that at no time do I pad for the hell of it – again, I have my reasons!).

There is also a growing comfort with language that comes with doing this year after year, but I can still recall my earliest days at the University of Victoria, when I repeatedly blindsided my fellow students by delivering stories in a broad, unpredictable range of voices, so even back then I suppose I was trying out different styles, messing with rhythm, tone and point of view. All of that fed the fantasy novels, as I moved from voice to voice, from point of view to point of view. The exploration and discovery continues and to indicate something of my sense of that journey, I have recently been re-reading the series from the beginning (my first time doing this, and all in preparation for writing the tenth novel), and there are entire sections, especially in the early books, that I do not even recognize as coming from me. Sentence construction, certain phrases, the pursuit of notions in some unusual direction – all of this tells me that I am not the same writer, but I really cannot distance myself to the point that I can actually map out these changes. They come as a shock, each time.

In my mind I always separate out Gardens of the Moon from the rest of the novels in the series. I pretty much started full-time writing with Deadhouse Gates, and it is with this novel (the second in the series) that I can see the sharpening of focus, the crystallization of intent, that has continued to this very day.

Gardens had other demands pressing upon it. As I read it now I can see precisely what I was seeking to do and if I try to imagine how I’d do it now, well, I draw a blank. So maybe in that sense I haven’t improved at all! Or rather, I’ve not yet discovered that quintessential secret that would deliver that novel to the largest audience possible.

We all have our limits, I suppose. I have read reader reviews and comments on the amazon sites and elsewhere, listing the perceived flaws in Gardens of the Moon and advising what should have been done to fix them, and to my judgement, none of those solutions would work (and I should know, since I thought about them long before they did, back when Gardens was a pile of pages and rough notes on my desk). Advice is cheap and more often than not it doesn’t hold up to close examination. In any case, I often don’t agree with the observations being made, so I’d hardly endeavour to make changes to suit them, would I? I can see stylistic tics in that first novel that I no longer use, but I have spoken about this before, and besides, I think it’s something all writers discover in themselves. They try things early in their careers and if those things prove vaguely uncomfortable they get abandoned, and the writer moves on.

You have recently signed a deal that will see you write more Malazan Book of the Fallen novels. Is there a small part of you that yearns for a complete break from the series and a fresh start on something completely different?

With the tenth novel, The Crippled God, the ‘Malazan Book of the Fallen’ ends. While Cam (Ian Esslemont) has a few more to write in that sequence, I do not. The two new trilogies I am signed to write share the world and its cosmos, but they do not resume the arc of the Fallen. This may seem an odd distinction, maybe even an unconvincing one, but it is sharp in my mind. The whole point of the Malazan Book of the Fallen was to deliver a self-contained series, a slice of history, and to give the readers a sense of completion when they read the last line on the last page.

I also write other stuff, squeezing it in here and there, and with eighteen-month deadlines forthcoming (rather than the twelve-month ones I’ve been doing for this series), I am planning on doing a bit more of that.

Do you feel that discipline is vital for an author and that a certain amount of time every day should be dedicated to writing, regardless of whether you feel “in the mood”?

My own rule is four hours a day, at least five days a week. I don’t do word counts or anything like that. Discipline is essential to being a writer, but the specifics are entirely personal and there’s no hard and fast rule for how you measure a day’s work. All that counts is what comes out at the end.

Stephen Donaldson, an author you have been compared to on many occasions, has always spoken very highly of your work. In 2004 he released The Runes of the Earth, twenty-one years after the previous title in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant had been published. Could you imagine coming back to complete a series after such a long gap?

I’ve not been a writer long enough to imagine anything like that, but as a fan of the series, I am delighted that Steve elected to return to it.

Do you think that your books would lend themselves to film adaptation? Or would you take the JRR Tolkien stance and declare that your work is “quite unsuitable for dramatisation”?

Under the present format of film-making, the Malazan sequence is problematic. Note the caution in that statement. I know precisely how this series could be made, but I will save my pitch for some future meeting with a producer (and I anticipate the moment when their jaws drop).

Midnight Tides is, at the moment, our favourite book from the series. Although all of your work features humour, Tehol Beddict and Bugg take it to a new level, and it is often wonderfully surreal. Was this a conscious effort to inject a little more light-heartedness into the series?

A conscious effort? I don’t think so. I like to think the humour was present in every book, but I do accept that Tehol and Bugg delivered something new. But not as new as it may at first seem. Their precedents were Iskaral and Kruppe, as both characters engaged in a peculiar self-referential style of humour. Tehol and Bugg just took that one step further. The consciousness involved in their creation had more to do with offsetting the sheer gravity of the rest of Midnight Tides.

But even then, they arrived (on that rooftop) in one of those uncanny, slightly bewildering, fully spontaneous manifestations that hit writers on occasion. A bed? A blanket? All out of nowhere, completely unplanned. Once they arrived, I just sort of sat back and let them run with it.

Is there a fantasy book from your own childhood that completely captivated you? A book whose very mention brings breathtaking feelings of nostalgia?

Plenty. One I actually stole for a character in my non-fantasy novel, This River Awakens (written as Steve Lundin): Jack London’s ‘Before Adam.’ Others include Tarzan of the Apes (the first one, which I still admire) and some other Burroughs books. My nostalgia is more for a period in my life when I first discovered books –- both fantasy and SF – and the awakening of my imagination.

We have received many emails asking if there will be a tour to coincide with the UK publication of Dust of Dreams. Is there anything planned?

Alas, no, although I will be at Fantasycon in Nottingham. I arrived in the UK woefully late on delivering the next Bauchelain/Korbal Broach novella. It’s finally done, and I have already plunged into The Crippled God. No rest for the wicked.

Cheers
Steven Erikson

Posted: September 3rd, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Interviews, Steven Erikson

Why Janny Wurts writes the way she does

By Joshua S Hill

As a reviewer for Fantasy Book Review, I have the great privilege of having a great “in” to some of my favourite authors. I have email relationships with James Barclay, David Webb, Steven Erikson and, most recently (thanks to Goodreads), Janny Wurts.

In the near future there will be an interview appearing on FBR between us, and I can’t wait to see what comes of that. Janny is a truly wonderful person, a real gem, and I am really glad she has taken the time to write me. I’ll be peppering her with questions about writing every now and again, and she has gladly agreed to reply when she can.

However first off, I asked her a question that was specifically tailored to her. Why does she write the way she does. I have commented on it in a previous post, and she took the time to reply. The answer is amazing, one truly worth reading, and it is below (with permission).

So check out why one of the greatest living fantasy authors writes the way she does.

Why do I write the way I do?

The short, flippant answer: I grew up reading the library, and didn’t bother with television much, if at all. This was because the trite themes, short format, and predictable plots became too unbearably boring. I’ve read so many books that words and vocabulary became absorbed, as it were, through the skin.

The deeper answer: I am not a minimalist. Contrary to belief by conformists, any one word is not the same as another. Each has a precise and different shade of meaning, and to me, that makes a difference. I prefer choosing the exact one for the occasion.

Continue to read the rest of Janny’s explanation here, it is well worth the read.

http://wordsandjosh.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/why-do-i-write-the-way-i-do-by-janny-wurts/

Janny Wurts is the author of Traitor’s Knot and To Ride Hell’s Chasm and twelve other novels, a short story collection, as well as the internationally best selling Empire trilogy, co authored with Raymond E. Feist. Her most recent title in the Wars of Light and Shadow series, Traitor’s Knot, culminates more than twenty years of carefully evolved ideas. The cover images on the books, both in the US and abroad, are her own paintings, depicting her vision of characters and setting.

Curse of the Mistwraith book review (by Joshua S Hill)
Janny Wurts book prices

Posted: April 2nd, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: James Barclay, Steven Erikson

The final 2008 longlist for the David Gemmell Legends Award

The David Gemmell Legend Award will be presented for the very first time in 2009 for the best Fantasy novel of 2008. The award will be given to a work written in the ‘spirit’ of the late, great David Gemmell, a true Master of Heroic Fantasy. Voting opens at midnight on 26th December – but you have until 31st March 2009 to
register your vote. Vote here!

The Margarets Sheri S Tepper
Red Wolf Conspiracy Robert V.S. Reddick
The Last Argument of Kings Joe Abercrombie
The Burning Man Mark Chadbourn
The Steel Remains Richard Morgan
Blood of Elves Andrzej Sapkowski
Red Gloves Beth Vaughan
Ravensoul by James Barclay
The Grave Thief Tom Lloyd
Graceling Kristin Cashore
Dragonforge James Maxey
The Blood King Gail Z. Martin
The Ten Thousand Paul Kearney
Gladiatrix Russell Whitfield
Going Under Justina Robson
Bloodheir Brian Ruckley
The Company K. J. Parker
The Way of Shadows Brent Weeks
Shadow Gate Kate Elliott
Wolfblade Jennifer Fallon
The Riven Kingdom Karen Miller
Path of Revenge Russell Kirkpatrick
The Painted Man Peter V Brett
Royal Exile Fiona McIntosh
The Kingdom Beyond the Waves Stephen Hunt
Wrath of a Mad God Raymond E. Feist
The Twisted Citadel Sara Douglass
The Divine Talisman Eldon Thompson
Shadowmage Matthew Sprange
The Clockwork King of Orl Mike Wild
Heldenhammer Graham McNeill
Nagash the Sorcerer Mike Lee
Elfslayer Nathan Long
Magic Burns Ilona Andrews
City of Jade Dennis L. McKiernan
Dragon Strike (Age of Fire) EE Knight
Empire in Black and Gold Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Dog of the North Tim Stretton
Winterstrike Liz Williams
Heir to Sevenwaters Juliet Marillier
King of Ithica Glyn Iliffe
A Darkness Forged in Fire Chris Evans
The Return of the Crimson Guard Ian C. Esslemont
Toll the Hounds Steven Erikson
The Two Pearls of Wisdom Alison Goodman
Havemercy Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
Iron Angel Alan Campbell
Fallen Tim Lebbon
Tracing the Shadow Sarah Ash
Final Sacrifice Patricia Bray
Shadows Return Lynn Flewelling
The Vacant Throne Joshua Palmatier
A Magic of Twilight S.L. Farrell
The Hidden City Michelle West
Goblin War Jim C. Hines
The Shadow Ilse Katharine Kerr
The Dark Ferryman Jenna Rhodes
King’s Shield Sherwood Smith
The Soldier King Violette Malan
Foundation Mercedes Lackey
The Golden Tower Fiona Patton
The Dragons of Babel Michael Swanwick
In a Time of Treason David Keck
Steward of Song Adam Stemple
The Ancient RA Salvatore
Mage-Guard of Hamor L. E. Modesitt, Jr
Ill Met in the Arena Dave Duncan
The Phoenix Endangered Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory
The Hero of Ages Brandon Sanderson
The Gods Return David Drake
Thirteen Orphans Jane Lindskold
The Queen’s Bastard C. E. Murphy
Shadowbridge Gregory Frost
Victory of Eagles Naomi Novik
The Engine’s Child Holly Phillips
A Woman Worth Ten Coppers Morgan Howell
Dragon Strike EE Knight
City of Jade Dennis McKiernan

Posted: January 1st, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Andrzej Sapkowski, David Gemmell, James Barclay, Joe Abercrombie, RA Salvatore, Raymond E Feist, Steven Erikson

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Book of the Month	Interviews	Books you must read...	Competition
Once Walked with Gods James Barclay James Barclay's ELVES trilogy will tell the whole story of his immortal elven race, and will appeal to all fans of Tolkien and fantasy - this is a uniquely entertaining take on a fantasy staple perfect to bring new readers to Barclay.	Alden Bell Allison Brennan Paul Kearney Karen Brooks JR Mitchell NK Jemisin Holly Black Chris Dolley Alex Bell Alison Goodman	The Amulet of Samarkand The Spook's Apprentice Gardens of the Moon A Game of Thrones A Wizard of Earthsea Ship of Magic Assassin's Apprentice The Colour of Magic Duncton Wood Tigana	September 2, 2010 will see the publication of Steve Augarde's wonderful X-Isle in paperback. To mark the occasion Random House have very kindly given us three copies to give away as prizes in our latest competition.
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