Author Archives: Michael

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Amanda Bridgeman Talks Pandemic Patient Zero

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where today I’m talking to Amanda Bridgeman about her novel Patient Zero, the first volume in a new series from Aconyte Books based on the world of the hit board game Pandemic. It couldn’t be much more of a topical subject matter for a novel, and as you’ll find out in the interview it’s had an interesting route to publication, but if you like a good ‘mystery of the week’ procedural then this definitely sounds like one to keep an eye on! It’s published as a global ebook on the 7th September, followed by the US paperback edition later the same month and the UK paperback in November.

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Monthly Roundup – August 2021

Hello, and welcome to this Monthly Roundup post here on Track of Words. August has been a quiet month for me on the Track of Words front, even more so than recently – this article I’m writing now is only the fourth I’ve published in the whole month, which is by far the lowest number for years. I feel like a bit of a broken record with how many times I’ve said something similar recently, but I really have found it hard working on new content in August, for various reasons (including my health). Or at least, hard working on the usual reviews and so on – I’ve actually been busy with some new elements of site structure and navigation, which you may have noticed if you’ve had a look at the menus recently.

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The End of an Era – Matthew Ward Guest Post

Hello and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Matthew Ward’s new novel Legacy of Light, the third and final volume in the Legacy Trilogy, which is published today by Orbit. For this post, Matthew has written a fantastic guest blog in which he talks about the experience of finishing this epic fantasy trilogy, and offers up some interesting (and spoiler-free) facts about the brand new Legacy of Light. If you haven’t already, make sure you also check out all the other stops on this great blog tour for reviews, interviews and more guest blogs from Matthew – I’ll include details of where to find these at the end of this article – but for now I’m delighted to hand Track of Words over to Matthew…

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Tim Pratt Talks The Necropolis Empire

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where today I’m chatting to the prolific Tim Pratt about his new novel The Necropolis Empire, the second book ina trilogy of Twilight Imperium novels from Aconyte Books. If you like a bit of characterful, irreverent humour in your galaxy-spanning space opera – whether you’re an established fan of the Twilight Imperium game or not – then definitely check this out (although I would recommend reading The Fractured Void first)! It’s available as an ebook right now, with the US paperback following in September and the UK paperback in October.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Anna Stephens Talks The Serpent and the Dead

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where today I’m chatting to the excellent Anna Stephens about her new Marvel novel The Serpent and the Dead, part of Aconyte Books’ growing Marvel: Legends of Asgard range. If you’re interested in reading about some of Marvel’s lesser-known Asgardian characters, and in particular some badass female characters kicking ass and getting to the bottom of a troubling mystery, then this may well be the book for you! It’s available as an ebook right now, with the US paperback following in September and the UK paperback in October.

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Monthly Roundup – July 2021

Another month has come around as quickly as ever, so it’s time for my usual Monthly Roundup here on Track of Words, where today I’m looking back at what’s been going on during the month of July. I feel like a bit of a broken record in these articles, as for a while now I’ve been talking about having slow months, but July has in fact been my quietest month for over a year – this article you’re reading will be my 10th and final one of the month. Life seems to be getting in the way a bit more than usual right now, with job hunting and illness being the headline hurdles alongside a general sense of finding it difficult to concentrate on writing, but hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m back in the swing of things. Fingers crossed, anyway!

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QUICK REVIEW: Delhi – Vandana Singh

First published in So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy (edited by Uppinder Mehan and Nalo Hopkinson) in 2004, Vandana Singh’s short story Delhi is a fascinating tale of a man burdened with a purpose he doesn’t understand, constantly searching for answers. Aseem has always been able to see apparitions around him, brief glimpses of people from other times who offer him momentary snapshots of Delhi’s past and future. He lives on the fringes, helping others where he can, always on the lookout for the one woman who he believes will provide clarity on what he’s supposed to be doing and why.

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QUICK REVIEW: Oracle – Liane Merciel

Liane Merciel’s Age of Sigmar short story Oracle, part of the wider Broken Realms narrative and a sequel of sorts to Red Claw and Ruin (from Covens of Blood), starts with an investigation and ends with an invasion. Posted to the city of Anvilguard to support the Anvils of the Heldenhammer, most of whom have been redeployed elsewhere, Etanios of the Hammers of Sigmar finds himself in the unusual position of assisting with a murder investigation, after several deaths among the city’s prominent citizens. When he’s contacted by an old ally with a dire warning of Morathi’s duplicity, however, he finds himself pulled in different directions trying to do his duty.

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The Dying Squad – Adam Simcox

Part detective drama and part urban fantasy – or maybe rural fantasy, as much of it is set in the quiet Lincolnshire landscape – Adam Simcox’s The Dying Squad is fun, easy to read and full to the brim with big ideas. He doesn’t want to admit it, despite having seen his own bullet-ridden body, but DI Joe Lazarus is dead. When he finally accepts the truth, Joe finds himself in the Pen – essentially purgatory – where he’s given the task of heading back to the mortal plane to investigate his own murder. With the cheeky, also-dead Daisy-May as his partner he sets out on the trail of the drug gang he was tracking before his death, but it’s hard being an undead detective when, beyond a core awareness of who he was, he can barely remember anything about his life or the people in it. At least he can walk through walls though, and Daisy-May seems to know what she’s doing in this strange afterlife.

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The Fractured Void – Tim Pratt

Tim Pratt kicks off Aconyte Books’ range of Twilight Imperium novels with The Fractured Void, a tale of space pirates, covert operatives, and an infuriating but potentially very important scientist. Captain Felix Duval dreams of one day sitting at the Mentak Coalition’s Table of Captains, but for now he’s relegated to piloting his ship The Temerarious in a dull posting out on the fringes of the Coalition where nothing exciting ever happens. When they foil the attempted kidnapping of a scientist named Thales, however, Felix and his small crew face all the excitement they could ever want, as they attempt to keep the deeply aggravating Thales safe while he perfects a technology that he claims will change the face of the galaxy forever.

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