Author Archives: Michael

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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Target: Kree – Stuart Moore

Based on the all-guns-blazing, anything goes setting of the Marvel: Crisis Protocol game, Stuart Moore’s Target: Kree takes some of the biggest names from Marvel’s hero roster and throws them together into an action-packed tale of intergalactic danger, exploring themes of immigration and everyday prejudice along the way. When the planet Praeterus is destroyed, the Guardians of the Galaxy help evacuate as many Kree from the surface as they can, the survivors making their way to Earth and employment with Stark Industries. Worried that the person responsible for Praeterus’ destruction is now among the surviving Kree, the Guardians head to Earth to track them down, and quickly clash with Tony Stark and the Avengers. Amid accusations of exploitation and conflicting motivations, the Guardians and Avengers have to find a way of working together in order to stave off further disaster.

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Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! – Nate Crowley

Nate Crowley puts his wild imagination to darkly hilarious use with the fantastic Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!, effortlessly elevating Warhammer 40,000 orks into compelling, thought-provoking characters. Relatively short but wide-ranging, it’s structured around the central conceit of a radical Ordo Xenos inquisitor interrogating a captured grot claiming to be Makari, the banner bearer of Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. As Inquisitor Falx and her unusual retinue question Makari – via a somewhat suspicious interpreter – they’re gradually presented with both an origin story for Ghazghkull and a jaw-dropping exploration of greenskin culture and the orkish mindset. Orks not being known for their trustworthiness though, the Imperials have to wonder how much they can trust and what the implications might be if Makari’s story is actually true.

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Aconyte Books Roundup: June/July 2021

It’s been a couple of months since I last did an Aconyte Books roundup, so in this article I’m going to take a look at recent Aconyte releases from June and July 2021. There are four new releases to talk about, between them covering a lot of ground across four different IPs – Legend of the Five Rings, Assassin’s Creed, Arkham Horror and Marvel: Crisis Protocol – so if you’re a fantasy and/or sci-fi fan I’d be pretty hopeful of there being something here which will appeal! As usual I’ll also quickly recap over a few other recent releases which are either now or soon to be available in UK paperback editions, then take a look ahead to some cool upcoming releases. Lastly, I’ll pick out a book from the Aconyte back catalogue to talk about in a bit more detail!

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EDITOR INTERVIEW: Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells Talks The Devourer Below

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview – or in this case Editor Interview – where today I’m talking to Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells about The Devourer Below, a new anthology of Arkham Horror short stories from Aconyte Books. Featuring eight stories from seven different authors, whether you’re an established Arkham Horror fan or taking your first steps into the IP, there’s plenty to enjoy in this anthology – and who better to talk more about it than the editor herself? It’s out now in all the usual formats, so you can check out this interview and then go straight ahead and buy your copy!

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Stuart Moore Talks Target: Kree

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where this time I’m talking to Stuart Moore about his new novel Target: Kree, the first Marvel: Crisis Protocol novel from Aconyte Books. If you’re a Marvel fan, and you fancy reading about LOADS of big-name characters facing off against each other in an action-packed tale with typically high stakes, this sounds like the book for you! It’s out in global ebook and US paperback editions on the 6th July, with the UK paperback edition following on the 2nd September, so check out this interview and then make sure you go and order your copy…

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Monthly Roundup – June 2021

Hello and welcome to this Monthly Roundup article here on Track of Words, where I’m looking back at what’s been happening over the month of June. For various reasons it’s been another quiet month, which has meant I’ve only managed 11 posts – mostly reviews – but to be honest I’m pretty pleased I got even that much done! As usual, for the first part of this article I’ll do a quick retrospective of those 11 posts, complete with links so that if you’ve missed anything over the last few weeks you can go take a look. Once that’s done I’ll do a general update with a few quick observations on the month as a whole.

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Subject Twenty One – A.E. Warren

Originally self-published as The Museum of Second Chances before being re-released by Del Rey, A.E. Warren’s debut novel Subject Twenty One – book one in the Tomorrow’s Ancestors series – is a post-apocalyptic tale of repopulation, genetic engineering and tightly controlled societal structures. Elise is a Sapien, one of the lowest class of humans, condemned to forever be paying reparations for the actions of previous generations in devastating the Earth. Keen to escape a life of tedium, she takes a job at the Museum of Evolution as the companion to Twenty One (otherwise known as Kit), one of a handful of Neanderthals returned from extinction through the marvels of genetic engineering. With her own secrets to keep, Elise has to be careful how she goes, however the more she gets to know Kit, the more she learns about the real history of her world and her place within it.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: A.E. Warren Talks Subject Twenty One

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where today I’m talking to A.E. Warren about her new novel Subject Twenty One – the first instalment in her Tomorrow’s Ancestors series. If you fancy a post-apocalyptic tale full of isolated communities, genetic engineering, repopulated species and Neanderthals, this is definitely one to check out – and it’s published by Del Rey in the UK (in paperback, ebook and audiobook editions) on the 1st of July. Once you’ve had a read of this interview, there’s a link at the bottom of the page to my review of Subject Twenty One as well – and suffice to say I can definitely recommend it!

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This Eden – Ed O’Loughlin

A vintage spy drama updated for the modern world, Ed O’Loughlin’s This Eden blends pacy, globe-trotting adventures with old-school suspense and misdirection to form a gripping tale of industrial espionage, subtle social manipulation and an insidious threat. Michael Atarian is a quiet, unexceptional student who just wants to become an engineer, to have a simple life building roads and bridges. He tries to steer clear of his girlfriend Alice’s politics, doesn’t understand the strange digital landscape she inhabits, but when Alice mysteriously disappears he finds himself unwillingly drawn into her world. Out of his depth in Silicon Valley, he meets the willfully cryptic war-gamer Towse and persuasive, manipulative spy Aoife, who drag him further out of his comfort zone, into a dangerous mission to avert a strangely ambiguous technological disaster.

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