Author Archives: Michael

QUICK REVIEW: Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law – Lavie Tidhar

The first in a new series of short stories from Lavie Tidhar, published by Tor.com, Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law is a delightful mix of gothic vampire story and Golden Age mystery. Accompanied by his slightly hesitant human assistant Jonathan, Judge Dee – a wise old vampire prone to long stares and thoughtful pauses – travels to the Castello d’oro to investigate a squabble between two vampire nobles. As the enforcer of vampiric law (the pax lamia) it’s within his power to be judge, jury and executioner, but first he needs to uncover the truth of what really happened.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Josh Reynolds Talks Poison River

Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where today I’m talking to the ever-prolific Josh Reynolds about his latest novel for Aconyte Books – Poison River, which is set in the Legends of the Five Rings world. If you fancy a detective story set in a fantasy world inspired by feudal Japan, this is going to be the book for you…and it’s the first in a series too, so there’s more still to come! It’s due out in ebook and as a US paperback on the 1st December, with the UK paperback following on the 7th January 2021.

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From Humble Beginnings: 40k Short Stories That Deserve Their Own Series

There’s a long history in Black Library fiction – and Warhammer 40,000 in particular – of characters who started off in short story form and went on to bigger things. From the early Inferno! days of Gaunt’s Ghosts and the Last Chancers, to Severina Raine and Sister Augusta more recently, characters who started off in a single short story have regularly gone on to feature in novels and novellas of their own, or simply long-running series of short stories. I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some recent-ish 40k short stories and pick out a few which seem ripe for developing into longer stories, and whose characters (or settings) could go on to be the fan-favourites of the future.

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A Few Thoughts On: From A Certain Point of View

I’ve read very few Star Wars books, despite being a big fan of the IP, but I want to talk a bit about From A Certain Point Of View, published in 2017 to celebrate 40 years of A New Hope, which I read quite recently and absolutely loved. If you haven’t come across it before, this is a 40-strong short story anthology (from 43 authors – there are a few double-headers) in which each tale takes a character or a scene from the original film and expands upon it, providing fresh, unexpected and insightful new perspectives on otherwise familiar stories. From Imperial officers, stormtroopers, rebels and Jedi to Jawas, Tuskens, Bith and all manner of droids, on Tatooine, Alderaan, Star Destroyers and the Death Star, these stories explore the characters and locations of A New Hope like never before.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Anna Stephens Talks The Stone Knife

Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview – this time around I’m chatting to author Anna Stephens about her new novel The Stone Knife, the first book in a new trilogy called The Songs of the Drowned. It’s due out from Harper Voyager in hardback, ebook and audiobook on the 26th November, so take a look at the interview to get the lowdown on what you can expect, and then head out and get your pre-orders in!

Without further ado, on with the interview…

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Liberty & Justice For All – Carrie Harris

Carrie Harris’ Liberty & Justice For All kicks off the new series of Marvel: Xavier’s Institute novels with an action-packed adventure featuring a pair of young mutants determined to prove themselves as X-Men. For Tempus and Triage, otherwise known as Eva and Christopher, life as trainee X-Men isn’t quite what they expected. When they set out together in the X-Copter for their first solo flight, their delight at simply getting out of the school and away from their instructors quickly fades when they receive an SOS call from Sabretooth of all people. What they think will be a straightforward pickup, and a good opportunity to give their powers a quick workout, ends up becoming a battle that tests them beyond what they could have expected.

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Author Spotlight: Gary Kloster

Welcome to this instalment of my Author Spotlight series of interviews, in which I’m chatting to author Gary Kloster to find out a bit more about his work, especially the writing he’s done for Black Library in the Necromunda setting. With his first BL novella – Spark of Revolution – available to order now, there’s no better time to take a look at it, and what makes Necromunda such an interesting setting to explore.

Without further ado, let’s get straight into the interview and over to Gary.

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EXCLUSIVE! Introducing: First Team by Robbie MacNiven

Today I’ve got something really special for you, with a Track of Words exclusive in which I can reveal the next book in Aconyte’s growing range of Marvel prose novels – First Team by Robbie MacNiven, the latest instalment in the Marvel: Xavier’s Institute series. I’ve been a fan of Robbie’s writing ever since I reviewed his first Warhammer 40,000 short story (check out that review here) back in 2015, and I had a lot of fun reading his first novel for Aconyte – The Doom of Fallowhearth – so I can’t wait to see how he gets on with this X-Men novel! It’s due to be published in ebook and as a US paperback on the 2nd February 2021, with the UK paperback following on the 4th March.

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Blood of the Everchosen – Richard Strachan

The debut Black Library novel from Richard Strachan, Blood of the Everchosen is labelled as a Warcry Catacombs story but in truth is simply a fantastic Age of Sigmar novel which offers the best depiction yet of life for the mortal followers of Chaos. In the benighted lands of the Eightpoints, a child is born beneath a savage storm, his destiny entwined with that of Archaon himself. As the boy’s father races for safety, powerful forces converge from across the Bloodwind Spoil. Some, like Burak the Bloodseer and his Untamed Beasts, or Lord Rakaros’ Scions of the Flame, seek to kill the child while others, like the Splintered Fang of Ashrath Silenthis, hope to protect him. All hope to gain Archaon’s favour through their actions, except for the hunters in gold who search out the child for their own mysterious purpose.

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RAPID FIRE: Jamie Crisalli, Liane Merciel and Anna Stephens Talk Covens of Blood

Welcome to this slightly unusual instalment of my Rapid Fire series of quick author interviews, in which I chat to a trio of fantastic authors – Anna Stephens, Liane Merciel and Jamie Crisalli – about their new portmanteau Covens of Blood. Part of Black Library’s Age of Sigmar range, this comprises three linked novellas featuring the Daughters of Khaine, each focusing on different characters but tied together by an overarching theme. It’s available to buy right now, and it looks like being the perfect read if you fancy learning a little more about these intriguing characters in the Mortal Realms.

Without further ado, on with the interview…

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