Adrian Tchaikovsky's Blog, page 13

The Long Con (1)

My resolution to do fewer conventions this year got a serious crotch-kicking over the last few weeks. I've already sung the praises of Celsius 232 in Aviles, and I've just got back from a mammoth series of London shenanigans starting with Nine Worlds and ending with the World Science Fiction Convention aka Loncon 3.

First caveat: there was far too much going on for me to talk about it all.

I loved Nine Worlds last year and said so at length on these pages. 2014 did not disappoint. Nine Worlds remains a gloriously diverse, colourful and energetic convention, covering genre fandom across many different media, and also engaging with various social aspects of the genre which other conventions might perhaps shy away from. Highlights for me were getting to talk about Doctor Who (twice!), listening to Laurie Penny's talk on her new book Unspeakable Things, which is a remarkable, eye-opening read about feminism (2) and the trap of stereotyping gender for everyone concerned. Paul Cornell ran his Only a Moment (3) with his usual aplomb, and the cosplay was spectacular — and also far, far, more common than in other UK cons I've seen — to the extent that it wasn't unusual to turn up for a panel item and find out that one of the panellists was a superheroine or the like. All in all, Nine Worlds was a great success, and I'm definitely up for next year. I'm not going to talk about the hotel (4).

Between 9W and L3 there were a series of literary genre events to keep the plates spinning. Danie Ware of Forbidden Planet told me that logistics for the various signings were a constant trial. On the Tuesday we had Fantasy in the Court, in which 400 people and, it seemed, as many authors tried to get into the Guiness Book of Records by squeezing into Goldsboro Books. On the Wednesday I eschewed Fantasy Faction's Grim Gathering (because of insufficient levels of grimness) and instead attended the Gollanczfest at Waterstones Piccadilly. This turned out to be an engaging audience with Patrick Rothfuss and then a series of short panels on genre identity, chaired by (I think) Simon Ings, Jaine Fenn and Sarah Pinborough, and including contributions from luminaries such as Adam Roberts, Connie Willis, Gavin Smith, Ben Aaronovitch and — in particularly impressive form — Joanne Harris. By this time, however, I had hit some kind of saturation point, and so instead of socialising I went and ate some noodles quietly with a good book, and felt much better for it.

And then the inexorable spiralling towards Loncon, in the manner of a spaceship crossing the event horizon of a black hole (5). This was my first Worldcon and… it was big, real big. I'm used to Eastercon or Fantasycon, say, where you can go into the one bar and say hi, and know around 40% of the faces there at least. Loncon3 was enormous, and the Excel centre was enormous, and weird (Den Patrick commented on Twitter that it looked like the Death Star on Casual Friday). It took me a while to find my feet, and because of being on those feet for the previous week, there were some decided ups and downs for me that were almost entirely internally generated. Overall, though, the whole business was extremely good, and very well run. Despite the enormous number of people, the venue never felt that crowded, although some of the panels certainly were. Lee Harris ran a semi-genre version of I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (6), I did a bunch of panels (very nice one on tech in fantasy with Django Wexler and Robert Jackson Bennett among others, plus one on monsters run by my editor Julie Crisp, and including KJ Bishop, Tom Pollock and Rjurik Davidson in which I confessed my fondest wish to be a rust monster); both my reading and my kaffeeklatsch were well attended, and I kept up my enviable record of failing to strike up any meaningful conversation with George RR Martin (4 opportunities!); also I met a Canadian fan attending the convention via his remote mobile robot (kind of like Sheldon that one time in the BBT) which was a perfectly SFnal moment. I found time for a number of science panels, including one on gender and AI (special mention to GLADOS!) and a whole series on speculative evolution given by such luminaries as Darren Naish, Lewis Dartnell,  CM Kosemen (Snaiad), Gerte van Dijke (Furaha) and Dougal Dixon — one of my longtime heroes ever since I read After Man back when I was 16 or so.

And of course there were the Hugo awards, about which there have been some difficult politics this year (7), but the results spoke for themselves, all winners to be congratulated. Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice became the first book to win Hugo, Nebula and Clarke ever. Charles Stross took home the novella prize with Mary Robinette Kowal taking the novelette. Game of Thrones won the short form drama, confounding expectations of a British Dr Who victory (I got to offer commiserations to Peter Davison!). Justina Robson and Geoff Ryman were the hosts, and extreme string-pulling there led to me getting an invite to the after-party, which felt a bit like Bowman going into the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey, if that had involved rather more corridors and stairs. The remote Canadian robot also crashed the party. "I've only 38 minutes of battery life left," it told me. "I feel the same way," I confessed.

(1) Emphatically not the last in the Baxter/Pratchett science fiction series.

(2) If the word puts you off then the book is all the more important. It's a very good grounding as to why feminism isn't necessarily what you think, and why a patriarchical system isn't on the side of (most) men any more than it's on the side of women.

(3) Emphatically not Just a Minute, because the BBC objected.

(4) Okay, let's talk about the hotel. The Radisson Blu Edwardian at Heathrow, which I'd previously visited at Eastercon a few years back, was the only damper on matters. It wasn't the hotel, and it wasn't the breakfasts (previously abominable but now quite satisfactory), but the service was terrible. Getting a drink at the bar could take an unconscionably large time even when there was no queue, and at the main restaurant/bar thing (Trunks?) this would usually be while you watched half a dozen staff just amble about performing no useful function known to man nor beast. I also note apocryphal rumours that turning up without your con badge would guarantee instantly improved service. Possibly it's just that the staff are used to big tips from jetsetting businessmen. It would be unfortunate if the fact that the con had a very visible range of displayed genders, for example,  had contributed to this.

(5) If science has recently disproved the popular view of how black holes work then please substitute your own metaphor.

(6) The BBC's lawyers even now sharpening their pencils.

(7) Not the Ross thing, the other thing.

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Con-tinuation

I just flew back from Celsius 232 in Avlies, Asturia (1) which has got to be the most refreshingly different convention of my acquaintance. Conventions, in general, get out and about as much as bears in winter, generally lurking very much within the confines of their hotels — although Loncon 3 will shortly test this, as apparently it will be in tents, inside buildings (2). I may not have understood this properly. Anyway, the venue for Celsius 232 is basically… the entire town centre of Aviles. The convention is put on by the very beautiful town, and sort of wanders about along the main street, stopping in cafes and selling books from little cabins, and occasionally feeding everyone on fabada — just one of a truly astonishing range of local delicacies. Victory conditions for me included dinner with Tim Powers (3), deep philosophical chats with Patrick Rothfuss, breakfast with Dmitry Glukhovsky, catching up with Joe Abercrombie, but not actually meeting Brandon Sanderson, alas, who was a man significantly in demand as you can imagine.

So, next weekend is Nine Worlds, and the weekend after is Loncon3/Worldcon, and here is what I am doing for these things:

Nine Worlds Geekfest 2014

Friday 8th August

13.00–14.45 Writing the Inhuman (in which I plan to mainly talk about spiders. Because spiders)

14.45–15.15 — signing at Forbidden Planet(4)

15.15–16.30 — The Doctor's Privilege (as in Doctor Who, not just the whole "Let me through!" thing when there's an accident)

Saturday 9th August

13.30–14.45 — If the Doctor Was Cast As A Woman (also Doctor Who. Doctor Watson already has been.)

Sunday 10th August

10-11am — Signing Forbidden Planet (the return)

15.15–16.30 — The Bards Speak (about Game of Thrones. Me and Shakespeare, we got this.)

Fantasy In the Court

Tuesday 12th August with all sorts of crazy fantasy people

Loncon 3 / Worldcon 2014 (5)

Thursday 14th August

22.00–22.30 Reading slot (probably a complete short story, but I may also have a sneak advance section from Guns of the Dawn, so if you want that, come and demand it at the right time!)

Friday 15th August

10.00–11.00 I Like My Secondary World Fantasy a Little on the Techy Side

15.00–16.30 Developing LARPs — World vs Character

21.00–23.00 Welcome Party (for people who turn up halfway through and have no idea what the hell is going on)

Saturday 16th August

13.30–15.00 Who Misplaced the Monstrous Compendium? (also: why, for me, it will always be the Monster Manual. That dates me.)

Sunday 17th August

11.00–12.00 Kaffeeklatsch (6)

18.00–19.00 The Seriousness Business (debate on why TV these days is so serious — NOT the "Being the Joker" masterclass)

Monday 18th August

11.00–12.00 Fermi Paradox Book Discussion (this is the Paradox anthology being launched by Newcon in which I have a story)

NOTE: I am not doing a signing slot for Loncon! Probably because I didn't ask for one. If you would like me to sign something, please grab me as I come out of a panel, or just if you happen to see me around (or come to the reading, that's always welcome). I am always happy to sign books (7).

(1) and boy are my arms tired!

(2) Unless I misheard, and it will just be intense.

(3) Though not at Deviant's Palace

(4) Yes, this is kind of minimalist owing to some shuffling around of other tracks — I have a fuller slot on the Sunday morning, as you'll see.

(5) Quite a good result for the Worldcon 1st eleven there owing to very poor defensive tactics by Loncon Athletic

(6) Still don't know what this is. Turn up, we can find out together!

(7) Not body parts. Not after the last time.

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It's been a long road : some favourite moments from Shadows of the Apt

Does it seem a long time ago, that we were sitting with Sten and Tisamon and Marius in Myna, waiting for the Empire to come kick in the gates?

Back when Empire in Black and Gold was first released, as well as short stories and general fanfarage (1), I had some help from my good friend David Mumford in bringing the insect-kinden to life. So it seems fitting that, with Seal of the Worm (finally) on the shelves, we see a little more of his work. So here we are: David's vision of most of the major players of Shadows of the Apt, gathered together for one impossible group photo. I hope you can see this properly on your browser. It's a beautiful piece of work, made me quite tearful to see it.

There they are, then, our travelling companions of so many books: the heroes, the villains, the fools, the liars, the turncoats and the monsters (tick as many boxes each as you wish). I know for a fact that many of them have particular fans, and that people have very different favourite moments in the series. I have a few of my own, and I'd like to share them — headed up by the book title so if you're still reading, you can avoid spoilers.

Empire in Black and Gold

Che getting up Thalric's nose in Myna. At this stage, the later history of these two was by no means written, but either I knew where they were going, or the way these scenes came out determined it, because you can see a great deal of their complex relationship there from even the first meeting.

Dragonfly Falling

The defence of the harbour: Collegium has been all talk up to now, but when the Tarkesh try to force the harbour you finally see the mettle of the Beetles and their allies — the simple heroism of men and women who are anything but soldiers first and foremost.

Blood of the Mantis

Nivit and Gaved: these two, they're not lead characters, they're not even particularly important, but for some reason I really love stinky, swampy Jerez as a place, and Nivit virtually personifies it. His surprisingly strong friendship with Gaved  - two rogues together — is oddly touching.

Salute the Dark

The Gears crush the Mantids: later volumes (Sea Watch, War Master's Gate) have a lot to say about the destiny of the Mantis-kinden, but up until now we've basically seen the kicking ass — especially against the Fourth Army back in Dragonfly. This is the first intimation that ancient warrior skills and killer instincts aren't going to cut it from now on.

The Scarab Path

A lot of this book, frankly — the land-fish hunt, the frankly tragic truth that underlies Khanaphes and its people's relationship to their uncaring Masters, but most of all, Che and Thalric again — one drunken evening between former enemies, both beset on all sides and realising they have more in common with each other than anyone else there.

The Sea Watch

I have described this book as "Prisoner of Zenda with Rupert of Hentzau played by a giant octopus." So, really I should be saying Arkeuthys, everything Arkeuthys, from his repeated predatory run-ins with Stenwold to his sly, mocking conversations with Claeon. However, the moment that stays with me is the duel between Teornis and Sten, and how Stenwold wins, in the end, not in spite of Teornis's superior skill, but because of it.

Heirs of the Blade

Tynisa, half-possessed, is absolutely fixated on Salme Alain — her first reaction is to think he's lost, dead Dien, his brother, because he's the spitting image… except he isn't. It's only when Che turns up, and we see Salme junior through her eyes, that we realise the likeness is all in poor Tynisa's battered mind.

The Air War

I'll cheat and give you two: the taking of Myna — especially the street fighting where we see the Sentinels at play for the first time, and then that last sequence, with Banjax's weapon about to blow, as seen through the eyes of the Imperial quartet of Aamon, Scain, Pingge and Kiin as their world comes apart at the seams.

War Master's Gate

Although the fall of Collegium's gate always gets me, it's what happens after that — the scene where Eujen and Averic are facing crossed pikes, and the resolution of that… this is perhaps my absolute favourite moment of the whole series.

Seal of the Worm

And we're back to Collegium Harbour, and that scene, when a number of former players abruptly re-enter the narrative, and most particularly you-know-who.

Key: 1. Rosander; 2. Arkeuthys; 3. Amnon; 4. Kymene; 5. Salma; 6. Drephos; 7. Che; 8. Totho; 9. Jodry; 10. Stenwold; 11. Talric; 12. Gjegevey; 13. Balkus; 14. Seda; 15. Tisamon; 16. Teornis; 17. Tynisa; 18. Achaeos; 19. Hokiak; 20. Maure; 21. Taki; 22. Straessa; 23. Eujen; 24. Laszlo; 25. Sperra; 26. Tynan

(1) defined as the sound Nigel Farage makes when he blows his own trumpet.

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The Season Approaches

…in which I shall be hellish busy. The voice of the convention is heard in the land.

Before the details of that, though, some heads up:

Yes, Seal of the Worm is officially out tomorrow (3rd July). Some people already have their copies. The final volume of the Shadows of the Apt is upon us. The insect-kinden aren't done — I'm already starting to plan their next exploits — but the plotline that kicked off with Stenwold, Tisamon and Marius holed up in Myna watching the Wasps kick in the gates, that will finally reach its conclusion. I won't lie, it's a tear-jerker for me. The end of an era. Enough of that, though. Later for that. I'll give the series a proper send off in a post soon enough, but there's other pots on the boil just now…

A new book! Or 1/3 of a new book. My Afterblight novella for Abaddon, The Bloody Deluge, is out as the rear end of Journal of the Plague Year, alongside novellas from Malcolm Cross and CB Harvey. The Afterblight chronicles are a series of stories set in a plague-ravaged post-apocalypse, and the series has a fair few good names under its belt. To get an idea of the direction I took the brief in, Dave Moore of Rebellion/Abaddon had me talking about it here . Writing in the real world was interesting. Deluge is about religion, nationalism, the good and bad in human nature and why you always, always want to be near the living history guys when the crap hits the fan.

Also new, I did a guest post for A Dribble of Ink that came out this week, and Aidan Moher of that site did a wonderful job prettying it up, so that the result is possibly the nicest thing I've had on a website in a long while. Insects are People Too is my text, and I go into some of the literary antecedents of the insect-kinden, and precisely why I do this crazy insect voodoo. Subsequent to the article going up, I did get a few names thrown at me as fellow entomophiles, and so I herewith admit China Mieville and Kameron Hurley to the Most Worshipful and Secret Order of Authors Who Have Been Known To Write Positive Insect-based Fiction.

But now, on with the music, for there are conventions out there waiting to be convened, and yea, they are legion. Last year I solemnly declared that I would be cutting down on the conventions, and this year I have completely failed to do this. In fact this is a failure of international proportions. I may not survive it.

30th July to 3rd August — Celsius 232 in Avlies, Spain, alongside an international cast of writing luminaries. Not done this one before, not been to Spain before, and my Spanish extents to "hola" on a good day. Very nervous. I will be doing a talk/interview and have been promised a stellar translator (1)

8th-10th August — Nine Worlds Geekfest at Heathrow. This was enormous fun last year, and I'm hoping it'll be just as much so this time around. The panels and so forth are still being finalised but I've been spotted so far for an Authors Talk About Game of Thrones (2) one, a couple of interesting Dr Who ones, one on writing inhuman characters, and possibly more on the way.

12th August — not exactly a convention, but I shall be one of the many names at Fantasy In The Court, a civilized evening get together at Cecil Court in London — ticketed event so grab one if you want to come along and chew the fat (3).

14th-18th August — The World Science Fiction Convention, aka Loncon 3 at the Excel Centre in London. George RR Martin's gonna be there! So I can play that game where I fail to talk to him. Oh what laughs we had at Eastercon 2012, or we would have done, if only I'd actually plucked up the courage. Anyway, I am down for some several panels for this one, and I have what appears to be a final(ish) schedule, so I can confidently reveal that I shall be aiding and abetting the following:  Friday 10-11am (4) I Like My Secondary World Fantasy A Little On The Techy Side; Friday 3–4.30pm Developing LARP — World vs Character; Friday 9-11pm Welcome Party (5), for God's sake come over and talk to us; Saturday 3.30-5pm Who Misplaced the Monster Compendium — this is my favourite of the lot, discussing 'whither monsters?' with Rjurik Davidson, Tom Pollock, KJ Bishop (I am such a KJ Bishop fanboy!) and my editor Julie Crisp; Sunday 6-7pm The Seriousness Business (how Grim was my Darkness). And, obviously, I am around in general and generally available as to be bought drinks and commiserated upon about the Gemmells or whatever you happen to want to do. I have some vague idea I put in to do a reading as well, but no word on that yet.

I get to catch my breath after that, but later on I am at:

5-7th September — Fantasycon, York

12-13th September — Titancon, Belfast

25th October — Bristolcon, Kuala Lumpur.

No idea what I'm doing at those ones yet but odds on by the time I hit Bristol I will be drawing on the walls and gibbering to myself.

(1) as in a translator who is very good, not that thing out of Star Trek.

(2) cue 50 minutes of "I wish I'd thought of that first"

(3) bring your own fat.

(4) Always with the early morning panels. I like my secondary world fantasy with a huge cup of very strong coffee

(5) Yes, the welcome party comes after half my panels have already been

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How Did It Come To This : The Insect-kinden in their own words

I. Lives of the Monster Insects (from the secret histories of the Moths)

“An age ago, before all records, before metal was smelted, before writing began, the great insects came.

That was a world with different skies, with strange beasts, with stranger people. But the insects were the end of them. They hunted the beasts, they devoured the people, their wings were a shadow on the sky.

There were those amongst the people of that time who reached out, until they could touch the essence of the insects, the perfection and the ideal that shaped them. They stole the merest spark of that power, and took it within themselves, and spoke to the insects in their own language. This was the first Art. These were the first Kinden. All others despaired and died.”

II. The reign of the magicians (from the ancient carvings of Khanaphes)

“The Art was at first a kind of magic, mastered by magicians who gifted it to those who were worthy. Soon, all who survived could use the insect Art, and the people of the world had formed many tribes: Beetle, Ant, Moth, Mantis. Each learned the Art to emulate the strengths of their totems.

It is said that there were those, living where the land met the water, who even abandoned the beasts of the ocean to learn the Art of the sea monsters. The oldest tales say that the great shrugging of the earth that divided the Commonweal from the Lowlands sent great swathes of land to be swallowed by the deeps, and if the sea-kinden persisted after that, they were not known in Khanaphes.

The leaders of the kinden who remained on land were those who were powerful in the magic of the world. Their wisdom shaped the first cities, raised the first crops, smelted the first blades. The first powers of the world arose out of these magi: the Spiders of the south, the Moths of the west, the Dragonflies of the northern Commonweal, the Mantids, the Woodlice, the (name defaced). Each had their wisdom, and each came to learn from the Masters of Khanaphes, who were wisest of all…”

III. The War with the Worm (Fragments from the archives of the Aldanrael family)

“All the old rumours lead us to a great battle with a foe whose name is lost, known now only by an insult: the Worm. Our ancestors fought there, as did all the great dynasties of the day – supposedly even the legendary Masters of waning Khanaphes took to the field. And when the day was won and the Worm driven back to their underground haunts, something was done. So loathed were these Worm-kinden that they could not be left to multiply and recover their strength. Magic, the rumours say; the greatest piece of ritual magic the world has known. Enough to destroy the Worm? But that is not what the rumours claim. The rumours hint that the Worm, and the Worm’s slaves and prisoners and their places, were twisted out of the world, locked away, sealed.

This was the height of the Days of Lore, the stories tell. After this came the strife: the Moths against the Mosquito, the Commonweal against its rebellious princes, our own Aristoi families turning on each other. There will never be an age of magic such as once supposedly arose to defeat the Worm. These days, even amongst our own people, few truly believe it ever was.”

IV. The End of the Bad Old Days (Collegiate children’s primer)

“The world was greatly plagued by tyranny in those days. Our ancestors had been the slaves of the Moths and their Mantid soldiers for longer than we knew, for we were forbidden to keep any records of history that disagreed with theirs. All the world was ruled by those who these days are known as ‘Inapt’ but back then called themselves ‘masters’. In the minds of their slaves, though, new ideas were hatching – ideas that those masters could not comprehend: a new science of levers, gears, of forces and tensions. Our ancestors had been dominated by charlatans and false ‘magicians’ for long enough, and it was here, in Collegium, that the first blow was struck. The masters were overthrown by their servants; the ancient warrior traditions of the Mantids proved inefficient against the newly-invented crossbow, a weapon anyone Apt could pick up and use with a few hours’ training…”

V. Dawn of Empire (preface to The Histories of the Emperors of the Wasps)

“Three generations ago, one man united the feuding Wasp-kinden tribes under one banner. Emperor Alvric, as he was known by the time of his death, took a divided people and forged them into a single martial state. His son expanded the borders to conquer the Wasps’ many southern and eastern neighbours, most notably the Bee-kinden city of Vesserett, the Wasps’ chief early rival for power. In the last years of his reign, Alvdan I set out to conquer the Commonweal, a single state considerably larger than his entire Empire. It is to his great credit, and that of his son, Alvdan II, that the vastly outnumbered Wasp-kinden were able to prevail, holding half the Commonweal after twelve years of war. For the Empire, this meant a generation of battle-hardened veterans looking hungrily over the Lowlands towards Collegium and Sarn. For the Commonweal, the very idea of Wasp-kinden became synonymous with terror…”

SPOILER WARNING FROM HERE!

VI. The Death of Alvdan II (Rekef Inlander report, delivered shortly before the writer’s death)

“If the Emperor had lived, Collegium would have fallen to our forces, no question about it. They had been softened up by the local Ant-kinden. They would not have endured a long siege. That they fought at all is down to the influence of their War Master, one Stenwold Maker, a man whom our agents confirm has long harboured a grudge against the Empire.

Of the death of Alvdan II, it is told in the Lowlands, and most other places, that a Mantis-kinden gladiator who was to perform before him instead somehow managed to cut his way through the Imperial guards to slay the Emperor.

Eyewitness testimony varies, however, and seldom supports this version of events cleanly. Moreover, my own investigations have uncovered the strong possibility of a conspiracy within the Imperial palace itself. I have uncovered links between Alvdan’s sister Seda, one of the Emperor’s slaves and several of his close advisors, and I strongly believe that, while the Mantis served to provide a distraction, our master was murdered by those closest to him.

As you know, General, the woman Seda is now intended to take the throne. I therefore beg you to take steps to ensure that she does not. I do not know how far this conspiracy goes.”

VII. The Second Imperial Advance (from the memoirs of Jodry Drillen, Speaker of the Collegiate Assembly)

“It surprised nobody, I think, what happened next. We saw the Wasps divided, and set about to emulate them. The great Lowlander alliance Stenwold and I had assembled fell apart with alacrity. The Ant states began rattling swords at one another, and then our Spider allies made plots that, when discovered, lost us their friendship. And of course, while the Wasps unified under their new Empress, we remained divided.

How this will go now is anyone’s guess. Collegium has suffered under the bombardment brought by the Empire’s flying machines. We have spent all we have, exhausted the currencies of blood and toil, gold and ingenuity, just to keep them from our door. And still the Imperial Second Army is crawling back down the coast towards us. It seems as tough nothing can stop it.”

VIII. The magician’s tale (an account by the Woodlouse slave Gjegevey before his disappearance in the Nethyon)

“It was the box that was the cause of it. The Mosquito slave had acquired at great expense a box that held all the power of one of the Moths’ last doomed rituals. He planned to use it to remake the Wasp girl, Seda, as his puppet, and so inherit an Empire. He stole the life of the Emperor for his magic, but the Mantis Tisamon slew him in turn, and shattered the box. The power within, you see, had to go somewhere, so it followed the chains of ritual. My mistress Seda, first Empress of the Wasps, was one such beneficiary, as was a Beetle girl, Cheerwell Maker, linked to the box by a path that even now I cannot untangle. Both have been remade in the fashion of the ancient magicians: strong with magic, and stripped of the Aptitude that made them part of the modern world.

My mistress is bold. She went to Khanaphes and made her demands of the Masters that still dwell beneath the city. She had them crown her with their heritage, made her their heir. In doing so, they ennobled the Maker girl also, and since then the two have waged war on each other, neither able to abide the existence of the other.

Now my mistress seeks more power to defeat her rival. She has travelled to the Mantis forest of the Nethyon. I confess, I led her there for fear she might seek strength in worse places. But I am deathly afraid. Now I am here, I feel our old adversary. I understand the meaning of this place, and what is chained within the forest’s heart. The Maker girl is here also. With two magicians fighting over the power here, I do not know what may be unleashed.”

IX. Breaking the Shell (report by General Tynan of the Imperial Second Army, known as the Gears)

“The city is ours. Stenwold Maker’s body is lost in the bay. We have order on the streets but we hear strange rumours. Nobody knows what has befallen General Roder and his forces. Others have also gone missing: locals, patrols, sometimes entire villages are found abandoned, the residents gone. It is as though they have all been swallowed by the earth. Send orders urgently.”

This piece was originally posted on Tor's website, but they're happy with me reprinting it here, and I've taken the opportunity of prettying it up a bit. The art, of course, is all from covers by Jon Sullivan (1,3,5,6) and Alan Brooks (2,4,7,8,9)

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The Axe finds its Mark

It was worth not winning for that pun.

Huge congratulations to Mark Lawrence who pipped me (and, y'know, Jordan/Sanderson, Lynch and Brett) to the David Gemmell Legend Award this year with Emperor of Thorns.

The image to the left has a double significance as Jason Chan's artwork for Emperor won the Ravenheart award for best cover. Meanwhile, Brian McClellan won the Morningstar award for best newcomer for Promise of Blood.

Thank you to everyone who voted for me, and let's see if we can't lose to Joe Abercrombie next year, eh?

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Nom Nom Nom

Well, just a week to go before I find out that Brandon Sanderson has beaten me out for the Gemmells, the swine . However, some unexpected news on the awards front comes from the British Fantasy Society, who announced their 2014 shortlists tonight.

You can find the full listing here, but a few names certainly leap out. I am delighted to see both Tom Pollock's Glass Republic and Emma Newman's Between Two Thorns up for the Holdstock award for best fantasy novel. They've up against some stiff competition, including Neil Gaiman Himself (I think Mr G has earned a Himself), but both are superb books, and it's good that they've received this recognition.

For the horror novels, blimey — if anything that's an even tougher field. Littlewood, Sarah Pinborough, Joe Hill, Graham Joyce, Beukes's Shining Girls that took the literary world by storm last year, and Adam Nevill's House of Small Shadows that was probably the most talked-about fantasy book on the year on my FB and Twitter stream. Neck and neck, I think.

I am quite blown away to find my own short "Family Business" nominated for the short story category. It's always been a story I've felt good about, and I was glad to see it in print, but I'm stunned to get on the shortlist, especially alongside such accomplished writers as Sophia MacDougal, Conrad Williams and the others there.

I am also quite indecently joyous that Tales of Eve is nominated for the Anthology. My story in this, "Fragile Creations", is one of my favourites, and the collection itself is very strong, and was a real labour of love for editor Anne-Mhairi Simpson. She deserves it.

Also, seriously, I have written for all four of the small press nominees. You see, guys? I am the veritable rabbit's foot of authors. You need me in everything, obviously.

A final note for the best newcomers list, there at the bottom. Annie Leckie looks like she's going to be ringing a lot of bells this year, after taking the Clarkes and sharing the BSFA best novel with Gareth Powell. Emma Newman hits the nominations a second time — it's hard to think of her as a newcomer as she seems so established in the genre, but of course she had three Split Worlds books out in the one year — a meteoric rise(1). We also have Francis Knight, who I really wanted to see on the Gemmells Morningstar shortlist, but who gets some deserving attention here.

(1) which is a truly stupid expression. Meteors don't rise.

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Casting Revealed: Shadows of the Apt III — Revenge of the Insects

And here we go again, following on from Empire in Black and Gold and the rest of the first plot arc, and finishing with a special sneak preview.

The Scarab Path

Jodry Drillen — Phil Avery(1), Accius/Malius (the Vekken) — Lance Reddick, Berjek Gripshod — Giancarlo Esposito

Praeda Rakespear — Freema Agyeman, Hrathen — Danny Trejo, Amnon — Idris Elba

The Sea Watch

Laszlo — Dominic Monaghan, Tomasso — Andy Connell, Helmess Broiler –Don Cheadle

Paladrya — Nicole Kidman, Arkeuthys (voice) — Benedict Cumberbatch, Mycella of the Aldanrael — Jennifer Connelly

Heirs of the Blade

Lowre Cean — George Takei, Salme Elass — Michelle Yeoh, Dal Arche — Tony Jaa

Varsec — Julian Barratt, Varmen — James Purefoy, Maure — Evanna Lynch

The Air War and War Master's Gate

Straessa the Antspider — Katee Sackhoff, Eujen Leader — Michael B Jordan, Averic — Tom Felton

Gerethwy — Jim Parsons, Lissart (te Liss) — Emma Watson, Edmon — Noel Clarke

Willem Reader — Jeffrey Wright, Sartaea te Mosca — Tamsin Grieg, Castre Gorenn — Dichen Lachman

Pingge — Nicki Clyne, Esmail — Paul Bettany, Tactician Milus — Edward James Olmos

Seal of the Worm

Metyssa — Patricia Tallman, Orothellin — Ian McNeice, Messel — Vincent Cassel

There aren't many characters new to book 10, understandably, but these three have significant roles to play. Metyssa, as the name suggests, is a Spider-kinden, one trapped in Collegium after the events that rounded off War Master's Gate. Orothellin's identity, or at least his kinden, you may be able to guess from his name, and Messel? Messel is something completely new.

Thanks once again to everyone who contributed. I have had an indecent amount of wholly self-indulgent fun putting the cast together. Probably I'll do the same for Guns of the Dawn when it comes out, so any suggestions gladly received as and when.

(1) Yes, I know, but he would have been perfect.

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Casting Revealed — Shadows of the Apt II: the Kinden Strike Back

And we're on with the rest of the books — thanks again to everyone as per last post. This lot have a decided Game of Thrones feel to them.

The casting for Empire in Black and Gold can be found here.

Dragonfly Falling, Blood of the Mantis, Salute the Dark

Nero — Peter Dinklage, Emperor Alvdan II — Cillian Murphy, Uctebri — Christopher Lee

Seda — Sophie Turner, General Maxin — Ian McShane, Drephos — Aidan Gillen

Felise Mienn — Yeong-ae Lee, Destrachis — Rob Brydon, Lineo Thadspar — Morgan Freeman

Gjegevey — Bill Nighy, Arianna — Janet Montgomery, Teornis — Tom Hiddleston

Gaved — Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, Taki — Ellen Page, Jons Allanbridge — Billy Dee Williams

Felipe Shah — Daniel Dae Kim, Tegrec — David Mitchell, General Tynan — Michael Hogan

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Casting revealed: Shadows of the Apt — the movie

There is no movie. Just keeping that out there. But I have had an enormous number of suggestions from here, FB, Twitter and just basically people in the street, so we now have a cast! Thank you to everyone who chipped in (list at the end, but let me know if somehow I've missed you off).

I'm doing this in more than one part, but here are the major players for Empire in Black and Gold, in rough order of appearance :

Empire in Black and Gold

Stenwold Maker — Lawrence Fishburn, Tisamon — Mads Mikkelsen, Cheerwell Maker — Lenora Crichlow

Totho — Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tynisa — Georgina Haig, Salma — Rain (Jung Ji-Hoon)

Thalric — Michael Fassbender, Scyla — Tilsa Swinton, Scuto — Sean Pertwee

Achaeos — Alex Barclay, Hokiak — Ron Perlman, te Berro — Tim Hewitt

Ulther — Sean Bean, Kymene — Gina Torres, Grief in Chains — Rachel Hurd-Wood

Balkus — Dwayne Johnson

With thanks to (in no order at all): Rad Kerrigan, Sesqui Pedality, Tom Jewell, Andrew Clark, Nicole Jillian S, Stuart Clark, David Young, Alex Hormann, Vesy Vesy, Kailander, Communi-kate, Mark Waz Bretherick, Matthew Brown, Andrea Rivers, Kathryn, Esther Reeves, Sandor, Ross Anderson, Alex Savell, Bru Newhall, Kostas Mavraganis, Cameron Young, Helen Ann, Martin Findell, David Lascelles, James Long, Ciaran, John Frost, Zoe Farr, Roderick, Leguim Mai, Rebecca Spencer, Joff Leader, Sparrow, Adam Richard Christopher Crewe, Occasional Visitor

All photos are from IMDB, which I hope is OK with all concerned as they're intended as publicity shots.

I'll put the rest up in a day or so. Stay tuned!

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