Joshua Reynolds's Blog, page 68

The Baddest Man (Un)Alive: The (Unofficial) Arkhan the Black Mixtape

A few days ago, I posted ‘The Nine Tracks of Nagash’, my unofficial End Times mixtape, celebrating the macabre machinations of Mannfred von Carstein, one of the protagonists of The Return of Nagash. I intended it to be a one off, but people started asking if I had made something similar for the book’s other major character–Arkhan the Black.  Which I had. So, I figured why not share that one as well? As before, this is made up of some of the songs I was listening to when I wrote scenes featuring the character.

Like his partner in crime, Arkhan is both a hero and a villain. Unlike Mannfred, I find Arkhan a bit more sympathetic, if only because he has less choice in doing what he’s doing, and is more self-aware than his untrustworthy partner. Arkhan knows there’s no happy ending in store for him, but he keeps moving forward, doing what he knows must be done.  Also, he’s got that whole ‘doomed romance’ thing going with Neferata and that’s pretty cool.

Anyway, I’ve embedded the tracks below, as before. Enjoy!

Eldritch Authors

Back in 2013, when Miles Boothe first approached me about the possibility of co-editing an anthology of occult detective stories for Emby Press, I wasn’t sure I was up for it. And to be honest, I’m still not certain. I’m not entirely convinced that I’m one of those rare sorts who can flip gears from writer to editor, and do so effectively. Still, I wanted to give it a try, if only to see if it was something I might enjoy. And I did. Whether I was any good at it…well, that’ll be for you to decide, I suppose. 

The original plan was too put together a 21 to 24 story volume, but the more we read, the more excited we were to include additional stories. So one volume transmogrified into two, and 20-odd authors became 40-odd. 

Miles and I are EXTREMELY excited to present these books and this is exactly the sort of collection we love to read. Putting it together has been an absolute blast.The books will appear in ebook, trade paperback and hardcover editions from Emby Press and details about the anticipated release date will be announced very soon. But for now, congratulations and thank you to the authors listed below.

Note: stories not listed in final order of appearance.

1. “An Unanchored Man” by Tim Prasil
2. “Memento Morbid” by C.L. Werner
3. “The Devil’s Mudpack” by Neil Baker
4. “Vinnie de Soth and the Vampire Definition” by I.A. Watson
5. “The Case of the Vorpal Tomahawk” by Joel Jenkins
6. “The Prince of the Power of the Air” by Robert M. Price
7. “That the Wicked Shall be Welcome” by Lee Clarke Zumpe
8. “Body of Proof” by Thomas Deja
9. “The Broken Choir” by David Annandale
10. “Matt Brimstone, P.I.” by Christine Morgan
11. “The Red Brotherhood” by Scott Chaddon
12. “Bump in the Night” by Justin Gustainis
13. “Wished Away” by Lizz C. Schulz
14. “Cinder and Smoke” by Antonio Urias
15. “An Unexpected Carcass” by Nathaniel Brehmer
16. “Murder on the Feng Shui Express” by Jason Andrew
17. “The Stain” by Damir Salkovic
18. “Freak Show” by Russell Proctor
19. “Aftermath III” by Glynn Owen Barrass
20. “The Inuit Bone” by William Meikle
21. “Deck the Halls” by Mike Chinn
22. “The House in Angell Street” by Rory O’Brien
23. “The Cabin in the Woods” by Bob Freeman
24. “Divine Providence” by Robert J. Santa
25. “The Adventure of the Moorland Monster” by Christian Bone
26. “Can You Hear Me, Dr. Galloway?” by D.H. Lewis
27. “Challenger Swift and the Case of Jack the Ripper” by Matthew Sylvester
28. “Supernatural Auto Repair” by Frank Larnerd
29. “Divide and Conquer” by Greg Mitchell
30. “A Peculiar Reading” by J. Matthew Saunders
31. “Due Diligence” by Scott Woodward
32. “Trace” by D.J. Tyrer
33. “The Vampire of Somerset” by Seth Skorkowsky
34. “The Knocking Below” by Marissa Priest
35. “The Falling Girl” by Russ Anderson Jr.
36. “A Measure of Air” by Doug Blakeslee
37. “The Sketch Artist” by Gerry Griffiths
38. “The Book Collector” by Meredith Torre
39. “Djinn and Toxic” by Jonathan Shipley
40. “Confession in the Garden” by Cullen Monk
41. “Disconnected” by Brian M. Sammons
42. “Memories of the Knackers Yard” by Ian Creasey
43. “Spectre of Death” by T.W. Garland

All notifications, both acceptances and rejections, have been sent. And, as always, declining stories is the hardest part of putting any anthology together. Miles and I want to express our sincere thanks to every author who submitted. Regarding those submissions, I liked almost every story we were sent. Those were some high quality submissions, and I want to personally thank each and every person who took the time to send one in.

That said, we had to turn away quite a few. If you were in the that group, your story didn’t make the cut for one of a number of possible reasons:

*It wasn’t an occult detective story. There was no investigation, no detective, no crime, etc. We got less of these than I feared, but more than I hoped. Monster-hunters and occult detectives aren’t interchangeable, though they share certain similarities, and characters can certainly be both. But we wanted some investigation, even if it was just as a prelude to violence. Offhand, I know of at least three awesome stories that I had to reject for this reason.

*It was too much like a story we’d already decided to accept, either in theme, setting or genre. For instance, a third of the stories we were sent were steampunk stories. A good number of the rest involved Scotland Yard detectives in Victorian London. They were all great. Unfortunately, it’s neither a steampunk nor a Victorian-themed anthology, so we had to make some hard choices.

*The ending. A significant number of the submissions ended in the same way…the protagonist(s) discover that a monster/cult/witch is behind the crime they are investigating, and are then killed/eaten by said monster/cult/witch. We decided early on to only accept a certain number of stories with this ending, because they tend to unfold along similar lines. After the tenth or eleventh one, the shock wears off, both for your humble editors and the reader.

All in all, however, as I stated above, Miles and I were quite pleased with the high quality of the submissions. There wasn’t a bad story in the bunch, and it took some agonizing and arguing to make the final round of picks. Speaking for myself, I learned quite a bit from the experience, and I hope folks enjoy the final line-up for both volumes of A GRIMOIRE OF ELDRITCH INQUESTS!

The Nine Tracks of Nagash: The (Unofficial) Mannfred von Carstein Mixtape

 Strange as it may sound, I really like Mannfred von Carstein. There’s something about his single-minded megalomania that puts him right up there with Cobra Commander and Megatron in the pantheon of pop culture villainy. He’s not an antihero or a tragic villain, really. There’s tragedy in his past, sure, and he’s capable of courageous acts in the service of his desires, but those things are buried beneath six feet of petty, spite-filled malice.

And, whatever else has happened, whatever else is revealed, the End Times are his fault. He started the countdown to doomsday the minute he set his sights on bringing the Undying King back from beyond the veil of night. And for that, he deserves his own soundtrack, unofficial though it may be.

Whenever I sit down to write a book like Return of Nagash, I like to put together a mixtape or two to serve as a soundtrack. Certain characters might even get their own selection of songs, to get me in the mood while I write their scenes. Mannfred, being both the hero AND the villain of Return of Nagash, got nine songs. Y’know, because there are nine books of Nagash? 

Look, it made sense at the time. 

Anyway, I’ve embedded the tracks in question below. Enjoy!

Read “The Yoth Protocols” For Free

Dark Regions Press, the publishers of World War Cthulhu, have released a look at the contents in the form of a free story. And that free story happens to be my Cold War-era espionage/hollow earth thriller, “The Yoth Protocols”. I do so love it when editors use my story to promote a book. It means that they have a certain faith in my work’s ability to sell the whole anthology to a potential reader. So, why not prove their faith well-founded and go read “The Yoth Protocols” and then maybe pick up a copy of World War Cthulhu? It’s available from the publisher, as well as Amazon.com and its affiliates, in electronic and trade paperback.

HARBINGER OF THE END TIMES

So, there’s been some discussion across the interwebs about what folks ought to read, in order to fully enjoy The Return of Nagash. Seeing as I’m the author, I thought I might make some suggestions. Naturally, many of these suggestions will have also been authored by me, because I just got my royalty statement, and I would like to goose those numbers a bit for next time. So, without further ado, let’s see what’s on my End Times list, shall we? 

First, and most obvious, Mike Lee’s seminal series, The Rise of Nagash. Detailing Nagash’s rise from ambitious second son of a king, to necromancer and would-be usurper, and finally, to the murderous skeleton man we all know and love. As a bonus, you get the origin of the vampires, and the deeds and daring-do of the Most Interesting Man in the World–Arkhan the Black, as he woos and wins the heart of the Queen of Mysteries herself. All three books in the trilogy are available in this handy e-bundle from Black Library.

After that, you should definitely read the short stories, “Picking the Bones”, also by Mike Lee, and “The Master of Mourkain”, by me, available in this new e-bundle, Nagash: Descendants. The first describes the continuing adventures of Arkhan the Black, as he seeks to wrest control of Nagash’s legacy from his rivals, in the aftermath of The Rise of Nagash. “The Master of Mourkain”, on the other hand, follows the cunning vampire, Ushoran, as he encounters Nagash’s dark spirit in the barbaric kingdom of Strigos, and acts as a prelude to the next item on the list.

The item in question would be my own duology, The Blood of Nagash. Comprised of the books Neferata and Master of Death, it picks up after The Rise of Nagash, and follows the adventures of the vampires as they seek to build a new kingdom in the World’s Edge Mountains. Naturally, vampires being vampires, treachery and violence occur with regularity. And the grim specter of Nagash, of course, is never far away…

Next up, you might want to read “Ghoul-King: Conqueror of Worms” and “Ghoul-King: Empire of Maggots”, both by me. They don’t really add anything to the overall story, but they’re included in Nagash: Descendants so you might as well read them, right? Right.

After that, you should definitely check out God-King, by Graham McNeill, which details the confrontation between a newly resurrected Nagash and the founder of the Empire, Sigmar. God-King, as well as the other books in The Legend of Sigmar series, are available in a–you guessed it!–e-bundle from Black Library.

Following on from that, you should read Gav Thorpe’s short story, “The Ninth Book”, which introduces us to the primogenitor of the von Carstein vampires himself–Vlad von Carstein. It’s available as an electronic download, directly from Black Library.

After that, you should really check out Steven Savile’s wonderful vampire trilogy, available in e-book from Black Library. Inheritance, Dominion and Retribution detail the rise and fall (and rise again) of Vlad and his disciple, Mannfred, as they wage bloody war on the Empire.

Mannfred von Carstein returns in my novella, “Charnel Congress”, as Gotrek and Felix run up against the devious vampire in Stirland, after his resurrection from the mire of Hel Fenn. “Charnel Congress” is available in Gotrek & Felix: Lost Tales. 

Mannfred takes center stage in Phil Kelly’s novella, “Sigmar’s Blood”, and his short story, “The Bone Cage”, BOTH of which are available in–drum roll–Nagash: Descendants. Out of everything on this list, these two are probably the most imperative. The novella leads into the short story, which in turn leads into The Return of Nagash, and all three together set the stage for the End Times.

And that’s my suggested reading list to lead in to The Return of Nagash and the End Times. It’s a lot, I know, but it’s worth it. Especially my stuff.

NAGASH REBORN

 There’s a teaser extract from The Return of Nagash available on the Black Library blog, for those interested in such things. It shows the exact moment when Nagash is reborn, in all his grisly glory. Why not go check that out? And if you like what you read, why not preorder the book as well?

New Review

Jason Aiken has kindly reviewed Phileas Fogg and the War of Shadows over at the Lovecraft eZine. Long story short, he enjoyed it. But don’t take my word for it. Why not check it out for yourself?

From the review:

I really enjoyed this fast paced tale and have been looking forward to it since it was announced. Having read Reynolds’ The Bells of Northam in Lovecraft eZine Issue 27, I knew he had the right style to tell a Wold Newton Universe tale. His blending of elements from Lovecraft, Blackwood, historical figures and his own creations in the aforementioned Lovecraft eZine story seemed promising to me. After having read The War of Shadows I am happy to report he has succeeded with flying colors. He did a great job managing the crossover material, while staying true to Farmer’s original concepts. Not to mention telling a very suspenseful tale with a satisfying conclusion, that at the same time leaves open a world of potential future story-lines.

And if like the sound of that, why not grab your own copy of the novella? But you’d better hurry! Supplies are limited. And if you’ve already gotten your copy–thank you!  If you enjoyed it, why not drop a rating or review on Goodreads?

THE WHITE SCARS RIDE AGAIN

Hot on the heels of Friday’s news, today sees the release of my new novella, “Dante’s Canyon”, the latest in the ‘Third War for Armageddon’ series from Black Library. Thirty thousand words of rip-roaring, engine-revving, rubber-burning Warhammer 40K action, starring everyone’s favorite chapter of superhuman steppes warriors. 

In the wastes of Armageddon, a strike force of White Scars Space Marines bait their ork enemies into a deadly trap. Luring the greenskins to a promethium refinery, the White Scars prepare to annihilate their foes. But one amongst the sons of Chogoris has a great destiny to fulfil, and Stormseer Kanim must keep him alive, whatever the cost to themselves or their human allies… and whether his brother wishes it or not.

For those keeping count, this marks the third time I’ve written about the White Scars Space Marines. The first was the audio, “Master of the Hunt”, and the second, “Hunter’s Snare”, appeared in the Damocles anthology. While both of those starred Kor’sarro Khan and the White Scars Third Company, this one features the Suboden Khan and the Tulwar Brotherhood, and sees the White Scars fighting the Speed Kults of the ork invaders in the icy northern wastes of Armageddon. 

The novella is available as an electronic download, in either epub or mobi format. There is a free extract available for download as well, if the thought of a White Scars stormseer shoving a lightning bolt up the tailpipe of an ork battlewagon doesn’t make this an insta-buy for you. 

NAGASH MUST RISE

The End Times are upon us. The Three-Eyed King marches south to war, and the kingdoms of men will fall. The dwarfs are besieged in their mountain holds, and the elves are wracked by a conflict centuries in the making.  Beasts surge forth from the dark forests and daemons caper on the wind.  And the dead…the dead are called to war, by the voice of one even more feared than the Ruinous Powers.

The end of days has begun, and the Undying King has returned to set the world to rights. The Great Work can now begin…

The End Times are coming. As the forces of Chaos threaten to drown the world in madness, Mannfred von Carstein and Arkhan the Black put aside their difference and plot to resurrect the one being with the power to stand against the servants of the Ruinous Powers and restore order to the world – the Great Necromancer himself. As they set about gathering artefacts to use in their dark ritual, armies converge on Sylvania, intent on stopping them. But Arkhan and Mannfred are determined to complete their task. No matter the cost, Nagash must rise again.

The Return of Nagash is now available for preorder via Black Library and Games Workshop. The book will be available as a hardback and as an e-book on August 29th, with preorders shipping on the 25th. An extract is available on the site, and I encourage you to check it out. I’ll be talking more about this, in coming weeks, but for now, go check out the extract and maybe preorder a copy.

FIST OF THE EMPEROR

Black Library has released a number of Quick Reads collections, all based around the various chapters of the Emperor’s finest–the Space Marines. Each collection includes a mixture short stories, novellas and flash fiction. Of particular interest is the Imperial Fists collection, which includes “Remorseless”, a story by me. “Remorseless” was previously released last October as an ebook, as part of the collection, Legion of the Damned.