SFX Weekender: Ninth Post

Eighth post is here.

So, yeah, some more costumes for you. Pretty cool, I thought.




Part ten here.

SFX Weekender: Seventh Post

Sixth and final post last night is here.

So we hit a bar in Rye last night to have a bit of a drink and get down. Here's us around the table.

Not me, obviously. I'm holding the camera.

The taxi driver recommended it to us. We walked in and Brian Glover shouted at us to keep off the moors and stick to the path.

Well, he didn't, really, because he's dead and that would have been creepy. Also awesome.

Seriously, it was quite a nice pub and they were quite friendly.

The DJ was extraordinary. He'd brought about fifty CDs with him and was all "yeah, come up and let me know any requests!"

Fifty.

So we went up and asked, but even trying to be as cheese-friendly as we could, we had about a 30% hit rate. His face fell every time we asked, but he was so happy every time he could help. It was kind of half-DJ, half-Spaniel.

So now it's Day Two of the con (Day Three onsite). Tired, bleary, slightly hungover.

Living the dream, baby. Living the dream.

Eighth post, for those reading the whole thing in order, is here.

SFX Weekender: Fifth Post

Fourth Post is here.

Check these out. They got girls on stilts wandering around freaking people out.

Mmm... giant, terrifying women in fishnets.

Next post is here.

SFX Weekender: Third Post

So the Second Post is up on the Solaris blog.

And the con is in full swing. We're selling books - Paul Kane's Arrowhead and Broken Arrow are quite successful today, as are Scott Andrews' Lee Keegan books - chatting folk up, and pottering about.

Our very own (and 2000 AD's) Al Ewing has been up for a comic-writing workshop along with 2000 AD's Leigh Gallagher, talking up the audience and getting them to call out plot ideas while Leigh drew.

The ideas posed a bit of a challenge, in the end; they ended up writing a story about Dredd investigating an MP who bought porn on expenses, only to discover that the porn was poisonous.

Hm.

At any rate, above is Al rocking the mic like a born MC, and below is Leigh getting his penmanship on.

Fourth post is here.

SFX Weekender: First Post

Hi all,

As promised, I am blogging live from the SFX Weekender, where I will be updating you intermittently throughout the day.

So we got on site yesterday after my first time ever driving a van - a harrowing, but in the end reassuringly straightforward experience - and went for a pint. Because that's how we roll.

Then we unloaded the van and had another pint.

Then we went to find our chalets and had another pint.

Then we wandered around Camber looking for a fictional restaurant, gave up, grabbed some supermarket pizza and came back for another pint.

Limped out of bed at around 8.30 (or so; some got up earlier than later), sorted the boxes a little and saw these guys.

Do you suppose convention stormtrooper guys turn up, see other convention stormtrooper guys, and think, "Oh my god! Somebody else came dressed as the same thing! I'm going to just die."

No?

Whatever.

Breakfast at some horrifying cafe where the woman made us fix her lights before we were allowed to sit down - this is actually true - and back to set the stall up.

More as the day progresses. I'm really just in it for Tom Baker.

The second post is here.

Seriously...

...what the f*ck is wrong with these people?

A couple of scientists in France have experimented with allowing robots to evolve skills like co-operation and hunting.

"The researchers described 'spider' hunting techniques among the bots in which hunters would lie in wait for prey (which in this case, fortunately, consisted of other robots)."

Yeah, for the time being, assholes.

The one thing we had over the relentless titanium-clawed harbingers of our destruction was evolution. We were better than them, and had a reasonable chance of remaining better than them over the generations as they crushed our children under their terrible feet, until one day a man would rise as a leader to overthrow the metallic overlords, to a sound-track by Guns 'N' Roses. Now, one of them will probably rise up to fight him, and it'll have lasers.

In the meantime, the US Army has equipped robots with actual guns. Some 3000 of the psychotic little bastards are actually in use now. I don't care if you've given them a cute name like "SWORDS." Don't get them used to being armed! Seriously, did South Africa teach us nothing?

I give up. Clearly, as a species, we want to eaten by blood-drinking, lamprey-eel-brain-controlled, intelligent, climbing, gun-toting machines. I'm stocking my bunker now. We'll see who's laughing/receiving a court injunction when Skynet goes live.



In other news, we're heading off to the SFX Weekender shortly. If you're coming, be sure to swing by our table. Otherwise, I'll be slinging up Tweets and blogposts over the course of the next few days.

See you soon!

David

SFXWeekender Tomorrow!

We're heading off to SFXWeekender tomorrow!

This time tomorrow I'll be driving a huge rental van somewhere along the M25, shouting at other drivers, The Bloodhound Gang blaring out of the stereo.

Then this time Friday, Jonathan Oliver, Paul Kane and I'll be nobbing with the stars of science-fiction and fantasy, getting on down and generally having a good time.

If you're coming, make sure and drop by the 2000AD/Abaddon/Solaris stand and say "hi." We'll be chuffed to chat.

I'll try and sling Twitter (@AbaddonBooks) and blog posts up periodically over the weekend.

Cheers,

David

Special Announcement

It's official. "Exemplary" is the new "awesome."

Seriously, "awesome" is getting a bit long in the tooth, isn't it?

"Exemplary." You know it makes sense.

The Podcast is Here!

Hi all,

Slightly delayed, but The Abaddon & Solaris Books Pocast is here! Point your iTunes to this link, or search "Abaddon" (or "Solaris") in the "Search Store" box at the top-right corner of iTunes, to download what is already being called* the most influential podcast of 2010.

Thrill as the editors and staff at Abaddon Books and Solaris Books - two of the fastest-rising stars of Fantasy, SF and Horror publishing - have a lovely cup of tea. Wonder as we chat about our books, other people's books, the state of the industry, and whatever random crap pops into our heads. Er... Glow as we ruthlessly grill special guest authors, listen to readings, and hear convention reports and special announcements.

The first podcast, The Abaddon & Solaris Books Podcast #1: Evil Fish Demons!, featuring the roguishly-charming, ruggedly handsome and debonair David Moore and Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Oliver - author of our current release Twilight of Kerberos: The Call of Kerberos - is available now. This is literally the most important thing that has ever happened; missing it will make the rest of your piteously wasted life a hollow, wretched sham.


Did I go over the top just now? I'm never sure where to pitch these things. Never mind.

Download it. Listen to it. Let us know what you think.

Awesome.

Cheers,

David


*by my mum.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Not on iTunes, and have sworn to end your life rather than download a single Apple application? Here to help! Just point your RSS client here to download the feed without putting a penny in Steve Jobs' pocket. Keep an eye on the blog for updates, in case we change the host or something crazy like that.
  
• Bewildered by the term "RSS" and unsure what all this means? No problem, ignorant Luddite! Just follow the exact same link, click on the link to the mp3 of the episode you wish to hear, and you can listen right on your browser! Everyone's a winner!

Err...

So... would you believe that the iTunes page tells you they review each new podcast before it goes live, but not how long it takes?

I mean, surely they have people for this, yeah? Steve Jobs, I'm looking at you...

We sent it in first thing this morning, hoping that we could proudly announce it had gone live sometime in the afternoon, but not a sniff so far. Hopefully it will go live before we go home, but if not, we're sorry we got your hopes up, and we hope you enjoy it tomorrow!

Watch this space...

An Announcement

MORE exciting than today's release of the new Apple tablet!!*

Tomorrow, we will release the very first Abaddon and Solaris Books Podcast! iPods at the ready, folks!

The first installment, EVIL FISH DEMONS!, features news on upcoming books, our thoughts on life and general nonsense, David Moore being a cheeky bugger, and an interview and reading from Jon Oliver, author of Twilight of Kerberos: The Call of Kerberos and Editor-in-Chief of Abaddon and Solaris.

*Abaddon Books can neither confirm nor deny rumours that Steve Jobs, reduced to tears by the fear that our podcast release would eclipse the release of his Tablet, begged us to delay our podcast until tomorrow. Thanks for the flowers, chocolates and escort girls, Steve.


-

Off to Press!

Hey all,

Just to let you know Rebecca Levene's Cold Warriors has been sent off to press.

It should be coming out in the spring.

Ooh....

David

Pornokitsch interview Scott Andrews Part 2.

I nearly forgot! Here's the second part of that pornokitsch interview with Scott Andrews.

Part One and Part Two.

In the second part of the interview he talks about his new book, Children's Crusade, which is the third part of the School's Out saga. He also chats about crossovers between Afterblight characters, and writing for the Highlander series.

Children's Crusade will be out on May 19th, and is already available for pre-order from amazon books. Here's a shiny, shiny cover for you.

(I may have a slight crush on Tariq. Look at that big smile!)



-

Well, duh...

Okay, obviously I shouldn't blog critically about authors, because, if nothing else, most of them read this.

Hi, guys. :)

But I love authors who tell me that people have two eyes. Or two legs.

"She looked at me, love in her two brown eyes..."

Not looking at anyone in particular, because most of you do it once in a while, so don't sweat it.

But, you know, we know how many eyes people have.

David

Podcast!

The first ever Abaddon and Solaris Books podcast is being recorded by David Moore and Jonathan Oliver right now!

-

Call of Kerberos!

Hey all,

I'm now holding a copy of Twilight of Kerberos: The Call of Kerberos in my hot little hands. Not actually at this moment, of course; I'm typing. I'd have to type one-handed, and that would be awkward. Look, why am I even explaining myself to you? It's a figure of speech. Don't judge me.

Anyway, it's even now winging its way through the tortuous labyrinth that is the contemporary distribution system, and will be hitting the shelves in a week or so, so all you Kerberos fans dying to get your hands on the next book can take a measured breath. Not long yet.

Our busy little eBook elves are frantically adapting it to electronic format as well, so it should be available in our Mobipocket shop at the same time as it hits the shelves! Vive le Revolution Electronique!

Kick ass.

David

Join Abaddon at the SFX Weekender!

Hi all,

As you probably know, Jon Oliver, Paul Kane and I are heading to the SFX Weekender in February, along with some of our wonderful colleagues, artists and writers at 2000AD. It should be an absolute blast, and I hope to see some of you there.

And now's your chance! 2000AD has 150 four-person day-passes for the whole weekend to give away. All you need to do is sort out somewhere to stay yourself.

Full details are here.

If you can't get onto Facebook, the quick version is: call 08700 11 00 34 (national rates apply) in the next two days and quote "2ADWIN." You'll be entered into a random prize draw.

Go on, call them. Do it now. See you there.

David

Pornokitsch interviews Scott Andrews

Pornokitsch have interviewed our very own Scott Andrews, who chats with them about a number of things including writing about violence, why kids are all vicious little buggers, and his father, the folk singer.

Part One of the interview is here.

If you like what you see, - Pornokitsch also interviewed Rebecca Levene a few days ago - I'm urged to ask you to vote for them as 'one of the bestest review sites ever' over here.

Hello Again!

Did you miss me? Don't be coy, I know you did.

No, you did.

No, really. You're upsetting me now.



Okay, now I'm blushing. No need to overdo it. Sheesh.

So, yes, we've been well busy in the Abaddon slave pits, being whipped and beaten by our terrible masters, trying to catch up on a variety of backlogs. Still lots to do, but I'm going to try and make sure I keep you guys up to date and don't neglect you for so long again. Many thanks for Jenni for posting an update while I was being rubbish.

Not masses of news on the Abaddon front at the moment (but keep an eye on Solaris, which is keeping us very busy as well), as we're too busy getting two whole new series up and running. In case you're blind or don't actually have a computer (and are reading this on a print-out that someone else made of the blog and then discarded in the alleyway where you curl up under a pathetic heap of trash each night for a few hours' restless, terrified slumber), they're The Infernal Game (starting with Cold Warriors) and No Man's World (starting with Black Hand Gang). We are, needless to say, very excited about them.

In the immediate term, remember that Jon Oliver, Paul Kane and I will be at the SFXWeekender in the beginning of February, which will be awesome. So if you're coming, be sure and hunt us out.

And that's it for nonce (it means "for the time being" as well as "paedophile"; look it up).

I'll write another rant soonish. It may be about zombies, but I make no promises.

David

Pornokitsch interviews Rebecca Levene

Happy New Year from all at Abaddon Books!

Hope you enjoyed our Very Abaddon Christmas (and, if you missed it, scroll back through the blog because it was stonkin' great), and that you all had a great holiday.

Here's a treat for the new year - the fantastic folks at Pornokitsch have posted an interview with our very own Rebecca Levene, click here to read Part One and Part Two. ere's an excerpt:-

What can you tell us about Cold Warriors (2010 release)? Occult spies chasing down apocalyptic artifacts... it sounds fantastic.

Cold Warriors is the first in a new series created and written by me for Abaddon, called The Infernal Game. It’s coming out in May next year, and it’s best described as a cross between The Bourne Identity and The Omen. Here’s the blurb:

‘You died 20 years ago. Welcome back.’

At the peak of the Cold War, the British secret service formed the Hermetic Division, an agency charged with using supernatural means to defend the nation. Its primary mission: to find the mysterious Ragnarok artefacts, said to have the power to end the world.

Tomas Len was the Hermetic Division’s most senior agent, until he volunteered to take part in a dangerous voodoo ceremony. Morgan Hewitt is a young assassin who has an unnatural affinity for death, which strikes everyone he cares about.

Together, they’re sent on the trail of a corrupt Russian oligarch rumoured to be selling one of the Ragnarok artefacts. The journey will take them across Europe and into the darkest reaches of the occult. And it will uncover the terrible secret that has shaped both their lives…

-

"A Very Abaddon Christmas" Part 5: Christmas Past

Hi all,

Okay, here it is. As promised, you will be baked and there will be Christmas cake.

Yep, it's the fifth and final "A Very Abaddon Christmas"! I was gonna save this until Christmas Eve, but it was suggested that people might have turned off their computers and focused on family and stuff by then - as if you would abandon me - so it's going up a few days early. To get the full experience, go away and come back on Thursday.

And we're giving you something a little bit special. Because the final piece, Jonathan Green's "Christmas Past," is a full-length short story, we're giving it to you in PDF form or as a free eBook! The eBook comes with a signed christmas card just for you good boys and girls.

The story itself, fair warning, appeared in the back of Jon Green's Pax Britannia: Human Nature. If you've already read it and are naturally aggrieved to be given the same thing again, email me and I'll, I dunno, send you a picture of a Christmas robot or something.

To introduce the eBook, here is the Abaddon eBooks 'bot, &e7:

The eBook ‘bot has been festooned with tinsel and tiny USB powered coloured lights for the festive season although a stray piece of tinsel must have caused a short because it’s started making an odd burning smell now.

If you go to www.abaddonbooks.com/download you’ll find a seasonal gift from the eBooks team in the form of a FREE Pax Britannia short story. This little edition’s got a couple of extras tucked away in it and some news of upcoming titles.

We’ve been having a fiddle about with some new formatting and graphics – let us know what you think of the new styling, especially on iPhone or iPod Touch.

&e7

To get your free gift, follow the following links:

For the eBook: http://www.abaddonbooks.com/download

For the PDF: http://www.abaddonbooks.com/downloads/sample/christmas_past.pdf

If you somehow don't have an eReader and want the Christmas Card, you can download Adobe Digital Editions and read the .epub version of the book right on your computer.

Enjoy and have a safe and happy Christmas, with an acceptable minimum of zombies.

Thanks,

David and the Abaddon Team

"A Very Abaddon Christmas" Part 4: 'Twas the Night Before Giftfest

Hey all,

Right, we're not quite onto brandy and mince pies yet, so let's call this... the cheese course. Yeah, that's right. The cheese course.

Actually, it's pretty appropriate.

For the fourth instalment in that noted, ground-breaking guest-blogging event, A Very Abaddon Christmas, Mike Wild has given us a little ditty from Twilight of Kerberos.

"What's that?" I hear you cry. "Surely there's no Christmas on Twilight! It's, like, a fantasy world! David, what can you be saying?"

Think again, my good man. Think again.

’Twas the Night Before Giftfest

A Twilight of Kerberos: The Crucible of the Dragon God Story

By Mike Wild

’Twas the night before Giftfest, when through Kali’s pub
Not a worgle was stirring, nor Horse for his grub
Hooper’s stockings were slung by the fireplace, oh yeah
Where Slowhand caressed them, his body all bare

Dolorosa, meanwhile, was high up on the roof
There confronting a man and strange creatures on hoof
What’s that you say, fat boy, about goodwill and peace?
You go near that chimney I stabba you like theees!

Kali, through all this, lay betwattled in bed
While visions of Old Races whirled in her head
She hated the holidays, she thought they were crap
And the dwarves and elves called her, from the old map

Suddenly down in her belly there rumbled a groan
She sprang from her blankets and uttered a moan
Away to the window she flew with a “gack!”
Tore open the shutters and threw up her Thwack

Below in the courtyard a man dressed in red
Wiped away vomit from the top of his head
He sighed, all he’d wanted was to empty his sack
But after this, fark ‘em, he’d take it all back

Come the next morning not a present was seen
Once more it seemed the Laughing Lord hadn’t been
From pirates and Slowhand, Kali, Moon and the dragons
A Very Happy Giftfest from the Here There Be Flagons.

Today in the Office

Heh.

Ben: Has anyone got a rubber? Why hasn't anyone got a rubber?
Editors: Sorry, Not me, etc.
Ben: You editors! honestly!
Jenni: All we have are our red pens. Our red pens of doom.
David: They're not pens of doom. They're our only defense against an unpredictable and uncaring world.
Jenni: And bad grammar.
David: Exactly. Red pens are how we rage against the dying of the light.

Thank you.

"A Very Abaddon Christmas" Part 3: Perfect Presents

Hi all,

You didn't think I'd forgotten, did you?

It is, of course, time for the third instalment in our mouth-watering guest-blogging event of the century, "A Very Abaddon Christmas."

Filling today's little-plastic-chocolate-mould on your 99p ASDA advent calendar of the mind is this offering by Paul Kane, author of The Afterblight Chronicles: Arrowhead and The Afterblight Chronicles: Broken Arrow. Offering us a glimpse of Christmas in post-Blight Nottingham Castle, he sets this tale some time after the events of Broken Arrow...

Prefect Presents

A The Afterblight Chronicles: Arrowhead Story

By Paul Kane

  Robert had to admit, they’d done a fine job with the decorations.
  He’d barely noticed when he arrived back from patrol the day before – perhaps because he was tired and all he really wanted to do was get to bed, and get to sleep. Mary was still away from the castle; along with Jack and a clutch of Rangers she was delivering much needed care packages to villages on the outskirts of Nottingham, to the people struggling at this time of year. (He wasn’t worried about her safety – she’d shown him time and again she could take care of herself, and over the past year had been out on any number of missions with him.) Mary was also out spreading the word about their big event.
  They’d all missed out on a summer fête that year, the work that had gone into rebuilding the castle – and their lives – after what had happened with the Tsar had put them off any kind of big celebration. Even Robert and Mary’s wedding had been a low key affair (and deliberately so). Just the people closest attending, the people who mattered most, and Reverend Tate doing the honours, of course.
  But by the time the end of the year was drawing closer, residents at the castle were starting to talk about the possibility of a ‘Winter Festival’. Dale especially had been bending Robert’s ear about it.
  “I think he just wants the chance to show off again in front of an audience,” Mark had joked, referring to Dale’s previous life as a guitarist in the band One Simple Truth. “That and the chance to pull some groupies.”
  Sophie had punched the lad’s arm. “Mark, you’re terrible.”
  “You know it’s true.” He laughed and then put his arm around her shoulders. It was nice for Robert to see his adopted son so happy; it reminded him of the love he felt for the special woman in his life.
  So, catching him at a particularly vulnerable moment, Dale had finally persuaded him. “Okay, okay. You’re in charge of the entertainment, then.”
  “You bet!” Dale had said, grinning all over his face.
  It was Tate who’d organised the decorations, though – getting Bill to tap a few contacts from his market routes, and drafting in a few of the Rangers to help set them up. Robert hadn’t noticed these much when he got back, but now night-time was falling and the candles were being lit, he’d wandered out into the grounds to be confronted by something out of an old Christmas movie. Tinsel adorned the trees, gold and silver streamers ran the length of the castle walls. Even Robert had to admit, it was a beautiful sight.
  “You approve, then?” Tate asked, joining him at the top of the slope running down from the Middle Bailey.
  Robert nodded. “It’ll be just the boost the men need.”
  “Not to mention the people of Nottingham, and beyond,” Tate reminded him. “Looking forward to seeing Mary again?”
  “Do I even need to answer that?” Robert said with a smile.
  “I suppose you’ve got her something nice for Christmas – your first as a married couple and everything,” the holy man mused.
  Robert’s face fell. “Oh sh…” he began and then saw Tate’s raised eyebrow. “Sugar… I’ve been so busy with work and everything. I guess I just hadn’t really thought about it... Damn. Do you know if she’s got anything for me?”
  Tate would say nothing, simply advised him that he’d better get his thinking cap on.
  “And what about you?” Robert asked. “What would you like?”
  Tate sighed. “What I want, my son, I don’t think even you can arrange.”



  A few hours later people began to arrive for the celebration.
  An hour after that, it was in full swing. Beer and wine was flowing, there was enough food for all, and Dale played his guitar and sang to a packed audience of men, women and children – all of whom had been through some pretty traumatic times. It even had Bill, who’d arrived with a number of his marketer mates, tapping his toes to the beat.
  When he took his break, leaving a battery-operated CD player to blast out festive tracks, Dale grabbed hold of the tall American, Jack, by the arm. “Have you seen the talent that’s here tonight?”
  “Can’t say that I really noticed,” Jack replied.
  “Come on, you need to get back on the horse again,” said the younger man, referring to the business with Adele, when Jack had totally fallen for the wrong woman.
  Jack snorted. “I just got off one. Leave me be, kid.”
  Dale shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, but don’t complain when I’m unwrapping my presents and you get nothing.” He went off in the direction of a blonde and brunette who were about his age, putting an arm around each when he got there.
  Robert caught the display and chuckled, then realised that if Jack was around it meant that-
  A pair of hands covered his eyes. “Guess who,” he heard in his ear.
  “Er…got to be Mark, but I thought your voice had already broken, son?” He heard Mary laugh and turned, gathering her up in a tight embrace.
  “Miss me?” she asked when he put her down.
  “That depends – did you miss me?”
  Mary pretended to think about it, then broke into another smile. “What do you think?”
  “Brought some more people with you?” said Robert, looking around as more bodies filled the grounds.
  “I did indeed, and someone quite unexpected.”
  “Let me guess,” Robert said. “Santa Claus.”
  “Not really…look.” She pointed towards the gate and standing there was Gwen, holding little Clive Jr’s hand.
  “But…but how…? I thought she vowed never to come near this place again.”
  Mary shrugged. “Some of her ‘people’ wanted to come to the festival…Oh, wait…” Mary nodded across to Tate, who had now seen Gwen and was hobbling over to her, limping with his stick.
  Robert and Mary moved through the crowd so they could listen in.
  “Reverend,” said Gwen, eyeing up the man with what could only be classed as disdain. She still hadn’t forgiven him for luring her to the castle during the Tsar’s attack. Tate had only wanted to keep her safe, but that wasn’t how she’d seen it.
  “Gwen, I…”
  “Don’t get too excited, I’m just here to keep an eye on my lot.” She indicated a few of the residents of New Hope in the crowd.
  “I see…Look, Gwen. I know you-”
  Gwen turned her back on him, picking up her son and making to leave Tate’s presence – maybe even the party itself. She paused when he said, “Gwen…Gwen please stay. I haven’t seen you or Clive Jr in so long.”
  The willowy woman turned around slowly, then gave a small nod. They began to speak, but it was drowned out by a crowd of revellers going past. If nothing else it was maybe a start to healing past wounds. And perhaps that was just the present Tate had been talking about. As Robert watched them, though, he could have sworn he caught sight of someone lurking behind them in the gatehouse – someone wearing a crimson-coloured hood. Someone keeping an eye on Gwen, perhaps? But when he blinked and looked again, the figure was gone.
  “Robert,” said Mary, breaking into his thoughts, “I’ve got something for you.” She handed him a wrapped square, which he promptly undid, revealing a framed portrait of them both together – drawn by Mary herself.
  “I…I don’t know what to say…It’s…I’ve never…”
  “Shh, you don’t have to say anything, silly. Happy Christmas.” He kissed her and motioned for them to leave the party behind, stopping only briefly to note Sophie giving Mark a kiss under the mistletoe: his very own present.
  Robert led Mary outside the castle, to where his horse was waiting.
  “Where are we going?” she asked, as he climbed up and pulled her on behind him.
  “You’ll see.”
  The weather was much better than it had been this time last year, no snow in sight and a clear sky overhead. The journey took them a little while, but finally Robert guided his steed in through the gates of Sherwood.
  He heard Mary laugh, holding on tighter to him. Leaving the horse tethered, he led Mary into the heart of the forest, with a lit torch in front of him. There, in a clearing, was a make-shift camp, complete with a fire that just needed lighting and a lean-to tent cosy enough for two. Robert bent inside and brought out a bottle of champagne with two glasses.
  “Sorry it’s nothing much,” he told her. “I just thought, well, we don’t get that much privacy at the castle…”
  “Oh Robert, it’s absolutely brilliant! But won’t we be missed?”
  “Not for one night,” he promised, and drew her in close. Time alone was precious; the perfect gift they could give each other.
  They kissed under the stars, the leafless oaks allowing their light to shine through.
  “I love you, Mary,” Robert told her.
  “And I love you, too,” she replied, pulling up his hood and losing herself inside the folds…

Mass Movement: A Tale of Two Jonathans

Hi all,

Just to a quick shout out to Mass Movement magazine, who have flagged a couple more Abaddon features for us:

- Jonathan Oliver, whose book Twilight of Kerberos: The Call of Kerberos has just gone to press (and who is, incidentally, Editor-in-Chief of both Abaddon and Solaris) has been interviewed in Mass Movement #25, currently available for download.

- Jonathan Green's latest Ulysses Quicksilver book, Pax Britannia: Evolution Expects, has been reviewed on the site and is due to appear in MM #26.

Just you go and check 'em both out.

Awesome.

Thanks,

David

"A Very Abaddon Christmas" Part 2: Absent Friends

Hi all,

Well, we've whetted your appetite with the soup and pate. Time to push aside the sprouts, scrape off the gravy and tuck into some tasty dark meat.

Er, sorry. Metaphor kind of got away from me there.

Actually, I'm kinda hungry now. Is anyone else hungry? I'm hungry.

Anyway, the second instalment in our December 2009 guest-blogging event, A Very Abaddon Christmas, is a teaser for Al Ewing's upcoming Pax novel...

Absent Friends

A Pax Britannia Story

By Al Ewing

  His fingers were capable of bending steel, but they gripped the stem of the wine glass gently, precisely.
  “Here’s to absent friends,” said Doc Thunder, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes - those eyes of dazzling, uncomfortable blue, that could see further and more clearly than any other human could ever hope to. They seemed clouded now, that unnatural blueness faded like a picture left in the sun. They seemed tired.
  Mona looked at him, concerned, and he shook his head, groping for the words. “Sorry. I just never thought… I always hoped I’d be able to reform him. Rehabilitate him.”
  Mona smiled slightly, looking down at her plate. “Well, you were the only one who did. The man was a mad dog, Doc, and dangerous enough to kill the whole world if he couldn’t take it. You had to know he’d rather die than be stopped.” She reached out a hand, resting it on his. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
  Thunder shook his head. “There should have been another way.”
  For a while, the only sound in the laboratory was the clicking of cutlery on china as he poked at the turkey in front of him, prodding it around the plate, making a pretence at eating.
  “If you’re not eating that, I will.” Mona said between mouthfuls. “This is good stuff, Doc. Even better than last year. Maybe you should drop all this ‘protector of the downtrodden’ business and become a chef.”
  Thunder smiled wryly, pushing his plate at her. “Cooking is a science, and you know how I am about science. I can’t rest until I’ve mastered it and put it to use.” He scratched thoughtfully at his beard. “Though you might be onto something there. I could lend a hand at a soup kitchen between cases. God knows I’ll have more time on my hands now…”
  He sighed, taking a long sip of the wine.
  “I still can’t believe it. Lars Lomax is dead. He’s haunted my dreams for fifty years, he’s caused me more trouble than N.I.G.H.T.M.A.R.E., Untergang and the Hidden Empire put together, and now he’s gone.”
  Mona smiled. “Merry Christmas.”
  Thunder shook his head. “It doesn’t feel like a present.”
  “What does it feel like?”
  “A waste. A stupid, useless, unnecessary waste. That man could have been a new Galileo. A Newton. A Cavor. And now he‘s nothing. Ashes floating down the Amazon.”
  Mona shrugged. “That’s the difference between you and me. You always see the best in people. I love you for it, but you need to understand that Lars Lomax was never going to be anything other than what he was, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll stop being such a miserable son of a bitch and ruining Christmas for everybody else.” She smiled sweetly. “Just saying.”
  Thunder laughed despite himself. “Fine, Merry Christmas.” He took a swallow of the wine, and then took his plate back, digging a fork into the turkey. “And a Happy New Year.”
  But as it turned out, it was anything but.

Hungry Hearts Reviews

Hi all,

If you liked "Hungry Christmas," you'd probably like Tomes of the Dead: Hungry Hearts. It's, like, the same character, by the same author, in the same setting. But if that argument didn't just knock your novelty reindeer-and-holly socks the hell off your feet, you probably want to check out this review that appeared right after I posted the story (Eerie, huh? I mean, for real; nobody told me this was coming out.):

Peter Tennant of TTA Press's Black Static has chosen Gary McMahon as the featured author in his Case Notes column in the latest issue, Black Static #14. He reviews Hungry Hearts and one of Gary's other books, Different Skins, gives you a bibliography of Gary's work, and just generally has a bit of a chat about Gary's writing and his thoughts on it. All great stuff. Buy their magazine now. Do it.

I mean it. Stop reading. Do it.

Peter also blogs on the TTA site for Interzone magazine, where he's running a genre-fiction "Advent Calendar" blog, posting links nominated by readers on the TTA forum. And today's entry is none other than "Hungry Christmas." Many thanks for the shout out, Peter.

While we're lovin' it, here's another review by Paul Smith of the British Fantasy Society. It's a little older, but I don't think I've already posted it to the blog (please excuse if I have).

Cheers,

David

eBook Bestsellers

A little number-crunching from Abaddon’s eBook ‘bot reveals the current bestselling titles. (Click on the titles for links to sellers.)

1. Shadowmage (TWILIGHT OF KERBEROS)
Lucius Kane finds his loyalty torn between the ‘Hands’ and his mentor in the secret society of Shadowmages.

2. The Culled (AFTERBLIGHT CHRONICLES)
‘The Blight’ sweeps across the world sparing no-one except those with a particular blood type. Those that remain struggle to survive the post-apocalyptic nightmare.

3. Unquiet Grave (DURHAM RED)
A thousand years young and with a body built for sin, mutant vampire Durham Red just wants to get her kicks while she can... but a nightmare tribe of blood worshippers have other ideas A great 2000 AD novel !

4. Dredd VS Death (JUDGE DREDD)
No surprise to see Dredd in the top five! Dredd is pitted against the four Dark Judges in this all-action novel.

5. Fear the Darkness (ANDERSON PSI DIVISION)
Called in to psychically read the crime scene, Psi-Judge Anderson encounters ever-increasing signs that a malignant psychic presence is at work. Prepare yourself for a tense and intriguing investigation that will blow your mind.


Hot off the ePress!

I’d definitely recommend Night’s Haunting from the TWILIGHT OF KERBEROS series. More trouble in store for thief and Shadowmage, Lucius Kane. This, the latest in the series was released just this month in the original printed form and also in scrummy eBook format.

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your eReaders!!!

&e7

The ebook 'bot.

"A Very Abaddon Christmas" Part 1: Hungry Christmas

Hi all,

Okay, here it is. I know you're all as excited as me about this, so without further ado, I am please and proud to present to you the first installment in our December 2009 guest-blogging event, A Very Abaddon Christmas...

Hungry Christmas

A Tomes of the Dead: Hungry Hearts story

by Gary McMahon

It’s been said that your life flashes before your eyes in the moment of death, depicting scenes dragged up from the vault of memory. As his undead wife ripped out his heart and ate it, Rick Nutman’s mind flicked briefly to something different: a Christmas that might have been...

  He’d only entered the shopping centre in search of supplies, foolishly thinking that he might find a turkey hidden away in the freezer department of HumSave, or some dried-up Christmas pud left forgotten on an otherwise empty shelf in M&S.
  What he didn’t expect was Santa.
  The large figure in red was plodding around the ornamental fountain in the foyer, swaying from side to side like he was drunk. But he wasn’t drunk; he was dead.
  Dead Santa.
  Rick took out the Glock pistol and slowly made his way across the foyer, crouching behind the wide support pillars. He’d never believed in Santa, even as a child, and he wasn’t about to start believing in the fat fool now...
  Dead Santa’s beard was red, covered in blood, and his face was white as snow. He caught sight of Rick and began to stumble towards him, still carrying his sack of presents. The dead fat man splashed through the fountain, his baggy red trousers loose and soggy, and opened his mouth to reveal jagged, broken teeth and a throat some joker had stuffed with silver tinsel.
  Rick shot him in the mouth, blowing a hole through the middle of his gore-soaked beard. Dead Santa’s face collapsed inward, deflating like a punctured plastic Christmas bauble.
  The sack fell from Dead Santa’s grasp, spilling its contents. Gifts and cards and tacky tree decorations spread out around his fallen body.
  Rick walked over and picked up a toy gun. He smiled. Pulled the trigger.
  Click!
  Then he went back outside to the jeep, mumbling under his breath: “Fuck you and the reindeer you rode in on...”

Reviews, and Christmas Special Announcement!

Hi all,

Right, so as promised, a couple of quick reviews:

- Martijn at Mass Movement has penned us this fine review of Al Ewing's The Afterblight Chronicles: Death Got No Mercy.

- And on the subject of Afterblight Chronicles, we've also got this review from 2000AD of Scott Andrews' The Afterblight Chronicles: Operation Motherland, and this one from Mass Movement.

Check 'em out.

Second:



I'm very proud to announce an exciting feature we'll be running over the next couple of weeks: A Very Abaddon Christmas!

As a special treat for you, we've asked our Abaddon authors to write guest blogs for us, telling us what their favourite characters are up to as they settle down to turkey and trimmings, brains, canned SPAM or what-have-you this Christmas. Of course, they're all very busy boys and girls, but a handful of them have been kind enough to oblige us with a little Christmas spirit.

We're launching tomorrow, and will be posting two or three a week up to Christmas Eve, when we will be giving you all a free PDF edition of Jonathan Green's short story "Christmas Past" (previously published in Pax Britannia: Human Nature) to curl up with that night, when (as I'm sure you all will) you head to bed early to listen for the sound of tinkling bells...

Or, uh, the groans of zombies, the rattle of automatic fire, the clash of rapiers, the flash of magic spells going off, or whatever it is gets you to sleep.

Keep an eye on the blog, and enjoy.

Cheers,

David