Con Report: LOOOONE STAAAARRR Con 3

Hey everyone!

So me and Jon have just (Well, not just; about a week ago. I was tired. It was a long flight, okay? Just shut up about it already.) got back from San Antonio, TX and the nerdapalooza that was LoneStarCon 3. And it was epic.

First off, San Antonio is hot. Like, hot. Like, okay, I'm from a pretty hot place myself, but this was actual, for real, fuck-you hot. It hit 105 degrees, and while I'm pretty sure that's some sort of crazy Imperial measurement, I wouldn't, having lived through it, put actual money on that.

But San Antonio is a place where "profligate waste of energy" ran into "oppressive subtropical heat" and broke. The convention took place in colossal indoor spaces, whole cathedrals of glass and steel, that were nevertheless cooled to bone-chillingly cold temperatures. I should, on behalf of whales and dolphins and Greenpeace protesters everywhere, have been affronted at this, but as you opened the door and this blast of frigid air hit you, all you could think was, "It's worth it. Never say it isn't."

But they have this whole semi-wonderland called the "River Walk" (pictured above). It's this spectacularly artificial tree-bedecked network of walkways, bridges and balconies built just below street level lining the river, and it's kind of shaded and lined with shops and cafes, and it really is quite lovely, even if it makes you feel like you're at Center Parcs.

And never mind all that, because for the first time in my life, dear readers, I was in the United States. So I got to all kinds of stupid shit that really don't matter, but are in their tiny way kind of amazing. Like ride in an actual yellow taxi (there's Arianne "Tex" Thompson, one of Solaris's writers, on the left); it's just a fucking taxi, but it's a proper Murican yellow taxi and I was in it and it was cool and shut up.

And we ate a lot. Texans do not believe in small portions, and that really isn't just a colourful reputation or the kind of rubbish boasting people do when they're being a bit jingoistics. We didn't have a small meal all weekend. We actually took to ordering bar snacks. And not eating them all.

But it was a good opportunity to meet and connect with folk, and enjoy the company of some extremely friendly people, and here's a picture of some of us hanging around at just about the hippest BBQ joint you can imagine (seriously, they had all ethically-produced, locally-sourced meat, and they did things like asparagus icecream accompaniments; it was cool but a bit jarring), with Jennie Goloboy, Tex, Jon, Libby McGugan, Bean Jeapes and John Carter Cash's right arm.*

We also went up the Tower of the Americas, which is mildly famous, although I had to think a bit to make sure I wasn't thinking of Stratosphere or the Space Needle, because all of these observation towers are really terribly similar. At any rate, it turns out it was built for the '68 World's Fair, and it has an obligatory moving restaurant in it, so we could very gradually see all of San Antonio pass beneath us as the sun set, which was lovely. And we had some really very nice food (a lot of it, natch) with Jack Skillingstead, Nancy Kress, Libby McGugan, Ben Jeapes, Brenda Cooper and a friend of Brenda's whose name I didn't catch.

So it was a very good time for walking around, eating, drinking (be very cautious drinking margaritas in San Antonio; or, perhaps, be very cautious ordering a second margarita in San Antonio - they're really quite strong, a fact that you won't fully appreciate until you're already started the second one and realised you should have had a coke). And it was an awesome time for meeting people: authors, agents, members of the SFWA and fans in general, and our esteemed peers and rivals across the pond.

And we got a bit of tourism in! Did you know that San Antonio's where the Alamo is? I didn't. (Okay, you did; I guess you're just a better person than me. Whatever.) Anyway, it's just right there! You can just walk to it. It's not even, like, a bus ride outside town or anything; it was right around the corner from the convention! There's Jon on a terribly pretty fountain, and me by the entrance. That thoughtful expression is me remembering the Alamo, something I gather you are encouraged to do in Texas.


"So shut up about your holiday abroad!" I hear you cry. "What about the con?" Well, I'm glad you ask.


It was immense. Thousands of fans, creators and community people, talking, showing, watching, trading, selling, buying, arguing, discussing, and generally advancing and promoting the genres and media we all love. It was amazing to see the commitment and passion on display everywhere. We sat on panels - our early-morning, still-jet-lagged, still-frankly-kind-of-hungover "Solaris Presents" (which came out as "Abaddon, Solaris and Ravenstone Present" in the end) panel went really rather well given the time and our mental states, the gender parity and economics-of-publishing (mostly about Print-on-Demand and ebooks) panels Jon sat on were a lot of fun, and the horror panel that Lee Harris very kindly invited Jon to step up to was amazing - but mostly we met people, talked about past achievements, future ambitions, and the future direction of our world.

And rather wonderfully there was a full-scale reproduction of part of the bridge of the Enterprise from the original series of Star Trek. Here we are being captains. Are we not masterful (and fat; I kind of look like later-era Kirk, while Jon looks like earlier, sexy Kirk)?

And then there were the Hugo awards. It's actually kind of awe-inspiring being there. It's always nice being invited to any awards ceremony, and it's always very gratifying to be present when the wonderful people who create the stories we read and publish are acknowledged and applauded for their efforts, but there a lot of awards, you know, and you can get kind of used to them. But the Hugo's the first award you hear about, in our circles, and it remains - to me at least - a fairly special accomplishment set out from the rest, however jaded you get. It was awesome to actually go to one.


Huge congratulations go to all the winners and finalists of the prestigious awards (and especially to Pat Cadigan, whose contribution to Jonathan Strahan's Edge of Infinity won the trophy for Best Novelette), and huge thanks to Paul Cornell for a brilliant ceremony. 


After that was the after-party, where I got to meet some of the organisers and members of the SFWA, which was a brilliant opportunity and which I was genuinely excited to be doing.


So, yeah. That was What We Did On Our Weekend. I hope you had as good a time as we did.


Cheers,


David




*And yes, three of the people in that picture are British. Never mind that.

Jon's Worldcon schedule

So, as some of you may know, this week the World Science Fiction Convention comes to San Antonio and myself and the esteemed David Moore will be in attendance. For those what want to know, my schedule while in Texas will be as follows:

Solaris Presents

Friday 10am-11

Join myself, David Moore and a handful of authors as we take you into the intriguing world of Solaris, Abaddon and Ravenstone. Upcoming titles will be revealed and our selection of authors will be on hand to talk about their work.

Gender in SF

Saturday 12-13pm

How has SF influenced and reflected the changes in gender and gender roles over the past half century? As we look back to the work of writers such as Ursula LeGuin and Joanna Russ in the sixties and seventies, what can we say about their impact and that of their heirs today?

I will be joining Vylar Kaftan, Eileen Gunn, Tili Sokolov and Lezli Robyn on what promises to be a fascinating panel.

The Changing Economics of Book Production

Saturday 17-18pm

My fellow panelists for this are Tom Doherty, John DeNardo and Steve Silver.

Signings

 Willie Siro's marvelous Adventures in Crime and Space store in the dealer's room will be hosting several of our author's signings over the weekend. These are:

Friday 11am - Ben Jeapes signings Phoenecia's Worlds and other titles.
3pm - Jack Skillingstead signing Life on the Preservation and other titles.

Saturday 12pm - Chuck Wendig signing Gods and Monsters and other titles.
2pm - John Carter Cash signing Lupus Rex.

Anyway, hope to see some of you there!

August! New Books!

Hey kids,

So yeah, it's August. Which means we're all just about ready for summer and it's already half over. Because that's how this shit works. We're British, and there's rules.

So while you're chewing your way through burned hamburgers at your dad's poorly planned barbecue, planning what to sacrifice among the approximately a billion awesome things there are to do on the Bank Holiday weekend, and alternating between complaining about the oppressive heat (when it's sunny) and how basically we haven't had a summer (when it's not sunny), I thought I'd make the days pass a little more pleasantly and announce three new books that came out this week.

Yeah, that's right. Count 'em.

Because I love you, and I want you to be happy.

Boom.

-----

So we'll start with Eric Brown's Weird Space: Satan's Reach, second book in the critically-acclaimed Weird Space series.

Telepath Den Harper did the dirty work for the authoritarian Expansion, reading the minds of criminals, spies and undesirables. Unable to take the strain, he stole a starship and headed into the unknown, a sector of lawless space known as Satan’s Reach. For five years he worked as a trader among the stars – then discovered that the Expansion had set a bounty hunter on his trail.

Following last year's The Devil's Nebula, Eric brings us a new core character - the world-weary telepath Den Harper - and introduces us to a new, seedy neighbourhood in the Weird Space universe. Still lots of horrible aliens to contend with, though, to say nothing of the oppressive Expansion.

Weird Space is available in both paperback and ebook versions right now.

Paperback

Amazon UK  Amazon US

Kindle

Amazon UK  Amazon US

-----

We'll follow up with David Thomas Moore's* Pax Britannia: The Ultimate Secret, a new novella in the long-running Pax Britannia steampunk series.

The Ultimate Reich. The great enemy of Magna Britannia, the unwavering stronghold whose power extends from the depths of Africa to the outlands of Mexico, and even across the barrier of time itself. For more than half a century, the Führer’s empire has plagued the world, but thanks to the efforts of a brave handful, the Reich’s most terrible secret may be on the verge of exposure.

Reaching out across the pond to grasp both Jonathan Green's Ulysses Quicksilver books and Al Ewing's El Sombra tales, The Ultimate Secret shows you corners of the Pax world you've never seen before, from the ancient cobbles of Socialist Rome to the crowded villas of Buenos Aires.

The Ultimate Secret is available exclusively in ebook format.

Kindle

Amazon UK   Amazon US

-----

Finally, we'll swing by Mega-City One for Michael Carroll's Judge Dredd Year One: The Cold Light of Day, the second novella in the wildly successful Judge Dredd Year One series.

2080: All leave for the Judges in Mega-City one has been cancelled: they are needed for crowd-control during the annual Mega-City 5000 motorbike race. the race crosses back and forth across the city, from north to south, and millions of people are expected to line the streets to cheer on their favourite teams and riders.

In the ongoing story of Old Stoney Face's rookie year, Joe Dredd is confronted with a grizzly murder that he could possibly have prevented, five years ago in his cadet days. But can he really be held accountable for another man's crimes? Can you be judged for an oversight you couldn't possibly know about at the time?

The Cold Light of Day is available exclusive in ebook format.

Kindle

Amazon UK   Amazon US

-----

*Yes, me. And while I'm not going to say I'm going to kick a puppy if you don't buy this book and validate me, I'm not going to say I'm not going to, either.

Pax Britannia's Coming Over All German

Hey.

So in international news, the German publisher LUZIFERverlag has purchased the translation rights to Unnatural History, the first book in the Pax Britannia series. They've just finished work, which will be out shortly.

Read Jonathan Green's announcement on his blog.

Cheers,

David

Vote Time's Arrow for the VSS Award

Hey all!

So in case you don't routinely hang out with people dressed in tweed and decorated with brass (and why not, fine body of men and women), you should know that the Victorian Steampunk Society (I'll confess I feel that the qualifier is unnecessary, both because, as a rule, pretty all steampunk is Victorian and because, in the event that a member wants to muck about with some non-Victorian steampunk, nobody's likely to say they can't...) holds what are probably the most important awards in the steampunk community - the Victorian Steampunk Society Awards - every year at the Asylum.

Now, our one and only Jonathan Green, author of the ever-popular Pax Britannia series, has blogged about this fact and about how the ground-breaking readership-led Time's Arrow, eighth book in the oldest still-ongoing steampunk series in the world, is eligible for this year's award. And I thought, "You know what? He's bloody well right! I must remind my internet 'peeps' right away, so they can get a shift on and nominate it so as it gets onto the short list, what?"

So I urge you to jump on the VSS Awards web page (linked above) and nominate it now, get this fine work on its way to a richly deserved award...

David

Space is about to get a lot weirder, with Eric Brown's latest novel from Abaddon

Weird Space: 

Satan's Reach

by Eric Brown

The universe expands on 25 June (US & Can) and July 4 (UK)

£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-1-78108-130-3

$7.99/$9.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1-78108-121-1

Available in paperback and ebook

“Eric Brown spins a terrific yarn.”

- SFX on Guardians of the Phoenix

“It’s a runaway success.”

- Tor.com on Weird Space: The Devil’s Nebula

Telepath Den Harper did the dirty work for the authoritarian Expansion, reading the minds of criminals, spies and undesirables, for years. Unable to take the strain, he stole a starship and headed into the void, a sector of lawless space known as Satan’s Reach. For five years he worked as a trader among the stars – then discovered that the Expansion had set a bounty hunter on his trail.

But what does the Expansion want with a lowly telepath like Harper? Is there something in the rumours that human space is being invaded by aliens from another realm? Harper finds out the answer to both these questions when he rescues a young woman from certain death – and comes face to face with the terrible aliens known as the Weird.

Eric Brown continues to expand the Weird Space universe, which he created for Abaddon Books, with a fast paced action-adventure that pits humanity against unimaginable terror from beyond.

About the Author

Eric Brown began writing when he was fifteen, while living in Australia, and sold his first short story to Interzone in 1986. He has won the British Science Fiction Award twice for his short stories, has published over forty books, and his work has been translated into sixteen languages. His latest books include the SF novels The Serene Invasion, Satan’s Reach, and the crime novel Murder by the Book. He writes a regular science fiction review column for the Guardian newspaper and lives near Dunbar, East Lothian. His website can be found at www.ericbrown.co.uk

Looking Back: Some Kind of Paul Kane Interview, You Say?

Hey all,

Obviously we're quite excited about the Hooded Man omnibus that's coming soon, in print (US only) and ebook (everywhere) editions, but it's not quite time yet to give it to you.

I know, I know, and trust me, your frustration is like sweet, sweet nectar to me.

At any rate, to whet your appetites, here's an interview that the amazing and lovely Ms Perry and Mr Shurin of Pornokitsch.com conducted with Paul about the trilogy back in 2010.

Part One • Part Two • Part Three

Check it out.

David

After the world died, a legend rises: this is HOODED MAN!

Hooded Man

by Paul Kane

The fight back begins in North American bookstores on 11^th June

$12.99/$14.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1-78108-168-6

Available in paperback and ebook

“Incredible… Paul Kane is a gifted writer.” – Terrorizer.com

“A tale that will keep you glued to the last page.” – Falcata Times on Broken Arrow

After the success of its School’s Out Forever collection, Abaddon Books is releasing a trio of Robin Hood-inspired post-apocalyptic novels by Paul Kane in an omnibus exclusively for the North American market.

When civilisation died and the world descended into a new Dark Age, Robert Stokes lost everything, retreating into the woods near Nottingham to turn his back on it all.

But foreign mercenary and arms dealer De Falaise sees England as ripe for conquest – and when he and his army arrive at Nottingham, Stokes is reluctantly drawn into the resistance.

From Sherwood he leads the fight and takes on the mantle of the world’s greatest folk hero. The Hooded Man and his allies will become a symbol of freedom, a shining light in the horror of a blighted world, but he can never rest: De Falaise is only the first of his kind.

Filled with impressive action and desperate characters, this hard-edged dystopian omnibus collects the novels Arrowhead, Broken Arrow and Arrowland.

About the Author

Paul Kane has been writing professionally for more than 14 years. His genre journalism has appeared in such magazines as The Dark Side, Death Ray, Fangoria, SFX, Dreamwatch and Rue Morgue, and his first non-fiction book was the critically acclaimed The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy. His award-winning short fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies on both sides of the Atlantic and has been collected in Alone (In the Dark), Touching the Flame, FunnyBones and Peripheral Visions. His novella Signs of Life reached the shortlist of the British Fantasy Awards 2006, The Lazarus Condition was introduced by Mick Garris, creator of Masters of Horror, and RED featured artwork from Dave McKean. In 2008 his zombie story ‘Dead Time’ was turned into an episode of the Lionsgate/NBC TV series Fear Itself. He currently lives in Derbyshire, UK, with his wife – the author Marie O’Regan – his family, and a black cat called Mina.

Where's (Coyote's) Wally?

Hey buds,

So I'm back! Feels good. Hope you were all well-behaved when I was away, and didn't cause Jon or Ben or Michael any trouble. We wouldn't want... trouble.

Anyway.

While I was away, I noticed that Pat Kelleher, author of the brand new e-novella Gods & Monsters: Drag Hunt (which I've talked about before), has found himself speculating about his creation.

As you know, the novella (which went on sale through all good ebook channels on Tuesday 7th) is about "Kai"—the native American god Coyote—losing his penis and going on a quest to find it.

Pat, then, naturally found himself asking,

"Where would Coyote's penis hide, if it were lost out in the world?"

It's a fair question. I mean, dude is seriously equipped; it's not an easy thing to conceal. You'd need somewhere it could go where it would look like stuff around it, camouflage it a bit.

This is what Pat dug up.

Architecture's a pretty obvious area for Coyote's wayward member to slip in, as it were, unnoticed. They even refer to "erecting" a building...

Then again, Kai's a pretty naturalistic guy; he'd probably prefer to blend into the landscape. And, you know, he's got the stones for it.*

Something more ephemeral, maybe? Icebergs come and go, they change their shape, they float around. That might appeal to Coyote's old chap, who—after all—is pretty much as tricky as its owner.

At this point, I assume, Pat's search for "interesting things in the world that look like willies" had turned into "David needs a month or two of sleepless nights, filled with endless screaming horror."

So there you go. Have any of you seen Coyote's willy hiding out in the world?

Cheers,

David



*I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. Last time I use that line. I promise.

Look Upon My Works, Ye Mighty, And Despair

Hey chaps, chapettes, chapesas, Chap Peterson, Kevin "Chap" O'Reilly, Charlie Chaplin impressionists, the line-up of the band The Chap, the editorial staff of The Chap, and the residents of the community of Chap, Virginia:

 

So my life has recently undergone A Bit Of A Change. Thought you might want to see.

 

 



Her name is Beatrix Elizabeth Rose Moore, she was born on Wednesday 8th May in the evening, and she is basically already cooler than you.

 

So I may be a sluggish replying to email for the next week or so. I still love you!*

 

Cheers,

 

David

 

*But not as much as her.

Knight of Shadows Cover Reveal!

Hola, mi nerdinos.

So I've made passing reference to another new world we're launching this year: Hunter of Sherwood, a revisionist Robin Hood setting rolling out this summer with Toby Venables' (of Viking Dead fame) Hunter of Sherwood: Knight of Shadows. So you'll be hearing more about Hunter and Knight as the launch date closes in, but I thought, for starters, you might want to whet your appetite with Luke Preece and Pye Parr's beautiful cover.

Sweeeeet.

GODS! MONSTERS! YES!

Hey you guys!

Yes, you. No shut up, I'm talking to you. Just come over here and listen, because this is important.

So we may have already blathered at you about this cool stuff upcoming, but did you realise that today's the day we launch Gods and Monsters?

I know, right? I told you this was important.

So Gods and Monsters is the latest new world in Abaddon's stable, a dark, hectic urban fantasy in which the gods are all real, and all here... and they're exactly as colossal a collection of douches as you remember them being from the old myths.* It is a world in which men rising up to defy the gods is less a case of tragic hubris leading to inevitable destruction and more an important part of the working week.

And we are, with no little excitement, launching today, with not one, but two titles!

So, yes. The ebook versions of Chuck Wendig's full-length novel Gods and Monsters: Unclean Spirits and Pat Kelleher's exclusive novella-length ebook Gods and Monsters: Drag Hunt are both hitting the electronic shelves at Kindle, iTunes, Nook and elsewhere today. The dead-tree edition of Unclean Spirits hits the shelves in the US today, and in the UK Thursday.

If you're not buying/downloading/grabbing and reading these two books, it's because you hate your eyes. And if that's the case, heaven help you.**

Gods and Monsters: Unlean Spirits

iTunes US • iTunes UK

Kindle Store US • Kindle Store UK

Barnes & Noble US • Nook UK

Gods and Monsters: Drag Hunt

iTunes US • iTunes UK

Kindle Store US • Kindle Store UK

Barnes & Noble US • Nook UK

CHUCK WENDING SIGNING!

BUT WAIT! Before you (understandably) rush off to buy these fine texts and immeasurably improve your lives, there's more!

Because Chuck's going to be at the Rebellion Publishing stand at Book Expo America 2013 in New York, signing and giving away exclusive Unclean Spirits posters.

You can come find him from 3-4pm on Saturday 1st June - the public opening day of the Expo (buy tickets to the expo here) - at Stand #2748. We'll be extremely happy to see you.


*Assuming, here, you read one of the cool myth books, with rape and shapeshifting and torture and murder and yay. If you read some kind of Bowdlerised Roger Lancelyn Green bullshit (seriously, I loved my RLG books as a teenager, but they were some kind of confusing crap), you may be forgiven for trying to work out who was willing to conduct three marriage ceremonies for Freya and various dwarves on the same night, and why exactly they did that.

**Okay, the "heaven" line wasn't deliberate, but kinda works, so let's say it was.

Ebook Exclusive: Drag Hunt!

Hey mofos,

So you're no doubt acutely aware that whiskey-drinking, bile-spewing, beard-sporting nogoodnik penmonkey Chuck Wendig, who vomits his brainmeatwordings out at the world through the interwebface at Terribleminds.com, has graced us with another book, in the form of Gods and Monsters: Unclean Spirits (which you will, I am sure, remember us telling you about only very recently). 

It is an urban fantasy of the very urbanest and most fantastic, with an army of cruel, self-serving gods romping up and down the US heartland torturing, traumatising, transforming and manipulating mortals in a kind of Hesiod-meets-Kerouac-meets-Saw-III way. It's got gods and tricksters, Devils and angels, guns and bombs, stolen cars, golden chains and magical flying penises in it. It's basically better than other books, and it's out next week.

What you may not have known is that at the very exact same time as we're unleashing Unclean Spirits, we're bringing out a second book (well, an exclusive novella-length ebook) in the same world by No Man's World creator Pat Kelleher, and it's called Drag Hunt. 

Drag Hunt tells the story of one of the characters from the first book, on a bit of a private mission. Or a mission for his privates. It's—actually, fuck it; I'll let the blurb tell you:

COYOTE HAS LOST HIS PENIS.

The Native American trickster god and Richard Green, one of his mortal marks, find themselves unwitting bedfellows as they seek to regain what they have both lost. The trail leads them to England, where they find murdered Anglo-Saxon spirits, a reclusive god of the forge, a London gentleman’s club exclusively for deities and a terrifying conspiracy.

If Coyote is going to save the world and get his mojo back, it’s going to take everything in his bag of tricks—and he’s suffering from the ultimate performance anxiety.

Awesome, right? I'm doing you a favour by pointing this out to you, basically; you won't be able to enjoy your Pimms this sunny weekend knowing you were missing out on the literary event of the century.

"You had me at 'COYOTE HAS LOST HIS PENIS.' Kelleher writes something here that is magical, hilarious, disturbed, and inspired."

—Chuck Wendig.

£3.49 in the UK, $3.99 in the US. Check it.

iTunes US • iTunes UK

Kindle Store US • Kindle Store UK

Barnes & Noble US • Nook UK

A window into our worlds: check out the Abaddon & Solaris YouTube channel!

With author interviews, book launches, and readings the new Abaddon & Solaris YouTube channel is perfect for a little lunchtime viewing if you're looking for new reading challenges and fancy plunging into our plethora of worlds.

The team behind the two imprints is beavering away to bring you audiovisual entertainment to go alongside your reading pleasure and we'll be adding more fresh content about our forthcoming titles, as well as trailers, so keep your eyes glued to our Twitter and Facebook feeds for alerts about the latest videos.

In the meantime, welcome to our worlds...

The launch of Gideon's Angel...

Scott K. Andrews talks about School's Out Forever...

Gaie Sebold discusses Babylon Steel...

The launch of Solaris Rising 2...

Coming in May! Chuck Wendig's new world for Abaddon - Gods and Monsters: Unclean Spirits

Gods and Monsters:

Unclean Spirits

by Chuck Wendig

The gods descend on May 9th

£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-1-78108-095-5

$9.99/$12.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1-78108-096-2

Available in paperback and ebook

“If you’re looking for a sassy, hard-boiled thriller with a paranormal slant,

Wendig has established himself as the go-to man.” – The Guardian

“Chuck Wendig has raised the bar of the urban fantasy genre” – New York Journal of Books on Blackbirds

The master of in-your-face visceral horror, Chuck Wendig, returns to Abaddon Books with a brand new title and a brand new world that is not to be missed – Gods and Monsters: Unclean Spirits!

The gods and goddesses are real. A many-headed pantheon—a tangle of divine hierarchies—once kept the world at arm’s length, warring with one another for mankind’s belief and devotion. It was a grim and bloody balance, but a balance just the same. When one god triumphed, driving all other gods out of Heaven, it was back to the bad old days: cults and sycophants, and the terrible retribution the gods visit on those who spite them.

Five years ago, it all went wrong for Cason Cole. He lost his wife and son, lost everything, and was bound into service to a man who chews up human lives and spits them out. Now, as the man he both loves and hates lies dying at his feet, Cason is finally free. And no gods, demi-gods, acolyte, or monstrous abomination is going to stop him from getting back what’s his...

Wendig is a massive talent with a huge online following and Gods and Monsters is a brand new world he has created for Abaddon Books. Pat Kelleher is to continue the series with the e-title Gods and Monsters: Drag Hunt, which will launch online on the same day as Unclean Spirits.

Abaddon Books appoints David Moore as new commissioning editor

Abaddon Books is very pleased to announce that desk editor David Moore is to be the imprint’s new commissioning editor.

David will oversee Abaddon Books’ new commissions as well as creating more new original shared worlds – joining series such as the zombie-themed novels of Tomes of the Dead, the post-apocalyptic Afterblight Chronicles, and the Steampunk adventure pulp of Pax Britannia.

This year Abaddon Books will launch two new series – Chuck Wendig’s Gods and Monsters (named as one of the ‘Essential Science Fiction and Fantasy books of 2013’ by io9) and Toby Venables’ Guy of Gisburne, as well as more in the Weird Space series by SF legend Eric Brown.

Editor-in-chief of Abaddon Books and Solaris, Jonathan Oliver, said: “Ever since David started with Rebellion Publishing, it’s been clear that he has an incisive eye for what makes a story work and an editorial hand that gets the best out of a book, while maintaining a great relationship with the author. I’m really excited to be handing over the Abaddon reins to David and can’t wait to see what he plans for the imprint.”

David said: “I’ve loved every minute of my time with Abaddon Books so far: we punch above our weight, take risks, produce the books we want to and have fun doing it. Getting a chance to take the helm on the imprint Jon put so much of his love and energy into, to steer it through the next few years and stamp my own mark on it, is incredibly exciting. Also scary. Very scary. I’ve already changed trousers twice today.”

Born and raised in Australia, David has lived in three different countries, but as of last year has spent more than half his life in the UK. A life-long geek, passionate reader and aspiring writer (he began the first of, to date, five unfinished novels, Eight-legged Aliens, on a Commodore 64), David has been writing for magazines and websites for 15 years, working in the publishing industry for three, and picking on people’s grammar and spelling since he could walk. His past career has been mixed, to say the least, including bar and theatre work, providing technology support in the banking sector and filling tea and coffee pots in an architectural firm. He lives in Reading with his wife, Tamsin.

Nazi Zombie Army - Free ebook!

Wotcher all,

Hold on to your machineguns brains hats, because this is pretty damn exciting...

Rebellion's new World-War-II-meets-zombie-horror first-person-shooter, Nazi Zombie Army, is available for download from Steam as of 5pm GMT today.

Based on their hugely successful Sniper Elite V2 game, NZA pitches the history-changing Karl Fairburne against a rising tide of the Fuhrer's most blasphemelicious forces (that's totally a word; trust me, I'm an editor).

Put it this way: Indiana Jones hates Nazis, right? He also hates the undead. That's why he's always in tombs and stuff; basically making sure they're dead. So this is Nazi zombies! Not downloading this game and killing these things is basically exactly the same as spitting directly in Indiana Jones's face. Right exactly in his face. 

I can't believe you'd do that.

Anyway, all this entertaining diversion aside, the point is that Abaddon's own Jonathan Green, of Pax Britannia, Warhammer 40K and Fighting Fantasy fame, has written a story (not quite a novella; maybe a novellette?), Gotterdammerung, to introduce the game, and we're just plumb giving it away. Totally. Download it here:

.mobi ebook (for Kindle)

.epub ebook (for iPad, Nook and Kobo)

.pdf file (for anything)

Green's no stranger to Weird War II stuff; if you loved his rollicking steampunk/Weird War II/time travel weirdness Anno Frankenstein (and I know you totally did), then I guarantee this is up your street.

Download it, enjoy it, then buy the game and kill some festering Fritz. You know you want to.

www.nazizombiearmy.com