Book Review: 'Valour' by John Gwynne.

The axe isn't just for show...

Valour – John Gwynne.

The Good: The stuff of legends, for fans young and old, page-burning pace.

The Bad: Overcomes the ‘difficult second book’ syndrome and whilst it lives up to the debut I felt that the overarching plot was second to the characters’ journeys.

The Ugly Truth: The ‘Chosen-One’ offspring of George R R Martin and J K Rowling, raised on the bedtime stories of Tolkien and whipped into fighting shape by David Gemmell…but still 100% Gwynne.

For Those That Like: Epic battles, Coming-of-age epics, fantasy with a pinch of fairytale-dust, and world-ending prophecies.

Battle is joined in the Banished Lands.

A crusade sweeps the land. Kings are put to the sword. Traitors lurk in every shadow. Ancient weapons emerge from forgotten histories…

But the war of the Gods has only just begun.

King Nathair has declared war on Asroth the Fallen. With the allegiance of kings, queens, corsairs giants, and the angelic Ben-Elim, Nathair marches to defend his kingdom from the coming of the Black Sun, avatar of darkness. The prophecy has come to pass – ‘at Midwinter’s height, bright day shall become darkest night’ – and as the chosen ‘Bright Star’ Nathair is the last hope for the Banished Lands and those faithful to the benevolent god Elyon.

Or so it seems…

Corban and his companions are on the run. Battered and bruised, but not yet broken, the motley company head for sanctuary in a foreign kingdom. Hunted across the land, Corban cannot escape the company’s pursuers, or his encroaching destiny. Trained daily in the sword dance by the mysterious Gar, and schooled in the fabled Earth Power, Corban is coming to realise that a certain prophecy might just have a ring of truth to it.

Whilst the Banished Lands are plunged into war, dark forces in the Otherworld prepare to enter the fray. The final struggle is nearing, and the Fallen will destroy the Faithful.

John Gwynne comes out swinging in ‘Valour’, second novel in his ‘The Faithful and the Fallen’ series. Comes out swinging a big axe that is! ‘Valour’ is a saga true to form, set in a richly-realised world, and populated with a cast of heroes, heroines and hell-spawn.

‘Valour’ picks up directly from where ‘Malice’ left off, following Corban and company as they flee their home. Nathair’s pursuit is delayed by the politics of the realm and the squabbles of other kingdoms, but his attention turns to greater rewards, namely the Seven Treasures as they once war emerge from the forgotten corridors of history. Maquin should be dead – and he believes he’d be better off that way after witnessing the murder of his friend, Kastell. Driven by the need for revenge, Maquin crosses land and sea to exact his bloody judgement. Cywen has been abandoned by friend and family alike, but she cannot escape the attention of Nathair and his advisor Calidus. If she ever wants to be reunited with those she loves, she’ll have to slip past her guards, a traitorous swordmaster, a giant, a draig, and the ever watchful eye of a god’s avatar.

Returning to the Banished Lands is as if you never left. The world rushes out to meet you for the pages, the backdrop of myth and legend enriching every detail. The story is wrought with a master plan in mind, and as the plot progresses you can see the pieces moving on the board. Gwynne plays for the long haul, never once revealing his ‘full hand’, giving the reader just enough to keep them hooked. When the checkmate does come in the final chapters it’s so masterfully done that you’re not quite sure if you’re rooting for the winning side, and who exactly is meant to be the hero.

Whilst I did feel that ‘Valour’ directed the reader away from the overarching plot and instead favoured the individual characters’ journeys and development, I welcomed the cast’s evolution which added further weaves to the ever-thickening tapestry. It’s a hefty tome too, but no sentence is spared. The pace was not sacrificed in light of this, as the book goes from page-burner to page-turner. I snatched time to read between taxis, trains, planes and coffee breaks, and the book in turn snatched me from the real world so much so that I read late into the night and early in the morning.

Gwynne has gone from strength to strength in the past year, earning critical acclaim, securing further publishing contracts, and winning no less than the David Gemmell Morningstar award. In the past other authors have been backed into the corner with the ‘difficult second novel’ but Gwynne delivers hard-hitting and gutsy. For an author still cutting his teeth in the big blue ocean that is the mainstream fantasy catalogue, John Gwynne wades in with a depth of world building that’d see most newbie authors flounder.

With both ‘Malice’ and ‘Valour’ setting Gwynne’s standards high, it’s safe to say that one of fantasy’s newest authors has raised the bar for his next offering.

Interview: John Gwynne, author of 'Malice' & 'Valour'

John Gwynne. Heroic Fantasy at its best - axes and warhounds.

To celebrate the release of 'Valour' - John Gwynne's second novel in his Faithful and the Fallen series - we invited John back to 'WwaS' for another interview. It's been a busy year for John receiving critical acclaim for 'Malice', picking up awards, and extending his publishing rights across the world as part of his plan for global domination.

So how does a fantasy writer deal with the fame and the success? A good day out at Warner Brother Studios exploring the world of Harry Potter! So without further ado, let's begin.

1.     Hi John, welcome back to ‘WWAS’ (Written With A Sword). Since we last spoke way-back-when in 2013, you’ve had a busy year of awards and further publishing contracts. What’s been your highlight of the past year?

Hi David - thanks for inviting me back. You’re right, it has been a pretty crazy year for Malice and its sequels. The year started very nicely with Orbit US buying the American rights for Malice and Valour, and soon after Fanucci bought the Italian rights. A little later in the year Tor UK bought books 3 and 4 in the Faithful and the Fallen series. In October Malice won the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for best fantasy debut of 2012. I’ve also attended some great events, such as Goldsboro Books Fantasy in the Court, as well as the David Gemmell Awards and World Fantasy Con 2013. Malice was released in the US in December 2013. And behind all of that Valour was going through the editorial process, which has been great fun, ending with me seeing a glimpse of the artwork in December (love that axe!)

So yes, a pretty full year. The highlight, though. It has to be Malice winning the Morningstar at the David Gemmell Awards. It came as such a monumental surprise, and kept me grinning for a very long time - I still am, in fact, whenever I think of it.

  

2.     Being a fan of David Gemmell yourself, what does it feel like to have won the Morningstar award?

 Utterly amazing. I’ve been a fan of David Gemmell’s since my teens, when I discovered Legend and read it in one sitting - right through the night. It was a great moment for me when I saw Malice on the shelf in Waterstones alongside Legend, so when I heard that Malice was in the longlist for the Gemmell Awards I was absolutely thrilled.

The Gemmell Awards has really been the only award that I have ever taken any interest in, partly because of Mr Gemmell’s name attached to it, and also because it is a readers vote, which appeals to me. I’ve voted on it every year, and often bought books in the shortlist.

When I heard that Malice made it through to the shortlist I was over the moon, especially considering the other titles on that list - all great books that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.

To win the Morningstar - it was such a wonderful moment. My daughter, Harriett, is profoundly disabled and requires a high level of care, so I rarely get out these days. By a pleasant twist of fate the Gemmell Awards took place in Brighton, only a short distance from where I live. I thought it would be a nice opportunity to have a rare night out with the family, so we all went along. Not expecting to win, just looking forward to a night out together amongst some lovely company. And it was great fun - right from James Barclay’s opening rendition of a Druss speech. Winning the Morningstar came as an absolute shock. It was a wonderful moment, made all the better by my family being there with me.

 

3.     As humble a man as you are, I hear your speech at the DG award ceremony was completely off the cuff. Is this the same for your writing process, or do you go with the flow and see what happens?

 I didn’t have a speech prepared because I did not for one second think Malice would win. When my name was read out I was clapping the winner, not realising that it was me! So I did wing it - can’t actually remember what I said, it’s a bit of a happy blur. There were some thank-you’s, and a reference to my fatness!

As far as writing goes, there is a lot more order. I spent a long time researching for Malice and the Faithful and the Fallen series. George R. R. Martin is often quoted for saying writers fall into two camps -  architects or gardeners. For me I’d say my writing style falls somewhere in the middle - there are definite key events all along my story that are clearly set out, but the character journeys between those events have been subject to change, or at least to considerable meandering!

 

4.     The release of ‘Valour’ marks what some authors claim to be ‘the difficult second book’. Did you find it difficult to rise to the occasion with book number two, or was it all the more enjoyable as you were getting deeper into the story?

 To be honest I didn’t feel much of that ‘second book syndrome.’ Valour was a much smoother write for me. A lot of Malice was a learning curve, balancing character, plot, action, world-building, scene-setting, whereas in Valour most of that is in place, so it was just a case of getting on with the story. And I was getting to points that I’ve been imagining for many years. I really enjoyed writing it. Also I had a deadline for Valour, which for me really helped me get my head down - although with a little added stress.

 

5.     Between Malice and Valour, have you discovered anything new in how you write? Any lessons learnt?

 Absolutely. The whole experience has been one long learning curve - and I’m most definitely still learning. Having a great editor has helped immensely. My editor at Tor UK, Julie Crisp, has been amazing. Never heavy-handed or dictatorial, all of her editing comes in the form of questions.

To my mind it’s all about getting the balance right. Description, character, plot, action. I don’t know how other people write, but I tend to visualise a scene first, try and put on the character’s head and see things from their point of view, then try and write that.

 

6.     In your opinion is writing an honed skill or a natural talent? And, how do you gauge when a chapter/book is ‘finished’ to its final standard?

 I don’t know that I’m the right person to be asking that question! I still feel that Malice being published is due as much to luck as any other factor.

Writing (and reading) is such an objective experience, as much art as anything else. I suppose if I were to try and answer your question I’d say - both (not a cop out, honest).

Any creative undertaking usually starts with a dollop of natural talent, but to take it anywhere it has to be practised, refined, improved. As my agent John Jarrold is very fond of saying, “writer write.”

 

7.     What’s a ‘day at the office’ of writing for you?

 There is no typical day. My daughter Harriett is profoundly disabled, and my wife and I are her carers. A lot of Harriett’s practicalities fill the day - eating, changing, washing etc. Harriett also likes to be sung to, which is strange as my wife and I have possibly the worse voices in known history.

Also my wife and I run a vintage furniture and accessories business (bills have to be paid). It is something that’s fairly flexible that we can manage mostly from home. My wife’s the brains in this, so for me it mostly means lifting, carrying, fixing, sanding, painting and restoring old furniture.

And of course, lets not forget the other children. Three boys - the oldest, James has left home, although his regular drop-ins manage to leave the fridge and cupboards picked clean of all food. The other two - Edward (the Teenager) and William. For them my wife and I interchangeably fill the roles of taxi driver and referee!

Writing fits in around the above - usually at night, when it’s dark and quiet, and more so in the day when dead-lines loom!

 

8.     In 10 years time what would you like readers to remember from your books?

 Crikey, I’ve not thought of that one before. I suppose to be moved emotionally (hopefully not by hatred or loathing of my books). For me my favourite books are the ones that stir and hook me emotionally. They’re the ones that I think back on, that I sneak off to the loo to read the next chapter. That I stay up later than I should reading. If anything I’ve written has that kind of effect on someone else then I’d be really pleased.

When I was writing Malice my wife Caroline and my middle son Edward were my only readers for a while. He cried at a point in Malice and I remember feeling very happy at that - sick parent, I know. But I suppose that is the highest praise, that another person can be moved emotionally by the arrangement of words on a page. He cried whilst reading Valour, as well. A good sign in my book!

Thanks John! VALOUR is out today (27th March).

Guest Book Reviewer Rob Sharpe & 'Malice' by John Gwynne

To celebrate the upcoming release of John Gwynne's 'Valour' the second novel in his 'The Faithful and The Fallen' series, here on WwAS we're running a few extra features on the award-winning debut 'Malice'. And rather than start with what WE think of 'Malice', we've gone out into the world and tracked down a reader in it's natural territory. On the way we trekked through swamps of coffee-rings, edged our way along the precipice of many a pile-o'-books, and were sworn at more than a few times on the London Underground for trying to read someone's Kindle over their shoulder. Alas, we have emerged successful (though not unscathed thanks to an unfortunate incident with unexpected breaking and an accidental screen-touch on an ereader!) and found a reader! So, without further delay, please let me introduce Rob Sharpe and his interview for 'Malice'.

I picked Malice up last year on a whim, and am glad to say that this time my whim made me very happy.  So happy that it was my favourite book of 2013, in the face of some stiff competition.  2013 was a good year for my bookshelf.

 Malice, in the current UK trend of  “grimdark”, is a coming of age story -  but this isn’t any old coming of age story – the characters are all very well fleshed out, there are twists and turns, politic machinations, deaths, some very well written battle scenes, that Bernard Cornwell would tip his hat to, and GIANTS…

 John Gwynne the author has stated that he has been influenced Gemmell, Tolkein and GRRM amongst other.  Certainly he, like GRRM uses multiple POV’s, my two favourite POV’s are the sister of one of the main protagonists, and the sworn man of the other protagonist, and he isn’t afraid to get rid of major characters or POV characters.

From my point of view there are two Gemmell related themes running through Malice – “The End never justifies the means” and “Evil only exists when good men stand aside and doing nothing”.  You’ll have to read the book to understand what I mean.

I cannot praise this book enough, and have tried not to give away too many spoilers – the reason being is that I want the people reading this review to pick up the book and enjoy every page as I have.

I would like to thank John, whom I have met, for such a great novel, and to D.E.M Emrys for publishing this review.

I can’t wait until March 27^th for Valour (Book 2)

 

 

Rob Sharpe when not writing Oracle IT code is a keen reader. 
Rob first started of with Tolkien, Donaldson and Eddings before moving on heroic fantasy  - especially Brirsh heroic fantasy and the late great David Gemmell. 
Rob can be found, if you can track him down, busy reading books by John Gwynne, James Barclay, Joe Abercrombie, Anthony Ryan, Richard K Morgan, GRRM, Miles Cameron and a host of others.

David Gemmell Morningstar Award Guest Post: John Gwynne, Author of 'Malice'.

John Gwynne doesn't just write heroic-fantasy, he lives it, too. On the 'Hero's Requirement' list, he's ticked all the box.

Son of a warrior - check. His father was in the Royal Air Force.
Seen the world - check. Born in Singapore, waited tables in Canada, lectured in Brighton University, and now restoring vintage furniture in East Sussex (heck, even heroes need to pay the bills).
A Heart of Gold - Full time father of four, including his disabled daughter, Harriet.
Fair maiden - check. Though I'm sure she's now damsel in distress!
A Mighty Steed - well, he's got three dogs, each much not smaller than a horse!
Legendary Weapon - A WHOPPING great big axe!

So, when John put his pen to paper, it was only natural that an epic saga be born from the ink. A tale of heroes and heroines, nightmarish creatures and black magic. A world in which a black sun rises on the horizon of tomorrow, and with it comes a war to end all wars...

But even in a world where angels and demons vie for power on the battlefield, even the lowliest of mortal beings can change the tide. John brings his human nature to fantasy, reminding us that even everyday heroes can make a difference.

John Gwynne is one of the shortlist nominees for the David Gemmell Morningstar Award 2013. If you'd like to vote for him - or any of the other authors - please visit the site and show your appreciation for your favourite books, and the great men and women who write them.

Firstly I’d like to say a huge thank-you to David Emrys for inviting me back to his blog.

I love David Gemmell’s books. My first encounter was with ‘Legend,’ way back in the mists of my teenage years. Back when there was hair on my head. I remember buying ‘Legend’ from my local Waterstones, heading home and settling in. I finished it in the small hours of the next morning, feeling both exhausted and elated. Ever since then David Gemmell has been responsible for a distinct lack of sleep in my life.

Much to my regret I never met him, although I did discover that we lived in the same area. I know this because of something that he wrote in the acknowledgements of one of his books, ‘Sword in the Storm’ - which also happens to be one of my top reads ever, I just LOVE IT - I’ll quote in full the acknowledgement.

“My thanks to my editors Liza Reeves and Broo Doherty, and also to Alan Fisher, Val Gemmell, Mary Sanderson, Bill Woodford, Tony Fenelon, and Jan Dunlop for feeding the imagination. And to the staff at Deep Pan Pizza, the Crumbles, Eastbourne, for their warmth, their friendliness, and their Regular Americano with extra bacon and pepperoni.”

How cool is that. If I had not already been a complete fan of David Gemmell’s then that acknowledgement would have finished the deal. What a cool bloke.

I live in Eastbourne and have done on and off since I was 15. The Crumbles was Eastbourne’s first out-of-town retail park. Originally it consisted of a cinema, a furniture shop, a supermarket, and Deep Pan Pizza. It was the height of sophistication to go to Deep Pan first, and then on to the cinema. These days the Crumbles is much bigger. Unfortunately Deep Pan Pizza is gone, the same building taken over by Frankie and Benny’s (another favourite of mine - my wedding reception was held there as we had a 1940’s/50’s theme; my wife and I are total vintage nuts).

Anyway, I’ve shown that acknowledgement from ‘Sword in the Storm’ to a lot of people, usually saying something like ‘I’ve been there/eaten/ordered that pizza,’and considered it a claim to fame. Things have gone a little mad this last year with the release of my debut novel, Malice, and now I have a new claim to fame.

This is a photo of Malice on a bookshelf in my local Waterstones - the same bookshop that I bought my first Gemmell book, Legend, from - next to a couple of the Big Man’s books.

It feels pretty surreal to even see Malice in a bookshop at all - I can still vividly remember it being scattered notes on my desk, and I feel exceptionally fortunate to see it in print. There have been lots of great, memorable moments along the path to publication and beyond - my agent John Jarrold taking me on was a big ‘am I dreaming’ moment, as was the phone call from him telling me of Julie Crisp’s pre-emptive offer from Tor UK.

Seeing Malice on the same shelf as David Gemmell is my latest ‘pinch-me-because-I-must-be-dreaming’ moment. Now, I don’t know about you, but in my book that is cool. 

- John Gwynne, 2013.

And the Nominees are....Announcement of the Shortlist Candidates for the David Gemmell Morningstar Award 2013!

To many a fantasy fan, myself included, the David Gemmell Legend Awards is like the Oscars...but better.
Why?

1) Because us - you, me and I - we get to vote, to have our say. I could launch into an Obama-style rhetoric here, but I'm not here to flood the polling stations to change the WORLD. But if you do vote for someone in the Gemmell awards, you will change THEIR WORLD.  

2) Because, arguably, authors are unsung heroes in their own rights. Sure you might not see Mark Lawrence slinging abuse at paparazzi (though I'm sure Jorg would do that for him), or Helen Lowe arm-in-arm with Robert Patterson on the red carpet, earning her the envy of teenage girls the world-over, but authors do deserve a nod for their achievements.

This evening, at the Nineworlds Geekfest event, the shortlist candidates for all categories in the David Gemmell Awards were announced. The longlists have been whittled down to the publicly-voted few. Both the Legend and Morningstar categories have 5 hopefuls, whilst the Ravenheart has 6.

On 'Written With a Sword' I've been following the Morningstar category, because to me at least, it's the who's who in rising fantasy authors...the next big guns as it were.

So, it gives me great pleasure to name the short list candidates for the 2013 Morningstar award:

Saladin Ahmed - Throne of the Crescent Moon.

Miles Cameron - The Red Knight.

John Gwynne - Malice.

Aidan Harte - Irenicon.

Jay Kristoff - Stormdancer.

In previous years (and this information was taken from the DGLA site) longlist voting closed in Easter, followed by shortlist voting up until a predesignated date. The awards were then announced and presented at the DGLA event. 

This year, the award ceremony will be at the World Fantasy Convention on 31st October.

Be sure to vote for your favourite authors (and books!) in all of the categories when the second round goes live!

The Rising Stars of Fantasy - David Gemmell Morningstar Award Nominees.

Imagine an arena...

No, not that one - not the Colosseum. That's a little out of the budget I had in mind.

Listen to the roar of the crowd...

No, not that one either - you really think I'm talking about the back room in the local ye-olde-tavern where the drunkards take potshots at each other?

Smell the sweat - hear the thud of flesh - taste the...

No, no, NO! I'm not talkinga bout Christian Grey's 'Red Room'! 

Ok, this is getting out of hand now. Before we smear the remaining six wonders of the world (wait, the tavern isn't in that list?!?) or infringe on any other intellectual properties (we could always take a swing at Hogwarts if you'd like?) let's get down to it.

Voting for the long list of the David Gemmell MORNINGSTAR AWARD closed last week. The shortlist will be announced at the Nine Worlds GeekFest event on Sunday 11th August...THAT'S THIS WEEK!

Ok, ok, ok - I'm excited, I'll admit it.

And, I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but the awards themselves will take place on Thursday 31st October, as part of the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton.

The Morningstar Award is a very special category, because not only does it crown a well deserving author for her/his debut novel, but it also marks the rising stars in Fantasy for years to come.

This year the longlist nominees (and their respective titles) were: 

Saladin Ahmed - Throne of the Crescent Moon.

Miles Cameron - The Red Knight.

John R Fultz - Seven Princes.

Max Gladstone - Three Parts Dead.

John Gwynne - Malice. 

Aidan Harte - Irenicon.

Jay Kristoff - Stormdancer.

Gaie Sebold - Babylon Steel.

Jo Spurrier - Winter Be My Shield.

As a huge supporter of new talent within the fantasy genre, I've invited each of the long list nominees to post a guest blog on 'Written With a Sword'. These guys and gals are the ones to watch, and how better to get acquainted with them than this?

Stay tuned for their pieces' - and stay tuned for announcement of the short list next week! 

Fantasy Vs Reality

Fantasy versus reality...

I'm going to do a much more comprehensive blog post on this at a later date but I thought it'd be a good headline for this one. As you can see I've been on radio silence since the end of April. No writing, no blogs, no reviews. Heck, I've even let my commitment to writing articles for Fantasy Faction slip.

That, my friends, is reality's fault.

I've just left the Army, and the civilian world is a gut-punch if I've ever felt one. The safety net that's always been there (well, not so much when I was parachuting) has been rolled up and carried off. During this time I've been doing the usual job hunting and temping whilst deciding on a more permanent career field, and also redecorating the back bedroom ready for the new arrival to the family in October. My fiancée and I are expecting our first baby, a little boy, and we're so excited (me because I get to raise him with a love of fairy tales, myths, legends and fantasy - her because she can't wait to get a full night's sleep without the baby kicking her from the inside out).

So my fantasy - my writer/blogger alter ego D. E. M. Emrys (yes, this isn't my real name) - has been forced to step aside for reality for awhile.

BUT NO MORE!

That's right, I'm stepping back into the saddle and taking the reins of this mighty steed.

In the spirit of fantasy vs reality, I want YOU, yes YOU buddy, with your keyboard and your mouse and your now widening smile, to take a moment to do something to aid the fantasy vs reality crisis. How? Well, let me tell you...

The David Gemmell Legend Award is a pretty prestigious event - it's a celebration of the who's who in current fantasy literature. With three qualifying categories: Legend (best release of the year), Morningstar (best debut), and Ravenheart (best cover). If you're a fantasy reader be sure to head on over to http://gemmellaward.ning.com/ NOW as voting ends on 31st July. Take 5 minutes of your day (wow, this is beginning to sound like a charity advert) to turn your love of fantasy into a reality for an author, and vote for their work.

Me? I've already voted. I won't tell you who for, yet, but for those of you who have followed this blog you'll be able to guess who. All I can say is best of luck to all the candidates! Fingers crossed, one day I'll elbow my way onto the long list - as might some of you hopeful reader/writers - but until then, let's show our favourite authors our appreciation and make their fantasy's a reality.

CUE CHEESY MUSIC, LIGHTS DIM, JAZZ HANDS!!!

Guest Post: Fantasy Author, John Gwynne.

I have a pantheon of authors that I follow. In some senses its a 'who's who' of the literary world. Think of it as Clash of the Titans meets the fantasy bestseller list. Michael J Sullivan, Mark Lawrence, Ben Galley, Helen Lowe, Anne McCaffrey, Peter V Brett, Joe Abercrombie, Brent Weeks, Tamora Pierce...the list goes on! (Though I have to say, Abercrombie for Hades anyone?)

Amidst the big names, the little guys shoulder their way in. Russell Kirkpatrick, Toby Neighbors, Joseph Lallo, Michael Stark.

And then there's the REALLY big names. Glen Cook, Steven Erikson, Robin Hobb, Ursula Le Guin, Big Papa Tolkien, and of course, the father of British heroic-fantasy David Gemmell!

So, when a newbie comes along to my version of Mt. Olympus and throws his weight around, it's something of a big deal to me. I followed a book last year right up to its publication date, and begged my fiancée to get it for me for christmas. Thankfully, I made Santa's nice list (bribes do work!) and come December 25th I got my hands on a copy of 'Malice' by John Gwynne. It's a hefty tome, but a handsome one at that. At first I was dubious whether a debut author could pull off such a large story, and deliver what it said on the tin...as in EPIC fantasy.

I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that John Gwynne could in fact deliver - and go beyond his call of duty to spin a yarn that had me hooked to the end! It's safe to say that Gwynne has joined the ranks of my pantheon, up their in the clouds with greats, looking down upon us mere mortals. But, as he is still relatively new to the 'scene' I thought it was about time I made some introductions for you all!

This week, I'll be hosting a review and guest post with the esteemed author himself, but I thought it best that he welcomes you all personally. I'm very humbled to have him here, and I hope that you all enjoy reading a little bit about him and his stories.

So, without further ado, I present none other than John Gwynne!

Malice and Me.

Firstly I must say a big thank-you to David Emrys for inviting me to write this post for his blog. He’s asked me to give some information about myself, how I came to write my debut novel ‘Malice,’ and something of the inspiration behind it.


First the stats. I was born in Singapore while my dad was stationed there - he served in the RAF. I’m 44 years old and live in Eastbourne, a seaside town on the south-east coast of the UK. I’m married with four demanding (my wife calls them ‘special’) children, and three dogs, two of which will chew anything that stands still, whilst the other one will lick into oblivion anything (or anyone) that doesn’t run for their life. I’ve had my fair share of jobs - worst - working in a soap factory, best - playing double-bass in a rock ‘n’ roll band (back when I had hair!). I eventually settled for sensible and ended up teaching at Brighton University.

About 11 years ago I stepped out of teaching due to my family situation - my daughter Harriett is profoundly disabled and needed my wife’s and my care. So right now we run a vintage furniture business from home, (got to pay the bills somehow) which basically means I do what I’m told - usually involving lifting and fixing stuff - whilst juggling the task of parenting *refereeing* our boys and looking after Harriett. And most recently of all, I write. Which brings me on to the meat of this post - how I came to write ‘Malice.’


I’ve always loved fantasy, its been a part of me as far back as I can remember. If I try and figure out where that love came from I always end up back at a certain time and place, and a certain book, although please bear in mind that this is going back a loooong way, so the details may be a little cloudy and rose-coloured.

Primary school in Great Malvern, where my dad was stationed in the RAF at the time. I can remember my teacher sitting the class down and starting to read from ‘The Book of Three,’ by Lloyd Alexander. A tale that borrowed deeply from Welsh mythology and stirred a strong dose of Tolkien into the mix. I loved it. After that I was hooked and went in search of more fantasy, discovered and devoured ‘The Hobbit’, and moved on to ‘The Lord of the Rings.’


My dad was in the RAF, which meant that up to the age of 15 I spent a lot of time traveling - usually a new home and school every three years. Books became my friends during these years. Don’t get the violins out, though, I’m not complaining (and I do have real, living, human friends now.) But I do think that because of this books became a big part of my childhood, something that has stuck with me ever since.


I remember being lost in ‘the Lord of the Rings,’ it just seemed to have it all - an epic landscape, a cause to fight for, human drama. To say I loved it is an understatement, I was one of those geeks that re-read it every few years. Looking back I feel that it had a big influence on my young life. It most certainly played a part in my attempt in later years to have a go at this writing malarkey.


Of course it wasn’t the only book I read - back then in the mix I remember plenty of Robert E. Howard and Moorcock, Stephen Donaldson and Feist and Brooks and Eddings, and then I discovered another author. David Gemmell. I am a huge Gemmell fan, and devoured everything that he wrote, often in one-day sittings. I love how he brought flawed characters into the mix, combining them with break-neck pacing and gritty combat.


I can’t remember how old I was when I read ‘Shogun,’ by James Clavell, probably fourteen or fifteen. That book was amazing, and it opened up the idea of historical fiction; a whole new world. Now I can’t get enough of that, either. Bernard Cornwell sits very high on my reading list - his Arthurian trilogy is one of the best things I’ve ever read.


There are so many modern authors that I love to read - Manda Scott’s ‘Boudicca’ series is brilliant, J. V. Jones writes character so well, Brian Ruckley’s prose is wonderful, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s mix of steampunk, character writing and all-round epic-ness is utterly gripping. There are of course many other modern greats that demand my time, like George R. R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Mark Lawrence. Miles Cameron is my most recently discovered favourite. There are just so many great books out there these days.


As you’ve probably guessed by now, I am a complete fantasy geek, and needless to say I still read loads of fantasy - epic, steampunk, urban, gritty, I love it all, but epic is my first-love, and when it came to me writing I wanted to try to write something that conjured up those nostalgic feelings of epic-ness, but make it a bit more character driven, which I guess boils down to the influence of Tolkien and Gemmell. To write something epic and intimate, that was my goal, what I was trying to do.


The story of me writing ‘Malice’ started about 10 years ago - at the time I had recently finished a master’s degree and was teaching at Brighton University. I’ve already mentioned the fact that I stepped out of teaching to help my wife in caring for our daughter, Harriett. Life can be pretty intense, when you care for someone full-time, so I thought a hobby might be a good thing, if I could find the time. I’ve always told stories - to my kids and my wife (if I have them backed into a corner with no routes of escape) and they’ve often encouraged me to write some of them down (possibly to make me stop talking). So I started to do that, a hobby that restored a bit of ‘me’ in the juggling act that is the parenting of three boys, working and also caring for my daughter. It was also a place to indulge my passion for general all-round geekery. ‘Malice’ and ‘the Faithful and the Fallen’ just naturally evolved out of this. Somewhere along the way it grew into something more than just a hobby.


The writing of ‘Malice’ took place mostly in the dark hours, when my home was quiet. It took years - the only way I knew how to write was how I’d learnt at university - to read, read, and then read some more, so that’s what I did. Lots of world mythologies - celtic and norse and greco-roman and slavic and eastern - then truck loads of ancient history, about weapons and warfare and armour and politics and wolves and bears and Komodo dragons. Also a lot of the classics - Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ and C. S. Lewis’ ‘The Screwtape Letters’ were early inspirations. Added to that some Blake and Dante and Machiavelli. Really anything that sparked a bit of passion went into the pot. Then I actually started writing! That took a while - around five years. When I was close to finishing my first draft of ‘Malice’ I started googling ‘how to get published’ and saw that all the general advice pointed towards getting an agent.


Being taken on by John Jarrold was a massive moment for me - he was really one of the first people to look at ‘Malice’ outside of friends and family, and certainly the first professional within the publishing industry to do so. It was at that point that I thought there was actually a possibility of the dream coming true. John is a consummate professional, and a great bloke to boot. His guidance has really been invaluable in my own publishing story. He helped with an edit of ‘Malice,’ then put the manuscript out there, and soon after he phoned to tell me of an offer from Julie Crisp, Acquiring Editor for Tor UK. After a blurry period of celebrations I entered into the time of ‘The Edit,’ - structural edits, re-write, re-edit, copy-edit, proof reading, alongside discussions about artwork (particularly great fun). The amount of work and input from Julie Crisp and the team at Tor UK to polish up my offering has been incredible. And alongside all of that, of course, I’ve also been writing book two!


So now ‘Malice’ is on the shelves in bookshops and listed on Amazon and elsewhere, which frequently causes me to look at my wife, shake my head and smile - it’s been a truly amazing ride so far. I still pinch myself at times because it just all seems like some crazy dream. And I must say, my jaw is still aching from all the smiling.

Malice is available from all major bookstores and outlets.

Can There Be TOO MUCH Fantasy?

EDIT: Update as of 20:20hrs (GMT) 17/02/2013 - after feedback, I've only just noticed that the original fantasy authors featured here were all male. This post has been updated to include females. Upon scanning my book shelf, I realised that many of the stories I own are written by male authors. The original observations were in no way meant to intentionally dis-include the female authors of the fantasy genre.

Is the fantasy world over-populated? It’s a valid question and one that keeps raising its ugly head in the current era of ‘Lord of the Authors: The Fellowship of the Fantasy’.

Without battling out the topic of Indie vs Traditional, I want to take a moment and talk about fantasy worlds. A simple blog post can’t cover every single fantasy tome to have ever graced a book shelf (or a digital market place like Amazon, for all you e-publishing gurus), but we can highlight a few.

J.R.R. Tolkien with his elves, and his dwarves, his hobbits with their hairy feet, and his trolls. Ringwraiths, a dark lord, and a powerful artefact that is a curse to all those who bear it.

George R.R. Martin with his thrones, and his games, the squabbles of men, and the treachery, futility and thick-fast plots (oh, and if you’ve watched the tv adaptation, there’s a fair share of boobage, too).

Peter V Brett – demons galore! How ‘man’ (and woman!) can overcome their fears for what they believe is right.

Mark Lawrence explores the moral depravity of a Prince who won’t let anything – or anyone – stand in his way, even if that involves burning the world just to keep warm.

Michael J Sullivan brings bromance to the fold (Webster’s unofficial definition of bromance: bro-mance, a combination of brother and romance, meaning ‘a brotherly romance’ between two males. Often seen sharing large quantities of bruises, beauties, and beatings) with a healthy dose of death-defying escapades and swashbuckling adventures.

John Gwynne breaths fresh life into the folklore and legend side of fantasy, giving Giants, Wyrms and even Angels a gritty new lease with a Nordic/Celtic feel.

Brent Weeks forefronts assassins in one, and mages in another, but above all else they struggle with their own powers for further means.

Brandon Sanderson…magic, need I say more? But then again, his world-building is second to none.

Joe Abercrombie touts more knives than any sane man should ever need, but lucky for us not all of his characters can be deemed sane enough to count or care for that matter. But when all is said and done, it’s down to being what you’re meant to be, and (as he often states by way of infamous barbarian Logen NineFingers) once you've got a task to do, it's better to do it than live with the fear of it.

Ursula K Le Guin, if there was a Big Momma of fantasy, UKLG would be her. Her stories are folklore brought to life, magic and mysticism intoned with a rich world building.

Karen Miller strives to break down the old fantasy cliches, using them where she will, but bending and twisting them into something new, pushing 'fantasy' into a more 'fantastical' realm.

Robin Hobb, who's back catalogue boasts more tomes than the knives of Joe Abercrombie's cast - claimed by Orson Scott Card to have 'set the standard for the most serious fantasy novel'.

Helen Lowe, a newcomer to the fold, but with her fresh blood added to the mix the 2012 Gemmell Award winner (Morningstar category) weighs in with a hefty dose of darker, grittier fantasy and a deeper meaning of how we treat each other.

I’ve barely even touched the surface here. I could go on for hours. James Barclay, David Gemmell (big daddy of British heroic-fantasy), Robert E Howard, Patrick Rothfuss, Robert Jordan, Tamora Pierce, David Dalglish, Mazarkis Williams, Moses Sirergar III, Ben Galley, Steven Erikson, Christopher Paolini…ok, ok – I’ll stop.

So, fantasy is a busy world(s). But each and every one of them is different. Yes, a lot of them share themes or creatures (elves, dragons, hobbits, dwarves, damsels in distress…hobbits, or other creatures with hairy feet?), but would you really say: ‘No more’! Heck, I’m sure if you asked a lot of these authors they’d admit to being inspired by one another. Of course they would.

Ok, let’s imagine if someone said ‘No more’ to Robert Jordan. Would we have the Peter V Brett’s, and Christopher Paolini’s of today? ‘Put that pen down’ David Gemmell…and voila, no John Gwynne’s or James Barclay. How many would we lose if Robert E. Howard had run out of ink on the first page, and Conan had been lost to an unfinished sentence?

IMAGINE THE CHAOS if someone told J.R.R. Tolkien to shave his hobbit and write a romcom. Think of the children, pray for their futures!

Publishing is an ever changing industry, and fantasy is an ever changing realm of possibilities. If you’re Indie or Traditional, reader or writer…could you really say NO to one last fantasy? And before you start culling dwarves, shaving hobbit feet, or cashing in dragon fangs for the last copy of ’50 Shades of Grey’ from Amazon…just remember:

A Fantasy author isn’t just for Christmas. They’re for life.

(And even then, they’ll think of a way to come back and haunt you from the afterlife – they’re fantasy authors after all).

D. E. M. Emrys. Author. Soldier by day, Soldier by night - Writer in Between. 

Author of Heroic Fantasies:

From Man to Man - Currently FREE from Amazon.

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It Began With Ashes.
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