Book Review: 'The Emperor's Blades' by Brian Staveley.

UK and US covers for 'The Emperor's Blades' by Brian Staveley.

The Good: Nice change from the usual western-medieval setting. An epic start to a new fantasy saga. An ever thickening plot, set in a rich and real world, cast with characters whose stories you don’t just follow but live, too.

The Bad: Would have liked to see more of the Annurian Empire through Adare’s storyline, but this really isn’t criticism but more a curiosity, as I would have liked to discover more about the fully-fleshed world. Kaden’s monk ‘trials’ (as I like to think of them) at times felt more like a reminder of his importance/existence, rather than furthering the plot.

The Ugly Truth: Well deserving of the hype proceeding it, Brian Stavely’s gutsy newcomer ‘The Emperor’s Blades’ doesn’t pull its punches – visceral and break-neck from start to finish. Whilst packing a strong right hook in terms of action and suspense, it’s the subtle knife that slips through your guard as the plot twists again and again.

For Those That Like: Stories in which no-one is safe. Conspiracy and betrayal, clandestine operations, court intrigue, badass monks, and greater powers at war behind it all.

The Emperor is dead.

Murdered...

...Betrayed.

Heir to the unhewn throne, Kaden, is yet to discover his father’s death. For eight years he has trained under the Shin monks, honing the strength of mind over matter. Isolated from the world, atop the Bone Mountains, Kaden and the other monks are unaware of the events tearing apart the empire. But the monks have threats of their own – an unknown creature stalks the mountains, slaughtering livestock in a way that no natural beast can.

Valyn, Kaden’s brother and second-in-line to the throne, is nearing the end of his Kettral training. Soon Valyn will join the elite Kettral ranks, and lead his own Wing on clandestine operations. But on a routine training exercise he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens not only his brother’s life, but the future of the Empire, too. With enemies lurking in the shadows and betrayers in the midst of the Kettral ranks, it’s down to Valyn to save his brother, that is if he isn’t killed first by the assassins… or his own soldierly training.

Adare, Valyn and Kaden’s sister, appointed Minister of Finance within the Empire, is there to witness the trial of her father’s murderer. The accused is no deadly assassin nor common crook, but the high priest of the Empire’s faith. The ensuing trial questions whether the Annurian Empire should be ruled by a mortal Emperor or the will of a god…

And behind it all greater forces are at play. An enemy lost to the pages of history is about to return, and no matter of mortal quarrel can compare to its power to destroy.

War is coming, and no-one is safe...

Brian Staveley’s debut ‘The Emperor’s Blades’ is armed and dangerous. One of the most highly anticipated releases for Q1 2014, the novel has set the standard high for the rest of the year. A mix of fully-fledged-fantasy and the ‘grit’ that has become a popular staple in recent fantasy works, Staveley sets himself apart with a non-western medieval setting, a new breath of life into tried and tested character archetypes, and a magic system that even a d20 and a pen and paper couldn’t predict (in a good way, of course).

‘The Emperor’s Blades’ tells the story of the titular Emperor’s children following his murder. The story centres around the three main PoV characters, the story told from their experiences, the overarching plot interwoven with their individual journeys. The plot thickens as they ‘come-of-age’ in their separate environments.  Kaden in a monastery under the tutelage of Shin monks, Valyn training on a remote isle to join the ranks of the Kettral elite, and Adare navigating the intricacies of politics and plotting as a Minister of the Empire. The Emperor is dead, murdered by the hand of the High Priest. Conspiracy is afoot, one that threatens the Emperor’s children, and the rule of the Empire itself. Kaden, isolated from the outer world due to the remoteness of the monastery, is unaware of his father’s death, and his own sudden inheritance of the unhewn throne. Valyn uncovers the conspiracy through the last words of a dying man, but if he makes it known then he risks escalating the traitors into early execution of their plan. All the while, Adare is party to the trial of her father’s murderer, fighting for justice and not least a little bitter vengeance.

The characters carry the book. Whilst the overarching theme of ‘something evil this way comes’ is ever present, and alluded to in snippets, it’s fair to say that the debut focuses more on Kaden, Valyn and Adare as they complete their tuition and come into their own.

Kaden’s chapters focus on his pursuit of the vaniate – what the monks call ‘The Empty Mind’. Think = blank canvas. The sub-elements of this include a photographic memory, the ability to see the world from another’s perspective, and to ignore the physical presence of the body and emotion, and remain detached to the world around you whilst still interacting with it. Sounds like some monk-matrix-meditative stuff, but this is nicely interwoven to the plot, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Staveley develops this in the future. Kaden’s chapters also link into the greater evil at play, which might not be evil in the sense of black leathers, eye of newt, and pointy horns, but it still spells doom-and-gloom to the human race all the same.

Valyn’s story, to me, is the most interesting. As a recruit-in-training, we follow him on exercises, and later the trials, required to become a Kettral. The Kettral are an elite group of soldiers, formed of snipers, magic-using leaches, demolitions experts, weapons specialists, and birds with 70ft wingspans (pilots not included with each bird purchase, but required all the same). I’d liken them to squad-based ninja-legionnaires crossed with modern-day marines and paratroopers. From my own experiences I am more than happy to report that Staveley handled the military elements more than adequately, introducing enough black humour, barrack slang, and cussing, without going overboard and boiling it down into over-used stereotypes that only know how to curse colourfully and stab people. Valyn is the one to uncover the conspiracy to kill the Emperor’s heirs, and it’s down to him to save him brother (and sister!) before the traitors take over.

Adare’s involvement is limited to the Imperial Court and City. And I say limited carefully. It’s not a criticism in this book, as her role is to tie-in the trial of the Emperor’s murder, but if there was space for further ‘world building’ then I’d argue it’s her pages. Staveley’s world is rich with unique creations – from the unhewn throne to the Skullsworn assassins and the pantheon of gods – and being set in a non-western medieval backdrop, I’d have liked to see more of this. After all, it’s one of the key differences between this book and the current fantasy-offering in the market e.g. yet another Game of Thrones copy, or Elves, Dwarves and Dark Lords aplenty.

The story is executed with all vigour and excitement of a newblood, and whilst Staveley succumbs to a few rookie ‘stumbles’(I won’t say amateur, as it’s clear he’s put in a lot more effort than some of the professionals), the finished product is a breakneck race to the finish line. It’s by no means a short read, coming in at over 450 pages, but the chapters (particularly Valyn’s) fly by thanks to the author’s calculated pacing.

From what I’ve read, it’s safe to say that ‘The Emperor’s Blades’ has well earned its hype, and its high time that the author be recognised as a rising star in the fantasy field. I for one am looking forward to the second book, as now that the scene is set I want to see where Staveley takes it next.

Guest Post: 'Gandalf's Hand Sanitizer' by Brian Staveley

 

Yesterday I introduced you to the one and only Brian Staveley - writer, editor, father, teacher (in no particular order, of course). Brian's a busy man, and when he's not doing any of the above he's sharing his thoughts and opinions on topics within the fantasy genre. From swearing in fantasy to what motivates the bad guys, Brian isn't afraid to sugar coat his insight into the fantasy realm. It's a refreshing take on things that we either overlook or forgive our favourite authors for. Brian posts these articles on his blog, but he was kind enough to submit one here, on Written-With-A-Sword.

So, without further ado, I give you Brian Stately and 'Gandalf's Hand Sanitizer - The Wounds of Fantasy.'

A very partial list of the things that could kill you in the absence of modern medicine: bees, thorns, nuts, horses, mosquitoes, childbirth, chicken, spinach, farming, dogs, rats, rusty tacks, ticks, and shit.*

 

If you live in a part of the world without access to cipro and epi pens, doxycycline and tetanus shots, penicillin and measles vaccines, chances are one of these things will kill you. To feel the gravity of the situation, just try the following experiment: go somewhere remote. Hike a week into the backcountry or get dropped off by a float plane. Now break your leg with a rock. Take notes about the experience so the rest of us can appreciate your observations after your death, which will probably be imminent. Without a hospital nearby, a broken leg can be a death sentence. In fact, everything starts to look like a potential death sentence. Appendicitis is easily treatable when you live in Columbus, Ohio. Get it while mountaineering in the Brooks Range and you die.

 

In traditional epic fantasy, of course, no one has access to modern medicine. You’d rarely know that, though, from the way the characters carry on. Wounded soldiers will occasionally battle infection, the odd woman will die in childbirth, but by and large the heroes and villains appear blithely unconcerned by the mortal threats surrounding them. During the American Civil War, two out of every three soldiers fell to disease or infection.  When was the last time you saw a fantasy character die of tetanus? Or malaria? Or anaphylactic shock? Or salmonella?

 

I get it, of course. A fantasy novel in which the main characters languish in the grip of chronic illness hardly sounds like delightful reading. If the Lord of the Rings played out in the real world, Sam would collapse of dengue fever contracted in the Dead Marshes, Gollum would be long dead from some raw-trout-borne illness, and Frodo, rescued from the taint of the Morgul-blade, would succumb to a staph infection. No one wants to read that book, least of all me.

 

Moreover, to be fair to writers of fantasy, magic often fills the void left by the absence of modern medicine. Lizard men leave a nasty gash in your shoulder? Heal it up with a little magic salve. The unpleasant end of a dagger stuck in your leg? Have the local witch lay hands on it. That arrow straight through the gut? A few runes and a muttered incantation ought to do the trick. This is the whole point of healers and potions in games like Elder Scrolls. Without magic no one would ever win. Ever.

 

The magic-as-medicine approach works, and can work elegantly. It does, however, invite a sort of macabre escalation. When the rules of healing are murky, there’s no reason for an author not to raise the stakes in every battle, and it is oh, so tempting to raise the stakes. The escalation of physical violence is an ancient authorial impulse – Beowulf isn’t content to wrestle Grendel; he rips his entire arm off and hangs it from rafters – but it’s encouraged by the calibration of the modern reader.

 

If you cut sliced your hand open with a dirty knife tomorrow, you’d probably be irritated but not terrified. The most inept emergency room in America could have you out the door in an hour and your life expectancy would be excellent. As a result, a slashed up hand just doesn’t impress us. We’d be pissed off if Aragorn keeled over from an injury incurred during food preparation.

 

In fourteenth century, however, a knife wound was serious shit. If you hacked into your palm while gutting a goat, there wasn’t much to do but stare at the wound, offer a prayer, and try really hard not to die. And if mortality rates are any indication, the stare-prayer-try method wasn’t all that reliable.

 

Hence an interesting predicament: modern writers and readers of fantasy are out of tune with the gravity of the injuries about which we read and write. Wounds large enough to impress our super-size sensibilities would almost certainly annihilate any character without magical protection. Plausible wounds, on the other hand, are boring.

 

This isn’t a call to action. As I said above, I don’t really want to read a whole lot of books in which elite mystical assassins succumb to the ravages of food poisoning. Great battles and horrifying wounds are a staple of the genre (all of which is quite bullish for the potion-brewers and incantation-mutterers), but I’m sure that Gandalf has room, somewhere in that voluminous robe of his, for a small bottle of Purell.

 

* A good example, incidentally, of the value of the Oxford comma, which places beyond all doubt the idea that the ticks can kill independently of the shit. Although I’m sure that shit-dipped ticks could also be deadly.

 

Brian Staveley's debut 'The Emperor's Blades' is published by Tor, and is available from all major bookstores and Amazon. 
You can find out more about Brian on his blog bstaveley.wordpress.com.

 

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.

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.