The first is from Gav at Mass Movement Magazine here. It contains possibly my favourite quote from any review so far: “If you want a complex, sophisticated read then this isn’t the book for you, if, on the other hand you want a far fetched flat out shit kicker I can’t recommend it enough.”

Then there’s Zoe’s review at Fantasy Nibbles here. It’s great when a reader really ‘gets’ your novel, and Zoe seems to have done just that.

Anyway, I’m expecting more reviews soon, so I’ll post more linkies as soon as I have them… unless, of course, they’re rubbish, in which case I won’t.

And yes, you did read that right: “a major new fantasy talent here, to rank with Joe Abercrombie, Peter V Brett”! So watch out Abercrombie. Step aside Brett. And you Martin and Morgan. Watch out Tchaikovsky and Lynch. Beware Rothfuss and Sanderson. I have come for your crowns and none of you can stand against me, I will tread your dead skulls to ash and claim my rightful place as the unrivalled king of modern epic fantasy.

Or we could just have a nice cup of tea and chat about it.

First the good. The Eloquent page seemed to like it a lot. They described Blaklok as ‘the first proper Steampunk Geezer’, which I thought was nice. Then there’s Erik Lundqvist at iwillreadbooks who also liked it, describing it as a ‘very entertaining, action packed and fun read’. Yes it is, well spotted!

And for purposes of completeness, there’s also the bad. The chap at Falcata Times didn’t like it so much. Apparently the whole story would have come across better in graphic novel form, although he did like the one-liners and reasonable pace. Finally there’s SFX, which unfortunately I can’t link to. They only gave it 2 out of 5 stars, which was obviously annoying for about ten minutes. I’m over it now. No really, I am.

Anyway, onwards and upwards, as they say. And if you haven’t read Kultus yet, don’t listen to anyone else’s opinion… go out and get yourself a copy!

Speaking of comics, 2000AD are also hosting a give-away in Prog 1758. By answering a simple question (though to be honest I don’t know the answer myself) you can win one of five brand spanking new copies of Kultus. There’s also a full-page ad for the novel on the back cover, so you could do a lot worse than to grab yourself a copy from the newsagents!

I can’t tell you how made up I am about this. I’ve been a 2000AD fan since I was running around in short trousers (though I still do that on occasion) and if you told me when I was a nipper that one day I’d have a novel advertised in those hallowed pages I wouldn’t have believed you.

Anyway, Kultus is now available everywhere in the US and Canada, and sees release in the UK on November 1st. If you like what you read in the free comic, it’s more than likely you’ll love the novel, so do yourself a favour and buy one!!

Lion Rampant is still awaiting a publisher to see the light and take it on. Since the wheels of the publishing industry grind by at a snail’s pace, I’m not currently holding my breath for this. A movie company did request a gander at the manuscript after seeing the synopsis, however, but decided it wasn’t for them. That was most encouraging, if ultimately anti-climactic.

Behind the scenes development of Kultus continues apace, and I recently sent back the last print proof before it goes to… well, print. The novel’s not even hit the shelves yet and already there’s a buzz about it. Let’s hope it lives up to the hype!

Anyway, that’s all for now, apart from to say I might have some adventure gamebook related news very soon.

Ooh you are a tease!

Yes. Yes I am.

Yes it appears we’ve gone public with the cover of my novel, Kultus. The ridiculously talented Frazer Irving has done an unbelievable job of capturing Blaklok in all his demoniac glory as he gazes through the Key of Lunos, probably without realising all the shit it’s about to get him into.

Excuse me, I have to go lie down now.