More of what THEY say
Time for my regular orgy of self-gratification, as I utterly ignore my writing to scour the internet for the slightest whiff of praise for my old books.
We begin with John D. Borra, on Flowers from the Rubble, who has been reading Before They are Hanged, and says:
“Pick it up. The darkly comic was never this…comic. Imagine Ricky Gervais doing Lord of the Rings and you just might have Before They Are Hanged.”
Mmmmmm, deliciously dark and subversive. William Marnoch has posted a review of The Blade Itself over at his website, Voidhawk:
“Abercrombie’s writing style is witty and fast-moving with memorable dialogue and efficient descriptions of the action scenes.”
He adds on the subject of Before They are Hanged:
“The characterisation and dialogue continue to be entertaining and well-written … a very entertaining book and as the series goes on the plot is becoming increasingly complex and interesting.”
John, of Grasping for the Wind, has been continuing to discuss his reaction to swearing in fantasy with great dignity around the internet. In spite of all the swearing, he had this to say:
“I recommend reading The Blade Itself. The story is wickedly funny, the fight scenes memorable, and the characters fascinating. Nothing in this novel is as it seems, and Abercrombie’s contribution to the genre is sure to endure.”
An enduring contribution? Can it get any better than that? Well, I’m pleased to say it can. Rikazaza dares to go a step still further when talking about The Blade Itself on her live journal:
“This is the best book I have ever read … Go buy it and read it immediately.”
Oh, bless you, my child.
Zounds! Swearing in Fantasy
Here’s one we can all get our teeth into. An issue that comes up from time to time, and one that looks as if it will come up a bit more for me since publication in America, is that of the use of ‘modern’ swear-words in fantasy. Blast my potty-mouth, it gets me in all […]
Homage, Satire, Revision
Fantasy Book Critic, one of the leading voices in a new wave of sci-fi and fantasy bloggers has posted a review of The Blade Itself, and do you know what? That guy really gets me: “The Blade Itself is simultaneously an homage to fantasy of old, a satirical riff on cliches common within the genre, […]
Germany on FIRE…blade
The German language edition of Before They are Hanged is available on amazon.de – Feuerklingen (or Fireblade for the Engish-speakers amongst us). This is, of course, the breathlessly awaited sequel to Kriegsklingen (or Warblade to you and I). You will note immediately that the German publisher, Heyne, have gone for a much more “straight ahead” […]
What else THEY are saying.
Heavens be praised! I’ve been Klausnered! For those of you who don’t understand, Harriet Klausner is amazon.com’s no. 1 reviewer, well known for posting an AWFUL LOT of semi-comprehensible reviews (about 3 and upwards per day, in fact). Some doubt her ability to truly read and consider that many books, but no-one could truly consider […]
Writing a Series
Heroic Fantasy tends to come in series. It’s a well known fact. Only look at the classics. Lord of the Rings. Elric. Earthsea. Notable stand-alone fantasy books are quite the rarety. In fact, it’s hardly a new observation to point out that the biggest-selling fantasy series of the last decade or two seem to be […]
What THEY are saying
A little round up of my obsessive trawling of the internet for the slightest nugget of opinion about myself. Will I be delighted or horrified? Will it be heaven or hell? We shall find out … Jessica Strider from The World’s Biggest Bookstore has given The Blade Itself the once over. Fair news or foul? […]
American Edition
American copies turned up in the mail a couple of days ago, and my thanks to Lou Anders and all the folks at Pyr for making a very handsome book. Minor changes to the cover – slightly different font, and some capital letters, which I like quite a bit actually – more authority. Same background, […]
