Progress Report October ’24
Ah, the year draws to a close, the leaves fall, and one’s thoughts start to turn to all that has, and has not, been achieved over the past 12 months…
The actual text of The Devils has been finished for some time, and indeed Advance Reader Copies both physical and electronic are working their way out into the world, but the physical book is starting to take final shape, which includes revealing some of the internal illustrations, which have taken the highly appropriate form of Byzantine-influenced icons of the central characters painted by Joel Daniel Phillips. Here’s the highly halloween appropriate Swedish werewolf Vigga Ullasdottr:
Grrrrr. The standard hardcovers, both UK from Gollancz and US from Tor, should have eight of these, four in colour on the endpapers, four in black and white internally, plus a map. Here’s etiquette expert, dumpling enthusiast, and occasional drinker of blood, Baron Rikard:
Don’t worry, he rarely dines on those to whom he has been formally introduced. Like eating a pet, once you know their names it feels so gauche. As well as being a very accomplished fine artist, Joel runs Lit Escalates, who do artwork and merch for authors including Pierce Brown and VE Schwab, and we’ll be collaborating on a few offerings over the coming months, certainly for The Devils, potentially for other things too. More on that as it happens. Here’s the supposed heir to the Throne of Troy, worst princess ever, Alexia Pyrogennetos:
All this in the standard hardcover, but there are actually going to be at least two signed special editions with their own entirely unique covers, endpapers and presentations. Fascinating to see such different approaches taken to the same material. The book’s not actually out till May 6th, but there are already a couple of exceedingly early reviews out there. In case you’re still not eager to read it, here’s one from Grimdark Magazine:
“Overall The Devils is fast, furious, and an absolutely rollicking good time. The cast is wonderful, the plot fast-paced and action-packed, and it’s easily Joe’s funniest work to date.”
E-book and Audio will release the same day, and in truly joyful news for me, not to mention the many folks who consume my books in audio form, the incomparable Steven Pacey has been announced as the reader.
In between a few other projects, progress on the second book continues. You could call it a series, but it’s much more loosely connected than something like The First Law, which is really one book in three parts. These are more like standalone (mis)adventures with setting and some cast in common. There’s some overarching plot but the idea is they’re much easier to write (or to read) individually. So on this second book I’m nearing completion of an extremely shoddy draft of the second part of three. The idea is to have that finished and tightened up so it can be sent off to my editors by the end of the year, then hopefully to have the third and last part roughed out by May, when the first book comes out, so I can relatively quickly rewrite, sharpen up and revise thereafter. It’s been a long wait for this book so I’d rather the sequels didn’t land TOO far apart.
At the moment it looks like I’ll be touring in the UK the week of release, early May, then heading to the US for some events straight afterward, but I will certainly be giving details of where and when I’ll be as far as possible in advance. I believe that’s all I got for now. More in due course…
