Although the US edition of The Blade Itself isn’t actually due in stores until 6th September, I’m delighted to report that amazon.com is stocking it from today, and at a generous discount. Only think, you could order that bad boy right now and crack the spine ten days before publication date. Only imagine: for those 240 hours, your friends will worship you like a god.
Simultaneously, a review from the appropriately titled Blood, Blade & Thruster, the magazine that mixes speculative fiction, satire, and self-deprecating humour (it’s like they made a magazine just for me). They say, among other things:
“A fantasy novel full of enough ironic and slightly self-deprecating humor and Scorcese-esque violence to make the average hipper than thou non-fantasy reader want to learn more about the genre (my favorite kind to convert), yet filled with enough touchstones to make your average Tolkien weaned fantasy reader quite happy indeed … This book is highly recommended by BBT Magazine!”
So any Americans out there, fantasy fans or otherwise, keen to find out what all the fuss is about?
6 comments so far
Hey Joe,
Good review, especially:
Do want an author who tweaks the nipples of the oh-so-revered Fantasy Formula?
Ouch!
Just finished ‘Before They Are Hanged’ and am now in Limbo, it’s a long wait until March 2007, damnit!
Congrats on two great books, I especially like the way you handle POV and how we get to see inside of Glokta’s mind. Another thing I thought great was your use of (now, I’m not sure if this is correct but I’ll give it a bash)third person limited omniscient? Where, for example in Dogman’s POV you describe what the narrator sees with Dogman’s turn of phrase (dunno if that makes any sense!) but however, whatever it’s called and however you did it I thought it worked extremely well. Can’t wait ’til March!
Best,
Bob
I finished Before they are Hanged quite some time ago .. hale and praise the intarwebs .. amazon.co.uk even delivers to my abode here in the 7th level of Hell that is the heart of the States. 😀
NOW! If I could just get a copy of book three in my hands that would be just fucking amazing.
Yours truly,
– Ben
.. somewhere in the middle of Jesusland. ;D
Cheers bob and ben both. Glad you’ve enjoyed the first two. As far as book three goes, there may be a chance coming up for a lucky individual or two to get their grubby hands on a signed ARC in the next few weeks. Watch this space.
How long do we have to watch in order to weasel a ARC of LAoK? ;D
HUH?! HUH?! *taps vein*
Well, ben, they probably won’t be printed for a month or two, so at least that long.
But I suggest you keep watching the blog anyway, if only for the HILARIOUS content.
Hi Joe,
I’m very much enjoying the re-read – and appreciating the ingenuity of how each part of this wonderful story unfolds. I also found myself dreaming about talking with Ferro Maljinn! – which was an interesting experience to say the least. She brought some truths with her.
One of the best facets of ‘The First Law’ is your approach to magick. When it appears it has real potency – an extra filigree of authenticity.
One of the hardest things about waiting for the next volume is knowing I will have to find something else to read for the time being. Most fantasy seems such facile crap in comparison. I started the first of Manda Scott’s ‘Boudicca’ historical series and had to put it down in disgust, as it was so badly written and stale in comparison to your work. You have seriously raised the benchmark for class, sheer enjoyment/readability and quality.
Stephen R. Donaldson’s latest is just out so that will suffice for a while. But if there was any possibilty of being able to read a proof copy of ‘Argument’ I would be so happy.
Cheers,
Andrew Josey