Tales of Damasco: Update 4 (Part 1)

Honestly, you leave it a week or two and suddenly there's so much novel series news that it barely fits into one post.  The only reason I'm not splitting it into two parts is because then it would be Update 4, Part 1 and Update 4, Part 2, and that's just plain stupid.  It's like Rambo movie numbering.  I mean, First Blood, Part 2?  Explain that to me with your science, Sylvester Stallone.

It lives! It breathes! It talks!

Except ... and this is genuinely embarassing ... I'm about halfway through the post now, and it really isn't going to fit into one posticle.  I think Blogger might break.  And think of the catastrophic harm that would do to the fabric of society; think of all those people who wouldn't be able to post cute pictures of their cats falling off things.  So, okay, due to unavoidable circumstances outside of anyone's control, least of all mine, let's just call this Part 1 and pretend the whole horrible incident never happened.

Right.  So.  There's been plenty happening on the Giant Thief front since I last talked about it, a whopping two months ago.  Can it really be that long?  And didn't I say it had only been two weeks a couple of paragraphs ago?  Anyway the most exciting news - out of a lot of exciting news, it has to be said - is that the audio book edition of GT is now out.  I've been looking forward to hearing it ever since I found it would be happening ... and, well, I still am, because I haven't actually been sent a copy yet, but I have listened to the extract on Audible (UK here, US here) and I'm okay with confidently saying that James Langton's done a terrific job on the reading.  Boy ... at the risk of seeming like I'm dropping hints ... I just can't wait to hear the whole thing!

What else?  Well, there've been a couple more interviews up: another text one with Civilian Reader and, fresh from the dank and sinister back rooms of Pontins Prestatyn and the SFX weekender, a live talky one with the Fantasy Faction lads.  Of all the interviews I've done (and let's face it, we're admittedly not talking huge numbers here) this is my favourite, because so much of it boils down to me, Marc and Paul geeking the hell out over our shared love and sci-fi, and I don't get to do that half as often as I'd like to, let alone have it podcast to thousands of people.

I'm the one who's not Ian Whates's left hand.

Lastly, there have been a fair old flood of reviews trickling in (in so much as a flood can trickle, which it probably can't) over the last two months.  I've actually lost track a little of what came in when, but here's a quick round-up of the ones I'm confident I haven't mentioned yet:

Fantasy Book Review described GT as "a very adept debut from an author who has a lot of talent", a sentiment echoed by Ed Fortune, writing for Clockwork Reviews at Nevermet Press, who said, "An excellent debut and I hope to see more from this fresh new talent in the future." TheVillageSmith asked the easily answered question, "Who can go wrong with a book about an incorrigible thief whose rapier wit is stronger than his backbone" (no one, obviously) while firebreathingmonsters cut straight to the blurb with "this is a light, fun read and I enjoyed it."  Meanwhile, Pornokitsch concluded their 30 word review by noting, "...overall, an excellent fantasy debut" and (just in) Bloodsong of Bloodsong's Blog begins, "I loved this book!" and concludes with some fantastic advice: "...try to read it in an Antivan accent. (or Spanish/Hispanic if you like). It makes it richer and even more enjoyable."

I wholeheartedly concur.

Not me.

My absolute favourite, though, is John Hobkinson's, from his blog Clockwork Reviews (a different Clockwork Reviews from the above, oddly.)  John says that "I would be hard pressed to find someone who would not enjoy this book", amongst other nice things, but that isn't why he's my favourite.  It has more to do with John recounting the story of how I (acidentally, it has to be said) talked him into buying a copy of Giant Thief at the SFX weekender, and his getting in touch to send me the above photo - hopefully the last record, by the way, of what that loveable rapscallion Lavie Tidhar described to anyone who'd listen as my Steve Guttenberg hair.