*That* Post

That's right - it's time for the inevitable post where I shamefacedly offer up an ultimately insincere apology for my lack of recent blogging activity. I'm neck-deep in Sword of the North, the second novel in The Grim Company trilogy, and everything - even my personal hygiene - has taken a back seat to getting this bad boy finished. Though I'll definitely shower this week, before my wife exiles me to the garage...

They say the second novel is the toughest, carrying as it does the weight of expectation and the heretofore unfamiliar burden of obligation, and that's definitely proving to be the case so far. It's a very ambitious sequel that does clever (or so I'd like to believe) things with narrative structure - and with every review that points out the flaws in The Grim Company, it becomes that little bit more challenging to maintain the iron certainty and blinding self-delusion that can be so beneficial to getting a book written. The heart soars with each "An exciting, distinctly original debut novel containing such imaginative vision as to take fantasy to new heights"... only to plummet like a stone with zingers such as "Ouch, it must have hurt when Luke Scull ripped off Joe Abercrombie so hard that even affectations of speech were liberally stolen."

The best thing to do is obviously to break my wireless router over my knee or else go and live in a cave while I'm working on my second novel... but then what would I do when I'm stumped for a synonym for snow (I swear there isn't one!) or confused as to the exact difference between a valley and a glen?

The internet; the cause of and solution to all of a writer's problems. 

But mainly the cause of, if I'm honest.

The Grim Company: The Myth, The Legend

So I checked Amazon today - and guess what was the number 1 bestseller in the "Myths & Fairy Tales" category?

Forget the fact The Grim Company does not vaguely qualify as either a myth or fairy tale. Put aside the trifling detail that at £1.19, of course it's going to sell a bucketload more copies than other books not priced at less than a cost of a cheeseburger at McDonalds.

I'm number 1! Just ahead of a little-known fantasy epic by a certain J R R Tolkien...

(I accept no responsibility for parents inadvertently buying the book for their children expecting something in the vein of Snow White only to be hit full-on in the face by gritty darkness. Blame Amazon!)

North American Cover & Release Date

I'm pleased to announce The Grim Company will be released in the US and Canada on September 3rd, published by Roc (an imprint of the Penguin group).

Check out the jacket art below. It's very different from the UK edition - but, in my opinion, equally awesome.

Yes, that is me modelling for the cover. I confess I've been slacking off at the gym recently and hence don't appear as ripped as I usually would...

What do you think? Do you like the cover, or will the gnashing of teeth from dissatisfied American fantasy fans soon reverberate around the internet?

One Month On

So... The Grim Company has been out four whole weeks. Reviews and general buzz have been very good. Sales figures are respectable and will, I am sure, continue to grow as positive word of mouth spreads like a virulent disease.

I spent Thursday evening at Goldsboro Books in London, where the launch of my maiden novel coincided with a large gathering of authors, publishing industry figures and fans hardy enough to brave the cold. I think I managed to get around and chat with most of my fellow writers. I confess I was a little bit dazed by the attention and then latterly by the wine, so apologies to anyone who missed me in the throng. It was a great night - credit and thanks go to David Headley and the gang for hosting the event.

On a slightly different note, some more reviews trickled in last week. What was the verdict, you may ask. Or more likely not ask - let's be honest, if they weren't positive I would hardly draw attention to the fact by highlighting them here. That would be stupid.

First up is Jim Steel at Interzone magazine, who called The Grim Company "a fine debut" and "an enjoyable romp at the heart of the genre."

Sarah Garland at Book Geek was positively bowled over. "A fast paced, totally engrossing page turner with brilliant characterisation," she raved. Raved.

Finally we have a review from no less a cherished British institution than the Daily Mail. "A grisly, compelling read," was the verdict, though "grisly" as an adjective might equally apply to the typo in the review header. Who is this Luke Skull fellow? He seems intent on stealing my glory. According to the British Science Fiction Association, he even showed up at the Fantasy in the Court event at Goldsboro! The bastard has cojones, I'll give him that...

Doodled Books

Are you a collector? Does the thought of owning a unique copy of the next big thing in gritty, arguably even grimdark fantasy excite you? If not, why not? What are you even doing on this blog? Are you one of the surprisingly large number of people apparently linked here from a site dedicated to Russian prostitutes? How did my blog address even end up there?

I don't know the answers to those questions. And if I did, I wouldn't be telling you.

But in any case, there is now a very limited number of uniquely signed and illustrated copies of The Grim Company available from Doodled Books. That's right - you can own something that is not only a literary masterpiece but also an artistic tour de force, with scenes from the novel delicately composed by my very own hand.

Take a look at these stunning examples:

As mentioned, there are a very limited number of books and they seem to be selling out fast. I won't be doodling any more copies of The Grim Company ever, so you'd better order soon if you want to be able to show one of these beauties to the grandchildren in years to come...

If anyone can tell me what the two doodles above are supposed to represent, that person will receive a special prize. I'll tell you what exactly the prize is once I've given it some more thought!

SFX May 2013

I'm pleased to say there's a "New Author" interview with me in the May edition of SFX magazine, on sale now at all good British newsagents. It's fairly brief but interesting, and there's a new photo of me looking impressively moody.

The Grim Company also receives a fairly positive write-up in the very same issue, with the reviewer awarding the book 3 1/2 out of 5 stars and saying: "Debut author Luke Scull packs an impressive amount of violence, hazy morality and betrayal into these pages, crafting an energetically cynical read. Showcasing thrilling action sequences alongside effective plot twists, it'll please fans of the darker edges of epic fantasy... An entertaining page-turner."

Though he also goes on to commit the cardinal sin of pointing out the similarities to Joe Abercrombie, and the slightly less cardinal sin of saying the book is not perfect and that he found the story slightly predictable. That's always a highly subjective thing, of course, and I've always been of the opinion that a well-crafted story where everything fits together will often feel a tad predictable to someone with more than a passing familiarity of the genre.

But who wants to hear authors pathetically trying to rationalise the fact that someone, somewhere found their beloved magnum opus to be less than perfect? Not me, that's for sure.

I'm probably going to end up saying this an awful lot over the next couple of years, but in a sense The Grim Company is really only part one of a longer story (despite the fact it ties up fairly neatly), and a lot of expectations and assumptions readers will have about where the story is going and how certain characters will follow a similar arc to characters in other series will ultimately prove to be off-base.

I can't prove that at this stage, of course. I can only say wait and see. But you'll see...

Fantasy in the Court 2013

On March 28th, Goldsboro Books of London will be hosting a party/gathering themed around the release of The Grim Company. Guests will include fantasy authors, agents, publishers, noted bloggers, and anyone else who fancies coming along and rubbing shoulders with the greats, the not-so-greats, and the frankly non-entities (i.e. me). There will be drinks and merriment and good conversation to be had. I expect some books will also get signed.

This will hopefully be the first in an annual meet-up. It's a free event, so why not add your name to the list?

Talking about Goldsboro Books, last Thursday I was at that very bookstore signing copies of The Grim Company. 250 to be exact, all signed, dated and carefully numbered on a special page unique to Goldsboro and wrapped in a protective removable film. You can purchase one of these limited edition books here - but you'll need to be quick, as they're apparently flying off the shelves.

It turns out Peter V. Brett had also been at Goldsboro recently signing copies of his new novel The Daylight War, which were piled everywhere. It was a surreal experience to find myself sitting in exactly the same chair doing exactly the same thing as an internationally successful author like Peter V. Brett. I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon and I'll quickly regard the prospect of signing a shedload of books with about as much enthusiasm as unblocking the toilet, but for now it's all good fun ...

Me

Peter V. Brett