Luke Scull

Unfortunately, my US publishers, Penguin, have decided not to release a paperback edition of Dead Man’s Steel at this time, mostly due to my digital sales vastly outnumbering my physical book sales.  You can still get hold of the book in hardcover as well as e-book/kindle editions. The novel has been available in paperback in the UK for quite some time, but I appreciate the cover design is very different to that of the US books and probably won’t please collectors. I’m very sorry that this happened — fingers crossed Dead Man’s Steel will see a paperback release at some point in the future, even if it takes a few years.

It’s the news I’ve been waiting to announce — I’ve signed up for two new books set in the world of The Grim Company! Both books will be standalone novels, taking place some time after the events of the trilogy. The first novel, provisionally entitled Kingdom, will be set in the sun-kissed south and feature a largely new cast together with a few returning faces. The aim is to keep the gritty feel of my previous books, while channeling Gemmell and others to achieve a slight evolution in tone from the unrelenting grimdark. More of an emphasis on epic (dare I say, heroic) fantasy with a dash of horror, perhaps…Head of Zeus will publish both novels. Audio rights have sold to […]

My first published short story is now available in this month’s issue of Grimdark Magazine. “A Ring to Rule Them All” is set a few years before the events of The Grim Company, and tells the story of the night Jerek freed Kayne from the Shaman’s cage. In addition to my 4,000 short, there is also new fiction from Anna Smith Spark and William Stiteler, as well as reviews and interviews. You can grab it now for only $3.99.

I’m pleased to announce that The Grim Company trilogy has now sold over 100,000 copies worldwide! The true figure is likely to be substantially higher as foreign language sales figures tend to lag at least a year behind, but it’s nonetheless a nice milestone to reach. It doesn’t exactly make me a big fish, of course — you might say I’ve moved up from minnow to koi-sized in the great ocean of literary luminaries! — but it’s a solid start. Here’s to a million books sold — no, scratch that, a billion!

One of the perks of being an author is receiving complimentary copies of one’s magnus opus from publishers. These are supposed to be used for marketing and publicity purposes. In my case, I was fortunate enough to sign some very good deals and hence received a very large number of complimentary copies: over 300 in total, in eight different languages… Back in 2014, I gave away a chunk of this hoard. However, I still have over 250 lying around in boxes with nowhere to store them. In order to create some space and make an impending move easier, I’ve decided to hold a sequel giveaway even bigger than the last. A Great Grim Giveaway, you might say… I’ve put 20 […]

The nominees are in and public voting has begun for this year’s David Gemmell Awards, of which I am a big fan. Dead Man’s Steel is nominated in both the Legend (best fantasy novel) and Ravenheart (best cover art) categories. Head on over now and vote – two clicks (three including the link) are all it takes! I read Gemmell’s Legend last year and loved it. If anyone has any recommendations for which of his novels to read next, I’m all ears…

A few weeks ago I caught the train into London and signed 80 copies of Dead Man’s Steel for Goldsboro Books. There are still some available to buy for the RRP of £20. Chances are they won’t be around much longer, so if you need a signed copy to complete your collection, now’s your chance. In other news, Dead Man’s Steel received a positive review at Grimdark Alliance. Eric Fomley said the following: At last, I have completed the Grim Company trilogy. What a journey it has been. When I first read The Grim Company, the first novel in the series, I enjoyed it despite the distracting similarities between the novel and one of my favorite series, The Black Company, and some […]

Eric S. Fomley over at Grimdark Alliance has posted a short interview with yours truly — my first in almost two years (!). Topics include the difficulties I endured writing the third book in the trilogy, as well as my plans for the future. Check it out. In review news, Dead Man’s Steel picked up a 5 out of 5 rating on SFBook Reviews and 4 and a half stars out of 5 on TheBookbag.co.uk. As always, I shall be as watchful as a hawk in highlighting any positive reviews that appear, while maintaining a mole-ish myopia towards anything less than glowing…

The third and final novel of the Grim Company trilogy, Dead Man’s Steel, is released today in the US and Canada. It’s been six years since I first put pen to paper and wrote the prologue of what would become one of the highest-profile fantasy releases of 2013. This last year has been a rollercoaster, to put it mildly, and at points it looked as though Book 3 wouldn’t quite make it — but here it is. Not all readers will agree with all the choices I made in this book: I’m prepared for some grumbles about the Fade, among other things. Ultimately, though, it’s the story I chose to tell and I’ll stand by those choices. I’m happy with […]