Mages, Sorcery and bullets???... What the heck?!

I have a few pretty firm prejudices when it comes to fantasy. There are some things that just shouldn't be messed with. It's a bit like the way I've always thought that women shouldn't try and sing songs by Queen. No matter how well it's done, it just never sounds right to me.

When it comes to classic fantasy, I've always had a thing against gunpowder and guns in general. In my head at least, if you're going to have wizards then you can't have modernity to that extent. Oddly I have no issue with steam power. You want trains and pumps? No problem... get shovelling. Gunpowder? Oh hell no! Gandalf wasn't packing heat now was he? As for Saruman's bomb - well the less said the better.

Dwarves were always restricted to crossbows and axes in my imaginings. Sure they could have mines and all manner of innovations but we're not having guns and cannons. I know this is silly but then clichéd stereotypes do  have their place and, if you think about it, they form the core of any genre. Give me a dwarf with a vaguely Scottish accent swigging beer by the tankard and with a beard that comes down to his knees and I'm happy. We won't think too closely about how much of a pain that beard would be... Eating soup? Washing? Sleeping without strangling yourself?

With all this in mind then, I should have been less than keen on Brian McClellan's Promise of Blood. The novel is the first in his Powder Mage trilogy and delivers on every image that those two words conjure up. Mages with the ability to draw their power from gunpowder itself and influence the path of bullets. People with the capability to enter powder trance by snorting the stuff like snuff and enhance their senses and strength When you add in the fact that there are classical sorcerers too then this should really not have been my thing at all. I should have HATED this.

Against all odds I absolutely loved this book. McClellan has an engaging voice and delivery a nation that has a feel of revolutionary Paris (or maybe that was just the guillotines). The reader is dropped right into the middle of the action with the city writhing is the throes of insurrection as a monarchy is overthrown and a fledgling republic created. There are no overly glaring info-dumps and the reader learns about the world through the eyes of McClellan's characters.

This is a book that is one huge juxtaposition. Classical fantasy tropes like sorcery are pitted against a clearly industrialised society with newspapers and unions. The powder mages themselves personify this clash between magic and modernity. Throw into the mix the re-emergence of half-forgotten gods and the concoction is complete. This combination of concepts should be jarring. It should clash horribly and the book ought to be a colossal train wreck, but it isn't. It's fabulous.

Are there holes in it? Of course there are. I think there are probably holes in any story if you choose to look hard enough. Writing is like any art, it needs to be observed from the correct distance. Sit too close to the stage at a ballet and you'll ruin the illusion. Stand too close to the painting and you'll miss the art and see nothing but brush strokes. A good story takes you out of yourself, up and away on the threads of the tale, if you choose to poke holes in it then you deserve to fall out of the sky.

The writing is solid with well-woven characters and an intricate plot. The machinations are cunning and the world well-forged. The magic is especially well done and balanced carefully so as not to be all-powerful. For me however, the real gem in this novel was the politics, both on the international level and also within the coalition behind the revolution. The fledgling leaders work on a basis of realpolitik and the brutal practicalities of their decisions lend a depth to the novel that would have been missing if it had all been fairy tale endings.

I simply cannot recommend this novel enough. Hands down the best thing I've read since Prince of Thorns and for many of the same reasons that made that work brilliant.

A giveaway because... well it just wouldn't be very fair would it?

With WorldCon rapidly approaching and the paperback due out shortly it occurred that it wasn't really very fair to all of those people who want signed copies and can't get to London. Plus I thought it might be fun  and so here's a little giveaway... feel free to share the news and shout it from the rooftops.

I am giving away two signed copies of the paperback along with an exclusive bookmark not available anywhere but here and WorldCon. The contest is open to entrants from the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. Good luck everyone :)

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Fae - The Wild Hunt

by Graham Austin-King

Giveaway ends August 19, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

a paperback edition and the coolest book launch ever!

So when "Fae - The Wild Hunt" came out back in March, I knew I wanted it to be out in paperback. I wanted it in bookshops, and I wanted to be signing it and generally getting out there and meeting people who'd read it and enjoyed it.

I'll be honest, and say I also wanted to hold it myself. It's a bit childish, but I need to feel it in my hands, smell it... maybe hug it a little. Is that so wrong? Judge all you want, I don't care...

Anyway, the slight snag was in finding a publisher who was insane enough to take me on and get this thing out there. As I might have mentioned once or twice, there is an insane amount of competition in this game and even getting your book considered is a feat in itself.

If I'm really really honest, then it also has a large amount to do with my own impatience. I could have sat home, editing and polishing the book and sending it off to agent after agent,  publisher after... Well you get the idea. I wasn't prepared to do that forever, and so I decided to self-publish it on kindle and the other eBook platforms.

Since day one people have been asking for a paperback edition, and I have looked long and hard to find a way to do this. There are a quite a few self-publishing options out there, but using most of them would result in the price of the book being much higher than I think is reasonable. If I wouldn't pay that amount myself, then I definitely can't expect other people to.

And so there it sat... I was doing okay on eBook sales and it was all ticking along nicely, but the lack of paperback edition nagged at me. Like an itch you just can't quite reach. The funny thing is that paperback sales, unless you are selling  absolutely shed-loads of books, really don't make a writer much. The real money is in eBooks but it's really kind of hard to sign an eBook and tends to mess up the screen. Even the various e-signing apps out there don't really give the same impact.

BUT.... (and you can gasp in anticipation here if you like...)

I have managed to find a way! That's right folks, I am releasing a paperback edition which should (we hope) be available from August 14th!

But hold on... that's not the cool part. (Again, a gasp isn't going to be out of place here... give something back you know?) No the cool part is just how, and where, I'm going to launch this puppy. There is a little gathering happening in London on this weekend in August. An intimate gathering of say... SEVEN THOUSAND PEOPLE who are all going to LonCon, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention!

I will be there! Not camped out on the pavement outside but actually in the dealer zone! I'll have my own table and paperbacks for sale. I will be signing, hanging out, and probably giving away some cool things too.

For those that don't know, this thing is truly huge. Patrick Rothfuss, Robin Hobb, Peter V Brett, and Joe Abercrombie will all be there, to name but a few. And there, in the midst of literary greatness, will be me... (*gulp*)

So there you have it... cat out of the bag and all that. If you are going to LonCon then be sure to scout out the dealer zone and see if you can find me. I'd love to meet anyone who has read and enjoyed the book. I'd love to meet anyone who hasn't read the book but quite fancies a copy. Hell I'd love to meet all of you... Come on over.

For those that can't get there but who still want a copy, it will be on sale via amazon and the usual sites. I'll have to think up something fun to celebrate the launch.

Now, all those people that are on my mailing list knew all of this days ago. They've also been able to read some of the next book. I've put a form just below where you can sign up to get cool news like this, and also to receive raw snippets from the sequel. These are as fresh as it gets, sometimes not even proofed. It's as close as you can get to reading over my shoulder as I type!

That's it for now. I have a new editor cracking her whip and revisions to make. See you in London!

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I might just be crazy but... why not?

I'm probably crazy for thinking this one up but here goes. Reviews are all well and good but it's rare that I get any real feedback on my book. It's written now and although there is some editing going on with it, it's unlikely anything major is going to change between now and when the paperback comes out (yes I did just let that slip didn't I?).

So this brings me on to the sequel. It would be great to have some real feedback, what works and what doesn't and why... This is usually done with a handful of beta-readers who go through the book in secret, but does it have to be? This got me thinking. What if there was a way you could read the book as it was being written? What if you were emailed a few pages every couple of weeks? It wouldn't totally spoil the finished product for you as it would naturally change as we progressed due to your feedback and my own edits. Plus I wouldn't send entire chapters, just snippets. It would be a totally organic way of writing, the book would evolve as it was written.

You'd have to have read the first book to really understand the second but it's only a few dollars/pounds/yen and actually only 99c at the moment (well until Thursday). It's a bit of a crazy idea but hey... why the heck not. You provide the eyes and some feedback... I'll do the rest.

I'm posting the form here... let's see who signs up.

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Giveaways... Nook, Kobo, and iTunes Oh My!!

Okay so this isn't much of a blog post but I wanted to throw it out there. Fae - The Wild Hunt is coming out on Nook, Kobo, iTunes and a myriad of other platforms on or about June 16th. At the same time there will be a bit of a publicity blitz including a GIVEAWAY. That's right folks I am giving away three ecopies of the book via a funky little program called rafflecopter. You should be able to see details below provided the internet gods cooperate.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

A sneak peak...

A tiny snippet from the sequel (as yet unnamed) to "Fae - The Wild Hunt". I'm posting this to celebrate hitting 500 likes on that Facebook thingy... but mostly because I kind of like this section.

   She stood carefully, “Let me get this little beast into bed and I'll be back,” she paused at the doorway, looking back over her shoulder at the drink in his hand. “Get me one of those while I'm gone, I think I'm going to need it.”

   The trip up the climbed the stairs was a slow and cautious one, practice allowing her to avoid those steps that creaked. He was a good baby but he was a light sleeper and she'd quickly learned to avoid noises. She laid him down into the cradle, pulling the light blanket over him. The sun had almost set, just a sliver remaining above the silvery horizon as it sank into the seas. The stars were slowly becoming visible through the thin clouds. 

   Ylsriss moved to the window and stared out over the city towards the harbour, her thoughts far across the ocean as she glanced back at the baby for a moment. Voices from the kitchen brought her back to herself and she turned to the doorway. She didn't look at the rooftop opposite Rhavin's house. It would have taken sharp eyes indeed to have picked out the figure crouched low beside the chimney. As the last light of the sun faded, the green-tinged mist rising from its shoulders was just visible below the burning amber eyes. Eyes that had watched so intently as she lay the baby down.

Kindleboards, Spotlights and Wine...

A feature spotlight on Kindleboards today, check it out here. Apparently they are the biggest internet kindle forum going so hopefully this will provide some exposure for the book. I've also dropped the price down to 99c for the event so grab a copy while you can. For those of you on Nook and Kobo don't despair because my exclusivity with Amazon ends mid June. Because of this Fae will be rolling out to all the other platforms like Kobo and iTunes with June 16th as the release date.

All hail and rejoice! Let there be wine and women and song! Or... you know... read a book?