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2012/06/14 09:00:13
Subject: Re:Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
Did they have to write that on the cover? "Weighing in at 94 pounds, and suspended in a suepensor-field powered bubble, it'sssssss Raveennnooorrrrr!" Brings to mind Tekken Vs. Street Fighter or *shudder* Aliens Vs. Predator
Personally.. Dan isn't as great as he used to be. Don't get me wrong, Eisenhorn is ace and so is the first Ravenor novel, the rest are okay, but not as great.
Fatum Iustum Stultorum
Fiat justitia ruat caelum
2012/06/14 14:54:22
Subject: Re:Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
BrookM wrote:Knowing the author we'd be dead before we're halfway through if we play the same drinking game again.
I'm intrigued, what drinking game is this?
Certain phrases, descriptions and plot devices always show up in his stories. Granted, the last Cain novel I read was him versus psychic space hitler, which dealt with him later in life and while a fun read, it was more of the same really. Same remarks (Jurgen's aroma), same descriptions (If I had known about X I would've done Y with Z) for certain situations and oh look.. one foe in the open and another foe hidden to be revealed later. It also didn't help that the character never shows any improvements over the first novels and stories, still a snivelling coward who when pressed does the right thing, which granted, is his thing, but isn't funny all the time. You'd expect him to show improvement over time, come to accept that he is a brave and heroic soldier. It's just not fun any more to read the same thing over and over again for a few jokes in between.
That's why I keep hoping he writes another Dark Heresy novel, those are fun. The action is boring, but the character interaction and locale more than make up for that.
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Fiat justitia ruat caelum
2012/06/16 04:11:14
Subject: Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
BrookM wrote:A bit too busy a cover, but it will hopefully live up to the hype.
You have no idea how happy I was to see this cover, done in the style of the Ravenor omnibus, instead of a 'space man fight' on the cover.
If you are dissing the Eisenhorn omnibus cover, let it be known.. Methinks it is on my good fellow. Have at theeeeeee~!
The artwork is very good, but for an omnibus, the Ravenor cover was stylish and cool and had several folks at work asking me about 'that giant black book you're reading'.
Also... 'it's on'.... really, would you like to go there with me? You want your Uncle Stompa to take you to the naughty corner again Brook?
2012/06/16 07:57:03
Subject: Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
BrookM wrote:A bit too busy a cover, but it will hopefully live up to the hype.
You have no idea how happy I was to see this cover, done in the style of the Ravenor omnibus, instead of a 'space man fight' on the cover.
If you are dissing the Eisenhorn omnibus cover, let it be known.. Methinks it is on my good fellow. Have at theeeeeee~!
The artwork is very good, but for an omnibus, the Ravenor cover was stylish and cool and had several folks at work asking me about 'that giant black book you're reading'.
Also... 'it's on'.... really, would you like to go there with me? You want your Uncle Stompa to take you to the naughty corner again Brook?
I'd like to see you try unca Stompa, I have learned from our last encounter.
In other news, decided to order that Cain novel with the space marines on the cover, because I've been told by an angry fanboi that it so broke the mould and formula used thus far. We shall see.
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2012/06/20 09:07:01
Subject: Re:Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
Sarah Cawkwell is one of Black Library’s new stable of writers, and one with a penchant for writing great stories about the most Chaotic of characters. With a few short stories and a couple of very-well-received novels (The Gildar Rift and Valkia the Bloody) now under her belt for Black Library, I thought it was high-time I pestered her with some questions about her writing and future plans…
Your latest novel, Valkia the Bloody, has just been released. How would you introduce it to a new reader?
Valkia the Bloody is set in the Warhammer Fantasy world and is what has been described as a “gore-drenched march” through the life of a barbarian warrior queen who leads her tribe to greatness, and is ultimately rewarded with the dark curse of immortality.
Granted the blessing and patronage of the blood god Khorne, Valkia’s deeds become legend and her name becomes a whispered horror, synonymous with death and destruction throughout the Old World.
Where did the inspiration for the story come from? What is it about Chaotic characters that is so appealing to read and write about?
The inspiration itself came from the character’s description in the Warriors of Chaos codex. In particular, the brief segment that notes Valkia’s epic duel with Locephax, a daemon prince of Slaanesh caught my eye.
Further inspiration came simply from the countless fantasy epics I’ve read in my time. There is something very appealing about taking an inherently “evil” character and making them sympathetic. I’m not aiming for likable with Valkia – because none of the characters are particularly endearing, so there is a real challenge in giving them flesh and form rather than just going down the twirly moustaches villain route.
And where do you draw your inspiration from in general?
Everywhere. I kid you not; I’ve even noted down place names as I’ve seen them in case they might be useful later. For a writer, there is inspiration in just about everything if you look; other literature, art, museums, the people around you… I love spending a bit of time in the local Games Workshop watching people play games – there’s an incredible amount of inspiration to be drawn from that.
How were you introduced to genre fiction?
My mother was an avid science fiction and fantasy reader and so I remember many Asimov books lying around the house whilst growing up. It was therefore only natural that my own tastes went down that route. I devoured all the fantasy and sci-fi classics at an early age. Steampunk and urban fantasy are newer additions to the genre and I adore both of those – urban fantasy particularly. Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files rate amongst my favourite books of all time.
How do you enjoy being a writer and working within the publishing industry? Do you have any specific working, writing, researching practices?
I love being a writer. Even if I were not published, I’d still be writing. Actually being a part of the publishing industry can frequently be mind-blowing. It’s like… living out of time. Hard to explain what I mean, but because of the way publishing works, you can finish a manuscript and then not see it as a physical product until maybe a year later, by which time you exclaim “blimey, I’d forgotten that!” because you’re onto something entirely different.
As for specific practises… when working on a project, I set myself a minimum daily word count target as well as monthly goals. I find it easier to set small nibble-goals than great big mouthfuls. I always write with music playing; specifically I log onto Streaming Soundtracks, who play nothing but film and game music. I don’t have a very large house, so I don’t have a room to myself, which can occasionally be frustrating, but I do have headphones.
Whilst writing, I have on-screen Post-it notes all over the desktop detailing who’s still alive, who’s where, etc. I have a whiteboard for scribbling critical information (and for playing noughts and crosses at a push) and above all else, if the writing isn’t flowing, I never ever force it.
Sarah’s Space Marine Battles Novel
When did you realize you wanted to be an author, and what was your first foray into writing? Do you still look back on it fondly?
At the age of five, when we had to write a story about our favourite Mr. Man carrying out an activity. I remember quite clearly writing an incredibly silly story about Mr. Happy growing a tree in his back garden and his impatience that it didn’t grow overnight. There’s probably some deep psychology in there. But even more clearly was the laughter of my teacher and the feeling that I wrote something that caused that reaction. At school, my teachers were forever encouraging me to write more stories. I have also written my share of fan-fiction in the past, and also my favourite: online roleplaying in shared universes. I look back at everything I’ve written with great fondness; it’s like every step on the trail. I’d curl up and die horribly if I read some of the earlier stuff now, because you never stop learning.
What’s your opinion of the genre today, and where do you see your work fitting into it?
I love that the genre has deepened and become more rich with the addition of things such as steampunk and urban fantasy. I think that fantasy in particularly is seeing something of an upsurge in interest due to the success of TV adaptations such as Game of Thrones and that’s no bad thing. Obviously my Warhammer/W40K work fits into the tie-in range, but I have had a go at turning my hand to different things as well.
What projects are you working on, and what do you have currently in the pipeline?
I have a few things for Black Library sitting waiting for my attention. I have just finished writing a short story called “The Ballad of Gilrain” for an eBook anthology due out later this year called Tales from the Nun and Dragon [published in August by Fox Spirit], in which we see a rather unlikely situation arise with a dragon who just won’t stay dead. It isn’t, as you may guess from that summary, an entirely serious story. I deliberately chose humour after writing so much grim-dark! The anthology contains a number of other genre authors and has a vast mix of stories from the creepy to the ridiculous and is shaping up to be a lot of fun. Keep an eye out for that one!
I’ve also written a couple of other short stories for non-BL publications and on top of this, I have some of my own original fiction projects waiting to get some love and attention; one is a steampunk story, the other two would both fit nicely into urban fantasy.
What are you reading at the moment (fiction and/or non-fiction)?
I’m currently reading The Stormcaller by Tom Lloyd. It’s pretty gritty, epic fantasy and I’m enjoying it enormously. I’ve also been reading a few non-fiction books relating to native American spirit totems and tribal medicinal practises as part of research for One of the Above.
What’s something readers might be surprised to learn about you?
My life is periodically so surreal that you couldn’t script it. Just as an example, I had to call the AA [the Automobile Association] out once. Because my car was grounded on a hay bale.
Really.
What are you most looking forward to in 2012?
The Black Library Weekender! This event is shaping up to be a blast.
The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
2012/06/20 09:16:56
Subject: Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
Agreed on Gav, very laid back and talkative, had a good talk with him a while back when he was signing for the release of Purging of Kadillus in Amsterdam.
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Fiat justitia ruat caelum
2012/06/20 10:16:08
Subject: Re:Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
Might of already been posted, but anyone planning to read The Emperor's Gift should read the Ravenor series first. It's not a must but makes the book better if you do.
d-usa wrote:Orks are the GW version of R2D2. No matter how advanced the defenses may be, there is always an open serial port somewhere that can be pluged into and a firewall that was never configured.
2012/06/20 10:27:02
Subject: Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
"It is the great irony of the Legiones Astartes: engineered to kill to achieve a victory of peace that they can then be no part of." - Roboute Guilliman
"As I recall, your face was tortured. Imagine that - the Master of the Wolves, his ferocity twisted into grief. And yet you still carried out your duty. You always did what was asked of you. So loyal. So tenacious. Truly you were the attack dog of the Emperor. You took no pleasure in what you did. I knew that then, and I know it now. But all things change, my brother. I'm not the same as I was, and you're... well, let us not mention where you are now." - Magnus the Red, to a statue of Leman Russ
2012/06/20 16:22:48
Subject: Re:Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
"I reached down through my trousers, and groped for something concealed in my sock... it was my foot."
I lurk, therefore I am. DOOM DOLPHINS!
d-USA wrote: "Somewhere is a creepy old man on an assembly line, putting together hobby knives, chanting evil invocations and curses while muttering "Thumbs! Thumbs for the Thumb God!"
2012/06/20 17:22:49
Subject: Re:Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
A vaguely recally Bill King being in my 'does not suck' category but that was years ago and based on this Gotrek and Felix stories. I do remember finding his Space Wolf book unreadable.
I like LS Macharus but not enough to pursue a book on him at any cost. And I'm a bit worried this is going to be another open-ended series rather than a done-in-one.
I do love me some 40k artwork but the last book was just a whole buncha pictures thrown together with no real rhyme or reason and no explanations at all. And really, more space marines? You want to show me MOAR SPASE MARINEZ? That's nice. Because I certainly have never seen Space Marine artwork before.
Right now I'd say I'm about 50/50 on getting Angel of Fire (if its a trilogy that number goes down, if it's open-ended like Horus Heresy it goes to zero) and about 65% likely to get MOAR SPASE MARINES or whatever it's called.
2012/06/22 17:09:58
Subject: Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
Emperor's Might? I do love me those art books. They aren't for the regular plebs though, they'd complain too much about the price and its "poor" content. Me, I like them a lot. It will go nicely alongside Emperor's Will and the original Inquis Exterminatus.
Fatum Iustum Stultorum
Fiat justitia ruat caelum
2012/06/22 18:49:36
Subject: Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
"It is the great irony of the Legiones Astartes: engineered to kill to achieve a victory of peace that they can then be no part of." - Roboute Guilliman
"As I recall, your face was tortured. Imagine that - the Master of the Wolves, his ferocity twisted into grief. And yet you still carried out your duty. You always did what was asked of you. So loyal. So tenacious. Truly you were the attack dog of the Emperor. You took no pleasure in what you did. I knew that then, and I know it now. But all things change, my brother. I'm not the same as I was, and you're... well, let us not mention where you are now." - Magnus the Red, to a statue of Leman Russ
2012/06/23 22:21:04
Subject: Re:Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
From AD-B's Facebook, pretty unrelated, but still a good idea of how the man ticks:
My brother-in-law Nathan has his 18th today. I wanted to say to both my brothers-in-law: "Hey, imagine in 20 years, when we're throwing these parties for our kids." But instead my brain said "I bet one of us is dead from cancer."
I'm fun at parties.
Fatum Iustum Stultorum
Fiat justitia ruat caelum
2012/06/23 22:25:50
Subject: Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
"It is the great irony of the Legiones Astartes: engineered to kill to achieve a victory of peace that they can then be no part of." - Roboute Guilliman
"As I recall, your face was tortured. Imagine that - the Master of the Wolves, his ferocity twisted into grief. And yet you still carried out your duty. You always did what was asked of you. So loyal. So tenacious. Truly you were the attack dog of the Emperor. You took no pleasure in what you did. I knew that then, and I know it now. But all things change, my brother. I'm not the same as I was, and you're... well, let us not mention where you are now." - Magnus the Red, to a statue of Leman Russ
2012/06/27 09:15:53
Subject: Re:Black Library News & Rumours Thread III, that awkward third title.
Treacheries of the Space Marines will hit your shelves this October (set a reminder now), but you don’t need to wait that long if you want more Space Marine action from Andy. This Friday, we will release Deathwolf, a Space Marine Battles audio drama featuring the Space Wolves and the dark eldar, exclusively available from blacklibrary.com.
The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
