Release Date: 30/07/13
Publisher: Anarchy Books
SYNOPSIS:
The Warrior’s Journey is an epic fantasy set in a mystical dark age where monsters roam the plains, mages wield powerful sorcery and arguments are settled by the honour of the blade.
In the land of Castille, Garrick Chilver is a soldier trained in combat by his honourable father, Sir Nickholi. The tale follows Garrick and his companions, an enslaved pair of outcasts, an old knight returning home to his family, an imprisoned murderer, a young innocent marked for great power, and a mysterious sorcerer – as their land is struck by a series of terrible and catastrophic disasters. As demons and dark sorcerers roam the lands wreaking terror, chaos and death, Garrick and his companions find a common goal in their struggles against the corrupt Brotherhood of Guardians and the evil Paladins of the Gods.
When the person closest to Garrick is slaughtered by the leader of the Paladins, Garrick’s journey of vengeance brings him to the capital of Castille where, alongside its rulers, he will face the true evil that stalks the world...
The Warrior’s Journey is an epic tale of champions and honour, showing what it truly means to be a hero - a shining example of a bright flame ranged against the darkness of chaos!
REVIEW:
I love a fantasy story that multiple elements to it, I love seeing heroes forged in the heat of battle and those who choose to stand up against the dark regardless of the odds they face. It’s a great way to escape the modern world and above all else as the cast bands together it creates bonds stronger than steel. Throw into the mix a high body count, emotional losses alongside characters who face life changing events all round make this an interesting title.
All round it’s a solid enough book to sit down and read however for me, I felt that there were quite a few problems with this title. Firstly the magic was way too powerful, it was quick to utilise, did untold damage and those who were injured only had to survive a battle to be fully healed by a local cleric or mage. That, for me, took away a lot of the danger that each character faced as they only had to survive a battle to be fully healed. Yes they had a scar but there were no limitations to them in future combats such as a weakened leg or sword arm that made them less effective.
Secondly and perhaps more importantly when gods start getting involved, it really does take the mick for me as how are humans meant to face off against them, yes they have some options but let’s face it in a straight off fight they’re going to be trampled into the mud so much so that it’s going to pretty one sided affair. For me, what I feel the author should have done would have been to utilise the characters on the mortal plane like chess pieces in a similar way to the original Clash of the Titans did. It would have created all sorts of possibilities and also kept the ridiculous power away from the board.
That said it was a solid enough title and I will read future outings as I’m curious to see how it will play out but, if the power isn’t curtailed or the mages hampered in some way then its going to get old extremely fast.
Release Date: 06/04/12
SYNOPSIS:
"Is this magic?" asked the boy, unable to hold his curiosity any longer. "No. It's not magic," said the creature, as calm as before. "It's just...different"... For Juan Kerruish, a boy only ever noticed by the school bullies, his world is about to turn upside down. When he meets Bea, the Fynoderee, a creature thought to exist only in myth, he discovers that he carries a message from the past that could change the course of the future. In a time when old and new worlds collide with life threatening consequences, the few who stand in the way of an ancient evil must face and conquer their ultimate fears, if ever the land and their loved ones are to be saved.
REVIEW:
Having grown up in Cumbria, the myths and legends from the Isle of Man filtered through so I had a decent understanding of them before starting this tale. What Alexander’s Young Adult book brings to the table is a story that is addictive, full of myth and magic and of course highlighted with wonderful prose and top notch pace to keep you glued.
Its wonderfully written, the author clearly loving the island’s culture and when brought together gives readers something a little different for their money alongside some great sleight of hand which when added to Anarchy’s list demonstrates an eye for talent. Great stuff.
Release Date: 06/04/12
SYNOPSIS:
Young Punks is an oral history novel that takes you back to the scariest day of your life – your first day at secondary school, and secondary schools don’t come any scarier than Feltham Comprehensive, West London. Rough, tough and brutal - if you stole a peek at the graffiti in the bogs you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in the bowels of hell. It really is a case of - we can laugh about it now but at the time it was terrible. Young Punks is a universal timeless tale of adolescence, with our story kicking off in the mid seventies, and a sleeping Britain is about to be jolted awake by the punk rock explosion. But the three 11 year old protagonists of Young Punks are about to experience something even more seismic – puberty. We get spots and our voices break and whether you like it or everything has to change.
Young Punks brings you the fun, the scrapes and the anarchy of adolescence, packed with heartbreak and anguish, sibling rivalry and parental conflict. Mixing it altogether to give you an authentic picture of what it was like to try and grow up in the seventies, and what happens after you leave school and get spat out into the big bad world.
REVIEW:
To be honest this book was something a little unusual for me and to be blunt wasn’t a title I was looking forward to as it was out of my comfort zone. Don’t get me wrong that’s not necessarily a bad thing but when its something that I’m unfamiliar with, it tends to be left on my TBR pile for quite some time.
What this book from Paolo invokes within the reader is a story that will reach within them emotionally taking them back to a familiar time in their own past and telling a story from various points of view to give you a bigger picture. Its quirky, it is something novel and to be honest was a book that I thought was OK as it gave me something a little different to think through. Whilst I’m not in a hurry to reread another of these books for quite some time it is something that I’ll remember for some time to come.
Release Date: 06/04/12
SYNOPSIS:
All families have secrets. Some are just far darker than others.
Pennsylvania, 1895. Evil and madness hide within the walls of the Gaskell’s gothic, country mansion, and some believe ghosts roam the halls to torture the living. Emily Radcliffe, the Gaskell’s governess, has her own dark past, one she has been hiding from under the shelter of this sinister home.
A blood thirsty killer escapes from a nearby mental hospital, leaving a trail of carnage and cat-and-mouse games through the streets of Allegheny City, and giving the police the impression that the Gaskell family may be his eventual target. Mystery, madness and carnage gradually surround Emily as she becomes trapped in this dark world of secrets and sin.
Dark Asylum is a tale of the late Edgar Gaskell, a man who is the key to unlocking the horrifying secrets of a tortured family and horrors beyond imagination... Only read Dark Asylum if you wish to suffer...
REVIEW:
As a reader I like books that are a little different and whilst this one took me back to a real gothic feel in the beginning, it sort of felt like an amalgamation of two separate idea’s to extend the concept into a full length novel that lost pace half way through. As a reader it fell flat from such a promising beginning and whilst the introduction of graphic De Sadesque torture sequences really made me feel that it was there more to shock and tantalise rather than deliver a full length tale.
All in it wasn’t quite the book I was hoping for and sadly for me, means that Matthew will not be top of my TBR pile any time soon. Don’t get me wrong, the first part worked wonderfully for me and because of that I will give him another crack of the whip but I just hope that the next tale is more defined rather than the shock tactics within this one.
Release Date: 06/04/12
SYNOPSIS:
Graham Trevennan has just been dumped by his girlfriend. That's not the problem. He's wanted by the police for a murder he didn't commit. That's not the problem, either. But around the world, dormant volcanoes are suddenly erupting and impossibly complex crystal meteorites are falling out of the sky in a way that probably isn't coincidental. Now, the CIA, the army and at least one terrifyingly beautiful treasure hunter all seem to think that shooting Graham will somehow help them get hold of these priceless, extraterrestrial crystals. That is a problem.
Graham's mission is to avoid getting killed, figure out whose side he is on and save the world. In the end, he manages two out of three. Which for a beginner, isn't bad.
REVIEW:
To be honest it took me a few goes to get through this tale as I felt it started off very slowly and really took its time to do much for me as a reader. Don’t get me wrong the structure was there but it felt that the author hadn’t quite polished the beginning enough for me as a reader to get me hooked right away.
That I think is the key to this book and it will also be the thing that turns a lot of readers off as if the hooks aren’t there early on, they’ll find it quite easy to put it down and not finish. The idea’s explored were interesting and if you look past a number of errors within alongside clunky characters it wasn’t a bad book but there are many others out there that are better. It just didn’t stand out enough for me as a reader and with an ending that felt more like “I’ve hit my word count” than any real natural end, it is a book that I won’t be recommending to many.
Release Date: 06/04/12
SYNOPSIS:
What do you try to save when your world falls apart? Gareth L. Powell’s first collection of short fiction features a motley collection of archaeologists, hackers and ex-cops struggling to answer that very question. As their lives implode around them, will they use the moment to save their own skins, or to find a way to make up for past misdeeds? With settings ranging from the dead sands of Mars to the seedy backstreets of Amsterdam and Buenos Aires, these fifteen action-packed tales explore mind-bending science fictional ideas through the eyes of unforgettable and all-too-human characters.
REVIEW:
There are times when as a reader you want to be able to just dip into a something different during either short journey’s or a lunch break to take you away from the monotony of the real world. That’s exactly what happens in this Techno Thriller from Gareth L Powell as each tale bring something new to the fore.
The writing is crisp, to the point and not flouncy as its cut away fat to get to the meat of the tales within as desperate times and downtrodden characters seek to eek an existence out of the dark future. Its good fun, keeps you glued as each page leads you further into the mind of the author and also gives you a set of tales that you’ll keep wanting to dip into time and again. A great book from Anarchy and one that really made me pay attention to this author.
Release Date: 06/04/12
SYNOPSIS:
In an age where interstellar travel is dangerous and unpredictable, and no-one knows exactly where they ll end up, Avril Bradley is a Communications officer onboard a ship sent to re-contact as many of these lost souls as possible. But a mysterious explosion strands her in a world of political intrigue, espionage and subterfuge; a world of retired cops, digital ghosts and corporate assassins who fight for possession of computer data that had lain undisturbed for almost a century. . .
REVIEW:
Originally released by Pendragon Press, this short story was a book that grabbed the reader from page one as it didn’t waste time on distracting the reader taking them to the heart of the matter as our heroine Avril seeks out lost human civilisations as well as searching for one man in particular Cale. It’s quirky, it brings together two sides of the same coin in the characters and when you throw politics, alien technology and of course drama from the people involved, its almost a case study in writing the bones whilst allowing the reader to add the flesh.
Finally add to this solid dialogue, great pace and back it all up in a tightly written story and this 160 page book is one that can easily be enjoyed in a short time.
Release Date: 06/04/12
SYNOPSIS:
Hal Halliday runs a missing persons business in mid 21st century New York. It is a city that is drowning in refugees after terrorist outrages have left much of America a radioactive wasteland. People colour their grim lives with endless hours spent in VR. It is an addiction which has made VR magnate Sergio Mantoni a multi-millionaire. But now Mantoni faces a threat from a guerilla group called VIREX, who are dedicated to ending the false promise of VR. And when Hal accepts a job to look for the missing sister of a Holodrama star, he find himself drawn into the complex world of VR and VIREX . . .
REVIEW:
Here in the second book in Eric’s Virex trilogy is a story that is part cyberpunk, part Virtual Reality and blended together with Crime Noir as our hero Hal, takes on all comers as he searches for a missing girl. Its quirky, the characters come over well and personable and when you add to the mix saboteurs who seek to destroy VR it’s a tale that is quite complex.
All in this strange amalgamation works very well and whilst I’ve not been Eric’s biggest fan, I found myself drawn deeper into this world than I have been in previous outings as Hal was a character I really liked to spend time with. Finally, if you want a tale different to the norm, a calculating hero and a villain of equal proportions then this offering from Anarchy Books really will hit the spot.
Release Date: 15/12/11
SYNOPSIS:
Welcome to our anthology, a collection of weird and bizarre tales of twisted imagination by Neal Asher, Tony Ballantyne, Eric Brown, Richard Ford, Ian Graham, Lee Harris, Colin Harvey, Vincent Holland-Keen, James Lovegrove, Gary McMahon, Stan Nicholls, Andy Remic, Jordan Reyne, Ian Sales, Steven Savile, Wayne Simmons, Guy N. Smith, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jeffrey Thomas, Danie Ware, Ian Watson and Ian Whates. Artwork by Vincent Chong.
The anthology is dedicated to the late Colin Harvey, with great affection.
In the tradition of Poe, Kafka, Borges and H. G. Wells, this collection of weird stories are written with the primary drive of presenting twisted deviations of normality. Whether it's the deviant factory workers of Neal Asher's Plastipak™ Limited, the pus-oozing anti-cherub of Ian Graham's Rotten Cupid, the acid-snot disgorging freak of Andy Remic's SNOT, or Ian Watson's alternate zombie-crucifixion, each story will drag your organs up through your oesophagus and give your brain a chilli-fired beating.
FOCUS ON -
• WEIRD TALES
• DISTURBING CONCEPTS
• DEVIATED BLACK HUMOUR
• NO GENRE LEFT UNGOUGED
REVIEW:
I love a book that gives the reader not only tales that they can dip into, but also allows them to try some writers that they may not previously had chance to give a go to due to costs. So when new publisher Anarchy Books launched last year, they hit out hard and they brought a number of big names to the budget reader.
Here, in this tribute to Colin Harvey, a whole host of stories generate a full spectrum of reactions within and to be honest whilst not every tale will be your personal cup of tea, the sheer talent within is something to not only give you that thrill but makes you wonder how the hell they managed to pack so much in at such a cheap price.
It’s crisp, the authors do what they do best and the reader is in for a treat as these tales have clear arcs without relying on a single line for the pay off or leaving you wondering what the hell happened keeping the stories within the realm of easy accessibility rather than the highbrow stories that are becoming more popular.
All in a great compendium and a sure sign that Anarchy is here to stay.
Hail Mighty Readers,Our friends at Anarchy Books have made us an offer that we couldn't refuse. On Good Friday (April 6th) they're giving away free copies of thier imaginative Vivisepulture, which is a title dedicated to the late Colin Harvey. Within this book are feature stories by a whole host of talent which must have been crowbarred within:Neal Asher, Tony Ballantyne, Eric Brown, Richard Ford, Ian Graham, Angry Robot Lee Harris, Colin Harvey, Vincent Holland-Keen, James Lovegrove, Gary McMahon, Stan Nicholls, Jordan Reyne (musician of the wonderful album Children of a Factory Nation), Ian Sales, Steven Savile, Wayne Simmons, Guy N. Smith, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jeffrey Thomas, Danie Ware, Ian Watson,Ian Whates Andy RemicIn addition to this, they'll be launching a Magnificent Seven new novels (although with better survival odds for the authors concerned:New York Blues by Eric Brown (hardcore SF heavyweight!),
A Jar of Wasps by Luis Villazon
Silversands by Gareth L. Powell
The Last Reef by Gareth L. Powell
Fynoderee by Alexander Caine-Duncan,
Young Punks: A Tale of Anarchy in the UK by Paolo Sedazzari.
And just to add to the fun, they’ll also be releasing a soundtrack to Young Punks by a brilliant raw new punk band, The Mice, containing their stunning mad single Sex Shop.
Hail Mighty Readers,
We've been keeping our nose to the grindstone in regard to Anarchy Books, the new boys on the block who hope to do to publishing what punk did to music. As Andy has mentioned previously they're breaking the rules and blending film, music with literature and today see's the release of thier first project.
What makes this even more interesting is that if you get in quick you can get both with a serious discount. Here's thier press release:SERIAL KILLERS INCORPORATED, the new thriller by Andy Remic, is NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY at www.anarchy-books.com priced at £3.49 for the novel, and £3.49 for the accompanying tie-in album by th3 m1ss1ng. For a *very short period* the novel is on special offer at Amazon.co.uk for the low low price of £1.14, and Amazon.com for $1.83.Shortly, there will also be a POD paperback release ISBN: 978-1-908328-04-5 available from Amazon.Novel: Meet Callaghan, a hard-drinking, drug-fuelled, womanising no-good son-of-a-bitch. He's the amoral hardcore photographer for Black & White, the tabloid rag that tells it as it is. Or at least, how it should be. Callaghan's in way too deep with Mia, his Mexican stripper girlfriend... and even deeper with Sophie, estranged wife to Vladimir "Vodka" Katchevsy, infamous Romanian gun-runner and self-eulogising expert at human problem solving. People start to die. And Callaghan's caught in the middle. A situation even his Porsche GT3, Canary Wharf Penthouse suite and corrupt politician contacts can't solve. At the nadir of his downward spiral, Callaghan is approached by a man: a serial killer who brings him a very unique and dangerous proposition...Album: Serial Killers Incorporated, the album, was written and recorded by th3 m1ss1ng, an indie junkie rockband who can be found at m1ss1ng.com. Three tracks feature the superb guitar-thrash of Jon Bodan, from one of Atlanta's premiere hardcore rock bands, Halcyon Way.Both novel and album were developed in conjunction, and share concept and lyrics/text to offer a unique media experience born of collaboration.We hope you enjoy our dark little corner of the world...Who kills the killers?
With the recent announcement of a new Indie publisher, ANARCHY BOOKS, we chatted to REMBO (sorry Andy Remic) about this new upstart who's determined to break not only the mold but smash the factory to bits.
Here he lets us know what the differences are between themselves and traditional publishing and why they're breaking out...Falcata Times: You've mentioned in your press release that Anarchy Books is "A Fusion of Writing, music, game and film". Why do you think that all these elements work together?Andy Remic: It's about giving the end-user a wider range of experiences. So, music composed to fit the novel, or a film experience to tie in with the music. Every aspect will be pick and mix, so the entertainment junkie just chooses the elements he/she would like to experience. The different elements will work together because of story links, or even just thematic links. FT: Signed up for the project is quite a mix of authors? How are they chosen and what key characteristics drew your attention to them?AR: We will only work with authors whose work we personally admire, and it's a shame that due to work commitments writers like Charles Stross and Joe Abercrombie had to say no.Still, we have a great line-up, including superb writers like Ian Graham, fantasy author of MONUMENT, who has been off the circuit for a while.It's also been really cool to let some new up and coming "unknown" authors be published alongside the established. Everybody needs a break sometime :-)FT: What are you looking for in a manuscript/project?AR: We're open to all ideas. With an MS, something which is:
a) interesting/unique,
b) well written,
c) marketable.With regards other projects - try us. The whole thing about Anarchy Books is that we're trying to innovate.FT: How do you identify that someone will fit in well at Anarchy even if the project submitted isn't suitable for yourselves to publish/create?AR: We welcome everybody :-) After all, we were born in the aftermath of PUNK. FT: With publishing becoming an increasingly risky business, what do you think that Anarchy has to offer to keep it at the forefront of the readers imagination?AR: Everything in life is a risk, and one should not shy away from taking one (or ten). By offering a symbiosis of linked project media, this is a very cool unique selling point. We're pretty sure nobody out there is doing this! We hope ANARCHY BOOKS will spark the imaginations of many readers and music lovers, film goers and video game makers everywhere!! FT: Why do you think that Anarchy is so different to the traditional publisher?AR: Like punk, we're not going to obey the rules. We're thinking outside the box. In fact, we've just kicked the box to bits with our Size 10s!For more information please visit their website, Here.
Hail Mighty Readers,
Andy Remic, part time author, full time "fruit and nut bar" let us know all about his latest project, Anarchy Books.
Here's the blurb:
Are you feeling lucky, punk?
ANARCHY BOOKSA fusion of writing, music, game and filmANARCHY BOOKS is a radical new publishing company. Our focus is on multi-strand publishing projects, concepts which combine different media to present a wider experience for the entertainment junkie.Our first project, SERIAL KILLERS INCORPORATED, is a thriller novel by Andy Remic, author of Spiral, Quake, Warhead, War Machine, Biohell, Hardcore, Cloneworld, Kell’s Legend, Soul Stealers and Vampire Warlords, with the music album provided by th3 m1ss1ng (featuring Jon Bodan from Atlanta’s Halcyon Way) and short film shot and chopped by Grunge Films. The novel and album release 1st April 2011, with the SERIAL KILLERS INCORPORATED short film June 2011.Following SKINC comes SF novel SIM by Andy Remic, SF/horror novel MONSTROCITY by Jeffrey Thomas, the anthology VIVISEPULTURE featuring such notable authors as Neal Asher, Lauren Beukes, Eric Brown, Ian Graham, Vincent Holland-Keen, James Lovegrove, George Mann, Gary McMahon, Stan Nicholls, Andy Remic, Jordan Reyne, Ian Sales, Stephen Saville, Wayne Simmons, Jeffrey Thomas, Danie Ware, Ian Watson, Ian Whates, Conrad Williams, and with artwork by Vincent Chong, then horror novel RAIN DOGS by Gary McMahon. Each “project” is a work in progress, and will ship with varying degrees of album, game and film components.ANARCHY BOOKS is looking to collaborate with musicians, video game creators (any platform) and filmmakers. Please read our SUBMISSION guidelines.Welcome to our little corner of ANARCHY…Finally, there’s ANARCHY in the UK!
