Matthew Sturges (Midwinter), Joe Abercrombie (The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, Last Argument of Kings) and Tom Lloyd (The Stormcaller, The Twilight Herald) at the World’s Biggest Bookstore:
The World’s Biggest Bookstore is located in Toronto, Ontario, at 20 Edward St, just north of the Toronto Eaton Centre.
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A great interview with Joe Abercrombie over on SF UK Book News. Even though it deals with the conclusion of The First Law trilogy, there’s no spoilers for us US folks. My favorite bit:
UKSFBN: Throughout The First Law you’ve taken great and deliberate delight in subtly subverting established fantasy conventions. Given that you freely confessed, last time you talked to us, to doing this on purpose, will you also admit to having increased the satire levels in the final volume, or has the trope-bashing been kept to a minimum this time around?
Joe Abercrombie: “The trope-bashing is certainly still going, more than ever in a way, since the trilogy is a single story and it perhaps diverges further and further from what the reader expects as we draw near to the end. Epic fantasy is a genre full of clichés, so you can’t really write in it without reacting to them yourself in some way – whether you embrace them, consciously reject them, or try to twist them to your own evil purposes.
“But, you know, for all the attempts to do something surprising and rework the formula and all that, I hope that what I’ve delivered first and foremost is a cracking fantasy tale. I’m aiming more for Unforgiven than for Blazing Saddles, if you like. A re-examination of the classic form, perhaps, a self-aware comment on it, perhaps, but also a solid example of the form. I’m not taking myself too seriously (despite appearances), but I’m not taking the piss either.
“Not too much, anyway.”
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A wealth of Joe Abercrombie over on SFCrowsnest. First, they reprint his blog entry on the influence of George RR Martin on his work (The Blade Itself,
As a kid I was very into the Lord of the Rings, and read it every year for a while. Wizard of Earthsea also had a strong effect on me. So did Michael Moorcock (particularly Corum and all the crazy names). I watched Conan the Barbarian many times more than is healthy for a teenage boy (there’s boobs in it, and I’m not just talking about Schwarzenegger’s). I started playing an awful lot of roleplaying games around this time, and with supplements from that, early fantasy-styled computer games such as Dungeon Master, Bloodwych, and Legend, cracking through a load of Dragonlance, and David Eddings first two series (or are they the same series with different covers?) I probably glutted myself on the cheesier end of the fantasy spectrum. Nothing wrong with cheese, you understand, as long as you get some fibre in your diet at the same time.
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SFFWorld’s readers have voted for their favorite books of 2007, and we’re thrilled that Before They Are Hanged
Also delighted to see that The Devil’s Right Hand author Lilith Saintcrow praises The Blade Itself on her blog, Writer on the Dark Side: “This is fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, but without the complete lack of verite most fantasy is infected with… There’s wizards, mythology, kings, princes, a self-absorbed nobleman, ancient legends, fencing–all written so well I was grinding my teeth with envy whenever I HAD to put the book down. This is a fantastic start to a trilogy, and I can’t wait to get the next two books so I can see what happens next. There are some tropes, true, but they’re handled so deftly and characterised so beautifully they take on the status of old friends instead of worn-out archetypes. In short, I can’t say enough good things about this book, and I highly recommend it.”
Thank you, Lilith. Wait till you get to book two!
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SFSite has posted their “Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2007: Readers’ Choice” and I’m delighted to see Joe Abercrombie’s Before They Are Hanged
Of the latter, they say, “McDonald masterfully explores some key sfnal concepts and pivotal alternative science. Wrap your head around this book if you want to see what truly ingenious science fiction can look like.”
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Just alerted to the fact that Before They Are Hanged (The First Law: Book Two)
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Before They Are Hanged (The First Law: Book Two)
This grim and vivid sequel to 2007’s The Blade Itself transcends its middle volume status, keeping the reader engaged with complicated plotting and intriguing character development… Abercrombie leavens the bloody action with moments of dark humor, developing a story suffused with a rich understanding of human darkness and light. (Mar.)
—Publishers Weekly, starred review, January 21, 2008
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Patrick of Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist has posted his 2007 Year-End Awards. As with SFFWorld, Joe Abercrombie (The Blade Itself /
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The guys at SFFWorld have put up their annual Review of the Year in two parts. They run through their opinions on the best fantasy books, best SF books, best films and tv shows, best comics and games. Very glad to see both Joe Abercrombie (The Blade Itself /
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