Something is wrong in Aquae Sulis, Bath’s secret mirror city. The new season is starting and the Master of Ceremonies is missing. Max, an Arbiter of the Split Worlds Treaty, is assigned with the task of finding him with no one to help but a dislocated soul and a mad sorcerer. There is a witness but his memories have been bound by magical chains only the enemy can break. A rebellious woman trying to escape her family may prove to be the ally Max needs. But can she be trusted? And why does she want to give up eternal youth and the life of privilege she’s been born into? One of the delights of starting any new urban fantasy novel is uncovering the rules of the new worlds you’ve just discovered. Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman tells the story of the Fae, and long-lived humans, referred to as the Fae touched, who all live a seemingly idyllic Victorian era existence in mirror images of Bath and various other cities throughout the world. Everything seems perfect, but beneath the paper-thin veneer of civility, power struggles and politics threaten to tear their society apart. The best examples of the urban fantasy…

Half-vampire Darwin stumbles across a corpse on the streets of London, and in a pocket discovers a notebook in a mysterious language. Divided between human ethics and vampire blood lust, Darwin finds himself both condemner and saviour of a race who’ve never considered him one of their own. Now, he must try and lead the survivors to sanctuary in New Salisbury before Mr West completes his genocide of the vampires in his quest to obtain the book… Maureen Summerglass is eighty-two years old, a prisoner in her ramshackle home. She is afraid to let people enter in case they discover the oak door in her cellar. Threatened with homelessness and retirement from her job as a gatekeeper between worlds, Maureen breaks protocol when the death of a close friend is covered up… and enters the city of New Salisbury to search for his missing notebook. There, she discovers a world unlike the one of myth and fairy tale she imagined, and instead one of black market economies, brand names and tuk tuks. As she investigates, not only is she in extreme danger, but discovers she may be the first human female able to use magic… People who know me in…

I don’t do a massive amount of news posts on The Eloquent Page but when I do I like to guarantee that they will make any reader go Wwwwhhhaaaattt? in the style of Moe the bartender from The Simpsons. Today, it appears, is no exception. Press Release – Andy Remic, Orbit, Angry Robot & Solaris Books author writes his first children’s novel… That’s right! Andy Remic, sword champion, chainsaw warrior, bunny ninja, often described as“The Rock Hard Nutter of SF” and “The Tarantino of Fantasy” and author of 14 novels, has written a loveable fluffy cuddly children’s book entitled ROCKET CAT, about, surprisingly, a cat with a rocket pack. Out 1st July 2012 from Anarchy Books in paperback, EPUB and KINDLE formats. ROCKET CAT Tiger Puk the ginger tomcat meets his new true love, the gorgeous kitten Libby Twinkleye. But when evil Redcap Goblin Katcats – Sooty Tailbite, Fang Whiskertwist and the terrifying killer, Claw Pawtangle – steal her away for their master, Chimera of Niffle Heim, Tiger must make a choice… To lie in the sun purring and washing his fur, or… to dismantle a sports car and build a rocket pack? Tiger breaks out the spanners, and in a…

Since January things have been mysteriously quiet, some would say suspiciously so, on the Anarchy Books front. I was working on the assumption that Andy Remic was busy completing his crazed experiments in attempting to create an author who would work for nothing and required minimal supervision. Turns out I was wrong…   PRESS RELEASE April 6th, Good Friday, is also Good Anarchy Books Day! We’re releasing not 1 – not 2, but 7 (YES SEVEN!) new novels, and for a limited period we’re giving away our fabulous anthology VIVISEPULTURE for FREE!  Our new releases are New York Blues by Eric Brown (hardcore SF heavyweight!), A Jar of Wasps by Luis Villazon (whom you may know as a technical writer on PCFormat, MACFormat and TechRadar.com, so he certainly knows his tech SF [digital] onions!),  Silversands and The Last Reef by Gareth L. Powell (rising star of contemporary SF), the gentle, beautiful fantasy Fynoderee by Alexander Caine-Duncan, and last but by no means least, Young Punks: A Tale of Anarchy in the UK, a fabulous oral history of growing up as punks in the 70s by BAFTA short-listed film director Paolo Sedazzari. And just to add to the fun, we’ll also…

Zombie gunfighters, insane cherubs, government sanctioned torturers, bright orange snot and steam-punk thugs are just a few of the delights you’ll find amongst the pages of the latest short story anthology from Anarchy Books. It contains twenty-two, yes you read that correctly twenty two, short stories that range from the sublimely horrific to the ridiculously evil. At the princely sum of just eighty-nine pence that works out at roughly four pence per story, damn good value in these trying economic times. The collection begins with the following advice – …Vivisepulture is not a read to be taken lightly. No. You must dim the lights, envelop yourself in a calm, quiet, brooding atmosphere; maybe pour yourself a stiff sherry or a single malt; prepare for transportation into bizarre Other Realms; and hope that YOU, Dear Reader, never succumb to the act of vivisepulture… Inside you’ll find that there are a plethora of quirky stories to enjoy. Some of my personal favourites are listed below. Rotten Cupid by Ian Graham  – A man suffering from a broken heart finds himself in a fight to the death with Cupid. Is it just the booze, or is there something far more sinister going on? You…

I do hope everyone is having a relaxing festive season, I know I am. Some new reviews on the way next week but until then how about a public service announcement from the dark forces behind the rather splendid Anarchy Books. I’ve added in a link to the original reviews for the titles I’ve read. Hopefully that will help you make an informed decision. Personally I’d take em all! Press Release – Anarchy Books – FREE BOOK PROMOTION – 29.12.11 That’s right, Anarchy Books have a very special New Year gift for all you lucky shiny new Kindle owners. During the next 4/5 days over the New Year period, a selection of Anarchy Books titles will be offered completely FREE! So if you fancy any of the following novels, get yo ass over to Amazon and stock up your Kindle with Anarchy for the New Year…. Participating titles: GIG (Mik and Kim) by James Lovegrove Monstrocity by Jeffrey Thomas New York Nights by Eric Brown Rain Dogs by Gary McMahon SIM by Andy Remic Serial Killers Incorporated by Andy Remic The Black Seas of Infinity by Dan Henk The Office of Lost and Found by Vincent Holland-Keen   All free! Have a HAPPY ANARCHY NEW YEAR!!   www.anarchy-books.com

All the reviews for 2011 are done and dusted but I thought I would share the following press release that dropped into my inbox this morning. A review will follow in early 2012. Vivisepulture edited by Andy Remic & Wayne Simmons 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 – •…

2011 has been another great year for books. First off a few stats – I have managed to read eighty-two novels which works out at over six and a half books a month. After a swift and very rough calculation that works out at approximately 6,150000 words. Some were bad, some were good and some were even great. I thought it would be nice to round off this festive season with a little bit of review. Firstly, my books of the month January – December 2011. There is a mixture of new releases and others that have been around for a while. Each and every one was a genuine pleasure to read, and I recommend them all heartily. Jan  – Point by Thomas Blackthorne Feb – Vegas Knights by Matt Forbeck Mar – The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie Apr – Vampire Warlords by Andy Remic & Serial Killers Inc by Andy Remic – I dont feel too bad about a tie here as both books are by the same author (prolific sod that he is) May – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Jun – The Watchers by Jon Steele Jul – Tourniquet by Kim Lakin-Smith Aug – Outpost by…

The following press release dropped into my mailbox today and as I’ve enjoyed and reviewed a couple of Anarchy Books previous releases I thought I woud pass this info on. ANARCHY BOOKS PRESS RELEASE  Saturday 19th November is a date for your diaries, with Anarchy Books releasing not one wholesome SF novel, but two! First comes New York Nights by SF Heavyweight, Eric Brown. “New York 2040 is a city of the lost. So, a good place to work in Missing Persons. But business is not so good that Hal Halliday can forget his sister, burned alive when she was a child. Now, only VR offers the chance to bring her back. The future may yet allow Hal to live in the past – if he can survive his next job…” Described by Peter F. Hamilton as “the name to watch in SF“, and Brown’s novel HELIX described by Stephen Baxter as, “a classic concept – a built world to dwarf Rama and Ringworld – a setting for a hugely imaginative adventure. Helix is the very DNA of true sf. This is the rediscovery of wonder”, this first digital release of New York Nights is available as a PDF, EPUB or MOBI format, for the low price of…

Due to Werewolf Appreciation Month I’ve unfortunately not had time to read the latest release from Anarchy books. Luckily for me Tony (@iuchiAtesoro) Lane has. Here is his review. Guy Renford is fresh out of prison. His life in ruins, he is estranged from his wife and daughter. So he returns to the Yorkshire town of Stonegrave to try and recover what he once held dear. But a presence is watching from behind the endless rainstorm, something that wants revenge… and has not come alone. Rosie sees ghosts. She has since childhood. These sorrowful visions of drowned schoolgirls are linked to a past she fled to America to escape. But you can never run from destiny, and something is calling Rosie back to rainy Stonegrave, the home of her worst nightmares… Slowly, the lives of these two people are drawn together in a town cut off by floods, and at the height of the storm they will be forced to battle a relentless foe that uses the deluge as cover, stalking them from within a merciless onslaught of rain… First up I’d like to thank Paul for asking me to guest post on his blog. As a regular reader I’m quite chuffed. The…

Mik Dyer is a rock star.  Kim Reid is his number one fan.  Mik has had enough of the shallowness and emptiness of the rock-star lifestyle and wants to end it all.  Kim becomes his willing nemesis, eager to do anything to fulfill her idol’s wishes. The two have never met, but Kim knows what Mik wants from her.  His lyrics, and a drug-induced vision, have given her all the instructions and inspiration she needs. As Mik’s band God Dog return to their hometown for the final gig on their latest tour, there’s more than just songs on the set-list.  The audience is in for a night they’ll never forget… Gig by James Lovegrove, the latest e-book release from Anarchy Books, has an interesting premise. The same story is told in two books, each book covering a different character’s point of view. The two narrative strands begin separately, but gradually start to interweave with one another as they head toward the same moment. Kim and Mik are essentially the alternate sides of the same coin. Mik appears to have everything you could ever want – fame, money, talent. Kim meanwhile, is living in a grubby squat. Barely existing, she survives by dealing drugs to rich…

Back in June I reviewed The Office of Lost and Found by Vincent Holland-Keen. At the time this quirky, off the wall detective debut was only available as an e-book. Today the following press release popped into my inbox and I thought it would be nice to share. The Office of Lost and Found’ is now available in hard copy. Published as an ebook through Anarchy Press, VHK has now made the book available through Lulu for those who still crave the pleasure of a physical book. Available now as paperback with a version of the ebook cover and as a hardback with the original ‘logo’ cover, these editions of ‘The Office of Lost and Found’ include notes and sketches by the author not previously released. Paperback: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-office-of-lost-and-found—paperback-artwork-edition/16801793 Hardback/Casewrap: http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/the-office-of-lost-and-found—logo-cover—casewrap/16534562 eBook Link (Anarchy Books): http://anarchy-books.com/books/the-office-of-lost-and-found/  

Meet Justice D, a Justice SIM umbilicated since birth who killed his own mother. Used by GOV as a hardcore merciless killer hunting down rebs in the dregs, Justice D has little emotion. His biggest hobby is upgrading his armour, weapons and augmentations, taking mandrake narco and listening to groovy groovy MM. For decades now, humanity has been colour-blind, a disability inflicted – so GOV believes – by a disease named HRG/Canker and carried by all animals across the planet. As the scientist Cantrell discovers the causes for Canker, so GOV begin a global culling of all animals in order to save Humanity… On a patrol in the dregs, Justice D is saved by a cat which he calls Emmy. He soon learns to love his cat, until GOV discover his secret… and send Battle SIMs to shut him down… I don’t believe it. He’s only gone and done it again!  One week after I review the latest Anarchy Books release, Monstrocity by Jeffrey Thomas, and another is already lined up for release. I can only assume that High Anarchy Overlord, Andy Remic, keeps these poor, slightly befuddled authors chained to a word processor in a windowless room somewhere demanding that…