Author Archives: Michael

RAPID FIRE: David Guymer Talks Grombrindal

Hello and welcome to this Rapid Fire interview here on Track of Words, where I’m very happy to be joined by Black Library author David Guymer to talk about his fantastic Age of Sigmar novel Grombrindal: Chronicles of the Wanderer. Released in October 2023 in audiobook, ebook and hardback (if you’re lucky enough to find one) editions, this is an unusual book in that it actually contains six short stories and a (short) novel, all exploring one of the most famous characters in Warhammer history. I loved it, so I was keen to talk to David about how this book came about, what the writing process was like, and (because I’m mean like that) whether David has a favourite from among these tales of Grombrindal.

Continue reading →

Shauna Lawless – The Rise of Historical Fantasy

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest post where I’m delighted to hand the reins over to the fantastic Shauna Lawless – author of The Children of Gods and Fighting Men (Head of Zeus/Ad Astra, 2022) – to talk about historical fantasy, and some of the best recent examples of the genre. Featuring some fascinating insights into what historical fantasy actually is and why it appeals to us as readers, observations on what drew her to the genre as both a reader and a writer, and loads of recommendations for great historical fantasy novels – both recent releases and classics – this is a brilliant primer for a justifiably popular genre.

Continue reading →

The Keeper’s Six – Kate Elliott

Coming in January 2023 from Tordotcom Publishing, Kate Elliott’s portal fantasy novella The Keeper’s Six explores a fascinating world of secretive dragons and realm-travelling magic through the eyes of a weary but ruthlessly determined mother. Esther is one sixth of a Hex, a magically-empowered group of disparate characters whose talents allow them to cross the Beyond and move between worlds, although not without risk. When her son Daniel is kidnapped – apparently by a dragon – Esther calls on the other members of her Hex to help her find the culprit and retrieve her son, despite the fact that their licence has been suspended by the Concilium – a sort of inter-realm bureaucracy. As they brave the dangers of the Beyond, their mission delves into Esther’s work and family history, and the strange politics and power plays of dragons, the Concilium, and a world of many realms spanning infinite possibilities.

Continue reading →

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Mike Shackle Talks The Last War

Hello and welcome to this Author Interview here on Track of Words, where today I’m welcoming the brilliant Mike Shackle back to the site to talk about his epic, dark fantasy trilogy The Last War. With the third volume – Until the Last – having been released in 2022 the trilogy is now complete, so it seems like a good opportunity to chat to Mike and look back at the whole thing now that it’s done and dusted. If you haven’t started this great trilogy then this is the perfect introduction as Mike starts off by giving an overview of what to expect, before talking about his experience of writing and publishing these books over the last few crazy years.

Continue reading →

Ren Hutchings – Why We Love Ragtag Crews

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest post, where I’m joined by the fantastic author Ren Hutchings to talk about ragtag crews in fiction, and why they’re so popular. Ren’s brilliant novel Under Fortunate Stars is one of my absolute highlights of 2022 (you can read my review of it here), a gripping space opera full of great characters and exploring some really smart ideas, so I was delighted when she agreed to write this guest post. If you too like a good character-driven science fiction (or any fiction, really) novel then read on to explore some of the reasons why these sorts of character groupings are so much fun, check out the list of recommendations at the end for more books to look out for, and make sure you pick up a copy of Under Fortunate Stars!

Continue reading →

The First King of All the Earth – Original Fiction by Edoardo Albert

Hello and welcome to this exclusive piece of original fiction here on Track of Words – The First King of All the Earth, very kindly provided by the wonderful Edoardo Albert. Author of the historical fiction trilogy The Northumbrian Thrones, Black Library novels Silent Hunters and Kasrkin, and non-fiction titles Warrior: A Life of War in Anglo-Saxon Britain and The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages (with Paul Gething), Edoardo is a fantastic writer, and I’m a big fan, so it’s a real delight to be able to publish an original story of his. The First King of All the Earth leans a little more into the historical side of things than straight SFF, but I can definitely see a little fantasy in there too, and I really loved reading it. I hope you will do too!

Continue reading →

John French – New Stories, Old Truths

Hello and welcome to New Stories, Old Truths on Track of Words, where I’m handing the reins over to author John French to tell us a bit about some of the ways he’s using his website to build a new fictional world, and give readers something a little different to look forward to. I’m a huge fan of John’s Black Library fiction, with his Ahriman series being a particular favourite, so when I spotted some new original fiction showing up on John’s website, along with some really insightful articles, I had to find out what was happening! Whether you’re a Black Library fan or just interested in SFF and the craft of writing, I really recommend you check out John’s website to see what he’s up to.

Continue reading →

Author Spotlight: S.A. Tholin (SPSFC 2021 Winner)

Hello and welcome to this Author Spotlight interview here on Track of Words, where today I’m thrilled to be joined by the fantastic S.A. Tholin, author of the brilliant Primaterre series of science fiction novels, and recent winner of the first-ever Self-published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC)! I’ve been a fan of Sofie’s writing for a while now, and I loved Iron Truth, her novel that won the SPSFC, so it’s long past time that we chatted for an interview. In this Author Spotlight we talked about her Primaterre series and what readers can expect from its blend of science fiction and horror, the realities of life as a self-published author, the impact of winning the SPSFC, and loads more. So kick back and enjoy the interview, then make sure you check out Iron Truth and the Primaterre series!

Continue reading →

Amanda Bridgeman – 10 Lessons From 10 Years in Publishing

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest post, where I’m joined by the excellent Amanda Bridgeman – author of books such as The Subjugate, The Sensation, and Pandemic: Patient Zero – to talk about some of the realities of life as a professional writer. As an avid reader and someone who’s fascinated by the publishing industry, I love hearing authors talk about what their careers are really like and what the challenges are, so I was delighted when Amanda kindly offered to share some of her own insights gathered over many years of experience as an author. Whether you’re a writer yourself or just a keen observer of the industry like me, there’s loads of interesting things to think about in this article!

Continue reading →

Best of Black Library 2022

Every year, as we approach the end of December I look back at the best Black Library books I’ve read over the preceding twelve months, and it’s time now to take a look at 2022’s BL highlights. There are plenty to choose from, but I’ve narrowed it down to just five that I can personally recommend as being genuinely fantastic reads. It was hard to cut things down to five though, so I’ve also added a few honourable mentions that I couldn’t help but include. As always this comes with a few caveats, the first of which being that I can only talk about the books I’ve actually read. Black Library publishes somewhere in the region of 40 novels each year, of which I’ve read 14; that’s slightly more than last year, but still nothing like all of them. I’m sure I’ve missed out loads of great titles simply because I haven’t got around to reading them.

Continue reading →