Robbie MacNiven’s First Team is the second instalment of Aconyte Books’ Marvel: Xavier’s Institute series of X-Men prose novels, and it perfectly blends the powerful darkness of a world in which young mutants are surrounded by hate and oppression, with a warm sense of friendship and family. Compared with many of his peers at the Xavier Institute, Anole – otherwise known as Victor Borkowski – knows that he’s had a remarkably comfortable life for a mutant. When his parents are threatened by the anti-mutant extremist group known as the Purifiers, however, he gets first-hand experience of the hatred that many mutants suffer under, and finds himself relying upon his found family at the Institute – particularly close friends Cipher and Greymalkin – for support in his mission to track down and stop the Purifiers.
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Found Family and the Characters of First Team – Robbie MacNiven Guest Post
Hello and welcome to the latest guest post here on Track of Words, where today I’ve got the fantastic Robbie MacNiven on board to talk about the characters and one of the main themes in his new X-Men novel First Team. The second instalment in the Marvel: Xavier’s Institute series from Aconyte Books, First Team is due to be published in global ebook and US paperback on the 2nd March, with the UK paperback following on the 15th April. To start things off, check out the cool cover art for First Team – by the talented Anastasia Bulgakova – and then take a look at the book’s synopsis.
Continue readingThe Harrowing of Doom – David Annandale
For his first Marvel novel, The Harrowing of Doom – part of the Marvel: Untold range from Aconyte Books – David Annandale tells a tale of iron will and fierce obsession as Doctor Doom sets out to turn the tables on Hell itself. Each year at midsummer, Doom must battle a champion of Hell to try and free his mother’s soul, an impossible task that he’s fated to lose every time. Setting out to change the terms of the duel and weigh things in his favour at last, Doom enlists the help of the sorceress Maria von Helm and a reluctant Father Zargo and embarks on a bold but risky gamble. Even as he works feverishly on this new project, the security of Latveria is threatened by the deposed crown prince Rudolfo Fortunov.
Continue readingAUTHOR INTERVIEW: CL Werner Talks The Sword of Surtur
Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, in which I’m talking to the fantastic CL Werner about his first novel for Aconyte Books – The Sword of Surtur, which is part of the Legends of Asgard range of Marvel prose novels. I asked Clint for the lowdown on the book, its characters, and why he chose to tell this particular story for his first Marvel novel! It’s due to be published on the 5th January 2021 as a global ebook and US paperback, with the UK paperback due on the 4th February.
Continue readingAUTHOR INTERVIEW: David Annandale Talks The Harrowing of Doom
Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview where today I’m talking to David Annandale about his upcoming Aconyte novel, The Harrowing of Doom! There have been a few Marvel prose novels already released by Aconyte, but this is the first in the Marvel: Untold range – “new tales of Marvel’s Super Heroes and villains”. It’s due out in ebook and as a US paperback on the 1st December, with the UK paperback following on the 7th January 2021.
Continue readingLiberty & Justice For All – Carrie Harris
Carrie Harris’ Liberty & Justice For All kicks off the new series of Marvel: Xavier’s Institute novels with an action-packed adventure featuring a pair of young mutants determined to prove themselves as X-Men. For Tempus and Triage, otherwise known as Eva and Christopher, life as trainee X-Men isn’t quite what they expected. When they set out together in the X-Copter for their first solo flight, their delight at simply getting out of the school and away from their instructors quickly fades when they receive an SOS call from Sabretooth of all people. What they think will be a straightforward pickup, and a good opportunity to give their powers a quick workout, ends up becoming a battle that tests them beyond what they could have expected.
Continue readingEXCLUSIVE! Introducing: First Team by Robbie MacNiven
Today I’ve got something really special for you, with a Track of Words exclusive in which I can reveal the next book in Aconyte’s growing range of Marvel prose novels – First Team by Robbie MacNiven, the latest instalment in the Marvel: Xavier’s Institute series. I’ve been a fan of Robbie’s writing ever since I reviewed his first Warhammer 40,000 short story (check out that review here) back in 2015, and I had a lot of fun reading his first novel for Aconyte – The Doom of Fallowhearth – so I can’t wait to see how he gets on with this X-Men novel! It’s due to be published in ebook and as a US paperback on the 2nd February 2021, with the UK paperback following on the 4th March.
Continue readingAUTHOR INTERVIEW: Carrie Harris Talks Liberty & Justice For All
Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, in which I chat to author Carrie Harris about her new book Liberty & Justice For All, which kicks off a new series of Xavier’s Academy novels from Aconyte Books. What’s not to love about prose novels exploring interesting characters from amongst Marvel’s X-Men? If, like me, you grew up watching X-Men: The Animated Series, this is a very exciting proposition! It’s due out in ebook and as a US paperback on the 3rd November, with the UK paperback due a little bit later on the 10th December.
Continue readingThe Head of Mimir – Richard Lee Byers
The first novel in Aconyte Books’ new Marvels: Legends of Asgard series, Richard Lee Byers’ The Head of Mimir is a fun, fast-paced fantasy adventure. With Asgard under siege by armies of Frost Giants, and Odin trapped in an unusually long Odinsleep, the thoughtful young warrior Hemidall worries that his fellow Asgardians are underestimating their enemies. Speculating that something supernatural is affecting his king’s sleep, Heimdall and his sister Sif slip into Odin’s inner sanctum and find that the Head of Mimir, a powerful relic said to possess great wisdom, has been stolen. Despite the evidence of an intruder, and the suggestion of a traitor in Asgard’s court, Heimdall and Sif soon find themselves on the path to Jotunheim alone, desperate to recover the relic, foil the Jotuns’ plans, and redeem themselves in the eyes of Asgard.
Continue readingDomino: Strays – Tristan Palmgren
Aconyte Books’ Marvel: Heroines range – one of several new series of Marvel prose novels – kicks off with Domino: Strays by Tristan Palmgren, an action-packed blast of balletic violence and snappy dialogue with an unexpectedly thoughtful, psychological core. Mercenary Domino, otherwise known as Neena Thurman, has a history with cults and dangerous idealogues, so when she’s offered a job to extract a pair of twins from a dubious religious sect in Chicago, she takes it on despite all of her concerns. With the aid of a few fellow mercs she sets out to get the job done, but she can’t help to draw parallels between the task at hand and the lasting impact of her own painful upbringing as part of the secret genetics experiment known as Project Armageddon.
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