Are you sick of all your favourite epic fantasies being turned into TV shows? Tired of seeing your favourite characters given the chop at the slightest provocation? Has the time come to find yourself a new fantasy series?
And while we can’t promise you that there won’t be death, magic, destruction and chaos, we can promise that people won’t be posting spoilers all over social media before you can get to the good bits.
Dave Hutchinson’s magnificent Europe In Autumn is up for yet another award this weekend – the prestigious John W Campbells Award for best science fiction novel of the year – and to celebrate we asked the author to talk us through his five favourite thrillers.
Lionel Davidson was a terrific writer and this, his final novel, is his best, a cracking late Cold War thriller about an agent infiltrating a top-secret Siberian laboratory to retrieve a Great Secret. More than anything else, it’s a wonderful romp.
2 The Small Back Room by Nigel Balchin
Published in 1943, The Small Back Room is set in the world of wartime scientific research. Its protagonist, Sammy Rice, is profoundly damaged, alcoholic, a serial avoider of responsibility forced into an act of bravery. One of the great joys of the book is its portrayal of bureaucracy and office politics, and it’s beautifully-written.
3 Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household
The (unnamed) narrator sets out to see if he can stalk and prepare to shoot the (unnamed) head of state of a foreign nation. Supposedly interested only in the hunt itself, he doesn’t pull the trigger, but he’s caught by the dictator’s guards, escapes, and makes his way back to England, where he engages in a game of cat and mouse with foreign agents. Not a long novel, but an incredibly rich one.
4 Funeral In Berlin by Len Deighton
The IPCRESS File seems to get the most attention, but for my money this is Deighton’s best novel, a ferociously cool fable set in a Europe still bearing the scars and secrets of the recent War and still freshly-divided by the Berlin Wall. As always with Deighton, the writing is a joy.
5 Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
Furst’s novels form a huge mosaic centered around what has been called ‘the midnight of the century,’ the outbreak of the Second World War. This one, though, encompasses the whole period of the war, following Bulgarian Khristo Stoianev from his recruitment into the NKVD – the forerunner to the KGB – in the 1930s. It’s a wonderful piece of writing, detailed and calm and humane.
Europe In Autumn is out now! Buy here: US|UK|eBook
By now you’re probably heard all about how brilliant Dave Hutchinson’s murky sci-fi thriller Europe In Autumn is, what with all the award nominations and all.
This week, with the prestigious Campbell Awards coming up and Europe In Autumn in the running, we thought we’d celebrate with an exclusive Rebellion eBook Store sale on all thrillers – that’s right, you can pick up Europe In Autumn for only £1.99!
There’s a plethora of other titles to choose from, including Haterz by James Goss, Cannonbridge by Jonathan Barnes and Plastic by Christopher Fowler, all available for less than the cost of a pint.
A thrilling new alternative history series from Sarah Cawkwell
What if Richard III didn’t fall at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485? What if Shakespeare’s favourite villain went on to found a dark dynasty?
Mathias Eynon’s dreams were small. A dabbler in magic, he expected to live in
obscurity in his home in the Welsh hills, not drawing attention to himself. But fate has other plans for him. It is the Year of Our Lord Fifteen Ninety, and a revolution is quietly brewing, here and further abroad. Richard V has overstayed his rule, some say; others whisper that the whole line of Demon Kings must be burned out.
Mathias – son of a man executed for the practice of magic – is set to become a symbol, and a leader. And to do that, he needs champions. A wise woman sends him to the corners of the known world – to the frozen lands of the north, to the pirate-haunted ports of Spain, to the mountains of the German Empire, to the burning sands of the Holy Land – to bring back masters of the four magic arts. With Richard’s Witch Hunters on his heels, he sets out to gather his allies.
Why the critics loved it:
“If you want a book that isn’t just your average romp around a fantasy kingdom by a band of rouges and the predetermined Destined One, check this out.” – The Cult Den
“Sarah Cawkwell’s book is highly entertaining, and a very promising first chapter in a new book series. Even if you’re not really into fantasy, this book has the action, the characters and the pace to make it worth your while, so I suggest you check it out.” – Trash Mutant
Why we loved it:
Cawkwell weaves a beautiful alt-history tale in a new series that takes history’s favourite villain and reworks his story with a confident knowledge of history, and fantastic visceral action. Plus, bonus points given for the best villainous sidekick ever in the King’s chilling inquisitor…
Read it? Love it! Try this:
Hunter of Sherwood: Knight of Shadowsby Toby Venables
England, 1191. Richard Lionheart has left the realm bankrupt and leaderless in his quest for glory. Only Prince John seems willing to fight
back the tide of chaos threatening England – embodied by the traitorous ‘Hood.’
But John has a secret weapon: Guy of Gisburne, outcast, mercenary, and now knight. His first mission: to intercept the jewel-encrusted skull of John the Baptist, sent by the Templars to Philip, King of France. Gisburne’s quest takes him from the Tower of London to the hectic crusader port of Marseilles – and into increasingly bloody encounters with ‘The White Devil’: the fanatical Templar de Mercheval.
Relentlessly pursued back to England, and aided by the beautiful and secretive Mélisande, Gisburne battles his way with sword, lance and bow to a bitter confrontation at the Castel de Mercheval. But beyond it – if he survives – lies an even more unpredictable adversary.
Cult writer Al Ewing takes a blood-thirsty romp through the world of the Afterblight
One man against a city of maniacs
This ain’t a complicated story, but then Cade wasn’t a complicated man. He
didn’t exactly care about people, did Cade, but if one of the people he almost cared about was in trouble, he’d help out if he could. If that meant heading down to San Francisco – even though nobody ever came back from there alive – well, fine. If that meant taking on whole armies of religious maniacs, coupon-clipping cannibals and helter-skelter hippies who dealt out free love and fast death in equal measure, armed with nothing but his two fists and a decent hunting knife… well, I’m kind of runnin’ my mouth here.
This ain’t a peaceful story, is what I’m tryin’ to say. And Cade… Cade wasn’t a peaceful man.
Why the critics loved it:
“If you’re after a short sharp dose of post-apocalyptic fiction then you could do a lot worse than pick this up.” – Graeme’s Fantasy Book Reviews
“A man. Punching a bear. This defines classic cover” – Pornokitsch, classic covers series
Critics who were less sure (and their critics):
(click image to see full review)
Why we loved it:
Riding rough-shod through a blistering, Technicolor adventure, Ewing has created a vastly fun entry into the fan favourite Afterblight shared world series. If you haven’t discovered this maestro of underground fiction, now’s the time to start.
Kavika Kamalani is a Pali Boy, a post-plague heir to an ancient Hawai’ian warrior tradition that believes in overcoming death by embracing one’s fears and living large. His life on the Nomi No Toshi, the floating city, is turned upside down when one of his friends dies, harvested for his blood, and he sets out to find the killer. Kidnapped himself and subjected to a terrifying transformation, Kavika must embrace the ultimate fear – death itself – if he, his loved ones, and the Pali Boys themselves are to survive.
From the best-selling author of The Chronicles of Necromancer Gail Z Martin, we bring you an original new urban fantasy series:
Welcome to Trifles & Folly, an antique and curio shop with a dark secret.
Proprietor Cassidy Kincaide continues a family tradition begun in 1670 – acquiring and neutralizing dangerous supernatural items. It’s the perfect job for Cassidy, whose psychic gift lets her touch an object and know its history. Together with her business partner Sorren, a 500-year-old vampire and former jewel thief, Cassidy makes it her business to get infernal objects off the market. When mundane antiques suddenly become magically malicious, it’s time for Cassidy and Sorren to get rid of these Deadly Curiosities before the bodies start piling up…
Why the critics loved it:
“Martin weaves together fact, fiction, and the supernatural to create a realistic underworld for modern Charleston, S.C” – Publishers Weekly
“Familiar, accessible, and enjoyable, Deadly Curiosities is the kind of book to have serious crossover appeal for urban fantasy and horror readers alike.” – Beauty in Ruins
“I found myself emotionally invested in the outcome of each one, even the dog, and when they were facing the badest, strongest, entity, I was so nervous, I had butterflies in my stomach worried over what would happen to them. Deadly Curiosities is a great combination of paranormal and mystery…” – Much Loved Books
Why we love it:
A spooky new urban fantasy for fans of Warehouse 13 and Buff the Vampire Slayer: Deadly Curiosities effortlessly demonstrates Martin’s incredible world building skills in a can’t-put-down tale of paranormal fantasy, set against the highly original setting of modern-day Charleston. With Deadly Curiosities 2 on the way for early 2016 now’s a great time join Cassidy and her team.
Jordan helps kids on the run find their way back home. He’s good at that. He should be – he’s a runaway himself.
Sometimes he helps the kids in other, stranger, ways. He looks like a regular teenager, but he’s not. He acts like he’s not exactly human, but he is. He treads the line between mundane reality and the world of the supernatural.
Desdaemona also knows the non-human world far too well. She tracks Jordan down and enlists his aid in searching for her lost sister Fay, who did a Very Bad Thing involving an immortal. This may be a mistake – for both of them. Too many people are interested now, and some of them are not people at all.
