Saturday 30 April 2016

Amazing news!

I've got some amazing news! After several months of work and planning behind the scenes, I am extremely pleased to be able to announce that the Bernicia Chronicles are to be published by Aria, the new imprint from the dynamic and award-winning independent publisher, Head of Zeus.


THE SERPENT SWORD will be re-published on 1st June 2016 (available now on pre-order). You can read a sample of it (and see the lovely new map) here.


THE CROSS AND THE CURSE will be re-published on 1st October 2016 (available now on pre-order).

BY BLOOD AND BLADE will be published in January 2017.

KIN OF CAIN (a novella) will be published in April 2017.

Book 4 of the Bernicia Chronicles (title TBD) will be published in June 2017.

All the books will be available as e-books, paperbacks and audio books (which I am particularly looking forward to). I am very excited to be working with such a wonderful team of talented professionals at Aria who are going to help lift the Bernicia Chronicles to greater heights and to get the books out to a wider audience.



If you've already read The Serpent Sword and The Cross and The Curse, thank you, and I'm sorry that you will have to wait a few more months than I'd originally expected for By Blood and Blade, but I'm sure the wait will be worth it and you'll be as happy as I am with the results.

Happy reading!

Matthew

Tuesday 26 April 2016

REVIEW: Audiobook of The Lord of Ireland by E.M. Powell

The Lord of Ireland (The Fifth Knight, #3)The Lord of Ireland by E.M. Powell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book I have 'read' in the "Fifth Knight" series by E.M. Powell. I'd read lots of positive reviews of the first two novels, Fifth Knight, The and The Blood of The Fifth Knight, so I jumped at the chance of listening to the audiobook of The Lord of Ireland.


Story:

The blurb on the book is as follows:

"John is a prince without prospect of a crown. As the youngest son of Henry II, he has long borne the hated nickname "Lackland." When warring tribes and an ambitious Anglo-Norman lord threaten Henry's reign in Ireland, John believes his time has finally come. Henry is dispatching him there with a mighty force to impose order.
Yet it is a thwarted young man who arrives on the troubled isle. John has not been granted its kingship - he is merely the Lord of Ireland, destined never to escape his father's shadow. Unknown to John, Henry has also sent his right-hand man, Sir Benedict Palmer, to root out the traitors he fears are working to steal the land from him.
But Palmer is horrified when John disregards Henry's orders and embarks on a campaign of bloodshed that could destroy the kingdom. Now Palmer has to battle the increasingly powerful Lord of Ireland. Power, in John's hands, is a murderous force - and he is only just beginning to wield it."

Review:

Not having read the first two books, I wondered whether I would miss anything in the story, but I needn't have worried. The salient points from the previous novels were clear and the novel works well as a standalone adventure. I know the previous books are labelled as historical mysteries/thrillers, but this seemed to fit firmly in the historical action adventure camp, rather than mystery. This is not a bad thing in my opinion.

The characters are strong and well-portrayed and the story flows well and quickly. I knew nothing about Prince John's campaign in Ireland, so I not only enjoyed the ripping tale of intrigue, battles and skulduggery, but I also felt I learnt quite a bit in the process. The historical note at the end of the novel added to my enjoyment, with succinct and entertaining information about the period and how some of the details that Powell had use almost directly from the chroniclers' accounts from the time. It's amazing what nuggets an author can find that just cry out to be used.

The hero and heroine of the piece were not my favourite characters, in fact I found Palmer's wife to be annoying in her moralistic view of things, though she is a good foil for the evil Prince John. John Lackland is suitably ineffective and generally underhand and greedy, traits that have seen him play the villain over and over in fiction. I couldn't help wonder whether he was really as useless as portrayed, but then the notes on the history seemed to bear out the image of him. I guess he is so often the baddie in books and films because he really was nasty!

My favourite character was Hugh de Lacy, as he seemed the most nuanced. Is he good or bad? Vicious or kindly? He is as robust a character as you are likely to find and of all the cast, he felt like the most real and also the one I'd most like to share a cup of wine with. Though I doubt he'd have had much time for me!

The story has a good deal of action, with gripping fights and chases, as the protagonists seek to prevent John from totally wrecking his father's realm whilst they also try to avoid being killed by the impetuous and cruel prince.

My verdict?

A fast-paced adventure that tells the story of John Lackland's catastrophic Ireland campaign with a good dose of intrigue and action thrown in for good measure.

Narrator:

This was the weakest part of the package for me. James Langton is clearly a skilled narrator, giving each character a unique voice, and performing the dialogue well. However, there was something about his general intonation that I found just didn't click with me. He would sometimes stress words on the 'wrong' syllable or go up at the end of sentences as if asking a question. This didn't make the book difficult to listen to and is purely a matter of personal taste, but I couldn't help thinking a different narrator, perhaps one with a bit more gravitas, would have done the material more justice.

Overall score:

4 out of 5 stars

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Saturday 9 April 2016

REVIEW: Audiobook of War at the Edge of the World by Ian Ross


War at the Edge of the World by Ian James Ross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I recently had a long trip ahead of me for work and decided to get an audiobook from Audible to listen to during the interminable flights, waits in airport lounges and taxi rides. I have had my eye on Ian Ross's debut, War at the Edge of the World, for some time, so I downloaded the book onto my phone and away I went.




Story:

The blurb on the book is as follows:

"The epic first installment in a new series set at the end of empire in the reign of the Emperor Constantine, The War at the Edge of the World follows newly promoted centurion Aurelius Castus into the tumultuous battle for the future of Rome.
Once a soldier in an elite legion from the Danube, now stuck in Britain's provincial backwater, Castus believes his glory days are over. But fate is about to intervene. When the king of the Picts, the savage people beyond Hadrian’s Wall, dies in mysterious circumstances, Castus is selected to command the bodyguard of a Roman envoy sent to negotiate with the barbarians.
But the diplomatic mission ends in bloody tragedy. Castus and his men are soon fighting for their lives and the legionary discovers that nothing about his doomed mission was ever what it seemed."

Review:

I haven't read a lot of Roman-era historical fiction, which I think might well have been a good thing here, as I am sure there are many comparisons that could be made to the work of other writers such as Riches, Scarrow and Kane.

As it is, free from the fetters of comparisons, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey into Ross's blood-spattered vision of 4th century Britain. The story is quite straightforward, but the gruff protagonist carries the story as easily as he dispatches his enemies with sword, spear or his bare hands.

The narrative rattles along, with a good dose of intrigue and more than enough action for this reader. The story was satisfying, with some great battle scenes. The only area I thought the book lacked a little was in the depth of the supporting cast. For the most part, they come and go, and I was not that upset if they died, or pleased if they survived the bloody uprising of the Picts.

Having said that, Aurelius Castus is a great, strong heroic figure who I am sure will go on to more exciting adventures in the future novels of the series.

My verdict?

An action-packed, blood-soaked vision of the untamed northern fringes of the Roman Empire of the 4th century.

Narrator:

Jonathan Keeble reads the story with verve and passion. Of the handful of audiobooks I have listened to in the last few years, Keeble was the best narrator by some distance. Each character has a recognisable voice with nuances and a specific delivery of dialogue that really lifts the narrative. The battle scenes are gripping and Keeble easily conveys the excitement and horror of facing enemies who are close enough to smell their breath and sweat.

Overall score:

4 out of 5 stars

View all my reviews