Steven Savile's Blog: The Erratic Mumblings of Steven Savile
January 2, 2014
Give and Take
Want a shot at winning free Amazon giftcards... getting free books in the process? I've just put Northern Soul up on Story Cartel, a review site, one free copy of a brand new novel in return for one honest review - if you think it sucks, you say so. If you love it, you say so, if it's worst of all, meh so-so, you say so, and you can WIN books you really want... what, you don't really want one of my books? Shame on you.
http://storycartel.com/books/620/nort...
http://storycartel.com/books/620/nort...
Give and Take
Want a shot at winning free Amazon giftcards... getting free books in the process? I've just put Northern Soul up on Story Cartel, a review site, one free copy of a brand new novel in return for one honest review - if you think it sucks, you say so. If you love it, you say so, if it's worst of all, meh so-so, you say so, and you can WIN books you really want... what, you don't really want one of my books? Shame on you.
http://storycartel.com/books/620/nort...
http://storycartel.com/books/620/nort...
December 14, 2013
My Heart Never Left Home
One of the things I most vividly remember growing up is my grandfather telling me you can take the boy out of Newcastle but you can't take Newcastle out of the boy. I left the city 16 years ago, emigrating to Sweden and a new life. Yesterday I released my first novel set in Newcastle since Laughing Boy's Shadow, which I wrote when I was 20... there's 24 years between books in my home town and one thing I know now more than ever before, you can't take Newcastle out of the boy.
It's a special town in that it owns part of my soul. That's one of the reasons the new book is called Northern Soul.
What can I tell you about it? Well, Jack's back, like me, returning to his home town.
Will Platt, an old school friend, reaches out to Jack. Just one job. A simple one, a pick up from a bonded warehouse down south. Jack Stone knows what trouble smells like. It smells like Will Platt. Jack wants no part of the job. But sometimes it's hard to walk away from trouble. That's because trouble has a way of looking for men like Jack Stone. A stroll down memory lane--which is run-down and desperate like the rest of this seedy part of town--turns into a world of hurt, Jack's innate sense of justice is tested to the limits when instead of a simple buzz cut he's treated to a front row seat for an extortioner's shakedown.
He can't just sit by idly and watch.
Jack's not that kind of man.
So Jack makes a deal with the devil, he'll do a job for them to pay off the old man's debt.
Lenny Parker's looking for a woman, Sindy Nightingale, an old cabaret singer from the 70s club circuit, a proper heart breaker, the kind of woman young boys pinned up posters of on their bedroom walls and fantasized about. The problem is Sindy doesn't want to be found. By the time Jack understands why it's too late, he's brought the devil to her door.
Northern Soul is the first full-length Jack Stone novel by Steven Savile & Steve Lockley and can be read as part of the on-going series or as a stand-alone novel.
US Link
NORTHERN SOUL
and the UK Link
NORTHERN SOUL
It's a special town in that it owns part of my soul. That's one of the reasons the new book is called Northern Soul.
What can I tell you about it? Well, Jack's back, like me, returning to his home town.
Will Platt, an old school friend, reaches out to Jack. Just one job. A simple one, a pick up from a bonded warehouse down south. Jack Stone knows what trouble smells like. It smells like Will Platt. Jack wants no part of the job. But sometimes it's hard to walk away from trouble. That's because trouble has a way of looking for men like Jack Stone. A stroll down memory lane--which is run-down and desperate like the rest of this seedy part of town--turns into a world of hurt, Jack's innate sense of justice is tested to the limits when instead of a simple buzz cut he's treated to a front row seat for an extortioner's shakedown.
He can't just sit by idly and watch.
Jack's not that kind of man.
So Jack makes a deal with the devil, he'll do a job for them to pay off the old man's debt.
Lenny Parker's looking for a woman, Sindy Nightingale, an old cabaret singer from the 70s club circuit, a proper heart breaker, the kind of woman young boys pinned up posters of on their bedroom walls and fantasized about. The problem is Sindy doesn't want to be found. By the time Jack understands why it's too late, he's brought the devil to her door.
Northern Soul is the first full-length Jack Stone novel by Steven Savile & Steve Lockley and can be read as part of the on-going series or as a stand-alone novel.
US Link
NORTHERN SOUL
and the UK Link
NORTHERN SOUL
May 9, 2013
I've been ignoring you all
No I haven't. Not really. I've just been useless and really haven't got the hang of this social media connecting malarky - I mean, I've just realised my website is 5 releases behind, how crap is that?
I suspect I've been obsessing over numbers too much, especially as we cruise into that slow down time of summer for ebooks, which over the last couple of years have been pretty much constants, hit June, slow down until end of August... you'd think everyone would want summer reads and all that, but the truth is people don't take their kindles and ipads to the wallow in the sun and sand, these are expensive pieces of kit. They take good old fashioned paperbacks and don't worry if they get wet or sandy or if the sun is so bright you can't read on the screen... so, anyway, numbers... Part of me was concerned it was the name - Savile - I mean that's not exactly a popular name right now thanks to a certain dead celeb who has pretty much haunted me all my life. Growing up kids would call me Jimmy and do this really annoying 'How's about, how's about jangle jangle jewellery jewellery, now then now then' impression that really drove me nuts, because I mean... look at the guy... he was creepy. And it turns out he was a lot more than that. So the name has this contamination at the moment... will it go away? I think so. But I've talked seriously with my agent about reinventing myself.
It's one reason the YA series has been released under the name Aimee Carr (Moonlands - over on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Moonlands-ebook... ) and B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moonl... ) is one of my favourite things I've ever written, but part of me is absolutely convinced it's just confusing to people to have the thrillers under the same name as the kids books as the fantasy books... while I think it's fine (or at least used to) I'm starting to think that maybe not knowing what you're going to get is a bit of a pain for the readers as they're not fans of 'me' they're fans of set series, like the OGMIOS books...
Anyway... the purpose of this, basically is to let everyone know that I'm actually launching a new series:
Snatched from the press release:
Steven Savile, international bestselling author of the Ogmios series, and award-winning author Steve Lockley have masterminded a new action-packed crime-thriller series featuring Jack Stone, a man who has survived the worst humanity had to throw at him out in Afghanistan and Iraq, and just wants a quiet life. Men like Jack don't get to settle down and grow old gracefully. Men like Jack come into this world fighting and go out of it the same way. Fresh out of the Regiment (22nd SAS), Jack's coming home to a world of pain. He can't help himself. He's drawn to the darkness, but then, he's not exactly a white knight.
The series kicks off with Northern Fire, a free novella that introduces Jack to the world, and continues in Northern Grit, published this month by Crossroad Press. Upcoming titles include Northern Soul and Northern Steel, which see Jack Stone back in Savile's native Newcastle, in the north of England, surrounded by kidnapped girls, sex trafficking, gangland crime, drugs, and every vice known to man. This is Jack Stone's world. This is where he belongs. Because this is no place for a white knight.
NORTHERN GRIT
No good deed goes unpunished for men like Jack Stone. His best friend lies bleeding slowly to death when a bad situation goes to worse. A favour's being cashed in. He can't say no. Not that he ever would. He owes Micky Brannon big time. Once upon a time they'd been the Three Musketeers, Micky, Chris Drury and Jack Stone. Then Chris had come back to Brize Norton in a box and Micky had lost his legs thanks to an IED.
Shrinks called it Survivor's Guilt, Jack called it being a mate.
Micky's baby sister, Carly, is in trouble. Jack's promised to find her and bring her home safe. She's not the innocent young kid he remembers--but then he hasn't seen her since she was six and called him Uncle Jack. His search leads Jack into a seedy underworld of sex clubs, violent crime, and desperate people. The locals call it Paradise, the girls trapped there call it Hell. Jack calls it home.
As NORTHERN FIRE isn't up yet it's included in the back of NORTHERN GRIT as a bonus.
UK LINK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Northern-Grit... US LINK: http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Grit-e...
And if that wasn't enough... I've just launched the 4th OGMIOS book, LUCIFER'S MACHINE...
"Perfect for those DaVinci Code fans looking for another electrifying read combining Biblical history with modern-day Armageddon." -- Douglas Preston, NYT Bestselling author of IMPACT and BLASPHEMY
During the basking summer heat a university-based archaeology team uncovers an ancient box bearing the image of Baphomet. They are on a remote French island with strong links to the Knights Templar story. The image of Baphomet itself goes a long way to proving those links as far as the team lead by Dr Kytain are concerned, especially as the Templar were accused of devil worship during their trails. Could this box-a crude yet sophisticated machine centuries ahead of its time-be a vital link to discovering the true nature of the knights relationship to the horned devil?
Before they are able to decipher the box’s secrets the entire team are butchered horrifically, and all indications are that an extremist group, Al Aler’eyh, are behind the slaughter. A second linked murder in the hallowed halls of Cambridge University tips off Control to the threat.
Enter Sir Charles Wyndham and his Ogmios Team.
Tasked with finding the Lucifer Machine and putting an end to this particularly fundamentalist wing of the terror organisation, Noah and Orla find themselves in the adult playground of Dubai, fighting for their lives...
UK link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucifers-Mach...
US Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Lucifers-Machin...
So that's three brand new things... a crime story, a YA fantasy and a religious thriller... something for everyone right?
I hope so - and thanks for sticking around guys - I promise not to neglect... but to try and you know... become a useful human being...
I suspect I've been obsessing over numbers too much, especially as we cruise into that slow down time of summer for ebooks, which over the last couple of years have been pretty much constants, hit June, slow down until end of August... you'd think everyone would want summer reads and all that, but the truth is people don't take their kindles and ipads to the wallow in the sun and sand, these are expensive pieces of kit. They take good old fashioned paperbacks and don't worry if they get wet or sandy or if the sun is so bright you can't read on the screen... so, anyway, numbers... Part of me was concerned it was the name - Savile - I mean that's not exactly a popular name right now thanks to a certain dead celeb who has pretty much haunted me all my life. Growing up kids would call me Jimmy and do this really annoying 'How's about, how's about jangle jangle jewellery jewellery, now then now then' impression that really drove me nuts, because I mean... look at the guy... he was creepy. And it turns out he was a lot more than that. So the name has this contamination at the moment... will it go away? I think so. But I've talked seriously with my agent about reinventing myself.
It's one reason the YA series has been released under the name Aimee Carr (Moonlands - over on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Moonlands-ebook... ) and B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moonl... ) is one of my favourite things I've ever written, but part of me is absolutely convinced it's just confusing to people to have the thrillers under the same name as the kids books as the fantasy books... while I think it's fine (or at least used to) I'm starting to think that maybe not knowing what you're going to get is a bit of a pain for the readers as they're not fans of 'me' they're fans of set series, like the OGMIOS books...
Anyway... the purpose of this, basically is to let everyone know that I'm actually launching a new series:
Snatched from the press release:
Steven Savile, international bestselling author of the Ogmios series, and award-winning author Steve Lockley have masterminded a new action-packed crime-thriller series featuring Jack Stone, a man who has survived the worst humanity had to throw at him out in Afghanistan and Iraq, and just wants a quiet life. Men like Jack don't get to settle down and grow old gracefully. Men like Jack come into this world fighting and go out of it the same way. Fresh out of the Regiment (22nd SAS), Jack's coming home to a world of pain. He can't help himself. He's drawn to the darkness, but then, he's not exactly a white knight.
The series kicks off with Northern Fire, a free novella that introduces Jack to the world, and continues in Northern Grit, published this month by Crossroad Press. Upcoming titles include Northern Soul and Northern Steel, which see Jack Stone back in Savile's native Newcastle, in the north of England, surrounded by kidnapped girls, sex trafficking, gangland crime, drugs, and every vice known to man. This is Jack Stone's world. This is where he belongs. Because this is no place for a white knight.
NORTHERN GRIT
No good deed goes unpunished for men like Jack Stone. His best friend lies bleeding slowly to death when a bad situation goes to worse. A favour's being cashed in. He can't say no. Not that he ever would. He owes Micky Brannon big time. Once upon a time they'd been the Three Musketeers, Micky, Chris Drury and Jack Stone. Then Chris had come back to Brize Norton in a box and Micky had lost his legs thanks to an IED.
Shrinks called it Survivor's Guilt, Jack called it being a mate.
Micky's baby sister, Carly, is in trouble. Jack's promised to find her and bring her home safe. She's not the innocent young kid he remembers--but then he hasn't seen her since she was six and called him Uncle Jack. His search leads Jack into a seedy underworld of sex clubs, violent crime, and desperate people. The locals call it Paradise, the girls trapped there call it Hell. Jack calls it home.
As NORTHERN FIRE isn't up yet it's included in the back of NORTHERN GRIT as a bonus.
UK LINK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Northern-Grit... US LINK: http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Grit-e...
And if that wasn't enough... I've just launched the 4th OGMIOS book, LUCIFER'S MACHINE...
"Perfect for those DaVinci Code fans looking for another electrifying read combining Biblical history with modern-day Armageddon." -- Douglas Preston, NYT Bestselling author of IMPACT and BLASPHEMY
During the basking summer heat a university-based archaeology team uncovers an ancient box bearing the image of Baphomet. They are on a remote French island with strong links to the Knights Templar story. The image of Baphomet itself goes a long way to proving those links as far as the team lead by Dr Kytain are concerned, especially as the Templar were accused of devil worship during their trails. Could this box-a crude yet sophisticated machine centuries ahead of its time-be a vital link to discovering the true nature of the knights relationship to the horned devil?
Before they are able to decipher the box’s secrets the entire team are butchered horrifically, and all indications are that an extremist group, Al Aler’eyh, are behind the slaughter. A second linked murder in the hallowed halls of Cambridge University tips off Control to the threat.
Enter Sir Charles Wyndham and his Ogmios Team.
Tasked with finding the Lucifer Machine and putting an end to this particularly fundamentalist wing of the terror organisation, Noah and Orla find themselves in the adult playground of Dubai, fighting for their lives...
UK link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucifers-Mach...
US Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Lucifers-Machin...
So that's three brand new things... a crime story, a YA fantasy and a religious thriller... something for everyone right?
I hope so - and thanks for sticking around guys - I promise not to neglect... but to try and you know... become a useful human being...
December 13, 2012
Crippling Doubt
You've probably heard the advice - if you can be put off being a writer you probably shouldn't be a writer - there are days/weeks/months when I think 'that's it, I'm done, enough is enough'. The worst period, a fair few years back, saw me go 19 months without writing a single word. Somehow I ended up on a train to go and see my mate Jan Lindgren to go and shoot some stuff one morning, and ended up with nothing to read and a note book and wrote the lines: 'The magician stared at the mismatched pair of gloves in his hands. The left glove was of white silk, the right was made of black leather. Closing his eyes he offered a prayer to a God he hand long since stopped believing in, and held the black glove to his lips. Exhaling slowly, he filled the glove, his breath giving it a miraculous life of its own. His first breath conjured the faintest outline of feathers in the soft leather, the second gave them definition, shape and form, while the third stretched out the tip of the thumb until it formed a hard beak. Again and again the magician breathed into the glove, inflating it with the spark of life, until the soft leather had turned forever into the flesh of a living, breathing, blackbird.' I had no idea what the story was, only that after 19 months of nothing I was writing again. That story, Bury My Heart at the Garrick, won the Writers of the Future Award. It was the last thing I ever intended on writing. My farewell, shut up and go away writing bug thing.
That was 10 years ago. In the time since I gave up I've written 5 original novels, collaborated on 5 more, written 10 media tie-in novels, written 2 computer games, and around 50 short stories and novellas. And every morning I wake up thinking I can't do this job. Every afternoon I sit at the computer crippled by doubt. And I lie to myself and make bargains with the devil and try to find a few words that day just to add to the pile, and think that life would have been so much easier if I'd never written that paragraph up there, because after 19 months of not writing I was almost out... but like a junkie it reeled me back in, and I'm not one of these guys who gets pleasure from writing. I actually find it really incredibly difficult. I agonise over getting what is in my head onto the screen. I don't ever so much as crack open one of my books once it's published either, so I don't even get that afterglow of Ahhh published, to keep me going. In March it will be 7 years since I quit my day job and writing became my livelihood. I can look at my shelves and see 'success' and yet like I said, every day I get up thinking 'failure'. I don't believe a single nice thing readers say about my stuff, but I do believe every single nasty thing. I think that one day I will quit. I'll just stop putting myself through it every day. I've talked about it a lot. Those feelings are always worse during the winter, as I suffer from Seasonal Adjustment problems, which makes it even harder...
So when that advice comes up and it says if you can be put off you probably should be, I kinda think yeah, because I wouldn't wish the self doubt, the self loathing, the agony of seeing yourself as a failure no matter what others see, upon anyone who wasn't stubbornly determined to put themselves through it.
But I know I've got at least three original novels to write before I do quit... and by the time I'm done with them there will be three more... and even if I'm not publishing and haven't become flavour of the month, I'll still be writing. Because I can't imagine a life where I don't.
That was 10 years ago. In the time since I gave up I've written 5 original novels, collaborated on 5 more, written 10 media tie-in novels, written 2 computer games, and around 50 short stories and novellas. And every morning I wake up thinking I can't do this job. Every afternoon I sit at the computer crippled by doubt. And I lie to myself and make bargains with the devil and try to find a few words that day just to add to the pile, and think that life would have been so much easier if I'd never written that paragraph up there, because after 19 months of not writing I was almost out... but like a junkie it reeled me back in, and I'm not one of these guys who gets pleasure from writing. I actually find it really incredibly difficult. I agonise over getting what is in my head onto the screen. I don't ever so much as crack open one of my books once it's published either, so I don't even get that afterglow of Ahhh published, to keep me going. In March it will be 7 years since I quit my day job and writing became my livelihood. I can look at my shelves and see 'success' and yet like I said, every day I get up thinking 'failure'. I don't believe a single nice thing readers say about my stuff, but I do believe every single nasty thing. I think that one day I will quit. I'll just stop putting myself through it every day. I've talked about it a lot. Those feelings are always worse during the winter, as I suffer from Seasonal Adjustment problems, which makes it even harder...
So when that advice comes up and it says if you can be put off you probably should be, I kinda think yeah, because I wouldn't wish the self doubt, the self loathing, the agony of seeing yourself as a failure no matter what others see, upon anyone who wasn't stubbornly determined to put themselves through it.
But I know I've got at least three original novels to write before I do quit... and by the time I'm done with them there will be three more... and even if I'm not publishing and haven't become flavour of the month, I'll still be writing. Because I can't imagine a life where I don't.
December 12, 2012
Silver Tops 50k And Runs Free
Silver, my debut thriller, cracked the 50,000 UK sales a while back, and in celebration it's now running free... yep, instead of 5.99 UK it's going to set you back... nada, zip, zilch, nuffin...
So, Happy Christmas from me:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silver-Ogmios...
ONE OF THE TOP 30 BESTSELLING EBOOKS OF 2011 - THE BOOKSELLER
"There is a plague coming....For forty days and forty nights fear shall savage the streets. Those steeped in sin shall burn. The dying begins now"
With this chilling message a wave of terror unlike anything the world has ever seen sweeps the streets of Europe. Thirteen martyrs burn themselves alive in thirteen major cities simultaneously.
And this is just the beginning.
A religious cult calling itself the Disciples of Judas has risen in the Middle East. They twist the words of ancient prophecies to drive home the fear. Everything you believe in will be proved wrong. Everything you hold true will fail.
Day by day the West wakes to increasingly harrowing acts of terror. As fear cripples the capitals of Europe, the only question is where will be the next to fall? London? Rome? Berlin?
In a race against time - believing the terrorists intend to assassinate the Pope - Sir Charles Wyndham's unique Special Ops team, codename Ogmios, track a labyrinthine course through truth, shades of truth and outright lies that takes them from the backstreets of London to the shadow of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin and all the way into the heart of the Holy See itself.
"The mix of history, suspense, and action in Silver perfect for those DaVinci Code fans looking for another electrifying read combining Biblical history with modern-day Armageddon."
-- Douglas Preston, NYT Bestselling author of IMPACT and BLASPHEMY
"With Silver, Steven Savile delivers a barn storming tale of action, intrigue and suspense in a plot laced with ancient secrets and modern terror." --Matt Hilton, author of the the Joe Hunter thrillers.
"Silver is the best thing since Forsyth’s Day of the Jackal." --Robert W. Walker, author of the RANSOM and INSTINCT series.
"Silver is a cracker of a thriller. Savile's in a league of his own" --Jeremy Duns, author of FREE AGENT and FREE COUNTRY.
"Reminiscent of James Rollins and David Morrell." --Joseph Nassise, international bestselling author of the TEMPLAR CHRONICLES.
"Fascinating, gripping, horrific, tragic and compelling."
-- Steve Alten, NYT Bestselling author of MEG and THE SHELL GAME
"SILVER is a wild combination of Indiana Jones, The Da Vinci Code, and The Omen."
-- Kevin J Anderson, international bestselling author of THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS and co-author of PAUL OF DUNE
So, Happy Christmas from me:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silver-Ogmios...
ONE OF THE TOP 30 BESTSELLING EBOOKS OF 2011 - THE BOOKSELLER
"There is a plague coming....For forty days and forty nights fear shall savage the streets. Those steeped in sin shall burn. The dying begins now"
With this chilling message a wave of terror unlike anything the world has ever seen sweeps the streets of Europe. Thirteen martyrs burn themselves alive in thirteen major cities simultaneously.
And this is just the beginning.
A religious cult calling itself the Disciples of Judas has risen in the Middle East. They twist the words of ancient prophecies to drive home the fear. Everything you believe in will be proved wrong. Everything you hold true will fail.
Day by day the West wakes to increasingly harrowing acts of terror. As fear cripples the capitals of Europe, the only question is where will be the next to fall? London? Rome? Berlin?
In a race against time - believing the terrorists intend to assassinate the Pope - Sir Charles Wyndham's unique Special Ops team, codename Ogmios, track a labyrinthine course through truth, shades of truth and outright lies that takes them from the backstreets of London to the shadow of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin and all the way into the heart of the Holy See itself.
"The mix of history, suspense, and action in Silver perfect for those DaVinci Code fans looking for another electrifying read combining Biblical history with modern-day Armageddon."
-- Douglas Preston, NYT Bestselling author of IMPACT and BLASPHEMY
"With Silver, Steven Savile delivers a barn storming tale of action, intrigue and suspense in a plot laced with ancient secrets and modern terror." --Matt Hilton, author of the the Joe Hunter thrillers.
"Silver is the best thing since Forsyth’s Day of the Jackal." --Robert W. Walker, author of the RANSOM and INSTINCT series.
"Silver is a cracker of a thriller. Savile's in a league of his own" --Jeremy Duns, author of FREE AGENT and FREE COUNTRY.
"Reminiscent of James Rollins and David Morrell." --Joseph Nassise, international bestselling author of the TEMPLAR CHRONICLES.
"Fascinating, gripping, horrific, tragic and compelling."
-- Steve Alten, NYT Bestselling author of MEG and THE SHELL GAME
"SILVER is a wild combination of Indiana Jones, The Da Vinci Code, and The Omen."
-- Kevin J Anderson, international bestselling author of THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS and co-author of PAUL OF DUNE
December 1, 2012
London Macabre Review Copies Available
I've just been given the digital files in epub, mobi and pdf for my favourite novel out of the 21 I've written - and am basically looking to send them out to loving homes should anyone be interested in reading/reviewing... all you need to do is pop an email to me at steve@stevensavile.com and I'll sort you out.
Overview
A man walks confidently through the night time streets of London. He is one of the Brethren, a shadow society of occultists. His life is only hours from ending. His flesh is about to be taken as host for a daemonic entity that has clawed its way out of hell's pit.
Now things are afoot. Strange things.
The lions of Traflagar have fulfilled their prophecy, climbing down from the plinths around Lord Nelson's column to defend the city.
The daemon stalks his tender prey through the gaslit streets, meat markets, fish stalls and slaughter houses of Whitechapel. He has a taste for women, though not ordinary women. These women are different. Special. They may look like whores but they have the blood of angels flowing in their veins. If he can kill enough of them, bathing in their innocent blood, then the daemon can open the ancient Ald Gate-one of the seven great gates of London-the last gate to Eden, and go home, even if it means tearing London herself apart.
The gates are guarded by The Seven, bloodsucking angelkind put there to guard a very special prisoner. A prisoner who cannot be allowed to escape. Satanial. The Devil by another name. Cast down and trapped in a hell on earth, watched over by Uriel, the mad Archangel.
Can the men of Greyfriars stop all hell breaking loose?
Sample Reviews from Barnes and Noble, where LM began life as a Barnes and Noble exclusive:
Really enjoyed the tale, it totally went off in several unexpected directions in one large convoluted plot. Also all the old London History... not just the Victorian Era stuff but some pre-Roman myths and legends were all worked into the story... believe it or not it actually
made me want to go out and find a book about the ancient past of London.
The seven gates and their immortal keepers... some pretty weird stuff that Eden is in the middle (or perhaps in a parallel place with London and that the area the land is built on is Nod. Very cool stuff.) We also get some angel and Lucifer change ups... at least some
reinterpretation of Biblical myths. The Gentlemen Knights, aka Greyfrairs Club, is an interesting group that i could compare to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Each one of them has a unique gift
used in the defense of the city. We have a man who can talk with animals, another who can be practically invisible, one who speaks with the dead, a werewolf, a full blown wizard, and others. The book is broken up into sections and each section is divided into a number of chapters and every chapter is a different POV... some times the POV is on different time tracks... so you will see the same scene from a different perspective or something that wasn't mentioned or is missing
will be explained in a later chapter by the different view. Sometimes this really worked for me and sometimes it didn't. If you like Victorian England, twists of myth and bible stories, strange and unique characters... then i think you'll love London Macabre.
A staggeringly grand epic – London Macabre is fabulist occult at its best. A heady mix of Victoriana, a hint of steampunk, a lashing of magic and fantasy, the touch of the divine struggle that colours the best of this Author’s work, and at its heart a rippingly good story. The Greyfriar’s Gentlemen’s Club is a collection of practitioners of the Art, and a more well-heeled, pipe smoking, brandy quaffing set of brave adventurers you will not find in London. Utilising their skills, as well
as their endlessly resourceful retainer Mason, the group find themselves in a desperate battle for survival as they protect the City from the dark and devious designs of their Arch-enemies, the Brethren. A new arrival in the form of a ghost-touched young girl brings with it yet
more mystery, soon added to in the form of a ruthless, dimension-jumping Monarch, and once a hastily-arranged Conclave of the Villain Kings and the Gentlemen falls apart amidst treachery and accusation, it isn’t long before terror and destruction carve through the cobbled streets of Victorian London. The story – full of derring-do, a frightening array of magic, a plethora of magical artefacts and weapons, an awesome golem,
oh and did I mention a Fallen Angel, a Daemon Lord, and the First Murderer attempting to return to Eden? That little confrontation that drags across the City’s hidden portals whacks the carnage and the stakes
up several levels, until our valiant heroes find themselves fighting to save reality as well as their own skins. A blistering climax that consumes the last third of the book will have you frantically turning the pages and wondering how it could possibly get any more desperate - the toll is high for our heroes, but can they avert disaster?
WOW!!!! I AM COMPLETELY HOOKED!!!!!!!
Where do I begin? Rarely does a book leave me speechless, but I sat for some time in complete silence with my mind reeling and spinning with all I had just absorbed. Who can throw together a gentlemanly group of friends who each have a small paranormal gift, werewolves, vampires, God and the Devil, angels, demons, Cain, Queen Victoria and her Albert, and a giant golem and have the ending come out the way it did? This author is amazing!!!!
This book had me all over the place. There were ups and downs. There were battles to the extreme. It was gruesome, it was uplifting. There was a bit of history. There was loyalty and betrayal. There were so many twists and turns in the story, I constantly went from tears to cheers and then back to tears (with cheers waiting again just as you turn to the next page!).
The writing style of this author is just as wonderful as the originality of his story line. There was a little Dan Brown meets Stephen King meets Robert McCammon meets A League of Extrordinary Gentlemen. His words just flow and his imagery is amazing! I know when I close my eyes to think about what I am reading, I am seeing what Mr. Saville wants me to see.
This is the first book I have read by this man, and it will definitely not be the last. This was completely unexpected, and as I said up top, I am hooked. Would definitely recommend to anyone that is ready for a wild literary ride! This is not for the faint of heart though, and some descriptions can get pretty awful. I mean really pretty gruesome. Other than that, all I can say is get it and you will not be sorry. This goes in my list of faves and fave authors.
Completely amazing.
Overview
A man walks confidently through the night time streets of London. He is one of the Brethren, a shadow society of occultists. His life is only hours from ending. His flesh is about to be taken as host for a daemonic entity that has clawed its way out of hell's pit.
Now things are afoot. Strange things.
The lions of Traflagar have fulfilled their prophecy, climbing down from the plinths around Lord Nelson's column to defend the city.
The daemon stalks his tender prey through the gaslit streets, meat markets, fish stalls and slaughter houses of Whitechapel. He has a taste for women, though not ordinary women. These women are different. Special. They may look like whores but they have the blood of angels flowing in their veins. If he can kill enough of them, bathing in their innocent blood, then the daemon can open the ancient Ald Gate-one of the seven great gates of London-the last gate to Eden, and go home, even if it means tearing London herself apart.
The gates are guarded by The Seven, bloodsucking angelkind put there to guard a very special prisoner. A prisoner who cannot be allowed to escape. Satanial. The Devil by another name. Cast down and trapped in a hell on earth, watched over by Uriel, the mad Archangel.
Can the men of Greyfriars stop all hell breaking loose?
Sample Reviews from Barnes and Noble, where LM began life as a Barnes and Noble exclusive:
Really enjoyed the tale, it totally went off in several unexpected directions in one large convoluted plot. Also all the old London History... not just the Victorian Era stuff but some pre-Roman myths and legends were all worked into the story... believe it or not it actually
made me want to go out and find a book about the ancient past of London.
The seven gates and their immortal keepers... some pretty weird stuff that Eden is in the middle (or perhaps in a parallel place with London and that the area the land is built on is Nod. Very cool stuff.) We also get some angel and Lucifer change ups... at least some
reinterpretation of Biblical myths. The Gentlemen Knights, aka Greyfrairs Club, is an interesting group that i could compare to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Each one of them has a unique gift
used in the defense of the city. We have a man who can talk with animals, another who can be practically invisible, one who speaks with the dead, a werewolf, a full blown wizard, and others. The book is broken up into sections and each section is divided into a number of chapters and every chapter is a different POV... some times the POV is on different time tracks... so you will see the same scene from a different perspective or something that wasn't mentioned or is missing
will be explained in a later chapter by the different view. Sometimes this really worked for me and sometimes it didn't. If you like Victorian England, twists of myth and bible stories, strange and unique characters... then i think you'll love London Macabre.
A staggeringly grand epic – London Macabre is fabulist occult at its best. A heady mix of Victoriana, a hint of steampunk, a lashing of magic and fantasy, the touch of the divine struggle that colours the best of this Author’s work, and at its heart a rippingly good story. The Greyfriar’s Gentlemen’s Club is a collection of practitioners of the Art, and a more well-heeled, pipe smoking, brandy quaffing set of brave adventurers you will not find in London. Utilising their skills, as well
as their endlessly resourceful retainer Mason, the group find themselves in a desperate battle for survival as they protect the City from the dark and devious designs of their Arch-enemies, the Brethren. A new arrival in the form of a ghost-touched young girl brings with it yet
more mystery, soon added to in the form of a ruthless, dimension-jumping Monarch, and once a hastily-arranged Conclave of the Villain Kings and the Gentlemen falls apart amidst treachery and accusation, it isn’t long before terror and destruction carve through the cobbled streets of Victorian London. The story – full of derring-do, a frightening array of magic, a plethora of magical artefacts and weapons, an awesome golem,
oh and did I mention a Fallen Angel, a Daemon Lord, and the First Murderer attempting to return to Eden? That little confrontation that drags across the City’s hidden portals whacks the carnage and the stakes
up several levels, until our valiant heroes find themselves fighting to save reality as well as their own skins. A blistering climax that consumes the last third of the book will have you frantically turning the pages and wondering how it could possibly get any more desperate - the toll is high for our heroes, but can they avert disaster?
WOW!!!! I AM COMPLETELY HOOKED!!!!!!!
Where do I begin? Rarely does a book leave me speechless, but I sat for some time in complete silence with my mind reeling and spinning with all I had just absorbed. Who can throw together a gentlemanly group of friends who each have a small paranormal gift, werewolves, vampires, God and the Devil, angels, demons, Cain, Queen Victoria and her Albert, and a giant golem and have the ending come out the way it did? This author is amazing!!!!
This book had me all over the place. There were ups and downs. There were battles to the extreme. It was gruesome, it was uplifting. There was a bit of history. There was loyalty and betrayal. There were so many twists and turns in the story, I constantly went from tears to cheers and then back to tears (with cheers waiting again just as you turn to the next page!).
The writing style of this author is just as wonderful as the originality of his story line. There was a little Dan Brown meets Stephen King meets Robert McCammon meets A League of Extrordinary Gentlemen. His words just flow and his imagery is amazing! I know when I close my eyes to think about what I am reading, I am seeing what Mr. Saville wants me to see.
This is the first book I have read by this man, and it will definitely not be the last. This was completely unexpected, and as I said up top, I am hooked. Would definitely recommend to anyone that is ready for a wild literary ride! This is not for the faint of heart though, and some descriptions can get pretty awful. I mean really pretty gruesome. Other than that, all I can say is get it and you will not be sorry. This goes in my list of faves and fave authors.
Completely amazing.
November 15, 2012
Facebook wants to share what with you?
Right, apologises all round to basically anyone who ever emailed me, or emailed a friend of mine who had the misfortune to then email a shared joke or meme or otherwise annoying thing... Y'see, a couple of weeks ago I decided to change my facebook profile over into a facebook page because it has different management metrics etc. I then thought, hmm, I'll open up a normal profile under my name for chatting football and stuff like usual. During the sign up it asked innocently 'import your gmail contacts?' So I clicked yes, thinking I'll weed out the people I don't actually know and it'll save loads of effort. But nooooo cry the thousands of recipients of that very creepy email from facebook suggesting I want to share my photos with you... see, as obvious as that is, facebook only let me weed out the first couple of hundred emails then farmed the rest resulting in everyone who's basically ever contacted me or been cc'd on anything ever, like in the history of the internet getting that really annoying solicitation. I'm really very sorry about that.
Oh, and it seems the minute I opened that other facebook page Goodreads decided to spam the lot of you all over again to say sad little Stevie wants to be friends... sometimes, technology, I despair!
Steve
Oh, and it seems the minute I opened that other facebook page Goodreads decided to spam the lot of you all over again to say sad little Stevie wants to be friends... sometimes, technology, I despair!
Steve
November 7, 2012
The NEXT Big Thing
So, last week, the talented writer, screenwriter and brains behind the fabulous horror show Ghostwatch, Stephen Volk tagged me as part of the next big thing round robin blog – you can see his here – http://www.stephenvolk.net/page2.htm
And so here are my answers on my Next Big Thing!
Q: What is the working title of you next book?
The title of the next big novel is The Harrowing. Before that there’s a collaboration with Steven Lockley due out in paperback in the US, The Sign of Glaaki, but for the purposes of this blog we’ll talk The Harrowing.
Q: Where did the idea come from for the book?
That’s not an easy answer, as like most things it originating in a dozen places, but the core of it began to develop about this time last year. I was in London visiting my agent, Judith Murray, to talk about a Templar series we were thinking of developing – The Last Son – I’d done all the research and had put together the outline but something wasn’t working. I went to a concert – The Fountains of Wayne – that night with Scott Andrews, and midway though the third or fourth song it hit me… it’s not HIS story, it’s HER story… and suddenly it was a complete transformation of ideas. I sent an email mid concert to Judith, one of those by god I think I’ve cracked it, emails… and she agreed. Of course I hadn’t actually cracked it, I’d got a 15,000 word outline for Aisha, which was a reworking of part of The Last Son, and part new… but again something wasn’t right. So during an email to Judith I commented, ‘you know… all the problems of timings etc we’re having with this monster wouldn’t be there if it was a fantasy novel rather than an historical one… the dates are tripping things up, and the key points in history we have to hit…’
So I went away, redid it as a fantasy and it completely sucked. I mean was awful. So bad, in fact, I wound up throwing it all away save for the two main characters. I started jotting random notes, and in a weekend The Harrowing was born.
Q: What genre does your book fall under?
I’d mentioned on Facebook a while back that I had a hankering to get back to my roots after a lot of time tinkering with thriller stuff like Silver, Solomon’s Seal, WarGod, and now The Prophet… I wanted to do a big fat doorstop of a fantasy novel, something the size and scope of the Vampire Wars stuff, but in my own world, in a single volume.
Q: What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
It’s not something I give any thought to. I don’t actually ‘see’ the faces of my characters when I’m writing them, I’m not very visual like that. Plus to be honest everyone will give them their own faces and I rather like it that way.
Q: What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Do you have any idea how terrible I am at that? My one page synopsis ran on 100 pages… hmm. One line.
Three hundred years ago the magicians sacrificed the last remnants of the earth’s power to bury a city so vile, so corrupt, that it threatened to tear the land apart. Last night a cataclysmic earthquake tore a hole in the desert plains, opening a path for that long buried evil to seep back up to the surface. When a painted man staggers out of the desert claiming to be one of the knights who buried that city… well, it all goes to hell.
Q: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The Harrowing is represented by Judith Murray of Greene & Heaton. http://www.greeneheaton.co.uk/index.asp with the very detailed pitch package and sample chapters just going out, so it’s very early, relatively, in the process.
Q: How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I’ve been fairly rigorous in the planning—so even the outline phase has taken a long time, I’d say about two months. The actual writing I expect to take 6-8 months solid work, just me and a very dark land.
Q: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’d probably not, but I’d like to think it will be of the scope of a Thomas Covenant, but gritty like a George RR Martin, with the heart of a Stephen Lawhead, not all tied up in thees and thous and flowery prose, but bringing back some of the sensibility of the thriller genre stuff I learned working on Silver.
Q: Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I’m very driven in terms of writing. But I’m also frustrated in that fantasy is my first love, and there’s no original Savile fantasy novel out there. The closest thing is The Black Chalice, in which my remit was basically they’ve discovered a new set of Mallory tales, go wild. So it has always felt like despite the fact I’ve had a lot of success with Warhammer, with Chalice and most recently with the new Risen novel for Penguin, I’ve never really told MY fantasy story. It’s an itch I really had to scratch. So that’s it… this is my series, for me… and I’m just hoping everyone else enjoys the ride.
Q: What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
Well, here’s a little peak at a few lines from the pitch:
As the black veins of the Harrowing spread people become convinced it is down to magic bleeding the earth dry. Seeking to nourish it they have begun 'witch-hunting', seeking out the weak Ravellers, stoning them to death and burning their bodies in offering, scattering their ashes. They hunt for sacred relics, weapons anything with supposed ‘power’ and melting them down to feed them into the earth in offering, hoping appease Croakahn the Torchbearer and stave off the Harrowing by replenishing the magic in the earth with more sacrifice.
They don’t realise that they are ruining the only hope they have of fighting back.
Okay, so that’s me talking vaguely about my next book – I’ve had to tag five others. Next week you’ll hear from Jonathan Green, Debbie Viguié, Lee Battersby and David Niall Wilson and one super secret other… I phrase it that way because Hurricane Sandy rather disrupted Aaron Rosenberg and a couple of my NYC based friends I wanted to tag… so eyes peeled. I’ll update this post when it moves from Goodreads over to my Website later in the week and put the tags here.
Curious about them? Here's some links to whet your appetite.
David Niall Wilson: http://www.davidniallwilson.com
Debbie Viguié: http://debbieviguie.com
Jon Green: http://jonathangreenauthor.blogspot.c...
Lee Battersby: http://www.leebattersby.com
And Jon, you'll notice is a complete tinker and has also played fast and loose with Sarah Pinborough... cheeky sod.
And so here are my answers on my Next Big Thing!
Q: What is the working title of you next book?
The title of the next big novel is The Harrowing. Before that there’s a collaboration with Steven Lockley due out in paperback in the US, The Sign of Glaaki, but for the purposes of this blog we’ll talk The Harrowing.
Q: Where did the idea come from for the book?
That’s not an easy answer, as like most things it originating in a dozen places, but the core of it began to develop about this time last year. I was in London visiting my agent, Judith Murray, to talk about a Templar series we were thinking of developing – The Last Son – I’d done all the research and had put together the outline but something wasn’t working. I went to a concert – The Fountains of Wayne – that night with Scott Andrews, and midway though the third or fourth song it hit me… it’s not HIS story, it’s HER story… and suddenly it was a complete transformation of ideas. I sent an email mid concert to Judith, one of those by god I think I’ve cracked it, emails… and she agreed. Of course I hadn’t actually cracked it, I’d got a 15,000 word outline for Aisha, which was a reworking of part of The Last Son, and part new… but again something wasn’t right. So during an email to Judith I commented, ‘you know… all the problems of timings etc we’re having with this monster wouldn’t be there if it was a fantasy novel rather than an historical one… the dates are tripping things up, and the key points in history we have to hit…’
So I went away, redid it as a fantasy and it completely sucked. I mean was awful. So bad, in fact, I wound up throwing it all away save for the two main characters. I started jotting random notes, and in a weekend The Harrowing was born.
Q: What genre does your book fall under?
I’d mentioned on Facebook a while back that I had a hankering to get back to my roots after a lot of time tinkering with thriller stuff like Silver, Solomon’s Seal, WarGod, and now The Prophet… I wanted to do a big fat doorstop of a fantasy novel, something the size and scope of the Vampire Wars stuff, but in my own world, in a single volume.
Q: What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
It’s not something I give any thought to. I don’t actually ‘see’ the faces of my characters when I’m writing them, I’m not very visual like that. Plus to be honest everyone will give them their own faces and I rather like it that way.
Q: What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Do you have any idea how terrible I am at that? My one page synopsis ran on 100 pages… hmm. One line.
Three hundred years ago the magicians sacrificed the last remnants of the earth’s power to bury a city so vile, so corrupt, that it threatened to tear the land apart. Last night a cataclysmic earthquake tore a hole in the desert plains, opening a path for that long buried evil to seep back up to the surface. When a painted man staggers out of the desert claiming to be one of the knights who buried that city… well, it all goes to hell.
Q: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The Harrowing is represented by Judith Murray of Greene & Heaton. http://www.greeneheaton.co.uk/index.asp with the very detailed pitch package and sample chapters just going out, so it’s very early, relatively, in the process.
Q: How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I’ve been fairly rigorous in the planning—so even the outline phase has taken a long time, I’d say about two months. The actual writing I expect to take 6-8 months solid work, just me and a very dark land.
Q: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’d probably not, but I’d like to think it will be of the scope of a Thomas Covenant, but gritty like a George RR Martin, with the heart of a Stephen Lawhead, not all tied up in thees and thous and flowery prose, but bringing back some of the sensibility of the thriller genre stuff I learned working on Silver.
Q: Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I’m very driven in terms of writing. But I’m also frustrated in that fantasy is my first love, and there’s no original Savile fantasy novel out there. The closest thing is The Black Chalice, in which my remit was basically they’ve discovered a new set of Mallory tales, go wild. So it has always felt like despite the fact I’ve had a lot of success with Warhammer, with Chalice and most recently with the new Risen novel for Penguin, I’ve never really told MY fantasy story. It’s an itch I really had to scratch. So that’s it… this is my series, for me… and I’m just hoping everyone else enjoys the ride.
Q: What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
Well, here’s a little peak at a few lines from the pitch:
As the black veins of the Harrowing spread people become convinced it is down to magic bleeding the earth dry. Seeking to nourish it they have begun 'witch-hunting', seeking out the weak Ravellers, stoning them to death and burning their bodies in offering, scattering their ashes. They hunt for sacred relics, weapons anything with supposed ‘power’ and melting them down to feed them into the earth in offering, hoping appease Croakahn the Torchbearer and stave off the Harrowing by replenishing the magic in the earth with more sacrifice.
They don’t realise that they are ruining the only hope they have of fighting back.
Okay, so that’s me talking vaguely about my next book – I’ve had to tag five others. Next week you’ll hear from Jonathan Green, Debbie Viguié, Lee Battersby and David Niall Wilson and one super secret other… I phrase it that way because Hurricane Sandy rather disrupted Aaron Rosenberg and a couple of my NYC based friends I wanted to tag… so eyes peeled. I’ll update this post when it moves from Goodreads over to my Website later in the week and put the tags here.
Curious about them? Here's some links to whet your appetite.
David Niall Wilson: http://www.davidniallwilson.com
Debbie Viguié: http://debbieviguie.com
Jon Green: http://jonathangreenauthor.blogspot.c...
Lee Battersby: http://www.leebattersby.com
And Jon, you'll notice is a complete tinker and has also played fast and loose with Sarah Pinborough... cheeky sod.
October 31, 2012
WarGod
A search for the legendary sword of Julius Caesar draws the Ogmios Team into a web of intrigue, betrayal and violence that threatens the stability of the Realm, and the future of the entire planet….
It all begins when Ronan Frost receives a plea for help from Tony Denison, his former commanding officer, who is now an outspoken opponent of globalization and intensely interested in Arthurian lore. Frost’s old comrade believes that he is the target of agents working for the New World Order, and that this shadowy conspiracy is trying to prevent him from finding the Crocea Mors, the sword of Caesar, and perhaps the very blade that King Arthur pulled from the stone to win his kingdom. Frost is skeptical, but there is no denying that someone is trying to kill Denison.
Meanwhile, Sir Charles Wyndham has dispatched Konstantin Khavin to learn the truth behind the attempted assassination…and the truth is that the British government wants the man dead, at all costs. And because Frost is with him, Sir Charles is forced to make a choice—abandon Frost, or lose Ogmios for good.
The race for the sword and search for the truth behind the plot will take both Frost and Khavin across Europe, into the murky place where legends meet history, and to the very brink Armageddon.
It's a standalone novel... co-written with Sean Ellis... and if you've made it this far, your reward is to be told that... it's free for the next couple of days in the US and Canada
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ZL0J7Y/r...
It all begins when Ronan Frost receives a plea for help from Tony Denison, his former commanding officer, who is now an outspoken opponent of globalization and intensely interested in Arthurian lore. Frost’s old comrade believes that he is the target of agents working for the New World Order, and that this shadowy conspiracy is trying to prevent him from finding the Crocea Mors, the sword of Caesar, and perhaps the very blade that King Arthur pulled from the stone to win his kingdom. Frost is skeptical, but there is no denying that someone is trying to kill Denison.
Meanwhile, Sir Charles Wyndham has dispatched Konstantin Khavin to learn the truth behind the attempted assassination…and the truth is that the British government wants the man dead, at all costs. And because Frost is with him, Sir Charles is forced to make a choice—abandon Frost, or lose Ogmios for good.
The race for the sword and search for the truth behind the plot will take both Frost and Khavin across Europe, into the murky place where legends meet history, and to the very brink Armageddon.
It's a standalone novel... co-written with Sean Ellis... and if you've made it this far, your reward is to be told that... it's free for the next couple of days in the US and Canada
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ZL0J7Y/r...
The Erratic Mumblings of Steven Savile
- Steven Savile's profile
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Steven Savile isn't a Goodreads Author
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