If this month's radio re-runs were
not enough, those top folks at Big Finsh Productions have teamed up
with B7 Media to release a new box set collector's edition of the Blake's 7 Audio Adventures, featuring three original stories by me..
This massive 10-disc set features the first trilogy of stories from the reimagined Blake's 7 audio series - Rebel, Traitor and Liberator...
Following
Blake’s incarceration; the forging of his legendary crew; and their
capture of a mysterious alien spacecraft. On the run from the
Federation, the crew of the Liberator fight back against a totalitarian
regime personified by the manipulative Servalan and her loyal commander,
Travis.
...and it also includes the prequel stories When Vila Met Gan, Eye of the Machine, Point of No Return, Blood & Earth, Flag & Flame, The Dust Run, The Trial and Escape Velocity from Blake's 7 - The Early Years...Covering
the escapades of Avon, Jenna, Cally, Vila, Gan and Zen before they
joined Blake’s rebellion and a pivotal moment in Commander Travis’s
life, the Early Years series reintroduced the original cast and added
many other impressive names to the world of Blake’s 7 on audio.
The
stellar cast includes Derek Riddell, Colin Salmon, Daniela Nardini,
Carrie Dobro, Craig Kelly, Michael Praed, Doug Bradley, India Fisher,
Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Benedict Cumberbatch, Keeley Hawes, Zoe
Tapper, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Geoffrey Palmer, Rula Lenska, Frances Barber,
Tim Plester, Jake Maskall,Peter Guinness and Jason Merrells.
And along with the stories there's also a new feature length documentary and other additional content.
To listen to the trailer, click Here.
To visit the Big Finish website to order a copy of A Rebellion Reborn, click Here
The splendid folks over at BBC Radio 4 Extra are getting their money's worth out of the work B7 Media did with the new re-imagined Blake's 7 Audio Adventures and Blake's 7: The Early Years stories with another repeat airing of our shows...
Right now (and for the rest of this week) you can go to the Beeb's Listen Again tab Here and check out my prequel story Escape Velocity, an origin tale about the supercomputer Zen and the alien starship Liberator; you can also tune in tonight at 6:00pm GMT to hear my first Early Years story Point of No Return, featuring the character Travis.UPDATED! The Listen Again link for the Travis story is Here.
There's more Early Years tales airing every day this week, and from Friday Radio 4 Extra will be repeating our Blake's 7 reboot trilogy, which features my episode Liberator as the finale.
Here's the full schedule:
Monday 12th 6:00pm GMT Blake's 7: The Early Years - Escape Velocity by James Swallow (Listen Again)
Tuesday 13th Midnight GMT Blake's 7: The Early Years - Escape Velocity by James Swallow (Listen Again)
Tuesday 13th 6:00pm GMT Blake's 7: The Early Years - Point of No Return by James Swallow (Listen Again)
Wednesday 14th Midnight GMT Blake's 7: The Early Years - Point of No Return by James Swallow (Listen Again)
Wednesday 14th 6:00pm GMT Blake's 7: The Early Years - Flag and Flame by Marc Platt
Thursday 15th Midnight GMT Blake's 7: The Early Years - Flag and Flame by Marc Platt
Thursday 15th 6:00pm GMT Blake's 7: The Early Years - When Vila Met Gan by Ben Aaronovitch
Friday 16th Midnight GMT Blake's 7: The Early Years - When Vila Met Gan by Ben Aaronovitch
Friday 16th 6:00pm GMT Blake's 7 - Rebel by Ben Aaronovitch
Saturday 17th Midnight GMT Blake's 7 - Rebel by Ben Aaronovitch
Monday 19th 6:00pm GMT Blake's 7 - Traitor by Marc Platt
Tuesday 20th Midnight GMT Blake's 7 - Traitor by Marc Platt
Tuesday 20th 6:00pm GMT Blake's 7 - Liberator by James Swallow (Listen Again) Wednesday 21th Midnight GMT Blake's 7 - Liberator by James Swallow (Listen Again)
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It's the debut of Nine Worlds
this weekend, a new convention running in Heathrow, London from Friday
9th through to Sunday 11th August - and it is, as the organizers say
"about gaming, film, cosplay, fandom, literature, science, geek culture,
meeting people and having a really big party."
I'm going to be there, taking part on various panels and signing books, talking about videogames, writing, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Blake's 7 and more besides... Come and see me here:
Saturday 10th August
Star Trek Writers on Star Trek
3:15pm to 4:30pm, Somerset Room, Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel
Star Trek
and its many franchises has spawned literally hundreds of official Tie
In novels. Three writers of those novels talk about writing for trek,
the rules and what the future and its multiple timelines may bring.
Reunification: Star Trek vs Star Wars
6:45pm to 8:00pm, Vanguard, Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel
There has been friendly rivalry between Star Wars and Star Trek
fans for decades – now the franchises seem to be united under one
General (JJ Abrams). Could this be the saviour of both, or the final
nail in the coffin for one or the other?
Script Writing For Games
8:30pm to 9:45pm, Royal C & D, Radisson Blu Edwardian Heathrow Hotel
Writing
in any form is an art, but script writing is something different –
especially when it comes to games! Unlike other formats, gaming involves
a relationship with the player, and a script has to allow for this
additional 'character'. James Swallow, one of the writers for Deus Ex: Human Revolution, is joined by Rhianna Pratchett, writer of the recent Tomb Raider remake, to discuss the unique format and challenges of script writing for games.
Sunday 11th August
What Makes a Fandom?
9:00am to 9:45am, George I, Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel
Some
books have that spark, that skyrocket factor that launches them into
the spotlight, that gets the TV deal, the film series and the readers
who collect every action figure and make their own fanworks. Some books
don't. What does it take to make a fandom? Our panel decides.
Signing: Danie Ware & James Swallow
10:00am to 11:00am, Forbidden Planet table in the Vendors Room, Wessex, Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel
The Evolution of Blake's 7
3:15pm to 4:30pm, Concorde, Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel
In the last decade, Blake’s 7
has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance – first with a successful audio
reboot and now with a possible major new television series. The audio
reimagining featured Derek Riddell as Blake and Colin Salmon as Avon,
with a host of top name actors in other roles. Now, a forthcoming
60-minute documentary reveals how the new Blake’s 7 audio series came
about. In a special item on Sunday, Ben Aaronovitch and James Swallow,
two writers of the new audio series, will join producer-director Andrew
Mark Sewell, and Alistair Lock – the new voice of Zen – to discuss the
original series and its influence, the production of the audio reboot,
and what the future holds for Blake’s 7.
You can learn more about the event at the Nine Worlds website Here.
Here's August's 'Coming Soon' update on my future projects and events:
Nine Worlds - Multi-genre GeekFest event in London. 9th-11th August.
The Horus Heresy: Nemesis - French language edition of my Horus Heresy novel Nemesis. August 23rd.
Warhammer 40,000 Soeurs de Bataille: le Marteau et l'Enclume - French language edition of my Warhammer 40,000 novel Hammer & Anvil. August 23rd.
Space Marines: The Omnibus - A Warhammer 40,000 collection featuring reprints of my stories "The Returned" and "Heart of Rage". September 10th
The Horus Heresy: Signus Daemonicus - French language edition of my Horus Heresy novel Fear to Tread. September 27th.
Star Trek The Fall: The Poisoned Chalice - a Star Trek novel for Pocket Books, volume #4 in Star Trek: The Fall miniseries. November 26th.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut - re-release of new uprated edition of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, including The Missing Link DLC and much more, for PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. November 2013
Star Trek Marathon Weekend - I'll be doing a talk, Q&A and signing at The Ritz Cinema in Lincoln during their weekend-long screening of all 12 Star Trek movies, from The Motion Picture to Into Darkness. November 30th - December 1st.
The Horus Heresy: Signus Daemonicus Der Engel Fällt - German language edition of my Horus Heresy novel Fear to Tread. December 12th.
Deus Ex: The Fall - action-adventure videogame for Android platforms, featuring characters from my Deus Ex novel Icarus Effect. TBC 2013
Blake's 7 The Liberator Chronicles: The Hard Road - Part of Big Finish's upcoming Blake's 7 audio box-set series. TBC 2014.
