One of the coolest things I’ve been able to do during my writing career is work in fictional universes that have given me a lot of enjoyment over the years; in the industry we call this “tie-in writing”, and it basically means creating new stories in existing worlds based on intellectual properties (IPs) from television, film, games and so on.
A while back, m’colleague Dayton Ward – himself the author of several nifty works of tie-in fiction – posted up a blog where he talked about the other IPs he’d love to take a crack at; you can read it right Here.
Looking at Dayton’s wish-list got me thinking about the question posed to him that I am also often asked - “Given the opportunity, what fictional worlds would you want to write for?” So here’s my take.
I’ve been lucky enough to write for several different flavours of Star Trek from “classic” to Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Discovery. If you know the Trek saga, you’ll notice there’s a couple of iterations missing from that list. I can’t deny I have an urge to write both for Captain Jonathan Archer and the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise, and for the Kelvin timeline iteration of Kirk and company, just so I can “collect the set”!
But it’s more than that; I liked the frontier, first-steps feel of Enterprise and I think it would be fun to tell a Right Stuff-style story of space exploration with that crew. As for the Kelvin-verse, I think playing around with the parallel versions of those well-established characters would be a lot of fun.
Elsewhere in the realm of TV IPs, I’d leap at the chance to write a gorram Firefly novel – and in fact, I did! Back in 2005 I was one of several authors writing for Pocket Books who pitched novels for a post-Serenity series. Sadly, that option lapsed when Mutant Enemy productions showed no interest in carrying on the franchise in prose. But, Firefly is returning in novel from later this year from Titan Books, so you never know...
The other TV show I always coveted a chance to write is a little-known Brit SF/cop series from the 80’s called Star Cops. It only lasted one season, but I loved the acerbic and spiky characters, the moondust grit in the narratives and the near-future setting. And like Firefly, Star Cops has also come back from the black, in the form of a new audio drama series from the folks at Big Finish. I wasted no time in hitting them up for potential story pitches...
And
I reckon I can squeeze some anime into this category as well, even if
it isn’t strictly “TV”; writing something in the cyberpunk sagas of Bubblegum Crisis, Appleseed or the mecha-dominated worlds of Robotech and Captain Harlock would be pretty sweet.
But when I think of all the fictional worlds I’d most want to visit, there are three right at the top of the list; the first one is the Marvel Universe.
Cards on the table here, I’ve been a Marvel fan since the early 1970s, when I first encountered copies of Ghost Rider and Daredevil. But it was Iron Man
that I first connected with and bought regularly (and still do!). Tony
Stark remains my favourite Marvel hero, with Clint Barton’s Hawkeye a
close second, and I would quite happily eat an Infinity Stone to write
for them... Or any other Marvel property, to be honest! Marvel’s been a
part of my nerd landscape forever, and to give something back to that
world would be very cool.
The second is Star Wars, which should come as no surprise to anybody. I’m a child of the SW generation, from an era when there was just one movie and not an entire galaxy of far far away stories to enjoy. Like Marvel comics, I grew up alongside the Star Wars saga and I’ve always felt connected to it.
I’ve been fortunate enough to write for Clone Wars and Rebels characters in my video game work, but a Star Wars novel is the thing that I’d love to take a crack at. I’ve made a few approaches over the last decade and never quite connected, but maybe when the time is right I’ll give it another try...
And the third? Bond. James Bond. Bond movies were a bonding (ahem) experience that my whole family shared over the years and they’re woven into my film-loving, action-thriller fan soul. I love the spy-fi genre enough that I’ve created my own take on it with my Marc Dane series of original novels – but to be able to write a story about 007 himself... That would be an incredible opportunity. I think if the chance ever came my way, as much as the “classic” novels and the recent stuff by Faulks, Boyd and Horowitz are great, I’d follow the route of the older post-Fleming books by Gardener, Benson and Deaver, and write a modern era Bond.
On the subject of movie-based IPs, when I look back over my favourite flicks, I can’t help but think it would be great to spin out more stories about those worlds and characters. Diving back to my youth and other films that were formative for me as a fan and a writer, I’d love to tell a story about Indiana Jones (who spurred my interest in history and pulp adventures) or revisit the world of Tron (my Atari-era gamer’s Narnia analogue). Writing about Escape from New York’s Snake Plissken or Big Trouble in Little China’s Jack Burton would be a blast...
And if I could get my inky hands on Buckaroo Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers, I’d die happy. To pick something more current, I would absolutely pay off the joke I made recently about writing a sequel to Battleship, or maybe a tie-in to The Fast & The Furious franchise. Vin? Let’s do lunch, buddy.
There’s one other place past TV, movies, books and comics that also calls out to me as a space for more great stories – and that is games. As a fan of the Tom Clancy-verse series, I reckon there’s a lot of opportunity to tackle tales based on the lone wolf covert ops of Splinter Cell, the tactical action of Ghost Recon and the survival drama of The Division.
Elsewhere, I think Bungie’s Destiny gameworld is absolutely crying out for long-form fiction. There’s a few webcomics, but the rich lore glimpsed in the game begs to be explored and expanded upon.
Beyond this – well, who knows? I’ve written for Star Trek; six different Doctor Whos; Stargates SG-1, Atlantis and Universe; 24’s Jack Bauer; the rebel crew of Blake’s 7; the grimdark future of Warhammer 40,000 and the Horus Heresy; 2000AD’s iconic Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper; British space hero Dan Dare; and gameworlds as diverse as Deus Ex, Dark Future, Battletech, Kaiju Rising, Tannhauser, Halo, Space 1889 and No Man’s Sky.
Although my own original fiction is now a core part of my writing, I don’t think I’m ever going to turn my back on the world of tie-ins... There’s just too much cool stuff, just too much opportunity to visit amazing worlds and tell stories there.
I’ll finish this off by posing the same question Dayton did - For those of you who read my stuff and/or read these types of books, which property would you like to see me take a crack at? Drop me a line here at the blog or message me in Twitter...
Some news dropped at the recent Black Library Weekender event about a few of the Horus Heresyand Warhammer 40,000 projects I have on the horizon; first (or maybe last!) was the
official cover reveal for the final Heresy novel, The Buried Dagger...
Black Library also announced that print-on-demand hardbacks of the first four Horus Heresy novels, including The Flight of the Eisenstein by me, will be back in print from November 17th.
On the subject of reprints, new Warhammer 40,000 omnibus editions are on the way, compiling my Blood Angels fiction, and the Dark Angels and Iron Warriors by m'colleagues Gav Thorpe and Graham McNeill...
And not to be forgotten, the Warhammer Legends partwork series will be re-releasing a new hardcover edition of my Horus Heresy novel Fear to Tread this month.
October is a banner month for some neat re-releases from my back-catalog in the grimdark worlds of Warhammer!
Two titles are hitting in short order, one that features a story of the Adepta Sororitas - the zealous Sisters of Battle - and another from the Horus Heresy era, a tale of the traitorous Death Guard.
Back in 2011, I wrote my second Sororitas novel Hammer & Anvil, and now the Warhammer Legends partwork series is releasing it in a spiffy new hardcover edition, on sale in all good bookstores on the 17th of this month.
The Sisters of Battle are the Emperor's most devout worshippers, fierce warriors preaching the purity of the Imperium and scourging their enemies with bolter and flamer.
On a distant world, the Ecclesiarchy outpost of Sanctuary 101, was wiped out by an implacable foe - the fearless, soulless necrons. Now, a mission of the Sisterhood has returned to reconsecrate the site - but the metallic nightmares still lurk in the darkness, guarding a secret that has lain dormant for millennia. A vicious battle will be fought - one that can only end in the total destruction of the unrelenting xenos, or the annihilation of the proud Sororitas.
To visit the Warhammer Legends site, click Here or go Here to order individual copies of the partwork hardcovers; if digital is more your speed, you can still pick up the eBook edition right Here.
Later this month - the 20th to be exact - you'll be able to pick up a copy of Heralds of the Siege, a new Horus Heresy short fiction collections, featuring content by me, Gav Thorpe, Chris Wraight, John French, Guy Haley, Nick Kyme, Rob Sanders and Anthony Reynolds.
A galaxy burns and brother turns on brother as the conflict brought about by a beloved son’s betrayal reaches its fateful end. The Warmaster Horus has triumphed. His massive fleet at last nears Terra and the patriarchal Throne of his hated father. Many have fallen to bring this moment about, their tales are the ashes upon which the Heresy was born and prospered. Others have played their own small parts, drops in an ocean of war and blood. None of it matters. Terra looks to the skies as it raises its defences. Armies muster, heroes raise their swords, citizens cower. The war is coming. And nothing can stop it.
My contribution to this hefty tome is "Exocytosis", a story featuring the Death Guard and the character of Calas Typhon, which set him up for his appearance in my upcoming Horus Heresy novel The Buried Dagger (due in Spring of 2019). "Exocytosis" originally appeared in the 2016 Black Library Advent Calendar series and this marks its first dead-tree edition.
Click Here for more details on The Horus Heresy: Heralds of the Siege.
And as a bonus cover reveal for this blog, check out this amazing art from Johan Grenier for the new collected edition of all my Warhammer 40,000 Blood Angels stories - The Complete Rafen Omnibus...
This collection features all the stories and novels in and around Rafen's epic narrative - The Fury, Deus Encarmine, Blood Debt, Deus Sanguinius, Redeemed, Red Fury, Black Tide, Bloodline and Reflection in Blood. The book will be available in January 2019, but for more details click Here.
A few months back, I mentioned that I'd been doing some scriptwriting work on a new Warhammer 40,000 videogame - and this week Space Hulk Tactics deep-strikes its way on to Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC platforms for all players...
Space Hulk Tactics is a turn-based strategy game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, pitting squads of Space Marine Terminators against swarms of alien Genestealers aboard a massive amalgamation of abandoned starships - the gargantuan Space Hulk known as The Forsaken Doom...
Based on the classic Games Workshop boardgame, Space Hulk Tactics lets you pick between these two factions in full campaigns, solo vs. AI, or via competitive online play.
The game has two narrative campaigns (scripted by me), one from the point of view of the venerable Blood Angels chapter and one casting players in the role of the rapacious alien Genestealers.
Here's a link to a developer blog I wrote about the storylines.
A "card" system enhances the turn-based strategy gameplay, ensuring no two games are ever the same and giving you many more tactical options on every turn. There's also a versatile map editing tool, so games can create and upload their own scenarios.
Check out the official Space Hulk Tactics website right Here, for more details, along with ordering details. The game is released on 9th October, but pre-orders will get bonus custom content.
Today the first of my ongoing series of action thrillers is officially released in North America, in it's US hardcover edition from Tor/Forge! I'm excited to introduce ex-MI6 officer turned freelancer Marc Dane to a whole new audience with the launch of Nomad...
HIS ONLY NATION IS JUSTICE
New York Times bestselling author James Swallow begins his espionage thriller series with Nomad, featuring a British desk jockey intelligence operative turned active agent.
Marc Dane is a MI6 field agent at home behind a computer screen, one step away from the action. But when a brutal attack on his team leaves Dane the only survivor—and with the shocking knowledge that there are traitors inside MI6—he's forced into the front line.
Matters spiral out of control when the evidence points toward Dane as the perpetrator of the attack. Accused of betraying his country, he must race against time to clear his name. With nowhere to turn to for help and no one left to trust, Marc is forced to rely on the elusive Rubicon group and their operative Lucy Keyes. Ex US Army, Lucy also knows what it's like to be an outsider, and she's got the skills that Dane needs.
A terrorist attack is coming, one bigger and more deadly than has ever been seen before. With the eyes of the security establishment elsewhere, only Keyes and Dane can stop the attack before it's too late.
North America is a fierce, dedicated market for thriller fiction and the home of some of my favorite authors in the genre! It's my great hope that Marc Dane can stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Jason Bourne, Mitch Rapp, Thea Paris, Evan Smoak and all the other great US thriller heroes!
To read the first chapter, click Here to visit Tor/Forge's Criminal Element site.
Praise for Nomad: “In Marc Dane, James Swallow has created a wonderfully unlikely hero who can outfox the best of the best. A pulse-pounding thriller of the highest order.”— Ward Larsen, USA Today bestselling author of Cutting Edge
“Ian Fleming meets John LeCarre in James Swallow's Nomad: vivid and gritty with nonstop action, in which nothing is as it seems.” —David Hagberg
“Unputdownable. A must-read.” —Wilbur Smith
“Very enjoyable.” —The Guardian
“Exciting.” —The Sun
“Right on the money, bang up to date, Nomad is a scorching romp. A killer of a thriller.”— Jon Wise, Weekend Sport
“A debut spy thriller from a veteran author who delivers his (...) enjoyable narrative at a frenzied pace, with plenty of narrow escapes for reluctant hero Dane.” —Jon Coates, Daily Express
“Ferociously paced thriller, a high-concept tale of the solitary hero on the run, bristling with technology and frequently erupting into lethal violence.” —Declan Burke, The Irish Times
“Followers of Jason Bourne or those who are familiar with I Am Pilgrim and / or Homeland will agree that this book is a rattling good yarn. Well written with plenty of cliffhangers and thoroughly enjoyable.” —Woman's Way
“This is edge of the seat stuff that is terrifyingly real in places and pushes the boundaries of reality in others, not unlike most high-action thrillers. If you're a fan of the novels of Lee Child, Frederik Forsyth and Chris Ryan or you can't wait for the new Bond film and love the TV series 24, then this is for you.” —Closer Magazine Nomad is out now in hardcover, eBook, digital audio and CD audio editions on-line and in all good bookstores; full details are Here, or you can order a copy direct from Amazon.com via this link. To keep up to date on the Marc Dane series, click on the tab on the top right of this page ("Sign Up For Free!") to join the Reader's Club mailing list.
