Happy 40th Anniversary 2000AD!

Today marks 40 years since the launch of the Galaxy's Greatest Comic, 2000AD - and it's undeniable that it has been a massive influence on me as both a fan and a writer. I'm proud to say I've been lucky enough to contribute to the fiction of two of the comic's most popular heroes - Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper. Here's to four more decades!

 

GARRO: WEAPON OF FATE out now!

My newest entry in the Horus Heresy series is officially relased this week: Garro: Weapon of Fate is the definitive compilation of all the Nathaniel Garro stories to date in prose form.

As my esteemed editor Laurie Goulding described the book: "It's James Swallow's full novelisation of Nathaniel Garro's story arc, something we've previously only seen (in part) in the audio dramas and novella. There are new and extended scenes, whole new chapters in fact, making this just about the most definitive exploration of the founding of the Knights Errant, and everything that comes after..."

Check out this ace piece of cover artwork from Neil Roberts...

 

The book includes a new introduction, content from the audio dramas Oath of Moment, Legion of One, Sword of Truth, Shield of Lies, Burden of Duty and Ashes of Fealty, plus the Vow of Faith novella and bridging material that collates the whole story into one single epic bind-up.

From out of the shadows of the Silent War, a hero emerges. Clad all in grey, an errant warrior of the Legiones Astartes kneels before the Regent of Terra, and accepts a solemn new duty – Battle-Captain Garro, once commander of the Eisenstein, now Agentia Primus of Malcador the Sigillite. From the desolation of Isstvan to the halls of the Imperial Palace itself, he stands as a paragon of loyalty and protector of the innocent, ever ready to strike back at the traitorous allies of the Warmaster. But Garro is walking a path of his own, one that may lead him to question his own place in the Imperium... and what if he, too, should falter?

As well as the hardcover book, there's an eBook edition and a 12 hour+ audiobook version narrated by the voice of Garro himself, the mighty Toby Longworth. Click Here to order a copy!

Horus Heresy Weekender 2017 Schedule

I'm appearing at the official Horus Heresy event this weekend, along with a bunch of my colleagues from the Black Library...

 

Me, Gav Thorpe, Chris Wraight, John French, Neil Roberts and Guy Haley will be talking about our books and signing them too, over Saturday and Sunday at the Nottingham Belfry hotel. There will be some exclusive stuff available in advance of release and it's likely we'll spill some secret truths about upcoming works. I can't confirm or deny if anyone will be wearing war-pelts, though.

I'll be joining John and Guy on Saturday for the "Road To Terra" and "Black Library Preview" panels at 11:45am and 3:00pm, and on Sunday I'll be talking about "The Primarchs" with Guy, Gav and Chris from 12:30. I'll be doing book signings on both days, which will be posted outside the Scribe Station. Hardcover copies of Garro: Weapon of Fate should be available on the day.

 

Something Borrowed (2017 Edition)

Ah, the Public Lending Right; the gift that keeps on giving (to writers, editors, illustrators and other booky folks) and generally helps to remind us all why libraries are important places – not just for readers but for those of us who make books happen.

Not familiar with the PLR? Read on for my annual public service announcement on the subject:
If you are a writer/editor/illustrator/etc, a resident of the UK or Ireland and you ever need a reason for donating your books to the library - on top of all the obvious ones like promoting reading and supporting this valuable and increasingly undermined public service - this is it.
The PLR is a system where authors who've written books that are in public libraries get a little revenue each time somebody borrows their works. It's a way to repay writers who won't be earning a royalty from a sale in a bookstore. The hardworking folks at the PLR office pay a nominal fee based on how borrowed you were - and in the interests of fairness, you can't earn more than around £6000, so the big names don't get to hog all the money.

Once more, the PLR and the libraries it springs from are under threat from the current powers that be, so if you are a writer or a reader, please do your bit to help support both as best you can.

Here's my Top Ten Library Loans of my novels for 2016 (with 2015's position in brackets)

1 (1) Deadline
2 (5) Fear to Tread
3 (2) Peacemaker
4 (3) The Poisoned Chalice
5 (-) Nomad (paperback & hardcover editions)
6 (10) Cast No Shadow
7 (6) Hammer & Anvil
8 (4) Nemesis
9 (9) The Flight of the Eisenstein
10 (13) Blood Angels: The Second Omnibus

For the second year running, by 24 novel Deadline holds the top slot, with the Horus Heresy story Fear to Tread and Doctor Who tale Peacemaker very close in 2nd and 3rd places. It was nice to see one of my Blood Angels omnibus editions re-enter the top ten, but I was most pleased to see my new thriller novel Nomad make a great showing!

As always, my thanks to everybody who supported their local libraries and borrowed my books!

2k16 Books

And my last list of the year is all about books. I got through less titles this year, but longer works so I guess it kinda evens out. Science fiction and thriller/crime titles came out almost level, and almost half my reading was digital in 2016.

My top reads of the year were Rowland White’s story of the first space shuttle flight Into The Black, my buddy Ben Aaronovitch’s The Hanging Tree, Peter Tieryas’s United States of Japan and Bob Judd’s Formula One.

Here’s the full list:
Designers & Dragons: The 2000's (Shannon Appelcline); The Weapon of a Jedi (Jason Fry); Be The Monkey (Barry Eisler & Joe Konrath); Warlord (James Steel); United States of Japan (Peter Tieryas); Private Sydney (James Patterson with Kathryn Fox); Into The Black (Rowland White); The Escape (Cavan Scott); How To Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone (Rosie Garthwaite); The Paradise Game (Brian Stableford); The Lions of Lucerne (Brad Thor); The Hostage (James Patterson with Robert Gold); Airport Code Red (James Patterson with Michael White); The Dream Machine (Richard Whittle); Dark Clouds (John Shirley); Spare Me The Truth (CJ Carver); The Hanging Tree (Ben Aaronovitch); Kill File (Christopher Farnsworth); The Assassination Game (Alan Gratz); Tenacity (JS Law); Brinkmanship (Una McCormack); Military Slang (Lee Pemberton); Codex (Graham McNeill); Fear of the Dark (McNeill); Wild Justice (Wilbur Smith); Formula One (Bob Judd); Catalyst (James Luceno); Delete (Karl Olsberg); A Dictionary of RAF Slang (Eric Partridge); Nerd Do Well (Simon Pegg); Devil's Due (Andrew Warren); The Farthest Station (Aaronovitch); Ahsoka (EK Johnston); Rogue One (Alexander Freed); Bloodline (Claudia Grey).