NextRead

Well this has just been added to my TBR list! Congratulations to Ruth and I look forward to seeing the finished product.

Susan Hill’s blog :: LONG BARN BOOKS FIRST NOVEL COMPETITION WINNER
I am delighted to announce THE LONG BARN BOOKS

FIRST NOVEL COMPETITION WINNER 2007

The winning first novel, to be published in 2008 by Long Barn Books is

TWISTED WING by RUTH NEWMAN

Ruth Newman lives in Cambridge where she works as a Web editor for the University Business School. She is 32.

TWISTED WING is a brilliant dark psychological thriller set in Cambridge.

It will be published by Simon and Schuster in Pocket Books, their mass market paperback imprint in 2009.

Kate Lyall Grant, paperback editor of Simon and Schuster says of TWISTED WING.

We are absolutely delighted to be publishing this sharply-plotted psychological thriller on the Pocket paperback list. Gripping and chilling in equal measure, the unexpected twists and turns in Ruth Newman’s compelling debut kept me guessing until the very last page. This author is a real find.

Ruth Newman has been snapped up immediately by agent Vivien Green at Sheil Land Associates who says

I’m completely knocked out by TWISTED WING. It’s remarkable that it’s a first novel.

It’s so clever with such strong characterization. I was completely spellbound until the end. It’s wonderful to have a new female crime writer of this calibre.

TWISTED WING

The Claustrophobic environment of Ariel College, Cambridge has become the hunting ground of a serial killer.

For the students, a siege mentality has developed following weeks of media interest in “the Cambridge Butcher”. College life has become not about surviving their exams, but about surviving full stop.

Forensic psychiatrist Matthew Denison is sure that his traumatised patient, student Olivia Corscadden, has the killer’s identity locked up in her memory. That within the little clique she belonged to lurks someone with a grudge. Someone who thought: ‘what’s a little decapitation between friends?’ And that someone is just getting started…

Crime Writers’ Association: front page
Newcomer Gillian Flynn achieved a remarkable success, with Sharp Objects (published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson) winning both the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and the New Blood Dagger. She was also shortlisted for the Duncan Lawrie Dagger. It is a tribute to the broad appeal of her book that it was singled out by three separate panels of judges, acting independently.

I mentioned the Daggers last month  and this years winner has shot up my to read list as soon as it’s in paperback. It must have something exceptional to win the hearts of so many critical people. Either that it has some subliminal advertising contained in the text. Anyway, I want to read it!

Title: Resistance
Author: Owen Sheers
Publisher: Faber
Published in Hardback: 7 June 2007
Price: £14.99
Review Copy

Owen Sheers’ debut novel follows on from his two award-winning poetry collections and The Dust Diaries the Welsh Book of the Year for 2005. So the pressure to live up his previous works is high.

Resistance re-imagines a Second World War where the Nazis successfully cross The Channel and bring the fighting to British soil. As a consequence the women of the isolated Olchon valley wake up to find their men missing presuming they have left them to go to join the war.

The novel focuses first on the woman’s reactions to their husbands’ disappearance and then their reaction to the arrival of a five-man Nazi patrol on mystery mission. A severe winter forces a co-operation which turns to a fragile mutual dependency one that could be shattered at any moment.

This all sounds very dramatic, but the tension here is more subtle and manipulated like a stop-frame animation; each move delicate and deliberate and considerate of the overall picture.

Sheers feels assured in his setting, a place I assume near where he grew up and is very familiar, and that familiarity with the landscape, the history and the isolation, echoes with the lives of the characters.

Most of the action is explored through the farmer’s wife Sarah and the Nazi officer Albrecht Wolfram as they both come to terms with their new situation and magical bubble that the harsh winter has created.

There are problems with some of the reactions and interactions between the women and the patrol. The women seem to accept their situation and the presence of the men all too easily, even if you accept that they are just keeping the farms running until their husbands return. The men mellow to their new situation and surrounds a little too easily.

But if you accept that that they do and how Sheers explains why each of the characters reacts the way they do and it’s not much of leap then it’s quite easy to get trapped in the valley along with the characters.

In some ways Resistance feels like an extended short story or maybe a novella. It fall shorts of being a fully fledged novel because there was much more that could have been explored as the story unfolded but this most likely would have stretched the story out of Sheers tight control.

There are also places where the tensions and the emotions could have been twisted more without making it overly dramatic and some of the descriptions could have been tightened without spoiling the poetic descriptions or bursting the magical atmosphere.

Atmosphere plays an important part in this novel and it does draw you in. The characters are believable, for the most part, and the plot well planned and imagined. But the ending might be a bit too enigmatic when the harshness of the outside can’t be resisted any more.

I’d definitely say this is an accomplished debut let down slightly by the lack of risks that could have been taken when dealing with the world outside the valley.

Overall, it does seem that Sheers can turn his hand to anything. Resistance is a satisfying and emotional read and I look forward to seeing what Sheers comes up with next.

That difficult first novel | Review | The Observer
There has never been a tougher time to be a debut novelist - only a tiny fraction receive six-figure advances, and most manuscripts end up in the shredder. So, what makes or breaks the first-timers? Kate Kellaway reports and talks to five who made it into print.

I must admit that this article from March is a very strange one. Lots of doom and gloom. And if you happen to be writing your ‘literary’ debut novel at the moment. I wouldn’t click on the link above.

It’s a shockingly elitist article focusing only on ‘literary’ debuts- which I often find are more style over substance and tend to bore me. Take for instance, Julian Barnes’s Arthur & George (not a debut but definitely literary. I am going to finish it. I am. But it’s going to take some will power when there are more exciting novels out there to be read. And don’t get me started on The Dante Club.

So after this depressing state of publishing we are offered five people to feel sorry for. So we should run out and buy there books.

One is about a fashionable journalist in her thirties’s fall from grace - another is James, a first-year student at Cambridge, is overwhelmed by the thrill of opportunity and startled by his own hunger for friendship - then we have a sensuous generational novel about a Sikh mother whose secret past corrodes her life with tragic consequences for all - and a German patrol arrives in the valley, the purpose of their mission a mystery - finally, the break-up of a marriage and the effect this has on four children is told largely from the darkly humorous perspective of fifteen-year-old Ruth.

I had to get the plots of the novels from Amazon.co.uk as the article focuses on the personality of the writers - as if who the writers are is more important than the novels they are written.

None, from those brief glances, make me want to rush out and buy them (though a couple have raised an interest), and - as you can probably tell -I am not there main audience as I’m interested in the what is written rather than who it’s written by. Instead, they have to battle it out against established ‘names’ like Salmond Rushdie, Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith, who already have there ‘literary’ credits fully stamped up.

The thing about literary novels is that they often are treated as if they are somehow special and a cut above popularist fiction as they fall outside the genre classification and expectation/convention system. And in some ways they have to create a genre or a brand of their own. Beryl Bainbridge, Jerry Archer, Julian Barnes, Haruki Murakami, are established brands whose next novel already has an air of expectation.

Trying to put these debut writers on a pedestal, as Kate Kellaway does in this article, is unfair to them as it puts them not their work in the spotlight. I’d have much preferred to know more what they’d written and how it fits into what’s already out there. A few comparisons to established authors wouldn’t have gone a miss as it gives a more of  a reference point.

As it is this article, means I have to judge them from what I know about them, and if I like them for that or not.

Edit - I should have said that Owen Sheers is very much on the Radar as I’m reading Resistance, his debut novel. He is already an gaining his ‘literary stamps’ being an award winning poet of two collections (that I’ve read), and Welsh Book of the Year winner for his non-fiction book, The Dust Diaries (not read).

CONTRACT BY SIMON SPURRIER - IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY
Within these pages you can get your hands on Simon Spurrier’s killer debut novel, CONTRACT… for FREE.

It’s a neat idea, giving away a novel for free online for a limited time*, but I won’t be reading it, at least not in it’s present form. I’m not keen on reading an entire novel off a screen no matter how good it is.

They (it’s publisher and author) are certainly using the world-wide-web to it’s fullest marketing potential - not only the website, but a wiki entry for the fictional main character and he even has his own myspace.

In some sense the marketing has worked on me as I’m blogging about it. Though I didn’t get referred to the site from somewhere online but instead after seeing Contract as part of the “Best Summer Sci-Fi ” in The Times.

There is going to be lot more internet marketing in the future - especially video trailers, dedicated websites, and fictional lives being lived out online. I’m not sure I need all this additional information - some basic information like a blurb and a few reviews should be enough surely.

And in the end for me a book is a wonderful excuse to get away from my computer not spend more time chained to it.

*the papeback is going to be printed in October though you can grab a limited edition hardback whilst stocks last.

Now I know that traditionally debut novels are a hard thing to create a buzz around but I think that rule doesn’t apply in the world of Fantasy. As the following books prove - each has been getting a good buzz and good reviews except perhaps The Wanderer’s Tale. So I thought I’d swing my spotlight over them. If you’re  a reader or a writer of fantasy these seem to be the ones to watch.

I ‘ve listed them below with their publisher’s synopsis’s. I’m lucky enough to have some them on the shelves so look for a few reviews soon.

 The Storm Catcher by Tom Lloyd 

Isak is a white-eye, feared and despised in equal measure. Trapped in a life of poverty, hated and abused by his father, Isak dreams of escape, but when his chance comes, it isn’t to a place in the army as he’d expected. Instead, the Gods have marked him out as heir-elect to the brooding Lord Bahl, the Lord of the Farlan.

Lord Bahl is also a white-eye, a genetic rarity that produces men stronger, more savage and more charismatic than their normal counterparts. Their magnetic charm and brute strength both inspires and oppresses others.

Now is the time for revenge, and the forging of empires. With mounting envy and malice, the men who would themselves be king watch Isak, chosen by Gods as flawed as the humans who serve them, as he is shaped and moulded to fulfil the prophecies that are encircling him like scavenger birds. The various factions jostle for the upper hand, and that means violence, but the Gods have been silent for too long and that violence is about to spill over and paint the world the colour of spilled blood and guts and pain and anguish .

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch 

They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he’s part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count. Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich - they’re the only ones worth stealing from - but the poor can go steal for themselves. What Locke cons, wheedles and tricks into his possession is strictly for him and his band of fellow con-artists and thieves: the Gentleman Bastards. Together their domain is the city of Camorr. Built of Elderglass by a race no-one remembers, it’s a city of shifting revels, filthy canals, baroque palaces and crowded cemeteries. Home to Dons, merchants, soldiers, beggars, cripples, and feral children. And to Capa Barsavi, the criminal mastermind who runs the city. But there are whispers of a challenge to the Capa’s power. A challenge from a man no one has ever seen, a man no blade can touch. The Grey King is coming. A man would be well advised not to be caught between Capa Barsavi and The Grey King. Even such a master of the sword as the Thorn of Camorr. As for Locke Lamora …

The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller 

Enter the kingdom of Lur, where to use magic unlawfully means death. The Doranen have ruled Lur with magic since arriving as refugees centuries ago. Theirs was a desperate flight to escape the wrath of a powerful mage who started a bitter war in their homeland. To keep Lur safe, the native Olken inhabitants agreed to abandon their own magic. Magic is now forbidden them, and any who break this law are executed. Asher left his coastal village to make his fortune. Employed in the royal stables, he soon finds himself befriended by Prince Gar and given more money and power than he’d ever dreamed possible. But the Olken have a secret; a prophecy. The Innocent Mage will save Lur from destruction and members of The Circle have dedicated themselves to preserving Olken magic until this day arrives. Unbeknownst to Asher, he has been watched closely. As the Final Days approach, his life takes a new and unexpected turn

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill 

‘Buy my stepfather’s ghost’ read the e-mail. So Jude did. He bought the dead man’s suit, delivered in a heart-shaped box, because he wanted it: because his fans ate up that kind of story. It was perfect for his collection: the genuine skulls and the bones, the real honest-to-God snuff movie, the occult books and all the rest of the paraphanalia that goes along with his kind of hard/goth rock. But the rest of his collection doesn’t make the house feel cold. The bones don’t make the dogs bark; the movie doesn’t make Jude feel as if he’s being watched. And none of the artefacts bring a vengeful old ghost with black scribbles over his eyes out of the shadows to chase Jude out of his home, and make him run for his life …

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled and increasingly bitter relic of the last war, former fencing champion turned torturer extraordinaire, is trapped in a twisted and broken body - not that he allows it to distract him from his daily routine of torturing smugglers. Nobleman, dashing officer and would-be fencing champion Captain Jezal dan Luthar is living a life of ease by cheating his friends at cards. Vain, shallow, selfish and self-obsessed, the biggest blot on his horizon is having to get out of bed in the morning to train with obsessive and boring old men. And Logen Ninefingers, an infamous warrior with a bloody past, is about to wake up in a hole in the snow with plans to settle a blood feud with Bethod, the new King of the Northmen, once and for all - ideally by running away from it. But as he’s discovering, old habits die really, really hard indeed …especially when Bayaz gets involved. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he’s about to make the lives of Glotka, Jezal and Logen a whole lot more difficult …

The Wanderer’s Tale by David Bilsborough

Many generations ago was destroyed the arctic stronghold of Drauglir. Five hundred years later, rumours spread of the evil demigod’s second coming, with terrible consequences for the world of Lindormyn. In the remote northern town of Nordwas a ramshackle group is assembled by the ambitious warrior Nibulus, under the guidance of a mage-priest, to set off on the long and perilous journey back to Melhus to ensure that Drauglir is properly despatched this time round. This quest includes two foreign mercenaries, three bickering priests, a young esquire …and, last but not least, Bolldhe the unsociable ‘wanderer’. Their eventful progress through a desolate terrain embroils them regularly with a wide array of races, creatures, giants and sorcerers - and with terrifying adventures which will affect each of them differently.

The Winterbirth by Brian Ruckely 

An uneasy truce exists between the thanes of the True Bloods. Now, as another winter approaches, the armies of the Black Road march south, from their exile beyond the Vale of Stones. For some, war will bring a swift and violent death. Others will not hear the clash of swords or see the corpses strewn over the fields. They instead will see an opportunity to advance their own ambitions. But all, soon, will fall under the shadow that is descending. For, while the storm of battle rages, one man is following a path that will awaken a terrible power in him - and his legacy will be written in blood.

Scar Night by Alan Campbell  

For nine hundred generations, the city of Deepgate has hung suspended by giant chains over a seemingly bottomless abyss. In the unfathomable darkness below is said to reside the dread god Ulcis, ‘hoarder of souls’, with his army of ghosts. Outside the city extend the barren wastes of Deadsands, inhabited by the enemy Heshette, so that safe access is guaranteed only by a fleet of airships. At the hub of the city itself rises the Temple, in one of whose many crumbling spires resides a youthful angel, Dill, the last of his line. Descendant of heroic battle-archons, yet barely able to wield the great sword he has inherited from his forebears, he lives a sheltered existence under the watchful eye of Presbyter Sypes, who rules the Temple. For despite his sense of purposelessness, Dill has a destiny about to unfold - one that will take him down into terrifying depths of the pit in a desperate quest to save the teeming but precarious city from total annihilation at the hands of a cunning and resourceful traitor.

Well it was a bit touch and go if there would actually be a shortlist this year. And seemingly this is going to be the last one. But don’t let that dampen your excitement.

LONG BARN BOOKS

PRESS RELEASE

The shortlist of first novels for this year`s First Novel Competition is announced today. The name of the winner will be announced next week.

In alphabetical order

CLIMBING A LADDER BACKWARDS by Kal Bonner

THE STORY UNMAKERS by Sam Burns

THE COMPANY OF FROGS by Ann Cox

TREE HOUSE by Amanda Hodgkinson

TWISTED WING by Ruth Newman

For further details please contact SUSAN HILL at editorial@longbarnbooks.com

Why is it exciting? Well debut novels just don’t get that much fanfare. So when they do it’s something to take notice of. And from what I’ve seen, the previous two winners have been very warmly received. I’m very much looking forward to seeing who wins.

I’ve also got my fingers crossed for one of the entrants but I’m not saying who, at least not yet.

Guildford Book Festival - First Novel Award
The winner of the 2006 Goss First Novel Award was White Man Falling by Mike Stocks.

I didn’t even know Guildford had a book festival. I’ve heard of Mike Carey’s and Emma Darwin’s books, which were also shortlisted. I didn’t know that Jeremy Dyson had a debut novel out - he’s the behind the camera member of The League of Gentlemen. I’ve read and enjoyed the debut non-tie-in novel by Mark Gatiss - another of the Gentlemen. Though to be honest What Happens Now doesn’t sound my cup of English Tea.

What was interesting from his, Jeremy Dyson’s, Wiki entry is that he has an interest in Robert Aickman, who seems an interesting writer but is sadly out of print. His Collected Works starting at £50 is out of my league at the minute.

Google is the most wonderful thing, as I’ve found an interesting author, and frustrating as he’s going to be a hard one to get hold of to read. (I have to add that I have a thing about second hand books and it’s very rare for me to have any in the house, and only those that are very very out of print. So Mr Aickman might soon be joining their ranks.)

Rant
Chuck Palahnuik
Jonathan Cape
£12.99
Published 2007
Review Copy

Palahnuik takes us to the world of Daytimers and Nighttimers, where the Nightimers spend their evenings engaged in Party Crashing and where Porting has replaced other forms of media.

But the world isn’t important, Buster Casey is, and to quote one of the characters – he’s, ‘… the worst Patient Zero in the history of disease’.

Rant Casey carries rabies, but not only carries it, but infects himself and others around him with it again and again. And in doing so becomes a legend, a fable, that spreads much like the rabies he carries from person to person and Rant’s oral history is retold through a series of interviews all used to help to explain the bigger picture.

The interview technique is a bit complicated as hearing different points of view and perspectives from several people takes some concentration. Luckily all of the interviewees are named and on their first appearance in each chapter we are told (or retold) a bit more about them like if they are a Party Crasher, Historian, or Mother. You get to know more about some those that were close to Rant and as well as his story as the book progresses. And the in some ways the other people are more interesting than Rant himself.

Palahnuik is an excellent storyteller as he uses this book to explore the spiderwebs of connections that each person has around them. There are no minor characters here. Each has an important role in moving the story forward and in revealing the connections that aren’t so obvious as they first appear.

This book is also a tale about the lies we tell ourselves like the tooth fairy who, as you grow up, replaces your useless tooth with money and to Buster Casey teeth are very valuable indeed. Or that if you’re wearing a wedding dressed driving a car covered in decorations that you must have just got married.

Rant is not the book I expected it to be. I thought that this would be a simple retelling of the life of Buster Casey from those who knew him. Instead it’s an exploration of life and how Buster Casey is the secret to a world that you wouldn’t think existed.

It does have its flaws, mostly due to the style of the short sections, meaning it doesn’t flow easily on occasion. As you either find yourself hearing from a person you’re not particularly interested in (even if what they say is meaningful to the plot) or you loose who is talking and what connection they are to everything.

By the time I got to the end I wanted to start all over again in order to see how what’s revealed in the end is already told to you from the beginning. I probably will re-read it was the end is a little more complicated than I expected. This might make it a little disappointing to some readers who want everything a bit more cut and dry or who enjoyed the Party Crashing for just causing chaos.

This was my first Chuck Palahnuik novel and it won’t be my last.