Tuesday, 8 January 2008

The Face of Black Dow and Other Stories

Ooooh, look what I found while messing about on the internet when I should have been writing in direct breach of my new year's resolution. Entirely independently of me, I might say, a computer artist by the name of Chris Archer has posted some 3d character sketches of Black Dow over on a graphics forum . If you're reading, Chris, hope you don't mind me reproducing them here. I should point out it's supposedly a work in progress, but I reckon it's a bloody good one, and not a million miles from my own impression either. Here's some of the earlier models, before Dow grew his hair and lost his ear:


Cool no? Kind of spooky to gaze upon the face of your own creation, or at least someone else's idea of it. Perhaps this is how Tyrell felt when the replicants turned up at his apartment in Blade Runner ... but less scared. It's always a kick to see someone else pick up your ideas and run with them. Particularly when they do something nice, of course. Anyone does anything crap, they'll hear from my lawyers. I'm joking. Or am I?

In other news, there's a review of Last Argument of Kings over at most excellent site Graeme's Fantasy Book Review. Among other things, he said this:

"Joe delivers his normal dose of intrigue, action and black humour but ramps it all up a gear and smacks you in the gut with some stuff that I guarantee you will not see coming. And then (while you're gasping for breath) he does it all over again, rendering some of the most powerful battles I've seen in fantasy literature almost pointless with the revelations that follow ... 'Last Argument of Kings' will be one of the best fantasy books (if not the best) that you read this year."

Not satisfied with the Wertzone's insult of 4.5 stars, nor even Sandstorm Review's slap in the face of 9.5/10, Graeme has made me his enemy for life by awarding 9.75/10. Like a beautiful woman without a nose, one's eyes are inevitably drawn to that one small thing missing. He's promised me an extra quarter on the next book of mine he reviews though, so I am somewhat mollified. Won't stop me leaving him with three quarters of his head should I meet him at another publishing function, however...

And finally ... you all know how I ABSOLUTELY HATE self-promotion, but I note in passing that nominations for the 2008 Hugo awards have opened. I note also (again without any personal feeling) that, since The Blade Itself was published in 2006, I am eligible for the second year running for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, having narrowly missed out on a nomination last year on account of no-one outside my own family having ever heard of me. It would appear that, regrettably, Patrick Rothfuss isn't elligible because of some short fiction published way back when (Yes! Yes! Fist Pump!). Scott Lynch is still a possible however (Boo! Boo! Curses!), so I'm sure I have about as much chance of winning as I do of seeing the Queen's tits. A nomination would make my American Editor very happy, though, and he deserves it, so for Mr. Lou Anders sake if no-one else's, anyone with a membership of the 66th Worldcon in Denver might want to consider voting for Joe Abercrombie. Sorry, did I not say that loud enough? JOE ABERCROMBIE.

Transmission ends.

Labels: news, reviews