Sketching the Scourge

I may be a man of the word - and of my word - but I also appreciate fine art. You know how much I respect artists I work with like Neil Roberts, Jon Sullivan and Stefan Kopinski. I view their fabulous pieces as invaluable ambassadors for my fiction work and in turn I hope my words do their creations justice. I also like to draw attention to the work of other artists who post their work on the web, for the adoration of others. I'm not ashamed to say that I simultaneously pillage and showcase examples regularly on the blog. Recently, a great artist called Scott Santana asked me if I'd like to see some sketches he had done of Zachariah 'The Scourge' Kersh - the main character of my novel Legion of the Damned . Of course, I said yes. He sent them and I was blown away. I think that he really captures Kersh's grim indomitability. I thought it would be wonderful to share them here. Thanks, Scott!




The Choppy Waters of Crafting Titles


I came across an unusual review for Legion of the Damned a couple of days ago. It's from a video review site called 'Choppy Reviews' and run by a reader / presenter called Cocolito. A great deal of thought goes into the reviews and even more into the presentation. Cocolito had many nice things to say about Legion of the Damned , which were nice to hear. It would misrepresent his review, however, if I didn't identify a key issue he had with the novel: the four words of the title. Cocolito is not the first to identify this and I've talked about this a few times. Cocolito addresses his issue with great humour and fairness. He deserves a response for that alone, even if I don't agree with him.

While considering the book very good, he doesn't like that 'Legion of the Damned' occurs on the front cover. To justify the title, he would like even more Legion of the Damned in the book. It's not an unfair expectation. We live in a world where many book publishers and authors expect little of their readers. They give their books Ronseal does-what-it-says-on-the-tin titles because they don't expect their readership's attention span to be able to handle anything else. Meanwhile, authors who respect their readership's intellectual capabilities have been using titles as literary devices in their own right for hundreds of years. How does this work in respect to Legion of the Damned? In two ways.

Firstly, there are many books and series that utilise titles that relate to forces, phenomenons and presences that are always present in the book / series but actually spend little time 'on screen' as point-of-view characters. The best example I can think of is the famous title 'The Lord of the Rings'. The 'Lord' is always present - but not always 'on screen'. The Legion of the Damned work in a similar way. They are present in almost all chapters of the novel (read it carefully) before entering and performing their literary function. I won't give away spoilers here. If you haven't read the book, let me encourage you to do so. Not all titles are Ronseal titles. Legion of the Damned isn't. Are the Legion of the Damned present throughout the book. Yes. Do they act in accordance with the background that everyone knows and loves. Yes. Their function necessitates a group requiring their intervention. This allowed me to bring in the Space Marines Excoriators Chapter. I build them from the foundations up in the novel and many readers have loved that a Space Marine chapter could be presented in depth, at the same time as narrative intrigue and action is maintained.

Secondly, the title is a metaphor. There a several legions presented in the novel that are unequivocally 'damned'. Again, without introducing anything that isn't covered in the blurb, there is the 'Legion of the Damned', the Excoriators - who believe themselves damned and doomed to failure - and the World Eaters: a Chaos Space Marine legion enslaved to the god of bloodshed and hatred. All of these legions are damned. The title could relate to any one of them but in fact relates to all three. Titles are literary devices and a good author will make four words work hard for him. A lazy one will slap a Ronseal title on their book and underestimate their readers. It also does raise the issue of the blurb. It is the blurb's responsibility to accurately convey the content of the novel it is introducing. Check it out: it does.

Anyway, Cocolito put a good deal of effort into his review and I believe that he deserved a response. I encourage you to check out his review here. Beyond his issue with the title, he says many nice and insightful things about the novel. Beyond even that, it is a funny and entertaining review that is well worth watching. I've also put a link to Cocolito's review site - called 'Choppy Reviews' - on the side bar blog roll. He deserves to be part of 'the Scene'.

Black Library Weekender Aftermath

Well, what a fantastic weekend. I can honestly say that I had a brilliant time. A+ for Black Library. The venue was great and the Black Library crew, under the steely-eyed leadership of Captain George Mann, pulled off a peerless event. Thanks to all who worked so hard and those brave souls who attended. It was great seeing you all. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to you, the signings, the impromptu signings, the Question and Answer sessions and the Seminars. It was brilliant to spend time with fans in the evening and to experience / partake in the entertainment. I thought that the Pitch Factor event was a particular success. Kudos to all those with the stones to step up on that stage and pitch to veteran editors Laurie Goulding,Graeme Lyon and my good self. Not easy at all. Congratulations to Alex: she was a worthy winner.

It was also great to spend time with all the Black Library authors and artists. That's a lot of talent in one location. There are too many to namecheck individually, although I'd like to think that I got to catch up and spend some quality time with all of them. Special shout outs do go to Neil Roberts and Jonathan Green, however. Neil and I travelled down together, while at the same time putting the world to rights. He's Black Library's Horus Heresy artist and illustrator: his upcoming graphic novel 'Macragge's Honour' is going to be something special indeed. Check it out here. I spent late Saturday night and the small hours of Sunday morning looking through the bottom of a pint glass at Jonathan Green - a one man ideas-factory. More like one man military-industrial ideas complex. Jonathan - it's always a pleasure. Check out his brilliant Pax Britannia series here.

Mostly, I just want to say thank you to all the people buying and reading my books. That's what it's all about - after all! Can't wait until the next event. In the meantime, it's been straight back to the keyboard and the classroom.



Caption Competition

Thanks to all who took part on the blog, social media and forums. This week I'm going to select Raziel's contribution. The Emperor is a dad, after all...


Horus: I just found him like that Dad, I swear it!

Emperor: Like hell you did! You're grounded for a week, no exceptions! And stop this heavy metal nonsense, you look like an idiot dressed all in black.

Black Library Weekender


Just got back from one of our regular Horus Heresy meetings. Excellent stuff. Always brilliant to be part of the process that guides and shapes the direction of this fantastic series. I've just finished a cool Horus Heresy project (hush, hush) and got into thrashing several more (even more hushing!), so I found the day particularly useful.

A quick reminder that I will be at the Black Library Weekender over the next two days. The Black Library Weekender is a two-day event at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel including seminars, signings, exclusive releases, previews and entertainment. Should be a blast. I look forward to seeing and spending time with Black Library fans. Bring your books. Happy to sign them and have a chat. There are lots of things going on with many authors in attendance. My events include:

Saturday 10.30-11-30 am - Space Marine Battles novels - Marlborough / Wellington Suite

Saturday 1.45-2.45 pm - Rob Sanders Q & A - Hardy Suite

Saturday 3.00-4.00 pm - Signing - Victory Suite

Saturday Evening - Pitch Factor

Sunday 11.15-12.15 pm - Villains of Warhammer 40k - Marlborough / Wellington Suite

I've probably forgotten something but I'll be around regardless - enjoying the events and hanging out with fans and authors. I also have an exclusive story available in the Black Library Weekender Chapbook Volume 2 - available on Sunday. My short story is called Shadow Play and sees the return of Inquisitor Bronislaw Czevak from my novel Atlas Infernal.


The Black Library Weekender should be a lot of fun. There is fun to be had here, also. Whether you're there or not, why don't you have a go at the caption competition below. Post captions on the blog, Facebook or boards. After the Weekender, I'll nominate a winner for our respect and adoration.