Release Date: 16/06/16
Publisher: Gollancz
SYNOPSIS:
Lynx is a mercenary with a sense of honour; a dying breed in the Shattered Kingdom. Failed by the nation he served and weary of the skirmishes that plague the continent's principalities, he walks the land in search of purpose. He wants for little so bodyguard work keeps his belly full and his mage-gun loaded. It might never bring a man fame or wealth, but he's not forced to rely on others or kill without cause. Little could compel Lynx to join a mercenary company, but he won't turn his back on a kidnapped girl. At least the job seems simple enough; the mercenaries less stupid and vicious than most he's met over the years. So long as there are no surprises or hidden agendas along the way, it should work out fine.
REVIEW:
Tom for me is an author that I've loved for quite some time. His world building is impeccable, the cities populated with diverse cultures, cracking prose and all bound together with an arc that picks you up from the very beginning not letting go until the final page.
Add to this dialogue that works well, and perhaps best of all, characters, both principle and supporting, that you want to spend time with really makes it something special. All round a cracking title and one that I've absolutely adored. Can't wait to see whats next in the God Fragments series.
The quick answer is, something else – something different. If I was an epic fantasy author machine, I’d probably keep banging out the trilogies to give my loyal fans more of what they want. Except it wouldn’t be the fans I was doing that for – the group most interested would be the Orion Sales Department. Sure if I was a big bestseller who could guarantee sales for a new Twilight Reign novel, I’m sure my publisher would be waving lots of money at me for the next in the production line – you see that all the time. Now I’ve not seen sales figures, but I’ll bet money I can barely afford to wager that, to pick the first example I can think of, Pratchett’s book, Nation, despite excellent reviews, will not have sold nearly as well as the next Discworld book to follow. And that’s bloody Sir Terry Pratchett, almost an industry in himself. I stopped reading Raymond Feist years ago, but those are still coming and Pug’s still saving the world I believe – and selling so far in excess of mine it’s not even funny. Except to Raymond and his publishers maybe.
As it is, the question I got asked was – what’s next? The ending of Dusk Watchman was pretty final, but there are always stories to tell in an entire world, lives in potentia just waiting for me to pick up a pen (keyboard?). The epilogue gave a glimpse that life goes on despite the destruction and horror and I certainly had a pang of wanting to know the lives of the generation to come – but you have to know when to end a series like that, otherwise you’re just undermining your own work.
So what did I want to do? Without even knowing it, the story becoming Moon’s Artifice in my head was pretty different and taking on a shape of its own in part because of those years of epic. It’s set all in a single city, not across half a continent. It takes place roughly over a week, not two years. It has a small set of characters and no real armies, Twilight Reign had 500 named individuals and more people died in each of its instalments than are ever involved in Moon’s Artifice. The higher castes at least have gunpowder weapons and are an entirely different breed to the shining knights of the Twilight Reign despite the universal markers of arrogance and privilege you can see in both.
But that’s the bigger picture. Looking closer, you see Narin is clearly no Isak – he’s not been built for the job, he’s not a hero and he’s certainly no superhuman white-eye. He’s a copper and not even a particularly good or senior one either. They’re both moved by a sense of duty, but in utterly different ways. Narin’s best friend is an immoral, dangerous indiv— ok, so that one might have a few similarities, but we’ve none of the high politics going on around them, none of the wealth or power Isak could bring to bear. Narin must work inside the structure of his world, either evading or seeking permission from his superior. Isak answers only to the Gods, and the answers he gave them tended to not be hugely tactful.
It’s funny how sometimes things just fit together though. I started writing Isak when I was eighteen and that’s the age he starts out at. Narin I’d always planned to be older, early 30s, and I got around to writing him when I was 32. In the Twilight Reign, Tila & Vesna’s wedding was written two weeks before my own, in Moon’s Artifice Narin hears he’s going to be a father and a few weeks after I delivered the manuscript, my own little girl arrived. But such is life and for me, it’s often just a sign you’re going in the right direction.
So whether you’ve read the Twilight Reign or not, Moon’s Artifice will feel very different. It may put off some fans who want huge epicness with extra demons on the side (though there are demons still, I may be doing something different but I’m still me) but it may win me others among the non-european-medieval-epic crowd. Only time will tell, but there’s more to me than the Twilight Reign and in the immortal words of Blind Melon ‘when you stop dreamin' it's time to die.’
Tom's latest book: Moon's Artifice is 21/11/13 (today), by Gollancz.
Release Date: 21/11/13
Publisher:
SYNOPSIS:
In a quiet corner of the Imperial City, Investigator Narin discovers the result of his first potentially lethal mistake. Minutes later he makes a second.
After an unremarkable career Narin finally has the chance of promotion to the hallowed ranks of the Lawbringers - guardians of the Emperor's laws and bastions for justice in a world of brutal expediency. Joining that honoured body would be the culmination of a lifelong dream, but it couldn't possibly have come at a worse time. A chance encounter drags Narin into a plot of gods and monsters, spies and assassins, accompanied by a grief-stricken young woman, an old man haunted by the ghosts of his past and an assassin with no past.
On the cusp of an industrial age that threatens the warrior caste's rule, the Empire of a Hundred Houses awaits civil war between noble factions. Centuries of conquest has made the empire a brittle and bloated monster; constrained by tradition and crying out for change. To save his own life and those of untold thousands Narin must understand the key to it all - Moon's Artifice, the poison that could destroy an empire.
REVIEW:
Tom is an author that I’ve loved for quite some time. His fantasy is not only imaginative but believable, has some great development and of course when added to an author who knows how to bring top notch characters to the fore that not only help immerse you but give you a guide to help you immerse.
Add to this a story arc that brings the best of multiple genres together whilst stepping out into its own territory all round generates something unique which when blended with some great prose, wonderful dialogue and of course spartan descriptiveness all round allows this hardcore fantasy crime tale to weave its own spell. Great stuff.
Release Date: 18/04/13
Publisher: Gollancz
SYNOPSIS:
Eleven stories that add further colour and shape to the epic story of the Twilight Reign series - this is an essential volume for Tom Lloyd's many fans. The history of the Land may remember the slaughter at Moorview or the horror of Scree's fall, but there were other casualties of the secret war against Azaer - more tales surrounding those bloody years that went unrecorded. In the shadow of memorials to the glorious dead, these ghosts lie quiet and forgotten by all but a few. A companion collection to the Twilight Reign quintet, these 11 stories shine a rather different light on the Land. Look past the armies and politics of the Seven Tribes and you will find smaller moments that shaped the course of history in their own way. But even forgotten secrets can kill. Even shadows can have claws.
REVIEW:
Having really enjoyed Tom’s Twilight Reign, I was interested to see how this book would pan out, after all it’s a series of short stories and whilst a number of people love the idea, there’s a more sceptical audience that would wonder if it’s just a way to cash in on an already phenomenal series.
Well, I can answer the later part straight away, its not, these short stories are tales that have helped influence the world that never made it into the other titles, they have great characters, they help fill the world out more and with Tom’s writing style, they work wonderfully well on the readers imagination. Add to this great prose, a wonderful sense of pace which when backed with twists and turns that will keep you glued all round make this a wonderful title to dip into on your travels.
Release Date: 30/08/12
SYNOPSIS:
After his pyrrhic victory at Moorview, King Emin learns the truth about the child Ruhen, but he is powerless to act. Instead, he must mourn his dead friends while his enemy promises the beleaguered peoples of the Land a new age of peace. The past year has taken a grave toll: the remaining Menin troops seek revenge upon Emin, daemons freely walk the Land, and Ruhen's power is increasing daily. And yet, a glimmer of hope remains. There is one final, desperate chance for victory: a weapon, so terrible only a dead man could wield it, and only a madman would try. But if they do not grasp this opportunity, King Emin and his allies will be obliterated as Ruhen's millennia-old plans are about to bear terrible fruit. If his power continues unchecked, Ruhen will achieve total dominion and not just over mankind, but over the Gods themselves. One way or another, the future of the Land will be decided now written in the blood of men.
REVIEW:
Having read the other four books in the Stormcaller series, I was split in two by the knowledge about this title, firstly I was excited as I’d loved the others and couldn’t wait to embark into Tom’s imaginative world but also tinged with sadness as this was to be the final part of the series. As such that meant that there were no hard and fast rules as to the survivability factor, a lot of threads to tie up and of course making sure that the tale moves at quite a pace without being bogged down with details that the reader demands answers for.
What Tom manages to do in this book is bring together everything that’s gone before and improve not only the world but make sure that the series ends on a high note. The characters are crisp, the pace unrelenting and of course when added to his wonderful writing style that weaves a tale as good as any other out there, really gives the reader something to not only celebrate but savour as they work their way through which makes this not only a gem of a book but a cracking finish to a series that’s bewitched me for years. Great stuff.
Release Date: 19/08/10
BOOK BLURB:
Continuing the powerful epic that started with THE STORMCALLER; the Lord Isak is dead, his armies and entire tribe in disarray. It falls to King Emin to continue the war alone, and the Menin are only too happy to meet his challenge. In Byora, Ruhen is developing his 'Saviour' persona. The Harlequins start preaching in his name and many of the pilgrims who flock to him are recruited to be 'Children', disciples who spread Ruhen's message. All over the Land people are starting to see Ruhen as the answer to their troubles. A showdown is coming: battle lines are finally drawn and the atrocities quickly mount. The spectre of the Great War looms, but in this age the Gods cannot and will not come to King Emin's aid. With the peoples of the Land turning against Emin and his few remaining allies, their only chance for survival lies in the hands of a dead man.
REVIEW:
If you thought that Book Three was pretty good then you’re just going to love the fourth offering. You get characters that continue to grow and having to fill shoes that were left empty after the last instalment which makes this something that really will grip the readers imagination. Whilst I have been following the series since its original inception a few years ago, I like to have a reread prior to starting the new title to not only refresh my memory but to get the full reading pleasure from the book. Within this title you get everything that makes Tom a name but also a maturing writing style as the series carries wending its bloody way through your mind. It’s well written, the characters gripping but above all else it’s the twists as well as politicking that make this a title to savour.
