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Release Date: 18/05/17 Publisher: Gollancz SYNOPSIS:
David Gemmell was the UK's number one fantasy and historical novelist until his death in 2006. A regular Sunday Times bestseller, and international sensation, his legacy lives on through his novels, his influence on the genre, and through the David Gemmell Legend awards.
Rhyming Rings is a never-before-seen Gemmell novel, discovered in his papers by his widow, Stella Gemmell. Merging autobiographical details of Gemmell's life as a journalist in South London with a serial killer and a tinge of the supernatural, this is perfect for fans of David's work, as well as readers of gritty crime novels. Set against the backdrop of a London simmering with poverty, change and racial tension, this taut thriller is a fitting legacy for the great writer.
This book includes a brand new introduction from massive Gemmell fan Conn Iggulden, and an afterword by Gemmell's friend Stan Nicholls.
An ambidextrous killer is murdering women, leaving virtually no evidence behind, and struggling journalist Jeremy Miller wishes he was covering the case. Instead, he's stuck with heart-warming local stories about paraplegic teenagers and elderly psychic ladies.
So when his stories and the murder case start to converge no one is more surprised than Jeremy.
Or, it turns out, more at risk.
REVIEW:
Many readers know I've been a fan of David's work for a number of years and whilst a lot of people remember key parts of thier life through music, I've always been one to remember them by books with David's forming a huge chunk of my own history.
So when he passed back in 2006 it felt tha tI'd had a huge part of my reading world pulled out from under me leaving me lost and bereft mourning characters I'd never gotten to know and stories that were lost yet to be told.
Upon learning of Stella had found an unpublished title that wouldn't to quote David himself "curdle milk" I was more than interested to see what would be presented. A new Fantasy, an epic historical release or perhaps even a new fictional title in much the same way that the fans Holy Grail novel "White Knight Black Swan" was. (Incidently being rereleased on the 21st September 2017 by Gollancz.)
What is presented within is a story that will be devoured appealing to crime readers alongside fans of his fantasy titles. The principle character is delightfully familiar to those who know David's work as well as those who've had a glimpse at the man himself and brings the magic that he was known for into a modern fiction setting. Its well written, the prose is sharp and all round the story is developed with the usual Gemmell magic that leaves you lost in time, wondering what happened to the world around you as the final page turned.
Its thought provoking, its a cracking experience and as a fan I really hope that there's other hidden gems out there. I can only congratulate the estate as well as the publishers for bringing this to the fore and allowing us fans another chance to experience the magic of a new novel. Finally, to sum up, its a cracking jaunt into the murky seedier world of a London wrapped up with a delightfully crafted story that has great prose and lulls, proving that the Gemmell magic is alive and well. Cracking
A piece of news for all David Gemmell fans and something we've been pretty excited about for quite some time. Here you go:
A brand new, never before seen, novel from the late David Gemmell Gollancz, an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, is thrilled to announce the acquisition of a never before seen novel from bestselling author David Gemmell recovered from his archives. RHYMING RINGS is a crime novel that long lay forgotten amongst the author’s personal effects until it was recently rediscovered by his widow, Stella Gemmell. RHYMING RINGS tells the story of an ambidextrous killer who is murdering women in London, leaving virtually no evidence behind. Struggling local journalist Jeremy Miller wishes he was covering the case, but instead he’s stuck with heart-warming local stories about paraplegic teenagers and elderly, psychic ladies. When his news stories and the murder case start to converge no one is more surprised than Jeremy, or - it turns out - more at risk. Sure to delight Gemmell’s many ardent fans, RHYMING RINGS promises to be a thrilling new work in the crime genre, hitting shelves for the first time in May 2017. Gollancz Commissioning Editor, Marcus Gipps, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights including audio from Howard Morhaim of the Morhaim Literary Agency through Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein. Gollancz will also be supporting the publication of RHYMING RINGS by returning to print for the first time in 25 years the long-forgotten WHITE KNIGHT, BLACK SWAN, a crime novel originally published by David Gemmell under the pseudonym Ross Harding. WHITE KNIGHT, BLACK SWAN will be published September 2017. Marcus Gipps said: “We’re delighted to be presenting David’s legions of fans with both a brand new, completely unpublished book and a reprint of a very hard to find one. We’ve worked closely with Stella Gemmell, and although these books may be set in a different genre to that which made his name, the core of what made David such a popular author shines clearly through. Both are crime novels with a supernatural tinge, and draw heavily on David’s life as a reporter in 80s London. They display his trademark deftness with character – especially damaged heroes - with a sense of pace and flair for action, and will be snapped up by his devoted fanbase.” About David Gemmell: David Gemmell was one of the UK's number one fantasy and historical novelists, penning more than 30 novels before his death in 2006. The author of the ground-breaking LEGEND as well as the Drenai novels, the Rigante series, the Troy sequence and the hit Jon Shannow sequence; he was one of the most influential novelists in the fantasy genre. The prestigious David Gemmell awards are named in his honour. About Gollancz: Gollancz is the oldest specialist SF & Fantasy publisher in the UK. Founded in 1927 and with a continuous SF publishing programme dating back to 1961, the imprint of the Orion Publishing Group is home to a galaxy of award-winning and bestselling authors. Through our long-running SF and Fantasy Masterworks programme, and major digital initiative the SF Gateway, Gollancz have one of the largest ranges of SF and Fantasy of any publisher in the world. RHYMING RINGS | DAVID GEMMELL | 18th May 2017 Hardback £14.99 | eBook £7.99 | Audio £19.99 WHITE KNIGHT, BLACK SWAN | DAVID GEMMELL | 21st September 2017 Hardback £14.99 | eBook £7.99 | Audio £19.99
BOOK BLURB: The Legend Druss, Captain of the Axe: the stories of his life were told everywhere. Instead of the wealth and fame he could have claimed, he had chosen a mountain lair, high in the lonely country bordering on the clouds. There the grizzled old warrior kept company with snow leopards and awaited his old enemy death. The Fortress Mighty Dros Delnoch, protected by six outer walls, the only route by which an army could pass through the mountains. It was the stronghold of the Drenai empire. And now it was the last battleground, for all else had fallen before the Nadir hordes. And hope rested on the skills of that one old man...
REVIEW: As a huge fan of David its been a great thing to see a 25th Anniversary Edition of this, his first book. Whilst this novel is a paperback it does fit in with David’s philosophy of keeping everything within the pocket range of all his fans rather than a select few. Some may grumble a little and will demand a Hardback edition yet its little touches like this that remind us all of the man we have lost.
Within the pages you get the classic telling of Legend which follows a daunty crew of misfits fighting for survival against the greatest army the world has ever seen, there’s exuberance and passion exhibited within and its clear to see why this novel still remains many fans favourite of all his tales to date. Add to the mix a forward by Stella (David’s Wife) to introduce the book to new readers as well as giving old hands a chance to get to know David better and it’s a great addition to any collection. With so many books on the market to chose from, make this a purchase for that fantasy fan in your life, they’ll soon pick up on the influence that David had on many others and clearly demonstrates the sad loss to the genre. May the Source keep shining for you Dave.
Hail Mighty Readers, Orbit are proud to announce the publication of the 25th Anniversary Edition of Legend, the title that brought David Gemmell to the reading public.
Whilst the title isn't going to be a hardback which a number of fans wanted, the PB works out better as it keeps the celebratory feel of David's writing, well within the fan's pockets so many can get to relive that first adventure with Druss, Regnak, Virae and the Thirty as they battle against the Nadir Horde of Ulric.
Originally written "while waiting for cancer tests. I did not expect the story ever to be published, and literally chose the name Drenai because it sounded similar to Dorsai, which came from a series of books by Gordon R Dickson. These were splendid sci fi novels about a warrior race." said David and when asked why a large number of fans have always picked this as thier favourite he had to think for a while before letting us know his answer.
"Hard to say. It is my favourite. It is certainly the most romantic of all my novels, both in central love story, and the high heroism of the contenders. I guess it was written by a young man, full of ideals and beliefs, who approached the craft of story telling with a wild, barbaric gusto. I look back on that young man with great fondness."
So now's your chance to get this special edition. Join us on October 1st, raise a glass to David and enjoy this epic tale in its new edition.
Remember that the David Gemmell Legend Award is in its second year so please join the fun and vote for your fan favourites as well as joining the discussions.
(Quotes taken from interviews conducted by myself which appear on Wolfshead, a David Gemmell fansite.)
The David Gemmell Legend Award Ceremony turned out to be a night of glamour, fun and surprises, even though it all started in a strangely deserted London back street on the evening of June 19th.
I'd been standing on the corner by Euston station trying to get orientated on my map when a very nice taxi driver – sitting at the lights – leaned out of his cab and asked me where I was headed. I gave him the address and he gave me turn-perfect directions to the Magician's Guild Headquarters straight off the top of his head. Oooh they are good aren't they?!
Following his instructions I found myself on this eerily quiet little backstreet while the rest of London bustled manically on all sides. There weren't many doors onto the street and it took a few minutes to find the Guild entrance but once into its plush interior, it was like stepping into another world.
You kind of expect the Magician's Guild Headquarters to have hidden secrets somehow, and it did. Inside this bland looking building there were at least two bars, a host of magical paraphernalia lining the walls and, most strikingly, via an upstairs doorway you descended down into a large and sumptuous auditorium with a full stage and room for nearly two hundred people. And I'm sure this was only a fraction of the facilities.
David Bradley and Stuart Galbraith
The upstairs bar was the first destination and the dignitaries were starting to gather. The dress code for the event was formal evening wear and it was great to see everyone in smart attire. The guys were swanning around the room like little James Bond clones and the gals were gliding elegantly from one gathering to another, draped in glamorous flowing colours and sparkling sequins.
There were representatives from several aspects of the publishing industry: the bubbly publicity reps who seemed to know everyone in the room; the senior editors with their serious faces; a whole range of talented authors; a rabble of reviewers and interviewers from all sorts of websites and magazines; and the all important fans, in whose hands the award voting had been placed. For that was why we were all there, in the Guild Headquarters - to find out who was to be the lucky recipient of the David Gemmell Legend Award.
Until now, the UK has only had one major set of Fantasy awards, given out each year by the British Fantasy Society (BFS), and those are voted on by members of the BFS. Thanks to the hard work of fantasy authors Debbie Miller, Stan Nicholls, Anne Nicholls, James Barclay and dedicated support crew for admin and webmastering, the UK now has a new award that is voted on by fans worldwide. So not only does the award give the public an opportunity to shout about their favourite fiction but in promoting excellent fantasy it also honours the name of author David Gemmell, one of the best selling fantasy authors ever.
DGLA Shortlist:
Blood Of Elves - Andrzej Sapkowski
The Hero Of Ages – Brandon Sanderson
The Way Of Shadows - Brent Weeks
The Last Argument Of Kings - Joe Abercrombie
Heir To Sevenwaters - Juliet Marillier
The winner of the award was to be picked from the impressive shortlist shown and it was proving to be difficult to predict who was going to come out on top. Much debate was had over glasses of wine as the growing crowd gathered in that bar before we were invited into the auditorium area. When the melodious tone of the gong rang out, we were ushered to the comfortable seats and the ceremony began.
But this wasn't going to be a simple case of introducing the shortlisted stories and wheeling someone important in to announce the winner. Oh no, this was going to be much more fun.
Charity Auction Items:
A year's subscription to SFX magazine. (Donated by Future Publishing.)
A "Forsaken skirt". (Donated by Moon Maiden Gothic Clothing.)
A limited edition Valyrien bust of "Sandor Clegane - The Hound of Lannister" (only 500 made). (Donated by HarperCollins.)
A fantasy sword. (Donated by Forbidden Planet.)
A chance to make a cameo appearance in Orcs: Bad Blood 3: Inferno, by Stan Nicholls. (Donated by author.)
Own a Jaguar for a weekend. (Donated by Jaguar Cars.)
A first hardback edition of Legend, signed by David Gemmell and from his personal library. (Donated by Stella Gemmell.)
Opening the show, author (and trained actor) James Barclay gave a rousing rendition of 'A Call To Arms' from David Gemmell's Legend; this was followed by an introduction to the award by Stan Nicholls and Debbie Miller, a heartfelt remembrance of David Gemmell by Anne Nicholls and an introduction to the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. This later intro may seem a little unusual but what followed was an auction on behalf of the charity and there were some very desirable items coming up for grabs. James Barclay did an awesome job separating people from their money (no easy feat in these times of recession) and when the last item went under the hammer, the award had raised nearly £1200 for the charity.
Next, it was time to present the nominees with their own little prize – they each received a baby Druss the Legend Snaga axe – which you can see Joe Abercrombie modelling so well on the left. These were so sweet (the axes that is, although Joe has his moments too) but there was better to come. After each of the nominees (or their representatives) had accepted their baby Snaga, the winner's axe itself was brought onto the stage by Simon Fearnhamm of Raven Armoury. It was a larger, quite beautiful Snaga clearly forged with much love and attention. So with half the audience drooling in admiration over the trophy and amid promises from Simon to show everyone the full-size Snaga later in the bar, Alain Nevant of Bragelonne publishers, and Kate and Luke Gemmell announced the winner.
And the winner was: Andrzej Sapkowski for Blood Of Elves
Rapturous applause from the crowd.
The award was accepted by Gollancz publisher's Jo Fletcher but Sapkowski's reaction would later be circulated via email:
"I am very happy and proud to be a winner in the contest for The David Gemmell Legend Award, the prize precious to me indeed, as I am a great admirer of the writings of the late David A. Gemmell. I would like to express my gratitude to all the readers who voted for my book. I would also like to thank and congratulate all the other fellow writers in the final poll. Finally, it is fantasy - our genre - that was the ultimate winner."
And from there the happy masses dispersed to various drinking locations around London to continue the celebrations long into the night…
Debbie at the David Gemmell Legend Award has been kind enough to let us know this:
The FINAL batch of 30 'Friend & Fan' tickets to the Award Ceremony on 19th June, are available NOW!!! This is a few more available than we anticipated as we've sadly had a couple of reluctant cancellations. If you would like to come along to what promises to be a WONDERFUL and glittering new genre event, tickets cost just £20 each. Simply send me (Debbie) a Message via the website and I'll reserve them for you... (click on my pic on the Blog post & it will take you to my Page).
Confirmed author Guests/attendees so far include: Robert Holdstock, James Barclay, our own Chairman, Stan Nicholls, Juliet McKenna, Sarah Ash... and of course, the Shortlisted Nominees are all trying to re-arrange their schedules!
After a long fought out epic campaign the David Gemmell Legend Award has come down to the final five. They’re slaughtered, butchered and above all fought heroically for their place in the final five despite some dodgy backroom tactics from alleged fans.
Now without further ado, the final five in alphabetical order:
ABERCROMBIE, Joe – Last Argument of Kings (Gollancz) MARILLIER, Juliet – Heir to Sevenwaters (Tor UK) SANDERSON, Brandon - The Hero of Ages (Tor US) SAPOWSKI, Andrzej - Blood of Elves (Gollancz) WEEKS, Brent - The Way of Shadows (Orbit)
