Here’s the finished article and a first look at the cover copy for the UK edition.

Very different from the US version (which the artist Christian McGrath styled on the work of Caravaggio, fact fans), but I like the sense of adventure and intrigue here too.

The front cover photo is by Jonathan Ring and the design by Stephen Mulcahey. The Sword of Albion is out in the UK from Bantam in May and you can pre-order it here.

Lou Anders, my editor at Pyr Books in the US, has done a brief round-up of some of the amazing reviews I’ve been getting in the US for The Silver Skull – out in the UK under the title The Sword of Albion, from Bantam, in May. To say, I’ve been bowled over by the US reception would be under-stating.

Lou has been working up the catalogue copy for the follow-up book, which will be announced in the US soon. In fact, it looks like there’ll be news of the sequel before the book is even out in the UK.

There’s also a new review of the The Silver Skull out today here. Enough blowing of trumpets.

Here’s the new cover for the mass-market paperback edition of Destroyer of Worlds, Kingdom of the Serpent Book Three:

Pretty much the same as the hardback, although the blue is darker, less vibrant. The marketing department felt the more muted tones worked better on the bookshelf. I don’t know if I agree.

Another perceptive review of the first book in the Swords of Albion series:

“Faeries. British Folklore. Alternate Elizabethan History. Magic. Spies. Political Intrigue. Christopher Marlowe. If these fantastic components weren’t enough to get me excited about reading The Silver Skull, the first novel in the new Swords of Albion trilogy, the fact that Mark Chadbourn is the author sealed the deal.”

The Silver Skull is out now in the US. The UK version – re-titled The Sword of Albion – is out in May.

Happy New Year everyone. A quick catch-up post as I get my head back into work-mode after the seasonal festivities, during which I saw and enjoyed both Sherlock Holmes and Avatar amid the usual carnage of what is my favourite time of year. I’m definitely a mid-winter person.

I’m currently snowed-in and watching the reports of Britain grinding to a halt (again). I’m afraid to consider how we’ll cope in a real catastrophe.

My work had a good showing among the usual “Best of…” lists, published at the end of 2009.

The Silver Skull (Swords of Albion) appeared in the favourite novels of Locus magazine critic Paul Witcover, SteveReads, Fantasy Book Critic Cindy’s best of 2009 list, and Fantasyliterature.com.

Meanwhile, Age of Misrule was flagged up in the best of 2009 lists of Rob Will Review, Fantasy Book Critic Cindy’s list (again!), and Nethspace.

Thanks to all.

Here’s a first look at the cover to the UK edition of the first Swords of Albion book, out from Bantam in April:

The first reviews of The Silver Skull prior to its US publication are starting to trickle in. Here’s one from Geeks on Fire! – favourite book of the year so far. I’m happy with that.

Also featured on: fantasyliterature.com.

(Usual note: UK publication to follow with a UK-specific edit.)

A nice Lord of Silence review from Robert William Berg.

The Silver Skull US Edition

It’s worth noting for US readers of this blog that the first Swords of Albion book is now available at the usual outlets across America. Elizabethan spies vs Faerie, in a line.

UK readers have to wait a few weeks – and I hope they do wait. If everyone rushes to import the US edition, my UK publisher (Bantam) isn’t going to be very happy. It’ll be worth the wait – for once, the UK and US versions may be quite different.

For one, the UK version probably won’t be called The Silver Skull (although that’s not yet definite). Secondly, the books have two different editors with different tastes and suggestions.

Often a book is edited and published in one territory first and then re-published in a new territory with minimal changes. But the Swords of Albion books were sold to the US and the UK simultaneously, and instantly went into the relevant publishing schedules with editors attached. The US one just ran through the process quicker. Once I’ve seen the editor’s notes on the UK version I’ll know how different the two editions are.

I have had an advance look at the cover for the UK edition and it’s excellent. Apologies to UK readers for the wait, but I promise for future books in the series the publication dates will be perfectly aligned.

Age of Misrule launches in France in November with the first volume, World’s End (although my Gallic cousins are calling it Age of Chaos – fair translation, I think), under the Orbit France imprint. And to prove that the French, as always, have excellent taste, they have opted to use John Picacio’s covers from the Pyr editions.

Oh, yes, and as you can see from the cover, World’s End is now The Endless Night.

I’ve done an interview with the incisive Shaun Farrell for his highly-regarded podcast, Adventures in SciFi Publishing. I talk about The Silver Skull, my forthcoming Elizabethan spies vs Faerie novel, the Age of Misrule, how I plot and write books, writing for TV and much more.

You can find the podcast here.

Every week I get a bundle of emails asking how to get hold of the out of print The Dark Age titles. From May 2010, I get some respite when Pyr publishes new editions, with a new essay from me about how these three books tie into the “trilogy of trilogies”.

There are three new covers from artist John Picacio too, who did the US Age of Misrule covers. The ones on Amazon are roughs. I’ll post the final ones here when they’re available.

And if you would like to pre-order…:

The Devil in Green

The Queen of Sinister

The Hounds of Avalon

The Silver Skull

The first Swords of Albion review is in, from US magazine RT Book Reviews. Classed as four-and-a-half stars (dammit, how did I lose that last star?), it says:

”The new Swords of Albion series, set in an alternate Elizabethan England, gets off to a smashing start. The historical detail sets a believable backdrop, and the main character, a spy, could pass for a fantastical James Bond. Chadbourn sets a fast pace, pitting his characters against supernatural threats with a bit of horror thrown in. FANTASTIC – keeper.”

Which gaves a flavour of what’s in there. I should soon be able to showcase the UK cover art, but if you want to put in an advance order, you can do so here:

UK
Amazon.co.uk
Waterstones

US
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

I’ll do more links when other bookstores put them on online, and I’ll include any indie bookstores if you get in touch.

A quick reminder that I will be attending the UK’s British Fantasy Society convention, FantasyCon, in Nottingham on Saturday (September 19).

I’ll be signing copies of a new BFS anthology at around 5pm. It features a new short story of mine – Deadhouse Steps - but it’s only available to BFS members – free, by the way – so you’ll be expected to sign up before getting a copy

If you’re thinking of attending, full details can be found here. I’ll be around all day so come over and say hello.

I’ve been heartened by the US response to the publication of the Age of Misrule books. Here’s another erudite review.

The UK publication date for my new series, Swords of Albion - Elizabethan spies vs Faerie, in a nutshell – has just been announced by my publisher Bantam for April 2010. The book is now available for pre-order at the usual sites.

And a quick plea to all UK readers, please don’t order the US version, if you can possibly resist. The global market is causing a headache for publishers with staggered releases (it’s not always possible to align publication dates around the globe) – and if everyone orders the US version on import, my UK sales will tank and my editor will give me a good kicking.

The Age of Misrule Omnibus has sold out in the UK, although copies might still be available at retailer level. The Omnibus was always intended to be a short-term special edition, but the publisher was overwhelmed by the initial demand.

The story will still be available in the individual volumes – World’s End, Darkest Hour and Always Forever. World’s End has just gone into its fifth printing so there should be loads of copies around.

A quick heads up to anyone thinking of purchasing Lord of Silence, which has been getting some very nice reviews – don’t wait too long.

The publisher, Solaris, is up for sale, and even if the company is bought, the new owners don’t have the rights to Lord of Silence. Though I haven’t seen any figures, I have a sneaking suspicion the initial print run won’t have been huge as Solaris won’t want any spare books sitting in the warehouse when the new owners come in or the doors shut for good.

I’ve already had reports of quick sell-outs in US book stores. I don’t know how many books are left, but it’s worth stressing that – in the immediate future – this book won’t be permanently available like Age of Misrule.

Ages since I’ve written a short story and two announcements come along at once. Typical. I’m very proud to be included in a new anthology of superhero prose tales, With Great Power! which will be published by Pocket Books in 2010.

Award-winning editor Lou Anders has put together a great list of fellow contributors, a mix of leading comic book writers (including some personal favourites) and f/sf authors who are comics fans. Here’s the full list: Matthew Sturges, James Maxey, Paul Cornell, Mike Carey, Mike Baron, Daryl Gregory, Gail Simone, Stephen Baxter, Chris Roberson, Peter & Kathleen David, Joseph Mallozzi, Marjorie M Liu, Ian McDonald and Bill Willingham.

As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m a long-time comics fan, like many authors within the genre, and I’ve had comics published by Image and Caliber. Superheroes – so big in the movies – really is an untapped genre in prose form, though, and all credit to Pocket Books for taking the leap into this new area.

A new short story – and I rarely get the chance to write them these days – will be available in the first annual anthology from the British Fantasy Society. Deadhouse Steps is a horror story, springing out of my recent visit to Tenby in South Wales, where the steps can be found.

The anthology – the British Fantasy Society Yearbook 2009 – is only available to members of the British Fantasy Society, so sign up now if you want to get a copy. Membership costs £30 a year, but for that you get the quarterly magazine, Prism, with news, reviews and colums, the fiction magazines Dark Horizons and New Horizons, and a discount off the entrance fee to the annual convention, Fantasycon.

The anthology includes a cross-section of leading British fantasy and horror writers, including James Barclay, Juliet McKenna, Christoper Fowler, Tim Lebbon, Sarah Pinborough and Conrad Williams.