Friday, April 25, 2008

This Week's Recipe

Yes, today's recipe is Apport avec les clefs. For this you will need an old kitchen, a cup of 'whooa', two teaspoons full of 'crikey-o'reilly', a Thursday afternoon and a squeeze of lemon (optional). Mix the ingredients in the old kitchen and set aside. We'll come back to it later and see how it's doing.

So, Paris. Stayed near the Tuileries (one should always stay near the Tuileries, as a basic rule of life, 'what happened to him?' 'He didn't stay near the Tuileries, did he?'), visited the Pompidou Centre, oohed and aahed, shopped in les Halles, found the best toy soldier shop in the universe, and the most fantastic antiques store that sold, amongst other things, antique, double-barrelled, under-and-over, Belgian, holster revolvers (expect to find one of those in a book soon), and generally had a fabulous time. Thanks Mathieu and Dju, and congratulations are due to Dju this week for all sorts of things, including his birthday, his wedding and the imminent arrival of his first son. Dju, just in case you don't know, translates the Ghost books into French, and a wonderful job he does too. He's also a regular poster to this blog. Everyone say, 'Go Dju!'

We were having dinner with Mathieu and Dju on the Friday night, waiting for the mighty Graham McNeill to join us (his plane had been delayed by some kind of cosmic warp event), and I happened to say to Mat, 'What I really like about French Games Day, having been here the last two years, is the gentile and relaxed nature of the meet and greet.'

Sunday morning, twenty past nine, the queue began. Graham and I stood our ground and, like Alpharius and Omegon, we confronted the queue. Six and a half bloody hours of signing! Six and a half! Now, it's not that I'm complaining, oh no, it's fantastic to get a response like that, but SIX AND A HALF BLOODY HOURS! I'm thinking of having a sharpie surgically attached in the manner of some Mechanicus scribe, so that I can sign at will. I would certainly like to thank, and I'm sure Graham would join me in this, the rapturous response we both received from the French fans, not to mention the stirling work put in by the guys selling the books. We signed everything that was thrust at us, we posed for a lot of photos (there are an awful lot of 'looks of destiny' out there), and the convention exclusive French edition of our Horus short story double-header was a gorgeous, full-colour booklet (good job, Mat!).

In France, as Joanie Mitchell once remarked, 'they kiss on main street'. There was a lot of that about. Middle-aged couples happily swapping tongues in the Place Vendome. We wondered if this was particularly French (no pun intended) or if an awful lot of happy couples had come to Paris for the weekend. What the hell, if you can't beat them... you know the rest.

We were met at the Gard du Nord by a suited chauffeur, who held up my name printed on a card, and led us to an immaculate and massive Peugeot limousine. I like France.

By the way, Dju, when I mentioned the Breeders, I was thinking of their new album 'Mountain Battles', which is jolly good.

The best hot chocolate in the world is served at the cafe beside the Hotel Mayfair on the Rue Rouget de Lisle (named after the man who wrote the Marseillais, you'd have thought they'd have given him a longer street). In the organic cafe where we had brunch on Satuday morning, our French friends gleefully spread what amounted to liquid Milky Bars on their croissants. We brought a jar of the substance home for Lily (thanks Dju) and thus far she has regarded it suspiciously from a distance. The past, as the adage goes, is a foreign country, and so, it turns out, is France.

For all of you out there in TV land, you may be interested to know that in the coming months, I will be penning a 'Primeval' novel (it's called 'Extinction Event'), and a Doctor Who book which will recount the exploits of Martha Jones during the year when the Master held the Doctor captive and she roamed the Earth (ie, the end of season three). The latter will not be all my own work, as I am writing the framing sequence and story into which other stories, by other hands will be set. I'm looking forward to it. I have a soft spot for Martha.

And after that... it's Gaunt time again! The twelfth Gaunt novel will be called 'Blood Pact', and you won't believe the tortuous shit I'm going to put our heroes through. In other news, I do recommend that you pick up the critically praised 'Nova' that Andy and I are writing for Marvel, and look out for the first issue of our new series, 'Guardians of the Galaxy', which launches next month and features a team that includes Star-Lord, Adam Warlock, Drax, Gomorah, Quasar and Rocket Racoon. Oh, and also Groot ('I am Groot!'). How can you resist that? I've just read the first issue and it's all kinds of awesome.

Let's review the blog...

... Yes, I'm going to Games Day Germany.

Re frontages. I like frontages, me.

Rory - I hope you find your shoe.

Sredni - Dukeleto was quite correct when he suggested that I had read up about submarines in order to research 'Titanicus'. U-Boats, specifically.

Glad everybody liked 'Legion'. Glad everybody hates Cuu.

Mouz - Welcome to the blog. If I come to Brighton, I do like Bourbons, and the clones can stay outside in the car. If you ask me very nicely, and e-mail your address to this site, I might happen to find the soundtrack CD.

Andrew - Throw in General Sturm and knock yourself out. I love you too.

Mouz (2) - Just in case you hadn't realised, Nik is Mrs Dan.

Rob - Yes, it is rather nice to get paid for blowing up planets. Could you explain what a golf clap is, because I'm sure I would have enjoyed it.

Tom - Yes, I call that a salute. What was it that you were doing? (Apart from posting your comment three thousand times ;-))

So back to the recipe. It should be ready to serve, now. You may find that a pinch of hussar helps to make it piquant. You've all heard about the squeaky gate, the suspiciously rosemary scented scissors, the shadow at the end of the corridor and the footsteps around the bed. Well, try this one. The other day, Thursday, I was upstairs and Nik was downstairs and –

What is it, clone number 1?

Well, sir, I was concerned that your preoccupation with ghost stories might alarm or distress your younger readers. Also, I thought that your affirmed belief in the supernatural might put off your more rational bloggees.

Both points well made, clone number 1. But I don't think my stories will alarm too many people, and I don't believe in the supernatural per se. I'm just remarking upon the curious shit that happens in my house.

OK then, sir.

Off you go then, clone number 1. I want that book finished by Sunday.

So, there was a tremendous clatter from the kitchen. I came down from upstairs and Nik emerged from the basement where she had been working. In the middle of the kitchen floor lay over half a dozen keys, scattered in an almost deliberate arc. They hadn't fallen out of anything. We don't keep keys in a pot that could fall, and there was not pot, besides. They had just appeared there, on the floor. They were big, fat, back door keys of the old variety that we didn't know we had. In technical terms, this is called an apport, which means the sudden materialisation of objects. We were both properly taken aback. Before you ask, none of the keys smelled of rosemary. At some point, we intend to see if the keys fit any of the doors in the house. However, there are more keys than doors. And I have resisted the temptation, thus far, because I have a nagging suspicion that when I go round the house, door to door, trying the keys, I will eventually open a door that should give into the bathroom or our bedroom, and find a room that I haven't previously discovered. Inside, the hussar will look up from his rosemary clipping and say, 'I've been waiting for you.'

And serve.

130 comments:

Al said...

First Post! Zing!

Glad you had a good time in France it sounds fun :)

On a separate and completely irrelevant note, I re-read Brothers of The Snake the other day and noticed something I hadn't the first time through...

...The picture of you in the back with the awesome handlebar moustache!

:D

Al said...

Oh and that is some seriously spooky shit going on in your house, my parents recently moved house to Kent (I dunno if the house is near Maidstone) I hope they don't have a poltergeist too lol

Anonymous said...

Monsignor Abnett,

Greetings, I'm a long-time-reader-first-time-poster(LTRFTP)

Have you given any thought to the possibility that the Hussar has been reading your novels? I'd consider asking him, "Hwat sweyathee, soule?"

Congrats on the new forthcoming novels, plus I am quite excited for the Guardians of the Galaxy. Can we expect any news on some Inquisitor-related shorts in the future?

Anonymous said...

short stories, that is

although if you know anything about Inquisitor-related short pants... don't let them know you know.

Hastatus said...

France sounds fun! I really want to go to the UK one again this year, but I doubt my Dad will take me...

I finished hereticus a few days back - it is amazing! And really sad at the end. So many deaths...

Your ghost sounds strange. It probably wants you to write a book about it. Only then will it leave you alone. I don't live far from Maidstone either.

The doctor who thing sounds very interesting. Do you mean theres going to be several novels, the frame of which you will write? Either way, I'll probably read it.

And I'm looking forward to Blood Pact to!

Anonymous said...

you should see if you can find out what sort of time the keys might've been made / in use, and whether the timespan matches what you know about the house's former inhabitant.

Anonymous said...

Hey Dan, my first comment to this blog. Love the books, you and Neil Gaiman remain my favourite authors, if Blood Pact surpasses Only in Death I will be ecstatic.

One question. When, oh when, are you coming to Bath?

- Ash

Anonymous said...

Thanks for replying Dan, I got quite excited, when I saw my name skimming the blog quickly...

Anyway, I used to live in France, in south west close to Bordeaux
where they have a GW and stock your fabulous books, which actually helped me to learn French, using my Dan Abnett blessed "Necropolis" and a rather well thumbed French edition. So I was able to reread my favorite while learning French! So another reason to revisit all of your books.

"Putain! Depechez-vous de vous accrocher, je vais pas tenir longtemps!"
(Can anyone guess where in the book?)

I was surprised when I discovered that 'Feth' has been replaced by a number of different phrases in the French version, many of which I cant say here and some of the context reworded like in "Necropolis" just after the quote from Bragg where Dremmond says "good fething catch" it translates to French as "Bravo, bon reflexe" which translated back as "Well done/Cheers, good reflexes" No relation to the crude nature of Dremmond's usual 'Every other word is a swear word' Essex lingo style but without the burberry hat and tracksuit bottoms.

But the point is that I thought it takes away a part of the Ghosts identity, which dilutes the characters of the books and (to sound abit extreme) I don't know if its as bad as Billy Murray getting drunk in Japan but I feel that the book was to a point lost in translation. It could be that the book was specifically adapted for the French target audience, but I feel that book translations can sometimes come off badly. Not that I think Dju did a bad job! The book as a whole represents the heart of the ghosts and I only moan about specific character references, though if you want me to review the translation of the French version of "Blood Pact" feel free to throw stuff at me, I think you already want to.

Wow, proper little review there, completely spontaneous, had me pouring over ye olde books for a decent example, but far too formal for a Saturday morning, so remember these.

The only 2 phrases you will ever need to remember for French, which you can use in conjunction with one another:

"une bière avec l'orange svp"
"comment vous faisant" Joey style

I did realise who Nik was in relation to you (Your boss) I apologise if I said anything idiotic or annoy you, I do that alot.

As for your ghost, I would suggest placing a call to the ghostbusters, very professional, paid by hour and dish out unique catchphrases!

ayez un beau jour!

Anonymous said...

Go Dju! (Guilty look)

Je désolé

Je le dis seulement parce que je pense son grand

Anonymous said...

Mouz - Dan was, of course, Spengler not so very long ago.

Mouz said...

Yay! Just remembered my Blogger password...

sorry, I don't know if I'm being stupid but I'm new to the blog, Spengler sounds familiar but you will have enlighten me

Pack_master said...

*still not tired from dancing because of stimm injections en masse*


Do you mean Dr Egon Spengler? ;)


Dr Who, eh? Have to call my bro, who's a big Dr Who Fan (TV, but what the hell).


The Key thing made me laugh, somehow. Laughed even more at the Nihtgane suggestion.


And the translation problem exists everywhere, sadly. You know, the Volpone 10th Brigade are Storm Troopers with Hellguns. The german translaters (non-GW) made infantry-carried, bullet-based rotator cannons out of it. Sucks to be german, sometimes. But I don't buy the translations anyway ;) Reading english's good for learning the language.

Pack_master said...

Gnah, forgot half the thing.

You mean Dr Egon Spengler? Known associate of Dr Peter Venkman and Dr Raymond Stantz? ;)

Mouz said...

OH! wow, its been too long since I watched Ghostbusters....how can I forget their names!

Sorry Brains!

"Venkman, shorten your stream, I don't want my face burned off!."

and my favourite:

"Ray... we'd like to shoot the monster, could you move, please?"

Pack_master said...

"I collect spores, mould and funguss" is one of the best, methinks.

Of course, directly after:

"He got slimed!" - "Great! Save some for me!"


*hopping up and down on bleeding stumps while waiting impatiently for Ghostbusters III*

Logarithm said...

Not everybody hates Cuu. He was one of my favorite characters, probably has something to do with sharing a name. Also, I noticed in your books that you seem to kill of a lot of the Vergastites over "true" Ghosts, what is with the hiver hate?

Anonymous said...

Mouz, Pack - Dan wrote every issue of 'Spengler's Spirit Guide' in the Ghostbusters comic way back when. Some of his proudest moments in junior print.

Pack_master said...

No kidding? Heh. Well, never read that, only knew of the two movies. I think I have to do some funky research...

Unknown said...

So, Dan... You and Graham kissed in Place Vendome.
This is an interesting plot twist.

Anonymous said...

Shawn - I wouldn't let Graham hear you say that.

the-seventh-son said...

i liked the ending Dan highly appropriate, may we be seeing that in a future novel? hmm i wonder...

damn hussars...

Anonymous said...

....zootlewurdle....I'm guessing that the email to info@ didn't get through. Thanks for namechecking me in your comments about Gary Gygax and the importance of RPGs. Glad you enjoyed Paris, France, as I have now learned to call it.

Anonymous said...

PS Please let me know the best way to get in contact, after more than 20 years it would be nice to chat...

Anonymous said...

"the gentile and relaxed nature of the meet and greet"? "Joanie Mitchell"?? Mr Newcombe would be turning in his grave! ;-)

...zootlewurdle...

Anonymous said...

Julz - Hi... and bloody hell! e-mail me at nhvincent@aol.com and I'll put you in touch.

Anonymous said...

Email sent. Let me know if it doesn't get through (I occasionally get spam-filtered).

Love J.

Anonymous said...

PS If I appear to be posting at bizarre times of day, bear in mind I'm in the USA. Or was that obvious already?

Pack_master said...

It's only half past midnight on saturday. What should be strange about that? ;) The occasional role playing gamer begins his sessions now :D

Anonymous said...

True. But some of my posts have been at 3:30 am, which...oh, forget it. Gaming is truly a city that never sleeps...

Pack_master said...

Sleeping is overrated.

Pack_master said...

(@ time: half past midnight here in germany - for the most it's been half an hour BEFORE midnight ;)

So, well, going to bed now. Have a nasty cold for a couple of days now, and I like my voice too much not to hear it for a while longer - because I can't really talk, and hear either. Damn ineffective immune system)

LeeMXT said...

Hi Dan,

first up, im another one of your long time lurkers, but first time posters, you'll certainly be seeing a lot more of me round these parts!

i dont know if you'll remember graham signing the cardboard power fist at UK Games Day '05, that was me - we were all in tanith costume!

with that last remark, im sure you can assume that im a huge ghosts fan. im rather shocked that blood pact is going to torture the old ghosts, are they down to about 1500 now? poor buggers!

i have to ask, when are we gonna get to see some more first person perspective on the 'pact. we get brief spots from books like sabbat martyr (best ghosts book hands down IMO - i actually cried while reading the scene with Kolea and Ven!) and traitor general, but when will we get some understanding of how the blood pacts inner workings?

as an aside, im actually working on a sculpting project for the blood pact at the moment. one of your other posters, col. gravis is also doing a number of pact, and did a piece for me not too long ago. you wanna see his sculpting ability, he does a lot of praetorian work. if you'd be interested in some, i'll throw you some over for free, seeing as you created the sole purpose for them!!!

that stuff aside, i was extremely impressed with ravenor rogue, loved every second of it - are we gonna be seeing any more of our awe inspiring inquisitor, or is he finally retiring on ill health? perhaps he might move round the corner from his old mate 'horn in a dark corner of the galaxy somewhere.

incidentally, where is 'horn at the mo? (no funny jokes please!)

you ever visited holland dan? i prefer it over france any day, though i must admit i feel arrogant whenever im over there, so much stuff in english!


sorry to harp on, got a bad case of first post verbal diahorrhea! (FPVD)


Lee

LeeMXT said...

was just thinking something which cracked me up, wouldnt ravenor be able to claim a 40k version of DLA or Incapacity benefit?

how great would it be these days if people could get anti-grav chairs with psycannons on the front, talk about combatting discrimination!!!

by the way, i've always wanted to ask you, do you own any 40k/other models yourself? something that i always think of, but fail to ask at whatever oppertunity presents itself...

Lee - currently trawling through a randomly selected rebus novel off his shelf...

Anonymous said...

leemxt - Among other things, Dan is putting together a book of Ravenor and Eisenhorn stories, so you'll get to read about both some time in the not terribly distant future.

Anonymous said...

Julz - got it, forwarded it downstairs to Dan (poor sod works in the basement) and sent an answer back to you to complete the circle. Expect to hear something soon.

Anonymous said...

Wondrous.

Rory said...

Pack - Sleep is indeed overrated.


I didnt find my shoe, It had a Crossword pattern on it. It was a good shoe. I miss my shoe!

When you coming to scotland dan?

And the keys thing, thats happened to me. i came int the living room to find a bunch of stuff lying in on the kitchen floor in a perfect circle. Either my sister got abit arty, or i have a ghostie :)


*cough* Come to scotland!*cough*

Anonymous said...

Groot and Cosmo in the same comic book? Now my day is complete!

I like Martha Jones too, but my girlfriend is one of the Friends of Rose Tyler and is always nattering on about how much better than Martha Rose was. Curiously her complaints about Martha are precisely the same ones I have about Rose. Go figure. Will be looking forward to the Doctor Who book.

Rob Rath said...

Ok, let's break this up...

"Golf Clap" is an American slang phrase that derives from the soft, polite method of clapping that spectators use while watching professional golfers. The idea is to applaud someone for an amazing feat without breaking their concentration.

I don't think I mentioned it, but one of my friends bought all those old Ghostbusters comics that Dan did way back when. Not as good as his current writing since he was just starting out, but I would have to admit that my life would be less rich had I not seen Ray and Egon battle an ectoplasmic mammoth as it tore through a Soviet tank column. And Dan- extra points for using the term Perestroika in a comic for 9 year-olds.

Ghosts in general: Never had anything appear in a house before... but I did live in a house where toys would run without batteries and remote control cars would drive circles around the living room until you picked them up and saw that the switch was in the "off" position.

I'm all in favor of testing the keys (but not the silver one with "R. Carter" inscribed on it, best leave that one alone).

LeeMXT said...

cheers for that nik, thats great to hear, i really miss the pair of them! though i know dans certainly got bigger fish to fry at the moment, its nice to know he still has a place for them! suppose its a by product of awesome writing ability for people to really become attached to characters and stories.

incidentally, have you ever checked out deviant art to see some of the artwork people have done of the ghosts, its amazing!!!

on the ghost subject, i once went to a wierd haunted pub in billinge, wigan for a fundraiser for an old charity i used to work for. was a mental night, they had a seance and, me being the idiot i am + 6 pints of IPA, joined in.

half way through a rather uneventful and sceptical seance,something really wierd happened. i passed out and actually thought i'd fell asleep, but people told me i was sat up straight with tears streaming down my face and babbling all sorts. i was totally unaware of it!

since then, ive never delved into anything spiritual, im frankly bloody terrified to be honest!

do you think the hussar'd appreciate a seance? might be nice to talk to him in person, or do you prefer him to say hello when he feels like it. perhaps he could share his rosemary cooking advice with you? i bet he cooks a mean chicken....

best get my ironing done before my long suffering partner gets home, not seen her for well over a week...

Lee

Dju said...

Hi everyone !
I should have posted sooner, but as Dan stated it, I had quite a busy weekend. Dan, Nik, everything went just fine, expect the pictures for very soon.

@ Mouz : No offense taken at all, this is all good commenting. You raised a very interesting issue : what the feth happened to "feth" in the French version of the Gaunt books ? Answer is : it couldn't really stay like this.
Basically, there were 3 solutions :
- Find a French word I could use like "feth", as a euphemism. Thing is, we don't have any, or they sound way too ludicrous. And the Ghosts had to sound like they mean business, so...
- Second solution, considering that Feth is supposed to be a Tanith god of nature, make the Ghosts swear "by Feth !" more often than not. But we French people don't swear like this anymore. Using too much of this trick would have ruined it for the readers, and given them the impression they were reading "Cyrano with a lasgun". You'll surely have noticed that the Ghosts still swear "par Feth !" once in a while, just because Feth had to stick in the Tanith background.
- So it left me with a third option : going down and dirty, Ghosts-style ! This is why the French Ghosts use some very crude expression that you were right not to mention here. But after all, Mr Abnett himself, beloved of all, does use some pretty colourful images once in all a while, like in Sabbat Mater when

*tiny spoiler here*
Rawne tells his men to kiss their asses goodbye, or when Larkin feels exposed in the middle of a street, like he had a target painted on him and a feather up his ass.
*end of tiny spoiler*

Translation is all about composing with this kind of issues, and not always giving an exact word-by-word account of the original version, but more sticking to the feel of it. The audience that reads my translations is French, French swearing had its own specific rules, I had to stick to them.
For anyone interested in the translating process, I recommend a book called Experiences in translation, by Umberto Eco (yeha, the same guy who wrote The Name of the Rose).

@Packmaster : I've been a Warhammer and Warhammer 40K fan for years, and I worked for the GW French translation studio before going freelance. So I feel sorry if in your German version, hellguns shoot bullets ! Sticking to the universe and the existing background is another important aspect of any translation. This is why *gets ready to be booed* vox units are merely radio units in the French version of the Gaunt novels. Sorry folks (and Dan), but I had to stick to the conventions that had been established for the French Imperial Guard Codex.

Thank you Dan, I'll try to find that Breeders album to listen to. And sorry for saying at the dinner table that 80's French TV shows were "old". *blushes with shame at the memory of it* That was a huge case of foot in the mouth, but hey, there already was a stripper guy dancing a few tables from us, so how much worse could it possibly get ? :)

Two last things and I'll be done.

To the whole lot of you : get married ! Now that I am, I know why so many people say it was the best day of their lives.
Of course, it will rank down to second best as soon as my baby son is born.

And here's my small contribution to the weird supernatural experiences catalogue.
The cat I had when I was a teenager died when I was away on a trip to Spain. She managed to open doors by jumping and hanging herself to the handle, and for a few months, the door to my room started to open all by itself when I was inside, even after I checked it was properly shut. I like to consider it as a goodbye of sorts.

the-seventh-son said...

we'll as we are all sharing Ghost stories, i have one

I work in my local McDonalds which was converted from a pub, the White Lion. There is a corridor round the back to get to our crew room which apparently the owner of the pub got murdered in. Now i thought it was all rubbish, but the Corridor is and has always been so much colder than the rest of the building, as if there is a prescence lurking there, occassionally you can also hear a tapping through the walls, but the walls are solid brick...

kinda creepy when you think about it

oh and my dad used to have a ghost in his flat that used to beat tunes against the radiator, thats a bit weird

Hastatus said...

I've never had a ghost... I'll have to catch one someday and persuade it to do something interesting...

Eisenhorn is very cool! I should get Ravenor at some point, and then I'll know a lot about the galaxy's two best inquisitors!

Are you planning on doing any signings around the Ashford area? Or if not, then Canterbury?

Mouz said...

Heya Dju,

Great to hear your explanations, I understand now the problems you had to face, it must be difficult transferring a story to a different culture set. I think you did a great job retaining the essence of the ghosts in the transfer, you have to be able to change certain parts and stick with it, being confident in your choice, I now look at the french versions almost as a new adaptation, with the chance of a slightly different viewpoint, I look foward to reading some more French versions.

I will try get my hands on "Experiences in translation" as soon as possible. :D

It feels like I'm married already, been living with my long term girlfriend for over a year now and I think we've covered everything apart from kids....well....we have two cats which she refers to as her "babies" and herself as "mummy" so far I've keep myself out of this inter-species family, but I fear her evil techniques are being to wear down my defenses.

The other morning I found her positioning the cats on my lap with a camera on the dresser on a time delay saying it was a "family" picture......To say I was scared would be an understatement.

Anyone else have crazy girlfriends or partners?

Pack_master said...

Well, the cat (namend "tequila"...) of my ex-girlfried loved me more than it did it's family. They were all a bit puzzled, but hey, it's nice having a purring little beastie, that sheds more than a lamb on a cissor-expo, in your lap... ;)

Oh, I have a dog. It's turning 14 next month, and is nuts as hell.

Pack_master said...

Oh, and on COMPLETELY unrelated circumstances...

http://www.garfield.com/comics/comics_todays.html

;)

Mouz said...

wow, I like the site, an instant favouite :D

Anonymous said...

'What I really like about French Games Day, having been here the last two years, is the gentile and relaxed nature of the meet and greet.'

Genteel, surely, Dan?

LeeMXT said...

oooh the spelling trolls are here!!!

anyway, do you not think it a bizarre coincidence that we are talking about ghosts, on a site dedicated to an author and creator of 'ghosts'?

anyone else think thats a real twist of fate?!

Lee

Allandaros said...

Spelling trolls? Incorrect, citizen. They are Spelling Commissars. Honor them (or honour them, should you happen to be a Briton), lest you be found wanting in the eyes of the Emperor and the Oxford English Dictionary.

Leopro said...

Hi, mr. Dan!

I would like to ask you a critical (for me and my friends) question about 'Rising' in 'Horus Rising'.
Is this Rising as rising to power? Or is it as rebelling/revolting against Father Emperor?

Thank you!

Uncle Truth said...

Oops. Looks like a perfectly innocent, innocuous post about double eagle ended up being more akin to triple, nay MULTIPLE eagle. I must be developing an e-stammer ;)

I'm entering a short story competition at my local Games workshop in Glasgow, (only 1000 words; a mere footnote) and have decided to write about the good old Guard. I would have posted it on the blog for everyone to poke holes in it, but I think after last time's shambolic posting attempt, I've used up my space quota on your blog for the next few lifetimes. D'oh!

Your house sounds cool btw. A bit like the one I lived in before they renovated old Glasgow in the eighties. Knowing Glasgow, it was probably wasn't the ghost of anything as posh as a Hussar though :( I have a friend who is an 'expert' on paranormal and spiritual encounters if you start to get more freaked out, (if that's possible).

Loving Darkblade and looking forward to Titanicus.

Happy trails dude. May handdryers everywhere register your presence...


Tom
Tom
Tom
Tom, (kidding this time)

the-seventh-son said...

potential spoiler alert

pack i have a similar situation, my Girlfriend's cat absolutely loves me, she insists on sitting on me everytime i'm round, very strange...

i've started Flight of the Eisenstien now, what did you guys think of the first trilogy? i didnt like that both Aximand and Abaddon survive

Anonymous said...

Tom - oddly, none of us is remotely bothered by the hussar. He just is, just as we are. Whether he is an environmental phenomenon, a joint figment of our imaginations or anything actually supernatural is really neither here nor there. I do, however, tease my teenage daughters that it's all their fault, since young girls are often the focus of supernatural activities.

We've had experiences in other houses, including noises, cupboards emptying, flashing lights, doors opening and closing etc.

My Mum gets tobacco smells in her house, which is a strictly non-smoking environment, and from time to time, I see my grandmother getting on a bus, which I thought was odd, because Grandad had a car, until I spoke to Mum, and apparently Grandmother regularly caught a bus to go fabric shopping (she made all her own clothes).

Go figure.

Nik

Anonymous said...

Seventh Son:

SPOILERS FOR HH

Ya, we all sort of knew Abbadon would survive, and I still like Aximand a lot- I think he's got a bigger part to play still.

The opening trilogy is great, as are all of the ones so far (though I'm only 113 into Legion, which so far is awesome.) My only complaints with the series so far is that the beginning halves of Fulgrim and Decent were sort of iffy to me. The ending 200 or so pages for both were quite enjoyable (especially Fulgrim!)

the-seventh-son said...

potential spoilers

you see i have found Eisenstien to be lacking, maybe i read the first three too quickly, i may have to take a little break and find out what happens to Ravenor and his crew seen as i still havent read those.

I must also get brothers of the snake and fell cargo at some point... hmmm

as well as continue my precious blood pact, has anyone seen/heard from big steve recently thinking about it?

Interesting question Dan, could the Hussar be Cuu's ghost come to reap revenge for his character dieing, may wanna watch it...
oh and did u get the idea of adding the ghosts in Only in Death from the Hussar

Mouz said...

dam spoilers, I couldnt read any of the final 4 apart from Nik's!

Must....read....faster!

Anonymous said...

No real spoilers, but still. Here be dragons (spoilers)?

My complaint with FotE was a lack in happenings. I dunno, it didn't feel like a ton went down. I think it started too far back from the Istvaan incidents.

I dunno. Something about the books has been a little "meh" but I still found all to be enjoyable so far. Flight made me fall in love with pre-heresy Death Guard. I want a model to be released for Mortarion because I think he could be the most badass thing since sliced bread and the internet. Also Typhon, with big ol' beard rather than massive manorot would be cool.

I have Brothers of the Snake and Fell Cargo... still haven't read Fell Cargo (it's sitting mere feet away right now too... but legion is closer!), but BotS was awesome.

Ya... Give some of the HH books time to grow on you I guess? They all seemed good after I was done them and looked back. The original 3 and Legion are the only ones that have grabbed me right off the bat.

Unknown said...

Also, Mouz: Read faster. Dooooit.

Hastatus said...

My favourite HH books so far are probably Legion, Horus Rising and Galaxy in Flames. Although I like all the others as well, and I'm looking forward to Battle for the Abyss, being an Ultramarines fan.

Personally, I think Aximand will stay around to the Siege of Terra, and then, contrary to what the history books say, he will lower the shields on the battle barge, not Horus. He will finally realize how bad he was in becoming a traitor, and seek redemption by giving the Emperor the chance to rout the traitors and kill their leader. Of course, I think its unlikely this will happen, but in my opinion it would be a fitting end for one of the coolest characters and be a truly great twist in the HH story.

Anonymous said...

Hmm - I still think Abaddon is going to kill Little Horus before they get to the Siege. The ending of GiF said something about Abaddon having to watch him closely from now on.

the-seventh-son said...

i think hastatus may be right i could see that coming into frutition but who knows, for some reason i just found them a bit weak i've looked back and thought well it was alright... no offence meant to any of the writers they are splendid books just not what i was expecting

i also find them a bit unrealistic, i mean super-humans, aliens, gods, i mean come on, *jokes*

Mouz said...

Phew! (Gordan Ramsey voice)

Horus Rising, done!...
False Gods, done!.....
Galaxy in Flames, done...just about..

Whats next???

The flight of Eisenstein? right! let crack on!

Mouz said...

whats left?

Fulgrim: Visions of Treachery
Descent of Angels: Loyalty and Honour
Legion
Battle for the Abyss
Mechanicum

is that the list so far?

Hastatus said...

Yep, thats all the HH books so far, although I think in the next month or so the name of the next book (March 2009 release) will be released. Thats just a guess though, but the 'coming soon' list on Black Library is getting close to that time next year.

Anonymous said...

Some seriously stressing times right now- I wish I had more time to read Legion, as it's incredible. The best (by what I've read) of the books aside from the opening 3.

I'd also like to add I think the way the writers are doing the HH is perfect. Doing the trilogy followed by a bunch of related, connecting, but standalone-ish novels is really great. I enjoy how much room it leaves for the amount of novels in the series!

Mouz said...

See now I'm worried...

A few people are saying that the first 3 are the best and I've just finished "Galaxy in Flames" so am I going to be disappointed with the next few? Will TFOTE slow the series down, Or will I only read them quickly so I can get to "Legion"?

Awww screw it...Ill find out soon enough...(Need to finish Uni coursework first) :(

Anonymous said...

Mouz - if it helps, Legion is pretty much a stand alone book in the series, so you could read it out of sequence if you weren't squeamish about these things.

Anonymous said...

Mouz - if it helps, Legion is pretty much a stand alone book in the series, so you could read it out of sequence if you weren't squeamish about these things.

Anonymous said...

I have just finished reading Titanicus. I cannot help thinking that you have all got a real treat in store!

Allandaros said...

"If you ask me very nicely, and e-mail your address to this site, I might happen to find the soundtrack CD.

While I am not Mouz:

O Sanctified and Honored Scrivener Primus Abnett, would you, in your generosity and the light of the Emperor, be willing to provide others with the musical data as well?

(My contact email is allandaros@gmail . com)

Norawho said...

There are some words in Legion that asked for a dictionary, or a cultural reference, which is a stylistic choice.

So is "azerbaijani." Explain that choice.

Pack_master said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan

;)

Rob Rath said...

Norawho:

"Azerbaijani" is used to describe people who are citizens of Azerbaijan, a country on the Caspian Sea which sits on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

Rob Rath said...

Damn, PM beat me to it.

Dju said...

Yeah, well,
Not Mouz either, but I'd be interested in the soundtrack too (if anything, to have a real cool background music when playing 40K) :-)
Thank you, O great and revered Scrivener Primus Abnett, may your prose be neverending, may your clones never rest, may flowers grow under each of your steps, for thine is the powerful penning and the kingdom of Amazon.com.

Norawho said...

You did that. Did you paste a wiki and assume it was privileged information? Thank you for loaning me your Jstor access.

Dan Abnett understands the question perfectly, because he is the best. All authors makes a semiotic choice. He chooses precision and exotic language over readability.

In the case of "azerbaijani," he does the opposite. Azerbaijan is the name of a country. Describing a thing as azerbaijani is like saying this blog is United Kingdomonian.

I have a new question, because I have since read another novel. Are the buildings on Spica Maximal colored jet because they or evil, or just made out of black material and in shadow? I would like to know what is correct in the world, and I need a role model for prose styling. Can I color you father or can I color you love?

Anonymous said...

I'm currently listening to the Torchwood audiobook "Everyone Says Hello", and let me tell you, Dan, you've managed to make people saying "hello" about ten times as creepy as anything you can find in a zombie movie. Well done.

Anonymous said...

Mouz! Do not have worries about the other HH books as they are all quite good, just they may take a while to pick up. The best example of that is Fulgrim. I think Fulgrims first half was decent, it isn't boring, but nothing spectacular happens, and the characters are just sort of comming out as likeable or unlikeable. I didn't know what characters I liked till practically the end of the novel, I think the development moved a tad slow (or I did... highly likely) but the last 200 pages are absolute bombsauce.

Don't be worried about the next books, they're definitly still good- don't let our few negative comments make you think they're bad books.

Mouz said...

Wow, I think that I will have no worries about reading the next few books, and must resist the urge to run off with Legion and leave the other sitting there with glum expressions on their spines with only Jack Campbell's "The lost fleet" series to keep them company in the "Read when I have time" section of my book collection. Don't worry though! I dust there on weekends and keep them happy by reading the blurb aloud. Though I found that the blurb for Galaxy in flames ruined the first half of the book, knowing what situation they were going into! (Moan, moan, grumble, grumble)

thanks Nik and John.

Anyways, can't wait for Titanicus (books on shelf give out a whimper and a *sniff*) Shh! Richard Dawkins! I'll get to you in time....(when all the authors of Black library die from exhaustion) I love the cover art they have at amazon, looks epic...

I am about a third of the way into TFOTE and quite enjoying it, though I did jump in enjoy that Tarvitz was mentioned in the Dramatis Personae only to find it fluttering away when I began to realise that it was merely a viewpoint of Garro during previously covered events, dam them......

yes, about the soundtrack, I think I lost all senses when I read your reply about posting my email address here as I went straight for your website and sent an email there begging for the CD, no matter, I shall gladly reciprocate here:

O Gracious and Masterful Scrivener Primus Abnett, I beg of you to bless me with your connections to third party products and I pray for you to open the heavens and bring light to the world of ignorance, bring forth the twisted and corrupt to be cast down and burned at the stakes of book review websites for the light of glorious fiction is here to deliver us from such retched reality!


Too much?

(Opens eyes, nobody there....)

Oops..



(I did steal the first line from Allandaros and Dju, but I really liked it, and Dju, I can see why Dan had you translate into French for him, you can do as well in English, get published! Do you have any previous works of your own? French or English?)


Anyway, long comment, bored all to death,

bye bye

Mouz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mouz said...

And yet....I still manage to forget it!!!

here, reach mister stupid at: Gunrunner_86@hotmail.com

Pack_master said...

And there I thought, I was the only beggar without backbone here ;)
Prostitution for a music CD, that's a new one :D

Pagan Mnemosyne said...

This seems the best place to say how much I enjoy your work. Loved your Legion. Loving Nova. Loving Annihilation. Am currently coming to the end of 'Border Princes'. And even though I don't play Warhammer--never have--I always read your novels.

There. I've said my piece. Now get back to work. I need more to read!

Mouz said...

Prostitution for a music CD? what are you going on about Pack?

Will Wright said...

Dan,I've been reading some of the old books and there is a term perhaps you can clarify for me.
Auto-Reactive Shoulder-Guards,
What do they mean by Auto-Reactive?

Dju said...

@ Mouz : No, nothing yet. Have a few ideas hanging in the air, just like anyone I guess, but hey, with the coming of my first baby (ETA anytime soon), I don't see me writing anything for the moment (and surely enough Nik will blame me for that).

Mouz said...

Ahh, the baby excuse....yep, heard that one before! You'll be up alot with the baby....bored so take a voice recorder with you and get some book ideas down! Easy peasy :D

Good luck with the baby anyways, boy or a girl?

Dju said...

Baby boy. Names are down to Horus or Lemartes.

Just kidding. First name still in the balance, second and third should be his grandfather's names. Fourth name is really down to Horus or Lemartes. :-)

Mouz said...

Im loving Horus because when he has kids they will be called the Sons of Horus!!!

Genius, go for it :D

Allandaros said...

Mouz, the problem with that is that once the grandkids grow up, they'll all be changing their names away from Sons of Horus.

Dju, clearly you've left out a critical option.

"Hussar."

Turain said...

Just finished readying all 3 Ravenor novels. It's not Gregor, but he would be indeed be proud of his pupil Gideon. Did not expect certain appearances in this last novel, but it's nice to see how everything connects. I wonder if any connections might come up in Titanicus (which I am counting the days to release =P ) Now I'll move on to the Horus Heresy, and I can't wait to get to Legion. Besides the Thousand Sons, they (Alpha Legion) are my "least hated" (read favourite) Traitor Legion.

One question that wonders with me... The Horus Heresy novels are telling the tale of how it all happenned, in the writing of great authors; who will write the final (I believe) novel, in which The God-Emperor and Horus fight and Holy Terra is under siege. Mr Abnett, sir, should you write that novel, there is no measure in this side of the galaxy or in the Matterium that can qualify the total awesomeness of it all.

I all can do for now, is to hope

the-seventh-son said...

Dju - i personnally think you should name the baby either prophaniti or cherubaelthat would be the best bet in my opinion

Dju said...

@Seventh Son : Having a Horus at home would already mean trouble (even a Little Horus). Having a Prophaniti or a Cherubael would call for even more serious trouble, wouldn't it ?
Oh, all right. Just to see if the Inquisition comes knocking at my door (and knocking me dead).

Anonymous said...

Turain - the plan has always been, that when it comes to the last couple of Horus books, they will be split between Graham and Dan, so you can fully expect Dan to write the last of the series, when that time comes.

Turain said...

Nik - And a great plan it is. Great indeed. Thanks for answering that for me. However, now I can truly cannot wait for the end of the Horus Heresy novels. I must patiently await... and desperatly =P

Mouz said...

hehehehe, I can just see them in a room together with book titles with Dan saying "One for me, one for you, one for me, none for you!"

(Ben Counter sniffs and walks away)
(James Swallow sits down and begins to play regicide with Mitchel Scanlon)

James: "Don't worry, I have more time to play" :D

Mouz said...

Heya, Late night coursework push, just had a thought about the GG books, why does nobody ever go to the loo? Not once did you hear Corbec telling a patrol to wait while he takes a whiz up a tree or Gaunt asking where the loo is while visiting Van Voytz in one of his command posts. Is it possible for you to squeeze that instance into your next book?

If you have already done a toilet scene, then I'm sorry, I'm abit fuzzy this morning, too much coffee and no sleep

Mouz said...

I know it looks like I'm hogging the posts now, I apologise...Feel free to rise up against me and strike me down.

But I had to say "WOW, thank you Dan and Nik!"

Today awoke to the postman dropping a small brown package through the door onto my cat, temporary stunning him, I had no idea what it was until I saw the note inside. It was from Dan! The soundtrack to Traitor General arrived! I rushed to my PC with the speed of an assassin, with the terminal alive running a virus check, it took mere seconds until my ears were blessed with the sounds that had eluded me for so long.

I found the soundtrack different to what I expected, but even better, I love the end to "Gereon Resists" and the whole "Sons of Sek" I think "Mindlock" made a good representation of the mind in a state of flux, half remembering things, but being twisted and confusing and did well with the build up to the point where it cracked the lock at the end, I liked the single note of clarity.

Thank you very much Dan, I owe you some Tea and biscuits

Turain said...

mouz - I envy thee greatly, that soundtrack must be great to hear. Do not envy your feline pet thought, since I know the pain of having packages falling on my head. Not pleasant, indeed

the-seventh-son said...

turain - one question... explain?

Rob Rath said...

So now that I've finished reading Ravenor (and the curse is broken, I found Ravenor Returned yesterday at my local B&N) I can finally describe how I see The Chair.

Ravenor Spoilers

I sort of imagine the profile of a sports car, but smaller and without windows, windscreen and wheels. The surface is similar to a stealth bomber, with matte black paint and odd angles, the better to channel the psychic energy. I usually don't read books by the same author back-to-back, but I have to admit that I've started 'Returned' in the hopes that a certain blunt lho-smoker didn't bite the dust.

Oh, and I want to update my character thing. I think I'm much more like Carl Thonius than like Varl, or at least some combination of the two. I've got the random facts thing down - the other day my friend's sister called me for the specific purpose of asking what year aluminum foil was invented. I'm afraid I don't have Carl's sense of style though, or way with computers, or growing addiction to mind-altering drugs...

Turain said...

the-seventh-son - Referring to mouz's cat being stunned by a package, I also know what it feels like to have a package falling on my head. A few years ago, I was helping my godfather move stuff from his house, he lives in a 1st floor, so he was throwing me a few things through the window to speed up things, I wasn't fast enough and a small yet considerably heavy box with books fell on my head, temporarily stunning me. Not something I want to feel again.

Al said...

Oh I thought you meant that you'd experienced being a cat before or something.... lol

Anonymous said...

Whats up folks!
Titanicus finished i cant wait to get my hands on a copy,all that mega stompie, titanic gigantic heavy metal death ,sounds like fun to me .
Nik Dan how have u been gona email u soon!
Ravenor was of course the dogs nads
really enjoyed it ,and it had a proper cliff hanger ending so i will be getting Returned real soon.
Everybody still out there.
Dan any more Sin Dex out fella!?

Anonymous said...

yay Big's back! All we need now is the return of Xhalax and we'll all be one big happy family again!

Anonymous said...

Xhalax - were u at,i mean im not expecting a heroes welcome or anything,just a few thousand soldiers and a flypast would be sufficient u know, perhaps a few Titans in the mix
Man theres a lot of bloggage to read comments may follow!
anyone seen Iron man yet?

Dan told me everything about Titanicus is gonna be big!
the story big,the book big,the battles big,the titans even bigger!

just one question then really. Is Big the star?
"I kannie do it Princeps ah juss dornt ave the power"(ha ha)

Anonymous said...

I've seen Iron Man ('cause I'm that cool). It was awesome - probably best superhuman film to date.

Word of advice - if anyone does go to see it, wait until after the credits. There's an extra scene.

Turain said...

al - Maybe I might have been a feline in an past-life. A cat, a leopard, a tiger, maybe even one of those weird ones with no fur, from Egypt I think. Who knows? Maybe the Hussar ghost is a soul that was a friend of Dan or Nik or both in a past life, and he's around to see how his friends are doing.

Anonymous said...

short time reader first time blogger...just finished armour of contempt, on a gaunts ghost binge...so depressing, we can only pray that venn returns...keep up the good work

Hurrah for the Hussar said...

Many thanks on Legion, was definitely happy about another Abnett+Space Marine+Imperial Guard+heresy novel. Big fan of the Legions duplicity, good to see GW trust you with secrets (twins!) and always a fan of extras in the Imperium such as John Grammaticus.
I'm a not so new fan of yours, Eisenhorn omnibus is a fave and location-wise I feel it has yet to be topped-please stop with Gaunts Ghost's novels. Everytime you bring a new one out I have to reread all from 1st and Only, can you imagine going through the series knowing theres a fresh one waiting at the end? Well of course you can't :)
Any return for Priad? Humanising without diminishing these hulks can't be easy so whenever you're ready…
Not going to ask about Titanicus because I'm sure your retinas are getting sore from all the neuro-interface-pokery, people are terrible at not warning about the perils of red-eye when piloting a titan. Moderatus eh? Would a bottle of eye drops be so out of line?
Fireflay fething yay and Star Trek gakking no

Anonymous said...

its Firefly ,duuuuh .An theres nothing wrong with Star Trek.
Also Mr Abnett please write many more Gaunt novels as they give me lots of inspiration for my artwork.

the-seventh-son said...

hey big, hows it going mate, hows the Blood Pact?

i have Stumble Guns in the pipeline, and my codex is on the way working on the special characters atm...

anyone heard from Dan recently, there has been a severe lack of postage from his behalf. i do pray that the Clones haven't uprisen against his holiness...

Anonymous said...

Hey Dan, just read Guardians of the Galaxy #1 and the short review is WOW!

The slightly longer review: damn what a great comic. Too many things to mention, but the bit with Mantis and her droll, nonchalant mention of what the team would be facing stood out, as did the RETURN OF COSMO-I should've known that he wouldn't get along with Rocket Racoon. Using the Universal Church of Truth made this Starlin fanboy quite happy, as did Warlock's line about re-writing the time line. And that cliffhanger...wow.

Great book, if this keeps up it'll be running neck and neck with Nova and Captain America as my favorite comics.

Anonymous said...

Hey all, just wondering- is anyone firmiliar with London? I'll be there in two days and while there me and my girlfriend were hoping to stop into a games workshop on our free day to pick up some stuff a lot cheaper.

I BELIEVE that we'll be dropped off in Trafalgar Square. So if anyone knows of a close by Games Workshop, it would be much appritiated. The GW site doesn't list any as specifically in London, but when googled, a few show up. It's a bit confusing.

Thanks for any help!

Anonymous said...

John - you want the Plaza store, Oxford Street. It's the main shopping street in Olde London Towne, so I'm guessing your girlfriend will want to visit anyway. It's right around the corner from where your being set down.

Have fun!

Nik

Mouz said...

Is that the one near tottenham court road?

Anonymous said...

NNNoooooooooooooooo!
ive just heard gav thorpe is going to write Malekith
NNNooooooooooooooooo!
why cant Mike lee and Dan write it
NNNoooooooooooooooooo!

Sounds like my scottie impression almost kicked it off bewtween the Trekkies and the Trekkie haters

Ding Ding round one

"im like a leaf on the wind"
"Set phasers to kill"

Hurrah for the Hussar said...

I don't think Dans as big a fan of the WH world as he is of the 40k one. He was a fan of the tribes and the Norsk but don’t think much outside the vebla is to his liking. And with the big 3 (Malekith, Nagash ,Sigmar) taken I cant think of any Chaos biggies from 'that time'. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

i have to say mike lee and dan collabarating on malus were just some of the best b.l. books ever,and i have read most of them,let alone the way they capture d.elves.
when next you talk to dan ask him about his forays into fantasy,its sounds like a bit of a mine field when talking about timelines and originality and stuff,u know 40k is a much bigger universe hence more freedom!

Anonymous said...

i have to say mike lee and dan collabarating on malus were just some of the best b.l. books ever,and i have read most of them,let alone the way they capture d.elves.
when next you talk to dan ask him about his forays into fantasy,its sounds like a bit of a mine field when talking about timelines and originality and stuff,u know 40k is a much bigger universe hence more freedom!

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot Nik!

For what ever reason, that GW isn't listed on the GW site, but it comes up when googled. Either way, I hope I find it easy enough.

My girlfriend wants to get into a GW as much as I do, so we'll get there probably. Some things end up being a lot cheaper. A LOT cheaper.

Well, I'll be in England by 5am GMT... Thanks again for the help. :)

Xhalax said...

Jeez....you'd think I'd ran away to Mexico to join a band of cut-throat pirates or something, never to be seen/heard from again when all I've been doing is lurking and saying not a single word.

Hell and damnation!

That's spoilt it.

Well I have been lurking but have generally had bugger all to say and so have remained quiet.

Plus I defected to Mr. McNeill's blog to discuss the merits of various computer consoles and games that are available for them (we're all very technical minded over there) and generally whining about hardback books in the middle of a series (ie The Killing Ground).

But truth be told, I'm generally pretty much in one big strop with everything and so have remained grumpily silent and generally bitter.....so much so that in a few weeks, when I nick off to Hull for a week, I'm coming back blonde!

Xhalax said...

Big - All I can offer you in the Monty Pythonesque much rejoicing.

*waves a tiny flag and give a very quiet 'Yay'*

Anonymous said...

Xhalax - careful girl, you might be in danger of becoming a stereotype.

Lovely to have you back home with us. Stay a while, and I'll persuade Dan to write a lovely new blog.

Xhalax said...

Nik- Nah, I doubt I'll be a sterotype, I work too long and hard on my lexicon to be typecast as dumb. Plus my friend will be dying it and she has a better vocabulary than I do.

Plus, blonde shows up blue and purple and red and all the colours of the rainbow a lot better than some no-descript natural hair colour does.

And if I can go to work sporting a mohawk when I work with guys, I'm sure blonde will be no problem whatsoever.

And Mr. Abnett.....please blog.

Anonymous said...

Xhalax - as one blonde with frontage said to another :-)

Xhalax said...

Nik - Well I used to be very blonde when I was younger. Loads of blonde curls....so I remember what it was like to be blonde.

But as usual, puberty screwed me over and I went somewhat brunette-ish....and....yeah.

Jordan Lloyd said...

Dan,

Despite you being one of my favourite authors, I have never felt compelled to write to you or stand in a huge line at a signing, but I just wanted to say LEGION was an astounding read by all accounts, I'll even admit to gasping out at *the* moment.

Keep up the good work!

Jay
PS Yeah I know I just hijacked your newest blog post but hey! You read it, right?

Jordan Lloyd said...

Dan,

Despite you being one of my favourite authors, I have never felt compelled to write to you or stand in a huge line at a signing, but I just wanted to say LEGION was an astounding read by all accounts, I'll even admit to gasping out at *the* moment.

Keep up the good work!

Jay
PS Yeah I know I just hijacked your newest blog post but hey! You read it, right?