Postcards from apology city for the delay in bloggage. Busy type business has been taking up my time of late, though I am now much, much better, thanks for asking. Writing my Primeval novel at the mo, and just girding my loins to get into Blood Pact, the next Gaunt. Also, had fun and games up at Black Library HQ yesterday with the BL crowd, and Graham and Jim, as we plotted and brain-stormed what the next serving of Horus would be about. Looks like Graham and I will be dividing one of the big events up between us... and there was a blinding idea too about what Jim might do next.
Gosh, it’s going to be exciting. My next Horus, due after Blood Pact, looks like it’s going to be my biggest Horus yet, in terms of shooty-death-kill per square inch... and I can’t believe I’ve volunteered to write about Space W-
Opps! Did I say too much?
Anyway, back to a quick events round up. Thanks to Nik, you know all about me at the Witney festival on September 3rd (see last post). Can I also draw your attention to the following (it’s a busy fortnight):
I’ll be a guest at Gen Con UK in Reading next Friday (29th of August). See their website for details. I’m booked to be there around 2.00 for a chat, a Q and A and a signing. Was loads of fun last year, so no reason to believe it won’t be again this year.
The following day (Saturday 30th) I will be at Forbidden Planet in London along with Andy Lanning, Ian Edginton and Simon Coleby to sign and promote our various Wildstorm books (Authority, Storm Watch etc), all of which are launching big time this month as part of Wildstorm’s radical ‘World’s End’ post-apocalypse revision of their universe. We’re there from 1 to 2. With all four of us there, expect more lunacy than usual. Actually, with Andy there, expect more lunacy than usual... (BTW - I’m sure copies of Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, 2000 AD, Black Library novels etc will be cheerfully signed too)
Sunday 14th of September is of, of course, Games Day UK or the ‘big one’ as we call it. NEC Birmingham, all day, all living colour. Me, Graham, Jim, Sandy, Gav, Nathan, Mike (Lee) etc... the whole gang, plus artists like Clint too. Oh, and copies of Titanicus to buy, along with a special Gaunt’s Ghosts story done exclusively for the day. See the BL site for details. It’s going to be the biggest yet.
Satuday the 4th of Octorber, I’ll be dropping into Gamesfest in Tring during the afternoon. See their site for details of where and how.
One way or another, I’ll see you somewhere, right?
81 comments:
Imploding skull from Horus Teaser!
Love it, bring them on, hmm Reading or Witney...
I trust all is well and your back up to Astartes/clone 6 health?
On Friday I went for a ZINGer burger, tasted sweet-like success :)
YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
as big goes wild,
Blood Pact and Wolves
lets not forget Titanicus
and G.D. GG
"The futures so bright ...u gotta wear shades ,u gotta wear shades"
Glad to hear u have recovered .And uve come out swinging!
good news on horus heresy a;ways loved the wolves and cant wait too see your take on them and if its the fall of prospero which it certainly sounds like cant wait for Grahams take on the Thousand Sons
Nice excerpt of Titanicus in the Alliance catalog, btw...
................
*explodes*
Dan,
How does someone get in touch with you (and Andy Lanning for that matter) to arrange signings and the like.
I'm currently working on opening a comic/game shop in Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland. Given that you and Andy bridge both hobbies I'd like to think I could get you guys up for a visit.
Happy to talk about this off blog.
Cheers,
David
Kingdom Of Adventure
http://www.kingdomofadventure.co.uk/
david@kingdomofadventure.co.uk
Hell, damn and blast it!
My older sibling has gone and got me the Malus Darkblade Chronicles for my birthday....completely complicating my well thought out plot and scheme for Games Day.
So not amused, and yet highly delighted at the same time.
Hooray Space Wolves :D
Can't wait for Blood Pact. Although, honestly, at some point the Gaunt's Ghosts series has to end. Don't get me wrong, I love the series and all the characters. But they've been fighting for the better part of two decades. And most of the original Ghosts are gone. Isn't it about time for them to get their planet?
Sorry, rant.
Just curious, though. Finished reading the last in the Malus Darkblade series...when are we going to find out what happens to him as he hunts Tz'arkan down to get his soul back? Are are we? :(
Zinggggg!!!
Witchy for a Look said...
*Hiss. Icy cloud dissipates. Cryo tube doors unclamp and peel back*
++EMERGENCY DEFROST COMPLETE++
Definitely coming to the Forbidden Planet signing instead of Witney now. I'd already booked that day off work, having arranged to see some friends i haven't seen in a long time and then BLAM! you're in London on the 30th too.
A most opportune alignment
I'll be packing my hard-back multi-read Ravenor trilogy to get your glyphs scribed inside. 'Excited' doesn't even cover it.
And i've one question i hope you will answer...
You guys get all the fun! :(
When are you ever coming to the States, Dan?
I think Dan was here at Games Day Baltimore (figures they'd schedule Games Day on the same day as my mom's birthday. Grumble grumble evil GW scheduling grumble grumble).
Space Wolves, Dan? Not the infinitely superior and cooler-looking Dark Angels? Ah well, cest la vie.
I should have been more specific and asked when he was coming to the West Coast :)
Oh, and happy belated birthday to you Xhalax. If I had known I would have send you some psychic good cheer!
knickers. i work saturdays (at least until about 4pm), and i'm pretty sure my boss won't go much for excuses like "i wanna go play with my toy soldiers." can't they have it on sunday instead?
Allandros-"infinately superior and cooller looking Dark Angels"
Snigger,snigger which turns into outright laughter .
HiWayRobry - Don't worry, you've not missed it...there's still 51 minutes of my birthday left.
And thanks!
Online people are so much nicer than non-online people. At least they wish you a happy birthday, unlike the vast majority of the latter.
Ok, my whining is done.
So here I was reading this latest entry on the blog, and I notice, besides the obvious mentioning of Blood Pact, Titanicus and Space Wolf that Mr Abnett, sir, is going to be at Games Day UK, in NEC Birmingham. That was when a memory hit me and I remembered they were building a real-size working Rhino for it. So the question is...
Will our favourite writer arrive with all the gang in the Rhino and stun us with awe and shock?
Too bad I'm in Portugal, but one day I will get myself over there, even if it's just to go to Games Day.
And to go to Cardiff. Doctor's orders... =P
Oh, and happy birthday Xhalax (I should really start reading the comments before I make my own, sorry =P )
I sincerely hope you did your research on the Space Wolves before you wrote the novel. Leman Russ is a character held dear to the hearts of a great multitude of 40k fans (in particular the older ones among us). I would hate to see his character corrupted. You better not have him taking orders from, and kneeling to, anyone other than the Emperor and Horus, nor have his guard breached in a fight by a mortal either. We Germans are not a warlike people but even we have our limits.
I don't hold out much hope for Magnus given MacNeil's disrespect for the original background.
turain: I don't think the rhino actually runs (as far as I know THQ are packing it full of computers for playing their new game on). at least, I'd be surprised if the army had sold an actual working FV432 to a video games company when they're still busy upgrading them to use themselves.
Xhalax whadja do for ur birthday
Space Wolves, wheee! Dan, love you even more! That's a good compensation for GD Germany :)
(well, not quiet enough yet, but things are well again)
Thanks Turain.
And Big - for the most part, I was at work on my birthday. But in the evening I ate Indian food and had a drink that contained alcohol.
And that was the sum total of what I did on my 24th birthday.
... and so Xhalax finally disclosed her age... :P
XHALAX -HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Yes, I think I will shout.
I wish I was 24.
Space Wombles?
I have to say guys, (following on from last blog) has nobody read C S Goto's classic 'Eldar Prophecy'? It's truly awesome and certainly sated the appetite of this ravenous Eldar fan until I picked up the epilogue in the Dark Millenium short story collection.
Pick it up if you're an Eldar fan. You won't be disappointed. At the very least, it should do you until the big man takes a shot at the pointy eared layabouts!
Tom
pack_master: I've never hidden my age. Never been asked for it, but I'm a fairly stupid person and give away personal details to most who ask.
And AWWWWWWWWW (it had to be shouted too) thanks Nik!
"Not the infinitely superior and cooler-looking Dark Angels?"!!!!!!
The Dark Angels are a bunch of dress wearing traitors. The Space Wolves are space going beer monsters. I cannot wait.
Lloyd
I always knew: DA bashing is fun. :D
*admires his icon at blog-postings*
sredni vashtar: Didn't know about that... Might get a bit tight in there, with more than 2 computers.
Then again I have no idea of the area of space the Rhino will have in the rear. THQ probably wants to show off Dawn of War 2 (still waiting for the beta for that).
Still, I'll keep my hope in that the Rhino will be able to move. A little, even if there people are in the back pushing =P
RE: one day gingers will rule the earth
That's funny you should say that as I get the impression C.S. Gott's Eldar books are the most reviled works of 40k fiction there'sever been (not that I've read them myself). I think Bill King did a good job with the Eldar in Farseer, though it doesn't seem to be all that popular.
All those Dark Angels bashers should have a look at 'The Lion and the Wolf' two parter if they can. The Dark Angels were way cooler back then, before this robes, Luther, fallen nonsense.
Yeah, somewhat funny... Ginger, yours have been the first songs of praise I've ever heard when Goto was mentioned. Everyone I know whishes him to hell and back for the crimes he has done to 40k...
Xhalax,
sounds like your birthday could have been a bit more exciting. Sorry we couldn't all come over and have some alcoholic beverages with you. It would have been joyous and we could have all given you 24 hugs!
Gonna have to pick up this 'Eldar Prophecy' just to see if it's as horrid as everyone seems to imply that it is.
And I'd forgotton about 'Farseer'. Gonna have to pick that up also.
And to all you Space Wolves and Dark Angels fans. The Ultramarines are the greatest chapter ever and always will be! (Ah, opinions are like......well.....you know the rest.) :)
Ben Counters Battle for the Abyss wasnt up to much either.The standard has been set ,when i read a H.H. novel i want what i dont/cant get in a 40k novel,rich and new background,talk of the Emperor and how things were,and most of all Primarchs and their relaitionships with one another,their men ,the Emperor and the galaxy around them.I want to see these legends i grew up with fleshed out and given life.I think Ben C. missed out on these things by a mile.......
Battle for the abyss wasn’t a bad novel it just lacked something like big said the absence of Primarchs and more background of the 30k universe defiantly made it poorer than other HH novels, having said that I found mhotep, Brynngar and Skrall interesting and well written yet that could have been because many of the other ultramarine characters were pretty boring.
Xhalax-
That sounds eerily similar to the 24th birthday I celebrated just a month ago. Mid-twenties: can you believe it?
If you haven't done so yet - buy some nice shoes, because the wedding invitations are about to start rolling in. For whatever reason, when a group of friends hits 23 or 24, Cupid starts pulling extra shifts. I began to get intricately-folded cards in the mail about 18 months ago and they haven't stopped since.
Or better yet, if you're 'friends' can't be bothered to even wish you a happy birthday, let alone spend it with you; maybe it's time to find some new friends?
Cor-definately agree with u ,the other characters developement was the best thing about the book.He just had to look at the Flight of the Eisenstein i think James Swallow nailed it.
like i said perhaps we should all get together at G.D. and have a bear and a burger u know!
Big - you be the BEAR, and I'll buy the burger ;-)
i agree with you, about battle for the abyss, i thought it was poorly executed, i also have to say Skraal was the best character and it had a very tacky 12 year oldish ending in my opinion
i'm gonna try to get to games day so we'll have to meet up, just need to figure how im gonna get to Birmingham...
Scot....Land?
Hey guys! ive not posted in a long time..
Glad to hear your Feeling better dan,and Excited about the New Book news! but gutted about your lack of scottish appearences. *crys and Smiles at the same time* Oxymoron right? :)
HiWayRobry: If we ever met, I shall demand my 24 hugs!
Rob: Freakishly enough, my mum bought me shoes for my birthday. And I have one wedding invitation that I've flatly turned down for reasons that make me sound like a total bitch.
However, since most of the people I thought were my friends are no longer entitle to that status through being a bunch of gits that couldn't care less about me....I doubt I'll be getting many more wedding invitations.
Though I'll be wearing my new shoes to GD and having a jolly good time all the same.
Big: Where do you even buy bear these days?
Xhalax, you've got yourself a deal! :)
You folks all enjoy GD, and especially enjoy the beer and burgers that big is buying everyone to make up for his unfortunate spelling error. :)
Rory - Scotland is - I promise - in the pipelines. Early next year all being well, but we'll keep you posted.
Now now people, knowing how much GW trust Dan I wouldn’t be surprised if his new Marine fest is packed full of crazyness, lets wildly speculate all together! (I’m going with the missing legion showing up)
Xhalax HB! (belated) I agree with hiwayrobry, get some other friends if they don’t want to go out then go out and make some new ones! Oh and the ‘suddenly hooking up mutual friends’ is a preservation thing, loads of people get panicky when they realise they are 25% dead….
Dark Angels are definitely the Imperiums Jehovah’s witnesses, Space wolves are the rugby team :)
I’ve actually written a review on Amazon for Battle for the Abyss, linked here-you can gauge my comments from that…
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/product/1844166570/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?%5Fencoding=UTF8&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#R37AWPNJO9HP9Y
Mines the M Grudgings one btw
real name shocker!
Battle for the Abyss was a bit of a disappointment - I just felt it was a tad wide of the mark.
Blood Pact - Cool.
New HH stuff - Cool.
Dark Angels? Over grown emo cross-dressers in 40k. In HH? Cool black-armoured mega-killing dudes.
Space Wolves? Funny and furry. Cool axes mind you.
World Eaters all the way.
SCORE!
hehe im excited again.
ALMOST finnished Reading Magician, its Bloody good! i should really start with HH again. :O
Had just a little talk in the forums about the "Blood Pact" cover art.
Why don't you/BL geht Clint Langley to do all your covers? Then they would be all alike, like Eisenhorn, or the first GG-covers. But in the moment every new book has a complete different style in the cover art. 'tis a shame...
F**k it beer and burgers are definantely on me ok!
I am the bear,i am the walrus
Koo Koo Ka Choo
JL
x
The x was for the ladies present dont promise urselves sumin that aint gonna happen!
Dark Angel players especially...
Hurrah - Thanks.
And such a thing is easier said that done with my genetic anti-soicalness.
I kid you not.
And beer.....ew!
ok beer for the lads,
and a white wine or a fruit based drink for the lady.
White wine.....ew.
What sort of fruit based drink....and does it have white rum in it?
So.
Just finished reading Double Eagle.
Beautiful ending.
Want more.
(Too many things to list that you're working on and I happen exited about. By the time I finish listing them, you'd probably have something else in the pipeline. Damn you Abnett.)
Mmm. White Rum.
I had some of that at a (bloody good) party the other day. 27 years old and 150+% proof. Brilliant.
In other news - Games Day soon - Yay!
Ross....I second that YAY for Games Day.
I'm really bummed that I'm not going - I will be working instead. Still, a mate of mine has a nice large shopping list courtesy of yours truly. :-p
Long time lurker first time poster. First, Thank you Dan for making Sci-fi both interesting and fun for the first time in years. I have been reading your comics for a while and followed that over to the 40K stuff, which I have been working my through quite enjoyably. For the rest of you, there are pictures of the Rhino on the community site for Dawn of War 2.
Rob - I've been asking people that I know if they want anything from GD too.
And this year it isn't so bad. Books (ie the heavy stuff) is all that's been asked for.
Cool, I'll actually be in London tmrrw, perhaps I'll head over to FP, get my Ravenor trilogy signed, maybe?
Would be good to meet Simon Coleby too, am I right that he was first published in Inferno?
Have you guys seen the Dawn of War II intro movie? Awesome looking Eldar, and a mystery threat from the sky...
oh, and help! I have to choose a new phone, and I'm torn between an LG Viewty and a SE c902. Any experiences/opinions?
Sorry dukeleto, don't know crap about phones. Either one of those have a rotary dial? Otherwise I'm no help :)
@ Dukeleto - have a look-see at the updated video section of the DoWII website - and the updated screenshots gallery.
I very nearly creamed.
ross-i do hope that means u like white tea...
@dukeleto: you should check the updated DOW 2 video it reveals what the threat is not sure how they’ll work in game but should be interesting, and while I didn’t react in the same way as ross it was still a whoa moment ;)
As for games day wish i could go but a distinct lack of funds rules it out unfortunately, as for phones my mates got a LG Viewty and he seems to be pleased with it
I would make fun of Ross's comment, but I just squealed like a little girl after finding out that my local historic theater is showing this week Gone With the Wind, Bridge on the River Kwai & Lawrence of Arabia all in 70 MM format. So, to each his own
happy 24th birthday (belated) wow titanicus looks to be incredible and russ' wolves....... time be damned when you are looking forward to something!
Thanks nemesis.
And it's times like this when I wish money was abolished or something. That way I wouldn't have to be messing about doing stupid tax returns.
Grrrrrr!
Anyhoo.....two weeks to GD.
LE YAY!
Tax returns oooh unlucky.
Mind u i hold the heavyweight title in being unlucky.when i was a kid i had a wooden rocking horse and it died!
Big - Doing tax returns for my father is but the tip of an expectionally large ice berg of things that he makes me do that make me want to scream with rage, hate and frustration and tear my face from my skull.
My mum fairs little better in that respect.
All in all...I'm amazed I've not had a brain haemorrhage yet.
Xhalax- ur scary......
Just got onto facebook ..i now ,i know but better late than never.Lets just hope it dosent get me into trouble eh!
Big and Xhalax - facebook me (nicola vincent-abnett) it's a really useful way to get my attention.
You guys are worried about tax returns, you try keeping the vat man happy every three months. My least favourite job in the world... and everyone gets the sticky end of that lollipop when it's in town. I wouldn't mind so much, but it turns me into an unpaid government tax collector, and that can't be right.
I refuse to get a facebook account.
Myspace = teh win (though I only use it for RP).
And I know I shouldn't whine as much as I do here either as this isn't really the place for it.
No excuse for it really....much like everything else I do.
And big - you think I'm scary here....just you wait until you meet me in the flesh. Really scary.
And in the flesh at GD - bowel loosening terror!
And Nik - I'm Nichola with an h...as indicated with the above text.
Damn, that never works as it does when spoken. Stupid English language!
And also...all this tax nonsense is the reason why I'll never ever be worth squillions as I couldn't run my own company, even if I wanted to. It all seems to ridiculously complicated when it should be so so simple. So it's minion status for me for the rest of forever so that I have a company accountant keep the tax man happy while I whine at how much my pay gets cuts for said taxes and such.
BOO!
As the saying goes, there are only two things certain in this life - death and taxes.
I will alow myself a little glimmer of hope however - I had a very good day a few months ago during which I repeatedly shot a load of government accountants from Leeds. Paybacks a bitch ain't it!
In other news - apparently the 'Watchmen' film, due out in '09 is going to clock in somewhere around the three hour mark - It'll be worth it!
ross,
last thing I heard was that Watchmen was being postponed because of some legal issues about another studio having rights to the characters or some such nonsense. Throne, I hope it's not true! I am so looking forward to that movie.
And Dan, I just couldn't wait for the trade so I bought the compilation of the first 2 issues of Guardians of the Galaxy. WOW. I think I had a geek-gasm!
SPOILER
I don't know if that's really Vance Astrovik, but I was so happy to see him show up. Makes me hope that Marty or Charlie or Nikki or even Yondu might show up. I've already heard that Starhawk is going to show up but we'll see which incarnation it happens to be. Thanks for taking me back to a more innocent time in my past. I loved the introduction of the Universal Church of Truth from the old series, and I couldn't help thinking that their Templeships looked awfully familiar (WH40K?). It was a thrill ride. Thanks.
Xhalax I think you’d be pleasantly surprised by facebook, I’m an old myspacer and my god is it self aggrandising.
Plus try my trick, upload all your photo’s to facebook but only allow yourself to see it – free online storage! (Means that if the pc dies on you it won’t delete all your carefully saved photo’s!)
@ Hiwayrobry
Yeah I heard that too, bad business, thats why I only said the film was due in '09 and didn't try to give a specific date. I shall have to console myself with the trailer for now...
----------------
Just read the Titanicus extract on the Black Library website - excellent stuff! Its only fourteen pages long and I already feel like I know the characters! Roll on Games Day!
Hurrah - I have an external hard drive already....not that I have a lot of pictures to store on it, that and a photobucket account.
Plus I don't like the idea of people I don't like finding me to be my 'friend'....plus it just seems to huge pages of really really random nonsense. And most of the other stuff could be done through messenger or email.
At least with Myspace there's some order to it, and it's not random crap. As I said, I use Myspace more for RP than anything else.
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