Fantasy 2002

File Updated: 13/09/2004

Tangled Web UK: New Fantasy Titles 2002

Chris Bunch The Last Battle Pbk published October 2004 by Orbit at Ł10.99 ISBN: 1-84149-179 9

Dragonmaster Book Three
The Great War against Roche is over but the world is a scarred and bleaker place. and the promise of peace never quite materialises for Hal Kailas. Even the joy has gone from the Dragon master’s marriage. for reasons neither he nor Lady Khiri can determine.
As Hal had feared, with the end of the war not only dragon-fliers but the dragons themselves have been cast aside. Worse, as before the conflict, the beasts are being savaged by a mysterious foe within their native lands. Enlisting trusted comrades. Hal embarks on a new crusade to protect the dragons, and in doing so uncovers a terrible threat, not just to the creatures but to man himself.
Praise for Chris Bunch
'The Dragonmaster trilogy is the fantasy equivalent of Haldeman's Forever War' Thealienonline
'A banquet of blood and thunder' Starburst
‘A vast arid intricate tapestry woven by a writer who knows both history and war’ David Drake
About The Author
Chris Bunch was part of the first troop commitment into Vietnam. Both Ranger and airborne-qualified, he served as a patrol commander and a combat correspondent for Stars and Stripes. Later, he edited outlaw motorcycle magazines and wrote for everything from the undergound press to Look magazine and Rolling Stone and primetime television. He is now a full-time novelist.
Allan Cole was raised as a CIA brat, travelling the world and visiting pretty much every global hot-spot before he was eighteen. Subsequently, he has worked as a chef, a prize-winning newspaperman and a TV screenwriter, He has nineteen novels to his credit and has written more than a hundred episodes for television shows such as Battlestar Galactica, The Rockford Files, The A-Team, Magnum, PL, Quincy, The Incredible Hulk, Walker, Texas Ranger, and even The Smurfs. He currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida, with Kathryn, his strongest supporter, and 'Squeak' - the cat who rules all writer elves.

at ABE

by Chris Bunch at Amazon.co.uk

Chris Bunch Knighthood of the Dragon Pbk published April 2004 by Orbit at Ł6.99 ISBN: 1-84149-216 7

Dragonmaster Book Two
There is no chivalry, no gallantry, left in the long struggle between Deraine and Sagene, and their arch-rival Roche. The fight is no longer for victory - but for survival.
And in the midst of the slaughter stands Hal Kailas, Dragonmaster. His squadron of dragons soar above the carnage and dark sorcery, dealing death to the enemies of his people, but even Hal has his weaknesses . . .
For now Hal has been captured by a deadly foe - and without the power of the Dragonmaster both Deraine and Sagene face certain destruction . . .

About The Author
Chris Bunch was part of the first troop commitment into Vietnam. Both Ranger and airborne-qualified, he served as a patrol commander and a combat correspondent for Stars and Stripes. Later, he edited outlaw motorcycle magazines and wrote for everything from the undergound press to Look magazine and Rolling Stone and primetime television. He is now a full-time novelist.
Allan Cole was raised as a CIA brat, travelling the world and visiting pretty much every global hot-spot before he was eighteen. Subsequently, he has worked as a chef, a prize-winning newspaperman and a TV screenwriter, He has nineteen novels to his credit and has written more than a hundred episodes for television shows such as Battlestar Galactica, The Rockford Files, The A-Team, Magnum, PL, Quincy, The Incredible Hulk, Walker, Texas Ranger, and even The Smurfs. He currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida, with Kathryn, his strongest supporter, and 'Squeak' - the cat who rules all writer elves.

at ABE

by Chris Bunch at Amazon.co.uk

Chris Bunch Shadow Warrior Pbk published August 2004 by Orbit at Ł8.99 ISBN: 1-84149-332 5

The complete Joshua Wolfe trilogy in one explosive volume from the master of military SF
The Great War is over. The last pockets of resistance long eliminated. For many, the alien Al’ar are now little more than a memory. But there is one man who cannot forget: Joshua Wolfe. Friend, prisoner, then betrayer and executioner of the Al’ar. To humans he is a hero, a legend. To the aliens he is the Shadow Warrior, master of the arts of killing And his story has only just begun.
Praise for Chris Bunch
`Slam-bang excitement, lusty action and military magic . . . fast-paced ‘and ferocious’ Julian May
`Rich and convincing . . . will leave you eagerly awaiting the next instalment’ SFX

About The Author
Chris Bunch was part of the first troop commitment into Vietnam. Both Ranger and airborne-qualified, he served as a patrol commander and a combat correspondent for Stars and Stripes. Later, he edited outlaw motorcycle magazines and wrote for everything from the undergound press to Look magazine and Rolling Stone and primetime television. He is now a full-time novelist.
Allan Cole was raised as a CIA brat, travelling the world and visiting pretty much every global hot-spot before he was eighteen. Subsequently, he has worked as a chef, a prize-winning newspaperman and a TV screenwriter, He has nineteen novels to his credit and has written more than a hundred episodes for television shows such as Battlestar Galactica, The Rockford Files, The A-Team, Magnum, PL, Quincy, The Incredible Hulk, Walker, Texas Ranger, and even The Smurfs. He currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida, with Kathryn, his strongest supporter, and 'Squeak' - the cat who rules all writer elves.

at ABE

by Chris Bunch at Amazon.co.uk

Trudi Canavan The Novice Pbk published July 2004 by Orbit at Ł7.99 ISBN: 1-84149- 314 7

The Black Magician Trilogy Book Two
Imardin is a city of dark intrigues and deadly politics, where those who wield magic wield power. Into this established order has blundered a young street-girl with extraordinary magical gifts. Adopted by the Magicians’ Guild, her life is changed forever - but for better or for worse?
Sonea knew that she’d face a tough time training within the Magicians’ Guild but she little realised the level of animosity she would face from her fellow novices. The sons and daughters of the most powerful families in the realm, her classmates seem determined to see her fail - at whatever cost. But in accepting the protection of the guild’s high lord, Sonea may have embraced a far bleaker fate. For High Lord Akkarin harbours a secret that is far darker than his magician’s robes.
The Novice is the second volume in a stunning new trilogy that pulses with magic, adventure and the imaginative vision of one of the strongest new voices in fantasy fiction.

About The Author
Trudi Canavan lives in a little house on a hillside, near a forest, in the Melbourne suburb of Ferntree Gully. She has been making up stories about things that don’t exist for as long as she can remember, and was amazed when her first published story received an Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story in 1999. A freelance illustrator and designer, she also works as the designer and Art Director of Aurealis, a magazine of Australian Fantasy & Science Fiction.

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by Trudi Canavan at Amazon.co.uk

Trudi Canavan The Magicians' Guild Pbk published February 2004 by Orbit at Ł7.99 ISBN: 1-84149-313 9

The Black Magician Trilogy Book One
Each year the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city streets of vagrants, urchins and miscreants. Masters of the disciplines of magic, they know that no one can oppose them. But their protective shield is not as impenetrable as they believe.
For as the mob are herded from the city, a young street girl, furious at the authorities’ treatment of her family and friends, hurls a stone at the shield, putting all her rage behind it. To the amazement of all who bear witness, the stone passes unhindered through the barrier and renders a magician unconscious.
It is an inconceivable act, and the guild’s worst fear has been realised’ - an untrained magician is loose on the streets. She must be found, and quickly, before her uncontrolled powers unleash forces that will destroy both her, and the city that is her home.
The Magicians’ Guild is the first volume in a stunning new fantasy trilogy-that ripples with magic, action and high adventure.

About The Author
Trudi Canavan lives in a little house on a hillside, near a forest, in the Melbourne suburb of Ferntree Gully. She has been making up stories about things that don’t exist for as long as she can remember, and was amazed when her first published story received an Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story in 1999. A freelance illustrator and designer, she also works as the designer and Art Director of Aurealis, a magazine of Australian Fantasy & Science Fiction.

at ABE

by Trudi Canavan at Amazon.co.uk

Mark Chadbourn The Devil in Green Pbk published March 2004 by Gollancz at Ł6.99 ISBN: 0 575 07402 7

Book One of the The Dark Age

A new Dark Age of superstition has fallen across the land. Faced with the sudden return of magic, ancient gods and mythic creatures, our modern, technological society has crumbled . . . cities lie devastated, communications are limited, anarchy rages across the land.

The last remnants of the Christian Church have gathered in Salisbury Cathedral to make a final stand, their only hope: a new Knights Templar, whose swords would guard the priesthood as they set out on their quest for souls. Into this turbulent place rides Mallory, mercenary and unbeliever, happy to fight for God as long as the pay is right. He hopes to leave behind a mysterious and very dark past . . . but there are some things from which you can never run . . As the Cathedral falls under siege from supernatural forces, as starvation looms and the holy church is transformed by magic into a sprawling Gothic fortress of long shadows and haunting presences, Mallory is forced to make a stand. If the Church is to survive, he must uncover the true face of the Devil behind the onslaught. But in a world of myth, nothing is ever quite what it seems . . .
The Devil in Green is the first in a brilliant new sequence, an evocative story of Arthurian legend and Celtic myth in a modern setting.
`I can think of a handful of writers whose writing and creativity leave the reader gasping in astonishment and admiration at the power within their stories. Mark Chadbourn is one of those authors.’ Masters of Terror
Praise for The Age of Misrule trilogy:
`Appealingly different’ Locus
`Very fine, intensely suspenseful’ SFC
`Thoroughly gripping’ SF Site
About The Author
Born in 1960, Mark Chadbourn was raised in the mining communities of South Derbyshire. After studying Economic History at Leeds University, he became a journalist, covering riots, murders and natural disasters in the provinces, before moving to London where his bylines appeared in most of the national newspapers. As an investigative journalist, he was shot at in the desert in California, set on fire with NATO troops in the Arctic and attacked by gangsters in Brighton. Following a brief spell working for an American magazine in Los Angeles, he became Music Editor and Senior Feature Writer at the now-defunct Today newspaper. He turned freelance in 1992 to write for a range of national newspapers and magazines, and to work as a journalist for BBC TV.
Away from journalism, Chadbourn has laboured as a fitter's mate at a power station, toilet cleaner and a Marmite production line worker, as well as running the independent record company Faith, and managing bands, including one top five chart act.
His writing career began in 1990 when his first published short story won the Best New Author award in Fear magazine. His first novel, Underground, was followed by Nocturne, which was nominated for Best Novel in the prestigious British Fantasy Society Awards, The Eternal and Scissorman, all published by Gollancz, and the non-fiction study of the paranormal, Testimony.

at ABE

by Mark Chadbourn at Amazon.co.uk

Mark Chadbourn The Queen of Sinister Published March 2004 by Gollancz at Ł0.00 and Ł10.99 and 0 575 07276 8
The Dark Age
With the sudden return of magic, our modern, technological society has crumbled. Cities lie in ruins, communications are limited. Ancient gods and mythic creatures rage across the land, but in this new order good and evil are never quite as they appear. Welcome to Britain’s new Dark Age.
The plague came without warning. Nothing could stop its progress: not medicines, not prayer. The first sign of the disease is black spots at the base of the fingers; an agonising death quickly follows. But this is no ordinary disease ...
Caitlin Shepherd, a lowly GP, is allowed to cross the veil into the mystical Celtic Otherworld in search of a cure. Her search takes her on a quest to the end of a land of dreams and nightmares to petition the gods.
The Queen of Sinister is the latest instalment in Mark Chadbourn’s brilliant new sequence: exciting, evocative, terrifying and awe-inspiring.
'A sumptuous feast of fairytale, magic, dark gothic horror and romance' The Times
‘Thought-provoking at times, darkly disturbing at others ... a satisfyingly deep and unpredictable read’ At The World’s End
`Appealingly different’ Locus
`Very fine, intensely suspenseful’ Science Fiction Chronicle.
`His characterisation has an energy and a freshness that is lacking in too much of the genre these days’ Starburst

About The Author
Born in 1960, Mark Chadbourn was raised in the mining communities of South Derbyshire. After studying Economic History at Leeds University, he became a journalist, covering riots, murders and natural disasters in the provinces, before moving to London where his bylines appeared in most of the national newspapers. As an investigative journalist, he was shot at in the desert in California, set on fire with NATO troops in the Arctic and attacked by gangsters in Brighton. Following a brief spell working for an American magazine in Los Angeles, he became Music Editor and Senior Feature Writer at the now-defunct Today newspaper. He turned freelance in 1992 to write for a range of national newspapers and magazines, and to work as a journalist for BBC TV.
Away from journalism, Chadbourn has laboured as a fitter's mate at a power station, toilet cleaner and a Marmite production line worker, as well as running the independent record company Faith, and managing bands, including one top five chart act.
His writing career began in 1990 when his first published short story won the Best New Author award in Fear magazine. His first novel, Underground, was followed by Nocturne, which was nominated for Best Novel in the prestigious British Fantasy Society Awards, The Eternal and Scissorman, all published by Gollancz, and the non-fiction study of the paranormal, Testimony.

at ABE

by Mark Chadbourn at Amazon.co.uk

Michael Cobley Shadowgod Pbk published March 2004 by Simon & Schuster at Ł6.99

‘If you enjoy Gemmell’s clipped, brisk prose style… this is definitely a book you’ll enjoy’ Alien Online Book Two of the Shadowkings Trilogy

A harsh winter is settling in across the land and the Shadowkings` deepest, darkest plans are hatching... the worst is yet to come.

Far to the north, the Shadowking Byrnak broods on his towertop. Mistrustful of his fellow Shadowkings and harried by a ghostly fragment of the Lord of Twilight, he knows he must utterly crush the Imperial remnants and their allies, despite the powers of the Earthmother goddess. But his is not the only power moving in the world...
The forces of light must stand together against the darkness, but their leaders are unsure of their next step. Ikarno Mazaret, now Lord Regent, still grieves over the death of his beloved, the mage Suviel. Ranging forth from the city of Besh-Darok, he takes ever more perilous risks. And although Tauric has been crowned Emperor, he feels increasingly powerless to influence events, and despair begins to taint his every decision. Keren Asherol remains haunted by her shattering encounter with one of the Daemonkind, white her twin, the mirrorchild Nerek, is dogged by sinister omens.
And then the onslaught begins...
'Vigorous, violent fantasy adventure' Interzone
Praise for Shadowkings
‘There is a gritty, desolate tone in depicting the grime and horror of conflict; Cobley’s skill lies in establishing a sense of reality unusual in fantasy’ Timeout
‘Vigorous, violent fantasy adventure’ Interzone
‘Cobley’s impressively unpleasant first fantasy novel’ amazon
About The Author
Michael Cobley has had short stories published in magazines and anthologies for a number of years. He attended Strathclyde University and lives in Glasgow.

at ABE

by Michael Cobley at Amazon.co.uk