Two rather excellent pieces of news to report today, people. Firstly, it gives us great pleasure to announce (a trumpet parp please, maestro) the arrival of Crime Scene NI, an interweb yokeybus that does exactly what it says on the tin (“Primarily devoted to the post-Troubles boom in Northern Irish crime fiction, Crime Scene NI is also highly interested in all Irish, Euro and international crime fiction”), and which is administered by the Grand Vizier’s latest and manliest mortal enemy, Gerard Brennan. For its very first post, Crime Scene NI scooped the bone-idle elves of CAP Towers with the news that (The Artist Formerly Known As) Bateman’s latest novel, ORPHEUS RISING, hit the shelves last week, with Crime Scene NI linking through to Master Bateman himself. Quoth the Batemeister: “The new novel, ORPHEUS RISING, was published this week folks. The one with the big pink shark on the cover. Hard to miss. Although you will if you order books through Amazon … as due to an administrative foul-up, the book has failed to appear there at all. Hopefully this will be rectified in the very near future. Meanwhile, if you live anywhere near Belfast, you’re invited to come and help launch the blessed thing at No Alibis bookstore in Botanic Avenue on Thursday, March 13 at 7 pm.”Meanwhile, and although we’re very impressed with the artwork for ORPHEUS RISING, we do like the idiosyncratic version posted on Fantastic Fiction, for which the CAP lawyers would like to announce the Grand Vizier bears no responsibility at all, much.
Shine on, you crazy Gerard-shaped diamond ... but if we ever meet, it'll be rapiers in the misty dawn with no quarter given (although some may be asked, depending on how nifty you are with a rapier). Cheers, Dec
ReplyDeleteGerard Brennan gets the Critical Mick "Booyeah!" for being a good buddy of Michael Stone(http://www.mylefteye.net/). Stone is that legend who deserves a huge and dangerous-looking trophy for being the first writer to name a villain "Mick Halpin." (To go down in literature as a Rossi-style baddie has always been my heart's 8th fondest wish.)
ReplyDeletePatterson (who has never named a nemesis after me) can take all his money to that place where the Dante don't shine, 'cause Stone's collection, Fourtold, can now be pre-ordered from www.baysgarthpublications.com. That and Brennan's Possession, Obsession and a Diesel Compression Engine are both on my unusual, unlawful, unruly to-read list.
All the best, and welcome to Irish crime Mr. Brennan!
Mick
Declan - It would be unsporting of me not to point out that although I have little experience with a rapier, I am an extremely dirty fighter. Also, I'm not really a dawn person. Could we move then event to noon?
ReplyDeleteMick - Thank you for the kind welcome. But most importantly, thanks for the big up to my good mate Mike Stone. The guy's a gent. Though he hasn't named a villain after me yet... I've my copy of Fourtold ordered, and I'm impatiently awaiting its arrival.
gb