Evolution Expects reviewed in Death Ray magazine

Death Ray #21 came out on Thursday and in it is reviewed a whole glut of Abaddon Books, including Pax Britannia: Evolution Expects. It's not a bad review, but my favourite line has to be this one:

It's pleasingly bonkers and never less than entertaining

Oh, and these two words made me happy for the rest of the day:

More please

And congratulations to Simon Bestwick on receiving 4 stars for Tomes of the Dead: Tide of Souls. Well done that man!

In praise of the novella

There is an interesting opinion piece in the latest issue of Death Ray magazine (#19) about the novella. Longer than a short story and not as long as a novel (obviously), according to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the novella is a work of fiction 17,500 - 39,999 words in length.

Staff writer Thom Hutchinson goes on to argue that it is the ideal form for fiction. I am certainly a fan of the novella, having just finished one. Entitled Conqueror Worm, it is to be published along with Evolution Expects (my fourth Pax Britannia novel), and comes in at 17,527 words.

For me, the novella presents me with the opportunity to tell a story that wouldn't stretch to a whole novel. The world of Pax Britannia has generated a host of ideas for stories, but not all of them warrant a 90,000 word novel, but I can still indulge in writing of many more of them through the novella. In the past, people have praised my short fiction, sometimes over the long form stuff, so in the novella I think I have found a happy medium.

As it happens, I'm also enjoying the novellas of another writer at the moment, reading as I am The Taint and Other Novellas by Brian Lumley (published by Solaris Books). And considering the subject matter of these Cthulhu Mythos stories, who's to say that Ulysses Quicksilver and his friends might not one day uncover hints of a world beyond our own inhabited by the Other Gods?

Mileage from monsters

The reviews of Human Nature are starting to come in now. Following on from the one that appeared in Death Ray magazine, there's one in this month's SFX magazine and on Graeme's Fantasy Book Review.

I particularly like the line in the SFX review which says, 'As usual, author Jonathan Green gets mileage out of his monsters, with big action set-pieces that read like Things We'd Like to See in a rip-roaring summer movie if the creature effects were good enough.'

If you'd like to read the whole review for yourself, you need to pick up a copy of the March 2009 edition.

Human Nature reviewed in Death Ray #17

As was Leviathan Rising before it, Human Nature has been reviewed by Guy Haley of Death Ray Magazine. The review appears in the latest edition (issue #17) which awards the book three stars.



I think the review reads rather well, and Haley kindly comments that, 'Green... improves as a writer with each book'. (But if that's the case, why did Human Nature only get three stars when Leviathan Rising got three and a half?)


Anyway, you can pick up your copy of Death Ray Magazine here and a copy of Human Nature here, so that you compare what you think of the book with the reviewer's opinion.

Leviathan Rising reviewed in Death Ray magazine

The long-delayed Death Ray magazine issue #13 (unlucky for some, eh?) is now out and inside there is a review of my most recent Pax Britannia outing, Leviathan Rising. The review combines it with another Abaddon Books release, Shadowmage by Matthew Sprange.

And, to be honest, with three and a half stars I think Leviathan Rising hasn't come off too badly. The reviewer, Guy Haley, has some stylistic issues with the novel but on the whole seemed to have enjoyed the adventure aspect of the book. I shall certainly bear in mind what Haley says, as I do any reviewer's comments (apart from those posted as spam to this blog - you know who you are) as I get down to writing Human Nature, which is due for release this December.

In the mean time, why not pick up a copy of Death Ray yourself - it's a stonking read this month.