Category Archives: Books

Auran Chronicles #3 – 1st draft done!

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At last! At long last, Weave Born, the third and final part of the Auran Chronicles trilogy, has now reached that critical milestone of having the first draft completed.

And there was much rejoicing.

It’s been a tough slog getting there. There was so much to do in ensuring all the various plot strands resolved as planned that it became a long and arduous process in reaching “The End”. I’ve put Seb and co though the ringers on this one, and it’s probably the darkest of the three, but hopefully I’ve done the characters justice and served up a fitting ending for a story that’s been bubbling away for many years.

There’ll be a little break now — perhaps even ten minutes — before I crack on with the final draft. This will be a one pass edit before passing on for external editing and beta readers. The aim is still for a Winter release, but I won’t be committing to a month just yet.

Right – time for a well earned beer.

 

Auran Chronicles #3, interview and new cover

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So, Auran Chronicles #3, “Weave Born”, is in the last 20,000 words of the first draft. The end is in sight, all the characters (those still standing) are in their right places on stage to see this thing out.

And there was much rejoicing…

It’s a strange feeling now. Although it’s taken only (only!) a year to write the three books of the Auran Chronicles, the actual story has been sat in my head for years. So it’s with a mixture of excitement and sadness that I near the end. I’m still planning on sticking to the ending I’ve had in mind all along, but may apply a slight tweak or two after receiving some stern instructions from Mrs D as to who I’m allowed to kill off (and who not, more specifically!)! In the end, though, I’ll stay true to the characters and their journey. Seb has gone from the “every man” to the potential saviour of the whole universe, Sylph has perhaps gone through the most severest tests of all after losing everything she’d ever known, and Cade, well, if you read Consensus Breaking you know Cade isn’t in the best of places right now…

Weave Born contains the same mix of swords, sorcery, mythology and horror you will have come to expect from the Auran Chronicles, all ramped up to the max for this final instalment. Keep an eye out for it November/December time!

In other news, I’ve taken part in an author interview with the delightful folks at Outlet Publishing. You can find the interview here. Thanks Caitlin!

And finally, you will have noticed the new image on this post. I’ve actually gone and changed the cover of Consensus Breaking! I didn’t really like the previous cover. I didn’t like the way Seb was facing away from the viewer, and it didn’t scream “urban fantasy” enough for me, compared to others in my genre. I’ve amended now, courtesy of Novak Illustration. Hope you like it!

Oh, one final thing. A couple of folks have asked what’s next after Auran Chronicles is done. Well, without giving much away, I’m going to have a change from the urban fantasy genre, and have a couple of books lined up in the techno/thriller/horror genre. Thing Michael Crichton meets Stephen King, and you’ll get the picture. I’m going to write a series in the same universe, keeping the same protagonist. The stories will be stand alone, but there will be an underlying mythology underneath that will link them all together. Watch this space!

Not read Message Bearer, the first in the Auran Chronicles? Get it HERE now, only $0.99 (or equivalent) and #free on Kindle Unlimited.

Auran Chronicles #3 Update

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“It’s all our fault. Nazgath. The Sharding. This. It’s all our fault.”

And so continues the Auran Chronicles. In the final part (yes, it’s going to be 3 parts) of the trilogy, a war that has spanned thousands of years and destroyed countless universes finally comes to an end over seven nights, here on Earth.

Book 3 sees Seb trapped on a world far from ours, seeking to finally understand where he came from, who he really is, and who the hell is the red serpentine warrior that referred to him as brother at the end of Consensus Breaking? Cade is now a balsheol, a terrifying daemon warrior under the control of Nazgath, and Sylph and the rest of the survivors from Sanctuary continue to fight a losing battle against the ever growing sheol threat.

And through it all, a strange malaise has fallen upon humanity. Known as the Fugue, it is slowly draining the Unaware of their connection to reality. No one understands why, or how, this is happening, but all are agreed that the final outcome will not be a good one.

As Nazgath’s forces gather for the final assault that will rid Earth of its last defenders against the sheol, Seb battles across terrifying and alien worlds in order to find his way back. The only question is, will there be anything left when he returns?

That’s book 3 in a nutshell. I’m 40,000 words in now, with another 50,000 to go. I know how it ends. I’ve always known how it ends. This story has been 15 years in the making and I’m glad I finally managed to get it down on (virtual) paper and do it justice.

Now all I need to do is finish it 🙂

It lives! Auran Chronicles #2, out now!

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It took six months, some frustrating twists and turns during a very tricky second draft, and a bit of a scare with a way-too-optimistic pre-order date, but I’m finally glad (and relieved) to say that Consensus Breaking, the second of the Auran Chronicles series, is out now.

Following immediately on from the end of Message Bearer, Consensus Breaking follows Seb, Cade and Sylph as they deal with the fallout of their actions. Without spoiling anything for anyone who hasn’t read Message Bearer, it’s fair to say that what transpires is far beyond what any of them realised.

Book three is under way now, and I’m really looking forward to bringing the Auran Chronicles saga to a fitting end for all concerned. It’s been a story lodged in my head for years, and it’s been a challenging and thrilling experience putting it to (virtual) paper, thanks to the wonders of Kindle publishing.

Consensus Breaking is available to buy now from Amazon. Hopefully you’ll drop by and pick up a copy, and if you like it, I’d be most grateful if you could drop a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.  If you don’t like it, please feel free to let me know why, so I can improve in future works.

The Consensus is broken. Magic is returning to the world…

When Seb and his friends are found by the very mage Families that they’d been seeking, he begins to think that his luck is turning at last, that he’s finally found somewhere to continue the journey he began with the Magistry.

Unfortunately, returning to this secret world is not the homecoming he thought it would be, and when rumors of another faction surface, one that is welcoming the newly awoken without prejudice, Seb is torn between his loyalty to his friends and to those of his fellow magi. He must make a choice. One that will have repercussions far beyond the internal struggles of the Aware.

And across the Shards, a new force is rising, a shadow from before the Weave itself. Long thought defeated, it soon becomes clear that the sheol were just the vanguard of a much greater terror, one that threatens the very foundations of reality.

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Auran Chronicles #2 is almost here!

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Long time no speak!

It’s been a while since I posted, so thought I’d better raise my head above the parapet to let the world know I’m still alive.

So, what’s been happening? In summary – Consensus Breaking (Auran Chronicles #2).

After finishing the first draft of Consensus Breaking I made the mistake of putting it up for pre-order almost straight away. With hindsight, this was a bit of a mistake, as, although it gave me a deadline to work to, it also hung over me like the Sword of Damocles whilst I cracked on with the inevitable rewrites. The pressure was a bit too much, and caused a few sleepless nights in the process.

Anyway, lesson learned for the future.

And finally, the end is in sight now. Consensus has been through two  bouts of proof reading (thanks everyone!), and it’s with two more proof readers as we speak to try and catch all the errors, typos etc that I always miss.

So – * drum roll* – Consensus Breaking, book 2 of the Auran Chronicles, is officially out on the 27th May, but depending on the changes required from the last proof reads, I may release it earlier.

If you like an urban fantasy mash-up of the Matrix and an adult Harry Potter, then check it out:

The Consensus is broken. Magic is returning to the world…

When Seb and his friends are found by the very mage Families that they’d been seeking, he begins to think that his luck is turning at last, that he’s finally found somewhere to continue the journey he began with the Magistry.

Unfortunately, returning to this secret world is not the homecoming he thought it would be, and when rumors of another faction surface, one that is welcoming the newly awoken without prejudice, Seb is torn between his loyalty to his friends and to those of his fellow magi. He must make a choice. One that will have repercussions far beyond the internal struggles of the Aware.

And across the Shards, a new force is rising, a shadow from before the Weave itself. Long thought defeated, it soon becomes clear that the sheol were just the vanguard of a much greater terror, one that threatens the very foundations of reality.

Consensus Breaking is the second book of the Auran Chronicles, a dark fantasy adventure series from M. S. Dobing.

ConsensusBreaking_MED

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Review: Vampire Outlaw: A Historical Vampire Novel

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Vampire Outlaw: A Historical Vampire Novel
Vampire Outlaw: A Historical Vampire Novel by Dan Davis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dan Davis has built upon the first in his Immortal Knight series by delivering another cracking historical action-adventure. Set amongst the time of King John, the Sheriff of Nottingham and a certain band of outlaws, Davis has produced an excellent twist on a well known legend that he’s mixed in with his ongoing Vampire saga.

As ever the action is brutal and visceral, with medieval war being shown as the gritty, tiring, bloody mess it is, not as the movie-fu style swordplay you sometimes read about or see in the movies. The vampires are typically brutal, with our hero fighting not only them but his own internal struggles.

The knowledge the author has of the period is clear for all to see and you get a real sense of “place” when reading it. The characters are well written, each with their own distinct personas, including historical figures who have been brought to life so well in this story.

If I was going to compare this to current works I’d liken it to the Conn Iggulden War of the Roses series. The era is different, but the sense of place and the authentic feel of the era are just as well captured.

A worthy follow up to Vampire Crusader, and can’t wait for book 3.

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Auran Chronicles #2 First Draft – Done!

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Slightly ahead of schedule, and slightly lesser on the word count (85,000 – no doubt rising once I’ve added some meat to the bones!), but I’m pleased to say that the first draft of Auran Chronicles #2, provisionally titled “Consensus Breaking”, is now complete. This definitely calls for several of these:

beer-cocktails

I’m going to take a few days off to begin plotting #3 before finally reopening the drawer and editing this thing into something fit to share. There’s a lot to do, and a lot of referencing book 1 to ensure all the relevant plot lines sync up nicely and other related dependencies, but the core story is there with all the key scenes I’d planned in advance, so it’s in a lot better shape than Message Bearer’s first draft was!

Have a good weekend! 🙂

AuranChronicles_CVR_MED

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Review: Vampire Crusader

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Vampire Crusader
Vampire Crusader by Dan Davis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Vampire Crusader follows the adventures of young knight Sir Richard of Ashbury who battles the terrifying William de Ferrer throughout history.

The story is vivid and gripping, and you find yourself enthralled in the world the author has created. It is obvious a great deal of research has gone into the historical elements of the book and this only adds to its authenticity. Such characters as King Richard the Lionheart (who until know only existed as Sean Connery in my head!) are brought to life as living, breathing characters rather than names from history. This particular entry in the series follows the Crusades where Richard, through his pursuit for vengeance, finds himself following King Richard to battle in the Holy Land against Saladin and his armies. Whilst the focus is on Richard and his personal story, this is subtly blended in with the wider events as a whole which gives a wider context to the story and its events.

Whilst the novel is about vampires, it is done in a subtle way rather than having any kind of stereotypes (both modern and old) that scream “vampire story”. These creatures are strong, fast and savage, but from the perspective of our hero and those around them they are obviously different, but treated with an air of mystery that I look forward to exploring in future books in the series.

I should also draw attention to the depictions of combat within the novel. It is gritty, brutal but feels so authentic. Rarely have I read battle scenes where I could practically feel the cut of the blade through muscle or the breaking of bone and cartilage. It’s grim, but necessarily so and really adds to the realistic feel of the book.

Richard himself is an interesting character. You feel through his narration the years of hell he’s been through (over 800 years of them!) without him having to explicitly describe them. This is a hero who’s been through hell many times over, and there’s almost a world-weariness about him that layers his perspective. When some of the bad things happen to him (and I mean, bad!) you genuinely feel the rage he feels and I was racing through the pages purely to see if the wrong-doers would get their comeuppance.

As the story progresses more layers are peeled back in both on the vampire mythology itself and Richard’s history. There’s an excellent balance of both that promises good things for book 2.

Really enjoyed Vampire Crusader. Once I’d picked it up I raced through it. Recommend.

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Wayward Pines

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***DISCLAIMER***

I am no way affiliated with Blake Crouch, Fox or anyone else related to the Wayward Pines Trilogy

***DISCLAIMER***

I’m not one for reviews normally, there’s definitely a lot better people out there who are much able to sell the merits of a particular novel than I am. However this time I thought I’d make an exception.

I’ve just finished The Last Town, the final part of the Wayward Pines trilogy –  a creepy, Twin Peaks-esque thriller/horror/all round good yarn about secret service agent Ethan Burke who is sent to the idyllic town of Wayward Pines, Idaho in an attempt to uncover what has happened to his ex-partner. Without giving anything away, here’s the blurb for book one (Pines):

Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the world he thought he knew, from the man he thought he was, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.

I won’t say much more about the plot than the above, as the story itself is fascinating, and whilst the final part is almost like an episode of 24 with it’s relentless pace and action, it serves as a fitting end to an engrossing series. Blake has taken up a familiar premise but added a (to me, anyway) unique slant that made me devour each instalment within hours.

And the last scene of the last book – Wow.

I’m aware there’s a TV series from FOX coming out shortly based on the books, but as with anything like this I would recommend you sample the source material first, just to ensure you experience it from the author’s original version.

Heartily recommended. 5 Stars.

Mike

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pines-The-Wayward-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B007FG9LIE