Nights of Villjamur - Mark Charan Newton

[Nick]

Mark Charan Newton's latest novel Nights of Villjamur is out soon from Tor UK, following on from his excellent debut The Reef. It is great to have new writers in the fantasy field who combine accomplished and stylish prose, a burgeoning imagination and compelling adult concerns. Nights of Villjamur is the first in Mark's Legends of the Red Sun series.

As Jeff VanderMeer put it: 'A writer whose prose is dynamic and whose imagination is often startling'.

Learn all about the Jamur Empire, where thousands seek sanctuary within the gates of the great city of Villjamur, where without, the banshees wail the deceased and where the dead have been seen wandering across the tundra. The savage murder of a city politician, a court investigator tasked with finding the culprit, a serial womaniser who manipulates his way into the imperial court, a daughter returning home to claim an empire while enemies hidden from have other ideas. And when it is reported that tens of thousands of citizens are dying in a bizarre genocide on the northern islands of the Empire, the elite Night Guard are sent to investigate amid a world at the tipping point of an environmental apocalypse. You can find out more about Nights of Villjamur on Mark's website, HERE. Sounds great! One to watch!

Nick

[drosdelnoch]

I'm about to read this and have read the first couple of pages which are real "hookers" (probably the only time that can be said in a positive way. LOL). So if the rest continues as well, we might have to start a "pimp" up my Author thread. LOL

[Mark Charan Newton]

A few reviews are coming in already...

First off, James at Speculative Horizons says: "All things considered, Nights of Villjamur is a very strong debut epic fantasy novel. Liquid prose with noir stylings evoke a brooding city in all its glory and despair, filled with believable characters and dozens of small innovations that make the world that bit more intriguing. This is a grown-up fantasy that touches on real-life concerns, and this is where fantasy is at its most potent and relevant."

Adam at The Wertzone says: "what is (relatively) unusual is that the author brings an interesting prose style and a more measured pace to bear on the book. The storyline unfolds deliberately, carefully, and the book’s rich writing draws you into its world, the story and the lives of the characters in an accomplished manner… a work that immerses you in its world and demands you pay attention… this is a polished and accomplished debut novel and is well-recommended."

And Aidan at A Dribble of Ink says: "Nights of Villjamur is being bandied about by reviewers and publicists as a literary fantasy, delving into the underused Dying Earth sub-genre and written to appeal to those looking for something more from their fantasy. While this is certainly true, I was surprised at how much more there was to the novel from the perspective of a Terry Brooks fan. I was worried I would find a dense, overwritten piece of philosophical literature hidden under a fantasy verneer (think Terry Goodkind’s Naked Empire, but not piss-poor), but what I found instead was a tightly plotted novel that worked just as well as a fantasy novel as it did a piece of introspective literature. In short, it would behoove potential readers to drop preconceptions of ‘literary’ fantasy and give Nights of Villjamur a fair shot. With a more than competent debut, Newton seems smartly poised to tackle a wide swathe of readers with Nights of Villjamur, and his future as a writer is bright, indeed."

100% so far... Now let's wait for the bad ones to decimate me!

[SueT]

Mark,

I read the review on A Dribble of Ink, and I'd like to read it...when is it out in the States?

Congratulations on all the accolades!

Sue

[Mark Charan Newton]

Hi Sue,

Although there's no US publisher as of yet, it should be available through Amazon as soon as the UK edition is out. Also, the Book Depository ships from the UK to the rest of the world for free - so you can easily get it, or any other UK-published book, from that site.

And thanks!

[Nick]

Michelle Obama has a 92% approval rating with the American public, it is reported. This I learned on Radio 5 Live last week when Fiona Phillips was standing in and she very sagely said that the First Lady wouldn't be concerning herself with that. It would be the remaining 8% she would be thinking about! 'Uman nat're.

[Mark Charan Newton]

Well, one thing I've learned from working in this industry is that you can't please everyone... But that isn't going to stop me cursing at the bad reviews when they come! I'll be taking names... :)

[Mark Charan Newton]

Yep, I’m being solipsistic again. Here’s another review over at Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review.

"I finally got round to picking the book up last weekend and finished it last night in a fit of ‘I can’t stop reading, I really must find out how it all ends…’ It turns out that everyone was right and my anticipation of ‘Nights of Villjamur’ was well founded…

… The bottom line is that Newton writes an engaging tale full of different subplots that all come together to form a picture you’d only half guessed at while you were reading. ‘Nights of Villjamur’ has something for everyone and it’s all good. If you’re after a noir thriller then follow Inquisitor Jeryd down the mean streets as he attempts to solve a murder that has everyone baffled. If you’re after something political then Villjamur is full of competing factions that are all out for power and will stop at nothing to get it. If all you want is a bit of honest thievery and the sound of swords clashing in anger then there is plenty of that as well.

The events portrayed in ‘Nights of Villjamur’ are guaranteed page turners and the characters involved are just as engaging. Newton takes his time going into what it must be like living in a world approaching its end and how this can affect people’s decisions. Some characters stick to what they know whether that’s the upholding of the law or following their own base desires. In a dying world where change can be seen as pointless some characters do develop and these journeys are the ones that are worth following. There is enough going on in these pages to make reading the sequel pretty much essential as far as I’m concerned…

Nine and a Quarter out of Ten"

I don’t know where I lost that .75 of a point. Must. Try. Harder.

And here’s another just in, from King of the Nerds (what a great blog name!):

"This was by and large one of the best titles I’ve read this year. Had Tor U.K. not sent me an ARC for review I’d be converting my dollars into pounds and not regretting that fact for a single moment…

The subtle blending of fantasy, horror, noir, and fantasy results in an interesting and enthralled final product that has a lot to offer just about any reader. Marketing material and reviews mentioned Charon amongst such speculative fiction luminaries as M. John Harrison, Stephen Erikson, and even China Mieville. To an extent those comparisons are accurate but to be fair I think Newton has managed a synthesis of styles that deserves to be examined in its own right rather than solely with the context of his literary forbears. As I’m almost certain I’ve mentioned before that is courtesy I do not necessarily extend every book my way. As a debut novel (at least with a major publisher, The Reef had a small print run but I might have to track it down anyway, but even as a second novel) Nights of Villjamur is surprisingly mature bit of prose that I would hope to see on any list of modern fantasy classics and in the coming years I’m willing to be we’ll be seeing Newton’s name amongst those aforementioned luminaries (maybe on some other new author’s book). As I said before there is no official U.S. date, a shame for fantasy fans here stateside and the U.K. market has to wait to June to pick this one up. This is a book that fantasy fans are going to want read; highly recommended."

Now that’s set the weekend up very nicely indeed. :)

[Nick]

Congratulations to Mark for securing a two-book deal with Del Rey in the US. Starting with Nights of Villjamur, currently receiving some stonking good reviews. Full details can be find on Mark's Blog, HERE. Well done, Mark!