All posts in Seven Wonders

THE AGE ATOMIC – one week to go!

by on March 19, 2013 in Empire State, Seven Wonders, The Age Atomic with No Comments Permanent Link to THE AGE ATOMIC – one week to go!Permalink

The Age Atomic is out in exactly one week in paperback in the United States, and in ebook worldwide. Wow, that came around pretty quickly.

So, your handy collection of pre-order links can be found here. As the old saying goes, buy early, and buy often! UK readers, the paperback hits Thursday, April 4th – which is the same day as the launch at Forbidden Planet, where you’ll be able to pick up their exclusive, limited hardback editions of both The Age Atomic and Empire State. You can find details of the launch here.

Meanwhile, the official Waterstones blog has declared that myself and fellow author James Smythe are the future of science fiction. Which kinda makes me feel dizzy. You can read their blog here.

I’ve known James for a while, and in fact blurbed his excellent novels The Testimony and The Explorer. James’s new book, The Machine, is out just a week after The Age Atomic, and I’m looking forward to it immensely.

You can follow James on Twitter here, and you’ll find his blog here.

Finally, a new review of Seven Wonders from the Italian blog, Space of Entropy, who say that:

…human nature is the true core of the novel, and in exploring it Mr. Christopher does a marvelous job.

It’s actually an excellent review and worth a read. My thanks to Marina for that!

Five more teasers for The Age Atomic to come. Stay tuned!

Events and appearances 2013

by on January 23, 2013 in Events, Guest blogs, Seven Wonders with 1 Comment Permanent Link to Events and appearances 2013Permalink

This is my 2013 so far:

I’m editing two books for two different publishers (Hang Wire for Angry Robot, and The Book Formerly Known As Shadow’s Call for Tor), both of which have more or less the same deadline. I’ve got a novel proposal to finish, and a new comic pitch due in early Feb, as well as the last two episodes of The Sentinel for VS Comics to script.

So yeah, busy. Busy but happy!

First, some more catch-up links:

Finally, my 2013 event schedule is firming up. I’ll update the side panel shortly, but in the meantime I’ll be at:

So far that’s it for the year, but probably more than enough travel…

2012 leftovers, Angry Robot ebook sale, and the year ahead

by on January 3, 2013 in awards, Blackout 77, comics, Empire State, Hang Wire, Lucifer, Seven Wonders, Shadow's Call, The Sentinel with 1 Comment Permanent Link to 2012 leftovers, Angry Robot ebook sale, and the year aheadPermalink

Hello 2013! We’re back to an odd-numbered year, during which I will turn an odd-numbered age. I like odd numbers.

Anyway.

There are a few leftover bits and bobs from the end of 2012:

  • At WarpCoreSF, Empire State was named the Best Superhero Noir of 2012.
  • At The Founding Fields, Seven Wonders came in at number 9 of their best books of 2012.
  • Empire State came in at number 3 on Angel of Retribution’s list of best debuts of 2012, while Seven Wonders made it to number 3 on their Best of the Best list.
  • The Eloquent Page named The Age Atomic among their top ten books to look forward to in 2013
  • The Ranting Dragon have compiled a might list of 50 titles to look forward to in 2013, with The Age Atomic at number 19. Also featuring a shout-out to Hang Wire, although I’d argue whether one book is more important than the other!

Today is the last day of Angry Robot’s ebook sale, which features 25% off all their ebooks (including, of course, Empire State and Seven Wonders). You can find details of the sale here. All Angry Robot ebooks are DRM-free too!

Couple of award things – the BSFA Award nomination period is only open until January 11th (details here), and the Hugo Awards are now open for nominations until March 10th.

New Zealand’s Sir Julius Vogel Awards are also open from now until March 31st.- notably, anyone can nominate for these, regardless of membership of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand.

If anyone is so inclined, my list of eligible work is here.

And finally a quick update to my year ahead – actually, this is all likely to take me well into 2014. So my projects are: Shadow’s Call (to be renamed – now scheduled for publication in March 2014), Hang Wire (out in November 2013) Lucifer, Blackout 77, and an untitled urban fantasy project.

Um, yeah. That should keep me going! I should also have an update on my comic debut, The Sentinel, shortly. I’m looking forward to showing off some new art from that!

EMPIRE STATE and SEVEN WONDERS hit more “Best of 2012″ lists, and a Christmas competition!

by on December 23, 2012 in Competition, Empire State, Review, Seven Wonders with 5 Comments Permanent Link to EMPIRE STATE and SEVEN WONDERS hit more “Best of 2012″ lists, and a Christmas competition!Permalink

A nice pre-Christmas surprise – Seven Wonders gets a stonking review over at the Ranting Dragon, who give it 5/5 stars and say:

If you are a fan of comic books and superheroes, Seven Wonders may well be your perfect read. Its grand scale and impressive prose will definitely appeal to anyone who enjoys comics. Its flamboyant action and incredible characters will entertain you for hours. I dare say that—if done well—this may make one of the best film adaptations ever. I would love to see Christopher Nolan or Joss Whedon take a swing at this.

Practically the whole review is quotable, and it really blows me away – thanks!

Seven Wonders was also named the “best novel of 2012” by SuperheroNovels.com, who say:

Christopher has written a book that explodes off the page like gamma ray grapeshot. And that’s a good thing. The author’s enthusiasm and commitment to his muse has made superheroes fun again. Mission accomplished. Seven Wonders wins our prize for best novel of 2012.

My book tops a fine list of five novels which includes one of my favourites of 2012, Prepare to Die! by Paul Tobin, and another from Angry Robot, Costume Not Included by Matthew Hughes. Although I’m bound to say it, SuperheroNovels.com really knows their onions, so to be crowned their number 1 novel really means a lot.

Empire State has also been making some more appearances – over at The Eloquent Page, it’s Book of the Month for June 2012 (closing a three-month run for Angry Robot, with Alchemist of Souls by Anne Lyle and Blackbirds by Chuck Wending coming in as books of the month for April and May, respectively).

At Angel of Retribution, Empire State comes in at number 3 on their list of Best Debuts of 2012 – Angry Robot has a strong showing here too, with The Dead of Winter by Lee Collins (#1), Dead Harvest by Chris F. Holm (#5), Pantomime by Laura Lam (#6 – although this Strange Chemistry title is out in February 2013), and The Alchemist of Souls by Anne Lyle (#8) filling out the list.

Forbidden Planet, the mighty retailer of all things wonderful, has released their Best Books of 2012 list, with Empire State in at number 6, among some very heavyweight title and authors indeed. Woot!

And finally, Empire State gets another Italian review over at Space of Entropy. Unfortunately Google’s translation doesn’t really give a good pull-quote, so I’d recommend you check it out for yourself – in short, they liked it a lot! Incidentally, the Italian edition of Empire State is on the way – more information as I have it. I’m dying to show off the cover!

Now, time for a competition! I have one signed copy of the UK paperback edition of Seven Wonders, and one signed 12-CD audiobook of the same. Although I can’t get them to the winners by Christmas, I’ll draw the competition on Christmas Day – all you need to do is to add a comment to this blog post indicating your entry, and my magical random contest plugin will then draw the winners. The first person to be drawn gets the audiobook, the second person to be drawn gets the signed paperback. The competition is open worldwide.

SEVEN WONDERS reviews and best cover polls and an update on THE SENTINEL

by on December 14, 2012 in Hang Wire, Review, Seven Wonders, The Age Atomic, The Sentinel with 1 Comment Permanent Link to SEVEN WONDERS reviews and best cover polls and an update on THE SENTINELPermalink

But first… my two 2013 novels, The Age Atomic and Hang Wire, have appeared in a list of most anticipated fantasy novels for 2013 over at Reddit, alongside some very fine books indeed. Woot! The Age Atomic is out in April 2013 – you can find pre-order links here.

Seven Wonders has been getting a bit of love recently with two new reviews. At SFFWRTCHT, M.A. Chiappetta says:

Seven Wonders is a fun read. The setting is entirely believable for a story with superheroes in it, and the book contains the unique tone and flavor fitting for a comic-influenced story line. For readers who like their novels to move fast with unexpected plot turns, Seven Wonders should be worth the investment.

There’s also another Italian review over at The Plutonia Experiment – Google’s English translator tells me they said:

Adam Christopher wrote what could be considered the perfect novel of superheroes.

Huzzah!

Will Staehle’s amazing cover for Seven Wonders has made it through to the second round of The Ranting Dragon’s Cover Battle 2012, although it’s up against some stiff competition. You can vote for your favourite here. The cover is also included in the “Most Unique Cover” category of the All Things Urban Fantasy 2012 Paranormal Cover Art Awards. Voting for that is also still open.

Finally, a quick update on my comic debut, The Sentinel. Originally scheduled for the first issue of VS Comics, due out around Christmas, it’s been pushed back until at least February 2013. I’ll keep you updated on progress. You can find VS Comics here, where previews of the first issue are already up.

New interview with I Want To Be A Book and SFFWRTCHT transcript

by on November 30, 2012 in comics, Hang Wire, Interview, Seven Wonders, Shadow's Call, The Age Atomic, The Sentinel with No Comments Permanent Link to New interview with I Want To Be A Book and SFFWRTCHT transcriptPermalink

Still editing – The Age Atomic is in the final batch of edits prior to be sent to the copyedit, and I need to hand that in next week. Once that’s done, it’s onto the next book… in fact, I’m going to be editing until June 2013, so from now on just consider my default state to be “editing” and I can cut straight to the chase.

So this week, two interviews, of sorts. A couple of weeks ago I was on the VS Comics panel at Thought Bubble, where VS Comics was launched and I talked a little about my ongoing Prohibition crime urban fantasy, The Sentinel, which is about a dead policeman, an Egyptian god of vengeance, and a secret cult of magicians who worship the New York subway system. You can see some photos from the panel here. Afterwards, I did an interview for I Want To Be A Book, which contains one or two snippets of info about The Sentinel and the two books coming out after The Age Atomic – Hang Wire (Angry Robot, November 2013) and Shadow’s Call (Tor, winter 2014). It’s also a good moment to mention that Shadow’s Call is going to be retitled, just as soon as I/my agent/my editor can figure out what to call it!

Also last week, I took part in #sffwrtcht, a 1-hour Twitter interview/discussion, hosted by Bryan Thomas Schmidt. A properly written-up interview will appear online soon, but in the meantime a transcript of the interview is up here. I had a blast doing it, and I look forward to making a return appearance.

Finally, The Age Atomic is starting to appear in various places for pre-order – there is a list of links here, and you can find the book on Goodreads here, if you are so inclined.

[Edit] Bonus blog content!

Someone just pointed me to a nice review of Seven Wonders that I’d missed – you can check it out over at The Oracular Beard.

 

In which I (kinda) make an in-store appearance at the World’s Biggest Bookstore, Toronto

by on October 3, 2012 in Seven Wonders with No Comments Permanent Link to In which I (kinda) make an in-store appearance at the World’s Biggest Bookstore, TorontoPermalink

Toronto is easily one of my favourite cities in the world, and is home to The World’s Biggest Bookstore, which I remember spending many hours trawling through when I was last there in 2003. Which is far, far too long ago… I need to get back to Canada…

But, for a limited time, you can come and see me in store… because for October, I’m the Featured Author – Science Fiction!

Woo!

This means I get a shelf endcap display, which not only shows off my novels, but features an interview I did with bookseller Jessica Strider. For the moment you’ll need to go in-store to read the interview, but Jessica will put it up on her blog this Friday.

All of which is pretty gosh-darned cool. Toronto, I am in you!

In other news, two more ace Seven Wonders reviews have hit:

Over at Functional Nerds, Paul Weimer says Seven Wonders is

…explicitly and unapologetically a paean to superhero comics… [and] pressed all of the right buttons for me.

While Paperless Reading said:

The book was such a joy to read and the scenes were so vivid that I swear it was like reading the comic book version. I’m sure any superhero fan would appreciate and love this story too. This is a brilliant story that would make a great standalone novel but I wouldn’t be surprised if we visit this setting again at a later date.

Thanks, dudes! And back to the editing…

 

 

 

Writerly update, Morley Lit Festival, and more SEVEN WONDERS reviews

by on October 2, 2012 in Empire State, Events, Seven Wonders, Shadow's Call, The Age Atomic with No Comments Permanent Link to Writerly update, Morley Lit Festival, and more SEVEN WONDERS reviewsPermalink

And I’m back from FantasyCon, which was three super-duper days hanging out with my favourite people talking about books. I apologise for the brevity of my convention report, but when you’re on a deadline like I am, such things tend to fall by the wayside. But it was good times, trust me.

I’m still on deadline for The Age Atomic, which means I’m back in the word bunker for this month. And then after that is handed in I need to work on Shadow’s Call for Tor… which means, I suspect, another lockdown. But it’s all worth it, in the end. It’s just a rather busy last quarter of the year.

A reminder for this coming Saturday, where I’ll be appearing on the Science Fiction and Superheroes panel as part of the Morley Literature Festival, alongside Samit Basu, David Hine, and Justina Robson. Steve Morris (perhaps better known as the drummer from Joy Division and New Order) is looking forward to seeing us, which I think deserves a What In The Actual Heck (Joy Division being a favourite band of mine), and event curator Mark Johnson gives us the big ups in the Give Me Comics Or Give Me Death podcast, which you can listen to here.

The panel is this Saturday at 2pm at the Morley town hall. Tickets are £4, and full details can be found here, and after the panel there will be a book signing. I hope to see you there!

Seven Wonders reviews continue to come in-

At The Founding Fields, Shadowhawk gives the book 9.5 out of 10 and says:

Adam Christopher has struck gold, again. If any SF novel this year deserves a sequel, it’s Seven Wonders!

The Fiction Stroker gives Seven Wonders four strokes out of five and says:

A love letter to comics… Seven Wonders is another thrilling roller-coaster ride from an author who is quickly becoming a master of multi-genre adventure.

Philip Norris says:

Seven Wonders ticks all the right boxes, it is a thrilling rollercoaster ride where the reader feels the wind in their hair, and their cape flapping behind them.

At I Will Read Books, Erik Lundqvist says:

…[T]he atmosphere, and the world building, is spot on… Adam Christopher has once again brought something new to a old genre.

And a little bonus, The Fiction Stroker also reviewed my debut novel, Empire State, giving it four strokes out of five and saying it is:

…An immersing, entertaining and atmospheric journey into another world.

Back to the editing, and see you on Saturday in Leeds!

Quick update: EMPIRE STATE Italian edition and Waterstones in-store appearance

by on September 13, 2012 in Empire State, Events, Seven Wonders with No Comments Permanent Link to Quick update: EMPIRE STATE Italian edition and Waterstones in-store appearancePermalink

Editing editing editing The Age Atomic. Phew!

I’m pleased to announce that La Ponga Edizione will be publishing the Italian edition of Empire State, my debut novel. I’m not sure what the title translates to exactly – something like Stato Imperio, perhaps – but I’ll post more information when I have it. The book will be released in Italy in November/December this year, and I’ve been helping the translator with a few bits and bobs. Exciting!

This Saturday I’ll be at the Macclesfield Waterstones, signing Seven Wonders and generally hanging around. It’s a small branch but close to Manchester (on the fast train too), and I’m looking forward to it as that used to be “my” store when I lived in Macclesfield. Both Empire State and Seven Wonders were written literally just down the road, and a couple of days a week I’d walk up into town to browse the store, then grab a coffee and go home to write. Little did I know that a couple of years later I’d be having my own event in that very store! The staff there are also hugely supportive – you can follow them on Twitter at @waterstonesmacc.

So, if you’re around, pop along and say hello. I’ll be there from 11am to 2pm. Details are up on the Waterstones website and at Angry Robot.

While I was gone: SEVEN WONDERS reviews, interviews, and more!

by on September 8, 2012 in Seven Wonders with No Comments Permanent Link to While I was gone: SEVEN WONDERS reviews, interviews, and more!Permalink

So, that was WorldCon and that was Chicago. I’m still composing my post-convention blog post and sorting photos, but in the meantime you can read what various people thought here, here, here and here.

While I was away, a whole bunch of things appeared online, so here goes:

  • Seven Wonders was reviewed in The Guardian, which said the book “…is an artfully plotted and thrilling action-adventure with some satisfying set-piece confrontations and amazingly rounded characterisation.”

  • Over at Benito Corral Reviews, Seven Wonders is described as “…a big, colorful joy to read and it shows that it was also a joy to write. The author’s love for the genre is stamped on each page.” Benito also interviewed me, which you can read here.

  • At Beauty in Ruins, Bob Milne says Seven Wonders is “…not the first comic book novel I’ve read, but certainly one of the strongest.” Bob also interviewed me, and you can read that here.

  • And over at The Eloquent Page, they say Seven Wonders “…is an utterly absorbing read… The story is so good and the characters so well observed that they scream out for some sort of visual development.” Hey, wouldn’t that be nice?

  • At John Scalzi’s The Big Idea, I talk about the genesis of Seven Wonders and why I decided it was the right time to tell this particular tale.

  • And over at Mary Robinette Kowal’s My Favorite Bit, I talk about the fun I had creating San Ventura, California, and the superhero-filled world of the novel.

Finally, we had the UK launch of Seven Wonders last Thursday night, where I signed a very large number of books, including the limited edition hardcover, exclusive to Forbidden Planet (there are still a handful left, which you can order here – any remaining stock will be taken to FantasyCon in Brighton, which I’ll be at too). You can see a photo from the night over at Angry Robot, and Adrian Faulkner very kindly blogged about the launch over at his site. I’ll post some photos as soon as I’ve cleared out the WorldCon stuff.

 

 

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