Backlist Plug: Michael Cobley’s SHADOWKINGS trilogy…


Today, we want to draw your attention to Michael Cobley‘s debut trilogy, the Shadowkings grimdark fantasy trilogy: SHADOWKINGS, SHADOWGOD and SHADOWMASQUE.

Originally published by Simon & Schuster between 2002-2005, the series is now available in eBook format via the JABberwocky eBook Program; and as audiobooks via Audible. Here’s the synopsis for the first book…

For one thousand bright and fortunate years the Khatrimantine Empire had guaranteed peace and benevolence. Then came the vast hordes of the Mogaun, driven by an evil deity, the Lord of Twilight, corrupter and devourer. At the very pinnacle of his triumph, the Lord of Twilight made a fatal mistake, shattering his essence into five parts: five lost souls destined to become the Shadowkings. Now, sixteen years after the invasion, Mogaun warlords and petty despots squabble amid the ruins. Yet ancient powers are stirring and the Empire’s last valiant defenders are gathering their strength, hoping that one decisive strike can reverse their long, bleak decline.

The trilogy is also available in Germany, published by Heyne, as SCHATTENKÖNIGESCHATTENGÖTTER and SCHATTENKRIEGER.

Here are just a few of the reviews the Shadowkings series has received…

‘A pacey action and adventure story, packed with battles, rescues and political double-dealing… a refreshing and believable take on the Fight Against Insurmountable Evil Foes sub-genre, without dispensing with any of the familiar staples that make the genre what it is.’ Infinity Plus on SHADOWKINGS

SHADOWKINGS, was brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids. SHADOWGOD, his second, is not only lighter, it is better written and makes good use of the world Cobley has created… writing to rival David Gemmell.’ Guardian (Jon Courtenay-Grimwood)

‘Unconventional high fantasy trilogy… [Cobley] has taken traditional sword and sorcery to some new and perhaps uncomfortable places… Once again Mike has succeeded in producing an unusually dark and claustrophobic piece of work, though it is a lot less bleak than its predecessors. It is also a lot less convoluted with the battle lines more clearly drawn.’ Infinity Plus on SHADOWMASQUE

‘[Cobley] drew the characters with verve and style, encouraging the reader to participate in the story he was unfolding. The plot was complex but clearly spun out, providing tantalising teasers at the end of each episode, which made me want to skip ahead to the next time that particular thread was picked up and woven. In my opinion, a clear winner for Michael Cobley.’ SF Crowsnest on SHADOWMASQUE

Michael is also the best-selling author of the Humanity’s Fire sci-fi series, published in the UK and US by Orbit Books: SEEDS OF EARTH, THE ORPHANED WORLDS, THE ASCENDANT STARS, and the stand-alone ANCESTRAL MACHINES. The next novel in the series, SPLINTERED SUNS, is due out later this year. (We’ll bring you the cover and more details as we have them.) The series has also been published in Germany by Heyne.

Throwback Thursday: Michael Cobley’s SHADOWKINGS series


Today, we wanted to draw your attention to Michael Cobley‘s first series, the grimdark fantasy Shadowkings trilogy: SHADOWKINGS, SHADOWGODS and SHADOWMASQUE. The trilogy is still available widely in eBook in English and German, and various rights are available (please get in touch if you have any questions).

The novels were published before the grimdark wave came to dominate the fantasy genre (albeit relatively briefly), and was published in the UK by Earthlight, between 2001-5. Here’s the synopsis for the first novel…

For one thousand bright and fortunate years the Khatrimantine Empire had guaranteed peace and benevolence. Then came the vast hordes of the Mogaun, driven by an evil deity, the Lord of Twilight, corrupter and devourer. At the very pinnacle of his triumph, the Lord of Twilight made a fatal mistake, shattering his essence into five parts: five lost souls destined to become the Shadowkings. Now, sixteen years after the invasion, Mogaun warlords and petty despots squabble amid the ruins. Yet ancient powers are stirring and the Empire’s last valiant defenders are gathering their strength, hoping that one decisive strike can reverse their long, bleak decline.

The covers at the top of this piece are for the current eBook editions of the trilogy, available through the JABberwocky eBook Program. Here are the original covers…

The series was well-received on publication, and here are just a few of the reviews the series has enjoyed…

‘A pacey action and adventure story, packed with battles, rescues and political double-dealing… a refreshing and believable take on the Fight Against Insurmountable Evil Foes sub-genre, without dispensing with any of the familiar staples that make the genre what it is.’ Infinity Plus on SHADOWKINGS

‘Impressively unpleasant first fantasy novel… If it were not for its unrelenting bleakness, Shadowkings would be a fairly standard story of apocalyptic evil and heroic good–Cobley has a sense, however, of how bad a battlefield or a ruined town smells, and his dark magic is appropriately sinister.’ Roz Kaveney on SHADOWKINGS

SHADOWKINGS, was brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids. SHADOWGOD, his second, is not only lighter, it is better written and makes good use of the world Cobley has created… writing to rival David Gemmell.’Guardian (Jon Courtenay-Grimwood)

‘Unconventional high fantasy trilogy… [Cobley] has taken traditional sword and sorcery to some new and perhaps uncomfortable places… Once again Mike has succeeded in producing an unusually dark and claustrophobic piece of work, though it is a lot less bleak than its predecessors. It is also a lot less convoluted with the battle lines more clearly drawn.’ Infinity Plus on SHADOWMASQUE

‘[Cobley] drew the characters with verve and style, encouraging the reader to participate in the story he was unfolding. The plot was complex but clearly spun out, providing tantalising teasers at the end of each episode, which made me want to skip ahead to the next time that particular thread was picked up and woven. In my opinion, a clear winner for Michael Cobley.’ SF Crowsnest on SHADOWMASQUE

The series has also been published by Heyne in Germany. Here are the covers…

Michael Cobley is also the author of the critically-acclaimed Humanity’s Fire series, which includes the trilogy SEEDS OF EARTH, THE ORPHANED WORLDS and THE ASCENDANT STARS, and the stand-alone ANCESTRAL MACHINES. All four novels are published by Orbit Books in the UK and US, and Heyne in Germany.

SHADOWKINGS and THE ELFIN SHIP on sale!


James P. Blaylock‘s and Michael Cobley‘s debut novels are on sale at the moment, discounted through Kobo! Both books are published through the JABberwocky eBook Program.

blaylock-b1-elfinshipjab Blaylock’s THE ELFIN SHIP is the first in the author’s Balumnia series, sometimes referred to as the Cheeser series. Here’s the synopsis…

James P Blaylock’s 1982 début novel The Elfin Ship has become a classic of whimsical fantasy. With echoes of Kenneth Graham and Mark Twain, it’s a gentle, eccentric and hilarious novel that will delight readers of all ages.

Trading with the elves used to be so simple. Every year Master Cheeser Jonathan Bing would send his very best cheeses downriver to traders who would eventually return with Elfin wonders for the people of Twombly Town.

But no more…

First, the trading post at Willowood Station was mysteriously destroyed. Then a magical elfin airship began making forays overhead: Jonathan knew something was definitely amiss.

So he set off downriver to deliver the cheeses himself, accompanied by the amazing Professor Wurzle, the irrepressible Dooly, and his faithful dog Ahab. It would have been such a pleasant trip, if not for the weeping skeleton, mad goblins, magic coins, an evil dwarf, a cloak of invisibility – and a watch that stopped time.

Of course, the return trip was not so simple.

Blaylock’s other two Balumnia novels, THE DISAPPEARING DWARF and THE STONE GIANT, are also available.

‘A magical world, magically presented… having journeyed there, you will not wish to leave, nor ever to forget.’ Philip K. Dick

Jim’s latest novel is BENEATH LONDON, the fourth book in his fan-favourite Langdon St. Ives steampunk series, published by Titan Books.

cobley-sk1-shadowkingsjab2SHADOWKINGS is the first novel in Michael Cobley’s series of the same name. Here’s the synopsis…

For one thousand bright and fortunate years the Khatrimantine Empire had guaranteed peace and benevolence. Then came the vast hordes of the Mogaun, driven by an evil deity, the Lord of Twilight, corrupter and devourer.

The unprepared Khatrimantine armies could not stand against the brutal might of the invaders, not even with the help of the Empire’s spirit/magical guardians. Yet at the very pinnacle of his triumph, the Lord of Twilight made a fatal mistake, shattering his essence into five parts: five lost souls destined to become the Shadowkings.

Now, sixteen years after the invasion, Mogaun warlords and petty despots squabble amid the ruins. Yet ancient powers are stirring and the Empire’s last valiant defenders are gathering their strength, hoping that one decisive strike can reverse their long, bleak decline. But the forces of Night know well the dance of might, and match them step for step.

The other two novels in the series, SHADOWGOD and SHADOWMASQUE, are also available.

‘There is plenty here to keep any fans of high fantasy happy. The familiar elements are here, but don’t worry about them feeling borrowed or contrived. Cobley has presented his own fantasy world and characters, well rounded, fully explored and absorbing.’ Eternal Night

‘… unconventional high fantasy trilogy… [Cobley] has taken traditional sword and sorcery to some new and perhaps uncomfortable places… an unusually dark and claustrophobic piece of work…’ Infinity Plus

Michael’s latest novel is ANCESTRAL MACHINES, a fourth (stand-alone) novel set in his Humanity’s Fire universe. It is published by Orbit Books.

Series Spotlight: Michael Cobley’s SHADOWKINGS


cobley-headshotMichael Cobley is perhaps best known for his expansive space opera series, Humanity’s Fire, published in both the UK and US by Orbit Books. The fourth title set in the same universe, ANCESTRAL MACHINES, is due to be published later this year, also by Orbit.

However, before his science fiction series became such a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic, he was also a pioneer of Grimdark fantasy: his debut trilogy, Shadowkings, was first published between 2001-5, by Earthlight. Certainly, he was dabbling in the darker, grittier fantasy arena before it gained such prominence and popularity, and doing it very well, too – Jon Courtenay-Grimwood described the series, in his review for the Guardian, as ‘brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids.’ It was also described as unconventional high fantasy’, but this was before the rise of grimdark. Continue reading “Series Spotlight: Michael Cobley’s SHADOWKINGS”

Now in eBook: Michael Cobley’s SHADOWKINGS Grimdark Fantasy Series


Michael Cobley‘s early-grimdark fantasy series, Shadowkingshas recently been released as part of the JABberwocky eBook Program! Out-of-print for some time, the series – SHADOWKINGS, SHADOWGOD and SHADOWMASQUE – was well-received upon initial publication. With the continuing rise in popularity for fantasy, it’s a great time to see these books made available once again. Here are the freshly-commissioned covers, by Dirk Berger:

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We will have some more news about the Shadowkings series in a few days. Watch this space!

New Audiobooks by Justina Robson and Michael Cobley


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Here is some information on three more new audio editions, published this past week by Audible.

First up, we have two more stand-alone novels by Justina Robson. As with SILVER SCREEN and NATURAL HISTORY, released earlier this month, these early novels further show Robson’s skill at crafting engaging, ahead-of-their-time literary science fiction novels.

Both of these novels were critically-acclaimed when they were released, and continue to receive good praise. Publishers Weekly gave MAPPA MUNDI a starred review, stating that it ‘maintains throat-tightening suspense from its teasingly enigmatic introduction of its major characters to its painful conclusion that evil will succeed if well-meaning people try to achieve good at any cost… this near-future SF thriller presents convincing characters caught in profound moral dilemmas brought home through exquisite attention to plot details and setting.’ The novel was also shortlisted for the 2001 Arthur C. Clarke Award. LIVING NEXT DOOR TO THE GOD OF LOVE garnered praise from both Publishers Weekly and the New York Times. The former suggested that, ‘If William Gibson and Norman Spinrad had dropped acid together, this fourth SF novel by British author Robson is the book they might have written.’ The NYT described the novel as one ofexquisite precision and thoughtfulness, andnothing short of a modern-day fairy tale, except she doesn’t need to hide behind predatory wolves and little girls in blood-red garments to convey what’s truly at stake. Her story could not be told without technology, but it is not a story about technology. It is a story about people, whose behavior cannot be so easily predicted, whose defects cannot be so easily repaired and whose functions and purposes in the universe have yet to be determined.

Next, the second volume in Michael Cobley‘s Shadowkings series, SHADOWGOD is also now available. There will be some more news on this series next week, but suffice it to say, Cobley’s debut fantasy trilogy was an early pioneer of modern ‘grimdark’ fantasy. Here are the details…

  • SHADOWGOD – Shadowkings #2 (Earthlight) – Philip Rose

Jon Courtenay-Grimwood, writing for the Guardian, reviewed SHADOWGOD thus: SHADOWKINGS, was brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids. SHADOWGOD, his second, is not only lighter, it is better written and makes good use of the world Cobley has created… writing to rival David Gemmell.’

This Week’s New Audible Titles…


A slightly smaller influx of audio editions, this week – but by no means any less exciting! Here are the six new titles available as of today (James Blaylock’s) and tomorrow…

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