Tag: Titan

Andrew Cartmel’s UNDERSCORE out in Four Weeks!

Posted on Tuesday, March 18th, 2025

In four weeks (April 15th), Titan Books are due to publish UNDERSCORE, the highly-anticipated eighth Vinyl Detective novel by Andrew Cartmel! Here’s the synopsis…

Some of the greatest (and grooviest) music ever committed to vinyl has come out of Italy.

And some of the greatest music to come out of Italy can be found on the soundtracks composed for its lurid, gruesome and some might say nonsensical thrillers known as gialli. The maestros who composed for these include Ennio Morricone, Piero Piccioni, Armand Trovajoli…

… And Loretto Loconsole.

No one disputes that Loconsole was a genius, but was he also a murderer?

The composer’s mistress was killed in 1969 while the pair were on location in Cool Britannia for the shoot of lurid giallo Murder in London – also known as Bikini of Blood and sometimes even The Black Dog Murders (don’t ask). There wasn’t enough evidence to lead to a prosecution, but the stink of scandal never went away. Loconsole’s career never recovered, the mastertapes of his work were destroyed and he died with a dark stain on his legacy.

Now, his granddaughter Chloe has come to England to hire the Vinyl Detective. Not only does she want him to find immaculate vinyl copies of all her grandpa’s soundtracks for a series of reissues she’s putting together to resurrect his musical reputation, but she wants him to clear his name too.

Can the Vinyl Detective and the usual gang – Nevada, Tinkler and Agatha – find out the truth of what happened in Swinging London more than half a century ago? Or might there be someone out there who’d prefer the events of the past to be left well alone, and is prepared to kill to keep their secrets safely in the Sixties?

Titan Books also publishes the first seven novels in the series, in the UK and North America: WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX, THE RUN-OUT GROOVE, VICTORY DISC, FLIP BACK, LOW ACTION, ATTACK AND DECAY, and NOISE FLOOR.

Here are just a few of the great reviews the series has received so far…

‘This charming mystery feels as companionable as a leisurely afternoon trawling the vintage shops with a good friend.’ — Kirkus on WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX

‘… fast-paced, lighthearted adventure… marvelously inventive and endlessly fascinating…’ — Publishers Weekly on WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX

‘Author Cartmel has combined the tropes of the several genres into a surprising, refreshing story centered around old-fashioned records… the story delivers multiple chuckles per chapter… Based on this volume, the series will be a hit.’ — New York Journal of Books on WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX

‘… entertaining second record-spinning mystery… Cartmel treats music and records seriously, plays his strange characters for laughs, and provides a bit of danger and some unexpected twists in this affectionate nod to the vagaries of rock stardom.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE RUN-OUT GROOVE

‘THE RUN-OUT GROOVE does a fantastic job of making its fictional history of music so fascinating and authentic that you’ll forget it isn’t all true… This a follow-up every bit the equal of its highly memorable predecessor, presenting a mystery you’ll be eager to solve and characters whose company you won’t want to leave. Written with infectious charm, the Vinyl Detective has more than proven he’s no one-hit-wonder.’ (9/10) — Alternative Magazine Online on THE RUN-OUT GROOVE

‘Cartmel at his best… an exciting and atmospheric mystery and a good addition to the Vinyl Detective’s casebook.’ — Blue Book Balloon on VICTORY DISC

‘This book was such a blast! It was a great addition to this hilarious series and I’m so impressed at how entertaining these books are.’ — Divine World of Books on VICTORY DISC

‘… an interesting and intriguing history for the series’ latest MacGuffin… the writing is sharp, funny and engaging throughout, and the main characters have never been more likeable… it’s wonderful; it’s a book filled with warmth and good humour – despite a touch of murder – that often feels like reacquainting yourself with old friends… The latest Vinyl Detective novel continues the series’ fine tradition of telling fictional stories that seem entirely plausible. There hasn’t been a dud note in the Vinyl Detective’s oeuvre to date and FLIP BACK is no exception; in fact, it might just be his greatest whodunnit yet.’ 9/10 — Alternative Magazine Online on FLIP BACK

Reviews Round-Up #1… James P. Blaylock

Posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

These early months of 2013 see a number of big releases for Zeno clients. Plenty of coverage, including reviews and author interviews has been cropping up all over the internet, and so over the next few days and weeks we’ll be sharing the best of that coverage here on the Zeno site.

First up we have steampunk author extraordinaire (I’ve been proudly using the hashtag on twitter #steampunklegend, but it’s yet to catch on), James P. Blaylock.In January Titan Books released Blaylock’s first full length steampunk novel in twenty years, THE AYLESFORD SKULL – a brand new,  full-on, mad-cap adventure featuring Blaylock hero, Professor Langdon St. Ives.

Blaylock’s two other St. Ives novels – HOMUNCULUS (which won the prestigious Philip K. Dick award) and LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE – are to be reissued by Titan Books, making for a a very smart looking trio of classic steampunk titles. And these novels, especially the first, have been met with a slew of good reviews…

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SFX was particularly impressed with the finale of THE AYLESFORD SKULL, ‘which involves an airship, a thunderstorm, an unusually creative science experiment and… is real white-knuckled, edge of the seat stuff. This is steampunk at full power and it’s a heady, thrilling read as a result.‘ Their review continues, summing up the novel as…

‘Packed with high adventure, mad science and derring do, The Aylesford Skull is a perfect place to start the Langdon St Ives books and, with Titan re-releasing the other books in the series, there’s plenty to keep you and St Ives busy. Which is, I suspect, just how he likes it.’

SF Book Reviews also enjoyed THE AYLESFORD SKULL:

‘The more you read the more you come to appreciate this subtle Steampunk setting, including the well described juxtaposition of the class system that played a large part in Victorian era London. The gentile and elegant lives contrast sharply with the filthy streets and savage inhabitants of the grimy Spitalfields area creating a realistic edge that helps to ground the story… it’s a fast, rich and thoughtful thriller that is as different as it is clever and as bold as it is beautiful.’

To celebrate the release of these novels, Titan Books has sent Blaylock an extensive blog-tour. The tour has included a number of fascinating and fun interviews, including those at  SciFi-FX, ReaderDad, Borg.com, HorrorTalk, and this one here at Alastair Stuart’s Blog. And there are  further reviews of THE AYLESFORD SKULL on Nerd Cabinet, Geek Native, Curiosity of a Social Misfit, Revolution SF, Tattooed Book, and here.

And if all that fails to wet your appetite, visit the Daily Dead site where you’ll find an excerpt from the novel. What? Still here? Click the link, already!!!

Steampunk Master Returns!

Posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2013

James P Blaylock, one of the ‘Founding Fathers’ of Steampunk, returns to the genre in his first full-length steampunk novel in over two decades… and what can we say except that it is well worth the wait!

THE AYLESFORD SKULL is published today by Titan Books. It features Blaylock’s evergreen hero, Langdon St. Ives pitted in a new adventure against his old nemesis the mad scientist, Dr. Ignacio Narbondo.

TAS coverIt is the summer of 1883 and Professor Langdon St. Ives brilliant but eccentric scientist and explorer is at home in Aylesford with his family. However a few miles to the north a steam launch has been taken by pirates above Egypt Bay, the crew murdered and pitched overboard. In Aylesford itself a grave is opened and possibly robbed of the skull. The suspected grave robber, the infamous Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, is an old nemesis of Langdon St. Ives. When Dr. Narbondo returns to kidnap his four-year-old son Eddie and then vanishes into the night, St. Ives and his factotum Hasbro race into London in pursuit…

io9 has an exclusive extract from the novel, and The Machine Stops has a fascinating in-depth interview with the author and be sure to check out brillaint Huffington Post article by Blaylock entitled ‘On Steampunk‘ in which he all but admits it’s all his fault!

Turbulence Creates a Storm…

Posted on Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

Samit Basu‘s fantastic new novel TURBULENCE has been published in the UK in paperback and as an eBook by Titan and is already receiving some stellar reviews. It will be released in the US next year and Samit is already hard at work on a sequel.

Aman Sen is smart, young, ambitious and going nowhere. He thinks this is because he doesn’t have the right connections—but then he gets off a plane from London to Delhi and discovers that he has turned into a communications demigod. Indeed, everyone on Aman’s flight now has extraordinary abilities corresponding to their innermost desires. Vir, an Indian Air Force pilot, can now fly. Uzma, a British- Pakistani aspiring Bollywood actress, now possesses infinite charisma. And then there’s Jai, an indestructible one-man army with a good old-fashioned goal — to rule the world!

Aman wants to ensure that their new powers aren’t wasted on costumed crime-fighting, celebrity endorsements, or reality television. He wants to heal the planet but with each step he takes, he finds helping some means harming others. Will it all end, as 80 years of superhero fiction suggest, in a meaningless, explosive slugfest?

TURBULENCE features the 21st-century Indian subcontinent in all its insane glory—F-16s, Bollywood, radical religious parties, nuclear plants, cricket, terrorists, luxury resorts, crazy TV shows — but it is essentially about two very human questions. How would you feel if you actually got what you wanted? And what would you do if you could really change the world?

***

‘Basu knows his stuff…  he conjures up a vast array of imaginative powers… unflinchingly depicts the costly consequences…‘ – SFX

‘It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s intelligently witty, it’s great…. I found it difficult to put down. Loved, loved, LOVED it.’ – SFFWorld.com, Mark Yon.

‘The characters are brilliantly written… With a globe-trotting sensibility even James Bond would be proud of, the cinematic action sequences are as breath-taking as anything Hollywood has to offer, so the campaign for a big-screen version, or failing that, at least a sequel to the book begins here!‘ – IGN

‘TURBULENCE is a new breed of superhero novel and likely to appeal to both classic hero fans as well as fans of contemporary fiction… This is one of those rare superhero stories that is not overshadowed by the powers but is told in the humanity that pulls the superhuman together.‘ – Geek Native

‘If you’re looking for brilliantly written, fun and fast paced action that leaves you wanting more, this is definitely it. One word of warning though, you may ignore your loved ones completely until you’ve finished it.‘ – The Tattooed Book.

‘It is somewhat self-referential, inventive and very clever. But most of all, it is fun. If you have ever picked up a comic book and enjoyed it, then this is a must-buy.’ – Starburst