The Angry Robot Song

Today, John Anealio released “Angry Robot,” a song I helped him write. You can find it available for free on his website as a single or as part of his brand-new The Robot E.P., which includes “Angry Robot” and covers of “Mr. Roboto” and “The Transformers Theme.”

I met John at the World Fantasy Convention last October, and we hit it off. Our virtual paths crossed again when he wrote the original “Angry Robot” chorus as the theme song for Angry Robot, which publishes my novels Amortals and Vegas Knights. The omnipresent and awesome Mur Lafferty uses it as the lead-in for the official Angry Robot podcasts she hosts.

John wanted to turn the chorus/jingle/intro into a full song, and he asked me if I’d be interested in helping him write the lyrics. I didn’t just jump, I rocketed at the chance. Who wouldn’t love to have a talented musician like John set your words to music?

The chorus was already perfect, so I wrote a first draft of the verses. We went back and forth with it a few times, polishing it to a high gloss, and then John strode off to set it all to the perfect tune.

Give it a listen! It’s free to stream or download, contains no DRM, and both John and I hope you enjoy it.

Lester Smith Reviews Amortals

My Alliterates pal, world-famous game designer Lester Smith, went out and paid his own hard-earned money to pick up a copy of Amortals and then did me another solid by taking the time to write up a review of it. Although he’s bound to be biased, Lester loved the book and is more than eloquent enough to say why.

It spins into a veritable tourbillion of a plot that delivers wilder and wilder revelations, as security and freedom (aka law and chaos) do battle, with the main character unwittingly poised at their center. This is a plot that will remain with me, among my favorites.

(Thanks, Les!) Go read the rest of it, and check out the rest of Les’s site while you’re at it.

Amortals is already on the shelves of better bookstores and available as an ebook worldwide.

Vegas Knights in the House


A big box of the UK edition of Vegas Knights just showed up at my house today, courtesy of my publishers at Angry Robot. It is a thing of rare beauty, and I’m thrilled with it. Although it doesn’t show up on the photograph too well, the cover features a spot varnish on the Las Vegas sign and the Angry Robot logo on the cover and on the name, title, and logo on the spine, giving the book a razor-sharp look.

Vegas Knights hits the UK on March 3 and releases worldwide as an ebook that same day. That’s this Thursday!

Print copies reach the US in a slightly smaller frame on March 29. If you have a UK Kindle, though, the book apparently slipped through there a bit early, and you can grab it right now. Can’t wait for you to read it!

Weirdmage Loves Vegas Knights

Over at WeirdMage.com, reviewer Ole A. Imsen got a crack at an advance copy of Vegas Knights, and he liked it from cover to cover. As he writes:

I was hooked by the end of the first chapter… You always feel that there is more to be revealed, and that makes this a book that is hard to put down once you have started it… It is great entertainment, and if you have a taste for fantasy in a contemporary setting this is definitely worth checking out.

Thanks, Ole! The rest of you, head on over and check out the entire review.

Steamfortress Victory, Ahoy!

My co-writer on the script for the InSpectres movie, Jeff Dohm, is launching a new tabletop roleplaying game this year, called Steamfortress Victory. Jeff describes it as American steampunk, and it fits that bill like a set of clockwork goggles. The first product for it – a prequel dime novel/adventure called A Day at the Fair – debuted at Archon last year, and it’s now available for sale in print direct through publisher Industrial Dream Mills and as a PDF through DriveThruRPG.com.

If you like your steampunk wrapped in an American flag, be sure to check it out. It’ll give you a good taste of what you can expect from the full game when it premieres this summer.

Ranting Dragon Raves over Vegas Knights

Benni at the Ranting Dragon recently read Vegas Knights, and it seems to have struck a chord with her. She insightfully identifies the book as being closer to Bringing Down the House/21 than Ocean’s 11. I’ve often thought the book hews closer to Dresden Files meets Bringing Down the House than Harry Potter meets Ocean’s 11, but the latter pairing is less likely to cause anyone to wonder what I’m talking about.

Either way, I always enjoy seeing a reader get what I’m going at, and Benni nails it. She writes:

“I have held my breath before; I have felt my heartbeat rise before; but never have I physically shaken from the rush generated from the action contained in a book until I read Vegas Knights… If you’re craving a fast-paced action adventure, skip a movie and grab a copy of Vegas Knights instead…  This is popcorn fantasy at its best.”

Go read the whole thing though. It’s head-spinningly awesome.

As I’ve mentioned before, Vegas Knights hits the UK on March 3 and releases worldwide as an ebook that same day. That’s less than one week away.

Print copies reach the US on March 29. If you have a UK Kindle, though, the book apparently slipped through there a bit early, and you can grab it right now.

Vegas Knights Gets 9/10

A savvy reader known as Bane of Kings reviewed Vegas Knights at The Founding Fields today, and he loved it. He gives it a stellar 9 out of 10 and writes:

You’ll find that you can get through this book pretty quickly, mainly because you simply won’t be able to put it down… The plot of this novel is well constructed, and written in a way that you don’t know what’s coming next… Should you buy this book? Yes. It’s a fantastic read, and a must for any fans of the fantasy genre.

Vegas Knights hits the UK on March 3 and releases worldwide as an ebook that same day. Print copies reach the US on March 29. If you have a UK Kindle, though, the book apparently slipped through there a bit early, and you can grab it right now.

New Rave for Vegas Knights

Stefan Fergus of the Civilian Reader read Vegas Knights last week, and he enjoyed it. Among his sharp praise for the book, he writes:

“Brisk and action-packed, Vegas Knights is an entertaining read… It’s fun, pacey, and interesting. Recommended.”

Vegas Knights hits the UK on March 3, and it has a worldwide ebook release that same day. Paper copies arrive in the US on March 29.