Monday morning countdown roundup

[swan_tower]

We're in the home stretch for the U.S. release of Midnight Never Come. June 9th, officially, but I know a handful of copies have already been sold in various places around the country. If you send me a photo of the book on the shelf between now and one week after the street date, I'll enter your name in a drawing for a special prize: a signed copy of Paradox #12, which contains my short story "The Deaths of Christopher Marlowe." (There's absolutely no connection between that story and this novel, aside from the time period, but you can have fun imagining one for yourself.)

Also, those of you who prefer your novels in more portable format may be interested to know that Fictionwise is advertising an e-book copy. I wasn't aware one was being issued, but apparently so.

***

If you were curious, yesterday's post was an image of the promotional item my publicist and I made for Midnight Never Come. It was sent to the bookbuyers for stores in order to get them interested in the novel, and is, of course, the thing for which I held the signature contest in February.

Want more? Why not try . . . <drum roll> . . . the website?

That's right, folks: Orbit has put together a gorgeous website for the book. Poke around and take a look at the goodies, and make sure you find the semi-hidden link. It isn't entirely finished yet; they're doing a soft launch, and will start rolling out the rest of the content on the 9th. If you come back then, you'll find a mini-game you can play, with some rather nice prizes to be awarded.

***

With the book out in the UK and soon to be out here, reviews have started to surface. My favorite pull-quote has to be the tag line from SFX Magazine: "Like John Le Carre if he was obsessed with faeries." (Alas, the review is not available online, though it may be eventually.) They liked it, and read it through a political thriller lens, which I find interesting. Not sure I can live up to a comparison with Le Carre, but hey. Anyway, I figure I'll do occasional review round-ups here, whenever I reach a critical mass.

Myfanwy Rodman at The Bookbag read it the same way, calling it "a historical thriller with a fascinating twist," though one that starts a bit slowly.

Darren Turpin at The Genre Files found it "a highly-enjoyable mix of Elizabethan and faerie politics and intrigue."

Chris Hyland, the Book Swede (who interviewed me last month) read it as a love story, and flatters me immensely by saying, "What sets Marie Brennan apart [from similar stories], then, is the quality of her writing, the complexities of her plot, the characterisations, the world-building... everything" -- though he, too, felt it opened slowly.

Mark Yon at SFFWorld.com appreciated all my research, and didn't find the romance as off-putting as expected.

Elizabeth Bear (aka matociquala), who has her own Elizabethan faerie novel coming out next month, says of my characters that "These are not kinder, gentler faeries. Really they're not."

Mervi Hamalainen at Curled Up concurs, saying, "Midnight Never Come returns the fairies to their roots: terrifying, alien, yet captivating at the same time."

And finally, Debbie Chapman, a Waterstone's bookseller, calls it "an amazing, moving, murderous, magical tale."

***

In other words, so far people are pretty much liking it.

(Except for Kirkus, of course.)

Comments

[unforth.livejournal.com]

I don't have it on a book shelf, but I do have (more drum rolls...)
this rather crappy shot of me holding my copy and I'm clearly standing IN a bookstore -since they called me and told me to come pick it up. Does that count? If it doesn't, maybe I'll wander back and see if they've put any on a shelf. :)

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

<lol> It counts.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[aliettedb.livejournal.com]

I broke down and ordered a UK copy from amazon, which apparently shipped this morning to my house. Only two more days ;-)
I'm looking forward to reading it; and I'll do my best to post a blog review when I'm finished (I have another book I have to review first, so that one takes precedence...)

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Sounds great! I hope you enjoy it.

[d-c-m.livejournal.com]

Oh just SQUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
I will buy your book next week at B&N when I work. I can't wait to read this. :)

Hey, wanna do a book signing there?

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Possibly; ask me again later in June. Right now, I'm way too busy.

[kendokamel.livejournal.com]

How exciting!

I totally forgot to pre-order, so I'll be picking my copy up, once it starts appearing on the shelves. (:

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[kwaller.livejournal.com]

Just picked up a copy from the Harvard Book Store. It was one of the Featured Seventy.

I took a crappy cell phone pic, but I don't know if it's worthwhile for me to send it in. : )

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Featured Seventy? I presume I know what that means, but I never noticed it before.

And if you're interested in reading the story, feel free to send it in; I'm not judging the pictures on their artistic merits. <g>

[kwaller.livejournal.com]

Ah, looks like it's the Select Seventy (http://www.harvard.com/onourshelves/selectseventy.html), to be precise. Staff picks!

I'd love to read the story, of course! Let's see if I can figure out how to get the photo off the phone. . . .

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Very cool! Thanks for letting me know.

[kmousie.livejournal.com]

Amazon told me my copy shipped today...I should have it on the 7th, I think. :-)

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Enjoy!

[sapphohestia.livejournal.com]

Woot! Hooray!

[danielmc.livejournal.com]

nice website.
i look forward to it. probably by a copy in dallas.
just cause.

[bookswede.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link -- sorry I didn't send you an email saying I'd posted the review (tiredness is a excuse, I suppose, but not a good one!). :)

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Not a problem; I was out of the country anyway, so only checking things very sporadically.