Back on February 22, we posted this image, which was the subject of a book giveaway contest by the Overlook Connection. To win, entrants had to name the convention, the year, and the identities of the participants. The contest is now over and the Overlook has announced the winners, so it’s time to solve the mystery. The panel took place at the 1989 World Fantasy Convention. It was entitled “The Zombies or the Grateful Dead,” and the topic was ’60s rock & roll and its influences on the then-current crop of horror writers. The panelists from left to right were Ed Bryant, George R. R. Martin, Karl Edward Wagner, Howard Kaylan (of Flo & Eddie and The Turtles), John Shirley, and Robert McCammon. More images from the 1989 World Fantasy Convention, including several more from this panel, can be found here.
Subterranean Press has released their ebook edition of Robert McCammon’s classic 1981 vampire novel, They Thirst. The ebook features new cover artwork by Les Edwards, who previously painted the cover art for their release of The Night Boat. The Signed, Limited Edition hardcover will follow next year. Click on the image to the right to view a larger version of the artwork.
First published in 1981, They Thirst was Robert McCammon’s fourth novel, and it remains one of the major milestones of an ambitious, constantly evolving career. Like its predecessors—Baal, Bethany’s Sin, and The Night Boat—They Thirst made its initial appearance as a paperback original. In the years since, it has acquired an intensely devoted following, and is now widely regarded as one of the significant vampire novels of the 20th century.
The story begins in the tiny Hungarian hamlet of Krajeck, where nine-year-old Andre Palatazin awaits the return of his father from an unspecified—but clearly dangerous—mission. The man who finally returns is no longer Andre’s father—is no longer, in fact, a man. Pursued by this undead entity, Andre and his mother barely escape with their lives. Decades later, Andre—now Andy—Palatazin is a homicide detective in the Los Angeles Police Department, and spends his days dealing with the quotidian terrors of a large metropolis. His life takes a darker turn when the demonic forces he first encountered in Krajeck arrive in L.A., led by an ancient vampire known as The Master. The Master’s plan: to overrun the city and use it as a stepping-stone toward wider, ultimately global, domination.
They Thirst marks the earliest appearance of McCammon’s penchant for epic, wide-angled narratives. With the unobtrusive ease of a natural storyteller, the author propels a wide assortment of vividly created characters through an apocalyptic scenario that combines gritty urban realism with a powerful portrait of supernatural forces at large in the modern world. The result is a genuine classic of the genre, a novel that is as fresh and absorbing today as it was more than thirty years ago.
Taiwan publisher Nautilus has revealed the cover art for their upcoming translation of Swan Song. The book may be published in Fall 2013. I’ll have more details as the publication date gets closer. For now, enjoy the beautiful image! (Click on the image to see a larger version.)
And for those of you on Google+, we’ve created a Robert McCammon Community. Updates to this site will be posted there and on the Facebook page. Please feel free to join the Community!
Rick Kleffel at The Agony Column has posted the full-length version of his audio interview with Robert McCammon. You can read Rick’s article and download an MP3 of the interview from The Agony Column website.
For all the literary skills that McCammon brings to the novella, the most important is his ability to put them all together with a sense of fun. Yes, he takes his characters and his world seriously, but there’s a devil-may-care attitude at work here as well. ‘I Travel By Night’ knows precisely what it is and it hits that target so easily that readers might not notice all the perfectly-aligned pieces of the puzzle. ‘I Travel by Night’ is bound to make you smile — and wish that you had fangs to smile with.
With his first foray into Horror in many a year, Robert McCammon further cements his status as one of the best authors of this or any generation.
[…]
For those of you horror fanatics who remember when Mr. McCammon reigned supreme in the horror genre and for those who have not yet experienced Mr. McCammon’s horror roots this book as a must and I give it my highest recommendation.
Rick Kleffel has also posted a new 4 1/2-minute podcast with excerpts from an interview with Robert McCammon. You can read more about the podcast and download it here, or you can just download the MP3 here. The full audio interview will be posted soon.
The Overlook Connection Bookstore is running a Facebook contest to see who can identify the panelists in the photo above, as well as the convention and year. We’ll give you one: Robert McCammon is on the far right. You have to Like their Facebook page to participate, and guesses must be mailed to [email protected]. For contest details, including the prizes, visit the Facebook post by the Overlook Connection.
The audiobook edition of Speaks the Nightbird is one of the finalists in the Fiction category for the 2013 Audie Awards!
The Audies are “awards recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA).” More on the Audies can be found on the APA website. The winners will be announced on May 30, 2013.
The actual Press Release from the APA in PDF format can be found here.
The unabridged audiobook edition of Speaks the Nightbird was produced by Audible, Inc., and was narrated by Edoardo Ballerini.
Audible also produced unabridged recordings of the other Matthew Corbett novels, all read by Edoardo. You can purchase the audiobooks from Audible’s site.
Subterranean Press chose artist Les Edwards to do the cover and interior paintings for their upcoming signed, limited edition of The Night Boat. Les is now offering prints of his paintings via his website, as well as the original paintings (though the cover painting has already sold). You can visit the gallery on Les’s website or click the individual links and images below to visit each page on Les’s website.
Robert McCammon’s Swan Song is one of today’s Kindle Daily Deals! Today only, you can buy the Kindle ebook for only $1.99. Click here to see the Kindle Daily Deals.
Swan Song is also on sale for the other formats, too, though apparently only in the U.S.:
