Category: The Five

They Thirst (preorder) cover
From Subterranean Press:

They Thirst (preorder) by Robert McCammon

Limited Edition $80.00
Lettered Edition $275.00
  • ISBN: 978-1-59606-562-8
  • Length: 616 pages

(preorder—to be published in October)

Dust jacket and full-color interior illustrations by Les Edwards.

Note: Please only order the Lettered Edition if you own a Lettered Copy of The Night Boat. Anyone may order the Limited Edition.

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.

Limited: 1000 signed numbered hardcover copies

You can pre-order the book from Subterranean Press here.

A few deals have been signed recently for various audiobook and international editions of Robert McCammon’s work:

  • As we mentioned last week, Audible will be releasing an unabridged audiobook of The River of Souls on May 31, 2014. The book will be narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, who narrated the other Matthew Corbett books for Audible. The River of Souls will be published in limited, trade hardcover, and ebook editions on May 31, too.
  • GraphicAudio will be releasing their audio adaptation of I Travel by Night in late summer 2014. GraphicAudio productions have a narrator, a full cast, music, and sound effects.
  • As we mentioned in February, Audible will be releasing unabridged audiobooks of The Wolf’s Hour and The Hunter from the Woods later this year.
  • German publisher Festa will be publishing a two-volume German translation of Swan Song in early 2015. This edition will be unabridged. The previous German release in the early ’90s was abridged.
  • Festa will also be publishing a two-volume German translation of The Wolf’s Hour in late 2015 or early 2016. This will be the first German translation of the book.
  • It appears that Russian publisher AST will be publishing Russian translations of The Providence Rider in April June October and The Five in July 2015.

The full video interview with Robert McCammon about how he wrote The Five is now available on YouTube. Excerpts from this interview were included in the music video for “Darkest Night,” the song he co-wrote which was performed by Dorean Lives. You can also find that video on YouTube.

The Five is in stores now in a mass-market paperback edition. Ebook and audiobook editions are also available.

 

Robert McCammon’s The Five will be released in paperback by Tor on November 26, 2013!

After finishing the novel, Mr. McCammon wrote the lyrics for a song called “Darkest Night” and collaborated with the band Dorean Lives to bring the song to life.

The video below features Robert McCammon discussing The Five, as well as the music video for “Darkest Night.” Please feel free to share the video far and wide! It can be found on YouTube: http://youtu.be/VowF6J6lGQc

Video directed by Chuck Hartsell.

Darkest Night

Lyrics by Robert McCammon
Copyright © 2013 Robert McCammon

I had a dream and I was wide awake
I sat there thinking of the choices you make
To rise or fall, that’s what it’s about,
To keep going, and I started to shout,
 
(chorus)
Every darkest night must give way to the dawn,
Every lost soul must keep searching on,
Every wrong love must fight to be right,
Everyone must live through their own darkest night
 
I’ve seen a lot since the day I woke up,
Been through the fire, drank from a poisoned cup,
But I’m still here and I plan to remain,
In the old world that can make you insane
 
I search for beauty, it’s hard to find,
Walking through shadows to leave darkness behind,
It’s a hard old world when nothing feels right,
Gonna find a reason to keep fighting the fight
 
Through the darkest night
The darkest night
Through the darkest night
The darkest night…

As we mentioned a few months ago, Tor is releasing a mass-market paperback of Robert McCammon’s The Five on November 26, 2013. The book should be available in stores nationwide. It can also be ordered from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, B&N, and other online stores.

Robert McCammon’s first contemporary novel in nearly two decades, The Five tells the story of an eponymous rock band struggling to survive on the margins of the music business. As they move through the American Southwest on what might be their final tour together, the band members come to the attention of a damaged Iraq war veteran, and their lives are changed forever. This is a riveting account of violence, terror, and pursuit set against a credible, immensely detailed rock and roll backdrop. It is also a moving meditation on loyalty and friendship. Written with wit, elegance, and passionate conviction, The Five reaffirms McCammon’s position as one of the finest, most unpredictable storytellers of our time.

For more information about The Five, visit the novel page for The Five.

beware-the-dark-chongArtist Vincent Chong was awarded the 2013 World Fantasy Award for Best Artist on November 3, 2013. Vincent has supplied the art for several of the Subterranean Press editions of Robert McCammon’s novels: The Wolf’s Hour, The Hunter from the Woods, The Five, Mister Slaughter, and The Providence Rider. He’s also a five-time recipient of the British Fantasy Award for Best Artist. Congratulations, Vinny!

Speaking of art from The Five, one of Vinny’s interior art pieces graces the cover of issue #1 of Beware the Dark, a new UK magazine that’s available in both print and PDF editions. For more information, visit Vinny’s blog.

first-fourAudible has changed the release date for their unabridged audiobooks of Baal, Bethany’s Sin, The Night Boat, and They Thirst. Their website is now reporting a release date of December 10, 2013.

Here are a few recent reviews and mentions that have popped up around the ‘net:

Finally, if you’re in the UK, the Amazon UK Kindle version of Swan Song is currently only £1.29!

The Quote of the Day comes from James Roy Daley of Books of the Dead Press:

I’m a huge fan of Robert McCammon. My favorite is Boy’s Life. I’ve read it a number of times and I always think, If this book went on forever, I would read it forever.

The July 2013 issue of The New York Review of Science Fiction includes a two-page essay by Mike Barrett entitled “The Time of the Wolf: Robert McCammon’s Werewolf Tales.” You can see the Table of Contents and purchase a digital copy of the magazine from the NYRSF web site.

Wayne C. Rogers reviewed The Five for HorrorNovelReviews.com. Don’t forget that The Five will be released in a mass-market paperback edition from Tor on November 26, 2013!

Alice Keezer recently reviewed the audiobook edition of Swan Song, narrated by Tom Stechschulte. The Swan Song audiobook is available through Audible.com, on CD from Amazon, and on MP3 CD from Amazon.

David Agronoff also reviewed Swan Song in his countdown of his ten favorite horror novels.

Blogger Peggy at RampantBiblioholism challenged her small town to out-read her this summer. She posted about the books she’s read this summer, including Boy’s Life (“EVERYBODY needs to read this book”) and Swan Song (“…a huge, sprawling, epic post-apocalyptic story with a lot of points to make”).

DeviantArt member Hurriicanee did an illustration based on Boy’s Life. You can see it in the Fan Artwork Gallery.

As some of you have noticed, Swan Song is no longer in-print. The print rights to the book have reverted back to Robert McCammon. Hopefully a new publisher will pick up the book soon. I’ll keep you posted. But if you’ve wondered why it can’t be ordered and why copies of the trade paperback are selling for $40 or more on Amazon, that’s why. There are, of course, still copies available on third-party and used markets.

And I’ll leave you with this fun photo of Robert McCammon taken by his daughter Skye at FandomFest in Louisville, KY, a couple of weekends ago.