In an Instagram post on November 21, 2024, Vincent Chong shared his artwork for the Lividian Publications trade paperback release of Seven Shades of Evil.
The trade paperback was released on November 5, 2024. You can order the trade paperback from Amazon, B&N, and any other bookstore.
Thanks to Shaun Rosel, here are photos of two remarques by Vincent Chong for The King of Shadows. A remarque is an original illustration added to a book by an artist post-publication.
The upcoming Lividian Publications trade paperback editions of the Matthew Corbett books can now be pre-ordered from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million (BAM!), and Book Depository.
 Available July 19, 2022 Pre-order from Lividian Pre-order from Amazon Pre-order from B&N Pre-order from BAM! Book Depository Amazon UK |
 Available August 23, 2022 Pre-order from Lividian Pre-order from Amazon Pre-order from B&N Pre-order from BAM! Book Depository Amazon UK |
 Available September 20, 2022 Pre-order from Lividian Pre-order from Amazon Pre-order from B&N Pre-order from BAM! Book Depository Amazon UK |
 Available October 18, 2022 Pre-order from Lividian Pre-order from Amazon Pre-order from B&N Pre-order from BAM! Book Depository Amazon UK |
 Available November 15, 2022 Pre-order from Lividian Pre-order from Amazon Pre-order from B&N Pre-order from BAM! Book Depository Amazon UK |
Hello, all.
Well. News to tell.
I remember as a little boy being fascinated by a drawing of a man’s face that showed a smile, but it was cleverly done so that when you turned the drawing upside down the same face became a frown. You may have seen this because I’m sure it’s still floating around somewhere.
Anyway…I determined some time ago that life was very much like that drawing, or rather the “idea” behind the drawing. Smile or frown? The same face, just depending on how you looked at it. And you know some things that seem “bad” or disappointing in the short run turn out to be good things in the long run.
So…let’s get to the news, and you can decide for yourselves whether to smile or frown, or whether what is a frown today becomes a smile tomorrow as it did for me.
Supply chain problems have hit the publishing industry in the form of paper shortages. Simply put, many printers around the country can’t get enough paper to do their work, so this is throwing all schedules off by at least several months. Lividian Publications, scheduled to publish the new Matthew Corbett novel The King of Shadows in April, has not been immune to this nationwide problem. When I first heard from Lividian’s owner and publisher Brian Freeman that the book will be delayed quite some time by this unhappy circumstance you can believe I frowned Bigtime…but then I heard Brian’s alternate idea, and here it is:
The King of Shadows limited edition will be released in June of 2022, depending, I understand, on the slipcase production.
And now, the really cool stuff that made me smile:
Lividian will be publishing trade paperbacks of the Corbett novels beginning with Mister Slaughter, all the books with covers done by the award-winning, acclaimed, and extremely talented artist Vincent Chong. You can see these covers below and judge (or delight, as I did) for yourselves.
The schedule would be:
Mister Slaughter in July of 2022.
The Providence Rider in August of 2022.
The River of Souls in September of 2022.
Freedom of the Mask in October of 2022.
Cardinal Black in November of 2022.
And The King of Shadows regular hardcover edition in December of 2022.
Wow! I’m smiling right now thinking about this!
This schedule will see me finish the book of Corbett short stories I’ve wanted to do for a while, titled Seven Shades of Evil, and then finish also the last book in the series, Leviathan, so there should be no long delay as there’s been in the past. And I have to say the long delay of The King of Shadows has been primarily of my doing, since it took me awhile to saturate the idea with the bourbon of imagination and the scotch of effort. Ahem. And then it did take a long time to write, as it’s pretty involved and everything had to mesh just so.
But…there you have it! I’m really excited about this schedule! You can look at Vincent Chong’s covers and see that the trade paperback editions are getting some absolutely beautiful reasons to collect the series!
Onward and upward. As always, thank you for your readership and your patience with the current situation. Lividian and Brian Freeman have found a way to turn a frown into a smile, and in my case an absolute cross-eyed grin.
Best Wishes,
Robert McCammon
Lividian Publications is thrilled to announce we will be publishing multiple volumes of Robert McCammon’s highly acclaimed Matthew Corbett series this year, including a brand new novel in hardcover and five previous titles in trade paperback for the first time anywhere in the world! You can reserve ALL of these books today with NO prepayment required, and we’ll contact you via email for payment closer to the publication date. Read on for details!
First up will be a deluxe signed, numbered, and slipcased Limited Edition hardcover of The King of Shadows by Robert McCammon, the eighth volume in his acclaimed Matthew Corbett series.
This absolutely massive special edition tips the scales at a whopping 736 pages and has been lavishly crafted with collectors and readers alike in mind. Vincent Chong provided stunning color artwork for the dust jacket and ten black and white illustrations for the interior.
This special edition started rolling at the printer last fall and will be published in June 2022, approximately six months before the trade hardcover.
PREORDERS ARE BEING ACCEPTED NOW, and no prepayment is required to reserve your copy. (If you own the Cardinal Black Limited Edition or Lettered Edition, please see the notes on the The King of Shadows product page about matching numbers and letters.)
Lividian Publications is also thrilled to announce we’ll be publishing five previous titles in the Matthew Corbett series as trade paperbacks, the first time they’ve appeared in this format anywhere in the world. Starting with Mister Slaughter in July and finishing with Cardinal Black in November, these will be published at the perfect time to get readers fully up to speed before the trade hardcover publication of Robert McCammon’s newest installment, The King of Shadows, in December.
Due to the shortage of book paper in the world, there will be a limited run of the offset printed true first printings of these trade paperbacks, and most of the chain bookstore orders and distributor orders will be filled via POD to ensure we can keep up with demand and no reader misses out.
For collectors who want first printings (and fans who want to read them as soon as possible), we’re offering a bundle of all five books, to be shipped together this summer, that are guaranteed to be from the First Printing offset run and will be marked as such on their copyright pages. These five books will ship together, and four of them will be shipping before their official publication dates.
Please place your order via the bundle product page if you’re interested. Supplies are limited and that page will be changed to “Out of Print” when all available sets are reserved. Copies ordered individually through this site or big online retailers like Amazon, etc, will not be signed and might be print on demand copies.
The King of Shadows (Limited Edition) — June 2022 (depending on slipcase production)
Mister Slaughter (trade paperback) — July 19, 2022
The Providence Rider (trade paperback) — August 23, 2022
The River of Souls (trade paperback) — September 20, 2022
Freedom of the Mask (trade paperback) — October 18, 2022
Cardinal Black (trade paperback) — November 15, 2022
The King of Shadows (deluxe trade hardcover) — December 6, 2022
Stay tuned for more news and updates. Thank you again for your continuing support and enthusiasm!
Lividian Publications
Thanks to Paul Evans, here’s a photo of a Cardinal Black remarque by Vincent Chong.
I just found these remarques by Vincent Chong for The Wolf’s Hour and The Hunter from the Woods. I’d seen a photo of the latter before, but this is the first time I’ve seen a remarque for The Wolf’s Hour. Most excellent! The remarqued limited editions are currently listed for sale as a set on ABE by a bookseller in the UK. (A remarque is an original drawing in a book.) Thanks to Paul Evans for the photos.
Vincent Chong recently posted the interior illustrations he did for Cardinal Black.
The latest Matthew Corbett adventure, Cardinal Black, is now out and shipping from Cemetery Dance. Below are the interior pieces I did for this volume.
Inspired by fellow collector Yegor Malinovskii, Paul Evans recently commissioned artist Vincent Chong to remarque every story in his limited edition of the Subterranean Press Blue World. As usual, Vincent’s work is pretty amazing!
Click on an image to view a larger version.
 Cover re-creation Download a large image |
 “Blue World” Download a large image |
 “Yellachile’s Cage” Download a large image |
 “Strange Candy” Download a large image |
 “Chico” Download a large image |
 “Children of the Bedtime Machine” Download a large image |
 “Doom City” Download a large image |
 “Night Calls the Green Falcon” Download a large image |
 “The Red House” Download a large image |
 “He’ll Come Knocking at Your Door” Download a large image |
 “Makeup” Download a large image |
 “Nightcrawlers” Download a large image |
 “Pin” Download a large image |
 “I Scream Man” Download a large image |
 “Something Passed By” Download a large image |
 “White” Download a large image |
 “Yellowjacket Summer” Download a large image |
From Cemetery Dance (mild spoilers below; bigger spoilers if you haven’t read through Freedom of the Mask!):
Hi Folks!
More big news this month for Robert McCammon fans! We’re thrilled to announce we’ll be publishing his new novel, Cardinal Black, which is the latest installment in his incredible Matthew Corbett series! (Don’t worry if you haven’t read the series yet, this novel is a terrific stand-alone read, too. McCammon really balances the story for both die-hard fans of the series and new readers!)
About the Book:
Cardinal Black is the newest installment in Robert McCammon’s unique series of historical thrillers featuring Matthew Corbett, professional problem solver, who has been called “the Early American James Bond.”
December 1703 finds Berry Grigsby living as Mary Lynn Nash in a small Welsh village where she has fallen victim to Professor Fell’s involuntary drug experiments. Her mind is quickly deteriorating under the drug’s influence, and the only way to save her is a potion book that was stolen in an attack on the village orchestrated by a mysterious madman going by the name Cardinal Black.
Matthew Corbett has volunteered to travel with Julian Devane, a self-proclaimed “fool and bad man” in the employ of Professor Fell, to hunt down the potion book. They follow the trail to London, where the book will be sold at a secret auction. Matthew and Julian manage to secure a seat at the auction by masquerading as respected and feared underground operatives, but to prevail in their high-stakes mission, they will require help from a very unlikely source. Even if they are successful, their race to save Berry Grigsby will leave a trail of destruction in its wake.
Cardinal Black is another extraordinary achievement from one of America’s most skilled authors, and it features some of the most memorable, compelling, and chilling characters in the Matthew Corbett series to date, each with their own competing agendas. This masterful historical adventure is perfectly balanced for long-time fans of the series and new readers alike who are now joining the adventure.
