Review: Late Whitsun by Jasper Kent

Jasper shouldn’t require any kind of introduction, but for those who haven’t come across his work, here’s that intro:

I first came across Jasper’s work in 2008, and would you believe I passed on a copy of Twelve without reading it… I was lucky enough to receive another copy and read and loved it. Twelve kicked off a sprawling vampire-epic (which I, admittedly, haven’t finished yet – need to remedy that…) and in Late Whitsun, Jasper has given us something different – an investigative mystery taking place in his hometown of Brighton.

Late Whitsun introduces Charlie Woolf, and when we meet him, he’s sketching portraits. He comes across as weathered, roughed up by life, but by pursuing the talent he has he also shows an emotional depth and observant side which give him great depth as a character. (One of the things I simply cannot believe (or like) as a reader is when a character in First Person POV seems to know everything and doesn’t sound normal; I’ve always thought of First Person POV as the reader being a passenger in the character’s head, not the reader reading a voluminous journal written by the character (it’s a personal thing; I like being the passenger more than reading journals). Thankfully, Jasper doesn’t give the reader a journal to read – we are the passengers.) We see what Charlie sees as he sees it, descriptions which are informed by the character’s knowledge or personal connections, and there’s no describing what happens where Charlie isn’t. It left me with the feeling that we were moving through many connected ‘worlds’ instead of just shifting from scene to scene and plot-beat to plot-beat. Also kept the pace flowing nicely and held my focus the entire time.

Plot-wise, things kick off when Woolf is asked to deliver a package by an old acquaintance – this simple request turns out not to be simple at all and launches Woolf into the sights of various people, including some investigating the a murdered man connected to Woolf and others who might know something about the dead man or his killer. What seems like a tried and tested plot is made fresh and exciting by not only the great pacing (Jasper keeps Woolf going and searching and questioning) and the way in which he reveals the Brighton of that time and its people and flavors, but also because the main mystery is not the only mystery – the intrigue builds. connecting various characters and events in clever ways so that when Jasper launches into the climax, the end is satisfying and exciting and memorable.

I’ve never been to Brighton (nor the UK, for that matter), so I can’t say that Jasper captured the feeling and look of the city, but if he didn’t, I’ll be really surprised; I felt like I was travelling through a living, breathing city with one of its best tour guides – a feat which many authors do get right, but at the expensive of their characters and the book’s pacing. Not the case here.

The flavor of the day (speaking as a bookseller) seems to split between three types of books: psychological thrillers (because publishers are still looking for the next The Girl on the Train), the next big Scandinavian crime hit, and something between Thomas Harris and James Patterson – Late Whitsun is a the kind of book you enjoy with a glass of your favorite drink, relaxing and comfortable. It’s a slow, increasing smolder that might give you a blister instead of singeing all your hair away – but that’s why I enjoyed it so much, too. While the pace did kick up, and up, and up as the book reached its climax, I never once felt that I was rushing through it and skipping sentences or paragraphs. It’s the kind of mystery you enjoy, not the kind you feverishly munch popcorn to.

All in all, a really great read and journey, introducing a memorable, layered character whom I look forward to reading more about. Have to give this one a 9/10.

 

To order this book, click here for Amazon US and here for Amazon UK, and for more info on Jasper’s other work (including that vampire epic, The Danilov Quintet), head on over to Jasper’s website.

Until next time, which might be a couple of weeks as I’m heading to Australia for a holiday,

Be EPIC!

 

Jasper Kent to Run for CancerUK

Jasper has awesomely attached himself to Cancer Research UK – he’ll be running a marathon on the 18th of April and is asking for donations towards Cancer research. 🙂 He’ll be running 26 miles 385 yards!

So if you’d like to see the author of Twelve and Thirteen Years Later (no actors or UN ambassadors or sportsmen here) running and panting and sweating, and for e very good cause, follow this link for more info. 🙂

Be EPIC!

 

Launch Day – Thirteen Years Later by Jasper Kent

When you walk into your favourite bookstore in the UK, THIS should be on the shelves; Jasper Kent‘s latest novel!

That’s right, the sequel to the excellent Twelve, the second book in the Danilov Quintet, is officially available today!

Here’s some info about the book:

“As the name suggests, the story picks up in 1825, with Aleksei now a colonel and his son, Dmitry, about to leave home. But even Dmitry cannot escape his father’s past.”

Hopefully I’ll be getting my paws on the book soon, and I promise to have a review for you shortly thereafter (looking forward to it like you won’t believe!). If you’d like to order the book online, click here for Amazon UK.

Here’s a video for you, too, with Jasper talking about Thirteen Years Later (courtesy of John Jarrold):

And don’t forget, the book that started it all, Twelve, is up against a contender in the Fourth Annual BSC Review Book Tournament! You have until 8PM tonight to vote for Twelve and ensure that it makes it through to the next round! 🙂

Be EPIC!

 

DON’T Read Thirteen Years Later by Jasper Kent!

Why? Well, for a very good reason. 🙂

You see, BSC is running the Fourth Annual BSC Review Book Tournament, and Jasper‘s excellent debut, Twelve (reviewed here) is up against Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins for votes; the books are matched up against each other, and are voted upon, with the winner making it to the next round. 🙂

(You thought I was going to suddenly viciously turn on Twelve and Jasper, didn’t you? ;-))

Voting begins on the morning of March 18 and closes at 8PM EST (midnight GMT) – that means that you need to get your votes in ASAP! 🙂 And it goes without saying that I’ll be voting for Twelve. 🙂

And when you’ve voted, go out and pick up your copy of Thirteen Years Later (which is being released, incidentaly, tomorrow!). 🙂 I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy, and as soon as I do I’ll have a review for you (well, a couple of hours later, that is). 🙂

Be sure to get your votes in! 🙂

Be EPIC!

 

John Jarrold’s Corner: Author-News

Hey everyone! 🙂 Yes, I’ve taken some time from the Writing Course (which is going along splendidly, by the way – note the 5000+ words I’ve written) to share some news-bits I’ve received from John Jarrold. 🙂

First up, Jasper Kent has redone his website, sprucing things up a bit as well as giving us a neat, spine-tingling intro; Thirteen Years Later, the sequel to the excellent Twelve (reviewed here) will be out shortly, so head on over and check out the revamped site. 🙂 Twelve will be released on the 18th of March, and you can count on a review as soon as I’ve received a copy and read it! 🙂

In other news, the colossus of Urban Fantasy, China Mieville, has read (and enjoyed) the second novel in Mark Charan Newton’s The Legends of the Red Sun series, City of Ruin; Awesome stuff, right? 🙂 Check out the post on Mark’s blog to see what China said. 🙂

And from Chris Beckett: his tale, Johnny’s New Job, will be published in Interzone‘s March 2010 issue (no. 227), but this is a short story with a difference – it was inspired by the events of a case of child abuse (horrific, I might add – and not for the faint of heart). Check out Chris’ website here; even though it was birthed by such a tragic case, the Johnny’s New Job is certain to be an excellent tale!

And finally, here’s the cover of Jaine Fenn‘s Guardian’s of Paradise, which will be available from Gollancz in September:

On a completely unrelated-to-John-Jarrold’s-clients note, the cover for Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings has been released, posted over at Tor.com by Irene Gallo; recognize the style of the artwork? If you don’t, think of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. 🙂 Make of point of heading over to read the post – Michael Whelan (oops, let the cat out of the bag there, didn’t I? :-)) takes us through the process of creating the cover, too!

That’s what I’ve got for you for the time being. 🙂 Until next time,

Be EPIC!

 

Release Day: Twelve by Jasper Kent in Paperback!

As reported here by Jasper Kent’s agent, John Jarrold, the mass market paperback edition of Twelve (Bantam UK) is officially available!

Twelve was the second best-selling Trade Paperback of 2008, beaten by some other book, and I’m sure that it’ll do even better in paperback! 2010 will be a huge year for Jasper, because the sequel to Twelve, Thirteen Years Later, will be hitting the shelves in March, and there’s no doubt that it’s one of 2010’s most anticipated titles! Check out the excellent cover art below:

So make your way down to your nearest book shop – there should be plenty of copies covering the shelves! 🙂 If you like ordering your copies online, here are the links you’ll need:

Amazon UK; and Kalahari for South African readers. The book will be on shelves in Exclusive Books in a matter of weeks, so be sure to pre-order your copies in-store. 🙂

Check out my review of Twelve here, and when you’ve picked up your copy, check the inside cover; you’ll know what I’m pretty damn chuffed today. 🙂

Be EPIC!

 

John Jarrold’s Corner: US Deals for 2 Authors

This news was originally posted over at Realms & Galaxies: Celebrating SFF on the 2nd of November 2009.

Hey everyone, here’s some great news for you all from John Jarrold, concerning two awesome authors. 🙂

First off, announced on the 29th of October:

PRESS RELEASE –TWO-BOOK US RIGHTS DEAL FOR BRITISH NOVELIST

Helen Edwards, Rights Director at Transworld UK, has sold US rights in two historical vampire novels by UK novelist Jasper Kent for a good five-figure sum in US dollars.

World rights in the novels, which open with Jasper’s debut TWELVE, published very successfully in the UK by Transworld in January 2009 (it is the second-highest-selling trade paperback debut novel right across UK publishing in 2009), were acquired by Simon Taylor from John Jarrold in 2008. The sequel, THIRTEEN YEARS LATER, will appear in the UK in March 2010.

‘I’m thrilled to be welcoming Jasper Kent into the Pyr fold,’ says editorial director Lou Anders. ‘TWELVE is a magnificent blend of a historical novel and a dark fantasy novel, that could appeal equally to readers both in and out of genre. Jasper is a skilled storyteller, whose compelling prose had me hooked from his opening chapter. The book is “un-put-downable,” and I love that he has brought back a real sense of threat and danger to the classic monsters, something that has been lacking with too many vampires lately. I cannot wait to spring this on US readers.’

‘Jasper and I are delighted with this deal, and looking forward to working with Lou and his colleagues,’ said John Jarrold. ‘Pyr is a terrific company, who publish many of my favourite authors, and Lou’s enthusiasm has to be seen to be believed!’

Awesome news, but I for one am intrigued as to what the new US cover art will look like. ;-)Congrats to both Jasper and John! The US is gonna love the Voordalak!

Then we’ve got a deal that I’ve just (as in 5 minutes ago) received word of:

PRESS RELEASE – A SECOND TWO-BOOK US DEAL FOR STEPHEN HUNT

Tara Hiatt, Head of International Rights at HarperCollins UK, has concluded a second two-book deal for US rights in novels by UK fantasy novelist Stephen Hunt with Claire Eddy at Tor in New York, for a good five-figure sum in US dollars.

THE RISE OF THE IRON MOON and SECRETS OF THE FIRE SEA are the third and fourth novels of six by Hunt in which Voyager’s Deputy Publishing Director Sarah Hodgson acquired World rights from literary agent John Jarrold; they follow on from the very successful novels in which Tor acquired US rights previously: THE COURT OF THE AIR and THE KINGDOM BEYOND THE WAVES.

This is really cool news, too! 🙂 I haven’t had the chance to read any of Stephen‘s work yet, but it’s great to see him making the leap into the US. 🙂 And yes, let’s keep an eye on that cover artwork, shall we? 😉

Be EPIC!

 

John Jarrold’s Corner: New Book Deal for Jasper Kent!

This is old news already (my dad is visiting from Australia so blogging took a back seat for a bit), but I’m re-posting the news here because it’s really awesome news and I’m incredibly chuffed for Jasper! 🙂

PRESS RELEASE – NEW DEAL FOR BRITISH NOVELIST

Simon Taylor of Transworld Publishers in London has concluded a World Rights deal with John Jarrold, for a third historical vampire novel by UK author Jasper Kent. This follows on the successful publication of Kent’s debut, TWELVE, set in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars, earlier this year.

The third book takes up the story at the time of the Crimean War, after the second novel in the sequence – THIRTEEN YEARS LATER, which is coming from Bantam Press early in 2010. This third volume will see publication in 2011.

“Jasper’s debut has already been a remarkable success, with four reprints of the trade paperback within a few months of publication and over thirteen thousand copies now in print,” said John Jarrold. “Simon and his colleagues at Transworld have done a wonderful job, and word of mouth has obviously been very strong. It’s great to have this deal in place for an author who is already going places.”

To check out more info about Jasper, check out his website here and his blog here, and give John a visit too at this link. 🙂

Congrats to Jasper and to John, to the publishers and to readers! 🙂 Awesome news! 🙂

 

Interview Videos: Jasper Kent and Peter V Brett!

Hey Guys and Girls, saw this link on Facebook and thought I’d share it with you all. 🙂

Check out Jasper’s site here!

Also, Shawn Speakman of Suvudu (as well as being Terry Brooks’ webmaster) has posted videos taken at the New York ComicCon wherein Peter V Brett talks about how great it was to be one of ComicCon’s star attractions, a bit about the sequels following The Warded Man (or The Painted Man, the UK edition), a bit about his writing process, how it was for him to meet Terry Brooks, and plenty more! 🙂 And after you watch those videos, check out these three posts: Peat’s report on the ComicCon experience – Day One, Day Two, and Day Three. 🙂

Be Fantastic!

 

John Jarrold’s Corner: Cover Art and Twelve News!

Hey Guys and Girls, here’s some news from your favourite agent and mine – John Jarrold! He’s got the beautiful cover of Robert VS Redick’s second novel for us, and some news about Jasper Kent’s Twelve! 🙂

The Rats and the Ruling Sea, Book 2 of the The Chathrand Voyage, will be available in the UK and in the Commonwealth in August! I’ve yet to read Book 1, The Red Wolf Conspiracy, but after reading the first chapter it’ll definitely jump to the top of my TBR list! 🙂

The Rats and the Ruling Sea

And in news about Jasper Kent’s excellent historical horror, Twelve:

Jasper Kent’s TWELVE, published in trade paperback by Bantam UK in January, is now number 11 on Borders UK’s overall paperback fiction bestseller list – many congratulations, Jasper!

This is even more impressive because it is competing directly with every recently-published – and much cheaper – mass-market paperback title, sale for sale.

This is wonderful news for Jasper and John! 🙂