Your browser is outdated and this site may not display properly. 

Robert Batten

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Author

THE BLOG

Blood Capital Lunar New Year Update

It's been such a long time since I sent out an update I wouldn't blame you if you're asking yourself, "Robert who?" right now. Fair enough, I've been negligent in my posting to both this blog and sending out newsletters, but I haven't stopped writing (I promise).

I'm here to thank you for your patience and provide a brief update before diving back in to finish this book. So, firstly (and most importantly), those of you who backed my novel on Inkshares are no doubt wanting to know how the book is going and when you'll get your copy? The great news is I haven't been slacking off and am still diligently working away on the manuscript. I've commented on this before, but it turns out writing a book is hard (who knew, right?) and I had a lot to learn if I was to produce a book worthy of your amazing support. Since Inkshares picked up the book, I've been incrementally transforming both my first draft and myself into something I can be proud of. I won't lie, it's been a long, drawn-out process thanks to day jobs and family responsibilities, but we're in the home stretch: the world of Blood Capital is more real than it's ever been, we have a cast of characters who are interesting to explore, and we've honed in on a plot that can take us on a more rewarding journey.

Looking ahead, I still need to finish this final draft. To help speed that up, I'm looking at all the ways I might claw back extra time. I took all of December off from my day job, which made a huge difference. Now, I need to power through the last chapters. After that, we'll polish, copy-edit (fix typos and poor grammar), pull in some beta readers, and then prepare for release. The exact date of release will depend on a bunch of things, many of which are outside of my control, but I'll endeavour to keep everyone informed.

Beyond Blood Capital, there's a bigger world to explore, so you can be sure I'll start work on a sequel. With the experience I've had writing Blood Capital and the lessons I've learned, I expect (hope?) that will be a faster project 🙂

Thank you again for your support—I'm sorry to have gone for so long without providing an update (I'll do better moving forward).

Thanks!

Robert.

See full post

This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab

Kate Harker and August Flynn's families rule opposite ends of Verity, a grisly metropolis where violent acts summon real monsters: bloodsucking Malchai; clawing Corsai; and soul-stealing Sunai. The truce that keeps the families at peace is crumbling, and August is sent to spy on Kate. But when Harker's men try to kill her and pin it on the Flynns, August and Kate find themselves running from both sides, in a city where monsters are real…

This Savage Song is another powerhouse from Schwab and I loved every second of it. Prior to this book, I’d read her Shades of Magic series, which is a stunning urban fantasy trilogy, and I was excited to dive into a different Schwab world. This Savage Song did not disappoint.

Set in a grim world of the future, where the US has separated into independent territories, the story takes place mostly within V-City; a territory divided in two by a shaky truce. It is a city where violent acts give birth to literal monsters. Where some monsters dream of being human. And some humans are… well, monstrous. In the middle of this we meet two youngsters on opposite sides of the divide, who despite everything, forge a connection and must learn to trust each other. The characterizations are deep and wonderful, the world gloriously dark and unique, and the plot sucks you inexorably toward the epic ending.

This Savage Song is the first of two books, with the sequel, Our Dark Duet, already available.

You can buy This Savage Song from Amazon using the link on the right, or from your favourite bookseller. You can also look it up on Goodreads here.

Have you read it?

Add your thoughts in the comments!

Want other recommendations?

If you found this recommendation helpful, you can check out my other recommendations here.

See full post

First look at the BBC's His Dark Materials

We have our first look at the BBC's Dark Materials! Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials is an amazing series of Urban Fantasy. In 2007 we received our first screen adaptation in the American movie The Golden Compass. Like many, I rushed to the cinemas only to come away disappointed.

Now, it's the BBC's turn.

Hold me; I'm giddy.

This week, the BBC gave us our first sneak peak of what we're in store for, and while it doesn't show us much, it's promising.

Find out more over on the Nerdist here.

While you're here, check out these other news posts on my site.

See full post

Benedict Cumberbatch as Satan in Good Omens

This is not a drill; if you were excited about David Tenant and Michael Sheen starring together in Amazon Prime's Good Omens, you may need to sit down. Amazon just dropped a doozy on us — Benedict Cumberbatch will play Satan. We also have a release date of 31 May, so mark that down in your calendars.

If you haven't already seen it, Amazon recently released the opening credit sequence for the show as well...

See full post

Netflix cancels all Marvel shows

Netflix and Marvel have confirmed the relationship is coming to an end with the cancellation of their remaining marvel shows. After five years the two giants of entertainment are going separate ways, with the last of Netflix's Marvel shows now axed, bringing an end to Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and The Punisher.

Given Disney has its own streaming service that is picking up steam (Disney Plus), it's a fair guess we'll see new content pop up there at some point in the future.

See what other sci-fi and fantasy news we're talking about here.

See full post

Netflix is bringing us a new live-action Avatar movie

That's right — a new Avatar: The Last Airbender movie! It will be a reboot, not a sequel to the last live-action attempt, and the reports tell us this one won't be whitewashed. Queue interest.

The announcement also confirmed the animated series' original creators will be helming the production, which gives me hope this will be better than the last film adaptation. Could we finally be getting the live-action adaptation we deserve?

Note: the feature image from this post is concept art by John Staub sourced from the linked tweet.

Article source: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/mbwvpy/a-non-whitewashed-reboot-of-the-last-airbender-is-coming-to-netflix-vgtrn

See full post

1 2 3 17

Archive

Back To Top
Copyright © Robert Batten. All Rights Reserved.
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram