RIP Andy Whitfield

Andy Whitfield, star of the first season of Spartacus, has sadly lost his battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and passed away at the age of 39.


The Welsh-born, Australian-raised actor was cast in the role of the titular gladiator for the show's first season, Blood and Sand. The initial occurrence of the disease saw him leave the series and the producers decided to create a prequel mini-series revolving around other characters, Gods of the Arena, rather than continue without Whitfield. They hoped he would be able to return for the role after treatment. Whitfield successfully overcame the illness, but several months later suffered a relapse. He gave his blessing for the series to continue with a new actor, Liam McIntyre, in the title role for the 'proper' second season, Spartacus: Vengeance, which is slated to air in 2012. Whitfield is survived his wife and two children.

This is sad news. What I've seen of Spartacus (I was planning to get the DVD box set at some point) was very promising and Whitfield seemed to be doing a great job in the role. Condolences to his friends and family.

SYNDICATE remake confirmed

It's been the worst-kept secret in gaming that Starbreeze Studios have been working on a new version of the classic cyberpunk strategy game Syndicate for the last two or three years. That news has now been confirmed.


Syndicate was originally released in 1993 and was released to immense critical acclaim (and is still very playable today). The game put you in charge of a small corporation seeking to destroy its larger rivals and conquer the world. The game was noted for its gameplay - controlling four agents and a ludicrous arsenal of weaponry from an isometric perspective - and its tremendous art design, depicting a dingy, Blade Runner-esque future world of downtrodden citizens and dark, neon-lit cities. An even darker and more atmospheric sequel, Syndicate Wars, was released in 1996.

The new Syndicate will be - predictably - a first-person shooter, but one which will try to recreate the squad-based mechanics of the first game by strongly emphasising four-play co-op. The game will also recreate several missions from the first game (one screenshot suggests the classic Atlantic Accelerator missions will be making a comeback). Whether the game is a linear, mission-based shooter or will have a strategic angle with a world map like the original is unclear at this time.

Of particular interest to SF fans is that author Richard Morgan has written the script for the game, adding to his previous gaming credentials on Crysis 2.

As a huge fan of Syndicate ever since I played the demo (released on a cover disk on Amiga Format magazine almost twenty years ago), the prospect of a new game is mouth-watering, especially since it's coming from Starbreeze, a very good development studio, with a story by Morgan. The loss of the isometric perspective is disappointing: I was hoping that an overhead view would still be included. More worrying is the lack of any news about the strategic component. Choosing your next battlefield, doing work in the lab and taxing the hell out of conquered territories to fund new technology research and dealing with the resulting rebellions was a huge part of the first game and its absence from this version would make the game Syndicate in name only. Here's hoping this element has indeed been retained.

Some more information on the game can be found here.

The Emperor's Knife by Mazarkis Williams

Nooria, the capital of the Cerani Empire, is a hotbed of political intrigue. There is a plague sweeping through the empire, marking its victims with a strange pattern, killing many and turning others into mindless killers. At the heart of the empire is a dark secret: the emperor himself has been marked by the pattern and seems doomed. His mother, his courtiers, the vizier and the emperor's imprisoned brother will all play a role in the turmoil to come, as will a girl from the grass plains, sent by her father into the empire as a gift. But the questions remain: who is behind the plague, and who will control the Pattern?


The Emperor's Knife is the first novel in the Knife-Sworn sequence by Mazarkis Williams. It is epic fantasy with a few twists. First off, the setting is far away from the standard medieval European model. At first it seems more influenced by Asian concepts and ideas (comparisons can be made with Chris Wooding's splendid Braided Path trilogy), but the overwhelming influence of the desert on the Empire suggests that Middle-Eastern and African influences may also be in play. Certainly those who feel overloaded with knights, mighty cavalry charges and faux-Norman castles will find much here that is different and indeed refreshing.

The book is focused primarily on four characters: the emperor's assassin, Eyul; Prince Sarmin; Mesema, the daughter of a plains-chief; and the vizier, Tuvaini. Other characters are involved, but there is a strong focus on this central quartet, who are developed in some depth as the book proceeds. Tuvaini, in particularly, is a slippery character who doesn't seem to quite match the idea of a hero or villain, whilst Eyul, though shown to be a good man at heart, has done some quite horrific things in the service of the empire. However, Williams doesn't quite fall into the habit of making everyone morally murky or reprehensible (which is getting more than a little bit old in fantasy): Mesema is genuinely a good person and Sarmin is shown - so far - to be someone who has been traumatised by being imprisoned for years since a child, but still retains a sense of right and wrong.

The political intrigue is generally well-handled, with both protagonists and antagonists shown to have reasons for their actions and stances. However, one character in particular, the emperor's mother, is not particularly well-developed and seems more of a two-dimensional caricature than any of the other characters in the story, which is disappointing given her influence over the story.

The plot shows the unfolding plot against the empire by the master of the Pattern, and there is a fascinating game of cat and mouse that develops as Sarmin discovers he also has the power to touch the Pattern. A minor theme in the book revolves around the use of a game called 'tiles', in which elaborate strategies can be put in place and sprung later on, and the struggle between Sarmin and the Pattern-Master is contrasted against this game (which in turn reflects the political battle in the royal palace). Refreshingly, there is no massive clash of armies here, with the struggle depicted as a battle of wits between those involved...and one in which the dead have their part to play as well.

The book has a convincing, doom-laden atmosphere, some fascinating characters and a compelling plot, but is let down a little by some slightly dull moving-pieces-into-place sequences in the books final quarter and a few scenes where it's not entirely clear what's happened: one important meeting between Sarmin and a senior mage of the empire is a little obtuse. However, the book is also commendably stand-alone: most of the book's major storylines are concluded at the end of the novel. Whilst there will be more books in the series, there is no major cliffhanger ending here.

The Emperor's Knife (****) is a strong fantasy novel with a fresh setting, rich characters and an enjoyable storyline. It will be published in the UK on 27 October 2011 by Jo Fletcher Books and in the USA on 6 December 2011 by Night Shade Books.

Cover art for the next MALAZAN novel

Bantam have unveiled the cover art for the next Malazan novel.


Orb, Sceptre, Throne is the fourth book in Ian Cameron Esslemont's Novels of the Malazan Empire sequence and will take place primarily in the iconic city of Darujhistan. It will serve as a sequel to Steven Erikson's Toll the Hounds. The book is currently scheduled for publication on 8 December 2011.

Esslemont will be following the book up with City in the Jungle (set on Jacuruku) and Assail, whilst Steven Erikson's Forge of Darkness, the first book in the Kharkanas Trilogy, is tentatively due in late 2012.

As usual, thanks to the cover art-watchers at Westeros.org for posting the cover.

Final WHEEL OF TIME novel enters the home straight

On Twitter, Brandon Sanderson has confirmed that he is now 52% done with A Memory of Light, the fourteenth and final Wheel of Time novel. In previous Tweets, Sanderson has said he hopes to deliver the final manuscript before the end of the year or early in 2012.

The book is currently - tentatively - scheduled for publication in the second half of 2012.

Christopher Priest reveals new projects

In an interview with SFFWorld, Christopher Priest discusses some of the projects he's working on at the moment. He's currently finishing off his next novel, The Adjacent, and has plans for a further novel after that, The Mariners, as well as a stage play. In the meantime, his next novel, The Islanders, will be published in the UK at the end of the month by Gollancz in the UK.


Some interesting stuff in the interview, such as how his lengthy break from writing after The Separation has resulted in a sudden explosion of new ideas and projects. Also interesting is that Priest seems to have cooled somewhat on Chris Nolan's adaptation of The Prestige and his subsequent projects, with some interesting discussion of why that may be so.

The Islanders remains my most eagerly-awaited book of 2011, and the news we won't have to wait ten years for his next novel is very welcome indeed.

Orson Scott Card writes lame version of HAMLET

Science fiction author Orson Scott Card has, most curiously, chosen to rewrite Hamlet to make it lame.


Hamlet's Father was actually written a few years ago and appeared in a few anthologies, but a new, stand-alone edition from Subterranean Press is due out soon. The new version of the story removes the complex characterisation and thematic development of Shakespeare's play and instead proposes that everything bad that happens in the story is down to the fact that Hamlet's father was homosexual. In fact, we learn that Hamlet's father was not only gay, but managed to infect a number of other characters (Horatio, Laertes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) with teh gay as well by molesting them as children. Hamlet's father maintains his menacing gay ways even in undeath, and it is implied that at the conclusion of the story Hamlet's spirit will be taken to Hell by his gay dad and have gay things done to him for all eternity. Potential readers are advised that reading may have to be undertaken with earmuffs, lest you be distracted by the sound of an axe being ground in the background.

Naturally, this hilarious nonsense lends itself well to satire, and Scott Lynch has already taken up the baton. There have also been a number of complaints to SubPress about the book, enough that they have posted a response on their website.

A rumour that Gary Oldman and Tim Roth are considering reuniting to make Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Now Benders, Apparently, based on the Card book, cannot be substantiated at this time. Mainly because I just made it up.

The Book of Transformations by Mark Charan Newton

Emperor Urtica rules over a nation threatened from within and without. Hordes of invading creatures are threatening the northern islands, where the city of Villiren is commanded to hold out against impossible odds. However, with most of the imperial armies dispatched to Villiren, political intrigue and anarchic violence are taking hold of the streets of Villjamur, the capital. To combat the threat, Urtica recruits three individuals and transforms them into super-powered warriors, the Villjamur Knights, but must use a mixture of threats and promises of rewards to keep them in line.


Meanwhile, a priest arrives in Villjamur on a quest that has already seen him marked for death by the region's dominant religion. He seeks to expose a lie that has defined the history of the Boreal Archipelago, but in doing so may trigger events that he and the world are unprepared for. Far to the north, Dartun Sur and his band of cultists have returned from the invading creatures' homeworld and rush back to the capital to reveal their findings...in a manner that no-one is expecting.

The Book of Transformations is the third and penultimate volume in The Legends of the Red Sun, following on from Nights of Villjamur and City of Ruin. Like the earlier books in the series, it places a number of self-contained narratives in the context of a longer, more epic story. This time around Newton gives us the story of Lan, a woman born in a man's body, who undergoes a sex-change operation fuelled by magic (or, more accurately, relic technology) only to find herself pressganged into the Knights and kept in service by blackmail.

It's unusual to see transgenderism raised as an issue in a secondary world fantasy novel, but Newton ties it in expertly with the book's overall theme of personal transformation, whether it's physical, spiritual or ideological. Almost every character is undergoing a metamorphosis of some kind, some voluntary, others not, and Lan's transformation is handled sensitively and fits in with the overall theme of the book very well.

Elsewhere, Newton's skills with atmosphere remain strong, with the snow-shrouded streets and rooftops of Villjamur remaining an evocative setting for the action. Character-wise, he gives us some memorable newcomers and brings back a couple of older hands (though not many; the book takes place simultaneously with much of City of Ruin, so the characters from that book are not present) to keep the plot ticking over. This is where the book starts to run into problems: there are a lot of characters doing a lot of things that need to converge for a grand, world-shaking finale that is undoubtedly meant to be epic, jaw-dropping and leave you on the edge of your seat until the final book is released next year. Unfortunately, this doesn't really happen.

The narrative seems to run out of drive some distance before the end. The problem is that Newton is at his best when engaging with interesting issues in a manner that is thoughtful and based in characters' emotions. That's not to say he can't do great mayhem - City of Ruin had some splendid battle sequences - but to do so he needs to root scenes of chaos and combat with characters we've become emotionally invested in. Book of Transformation's key weakness is that there's so much going on we haven't really had time to get really acquainted with the characters to make the huge scenes at the end of the novel come to life. In particular, whilst Lan is well-written, her two fellow Knights are much more lightly-sketched with only hints at depth rather than real exploration of their characters. Hinging so much of the climactic action sequences on their exploits thus falls flat. Similarly, the priest Ulryk is an interesting character with great potential, but he never really comes to life, and Inquisitor Fulcrom's desire to help him feels a bit random, something that has to happen for the plot to work regardless of whether or not it makes sense in terms of character motivation.

The cumulative effect of this is that instead of a vast, awe-inspiring and grand climax, we get something that is, at best, perfunctory. On an intellectual level, lots of interesting things happen at the end, but there is little emotional power to them. Newton's prose, which can be richly atmospheric, feels flat and rushed as he moves to the climax. Scenes featuring huge amounts of devastation in which hundreds of people die feel distant and unengaging, whilst the arrival of what is apparently a major new character at the end passes by with little impact. The problems with the climax are in fact highlighted by how good the first half of the book is, particularly the success Newton initially experiences in exploring these themes of transformation and alteration.

The Book of Transformation (***½) starts off promisingly with some well-realised characters and ideas being explored, but then it tails off as the climax approaches. The ending of the book feels rushed and under-written in comparison to what has come before, but Newton manages to hold things together just well enough to make the final novel an interesting prospect, provided he can avoid the same issues next time around. The novel is available now in the UK and on import in the USA.

The Man Who Crossed Hitler

Berlin, 1931. Several members of the SA, the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, attack a gathering of Communist workers and kill two of them. Jewish lawyer Hans Litten is prosecuting those responsible. On the advice of a colleague, he subpoenas Adolf Hitler, rationalising that the attack is a breach of Hitler's promise the previous year that the Nazis had renounced violence as a means of gaining power. This leads to the extraordinary spectacle of Hitler being closely cross-examined on his ideology and motives for three hours straight as Litten tries to show that Hitler has perjured himself. If he can prove this, Hitler will be arrested and his ascent to power halted or, at the very least, delayed.


The Man Who Crossed Hitler is a BBC TV movie based on the confrontation between Litten and Hitler in a Berlin courtroom on 8 May 1931, the events leading up to it and some of those that followed. Ed Stoppard plays Litten (then only in his 20s) as a driven young man committed to thwarting the Nazis' rise to power, even if this means allying with Communists, whilst Ian Hart portrays Hitler as a master of rhetoric and speech-making when in his element, but outside of his comfort zone finds himself initially out-foxed by Litten's arguments. Bill Paterson is the judge who has to orchestrate the trial but is himself conflicted over how far to push the pursuit of Hitler.

The film is driven by uniformly excellent performances (Sarah Smart as Litten's aide and Ronan Vibert as an SA commander opposed to Hitler's handling of the organisation are particularly good) and some superior writing and characterisation, particularly regarding the clash of Litten's investigative and legal skills with his own ego. Because Nazi rhetoric was essentially contradictory and confused, Litten believed it would be a duck shoot to bring Hitler down, so he was unprepared for Hitler's ability to turn the situation to his advantage (and the situation is not helped by a judge who has one eye on his own status in a future Nazi-led Germany) and was left bemused by the growing popularity of the Nazis amongst the common people of Germany. In fact, the film suggests that Hitler's time on the stand may have have even strengthened his popularity, a conclusion that is debatable: Hitler, for his part, was severely unnerved after the incident and refused to have Litten's name even mentioned in his presence after that point.

The film has a dark edge to it, since we know (obviously) that Little ultimately failed to have Hitler arrested for perjury and his ascent to power continued unchecked. It also doesn't take much foresight to work out that things will not work out well for Litten and this is ultimately shown to be the case through a closing piece of text, presumably because a dramatised account of Litten's time in prison under the later Nazi government would likely be too harrowing to make comfortable viewing.

There's an old-fashioned edge to the film. It uses only a few sets and a small number of actors, but it packs an enormous amount into its 90 minutes: the dialogue is first-rate, the actors do their jobs well and the film succeeds in its primary aim of highlighting a curious and under-reported incident from the life of one of history's most infamous figures.

The Man Who Crossed Hitler (****½) is compelling viewing. Unfortunately, it is not yet available on DVD or Blu-Ray and it is unclear if or when it will be released.

SubPress edition of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS up for pre-order

Subterranean Press has announced that its limited edition of A Dance with Dragons, with illustrations by Marc Fishman, is available for pre-order. Priority orders will go to those who have already purchased A Feast for Crows, with sales being opened to the general public after that.


GRRM discusses the edition here. SubPress are accepting orders for the book here.