Curious King Books

20/03/2024

The amazing Claire Arnett has written a post about one of our upcoming limited editions; David Gemmell’s “Legend”.

Claire has been a great supporter of CK since we first started and continues to be a positive influence in the book collecting community.

Please read:

DAVID GEMMELL’S LEGEND

One of the most anticipated Curious King publications announced in recent months, David Gemmell’s Legend is widely considered by many to be one of the finest novels of heroic fantasy ever written. Before his untimely passing, British author David Gemmell was a prolific storyteller whose tales of heroism inspired a legion of fans, and is regularly cited as an influence on many of the most popular authors writing grimdark fantasy today.

It’s both easy, and immensely difficult, to explain what make Legend such an iconic and enduring novel, and much of it comes down to Gemmell’s unwavering commitment to the premise that even that even the most ordinary men and women are capable of becoming heroes if they are brave enough, and that mighty acts of sacrifice, selflessness, and brotherhood are the foundation upon which our societies rise and fall. These themes of heroism, honor, and the triumph of good over evil, would become the hallmark of Gemmell’s signature style over many years, and he would explore them to great effect in the many novels that he published during his lifetime.

But it all began with Legend.

I discovered Legend as a teen, not realizing that I was about to embark on a reading experience that would become the standard by which I measured all other fantasy novels. I picked up Legend as an ex-library book during a charity sale, purely because of the big, double-sided axe on the cover. I remember thinking, This looks exciting. I wonder who is going to be swinging this big axe!

Reader, it was Druss the Legend. And swing it he did!

Druss strides onto the pages of Legend, a larger-than-life hero in the twilight of his life, ready to make a final stand for the sake of his people. As he prepares to heft his axe Snaga and defend Dros Delnoch against the hordes of invading Nadir, Gemmell takes the reader on a stunning journey of self-sacrifice and heroism that resonates just as deeply in this upcoming 40th anniversary edition as it did upon its release.

As a teen, I read my paperback editions of the Drenai saga until the covers were tattered and the pages were falling out. Gemmell’s novels came with me to college, and were comfort reads as I navigated the perils of being a young adult setting out on their own for the first time. Like many readers before me discovered, Gemmell’s books endure in our hearts because he wrote for all of those of us who want to believe in heroes.

DRUSS THE LEGEND

The first of Gemmell’s Drenai saga books, which are considered by many to be among his best, is Legend. Gemmell wrote the earliest draft of Legend as he was being tested for cancer, imagining the siege of a fortress that no one truly believes can be held against an overwhelming invasion. The stakes are the highest possible; nothing less than the utter annihilation of the Drenai people unless Dros Delnoch can be held until an army of defenders can be gathered and trained.

It is in this dark hour that we meet Druss the Legend, an aging warrior nearly past his prime, and Regnak the Wanderer, a warrior who resigned his commission because he did not want to risk his life. Two men, whose lives have taken very different paths, find themselves united in defense of the fortress. It seems a simple premise for a novel that has so much heart. The themes of hope, survival, courage, and sacrifice which infuse Legend heralded the arrival of one of heroic fantasy’s greatest authors, and the emergence of a singular talent whose career would expand on the strengths of his first, most beloved novel, until his untimely death.

In an interview several years before his passing, Gemmell explained that Legend remained the favourite of his published works, and that the process of writing Legend, “…was a golden time in my life. I could write it better now- and it wouldn’t be as good. Legend has all the flaws you expect in a first novel, but it has a heart that wouldn’t be bettered by improving its style. I am as proud of that book as I am of anything I’ve ever done in my life.”

LIFE & LEGACY

Widely considered to be one of the best British fantasy writers of the 20th century, David Gemmell has become nearly as much of a legend as his titular hero, Druss. With the publication of Legend, Gemmell embarked on a career that would last decades, and offered readers some of the finest heroic fantasy the genre has ever seen. Brave men and women fight, and die, in the most hopeless situations imaginable. Cataclysmic battles, hordes of demons, and oppressed peoples rediscovering their greatness can all be found in Gemmell’s many novels. He infused his characters with the very best and worst humanity has to offer, which was an echo of his own lived experiences.

Gemmell was heavily bullied as a child and suffered debilitating nightmares, later recounting that his harrowing childhood shaped much of his writing. He credits his stepfather Bill, who came into his life as a young boy, as the inspiration for many of his greatest characters, including Druss. The genre of heroic fantasy was immeasurably influenced because of Gemmell’s singular vision, and his death was met with an outpouring of grief, not only from his fans, but also from the many authors who considered him a source of inspiration.

THE CURIOUS KING EDITION

It’s hard to think of anyone that could do a better job honoring Gemmell’s legacy than Anthony Kaye. As a British publisher of some of the finest specialty editions of beloved fantasy on the collector’s market, the Curious King edition is going to be a Gemmell collector’s dream, and a must-have edition of this deeply beloved book.

The details provided so far point at a truly stunning production that will give Legend the specialty treatment Gemmell's works have always deserved. All states will be letterpress printed, and the standard edition will have a unique dust jacket unavailable on any of the other tiers. Artist Justin Sweet is producing 8 colour paintings and 25 black and white pieces and will be signing each edition. In addition, Gemmell’s widow and writing partner, Stella Gemmell, will be contributing a new forward and signing each edition.

FURTHER READING

An Article on How to Read David Gemmell’s Drenai series: https://www.cabbagetreebooks.com/blog/david-gemmells-drenai-series

Announcements on the Curious King website about Legend: https://curiousking.co.uk/david-gemmells-legend/

You can check out some of Justin Sweet’s art here at his website: https://justinsweet.com

Interview with David Gemmell at SFF World: https://www.sffworld.com/1998/08/scifiint_23/

For anyone interested, I have just launched a new book review website where I also interview authors and industry professionals! Feel free to check that out here: https://www.wardensofearthshine.com

The Wardens of Earthshine a haven for magical cats, fantastical stories, and the author website of Claire Arnett.

13/03/2024

I’m at the London Book Fair this week, meeting publishers and printers. The place is incredible, never have I felt so at home - books are the name of the game and everyone cares about them!

Update on shipping for the recent cover print. They’ve all been packed and will be shipped out early next week.

For now though, I’m gonna talk books for another couple of days.

05/03/2024

It's time, our cover print of Joe Abercrombie's "The Blade Itself" by Tommy Arnold is now live on the site to buy!

This is one of the most iconic dustjackets in fantasy in my opinion and we're so pleased with the work Tommy did on it.

To remind people it's one per household!

Late 2023 we delivered our first published book, The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie which was lovingly illustrated by the amazing Tommy Arnold. One of the most striking things about this edition was the incredible dustjacket art by Tommy, he was able to capture the raw unhinged nature of Logan Nine...

29/02/2024

I can't believe it's the end of the month already, it's been a real blur. Thankfully it's a leap year this year, so the Feb update is technically released in February (it's the small wins...).

Another full and open update on all the books we're working on at the moment. If you want to know what's been happening to your books this month then give it a read!

It’s that time of the month again, what’s going down with your books at Curious King?! A lot it transpires. Despite it being a short month, I feel we’ve made some very good progress on the titles we’re working on. Currently we’re working on numerous books at various stages of production, a...

15/02/2024

We're SO close on the art now for The Fifth Season, which is great as binding work is already underway.

I thought I'd share another of John Anthony di Giovanni's pieces of interior artwork. This is titled "Schaffa collects" and depicts the enigmatic and creepy guardian Schaffa as he comes to collect a young Orogene "Damaya".

John's work is simply fantastic and aside from the Standard Edition dustjacket and Endpaper, there are a further 8 colour pieces tipped into each book!

As usual there will be a few Standard Editions going back up on the website once shipping starts. Currently anticipating April deliveries, but don't hold me to that!

13/02/2024

Little update on the Tommy Arnold Blade Itself prints. They're being released from customs, which is great news.

Once they have arrived here i'll check them out make sure they're all in good condition, and then arrange to have them put up on the website.

I will announce a date/time they go on sale once I have them in hand!

Thanks for your patience everyone.

05/02/2024

Here's a question for a Monday.

Would my collectors consider buying a series if all tiers were printed offset-litho as opposed to Letterpress?

This would be series specific, I have no itentions of changing the print for already announced series.

I'm working on a slightly less popular series that hasn't had the limited run treatment yet, but not sure I can justify a large amount of deluxe and standard editions for it.

I could also make each edition considerably cheaper by doing it this way. (Lettered c£2k, Deluxe c£450, Standard c£130)

Letterpress printing makes smaller run projects very difficult due to the huge set up costs, so exploring alternative ways to print slightly less loved series.

Also you can't really choose to have the lettered printed letterpress and the standard printed offset. This only works when there are 1000 copies being printed of the Standard, which won't be the case with this title.

Thoughts welcome!

01/02/2024

It's a day late, I do apologise! But here is the production update for January 2024 for Curious King.

We've got so much in store for you this year, and we're quickly filling up the forseeable future in fine press versions of the best Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels written.

Two books are very close to being bound and shipped with plenty more in the early stages.

Thanks again to all my amazing supporters!

It’s 2024 already, and we’re nearly through the first month, actually as this is late, we’re already through it! As usual we’ve been very busy over the last few weeks after a much-needed break in between Christmas and New Year. I’m very much looking forward to this year, as it should be th...

25/01/2024

I had a genuinely incredible evening at the British Book Design and Production Awards last night after being invited by Paul Kidson of Ludlow Bookbinders.

The event was genuinely eye opening for the interesting and clever ways to design, print and bind books. Not only did I get to see dozens of beautiful books, it has also given me some ideas for future CK editions.

I also had the opportunity to meet several very pleasant people from the industry, the highlight finding out The Folio Society has actually heard of my small press!

Whilst I didn’t necessarily agree with all of the judges choices from a personal perspective, nobody could deny the high level of entrants.

Many commiserations to Rich from Lyra's Books as I personally thought he deserved to win Best British Book. Though the winner Hurtwood Books had of course produced an incredible and inventive book indeed, and you can see why the judges went for it.

I think I’ll enter next year, just for the chance to go again!

Here’s me and Rich before the awards were announced.

17/01/2024

It gives me great pleasure to announce our next Curious King title. None other than David Gemmell's "Legend"!

This year is the book's 40th anniversary and we are honoured to be able to give this title it's first Limited Press treatment.

I've been a huge fan of Gemmell for years and his stories helped pave the way for the likes of Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence.

Illustrating this titan of literature is none other than Justin Sweet, another incredible artist who has worked on Films, Games, and Illustrated Books.

For more information please visit the website or click the link in the comments!

16/01/2024

We're still here don't worry! There will be a full production update towards the end of the month, but before then I will be releasing the name of the next new publication at Curious King.

For clarity the next pre-order will be for Before They are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie, and this publication will follow that pre-order mid 2024.

I'll be releasing details tomorrow at 20:00GMT.

I'm very excited to be working on this legendary title!

21/12/2023

It's been a bit quiet on our page for the last few weeks as we've been getting as much done before the Christmas break as possible. As most of the industry close for the break between New Year, so will we - however I'll be keeping an eye on emails.

It's time for the final update of the year, and what a year it's been! 2023 was the year that I finally had a book published and shipped, and it being Joe Abercrombie's The Blade itself to boot is an absolute honour. The customers and followers really made it for me though, as their kind words and patience knows no end, so thank you!

Definitely a transformative year for the business as I went full time, and i've been building momentum for 2024 and beyond. I absolutely love doing this, and can't wait to publish and ship more of my books next year!

For a more detailed update then please click below!

This is the final update before Xmas and the New Year, and I wanted to say a huge thanks to everyone who has supported the press this year. It’s been mind-blowing to see the support of both customers and followers and whilst I had hoped to have two books delivered this year I’m glad I […]

04/12/2023

We have finally sold out of our Standard Edition of The Fifth Season! These beauties are a step up from The Blade Itself in our opinion with a beautiful marbled cloth spine by Freya Scott at Paperwilds.

To celebrate please feast your eyes on the completed endpaper of our upcoming edition of The Fifth Season by John Anthony di Giovanni.

The scene depicts Schaffa escorting a young Damaya to the Fulcrum in Yumenes!

27/11/2023

The guys over at Collectible Book Vault have done a piece on one of our long term collaborators, the amazing Freya Scott of Paperwilds.

It's a great read and insight into the mind of a master marbler. RPO aside, Freya has worked on every publication of ours, and most likely all our future productions. She really is that good.

Please give it a read!

https://www.collectiblebookvault.com/post/art-of-the-book-vol-2?fbclid=IwAR3_J7ayQVQyIpf1XoLG9aLP1kQKRD3oGLEmTQHWC4eLwV0n-IJP3lE1lB4

Freya Scott of Paperwilds - Marbler We are delighted to have the wonderfully talented Freya Scott as part of our series as she has been an important part of some of our favorite small/fine press productions in recent years. From her consistent presence with Lyra's Books and Arete Editions, to other....

23/11/2023

We didn't have an update in October, largely because we were trying to get The Blade Itself into everyone's lovely hands!

Well it's November now, so thought I'd best keep you all posted as to what we've been up to.

If you like books. SFF books. SFF books made by Curious King. Then you may want to click the link in the comment below! Or don't, it's totally fine.

10/11/2023

Aaaaaand they're gone. Keep an eye out for an email - if you haven't received it by Saturday 11th then unfortunately you weren't successful.

Thanks again everyone, I can't wait to get this book made!

10/11/2023

The remaining copies are now live on our site. Hyperion Deluxe edition!

Dan Simmons – Hyperion Pre-order is Tuesday, November 7th at 8pm GMT. “In such seconds of decision, entire futures are made.” : : :

10/11/2023

There will be 5 more copies of the Deluxe Hyperion going back up on the website tonight at 20:00 GMT.

Following this, I will send out emails to the 6 people who have scored Publshers Rights with their purchase.

07/11/2023

And that's it folks, they're all gone! A lot quicker than I expected!

I will of course this evening check for any multiple/erroneous orders and let people know when those will be going back up on the website.

Thank you all so much, I can't wait to get this book finished and out there!

07/11/2023

The public pre-order for our publication of Dan Simmons masterpiece "Hyperion" is now live!

Link found in the first comment.

07/11/2023

Just to let everyone know there will be 6 Deluxe Editions with Publishers Rights available this evening on the Hyperion public sale. These will be assigned at random by Friday 10th of November.

Unfortunately there are no available lettered editions for the coming sale.

Thanks all!

01/11/2023

To give some context to the small changes needed on the Deluxe, the blind stamping should look like this all over the case.

Also the clamshell will have a stamped labrynth design all over.

01/11/2023

It’s finally here, our production of Dan Simmons masterpiece “Hyperion”, illustrated by Jaime Jones. A lot of work has gone into this, and I’m excited to reveal the full specification of this production.

The post covers both the Deluxe and Lettered editions, and has details on how rights holders will be contacted.

I’ve had a lot of fun working with Jaime Jones on the art and artistic direction of these books, and think he’s done an incredible job so far with the interiors and feature image finished.

For those who are not rights holders, the public pre-order is going live on Tuesday November 7th at 20:00GMT on our website. There are 150 Deluxe copies available that carry series rights up for purchase.

Please let me know what you think. It’s been so much fun to work on!

31/10/2023

Information reveal of our upcoming publication of Hyperion by Dan Simmons will be tomorrow, Wednesday 1st of November at 15:00 GMT.

Emails to rights holders will go out following the announcement!

Nearly there guys!

27/10/2023

Morning all. I visited the bindery yesterday and sadly the final prototype isn’t quite ready yet.

Information release is looking like Wednesday evening now. I’ll update everyone on Monday!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

21/10/2023

Quick update from me before the full post next week. I’ve had covid over the last few days, so a little behind on a few things.

Lettered Editions of The Blade Itself will begin shipping next week! Very much looking forward to these finding their homes.

Hyperion update. I’m hoping to do the information release at the end of next week with pre-order for existing rights owners to begin immediately. There will be a window before the public pre-order goes live early November.

I’ll know more as next week progresses and will put out more concrete dates and times when I know them.

Have a good weekend folks!

13/10/2023

Happy Friday everyone. The good news is, Numbered Editions (I'm going to call them Deluxe from now on) are now Shipping! This may take a few days.

So all who bought both Standard and Deluxe, should be on the look out for tracking!

Enjoy!

06/10/2023

I thought it sensible to clear a few things up, and give a little update while I’m at it.

Yesterday I visited Ludlow’s Bookbinders to see how things were progressing on The Blade Itself! It’s feverish at the bindery as they finish off the numbered and lettered editions and we aren’t far away now.

For those that purchased a Numbered as well as a Standard, you will receive both together when the Numbered edition is finished.

The same goes for Lettered owners. If you bought a Standard and a Lettered, both books will be sent out when the Lettered is finished.

Currently all single Standard Editions have been sent out, so if you don’t have tracking please let me know. If you ordered another edition, then please don’t contact me and wait until the second edition is complete.

The Numbered Edition should start shipping in a week or two, so please be patient. The Lettered Edition should follow a week or two after that. Sorry I can’t be more specific, but these productions take time to get right.

I also wanted to mention how wholesome everyone has been about the copies that have arrived. I’m so glad owners who have theirs are happy with it. *checks off “publish a book” off bucketlist*

In other news I picked up Hyperion prototypes. They’re looking very good. Few tweaks and then I can show the world!

Few pictures below from the bindery.

29/09/2023

I’m not around this week as I’m on holiday, but I can confirm shipping has begun! This will take a few weeks, so please be patient.

I hope you all enjoy!