One of the books I’m absolutely pumped about being released in 2020 is Jeremy Szal’s Stormblood from Gollancz. Jeremy’s been a mate for a long time, and having known him since Grimdark Magazine’s early days, and known the sheer grit, determination, and passion he’s shown to get himself into a spot where he could get John Jarrold to represent him and his first choice publisher Gollancz to pick up his book in an exclusive worldwide rights deal has been brilliant to witness.
I’m just stoked to see him succeed.
Anyhow, enough of me riding Jeremy’s coattails, let’s take a look at this book.
Cover
I remember Jeremy showing me this cover at the pub when it was ready and just being blown away. It’s gritty and foreboding, noir-AF, with the blue hues cold and brutal and the white lights great visual cues to draw the eye up from the character at the bottom and to all the SF on offer in this crushing world.
Blurb
Vakov Fukasawa used to be a Reaper: a bio-enhanced soldier fighting for the Harmony, against a brutal invading empire. He’s still fighting now, on a different battlefield: taking on stormtech. To make him a perfect soldier, Harmony injected him with the DNA of an extinct alien race, altering his body chemistry and leaving him permanently addicted to adrenaline and aggression. But although they meant to create soldiers, at the same time Harmony created a new drug market that has millions hopelessly addicted to their own body chemistry.
Vakov may have walked away from Harmony, but they still know where to find him, and his former Reaper colleagues are being murdered by someone, or something – and Vakov is appalled to learn his estranged brother is involved. Suddenly it’s an investigation he can’t turn down . . . but the closer he comes to the truth, the more addicted to stormtech he becomes.
And it’s possible the war isn’t over, after all . . .
Pre-order Stormblood by Jeremy Szal
If that didn’t get you salivating for some pretty epic noir SF, then I don’t know what will. Get yourself a pre-order!
