An Edition Review - My First Experience with Grim Oak Press
When Grim Oak Press announced they’d be producing a limited edition of Malice I went through a roller coaster of emotions. Joy at the fact I would finally be able to replace my long lost Goldsboro copy that was sacrificed to become brake discs, sorrow at the financial ruin that was about to sweep across my bank account, fear that my partner would find out how much I paid for “another f*cking book”, before finally arriving back at Joy.
I will state my biases early for anyone who doesn’t know me. Malice is my favourite book, ever. If I didn’t pick this book up in an airport back in 2012, I wouldn’t read books now. If I hadn’t fallen in love with the story and bought a copy of the limited Hardcover from Goldsboro, I wouldn’t collect books now. In fact as I write this, John Gwynne has a lot to answer for…anyway. My point is, sentimentally I have a lot more into this book than most but Grim Oak Press are known for their quality so luckily I feel like I can give this a fair review (if not, who cares. It’s sold out anyway)
So the book itself is honestly more of an art piece than a book. If you’re like me, it’s something to be displayed, occasionally picked up, panicked over the fact you’re touching it and then put back down safely to be left to enjoy itself. I’ll put the specs below for anyone who is weird like me and likes to know these things:
- Limited to 1000 copies
- 6" x 9" bonded leather-bound book with foil stamping
- Optional slipcase
- High-gloss full color dust jacket with foil and emboss by Marcus Whinney
- 10 full color interior illustrations by Sam White
- Full color signature page signed by John Gwynne, Marcus Whinney, and Sam White
- Sewn-in satin ribbon
- Offset printed on high quality acid free 60# paper
- Smyth sewn binding with head and tail bands
- Printed and bound in USA
I’m quickly realising that I’m running out of things to say about slipcases, it’s nice. It’s as nice as you can expect a slipcase to be. You could possibly illustrate the interior as a little Brucey bonus but honestly it doesn’t matter. It’s well made and fits well, possibly erring a little on the loose side (which is preferable to your slipcase being too small, so great)
The dust jacket is printed in the high gloss finish that’s become synonymous with Grim Oak Press wonderfully illustrated by Marcus Whinney featuring Corban, Storm and the best talking crow in the fantasy genre, Craf.
as bizarre as it sounds, the signature page is one of my favourite parts of this edition. It’s triple signed by John Gwynne, Marcus Whinney and Sam White but the real showpiece is a close up of that sword.
the interior art, as is fast becoming the case in SFF special editions is phenomenally done. Sam White has captured some one of my favourite moments in Malice perfectly (the Wyrm head), and as is always the case has made me realise that the way I paint characters in my head is hysterically incorrect. I won’t put all of the art in here but I’ll show you a few of my favourites (and maybe even John Gwynne’s favourite)
I’d like to end my review portion of this with a petition to the team behind this edition. Please, please, please give me just one piece of Maquin artwork.
Now there’s a little bit more to this that I’ve been keeping close to my chest, I managed to get the chance to ask John Gwynne a few questions about this release, and then some fun ones, just for me really (it turns out all you need to do is ask). I’ll post it below:
Q: Hi John, I just wanted to start off with a big congratulations, firstly on the recent success of Fury of the Gods, but also on the launch of the Grim Oak Press edition of Malice.
A: Thanks so much. I’m blown away with how people have taken to Orka and the Bloodsworn. When you write something you just don’t know how it is going to go down with readers, so it has been wonderful to see Orka and the gang taken to heart by so many.
And yes, seeing the publication of Malice by Grim Oak Press is just wonderful. An absolute ‘pinch me am I dreaming’ moment.
Q: I know you’ve worked with the team at Grim Oak previously on their Anthologies but this Malice is the first novel of yours they’ve produced. I was wondering how involved you were with the process and what that was like?
A: Shawn and the team at Grim Oak are both wonderful people and absolute professionals, so it has been amazing to work with them. They have been extremely inclusive when it comes to involving me in the project. Shawn is involved in the artistic process, but really he oversees it, and has let all of the details be worked out between myself and the artists. The covers and choice of scenes to use for the internal plates has been a discussion between myself, Marcus Whinney and Sam White. I must say it is wonderful to see scenes from my books brought to life by such incredible artists.
Q: Grim Oak have put together an incredibly talented team of artists to produce this edition, of the 10 colour interior illustrations would you say you have a favourite piece?
A: Oh my word, I’m not sure I could pick one, the art has just been so wonderful. I really love the way Tull’s last stand has turned out.
Q: When you spoke in Leeds you mentioned that writing Malice started more as a hobby than as a mission to get published, what was that journey like from hobbyist to getting your first book published?
A: That’s absolutely right. I started writing Malice as a hobby, with just a handful of people as my audience – my wife, my children, and a few of my friends. It took me about seven or eight years to write Malice. And probably the first couple of years of that were spent just doing research and writing down ideas. As it was my hobby it had to fit in around my family and work commitments, so I would work on it sporadically. Eventually I finished Malice – called ‘So Deep a Malice’ back then – at the end of 2009, maybe early 2010. My wife Caroline encouraged me to send it off to an agent, so I did some research on agents and sent it off to John Jarrold. He took me on as a client, helped me with an edit, and then submitted it to UK publishers in early December 2010. About a week later we had an offer from Pan MacMillan. It was a total ‘dream-come-true’ moment.
Q: As you’re probably aware by now Malice is my favourite book of all time. It’s packed with some brilliantly impactful moments. Corban saving Storm as a cub and the first appearance of the White Wyrm being two of my favourites. I wanted to know what your favourite scene is in Malice?
A: I’m so honoured that you feel this way. There are a lot of books out there, so to choose one of mine as your favourite really blows me away.
As far as scenes go in Malice, there are a lot that I enjoyed writing. Corban saving Storm, Corban attempting to sneak into Brina’s cottage and take something, Tull’s last stand, Camlin choosing to stand up for Cywen. Corban’s duel with Rafe in the hall of Dun Carreg. But if I were to choose one scene, it would probably be Gar’s entrance into the battle in the feast-hall of Dun Carreg, and his following duel with Sumur.
Q: I don’t know how aware you are of things like this but I’m seeing a lot of Authors such as your Ryan Cahill’s in the Epic Fantasy genre citing you as a source of inspiration for their own writing. Did you have anyone like that for Malice with it being your first Novel?
A: I have seen posts where Ryan says that. It feels surreal, an absolute honour that another writer feels that way, especially a writer as great as Ryan.
For me, so many writers have inspired me. If I narrow it down, I have to say Tolkien, Gemmell and Bernard Cornwell.
Q: A couple of fun ones now. If you were in a bar filled with the Characters from the worlds you’ve written, and someone challenged you to a duel who would you want as your champion? And why is it Maquin?
A: Haha, well, you are probably right, Maquin would definitely be right up there. Although I think Orka would give him a few problems.
Q: Same question but if you had to fight the dual yourself, who do you think you’d be able to take?
A: Haha, well, maybe Guðvarr. I think I could out-fight Guðvarr.
Q: I’ve seen that you’re a big Bernard Cornwell fan and a big fan of Norse history and mythology and as a result shield walls feature heavily in your battles. As a re-enactor who will be faced with shield walls on a regular basis what would you say is the best way to combat one? And is it to break ranks, front flip over the wall and start killing people à la Uhtred of Bebbanburg?
I am most definitely a huge Bernard Cornwell fan, and yes, I love Norse mythology and Viking-era history.
As a re-enactor Uhtred’s way of taking on the shield-wall, by leaping over the front ranks and laying into the rear ranks is not advisable. I think that would be a fast road to a quick death.
Historically, the way Vikings would often break a shield-wall is with a formation called a ‘Boars Snout.’ The warriors form up into an arrow shaped formation, with an extremely brave warrior taking the point position. They would charge the enemy shield wall and slam the point of the ‘boar’s snout’ into the enemy shield-wall, prising it open and forcing a way deep into the ranks. This was a high-risk manoeuvre, but often it met with great success. I wanted to put this into the Bloodsworn Saga, but never came across a scene where it felt it would fit. Perhaps I should write some more books in that world so I can write a ‘boar’s snout’ battle scene.
Q: Brilliant John, thank you so much for your time.
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