Guest Post: Iron Fist Blog Tour

It is always a cause for some personal celebration when Andy Briggs releases a new book. I loved his Tarzan series and I can't wait to read Iron Fist, the first book in his new The Inventory series, especially given its brilliant summary:

The Rules: if you find a secret inventory of utterly deadly battle tech. 

1) Do not try it.

 2) Do not tell anyone. 

3) Do NOT let thieves in behind you. 

What’s more secret than top-secret? The Inventory. Home to the deadliest inventions the world isn’t ready for. Invisible camouflage. HoverBoots. Indestructible metals. Plus a giant creature of chaos: war robot Iron Fist. No one has ever broken past the state-of-the-art AI security system. (Seriously, most bad guys have no idea this stuff is even there.)

Problem 1: the security robot wasn’t ready for a gang of kids wandering in. 

Problem 2: they’ve ONLY brought the ruthless Shadow Helix gang in behind them. Seriously dumb, but it’s a bit late for ‘sorry’. 

Say hello to trouble: the Iron Fist is in the wrong hands!

Today I am overjoyed to be welcoming Andy to The Book Zone, as he gives us an introduction to his main character, Dev:

ENTER THE INVENTORY WITH DEV PARKER

Call him Dev, not Devon, which is his full name. He hates that. The only time he hears his full name is when he is in trouble – which is often. That’s not because he’s a trouble causer, he’s just easily bored. All those lessons in school, he already knows that stuff. Or he thinks he does, but has probably forgotten.  How can he learn anything interesting in school when he lives in an underground complex that houses the most advanced and incredible inventions ever made?

He lives with his uncle, Charles Parker, who is the Inventory’s curator. Their relationship is not exactly fun. Uncle Parker is cool mannered and not very talkative especially when Dev keeps asking about his parents. He doesn’t remember them and his uncle never has the time to talk about them. In fact, Dev doesn't know if they’re dead, missing or simply not interested in him. Not that he dwells on it too much. He’s gone beyond worrying about them – why bother when he can strap on a pair of HoverBoots and fly around the Inventory… even if he’s not allowed to touch any of the exhibits.

Breaking those rules drives his Uncle completely bonkers. To enforce his point, Charles Parker has the help of Eema – an artificial intelligent giant metal sphere with an emoji face and a chirpy personality. She is a battle robot, so is armed to the teeth! Despite that, Dev is more than happy to pit his wits against her as he sneaks into forbidden areas of the Inventory.

Dev’s dreams are to leave all of this behind him. There is a big wide world out there, and living underground – even surrounded by amazing stuff – can be boring, especially if you’re not allowed to touch any of it. It’s not as if he has friends. His Uncle’s strict secrecy orders means Dev has never had the opportunity to befriend anybody. Which, as he grows older, becomes more irritating. He’s constantly trying to avoid being picked on by the school thug, Mason, and is tongue-tied when he has the chance to talk to Lot, a girl with an infectious smile that he desperately hopes he’s not developing a crush on.

One final thing to tell you about Dev is that he has a, well some call it an ability, others call it a phenomenon and to others it’s a disability or neurological condition, called synaesthesia. He sees numbers and letters as colours and sounds because his brain scrambles how he senses such things. It’s a strange, and real, affliction. Some sufferers could easily tell you that yellow plus green equals six; the problem for you and I is that it really does. Dev’s condition is a lot more advanced, and something he has turned to his advantage in a very peculiar way…

So, go down to the Inventory yourself and meet Dev in his first adventure: IRON FIST. The further he delves into the world’s greatest secret the more answers he will discover about himself, his parents, his condition and… he might just make a few friends along the way...

www.andybriggs.co.uk

@abriggswriter

Review: Spy Quest: Polybius - The Urban Legend by Andy Briggs

In the dark amusement arcades of the 1980s, a new game is discreetly appearing - Polybius. It's addictive fun... but the machine mysteriously disappears as swiftly as it arrived. So too does the one kid who claimed the highest ever score... never to be heard from again... Over thirty years later, computer games have moved on - but the players are as keen as ever. SAM RAYNER is one such boy. His dreams of being a professional gamer, a virtual athlete on a million dollar contract -- dreams that are scoffed at by his twin sister, REBECCA. She secretly enjoys playing games, but would never openly admit that to her "geeky" brother -- that is until Sam wins an online competition, giving the entire family a free holiday at a luxury hotel. But it's not just a chance for his family to take a pampered break, it's a special games tournament and a chance for Sam to chase his dream. Or that's what he thinks - until he discovers a game has been mysteriously downloaded to his mobile phone. A game called Polybius - a name from the darkest reaches of urban legends.

Three was the magic number for Bob Dorough, Blind Melon and De La Soul, and it's also the magic number for these new style Book Zone reviews, as part of my seemingly endless quest for brevity when reviewing. So, here are three reasons to read Polybius - The Urban Legend by Andy Briggs:

1. The concept

I am always keen to promote anything new that may encourage a child to pick up a book and read it. Whilst working very well as a standalone book, Polybius - The Urban Legend is linked to a spy training game created by Polybius Games that started life being offered though hotels around the world (including Center Parcs and Walt Disney World, Florida). The game was next provided to schools across Scotland, and is endorsed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority as a learning platform and a White Paper has since been written on the benefits of the game by one of the worlds leading experts in game based technology. The book itself, is a spin-off from this game, but readers can also download an app to their smartphones which allows them to experience and augmented reality feature. You can find out more about the game at www.spy-quest.com.

2. The action

Anyone who has read one of Andy Briggs's previous books will know how good he is at writing fast-paced action stories. The plot of Polybius - The Urban Legend is fast and furious, and and from the moment main character Sam Rayner is drawn into the mystery it doesn't let up until the very last chapter.

3. The theme

The story's link to gaming is not just though the Spy Quest game. Sam Rayner is a gamer and dreams of making money out of his passion by turning professional. Sam wins an online competition which just may make this dream become reality, although there is a lot more to this prize than he initially realises. In a similar vein to stories like The Last Starfighter and Ernest Cline's Armada, the game is being used to find young people with certain skills and gifts so that they can be trained, in this case, as spies. Linking stories to gaming could be a great way of dragging gamer kids away from their consoles and in to the pages of a book. Older gamers may already be aware of the real life Polybius story - an urban legend that, again like Ernest Cline, Andy Briggs uses to establish his plot.

~~~

Polybius - The Urban Legend was originally only available online, but I believe that it has now been released throughout book stores in the Uk as well. My thanks go to the author for sending me a copy of the book.

Review: The New Adventures of Tarzan - The Savage Lands by Andy Briggs

A TREACHEROUS LORD

Lord Greystoke has arrived at the logger's camp in the Congo, and will stop at nothing to find and eliminate his long-lost cousin, Tarzan.

A CRAZED QUEEN

Robbie and Jane set out through the jungle to warn Tarzan, and find themselves trapped in the sprawling ancient city of Opar, where the insane Queen La is running an illegal Coltan mine.

AN EPIC BATTLE

With a volcano threatening to explode, Tarzan, Robbie and Jane must form an unlikely alliance to save themselves. Not everyone will make it out alive . . .

Long time readers of The Book Zone will know that I really enjoyed the first two of Andy Briggs' New Adventures of Tarzan books. The Greystoke Legacy was a cracking reinvention of Edgar Rice Burrough's iconic jungle warrior, and the sequel, The Jungle Warrior, was even better. Now Faber have published the third book in the series, and in my opinion it is the best one yet. This is rip-roaring adventure writing at its very best, with the author seamlessly blending classic boys' own thrills with a modern fast-paced story.

If you haven't already discovered these books then I strongly recommend that you pick up the first in the series and read them in order, as although they can be read and enjoyed as standalone books, there are many plot threads that cross between volumes. For this reason, if you want to avoid spoilers of the previous two books you may not want to read on.

Andy Briggs dropped something of a bombshell at the end of The Jungle Warrior with the appearance of Lord William Greystoke, the current holder of the title that should rightly be Tarzan's. It was Greystoke's father, and thus his son too, who commissioned the hunter Rokoff to track down and kill D'Arnot and Tarzan, in order to protect their inheritance. With Greystoke now in the jungle, it can surely only be a matter of time before there is a major confrontation between the two cousins. However, at this moment in time Tarzan is oblivious to these dangers, and he is more concerned about protecting his family of gorillas, the Mangani. Tarzan and the Mangani have travelled away from the site of his parents' plane crash to a new grazing area where there is a greater abundance of food. However, this area also falls within the territory of a highly aggressive group of chimpanzees, and Tarzan has to be constantly vigilant as their attacks are violent and bloody. Meanwhile, Jane and Robbie are miles away, back at the logging camp, working out how they can sabotage Greystoke's plans. Mixed in to all this is a quest for the long lost (potentially mythical) ancient city of Opar, and the riches it supposedly contained.

Unlike the previous two books in the series, Tarzan and Jane spend much of the story apart, although their respective journeys gradually bring them closer and closer to a set of explosive and violent climactic scenes, where, in the words of the book's blurb, "not everyone will make it out alive". Thus, the POV of the narrative switches back and forth between Tarzan and Jane/Robbie and therefore the Lord of the Jungle does not appear as much in this book. This would be disappointing if it weren't for the brilliant and superbly paced story that Briggs has crafted for his characters.

The previous two books have contained a strong environmental message, although at no point has this come across as preachy. I was a little concerned before reading this book, that at some point this aspect might become a little too much, but the message in this book, whilst still there, takes a back seat to the adventure this time. As in previous books Andy Briggs has delved deep into the Tarzan stories created by Burroughs, and reintroduces more characters and locations  from those originals. In this case Briggs has resurrected Queen La and the lost city of Opar, although both have been twisted to suit this modern story.

The Savage Lands is yet another great addition to the series, and I hope there are more to come in the future. This book does not end with the cliffhanger introduction of a new character, but there are plenty of minor plot threads left untied to merit another volume.

The Savage Lands was published earlier this year and my thanks go to the lovely people at Faber for sending me a copy.

My Life That Books Built: Guest Post by Andy Briggs (The Jungle Warrior Blog Tour)

Towards the end of last month I posted my review of Tarzan: The Jungle Warrior by Andy Briggs. When I as asked by the nice people at Faber if I would be interested in hosting Andy for a stop-off on his blog tour, naturally I jumped at the chance. I asked if he would be interested in adding to my slowly growing feature called My Life That Books Built, and he duly sent through this great post about some of the books he loved when he was younger.


BOOKS THAT ROCKED MY WORLD

We all want to know what movies our favourite actors watch, what songs pop stars listen to, so it’s no surprise that one of the most frequently asked questions an author gets is “What is your favourite book?” This is often followed by “What do you think the best book you have written is?” (it is always the last one) - and of course “What car do you drive?” (a Land Rover) and “How much do you earn?” (not enough!). So, let me focus on the first question.

When I was younger, and even now, I adored comic books. Telling a story in 20-something pages, with only several panels per page is a real art form, and amateur writers could do far worse than study how well crafted those stories can be. For me, Spiderman, Daredevil and the X-men were my top three comics for consumption. The stories rattled along with a lightning pace, while the characterisation was subtle and allowed to develop over the course of years.

Comics gave way to books, and I discovered Gordon Boshell’s Captain Cobwebb series of eleven children’s books, which are sadly now out of print. They follow the fantastic exploits of two brothers, David and Toby, who undertake missions for their Uncle Septimus who mysteriously disappeared while sitting in a fairy ring. These stories were like dynamite for my imagination, unlike anything I had encountered before.

Another ground breaking book - which I still re-read as often as possible - is Douglas Adam’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Forget the film or the (rather good) TV series, the book is a fantastic journey through the galaxy that will leave you breathless from laughing so hard. I would highly recommend the whole series.

 Of course, I found J.R.R. Tolkien, and still regard The Hobbit as one of the finest fantasy books every written. And speaking of fantasy, you can’t go wrong with Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, especially the earlier books (particularly Mort) which remain bonkers and addictive.

 Sometimes I need a book to give me a shot in the arm and drag me kicking and screaming through a riotous adventure. For this, I would prescribe anything by Clive Cussler, particularly his Dirk Pitt stories. Cussler manages to effortlessly take a piece of history and weave it into a modern day adventure that will grip you by the throat until you turn the last page. They are a master class for frenetic adventure storytelling.

 Of course, I can’t leave out Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes - along with Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World - which formed my childhood impression of reading. Both books take place in the dark jungles and venture into the unknown. Reading such books made me want to become a writer and they left my mind open enough to want to explore the world and realize that, even with our global communications and advanced technology, there are still places in the world left undiscovered... waiting for their stories to be told.

TARZAN: THE JUNGLE WARRIOR is out now, published by Faber.

Competition: WIN a signed copy of Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy by Andy Briggs

2012 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Last year, to help commemorate the occasion, Faber published Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy, the first book in Andy Briggs's new series featuring the legendary character (I loved it - you can read my review here). The second book, Tarzan: The Jungle Warrior, is scheduled to be published in July. 

Thanks to Andy Briggs you now have the chance to win one of four signed copies of The Greystoke Legacy, simply by answering the question below and filling in your details.
 

The first four names drawn at random after the closing date will each win a signed copy of the book. Deadline for entries is 8pm GMT Monday 16th January. This contest is open to UK residents only.

Contest open to UK residents only.
Neither the author or I will not be held responsible for items lost in the mail.
I hold the right to end a contest before its original deadline without any prior notice.
I hold the right to disqualify any entry as I see fit.
I will contact winning entrants for their postal address following the close of the competition. Winners have 48 hours to reply. Failure to do so in this time will result in another winner being randomly selected.

Review: Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy by Andy Briggs

What lies in the depths of the jungle? Escaping a dark secret, Robbie Canler joins an illegal logging team in the Congo jungle. Now they're under siege from a sinister force. When the daughter of the camp's boss, Jane Porter, goes missing they assume bloodthirsty rebel soldiers have kidnapped her. Robbie sets out on a rescue mission - unaware he is being watched... Are the rumours of a feral man raised by wild apes true? If so, can the mysterious untamed savage be trusted to help them?

Unless you are a die-hard fan of the original books by Edgar Rice-Burroughs, if you are of a similar age to me then the name Tarzan will most likely conjure up one of two images: Johnny Weissmuller in black and white or Ron Ely in colour. For many years this is what I thought Tarzan was all about, until that is, well into adulthood, I read ERB's Tarzan of the Apes. Where was the cultured, well-educated do-gooder I knew so well from the repeats of the NBC TV series that I used to watch every Saturday (?) in the 70s? Or if not that, where was the strong, silent character portrayed by Johnny Weissmuller in the films that seemed to be repeated ad infinitum every school summer holiday? More to the point, where the hell was Cheeta? It was only on my first read of Tarzan of the Apes that I realised just how much my understanding of a classic character from literature had been affected by Hollywood and the US TV network. And let's not even get started on the Disney adaptation (damn you Phil Collins!!). These screen portrayals have very little in common with ERB's original - a savage, man who at times is closer to being an animal than a human, in a bloody, brutal story.

Fast forward to last September, and an email conversation I had with author Andy Briggs, who had contacted me asking if I would be interested in reading his Hero.com/Villain.net books. In that first email he mentioned that he was rebooting the Tarzan franchise as part of the Tarzan centenary in 2012, but more than that he was not permitted to say. Come the new year, Andy was able to give us a little more information in his "Coming Up In 2011" post that he wrote for The Book Zone, and by this time I was almost salivating in anticipation of what was to come. There have been a number of classic characters who have been successfully 'rebooted' for the younger market over the past few years, Young Bond and Young Sherlock Holmes being the most obvious examples, and I have loved all of these books so far. Having really enjoyed Andy's previous books I was therefore pretty confident that this classic character was in a safe pair of hands as well, and I was not wrong - Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy is in my opinion nothing short of brilliant, a genuine single-sitter book that you just will not want to put down.

Andy used the word 'reboot' to describe his new Tarzan books, and that is exactly what it is. Whereas Young Bond and Young Sherlock are set in time periods that would make them adults when the original characters' stories were set (making Young the operative word in their titles), this book is set in the modern day. Andy Briggs's books are not being billed as 'Young Tarzan'; instead he has crafted a new, modern tale using the classic character, and in this book the character is closer in style to the ERB's original that any of those screen outings I mentioned earlier. I am not going to give too much away as to how Tarzan grew up in the jungle, surrounded my gorillas he calls family. Neither am I going to explain how he learned to speak English. All that will quickly become apparent when you read this book. Andy has obviously taken care to ensure that the story is realistic to a point, without leaving any gaping plot holes that will have Tarzan enthusiasts screaming in anger.

Hmm... whilst on the subject of fanboys, I know there will be some Tarzan purists who will not have a great deal of love for this book, for no other reason than that they refuse to remove the blinkers that can occasionally affect their objectivity so much. Back when I published Andy's piece about Tarzan back in January, it received the following comment from a reader: "So do these books tie in with Burroughs' originals, or are the making the mistake of trying to do some kind of "reboot" version of the character? I sure wish people would quit trying to remake things that were just fine to begin with." Sorry mate - yes it is a reboot. But here is a question for you - why shouldn't people remake things, however good they are? It has been happening for years in the film and TV industry, occasionally producing a work that is superior to the original. In this case, a classic character will be introduced to a brand new audience, a number of whom will some day search out the originals, this meaning the legend will live on. Believe me when I say I would much rather read an excellent "reboot" of a classic book character, than watch a sanitised Disney version of the original book.

Andy Briggs's Tarzan: The Legacy of Greystoke has everything that an adventure hungry 9+ year old could ask for in a book. Right from the very first chapter the action scenes are superbly written, and the fight scenes will leave you breathless, whether they be man vs beast or man vs man; this is no cultured, westernised Tarzan like we saw in the Ron Ely series, this is a man who has grown up surrounded by the fight-to-survive savagery of the African jungle, and as such his actions towards the men he sees as destroyers of his home are similarly brutal. There is also a great cast of characters in the book: there may not be a Cheeta but there is a Jane Porter, a thoroughly modern girl dragged away from her friends and high street stores, and whisked off to the jungle whilst her father tries to make a quick fortune through illegal logging. There are also some pretty nasty villains, in this case Rwandan guerrillas who don't think twice about killing or kidnapping foreigners if it will further their cause or make them a bit of extra cash to spend on weapons.

Add to all this the tight plotting, the ecological theme of the plot, and a hero that will have boys desperate to run off to the jungle, don a faded pair of shorts, and climb high up into a huge tree to emit a "victory bellow radiating power and dominance of all living things", and I believe that this will fast become one of this summer's most talked about books. I will certainly be recommending it to anyone and everyone who will listen.

Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy is scheduled to be released as a paperback on 2nd June, although I have spotted it that it is already available to buy from a certain online retailer. My thanks go to the generous people at Faber for sending me a copy to review.  

News: Book Cover - Tarzan: The Legacy of Greystoke by Andy Briggs

Just over a week ago Andy Briggs kicked off my Coming Up In 2011 feature by telling us a little about his big new Tarzan series that is starting this year. At the time there was no book cover to show you but last night I received an email from Andy with the final cover graphic, and I think it is stunning. The style of text for "Tarzan" in particular is very striking, and I expect we will see it on all the books in the forthcoming series. 

My thanks go to Andy for emailing this over to me - with a cover like that to go with the iconic Tarzan character I expect this book to fly off the shelves.

Coming Up in 2011 #1: Tarzan: The Legacy of Greystoke by Andy Briggs

There are some really cool looking boy-friendly books scheduled for publication during 2011. Along with the next-in-series books that I have been looking forward to by the likes of M.G. Harris, Darren Shan, Andrew Lane and so on (hey... if you read the blog you will already know which series I love), there are also some very exciting looking first in series or stand-alone books on the horizon. And so I approached a few of the authors of these books and asked them if they would be interested in writing a short (100 word max) 'big-up' for their new book, and some of these authors actually replied, and their pitches will appear on The Book Zone over the next week or so.

First up in Andy Briggs, author of the Hero.com/Villain.net series that I reviewed back in December. 2012 sees the centennial anniversary of the publication of Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and as part of the run-up to this milestone Andy has been writing a new series of Tarzan books, the first of which, Tarzan: the Legacy of Greystoke, is due to be published in June 2011. In Andy's own words:


A Legend reborn.

What lies in the depths of the jungle? Escaping a dark secret, Robbie Canler joins an illegal logging team in the Congo jungle.

Now they're under siege from a sinister force. When the daughter of the camp's boss, Jane Porter, goes missing they assume bloodthirsty rebel soldiers have kidnapped her. Robbie sets out on a rescue mission - unaware he is being watched... Are the rumours of a feral man raised by wild apes true? If so, can the mysterious untamed savage be trusted to help them?

I grew up watching Ron Ely as Tarzan, and then the reruns of the old black and white films starring Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe so when Andy mentioned this to me in an email a few months ago I got very excited about this new series. Tarzan is such an iconic character that he deserves a new lease of life with a new generation of readers.

Interestingly, Andy also tells me that all those involved with the new series will be teaming up with EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) who are running a YEAR OF THE APE campaign (http://www.apecampaign.org/) - a donation from each book purchased will go towards this campaign to save the endangered apes and will be a key feature of all activity surrounding the book.

As yet I am sorry to say that there is no cover art for the book, but I hope to be able to bring that to you at some point in the coming months. In the meantime though, there is a great official Tarzan Centenary Logo which Andy has kindly sent me to post on The Book Zone.

My thanks go to Andy for sending me his 'big-up' for Tarzan: the Legacy of Greystoke, the first of what I am sure will become a very popular series of books.

Review: Hero.com and Villain.net Series by Andy Briggs

Hero.com: Rise of the Heroes

Surfing the net during a lightning storm has amazing consequences for a group of teenage friends. Superhero powers are theirs at the click of a mouse! Trouble is, they don't know what the powers will be until they try them out... But super powers carry super responsibilities. When a weather-altering, world-conquering supervillain kidnaps their mum, they have to decide: save her... or save the world!

Villain.net: Council of Evil

School bully Jake Hunter receives a mysterious email inviting him to join a scheme for world domination. With unlimited power and wealth at his fingertips, how can he resist? But to get it he has to become an arch-criminal, entangled in a plan that threatens the planet. And that could just be a step too far...

With so many new books coming out each month I often find it difficult to find the time to read older books that for one reason or another have slipped me by. One such series is the Hero.com/Villain.net series by Andy Briggs, even though I had seen them in shops and bought them for the school library. Looking back I can't explain this, as the premise itself should have been enough to grab my undivided attention. If you also have not yet discovered these then you are in for a treat. The basic concept is that young people discover a way to download various superpowers through the internet, the websites in question being hero.com and villain.net, and as the names imply one is geared towards doing good and the other towards acts of evil and world domination. An original idea on its own, but there is a much more interesting facet to these stories in that the Hero.com books follow the stories of the good characters, and the Villain.net books follow the story of a bully who has gained his powers through the 'other' website. And elements of their stories intertwine.

Looking at what I have written I have to admit that my description just does not do these books and their concept justice. These stories have to be read to be believed and that is exactly what you should do. I share the opinion of many writers that it is the villains that they get the most fun out of creating, and so I started with the first book in the Villain.net series - Council of Evil. there was so much in this book that will appeal to 10+ boy readers - explosive action scenes, superpowers, a fast-paced plot and many moments of dark humour. 

As soon as I had finished it I moved straight on to its herioc companion piece - Hero.com: Rise of the Heroes, and it was only then that I was able to truly appreciate the cleverness behind Andy Briggs's storytelling. As I have mentioned already, the two stories intertwine, but at no point had my reading of the first book revealed any of the eventual plot developments in the second book. As I read Rise of the Heroes small pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and young readers will enjoy spotting where the two plots cross over. For example, in one book we have a brief introduction to a particular character but as he is good his back story would not be an appropriate addition to the story; in the companion book we find out more about him, at a time and place when it fits the story perfectly.

There are four books in each series and to get the most out of the books each 'pair' really should be read one straight after the other. I am yet to read these others in the series but I hope to squeeze them in as soon as possible as I can't wait to find out how the stories of the various heroes and villains develops. My thanks go to Andy Briggs for sending me copies of the books.