Retribution Keeps Falling

This just in!

Chris Wooding is many things. A Brit, for one; a young adult author, for another. Increasingly, however, the most distinctive of the many hats he's worn in his time is the one that boasts, in boldface, Esteemed Author of The Tales of the Ketty Jay.

For myself, I had a great time with the first novel in that breakout fantasy series last year. Retribution Falls was a few evenings worth of whimsical, action packed, light-hearted entertainment, and I know I'm not alone in that opinion, so it's curious to see so little buzz across the blogosphere about The Black Lung Captain, the second of The Tales of the Ketty Jay scheduled for release here in the UK this July.

Nonetheless, Wooding just announced on his blog that he and Gollancz have inked out a deal for two further volumes in the franchise. As Chris reports:

"The first, with a working title of The Iron Jackal, will probably land on the shelves a year after the release of its predecessor, making it July 2011. The fourth is a bit far in the future to predict with much accuracy, but it’ll be targeted for roughly July 2012, assuming that year’s predicted Armageddon doesn’t put a crimp in book sales. News on US release dates for the new books when I get it; we still have to sort out all the little contract details in the UK first."

All of which is fine news indeed with which to start another day in the speculative blogosphere.

You can read the whole story here, and don't forget to pop along to Wooding's website to pass along your congratulations.

Let's get The Black Lung Captain buzz started... now!