Beginning at the end of August 2018, the Lethbridge-Stewart range returns with a
six-book series celebrating fifty years of the Brigadier. And with it comes a
brand-new look for the range.
The new design was the brain child of head
of publishing Shaun Russell and Will Brooks, known for his work on Titan Comics’
Doctor Who range, as well merchandise
for the latest series of Doctor Who.
Shaun says: “Andy (Frankham-Allen, range editor) and I have been discussing rebranding
the books for some time now, and it seemed the anniversary range was the
perfect time. New cover design, new logo, and I knew just the man for the job. We
had worked with Will previously. His covers for Philip Martin’s Gangsters and Peter George’s Pattern of Death were outstanding, and we knew he would create the
right look for us. And he didn’t disappoint!”
The artwork for Scary Monsters is by Lethbridge-Stewart artist Richard Young. He
says: “This is my ninth cover for the Lethbridge-Stewart books, but the first
one I've done as the lead book, so the stakes were raised for this. It's also
the first cover to feature the Brig. I'd been pushing to feature him on a cover
for years, and with this being the fiftieth anniversary of the character it
felt like the time was right.”
Andy Frankham-Allen explains the
umbrella-title, The Laughing Gnome. “We
took our cue from Life on Mars and
its sequel series, Ashes to Ashes, and
opted for another David Bowie title for our very first time travel series of
books. But we didn’t want it just be a title – we decided that we’d make the
Laughing Gnome an integral part of the story, the catalyst for our heroes’
adventures in time. I don’t wish to give away the conceit of the series, but
the basic premise is thus: Sir Alistair is nearing the end of his life and has
just buried another old friend. Feeling out of sorts, he is somewhat surprised
to find himself in 1981. Some mysterious force has pulled him backwards in
time, into his own past, an adventure he has only vague memories of! As the
series progresses we discover that both Anne Travers and her husband, and
popular series regular, Bill Bishop, have also been dragged through time. But
why? What, or who, is behind it?”
The first book in the series, Scary Monsters, is by Simon A Forward,
who penned the 2016 Lethbridge-Stewart novel, Blood of Atlantis.
Simon says: “To be asked once to write for
the Lethbridge-Stewart range is
fortunate. To be asked twice seems like - what are they thinking? Letting me
loose to play with these favourite characters again. Madness. Initially, I
thought, well okay, but only if the right idea struck. And the next day the
right idea struck me. To make life more challenging, this time it was more than
merely contributing to a range. For the Brigadier's big anniversary year, Candy
Jar outlined an ambitious arc to frame these adventures.”
Not only is it the first of the series, but
if forms something of a sequel to Blood
of Atlantis, with the return of popular character Grigoriy Bugayev and
Señora Sophia Montilla. But Simon is keen to stress there’s more to it than
that: “This is more than your average jaunt down memory lane and it's about much
more than introspection and reflection.
My book sees the Brigadier and friends confronting terrorism in an international thriller that, while rooted in the past - and in the Doctor Who universe - should carry some resonance in the 21st century. And not just for the Brigadier.”
My book sees the Brigadier and friends confronting terrorism in an international thriller that, while rooted in the past - and in the Doctor Who universe - should carry some resonance in the 21st century. And not just for the Brigadier.”
Blurb:
1981:
London, a bomb detonates in a London pub and Brigadier Alistair
Lethbridge-Stewart is among the injured. Moscow, a hijacked plane sits on the
airport runway and Major Grigoriy Bugayev leads the assault against the six
gunmen holding the passengers hostage.
These
are the triggers that set the two military men on an international manhunt.
Their investigations converge and uncover a group of terrorists whose roots
reach back to sinister Cold War experiments, and something that was unearthed
in ancient ruins in the New Mexico desert by one Sophia Montilla… and Anne
Travers.
Terror
is a contagion. It means to spread. And humanity is set on doing everything in
its power to help it…
NB: IF YOU HAVE A SUBSCRIPTION THE LAUGHING GNOME SERIES IS COVERED BY THIS.
The Laughing Gnome: Scary Monsters is available for pre-order now for £8.99 (+ p&p). The book is released at the end of August.
