Friday, April 26, 2013

Seven of Nine, Thraxas Noir


The re-issuing of Thraxas and the Dance of Death as an ebook means that there are now seven of nine available. Aha. I loved Seven of Nine. I think she's the only character that has ever made me watch I show I didn't really like. I never thought Star Trek Voyager was all that great, but when Seven of Nine was introduced, I liked it a lot more.

But apart from that, Thraxas and the Dance of Death, which is book six in the series, is now in electronic bookshops everywhere. With book nine already being published, that only leaves seven and eight to come - Thraxas at War, and Thraxas Under Siege. They will be available soon.

Here is part of the introduction to Thraxas and the Dance of Death

'When I began writing Thraxas, I planned for it to be rather darker. More noirish. Sort of Dashiell Hammett meets sword and Sorcery. Thraxas does share some elements often associated with the hardboiled school of American detective fiction. He's a solo investigator who's tough, and ready to defend himself. He drinks a lot and he's poor. He exists in a corrupt urban environment where he comes up against organised crime. He distrusts the police and tends to be hostile towards authority. He's loyal to his clients, and prepared to go a long way to defend them.

Despite these elements, Thraxas didn't turn out very noirish at all. Partly because Thraxas's huge appetites for food and drink can drag him out any prolonged burst of soul searching. Thraxas can be affected by the poverty and corruption which surrounds him, but a good bowl of stew, and five or six beers, will usually make him view the world in a more optimistic light.

And also, I think, because Thraxas and Makri turned out to be something of a comedy double-act. At times their relationship seems to consist mainly of bickering and mutual insults, but really, Thraxas is rescued from a potentially bleak world by the presence of the young female warrior. Makri is too spirited and intelligent to be intimidated by Thraxas's blustering. She gives as good as she gets, and consequently they become friends, quite quickly. Thraxas is still walking down unfriendly streets, but he's no longer on his own.'

Thraxas and the Dance of Death now available at:

6 comments:

  1. You and me both. I never liked Voyager. I liked Seven of Nine. I just never liked the show she was in. And, yeah, I did start watching it much more often when she showed up. And not just because of her wonderfully filled out 24th century catsuit...though it was a major factor. And I'm not proud.

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    1. We could claim it was because the stories got better after she appeared.

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    2. Nobody would believe us. I'm happy to be shallow.

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  2. Wait a red hot minnit there...you mean to tell me her name wasn't 36 of D!!?? I coulda sworn...eh, never mind.

    Attempting to download the book reading app on my iPad so I can FINALLY read Thraxas and running into my usual 'now, where did I write that password down or did I imagine I'd just remember it?' problem.

    doh.

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    1. I'm sure there were sound scientific reasons she had to wear that costume! And also couldn't wear a coat of anything over it, obviously.

      I hope you find your password.

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    2. I just love science :-)

      AND I found my password and downloaded the first in the series -- YEA me!

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