October Q&R Video

Surprise! I answered some more fan questions. Two months in a row!

The Facebook Q&R is embedded below for your enjoyment.

I also have a note about this video that I wanted to share. Around 1:30, I talk about biological versus adoptive parents. I used the phrase “real parents” intending obvious air quotes—the first time or so. I sort of lost that denotation as I referenced that a few more times and was thinking about other things. My point—which I hope I didn’t clumsily obscure—is that adoptive parents absolutely are real parents. Forgive my infelicitous phrasing around what can be a tender point.” 

Posted on in Facebook Q&A, Video

Real Life Fantasy: Mirror Spiders

Purple mirror spider on beech leaf; Peter Woodard
Peter Woodard

These stunning spiders may be as close to real-life drafters as we will see in this universe. They have the unique ability to make brilliant reflective plates on their abdomen, using guanine. Even cooler is their ability to make the plates expand and contract at will!

mirror spider, Australia
Nicky Bay

Perhaps it’s appropriate that British entomologist William J Rainbow was the first person to catalogue and describe these surreal, tiny spiders.

We took one look at these clever critters and immediately thought of Andross Guile… Even though they’re kind of the opposite of Andross, in that they’re beautiful and harmless.

Mirror spiders, or Thwaitesia argentiopunctata, live in Australia, and can be found in every state in the country. Ahh, Australia: land of frilled-neck lizards, quokka, and platypus. I mean, where else would they live?

Oh, wait, they’re also in Singapore? UGH, you southern hemisphere folk get all of the fun creatures, don’t you? I suppose it’s a fair trade for having upside-down seasons and your toilets flush backwards.

(I do enjoy a good game of two truths and a lie.)

Most of the images we found were taken by Singapore-based photographer Nicky Bay. For more beautiful images of mirror spiders and other fascinating insects around the world, you can also check out Nicky’s website (link above).

Australia, mirror spider
Robert Whyte

Thank you to our sources, for sharing information about our beautiful world: Australian Geographic, This Is Colossal, & Strange Animals.

mirror spider, Australia
Robert Whyte
Posted on in Real Life Fantasy

Fan Art Tuesday: Brandon Sheppard

A while ago I found this stellar image of Kylar becoming the Night Angel over on DeviantArt:

Kylar Stern becoming the Night Angel from the series by Brent Weeks.

The artist, o85cur3d on DeviantArt, created this gem years ago. I’ve only just recently stumbled onto it…. Which means I can’t find the guy! If anyone knows Brandon, tell him how much we enjoy his work.

Posted on in Art, Midcyru

New Feature: Real Life Fantasy–Tetrachromats

Hi friends!

We’ve created a new feature on the wesbite that (for now) we’re calling Real Life Fantasy. In it, we will be sharing stories, news, and other documentary media that echoes some of the ideas, concepts, and imagery found in Brent’s books.

Our first post is about tetrachromacy: the ability to see TEN TIMES as many colors as most humans.

What It’s Like to See 100 Million Colors

Tetrachromacy, Fantasy IRL, Brent Weeks

This particular article has been making the rounds for a while now, and it shows up in our inboxes occasionally. Which is to say, it’s a perennial favorite. It demonstrates that reality can sometimes bleed into the fantastic; more importantly, it shows that our man Weeks did his homework when it came to writing about females being superior chromaturgs. You can’t fight biology, dudes.

Feel free to discuss in the comments (just remember, we’re all friends here). And if you see something IRL that bears a resemblance to something you’ve read in Brent’s books, pass it along to us!

Posted on in Real Life Fantasy

September Q&R Video: Brent’s Recommended Reads

Hi friends!

Since Brent mentioned a number of fantastic books for everyone to check out in today’s Facebook Q&R video, we put together the list (with links!) of authors & titles here.

What? You may be asking yourself. More reading that’s not Brent’s books? Come on!

Think of it this way: now you have a whole list of books to read to help you procrastinate writing that Physics paper.

It’s an English paper? We got you covered, fam.

Ditto History.

You’re not in school, you say? Well then! You should have NOTHING but free time for the books below, right? Right?!

Now get reading!

 

Lisa Cron, Wired For Story: 

http://wiredforstory.com/

 

Thomas Asbridge, The Greatest Knight: 

http://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/The-Greatest-Knight/Thomas-Asbridge/9781847396419

 

Ian Mortimer, Time Traveller’s Guides: 

http://www.ianmortimer.com/books.htm

 

Robert Crais, Suspect & The Promise: 

http://robertcrais.com/books/book_suspect.htm

 

Neil Gaiman, Trigger Warning: 

http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/Trigger+Warning%3A+Short+Fictions+and+Disturbances/

 

Dan Jones, The Plantagenets: 

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/312497/the-plantagenets-by-dan-jones/

 

Søren Kierkegaard, Fear & Trembling: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24965.Fear_and_Trembling

 

And the website for HEMA, the Historical European Martial Arts Alliance:

https://www.hemaalliance.com/

Posted on in Facebook Q&A, Video

UPDATE: NIGHT ANGEL #BattleWornBooks

To celebrate the launch of the NIGHT ANGEL 10TH Anniversary Omnibus, we’re giving fans a chance to win some pretty awesome Night Angel swag. The contest is open to fans in the U.S. and abroad. One grand prize winner will receive a stellar collection of NIGHT ANGEL books, and five others will receive an EXCLUSIVE Night Angel t-shirt!

Via Twitter or Facebook, post a photo of your favorite, most-loved, battle-worn Night Angel book (or set of books) using the hashtag #BattleWornBooks and a line or two about how the book got that way. We’d love to see some creative scenery or settings (though no digital enhancement, please).

By the way, if you’re that one person who brought in that super bloody book that I signed? You should totally submit that. Also, I’m never signing an actually bloody book again. I was young and foolish then.

Oh, and don’t beat up your book just to win this contest…. I mean, unless you’re going to go out and buy new copies afterward. Then you should DEFINITELY beat up your book just to win this contest.

More details below.

Loot: 

ONE (1) Person will receive: a NIGHT ANGEL 10TH Anniversary Omnibus, a copy of THE WAY OF SHADOWS graphic novel, and a foreign-language edition of your choice (we’ll have a list of editions for you to choose from).

FIVE (5) People will win a copy of the NIGHT ANGEL Omnibus plus an exclusive, black-on-black Night Angel t-shirt.

Rules:

1. Entries may be submitted starting TODAY (Friday, August 17) until FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2 at 9am Pacific Daylight Time. 

2. Entry must include:

a) a picture of your favorite NIGHT ANGEL book

b) a one or two sentence description, telling everyone how your poor book got to this state

c) #BattleWornBooks

3. International entries are allowed and encouraged!

4. Some photo editing is fine:  think enhancement, not special effects.

5. You can only win once–but three books, so it’s like winning three times. Three times is enough.

6. If you email rather than post to Twitter or Facebook, the subject line of the email should read: #battlewornbooks.  If you choose to use email, address the email to admin@brentweeks.com. (as in previous years, I will be selecting the winners).

7. Other: I will judge the photos and will select the six winners. You must be 18 or older to win (younger participants are welcome, but by law we can’t give you a prize). No purchase is necessary. Odds of winning are based on the number of entries, but definitely higher if you submit. We will notify winners via Twitter, Facebook, or email, depending on how you submitted the photo. You must respond within 7 days, or another winner will be chosen. That would be sad for you. They’d be happy. So maybe the net happiness would be neither increased nor decreased. We could try it out if you win.

8. Winners will be announced on Monday, November 12, 2018.

Posted on in Contests, Giveaways, Midcyru

Fan Art Tuesday: Salomé Bisson

Motion design student Salomé Bisson (who is studying in France) created this awesome trailer for Way of Shadows:

Here’s a translation of the text:

Pour Azoth survivre est une lutte de tous les instants
For Azoth survival is an every day struggle (battle)

Son seul espoir,
His only hope,

la voie des ombres,
the way of shadows

en devenant l’apprenti
by becoming the apprentice

du maitre assassin
of the master assassin

Durzo Blint

You can see more of Salomé’s work on their YouTube page.

Posted on in Art, Video

Quick Update: Night Angel Omnibus

Hi everyone,

In case you didn’t catch the news on Facebook or Twitter, there’s a new on-sale date for the 10th Anniversary Night Angel Omnibus. It is moving from September 18 to November 13. Details on my publisher Orbit’s website (link here).

This means you will have more time to enter the BattleWorn Books competition. So get out there and read the heck out of those books!

Thanks, and we will be back tomorrow for Fan Art Tuesday!

Posted on in Release Dates

Throwback Thursday: Night Angel Edition III

It’s already Thursday again, mateys! As this is being written, there are 2 weeks, 5 days, 3 hours, and 15 minutes left until the 10th Anniversary NIGHT ANGEL Hardcover Omnibus is released. Not that we’re excited or anything.

This week’s Throwback Thursday post on Brent’s official Facebook page features a rough draft of Brent’s pitch for MORTAL, a version of the story that eventually became WAY OF SHADOWS.


Remember to pre-order your copy of the Omnibus! Also you can enter the BattleWorn Books competition for a chance to win some sweet, sweet Night Angel swag! Also I’ve been told that exclamation points are most effective as triptychs!

Posted on in Contests, Midcyru, Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: Night Angel Edition

Hi everyone!

We’re rolling out more sweet throwback photos to celebrate The Night Angel Trilogy’s tenth birthday! They tell the story of how Night Angel came to be, and how a clever guy named Brent became The Brent Weeks.

This week’s installment can be found on Facebook (and also Instagram).

You can pre-order a copy of the 10th Anniversary Omnibus from one of these fine retailers:

Barnes & Noble

The Signed Page

Amazon

You can also enter to win a copy of the Omnibus, The Way of Shadows graphic novel, and other great prizes by submitting your BattleWorn Books to us by September 12.

Posted on in Contests, Midcyru, Throwback Thursday