Update and linky links...

Just got back from a short break in Krakow, which is why there's been no blogging since last week (cool trip, hope to get some photos up soon). This coming week is going to be another busy one (I'm going to be putting in about 45 hours at work this week) so it's likely that there's going to be infrequent blogging for the next few days. However, from then onwards I hope my schedule is going to return to something representing normality and the blogging will pick back up again. 

Still, never fear - while you wait patiently for me to get my life back under control, there's been plenty of blogging from my fellow online scribes that's well worth checking out:

Aidan's been on a cover-art binge recently; he's posted the artwork for the upcoming Swords and Dark Magic anthology (which sadly is pretty dire - not at all worthy of the excellent line-up of contributing authors), and has also posted the American MMPB artwork for Joe Abercrombie's Best Served Cold (which is quite cool, certainly better than the dodgy hardback cover). Then we've got the cover for Brent Weeks' The Black Prism (which looks just like the covers for his debut trilogy, even though it's apparently completely unrelated - cynical marketing ploy 4tw!) and then finally we have the pretty awesome cover for the e-book of Robert Jordan's The Great Hunt. Aidan's also found the time to interview debut author Blake Charlton.

Graeme's reviewed The Cardinal's Blades by Pierre Pevel (I've got this one on my to-read pile, though it's some way down...) and has got a giveaway running for the same novel here. He's also reviewed Finch by Jeff Vandermeer. And of course, to satisfy his slightly alarming fixation with the living dead, Graeme's devoured (literally, I presume - while moaning braaaains) Essential Tales of the Zombie, Volume One. 

Wert has also reviewed The Cardinal's Blades and has written an excellent (as usual) new feature on a D&D world; this time around it's Dragonlance. He also attended the GRRM signing in Belfast, and has photos up of the event here along with a report in two parts, here and here.

Pat has reviewed The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb. 

Neth has reviewed the anthology Fast Ships, Black Sails and was not at all impressed. 

Pat Rothfuss had an entertaining rant about the writing life a while ago, which I didn't see anyone else comment on. It certainly makes for interesting reading. 

There's a number of excellent guest blogs over at Jeff Vandermeer's blog Ecstatic Days, particularly this one by Mark Charan Newton, who interviews Dan Abnett on the subject of media tie-in novels. 

Right, that's enough for now I think. 

In terms of content for Speculative Horizons, I hope to get a review of Terry Pratchett's Nation up in the next week or so, while I'm 3/4 of the way through Andy Remic's Kell's Legend, so hopefully a review of that will surface relatively soon too. As a stopgap in the meantime, I'll try and post up a few snaps of my sojourn to Krakow...including some pics of the nightmare that is/was Auschwitz. 

Have a good week! :)