It’s been an appallingly badly kept secret for quite some time. Goodreads will tell you and now SFX in their review of The Crimson Shield have let the cat out of the bag that it was already pretty much out of any way.

I am SpartacusNathan Hawke. Look – here’s a picture by the very talented by Alejandro Colucci

Yup, that’s me. Angry Man With An Axe. The protagonist looks kind of like that too. It’s a different kind of fantasy. No dragons and much more straightforward story-telling, I think. Some people have said some nice things and Gollancz have rounded them all up soall I have to do is cut and paste . . .

‘The Crimson Shield is a fast-paced and full of bloody battles.’ SFX

“Shades of David Gemmell… It’s about time someone good took up the torch for heroic fantasy. Inspiring characters, great plot and culture. I read this in one session, utterly absorbed” CONN IGGULDEN, bestselling author of the EMPEROR and CONQUEROR series of historical novels, and THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS

“A great mix of bloodied axes and brave warriors, an honest hero and the war that gets in his way” TOM LLOYD, author of the TWILIGHT REIGN series and the forthcoming MOON’S ARTIFICE

“THE CRIMSON SHIELD is at once a huge adrenaline rush and a thoughtful examination of the destructive nature of war. The key protagonist, Gallow, is a cleverly constructed hero, full of conflict, confusion and bravery, a man who is unsure where his loyalties truly lie. A man driven by his upbringing and his love for his wife and family – factors that make very uncomfortable bedfellows. Mind you, he’s handy in a fight, very handy. Hawke has created a world with enough history, myth and folklore to make it believable. His prose is fluid, his dialogue crisp and his action very well-handled and visceral. It is not a long read and all the better for it. Entertaining, sometimes moving and always eminently readable. Highly recommended.” JAMES BARCLAY, author of the RAVEN and ELVES series of fantasy epics

“Reminds me of the tales that made me want to write novels in the first place” GILES KRISTIAN, bestselling author of the RAVEN historical books

“The simple fact the book has me guessing and speculating rather than ploughing into the next read is again testament to its quality of plot and story telling. I really do recommend this book, to fantasy or Historical Fiction fans.” ROBIN CARTER, Parmenion Books

“Bloody and interesting” Edi’s Book Lighthouse

I’ll put some more up about these books over the next few weeks. The first, The Crimson Shield is already out in the UK and available through online retailers in the US. In theory it might be in some bookshops over there too but ha ha. . . Look, if anyone actually sees a copy of a Nathan Hawke book in a US bookshop, send me a photo and I’ll send you an Angry Dragons T-shirt or a mug or something.

The second and third installments, Cold Redemption and The Last Bastion come out in August and September respectively so no messing about. Between those three and Dragon Queen, that’s a summer’s reading right there.

This week’s competition is going to be a Twitter thing as well – I have ten copies of either The Crimson Shield or the sequel, Cold Redemption (you get to choose) to give away. Usual deal – comment on this post before August 3rd  and I’ll randomly select a lucky victim for a free copy of the series. This week we’re playing Viking Supermarket. So you need your comment to come up with something vaguely Vikingy. To enter the competition, you have to play the game. You can enter as may times as you like but I’ll only count the first entries – the rest are just for fun and showing off. You can also enter by re-tweeting the competition announcement on Twitter.

Extra points for humour and originality, not that extra points actually translates into anything useful :-p

Although, though no one has yet complained about how long it takes me to get to the post office and post things, it can take a while and if you live abroad then it can take even longer. Sorry about that, but they do get there eventually. Well, so far.