Without Really Trying

Jordan Lapp November 22nd, 2007

My friend Michael Ehart, who I met through SFReader and at NorWesCon, has recently released a collection from DEP Publications called “Servant of the Mathycore“, and I’d urge you all to buy it. I, for one, have cleared my reading schedule for it.Michael recently published a flash fiction story called “Who Comes for Mother’s Fruit” at EDF which is set in the same world as the collection, so check it out if you’d like a taste of what the book is like.

In addition to some truly stellar fiction from one of the best Sword & Sorcery men in the business, Servant includes a foreword by Michael Moorcock, author of the Elric novels (novels I read and enjoyed as a kid). All in all, this collection looks to be one of the best of the year, so don’t miss out!

Below, I’ve included the official press release, which contains more information than I could throw at you. Enjoy!

New novel, The Servant of the Manthycore, evokes classic heroic fantasy

In the tradition of the larger-than life fantasy stories of the golden age, comes a new novel of swordplay, sorcery, betrayal and death, The Servant of the Manthycore, by Michael Ehart. Released November 17th, 2007 by Double-Edged Publishing, it includes the five previously published stories in the bronze-age adventure saga, reworked with a wealth of new tales into an episodic novel of rare power and excitement. “I am thrilled by the look and feel of this new book,” says Michael Ehart. “Both the existing fans of the stories and new readers will enjoy what they find.” Ehart has made over a dozen appearances this year with short stories in fantasy, science fiction and horror magazines and anthologies, but The Servant of the Manthycore is his first solo book.

The Servant of the Manthycore takes place over an 800 year period in a fantasy bronze-age Mesopotamia. Seeking treasure, a young couple become enslaved by a mythical beast, the Manthycore. In order to preserve her captive lover’s life, the young woman must lure the Manthycore’s human victims into the desert to be slain. Preserved by the power of the foul beast, centuries pass, and she becomes a nearly undefeatable warrior. Always she seeks for a warrior greater than herself, who can defeat her and so free her lover, and always her skill and ferocity prove her hopes to be vain.

In his foreword legendary fantasy author Michael Moorcock, creator of Elric, says this about The Servant of the Manthycore: “Michael Ehart has given us an outstanding story of the ancient world… It resonates with the authenticity of genuine myth, bringing a deep, true sense of the past; a conviction which does not borrow from genre but mines our profoundest dreams and memories; the kind which give birth to myths.” And Vera Nazarian, author of Dreams of the Compass Rose and Lords of the Rainbow says “From Michael Ehart’s fierce imagination comes an unforgettable gritty heroine, both human and goddess, and yet something much more…. Gilgamesh, Elric, and Conan have finally met their female match!”

The Servant of the Manthycore is enhanced by seven stunning interior illustrations by artist Rachel Marks. “Rachel has captured the essence of both the characters and the times,” says Ehart. “She has that rare ability to capture in pen and ink the visual sense of the words on the page.” Marks also did the cover art.

Double-Edged Publishing is the publisher of magazines like Dragons, Knights and Angels, Ray Gun Revival, The Sword Review, Fear and Trembling, Teen Age and Haruah, as well as books in the fantasy, science-fiction and inspirational genres. The Servant of the Manthycore joins their fantasy line, and is available for pre-order at http://www.doubleedgedpublishing.com and at amazon.com