Writing

AIRSIDE is now boarding!

11 February 2022 by admin

Today I am proud to officially reveal the cover art and blurb for my next original novel – AIRSIDE, an all-new stand-alone thriller coming in May from Welbeck Publishing!

YOU CAN TAKE THE MONEY… BUT YOU CAN’T RUN…

Beleaguered businessman Kevin Tyler’s life is imploding: he’s spent months setting up a deal to open an office in Northern Germany, risking everything he owns to push the project through – but at the last possible moment, his partners renege on the agreement when another party sweeps in with a better offer.

Left high and dry, Tyler knows he is going home to bankruptcy and an uncertain future.

And to add insult to injury, an overbooked flight sees him bumped off the last plane home, leaving him behind to wait out a storm until the next departure the following morning.

Stranded in the airside zone of a remote municipal airport, Kevin’s luck seems to have run out – until he stumbles upon a bag of money that could be the solution to all his woes.

There’s just one problem – the money is part of a conspiracy of blackmail and murder, and those involved are willing to do anything to keep it…

AIRSIDE is a fast-paced crime thriller in the mold of my bestselling Marc Dane novels, with an every-man hero out of his depth in a dangerous race against time… The hardcover and eBook editions will be released on May 26th by Welbeck, and you can find pre-order links right Here.

If you enjoyed NOMAD and the other books in the Marc Dane series, I hope you’ll give AIRSIDE a read – pre-orders for a novel are always very important, so thank you in advance for your support!

SPLINTER CELL: FIREWALL – Mission Briefing! [Updated]

8 February 2022 by admin

My new espionage thriller Firewall – set in the world of the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell videogame series – is out next month and anticipation is high for the next prose adventure of covert agent Sam Fisher and the Fourth Echelon team.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Splinter Cell games, they’re a series of stealth-shooter action titles where players take on the role of a black ops specialist engaged in stopping advanced technological threats to global security. Endorsed by the titan of techno-thrillers himself, Tom Clancy, to date the Splinter Cell series encompasses seven videogames, three comics and seven (soon to be eight!) original novels. New games and an animated show on Netflix are also in the pipeline.

I’m pleased to say the advance reviews for Splinter Cell: Firewall have been uniformly positive – here’s a few choice quotes…

“One of my most awaited books for the upcoming year and even with such high expectations I was mesmerized with the stellar storytelling. It’s everything a top-notch action-packed novel should be.” – Kashif Hussain, Best Thriller Books

“Bestselling author James Swallow brings his vivid, cinematic writing style to new heights… The action is beautifully crafted in this, perhaps the best instalment ever, in the iconic Clancy universe of Splinter Cell. Firewall will leave you breathless!” – Andrews & Wilson, authors of the Tier One and Sons of Valor series

“This book had everything I love in a thriller… James Swallow has written a book Tom Clancy fans and newcomers alike will enjoy. I know I did.” – Jeremy Peers, Goodreads

“An awesome book! You can easily pick up this book and read it in one sitting. That’s how dangerously engaging the book is!” – Reading Tamishly

“Ardent fans are in for a treat since Swallow incorporates the game’s signature cinematic action… A must-read for anyone who has been waiting for a follow-up to Blacklist.” – Ankit Dhirasara, Visual Reviews

“Throw in a megalomaniac with a nefarious agenda, and uber soldiers with the latest tech and you have an explosive story with all the ingredients necessary to keep you rooting for the good guys.” – Netgalley

It’s been nine years since the release of the last Splinter Cell game Blacklist, and Peter Telep’s sequel novel Blacklist Aftermath – and long-time fans understandably have a lot of interest about where the series will go next. So, I gathered up some of the questions I’ve been getting recently via social media and I’ve answered what I can below…

Does this novel take place after the game Splinter Cell: Blacklist and the novel Splinter Cell: Blacklist Aftermath?

Yes. Firewall is set in 2015, two years after the events of Blacklist.

Is the “lethal assassin who returns from the dead” mentioned in the back cover text someone fans are familiar with from the earlier games, like Douglas Shetland or Tom Reed?

No. It’s an original character, an old enemy from Sam’s past.

Will there be a game based on the Firewall novel?

No. The novels are their own thing, they support the narrative of the games – but the games always come first.

Does this novel tie into the upcoming Netflix series?

Not directly, but the novel is written to be part of the same existing continuity as the Splinter Cell games, books, comics and animation.

Is the novel connected to the new remake of the original Splinter Cell game?

Same answer.

Is Sarah Fisher the central character of Splinter Cell: Firewall?

No. Sarah plays an important role in the novel, but she shares the spotlight with her father Sam, who has his own main thread in the story.

Is Sarah replacing Sam?

Not at all. Both Sam and Sarah are involved in the action throughout Firewall. Sam Fisher isn’t ready to hang up his tri-goggles just yet…

Why does Sarah join Fourth Echelon, and why does Sam allow it?

Sarah’s reasons for wanting to be part of Fourth Echelon and Sam’s reactions to that situation are a key part of the story; you’ll have to read the novel to find out more, but rest assured, these questions are fully addressed.

How can Sarah be in Fourth Echelon when she has no military training?

Fourth Echelon is an espionage agency, not a military organization, so it is free to recruit anyone from anywhere; and it’s never been a rule that Splinter Cell operatives only come from the armed forces – for example, Archer from Splinter Cell: Conviction was an NSA intelligence analyst before he became an operative, and other operatives in previous Splinter Cell novels have come from a variety of non-military backgrounds.

Which other Splinter Cell legacy characters appear in the novel?

You’ll see Anna Grímsdóttir, Andriy Kobin and Charlie Cole in main roles, and few other familiar faces will be mentioned.

Are there connections to any other Tom Clancy videogames in Firewall?

There are some “easter eggs” that reference elements from The Division, Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six.

How closely were Ubisoft involved in the development of Firewall?

I worked directly with Ubi’s Tom Clancy franchise writers and their content team to make sure everything in the novel syncs up with the current (and future) plans for Splinter Cell.

How familiar were you with the Splinter Cell franchise when you took on this project?

Very. I started with Sam Fisher’s adventures playing the original Splinter Cell on PC back in ‘03, and I’ve followed him through all the other games over the past two decades. I love tie-in fiction, so I’ve also read the novels and comics; and I even have the cool Blacklist wristwatch…

How do you feel about taking on this iconic character and franchise?

Excited! Working on a Splinter Cell project has been on my writer bucket list for a long while, and I’ve had a great time writing Firewall. I hope I’ve been able to do justice to Sam and craft a novel readers will find engaging.

When will the novel be available?

Splinter Cell: Firewall will be released by Aconyte Books worldwide as an eBook on March 1^st, in paperback in the USA on March 15^th, and in paperback in the UK on June 9^th.

Why the long delay between the US and UK paperback releases?

You can blame that on ongoing pandemic-related shipping issues across the publishing industry.

Will there be an audiobook?

Yes. An audio version of Firewall will be released by Recorded Books on Audible and other platforms on March 1^st.

Will the novel be translated into other languages?

Yes. Firewall will be released in German by CrossCult and in Russian by Hobby World. French and Italian editions are also in the works.

Will Aconyte Books be publishing more Splinter Cell fiction after Firewall?

That is the plan…

UPDATED! Click here to read the first three chapters of Splinter Cell: Firewall!

You can pre-order Splinter Cell: Firewall at these links from Amazon, Hive or via the Aconyte website.

FIREWALL cover reveal!

10 January 2022 by admin

I am pleased to reveal the official cover art for Firewall, my tie-in novel based on the action-packed Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell espionage thriller franchise…!

A BRUTAL ENEMY FROM THE PAST.

AN UNSTOPPABLE CYBER-WEAPON.

A MISSION AGAINST ALL ODDS.

When a lethal assassin returns from the dead, veteran Fourth Echelon agent Sam Fisher finds himself facing off against a dark mirror of his own deadly skills.

Forced into a reluctant partnership with the newest recruit to the Splinter Cell program – his own daughter, Sarah – Sam is thrust into a race against time as a sinister threat to global security is revealed.

A powerful cyberwarfare technology known as Gordian Sword – capable of cutting through any firewall in existence – is in play, to be auctioned off to the highest bidder in a rogue’s gallery of terrorists, criminals and renegade states.

Sam and Sarah must work together to find the truth behind this lethal threat and stop the weapon falling into the wrong hands – but standing in the way is the only man Sam Fisher could never kill…

Splinter Cell: Firewall will be on sale first in its eBook and audiobook editions on March 1st, then in paperback in the USA on March 15th, and in paperback in the UK on June 9th – pre-order links can be found here!

In addition, a German-language edition will be published by Cross Cult and a Russian-language edition will be published by Hobby World. French and Italian editions have also been planned, and I’ll post more details in the coming months…

OUTLAW Out Now!

28 October 2021 by admin

I’m proud to announce that today the 6th book in my Marc Dane action thriller series is officially on sale!

Everything has been building to this! From Marc’s first adventure back in the pages of NOMAD, the heroes of the Rubicon team have fought deadly threats across the world – and now, all those threads come together in the pages of OUTLAW…

No Time. No Backup. No Surrender.

Gutted by the ruthless power brokers known as the Combine, the Rubicon Group is a shadow of its former self, its founder Ekko Solomon missing presumed dead and the members of its private security and intelligence team in hiding, framed for a terrorist atrocity they did not commit.

For ex-MI6 officer Marc Dane, his friend and colleague Lucy Keyes, and the survivors of Rubicon’s Special Conditions Division, the future is bleak.

With no support and no backup, they are living on the edge, and the walls are closing in – so with nothing left to lose, the team will risk everything in a last ditch gambit to strike back at the Combine and bring them down…once and for all.

Rising from the ashes of Rubicon’s destruction, Marc and the team undertake a high-stakes undercover mission to stop a catastrophic plan to crash the global financial network, with only their cunning and their skills to carry them through.

If they succeed, they might just get their lives back.

If they fail, it will be the end of everything they’ve been fighting for…

OUTLAW is on sale now in hardback, trade paperback and eBook editions – and for those of you waiting for the audiobook release, we’ll be publishing that early in 2022!

As well as being able to pick up OUTLAW this week from all good online retailers, you’ll also be able to find it in your bookshop of choice and selected high street stores. If you can, please support the smaller local independent bookstores in your area by getting your copy of OUTLAW from them – Hive can help via this link!

And remember, you can stay in the loop on with all the news about the Marc Dane series by signing up to my Reader’s Club mailing list – use the sign-up below on the bottom right side of this webpage!

STAR TREK: CODA – THE END BEGINS…

20 September 2021 by admin

It’s been twenty years since Star Trek fiction took a gigantic leap of faith, out from the universe established by the TV shows and movies, and into the new, ongoing continuity that avid readers nicknamed “the litverse”.

For a time, with no new screen stories being generated for the characters of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise, myself and a legion of other authors had the freedom to expand and build upon what had boldly gone before. We took the heroes fans knew and loved and set them on new adventures, we introduced all-new characters, starships, worlds and narratives. We built a whole new continuity – and truth be told, we made a lot of big swings along the way. Since 2001, our loyal readership has followed these new voyages with enthusiasm and dedication.

But nothing lasts forever.

With the return of the Star Trek saga to television screens – without doubt it’s first, best destiny – in shows like Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks and the upcoming Prodigy and Strange New Worlds, the days of the litverse were numbered. What had gone before would be overwritten by new TV adventures, but rather than end with a fade out, we decided to close this incredible two-decade trek with the biggest swing of all – Star Trek: Coda, an epic trilogy written by Dayton Ward, myself and David Mack.

This has been one of the most intensive projects of my writing career, elevated by working with two great co-writers, and collaborating with editors at Simon & Schuster and the production office at Viacom CBS, and it is my sincere hope that readers will come with us for this grand finale of the current incarnation of “Trek Lit”. Personally, I’ve keenly felt the weight of the expectation and responsibility writing these books, but I think we’ve risen to the challenge. Get ready for a story that will change the face of the Star Trek universe forever…

Coda book I – Moments Asunder, by Dayton Ward – arrives in bookstores on September 28th.

STARFLEET’S FINEST FACES A CHALLENGE UNLIKE ANY OTHER

TOMORROW IS DOOMED
Time is coming apart. Countless alternate and parallel realities are under attack, weakening and collapsing from relentless onslaught. If left unchecked, the universe faces an unstoppable descent toward entropy.

WANDERER, ORACLE, ALLY
Scarred and broken after decades spent tracking this escalating temporal disaster, while battling the nameless enemy responsible for it, an old friend seeks assistance from Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise. The apocalypse may originate from their future, but might the cause lie in their past?

EVERYTHING THAT WILL BE
Identifying their adversary is but the first step toward defeating them, but early triumphs come with dreadful costs. What will the price be to achieve final victory, and how will that success be measured in futures as yet undefined?

Coda book II – The Ashes of Tomorrow, by me, James Swallow – is published on October 26th.

THE FUTURE IS AT WAR WITH THE PAST.

VISIONS OF DESTRUCTION
As a ruthless enemy spreads fear across the galaxy, leaving devastation in its wake, Captain Benjamin Sisko and Vedek Kira Nerys share a terrifying premonition of an unstoppable apocalypse.

A CRITICAL CHOICE
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is forced to take matters into his own hands when Starfleet Command refuses to challenge the invaders, recruiting trusted allies into a desperate, impossible fight.

THE FATE OF A UNIVERSE
In the burning skies of the Bajor system, a deadly confrontation threatens a billion worlds – but the price of survival is an act of destruction beyond all reason…

And Coda book III – the concluding volume Oblivion’s Gate, by David Mack – is published on November 30th.

THEIR FINAL MISSION IS THEIR FINEST HOUR

AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK
Captain Benjamin Sisko takes the Defiant back in time and into a parallel universe, so that he and Data can undo the vile sabotage that triggered the Temporal Apocalypse.

A SHADOW RISING
Meanwhile, Admiral William T. Riker’s grasp of reality becomes more tenuous by the minute. Can his beloved Deanna Troi free him from madness before it’s too late?

A DARING LAST STAND
Starfleet’s heroes risk everything to set time right. But will Captain Jean-Luc Picard let Beverly Crusher and their son die? Or will he destroy the multiverse to save them?

The Star Trek: Coda trilogy will be available in trade paperback, eBook and audiobook editions from Simon & Schuster, via your preferred online source or bookstore; find direct links to each book below:

Star Trek: Coda Book I – Moments Asunder by Dayton Ward

Star Trek: Coda Book II – The Ashes of Tomorrow by James Swallow

Star Trek: Coda Book III – Oblivion’s Gate by David Mack