In 2008 Phillip Palmer’s first novel, Debatable Space, was released to critical acclaim. His deft plotting and unashamedly ambitious take on the Space Opera saw him dubbed ‘innovative’, ‘incredible’, ‘ambitious’, ‘scintillating’, ‘defiantly weird’ and ‘worth listening to’, with nods from genre and mainstream press alike.
Now, 1st October sees the release of Red Claw, Palmer’s brand new novel, an action-packed pulp-style adventure set on a far-flung jungle planet, where a scientific mission goes badly wrong. This is another novel of big ideas, badass aliens and breathtakingly sinister plot turns, all wrapped up in a cover that has set many a tongue wagging.
When asked what had inspired him to write Red Claw, author Phillip Palmer said: “I love scientists… They are by definition obsessive personalities, devoted to the advancement of knowledge, and able to devote vast amounts of time to the study of natural phenomena, and the thinking of hard thoughts. But scientists are not always nice. They can be vain, angry, petty, and competitive. Red Claw takes its inspiration from all this. It is an alien-monster-zapping action thriller based on a scientific feud that has lasted for centuries, and has developed into a battle to the death.
“I wanted to write a novel that is full of colour and energy and violence, and that evokes the extraordinary fecundity of nature. It’s set on a planet that is richly populated with alien creatures – alien birds, alien insects, alien beasts of all shapes and descriptions. It is a world that is terrifying, and also beautiful.
“And it is the arena for a desperate fight for survival, as a band of scientists and soldiers are attacked by monsters of every kind – large, small, alien, human, robotic – and all utterly deadly.’
Red Claw is priced £7.99 and is available to buy nationwide from 1st October.
Check out www.orbitbooks.net for more information and a sneak peak extract and www.philippalmer.net for more info on the author and your chance to win a free copy of the book.
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