At around 4.30pm this afternoon, The Recollection‘s word count total cruised past that of my first novel, Silversands, to make this new novel the longest single work I have yet written – and there’s still at least another 30k to go.

Sorry posts have been a bit sparse around here recently. I’ve been busy trying to produce as much writing as possible in the time I have. I’ve now passed the halfway point with The Recollection, the novel I’m writing for Solaris. The target is 80,000 words.

Writer Matthew S. Dent reviews Silversands on his blog:

“I really did enjoy this novel. It was fun, but not silly. The characters were strong, the plot engaging, and the writing well beyond competent. But the real triumph, I feel, is the world that Powell has created. A universe with humanity scattered across the stars by unreliable FTL travel is one that has a lot of potential, particularly with the developments at the end of the story. I hope that Powell returns to this universe at some point, and it would be a real shame if some of the characters from Silversands didn’t get a second appearance.”

Read the full review here.

Photographs taken on the day by Chris Teague.

(click to view)

Colin Harvey reviews Silversands for Suite 101:

Silversands is a worthy addition to any devoted SF reader’s library.

Read the full review here

Cheryl Morgan made a film of me reading at the book launch yesterday.

The next couple of weeks are looking busy. As well as trying to earn a living, I’ve got three events lined up:

Firstly, I’ll be a guest on next week’s episode of the WordPunk Radio podcast, talking about science fiction and other related subjects.

Secondly, the launch party for Silversands takes place at 2.00pm on Saturday 24th April, in the back bar of The Shakespeare Tavern, Princes Street, Bristol. I’ll be signing copies of the book and having a few drinks, so come along if you can.

And finally, I’ve just booked train tickets to London for the Arthur C. Clarke Awards on the 28th April. This is the first time I’ve been invited to attend the ceremony, and I’m looking forward to meeting some new people and catching up with my Eastercon pals. If you’re going to be there, come and say hello.

On his website, reviewer Mark Chitty writes:

Gareth L Powell has delivered a great novel in a very interesting setting.

To read the full review, click here.

Silversands, by Gareth L Powell (Pendragon Press, £12)

Avril Bradley is a communications officer aboard the starship Pathfinder on its mission to locate lost and far-flung colony worlds. She’s also on a personal quest to find Cale Christie, the man she believes to be her father, who passed through an alien wormhole years earlier. But wormhole technology is highly unreliable, and when she does manage to discover the planet where Christie lives, she finds herself caught up in a complex intrigue between competing corporations, corrupt politicians and a scheming artificial intelligence – which may just hold the answer to the stabilisation of the wormhole. Powell’s first novel is a fine hi-tech romp, marred slightly by a rushed and melodramatic dénouement.

-Eric Brown

Read the full article here: click for link

Thirty hardback copies of Silversands have just been delivered to my door, direct from the printer.

They look amazing, thanks to Vincent Chong’s cover art and design, and Christopher Teague’s typesetting.

I started writing Silversands ten years ago, and it’s strange to be finally holding  printed copies of the book in my hand. So much has happened in my life since I wrote the first words of chapter one.

The thirty copies that have been delivered today will be riding up to Odyssey 2010 in the back of my car in a fortnight’s time, and will be for sale on the TTA Press stall in the dealers’ room at the convention. I will also have a number of paperback copies of The Last Reef and Other Stories for sale/signing at the event.

Silversands is also available via Amazon or direct from Pendragon Press.