The Book of Haatan Deluxe Edition

[ecosophia]

While difficult things are going on in my personal life just now, the wider world rolls onward, and now and then the consequences are pleasant. ones. One of these showed up just now: an email from Sphinx Books, the publisher that carries my fiction these days. mentioning that interest in my Ariel Moravec occult detective novels is high enough that they're bringing out a deluxe edition of the soon-to-be-published second volume in the series, The Book of Haatan. Yes, that's a rendering of it on the left.

For those who haven't been following along, Ariel Moravec is eighteen years old, and is learning magic from her grandfather, Dr. Bernard Moravec, one of the most famous occultists in an East Coast city you'll have a hard time finding on a map. Dr. Moravec is also a private investigator specializing in occult cases; in this story, he and Ariel are called in by the city police to look into the theft of an old book of magic -- a book that may reveal a secret for which some people are willing to kill.

It's a lively story, and like all the Ariel Moravec adventures, the magic in it is real magic -- not the make-believe stuff you get from Harry Potter et al., but the sort of things that actual occultists practice and cope with. That's a habit I picked up from Dion Fortune, who did the same thing in her occult fiction; those who've read the first volume in the series, The Witch of Criswell, know that real magic is at least as good a plot engine as the fake kind.

Interested?  The deluxe edition can be preordered from the publisher here. If you already preordered the trade paperback edition from the publisher directly and would like to cancel that order and get the deluxe edition instead, you can contact them at email office@aeonbooks.co.uk to arrange for this.

Comments

[arth_cerdded]

I'm happy to see that these are coming out as a deluxe edition as well.

Beautiful

[miow]

That's a mighty fine looking book :)

[(Anonymous)]

I'll stuck with light weight and ability to slip into a a purse, thanks. Pre-order is already in. But glad you have a money-making edition out, too.

[illyria2001]

Looking forward to reading this!

[(Anonymous)]

Alas, I cannot afford the deluxe editions, but I am definitely looking forward to this book in paperback! I enjoyed the Witch of Criswell almost as much as I liked the Shoggoth Concerto (which is my favorite of your novels so far), so I have very high hopes for the quality of the rest of this series.

--Sister Crow

Can't Wait

[jpc2]

I have been looking forward to a new one.

John the Coop Janitor

Thanks

[(Anonymous)]

I hope things get easier soon! Thank you for your blogs and the great space they provide for us commenters!

Enjoyment

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,
I so enjoyed the, "Witch of Criswell." I bought it as a Christmas present to myself. I look forward to as many more of your Ariel Moravec novels as you will write.

My prayers for comfort are with you and Sara every day.
Maxine

[baconrolypoly]

Don't know if you're still accepting comments but wanted to say that I enjoyed The Book of Haatan and found it very entertaining.

One small thing made me smile, which was Paul wearing a dressing gown over his clothes. Amongst many women I've come across, wearing a dressing gown over your clothes is known jokingly as donning the Dressing Gown of Doom and it is employed by husbands who are slightly unwell and want to signal they are too unwell to contribute to household work or childcare. I can't help wondering if you already knew this.