Introducing... A Town Called Pandemonium
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
This may be the worst kept secret in the West, but we're delighted to announce our next Pandemonium anthology - A Town Called Pandemonium.
Deep in the New Mexico territory sits the played-out boom town of Pandemonium. Built up during a silver strike, Pandemonium is now fading fast. But with the local businesses firmly in the grasp of savvy cattle baron Rep Calhoun, there's no escaping. Calhoun grows richer, and the people grow a little poorer, a little more trapped, every day.
Those are the people that live in Pandemonium. And those that come visiting? They're even more desperate...
A Town Called Pandemonium combines two - well, three - things that we've always loved.
First, it is a shared world: a bit of a grand experiment. We got ten of the brightest, wackiest, most flexible and weird minds together in one virtual room and started kicking around ideas (and occasionally one another). Everything takes place in the same town, through one tumultuous year, with the characters and locations taking on lives that aren't confined by any one story.
Second, it is (in case you couldn't tell), a Western. We love them: John Wayne to Clint Eastwood, Zane Grey to Frank Castle to Elmore Leonard. The atmosphere, the tension, the stripped-down worlds and the individual drama. Back when a man was a man, a horse was a horse and the world was his enemy. Except, in this case (and that's the third point), a bit of genre has crept in. Some of the stories are straight-up Westerns. Some... aren't.
The contributors are Scott Andrews, Chrysanthy Balis, Archie Black, Joseph D'Lacey, Will Hill, Jonathan Oliver, Den Patrick, Sam Sykes, Osgood Vance and Sam Wilson. Which is about the maddest group of hatters you can possibly imagine. We're especially delighted to welcome Mr. Hill, Mr. D'Lacey and Mr. Sykes to the Pandemonium ranks.
The illustrator is Adam Hill. You can admire his work at www.velcrosuit.com (we have). Adam's ability to create contemporary, subversive work using traditional styles and techniques is completely spot on, and this will be one gorgeous book.
A Town Called Pandemonium will be released November 2012 as a limited edition hardcover (100 numbered copies) and an ebook. We'll open 'er up for pre-orders in a month or so - best way to keep informed? Join our mailing list.