Over at Spoiler Alert!, Voxael has a mixed reaction over Vegas Knights, but in the end he gives it a strong thumbs up.

It may not have rocketed straight into place as My Favouritest Book Ever! but there’s more than enough here for me to say quite truthfully that I enjoyed the ride — strong, easily distinguishable characters, pop-culture references liberally scattered all over the place, a genuinely intriguing twist on the standard Urban Fantasy set-up and most of all, a writer who wasn’t afraid to write a fantasy story where every obstacle wasn’t surmounted with the equivalent of hurling fireballs at it.

Also, Gareth Wilson at Falcata Times posted his review of Vegas Knights on his blog, even though he’d already posted it at Amazon.co.uk. Gareth’s one of those savvy reviewers who goes out of his way to cross-post his reviews in multiple places. That helps the reviews — and the books they cover, of course — get more exposure. After all, if you’re already on Amazon.com, you’re more likely to read the reviews there than run over to a different site to see what people have to say about a particular book. If the review appears in both places, more people can read it more conveniently, and that’s better for us all. Thanks, Gareth!

Vegas Knights hits the UK as a paperback tomorrow and should be available worldwide as an ebook too. (See the list of major sales outlets for one near you, and please place a pre-order if you can!) Lots of reviewers have already gotten their hands on the book and loved it (as the list of praise shows). Three more cropped up over the past few days.

Over at SFBook.com, Ant gives the book FIVE STARS! He name checks Genestealer, a Space Hulk supplement I worked on for Games Workshop waaay back in 1990, then says many kind things about me and my work, including:

The quality of the writing is quite exceptional with such an easy reading, friendly yet clever style that immediately puts you at ease and grabs your attention in a vice-like grip from the very first chapters… It’s fantastic entertainment, and I loved every minute of it. Viva Las Vegas (Knights)!

At Magpie Diaries, Magpie likes Vegas Knights a lot too. She says:

Vegas Knights is a fast-paced, good-humoured caper of a book… Packed with all the excitement, violence and glamour you’d expect of old-school Vegas — including a nail-biting chase through the halls and walls of a casino — Forbeck delivers a novel that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat… [I] would say it’s more Tim Powers’ Last Call meets 21than Harry Potter meets Ocean’s Eleven… but the novel is not haunted by its predecessors. It has its own voice, and Forbeck puts his own stamp on the narrative.

Gareth Wilson of Falcata Times gives a short, happy review on Amazon.co.uk (which might presage a longer one on his site). It appears right next to a copy of the five-star review Tony Lane gave elsewhere earlier. Gareth writes:

[T]his has to be one of my favourite titles by this author. Not only is the plot cleverly woven but the characters rely on smarts rather than outright power which makes a serious change for the genre… Some seriously devious work has gone on underneath, and I’m starting to wonder which devil Matt did a deal with to be so creative.

You can read the opening five chapters of Vegas Knights for free right here. I hope you enjoy them as much as these fine people liked the rest of the book.

A big box of the UK edition of Vegas Knights just showed up at my house today, courtesy of my publishers at Angry Robot. It is a thing of rare beauty, and I’m thrilled with it. Although it doesn’t show up on the photograph too well, the cover features a spot varnish on the Las Vegas sign and the Angry Robot logo on the cover and on the name, title, and logo on the spine, giving the book a razor-sharp look.

Vegas Knights hits the UK on March 3 and releases worldwide as an ebook that same day. That’s this Thursday!

Print copies reach the US in a slightly smaller frame on March 29. If you have a UK Kindle, though, the book apparently slipped through there a bit early, and you can grab it right now. Can’t wait for you to read it!

Benni at the Ranting Dragon recently read Vegas Knights, and it seems to have struck a chord with her. She insightfully identifies the book as being closer to Bringing Down the House/21 than Ocean’s 11. I’ve often thought the book hews closer to Dresden Files meets Bringing Down the House than Harry Potter meets Ocean’s 11, but the latter pairing is less likely to cause anyone to wonder what I’m talking about.

Either way, I always enjoy seeing a reader get what I’m going at, and Benni nails it. She writes:

“I have held my breath before; I have felt my heartbeat rise before; but never have I physically shaken from the rush generated from the action contained in a book until I read Vegas Knights… If you’re craving a fast-paced action adventure, skip a movie and grab a copy of Vegas Knights instead…  This is popcorn fantasy at its best.”

Go read the whole thing though. It’s head-spinningly awesome.

As I’ve mentioned before, Vegas Knights hits the UK on March 3 and releases worldwide as an ebook that same day. That’s less than one week away.

Print copies reach the US on March 29. If you have a UK Kindle, though, the book apparently slipped through there a bit early, and you can grab it right now.