Dark Tidings Blog Tour: Guest Post- Ken Magee's top 5 authors!

 

 

Ken Magee’s top 5 authors

 

This was hard because I love so many types of books and admire so many authors. You’d probably get a slightly different answer depending on what mood I’m in when you ask. My number 1 never changes though. Here’s the list as it stands today… modesty made me exclude myself and my ‘ancient magic meets the Internet’ series!

 

1. Terry Pratchett

 

The man is a genius and his books are hilarious. He has greatly influenced my writing and I was thrilled when a number of reviews for my books likened my style to his. I love nearly all his books although I think my favourite is Mort. I want to live in Discworld.

 

  2. Grant Naylor

 

This is a bit of a cheat because Grant Naylor is actually two authors, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor. They combined names when they wrote the fantastic Red Dwarf books. I loved the early TV series of Red Dwarf and expected to be disappointed when I read the books later. How wrong I was, the books were brilliant with the humour shining through stronger that in the television show. I loved the ‘Better than Life’ book best.

 

 

 

  3. Pete McCarthy

 

One of my favourite books of all time is McCarthy’s Bar by Pete McCarthy. It’s a gentle comedy masterpiece which tracks his journey along the west coast of Ireland. We meet an array of wonderful characters and along the way he introduces us to his ‘Rules of Travel’... rule 8 being ‘Never pass a bar that has your name on it.’ I follow all his rules on my travels, but luckily there aren’t too many Magee pubs.

 

 

4. Douglas Adams

 

Following on from Pete, we have another travel guide! Douglas Adams must be one of the most creative writers ever. His Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a classic example of his work. I tend not to use expressions like ‘a must read’, but this books merits it without a doubt. Read it now.

 

5. Dan Brown

 

There are plenty of better writers, but there are few better at weaving complex conspiracy theories. The man seems to be able to make crazy ideas sound believable. In particular, I loved The Da Vinci Code, both book and film.

 

 

 

Blurb: 

 

What happens when ancient magic meets the internet? One thing is certain, modern life will never be the same again.

A thousand years ago, a young thief, Tung, and a disgraced wizard, Madrick, are thrust together in an executioner’s dungeon.

In the darkness, Madrick reveals an incredible secret about a legendary spell. The great spell helps them escape their prison cell... and eventually their century.

Catapulted into the present day, their lives collide with Michael, a computer hacker who plans to destroy the world’s largest bank. But sinister people are tracking their every move and they will stop at nothing to steal their spell.

Add to Goodreads!


Author Bio: 

Deep down, I have always wanted to be a writer. Like a lot of people, I was sure there was at least one book in me and I wanted to get it out. Unfortunately life intervened and it decided that I needed a career that would feed the family, so I worked for many years in the IT industry in a variety of roles including programming, sales and eventually CEO. Just to complicate things, in the middle of all this, I also served in the British Royal Naval Reserve for five years.

In 2010, I semi-retired and decided it was time to finish the book I had started writing years earlier. I don’t think any of the original book survived the process, although it did remain a Fantasy novel because that’s my real passion! Even as a young boy, I loved Fantasy and Science Fiction books and, if they had a good sprinkling of comedy, then I was happy. Harry Harrison and the Stainless Steel Rat probably paved the path which eventually led to the likes of Terry Pratchett. I would love to think that my first book at least hints at those influences. One review seemed to think so, and that really pleased me…

“Imagine the worlds of Terry Pratchett and Dan Brown coming together - Dark Tidings provides a witty and clever read that will appeal to all readers.”

I am married with two grown up children, and two dogs. I love reading, writing and words. I have a keen interest in music (mainly rock), technology, movies, travel and the Internet. To keep fit I play badminton when I get the time… and I walk the dogs even when I don’t get the time.

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