You can order it now from AMAZON.CO.UK, WATERSTONES, the BOOK DEPOSITORY and all the other usual sites.

I’ll also be taking part in a couple of events to mark the release of the book. On Saturday 10th March I’ll be at Chesterfield Library for a reading followed by a Q&A with Simon Clark and the editors. On 14th and 15th April I’ll be at alt.fiction at Phoenix in Leicester. More details about that event shortly.

MAMMOTH BOOK OF BODY HORROR table of contents:

TRANSFORMATION by Mary Shelley; THE TELL-TALE HEART by Edgar Allan Poe; HERBERT WEST: RE-ANIMATOR by H.P. Lovecraft; WHO GOES THERE?  John W. Campbell; THE FLY by George Langelaan; TIS THE SEASON TO BE JELLY by Richard Matheson; SURVIVOR TYPE by Stephen King; THE BODY POLITIC by Clive Barker; THE CHANEY LEGACY by Robert Bloch; THE OTHER SIDE by Ramsey Campbell; FRUITING BODIES by Brian Lumley; FREAKTENT by Nancy A. Collins; REGION OF THE FLESH by Richard Christian Matheson; WALKING WOUNDED by Michael Marshall Smith; CHANGES by Neil Gaiman; OTHERS by James Herbert; THE LOOK by Christopher Fowler; RESIDUE by Alice Henderson; DOG DAYS by Graham Masterton; BLACK BOX by Gemma Files; THE SOARING DEAD by Simon Clark; POLYP by Barbie Wilde; ALMOST FOREVER by David Moody; BUTTERFLY by Axelle Carolyn; STICKY EYE by Conrad Williams.

The Mammoth Book of Body Horror is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

So, to whet your appetites, here’s the blurb…

“It’s been almost one hundred days since a killer disease wiped out 99% of the population. Three months since the dead reanimated. Survivors are few and far between now, and those who remain stick together to give themselves the best possible chance of continuing to stay alive. They are the last of the living.

A band of refugees has taken shelter in a medieval castle – a fortress that has stood strong for hundreds of years. Besieged by the dead, they only emerge when it’s absolutely necessary. As autumn turns to winter, however, the balance of power slowly begins to shift.

The unexpected appearance of survivors from another group changes everything. They bring choice, and an alternative way of life which is a far cry from the world everyone has been forced to leave behind. Society as we know it has crumbled beyond repair and things will never be the same again. Some people are ready to embrace this change, others can’t let go of the past. The choice is divisive.

Are we entering mankind’s final days? In the aftermath of the disease, will the last survivors destroy each other, or will the dead destroy them all?”

Just to clear up any confusion, this is very definitely the final book in the AUTUMN timeline. There are a few more short stories to share, but is the last chapter in the series. And yes, in case you’re wondering, the ‘survivors from another group’ mentioned in the blurb are from the island of Cormansey…

Next week I’ll introduce you to one of the key characters from the book, and those of you who read THE HUMAN CONDITION first time around might remember him!

AUTUMN: AFTERMATH is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Dan recently gave the Hater website (www.thehatertrilogy.com) a lick of paint, turning an image of a Lowestoft housing estate (home to Danny McCoyne in THEM OR US) into a post-apocalyptic ruin. He has a talent for manipulating images, as can be seen from the before/after pictures below.

I first ‘met’ Dan when he featured HATER and a subsequent interview with myself on his site www.thenovelblog.com. He produced a striking animation for the top of the page, which impressed me so much he was the first person I thought of to ask to work on the idea I had for Duck and Cover. I knew what I wanted to illustrate the story, but it was way beyond my very limited technical and artistic skills. He turned this photograph of Birmingham City Centre into the image at the top of this post.

I asked Dan how he approaches his work – does he consider the technical or the artistic side of things first? He explained that he has no formal training in either, and that he’s completely self-taught on all counts. “I’ve always enjoyed being creative and the creative, be it another artist’s work, taking time to draw with a pencil and paper or creating a functional software that’s aesthetically pleasing—an art form I might add, all its own. It’s not easy to design interfaces for end users, they’re picky and usually have a tech-level that hovers just above dangerous. There’s a fine line between looking good and being functional, and the real art for me anyway, lies in finding that balance.”

Dan’s now branched out with a new company, Wicked Concept Creations. For him it marks the first step in moving from building data-driven applications to creative content. It’s something he’s been looking to do for a while, and already he has some impressive clients including a major Hollywood FX company and a film score producer. “I‘m really looking to step into the creative side of entertainment in a big way and being able to feature work like I’ve done for you goes a long way. I’ve no delusions about this though, I know it’s a lot of time and effort and can be a significant source of stress, but I’m passionate about books and movies, so it never really comes across as work.”

I asked Dan about www.thenovelblog.com. Launched in December 2008, it aims to provide independent, unbiased book reviews. “I’ve often struggled with the spending of $25 – $30 on a hardback that reviewers had raved on and on about how awesome it was, only to find out that, well, it sucked. I’m also extremely aggravated by all those “reviewers” out there who give a book a one-star review on Amazon with nothing more to say than they hated it. No reason as to why or where it fell short, they simply hated it. To me, that’s not a review, that’s another author who’s jealous over someone else’s success. My point is if it sucked, say so, just back it up with facts—which is what I hope we do.”

As an aspiring author himself, he’s well aware of the ‘reviews game’  played by some publishers and writers. “If you read one of our reviews, you can rest assured that there’s no outside influence, it’s simply our opinion.”

Dan cites Stephen King as his foremost literary inspiration. With CUJO, King opened the floodgates for him to devour any books he could find by a wide range of authors including Peter Straub, Richard Matheson, Peter Benchly and William Blatty. “I would love to be a full-time writer,” he says, “and that is my ultimate goal.” And after a number of false-starts, he feels that 2012 will be the year he makes it happen.

I want to wish Dan the very best, both with his writing and with Wicked Concept Creations, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him again for the AUTUMN and HATER-related artwork he’s provided. Cheers Dan!

The AUTUMN artists – Dan Boucher is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

The book’s available from AMAZON and all the usual outlets, and can be downloaded from AUDIBLE and ITUNES.

Special thanks to Shawn who campaigned for this release. I don’t know if they bowed to your pressure or whether the book was in the pipeline anyway, but thanks all the same!

THEM OR US – audiobook out today is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

In this issue, as well as the usual reviews and interviews, there’s an excellent article on the history of the zombie from the Voodoo movies of the early 1930′s, right through to The Walking Dead and the sudden surge of mainstream popularity the living dead currently enjoys. Great stuff. You can get hold of copies from all branches of Forbidden Planet in the UK, or by clicking here.

Scream Magazine issue 9 is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

So what exactly is ISOLATION going to be? is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

The Human Condition part II – now available is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

By the way, if you’re interested in signed foreign editions of the AUTUMN and HATER books, you can find some of those listed over at www.infectedbooks.co.uk too.

Finally for today, thanks to my good friend and web guru Rich Grundy, I have a new tool for those trying to locate specific eBook editions of my books. Check it out below:

Pick the book you’re after, chose your country and the eBook platform you use, then press ‘Go’. Simple! You can find this widget at www.infectedbooks.co.uk.

Autumn: Disintegration now available (again!) is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Matthew J. Costello’s VACATION is an interesting spin on the traditional zombie story. In the aftermath of devastating food shortages around the world, groups of humans become predatory, cannibalistic creatures. Elsewhere, life goes on after a fashion. After a near-death experience, an NYPD cop takes his family on a much needed vacation to an idyllic compound paradise where they’re free to roam in the open air and swim and play and live life like they used to. Of course, things don’t go according to plan…

“In the near future after a global crisis causes crops to fail and species to disappear…  something even more deadly happens. Groups of humans around the world suddenly become predators, feeding off their own kind. These “Can Heads” grow to such a threat that fences, gated compounds, and SWAT-style police protection become absolutely necessary in order to live.

After one Can Head attack leaves NYPD cop Jack Murphy wounded, Jack takes his wife and kids on a much-needed vacation. Far up north, to a camp where families can still swim and take boats out on a lake, and pretend that the world isn’t going to hell. 

But the Can Heads are never far away, and nothing is quite what it seems in Paterville…”

I had a lot of fun reading VACATION. A fairly standard zombie set-up is given a new lease of life in unusual settings.

I said: “Costello takes a typical family and throws them headfirst into a situation that’s anything but. What would you do to protect those you love at the end of the world? A thrilling, fast-paced story of priorities, secrets, and survival.” And I’d be interested to hear your thoughts…

Recommended reading – Vacation is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Later this month I’ll start telling you more about AUTUMN: AFTERMATH, the final book in the AUTUMN series. In the run up to the novel’s US release in March, there will also be more free fiction appearing. For those of you who read AUTUMN: THE HUMAN CONDITION first time around, you might have noticed that a couple of stories are still missing from www.lastoftheliving.net. You’ll find out why when you learn more about AFTERMATH…

Until then, come back next week for the concluding part of THE HUMAN CONDITION, and check back again later this week for more ISOLATION news.

The Human Condition – new free fiction now available is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series