Matthew Swift

[trollneedsfood]

Okay, so, I love Matthew Swift. Anyone who reads my profile can figure that out. He's my favorite book character ever, and that's saying a lot. The author's style is interesting and fresh, and even my most cynical friend (you know who you are) admits to liking her style and wanting to read the book.

So why does nobody know who he is?

I have some ideas. To start with, the first time I actually saw a physical copy of A Madness of Angels was when I was in San Francisco for Christmas last year. I'd been trying to find it for several years just to try it out, and bought it immediately.

Secondly, it's British. I've noticed that a lot of books published by UK companies tend to wallow in obscurity in the US unless they have names like Pratchett and Gaiman attached to them (like Good Omens, which happens to have both names attached). There are a few notable exceptions, but AMOA is not one of them.

Thirdly, it wasn't promoted in the US. It just appeared. I was specifically looking for new urban fantasy novels when I ran across it in passing.

But even though those are logical reasons, it still doesn't explain why nobody has heard of him.

HE'S A SORCERER WITH CHILDISH GODLIKE BEINGS LIVING INSIDE HIS HEAD WHO CAN WREATH ELECTRICITY INTO CRACKLING BLUE ELECTRIC FIRE AROUND HIS FISTS! On what planet does that not sound like fun?

In closing, here's a quote:
"Welcome to telephone banking! To change your credit card details, please press one. To check your current account balance, press two. To dance in fire until the end of your days, please press three. Hi, this is Mara speaking; sorry, I'm out at the moment, but if you could leave your message after the beep, I'll be sure to get back to you when the shadows have swept down the wall. Thanks! Which service do you require, police, fire, ambulance or exorcist? To cancel a direct debit, please press the star key. To send your soul across the infinite void faster than the blink of the mind dreaming in the moonlight, please press hash now."