News from John

Links to interviews, trailers and other media
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metoo
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Re: News from John

Post by metoo » Thu Aug 03, 2017 5:37 am

John's next novel, "X - the last place".

Here's the cover:

Image

The facebook page John's publisher maintains says that 150 copies of the novel will be available at the crime writing festival Crimetime in Visby on Friday and Saturday.

From the publisher's website:

"In the fall of 2016 a wave of suicides passed through the underworld of Stockholm."

Thus begins John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel X - The last place, the concluding part of the trilogy that was begun with Himmelstrand and The Movement.

Once upon a time, crime journalist Tommy T was the darling of all of Sweden, but in recent years his star has fallen. The investigation of the suicides is to be his resurrection. Together with his dog Hagge, he digs into the mystery of the evasive figure 'X' that seems to be behind everything. The traces lead to a huge party of cocaine and to an infinite field of short cut grass and a sky without a sun.

At the same time, Tommy's nephew Linus is drawn deeper into X's business. He is 17 years old and lives in the megalomanian high-rise building Gårdsstugan. Ever since he at the age of 13 started selling his own ADHD medicine, he has dreamed of becoming a dealer in the higher divisions. When he finally gets the chance, the business turns out to be both more dangerous and stranger than he could imagine.

X - The last place is a supernatural crime novel where petty crime crosses the preternatural. There is a bigger plan behind what happens and a lot points towards the Brunkeberg tunnel. Powers beyond human control seep into the suburbs and change Stockholm.

Somebody up there must like us. Or not
Google's translation, edited by me.

Footnotes:
Somebody up there must like me - Nån däruppe måste gilla mig - is a song of Peter Himmelstrand.

I believe Gårdsstugan is modeled after Grindtorp, a residential area featuring huge buildings adjacent to the road John would use to go from his home to Stockholm. Here's a view from the road as well.
Last edited by metoo on Sun Aug 27, 2017 2:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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a_contemplative_life
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Re: News from John

Post by a_contemplative_life » Thu Aug 03, 2017 11:03 am

It's be great if the series were available in English here in the States!
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CyberGhostface
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Re: News from John

Post by CyberGhostface » Mon Aug 07, 2017 2:09 pm

Normally I'd say it's par for the course for the US release to be this late but to be behind on an entire trilogy is kind of worrying. :|
No banaaaanas?

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metoo
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Re: News from John

Post by metoo » Wed Aug 09, 2017 3:19 pm

I found an interview with John (in Swedish). It says:
  • John's upcoming novel X: Den sista platsen is an attempt to write in the hard-boiled style. John read some Raymond Chandler beforehand to get inspiration.
  • The working title of John's next novel is "Vänligheten" (The Kindness). One of the themes of the novel is the kindness people show each other. It will be firmly set in Norrköping, similar to the way LtROI is set in Blackeberg.
  • John is contemplating whether he should follow his publisher's suggestion and publish a book containing parts of all the notes he has made in preparation of each book. I certainly would like to read it!
  • John is working on scripts for two TV series, one for a Swedish and one for a foreign TV company.
  • Hanteringen av odöda, which has been in the pipeline for more than a decade, is not likely to be shot. There are currently too many zombie projects around...
  • The next trend in the horror genre is ghosts.
  • John contemplates including demons in his next book.
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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Pissball
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Re: News from John

Post by Pissball » Thu Oct 12, 2017 2:10 pm

To those avid readers of JAL: Would yo say that there's a possible "JAL world"
Elements connected in many stories, I'm not speaking about style and subjects, rather in the fictitious elements, characters, mythos, scenarios, etc.

Could many JAL stories work altogether ? let's say in misterious town a la "Twin Peaks" or "Wayward Pines" (in the case of a tv show e.g) in which Oskar, Eli, the zombies of HTU, or the mythology behind Harbour inserts as one same story?

I just read some reviews on Harbour, and LTODD, and apparently one of the stories (Village in the sky) is set in Blackeberg and touch similar lovecraftian elements than Harbour, that's interesting.

Im still infected by LTROI, but now I finally go for more JAL, and the next step is Harbour indeed, because HTU doesn't call my attention enough, and only LTROI, Harbour, HTU and Little Star are in spanish, I just can't read a whole novel in english, only short stories, that's why I'll read LTODD after that, and the other short story collections.

The other JAL work that seems very interesting is Himmelstrand.

As for the most LTORI-ish work (speaking of the characters) is apparently Little Star.

I'm one of the few here who is a hardcore LTORI (Book) fan rather than movie fan, so this means I really liked his style, and the story as whole, the gore, subplots, etc that many movie fans disliked.

Edit:
I just read some reviews on HtU (in this forum), which also have many sub-tramas and different POV, like I said I did liked it in LTROI, but I wonder how that works in other JAL stories :think: because that seems to be it biggest problem. I'm still more interested in Harbor.

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metoo
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Re: News from John

Post by metoo » Thu Oct 12, 2017 3:01 pm

Pissball wrote:To those avid readers of JAL: Would yo say that there's a possible "JAL world"
Elements connected in many stories, I'm not speaking about style and subjects, rather in the fictitious elements, characters, mythos, scenarios, etc.

Could many JAL stories work altogether ? let's say in misterious town a la "Twin Peaks" or "Wayward Pines" (in the case of a tv show e.g) in which Oskar, Eli, the zombies of HTU, or the mythology behind Harbour inserts as one same story?
To me, it appears that JAL's different works each live in a separate mysterious world. The real world, however, may coincide.
Thus, in LtROI vampires exist. In Border, trolls. In Village in the sky, some other unnamable horror. And so on...

This, I think, is a boon. You can read JAL's books in any order, and you don't have to read them all. I quite dislike the current practice of producing eternal series of sequels and prequels and interquels, and I'm happy that JAL doesn't write in that way.
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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Pissball
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Re: News from John

Post by Pissball » Thu Oct 12, 2017 3:33 pm

Oh God, No, f+cking trilogies/sagas no please. LOL
Unless they were like Henryk Sienkiewicz's historical "trilogy" or such.

I wasn't talk about that, rather in connect elements of different stories and how they work together.

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metoo
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Re: News from John

Post by metoo » Thu Oct 12, 2017 5:51 pm

Pissball wrote:Oh God, No, f+cking trilogies/sagas no please. LOL
Well, John’s last three novels are actually a trilogy...

But trilogies are ok, if they are intended as such from the onset. It’s the never ending attempts to continue profiting on an initial successful concept that I dislike.

Better to try a new idea, I think.
Pissball wrote: I wasn't talk about that, rather in connect elements of different stories and how they work together.
Like I said before, John’s fiction tend to be quite free-standing. However, there is one theme that reoccurs: The possibility (and necessity) of love.
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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Pissball
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Re: News from John

Post by Pissball » Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:21 pm

metoo wrote:
Pissball wrote:Oh God, No, f+cking trilogies/sagas no please. LOL
Unless they were like Henryk Sienkiewicz's historical "trilogy" or such
Well, John’s last three novels are actually a trilogy...
That seems to be the case.
Anyway I don't hate trilogies either, but Im tired of all of this "sagas -trilogies-tatralogies" so common now, espcially in fantasy lit, but also in many other genres, is like the editors asks the writers to do that in order to sale more, I guess.

Only Himmelstrand (I Am behind you) is translated in english i think.

The spanish title to Harbor is "Puerto Humano" (Human Harbour) and for Handling the Undead is "Descanza en Paz" (Rest in Peace), the literal translation from english would be "Tratando Con Los No-Muertos" but it doesn't sound too good. I know the meaning of the title is handling/dealing/living with the undead.

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metoo
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Re: News from John

Post by metoo » Mon Oct 16, 2017 10:49 am

The Swedish title of Harbour, "Människohamn", has a complex meaning that is lost in the translation.

The word as such (människohamn) would mean roughly "appearance of a human". However, it is combined of two words, "människa" and "hamn", and while in this combination the latter part means "appearance", it would by its own normally mean "harbour". Therefore, the title of the novel could also be read as "human harbour".
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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