Candy Jar Books have announced the next in their range of
Lethbridge-Stewart novels:
The Dreamer's LamentWritten by Benjamin Burford-JonesCover by Martin BainesWhile visiting his mother, Lethbridge-Stewart is a little perturbed when Harold Chorley calls to ask for his help. A train has gone missing near Bristol, and Chorley is convinced it has something to do with the Keynsham Triangle, where over fifty people have vanished without trace since the early 1800s.
Elsewhere, Anne Travers is coming to terms with a loss in her family, and sets about preparing for a funeral. However, news reaches her that both Lethbridge-Stewart and Chorley have gone missing, and her help is required to find them. And, hopefully, solve the mystery of the Keynsham Triangle.
What connects the missing train to the Triangle, what has it got to do with a Wren from World War II, and just why does it appear that Lethbridge-Stewart and Chorley are in the village of Keynsham in 1815?
The answers lie in the Dreamer’s Lament, and a strange being called the Loa.
The Dreamer’s Lament is written by newcomer to the range,
Benjamin Burford-Jones, who previously wrote the children’s novel
Beware of the Mirror Man for Candy Jar Books. It originates from an unpublished Second Doctor novel Ben wrote several years earlier, and was an early contender in the
Lethbridge-Stewart series, as range editor
Andy Frankham-Allen elaborates:
Shaun (Russell, head of publishing) brought the story to me during the early days of the series, but it took me a while to get to it. I was impressed by the core story, and realised that an almost page-one rewrite would be needed, but there were enough key elements contained in the original story for me to see how it would fit Lethbridge-Stewart. The hardest part to work out was the time travel aspect.
Ben was more than happy to rework the story:
When I was asked to adapt my unpublished book, how could I resist the challenge? It was an honour to add to the continuing adventures of Lethbridge-Stewart. Of course, I couldn’t resist setting the adventure in my home town of Keynsham.
When I first saw the wonderful artwork, I was over the moon. The cover sums up the story perfectly. It was almost as if Martin had read my mind.
The cover art in question is by
Martin Baines, creating his second piece of
Lethbridge-Stewart work after last year’s
Times Squared. Martin says:
I really wanted to do justice to such imaginative story. The mixture of voodoo and time travel, plus zombie animals makes this a story a gift for a cover artist. Coming from an advertising background I usually draw cute dogs and cats, so I found that the main focal point of the cover was a real test for me having to make them as horrific as possible.
The Dreamer’s Lament has a foreword by Shaun:
I’ve known Ben for thirty-two years, after a chance meeting at a Bristol sci-fi shop. Alongside Doctor Who, Ben has always had an interest in all things zombie. He has even made his own zombie puppet. It seems quite natural for him to combine his two loves in this book.
The novel is available for pre-order now, individually, as part of the discounted UK bundle, or as an international bundle. It is also available as part of a yearly subscription offer - full details can be found via
Candy Jar's website.
In addition, Candy Jar is launching its very first Summer Bumper Sale. Deals include:
- 2 for 1 on selected Lethbridge-Stewart novels
- 2 for £10 on selected Candy Jar titles
- Low-low discounts on selected other books
- Plus a couple of freebies available too!
For more information please visit
their website.