Apocalypse War Dossier (novel) - released November 2022

[JohnW]

Oh yeah, Lawman – I should have said right off the bat. Your feedback is hugely appreciated. I'm delighted you liked the book. Many thanks.

[JohnW]

Right.
Now I'm genuinely offended.
I've only just noticed that the title of the first volume in the omnibus edition isn't given as Pack Instinct but as 'Pact Instinct'.
I mean it's only the bloody title, written there in big bloody letters on the front page. How hard can it be to get it right?
It also appears to be consistently misspelled on the contents page of the Kindle edition.
If this – and the other editing glitches – were my fault, I'd apologise.
'Pact Instinct.' Fuck's sake.

[Lawman of the Present]

Only just seen your previous reply JWare, you're most welcome. Thank you for an entertaining read!

I too didn't notice 'Pact Instinct', how frustrating. The only typo I noticed while making obsessive and pedantic (but evidently not enough so) chronology notes was p429 where McGruder is referred to as "McGrudger"! Otherwise, I thought it was airtight and fit very nicely into the canon.

[JohnW]

'McGrudger'? Bloody hell.
I've noticed a couple of editorial hiccups in vol. 2. Besides omitting italics, some bright spark thought to improve my prose and slightly mangled the meaning in doing so. I won't draw attention to them by saying exactly where these errors can be found.
However, you will be pleased to know, Lawman, that when I ascend to greatness I will make you my nitpicker-in-chief. (Your staff can do the work while you sit behind a large desk and dispense patronage.)

[Lawman of the Present]

I've finished adding the novellas to my chronology project, and it appears there's a wonderful little reference at the end of Ch. 6 which links directly to a panel in The Apocalypse War pt. 23, suggesting we see Mercer, Steinman and Robinson in the comic itself (wherein they are unnamed):

Novella Ch. 6:
"They were almost afraid to hope, but they'd seen enough nuclear fireballs to know that what they were seeing now had to be TADs. Dredd had actually pulled it off. He'd totalled East-Meg One. So, the Mega-City Judges had a chance at last."

AW pt. 23, page 3, panel 2-3
Caption: To many of the beleaguered resistance fighters, the meaning is clear -
Judge 1: TADs! Gotta be!
Judge 2: Then - Dredd's succeeded! He's totalled 'East-Meg One!
Judge 1: We've got a chance at last! Hit those East-Megs with everything you've got!

From the above, I'm inferring that Judge 1 is Steinman, while Judge 2 is Mercer. What I assume to be Robinson is seen in panel 2 with no dialogue.

[WhizzBang]

I am mid way through the second volume and I can see that the writer has posted here so I just wanted to drop a message to say I am enjoying this and it all feels right. Thanks!

[JohnW]

...it all feels right.

Really glad you're enjoying it, WhizzBang*. When I pitched this to Rebellion I solemnly swore on a copy of Prog 245 that I would be faithful to the source material, so help me Tharg.

*(Are you indeed named after a 7.7cm shell?)

[JohnW]

it appears there's a wonderful little reference at the end of Ch. 6 which links directly to a panel in The Apocalypse War pt. 23, suggesting we see Mercer, Steinman and Robinson in the comic itself

We've never met, Lawman, but I wrote this book for someone exactly like you. [big pink heart emoji]

Carlos didn't draw my characters quite as I'd envisaged them, but there they are. Well spotted.

[sheridan]

Meant to get it when it came out.  Forgot.  Ordered now.  Shall have to not read it for a bit so that I forget all the spoilers I read on this thread!