Candy Jar Books have just announced their upcoming, limited edition, Lethbridge-Stewart novella, titled ‘The Lost Skin’!
‘The Lost Skin’ is part of the Lethbridge-Stewart range and will be written by Andy Frankham-Allen, who is also the Range Editor. Frankham-Allen has written a number of Lethbridge-Stewart stories and though he recently had to put ‘Day of the Intelligence’ aside we’re very happy to have new material from him.
Plot
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart is on leave in New York, but in Scotland word reaches the Fifth Operational Corps that Harold Chorley, journalist and pain in Lethbridge-Stewart’s rear, has got wind of the Corps’ presence in Stirling.
A plan is set in motion to take Chorley on a wild goose chase to John o Groats, as far from the Corps as possible. RSM Samson Ware and Professor Travers travel to the edge of Scotland, leaving a trail of breadcrums, which are picked by Chorley and his old chum, Larry Greene.
Origins Of The Story
The Lost Skin has a bit of a history of its own when it comes to being published. It was intended to be a novella, originally, but parts 1 & 2 were printed in as shorts in The HAVOC Files. Writer and Range Editor Frankham-Allen discusses the origins. “When I first came up with the idea for The Lost Skin, or When Harry Met Larry as I called it then, I didn’t even tell Shaun (Russell, Candy Jar head of publishing) about it, intending to simply write it without worrying about a deadline, and then let him know it existed. But when it became clear that The HAVOC Files 2 was under length I mentioned the novella, and Shaun suggested we serialise it.”
Frankham-Allen continues, “I was a little cautious, but decided to go for it. Sadly, when I was trying to work on part three, a few things occurred in my personal life which brought on the horrid return of depression and I just knew there was no way I could complete The Lost Skin in such a piecemeal way.”
Not wanting to simply add-on to what he already had, Frankham-Allen wanted to give readers more. He continues “…I would add material to the first two parts so that the novella version would contain a good fifty percent new material. This way, not only do I tell the story properly, but the readers will get enough new material that, for those who read parts one and two, they will feel like they’re almost reading a new book.”
Cover Art
One of the best things about the Lethbridge-Stewart book range are the covers. Cover art for ‘The Lost Skin’ is done by Adrian Salmon, who has done quite a few Lethbridge-Stewart books, and was specifically chosen by Frankham-Allen because of his “Stark Style”.
The cover showcases characters Harold Chorley, Larry Greene and Samson Ware with the setting of the book, Orkney Islands. Salmon says of his cover: “I love a good symbolic cover, and this was the perfect opportunity by showing Samson examining the empty skin representing the mystery of the Selkie that gives title to Andy’s book.”
Pre-order The Lost Skin
You can pre-order your limited edition hardcover copy of ‘The Lost Skin’ for £12.99 at Candy Jar Books, or at the new Lethbridge-Stewart website where you can find out all the latest news and enjoy all things Brigadier related!
