Back in 2012, my first novel, Babylon Steel, was published.
That seems a long time ago, and, well, it is. A great deal has happened, in the world and in my personal life, some of it great, some…not so much.
But back then, in the Before Times, my newly-hatched novel hit the shelves. It got some nice reviews, but didn’t quite find its audience.
Last year, my publisher, Solaris, decided to give it another chance. Babylon Steel has a new name, and a new cover. On 4 January 2022, nearly ten years after its first appearance, it will burst upon the world (again) as Bad Gods, with cover art by the splendid Stephen Player, who has also done Discworld art (be still my fannish heart!) as well as a great deal of other wonderful work.
Due to personal circumstances, I haven’t been doing as much promotion as I should have. I hope that despite this, Babylon, Laney, Bitternut, Flower, the Twins and the city of Scalentine will garner some new fans. I’m very fond of these characters, and I look forward to seeing how they fare.
If you’ve already read the book in its original incarnation, and know someone who hasn’t and might like it, I’d appreciate you mentioning it. If you haven’t read it then…please do, and enjoy!
All tastes! All species! All currencies!
You can find anything in Scalentine, the city of portals, but you won’t find a better brothel than the Red Lantern. And its proprietor, Babylon Steel (ex-mercenary, ex-priestess, ex… lots of things), means to keep it that way.
But a prurient cult are protesting in the streets, sex workers are disappearing, and Babylon has bills to pay. When the powerful Diplomatic Section hires her – off the books – to find a missing heiress, she has to take the job.
And then her past starts to catch up with her…

Now available from all your favourite retailers such as Waterstones, and Amazon. Or you can support your local bookstores and get it from Bookshop.org!
Loved the book when I first read it. Best of luck with the new incarnation
Thank you!
I have the original, but… I gotta have the new one too. Ordered! 🙂
Oh bless you, that’s going above and beyond! (But I do adore the new cover).
I live in hope someone will persuade you to write more. 🙂
Wonderful books, good luck with the relaunch, everyone needs to read these books.
Please write a few more Babylon Steel books, please, please, please. 😀
Best wishes.
Hi Kindleworm! (Great handle btw.) I hope there may be more Babylon books in the future – some of that will depend on the response to the relaunch, so…tell your friends!
Best of luck with the this1 I enjoyed Babylon Steel a lot when it first came out.
Thanks Carole!
Lovely cover art, too.
All the very best with it. Babylon needs to be out there.
Thanks Colm. Isn’t it a great cover? I love it. (Loved the last one too, but this has a very different feel).
Hi Gaie!
I absolutely loved Bad Gods and I’m so grateful for this reprint introducing me to Babylon Steel and the Red Lantern crew, as well as your work.
I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know on Amazon.co.uk it’s suffering in reviews because it’s not listed as Babylon Steel book 1 or as a reprint. Reviewers are nastily downvoting it as a result. I know that this is something that the publishers have chosen to do for promotional reasons and is not your choice, I thought that you might want to mention it to someone. Even if they listed it as part of the Babylon Steel series rather than it looking like a standalone book, that would probably make a huge difference.
I really enjoyed the book and want to see the reprint do well. I hope my review will help counteract their low reviews.