Category Archives: Publication
One day until Iron Night!
Sorry, couldn’t help it. But it is incredibly exciting to know that in less than twenty-four hours, my sophomore effort will be on sale in stores, and shipping through Amazon.
Also, Sarah over at Bookworm Blues wrote a review of Iron Night that was so amazing that I cried, so you should definitely go check it out. And then take your last chance to pre-order Iron Night, because it’s going to be available tomorrow!
Two days until Iron Night
Two days! Two days! Two days until Iron Night is published!
Listen, I think this book is pretty amazing. But I wrote it, and I have a bit of a stake in people buying it. So here are a few people who AREN’T me talking about it:
@BookwormBlues Dear Species: My bookish wisdom today is to read @BrennanML’s books. I can’t even wrap my head around how much I’m loving IRON NIGHT.
– Sarah of Bookworm Blues, January 2, 2014
Matt of 52 Book Reviews included it among his Most Anticipated Books of 2014 — and there are some REALLY awesome books on that list!
And Melliane of Between Dreams and Reality just posted a new Iron Night review!
If you do not know the series, I can only recommend you to read it. This is a beautiful discovery, a little different from what we can usually read all that with a clumsy hero who has a sense of duty and justice as anyone else. A new great surprise and I’ll eagerly wait for the third volume.
And Mihir put a great pre-review of Iron Night on Goodreads — here’s one of my favorite parts:
This is an excellent sequel that actually builds up on its predecessor and manages to outshine it in almost every department. Firstly kudos to the author for a strange and savage twist on one of fantasy’s most beloved creations. I was very excited to see how the author utilized an excellent murder mystery and then wove plot threads about family and lineage around it.
Two more days!
Four days until Iron Night!
Happy New Year! Here in Connecticut, we celebrated with a giant snowstorm! (it’s our culture, don’t judge us!) So I got to spend three hours today shoveling. That was plenty of time to think about the Iron Night release — believe me, if I ever get crazy wealthy and famous (think GRRMartin), Crazy Wealthy Spending #1 will be to put my brother on retainer so that every time there’s a crazy snowstorm here, he has to fly out from California and shovel my driveway while I sit inside with a cup of hot cocoa. AND LAUGH.
Anyway, snowmadness aside, there’s lots of excitement, because Iron Night is going to be published in FOUR DAYS! Here, click this link to see actual video footage of what I look like right now:
Yes, I am a sophisticated creature.
Some amazing reviews of Iron Night are already getting posted by some of my very favorite bloggers. Here’s what some of them are saying!
Candace wrote:
I’m definitely a HUGE fan of this series and I’m liking the direction it seems to be taking. I’m curious to see how it plays out and I NEED more Fort and Suzume!
Mogsy wrote:
I can’t recommend these books enough. This sequel was simply amazing, and it was everything I’d hoped for and more. Earlier this year when I read Generation V, I knew this had the potential to become one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series. Well, Iron Night pretty much made that official!
And Julie wrote:
If you are looking for an exceptional urban fantasy read, you must check out Generation V and Iron Night. These are some of the best urban fantasy books I’ve read…ever. The style, the pace, the voice, the characters, the world, the story…all outstanding. A MUST for your bookshelves.
How awesome is that? You’d have to made of stone to not be curious about the book now! And if you’re one of those people who hasn’t read Generation V (and yet strangely still visits my blog — hey, I’m not judging), check out Justin’s awesome inclusion of it as one of the 2013 Juice Box Awards Debut finalists! And let me tell you, when a guy is spending 1/3rd of the review explaining why he usually *doesn’t* like urban fantasy, and STILL recommending an urban fantasy? You should pay attention.
Happy Holidays
Happy (belated) Holidays! Check out that fantastically seasonal photo of Iron Night, sent to me by Annika! It’s now only twelve days until Iron Night is available for sale, so this is tremendously exciting — especially since a whole bunch of some of my favorite people have been reading their copies over the holiday break! (check out the Iron Night Goodreads page for some amazing reviews!)
While you’re waiting for the continuing adventures of Fort (and don’t worry, Suze is definitely back as well! plus a few new faces, and some unexpected reappearances), check out my guest post over at That’s What I’m Talking About The 12 Days of Christmas Movies Countdown. There’s also a fantastic review over at My Bookish Ways, plus Iron Night made a Top 10 (+2) Must Reads of January 2014 list!
Pretty great, right? Plus I even got a few entries for my Fanart Contest! Observe and admire! (and remember that entries can still be sent in, and that the top three entries get free copies of Iron Night!)
Not quite how I pictured Suzume, admittedly, but I understand artistic license. Plus, Skittles is kind of capturing some of her essence, right?
Now that’s in the right species! Plus, who can resist a giggling fox? I certainly cannot.
Alright, so those are the two in the lead? Think you can do better? Send me your entry via Twitter, Facebook, or email!
12 days to Iron Night!
Scaring Elderly Jedi
Sorry, Obi-Wan. I guess I shouldn’t have shrieked *quite* so loudly when I opened up a package today and discovered my first author copy of IRON NIGHT, but it was pretty damn exciting!
Want to have your own moment of scaring elderly Jedi? You can pre-order IRON NIGHT wherever you prefer to buy your books! All pre-orders count as first-week sales, and these are the numbers that my publisher will be paying attention to when deciding whether to order additional Fortitude Scott books!
And do you have any presents left to buy? You should check out this fantastic Holiday Book Guide from Nick at SF Signal! (Generation V is listed as an option, by the way. Hint. Hint.)
Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween with an ARC of Iron Night! This picture is courtesy of MMOGamerChick, whose review copy of Iron Night arrived today! Awesome pic, Mogsy!
Happy Halloween! Hopefully everyone has something fun planned for today, and not just what holiday-themed name they are putting on their Twitter account! (After succumbing to peer pressure, I’ve been ML BOOrennan this week.)
Ever wonder what Fortitude Scott, film major extraordinaire, thinks are the top ten scariest films to watch on Halloween? Ever wonder to what extent Suzume Hollis would mess with that list? Wonder no more, and go over and see it in my guest post for SheWolfReads‘s Creepy Classic Movie Challenge – Fortitude Scott’s Top Ten Scary Movies!
While of course all my spazzy energy is being directed toward the release of Iron Night, people are still discovering and reviewing Generation V! Here are a few recent snippets:
The Troubled Scribe wrote that:
Brennan creates some interesting explanations and back story for vampire breeding and history. There are plenty of exciting fight scenes to make this a fast-paced read and some satisfying bloody gruesomeness that is so necessary for any vampire story.
And Lori at Romancing The Dark Side wrote:
The world building in Generation V is unique and breaks away from the traditional vampire lore. Vampires are not made, but born via “vampire-made surrogates” and are not immortal beings. The addition of the kitsune lore adds even more allure to the story and really speaks to the author’s creativity. I really love that Ms. Brennan introduced an unexplored supernatural being instead of sticking to the “usual” vampire vs. werewolf we typically see in this genre…bravo! The vampires in her world are stronger, darker and a bit creepy, giving the story an edge.
And Nick’s review over at Goodreads had some fantastic things to say:
Suzume Hollis is a character, not a love interest, and because Brennan takes time to establish a believable relationship between her and Fort I won’t feel put upon if they eventually hook up. In fact, I’ll probably cheer – Suzume is just that awesome.
And:
Generation V is unexpectedly awesome. Fortitude Scott manages to confront the issues of life after college and the struggle against genetics in entertaining ways. He’s not your average, hard-boiled urban fantasy protagonist. He’s not your average vampire either. What I find even more exciting than Generation V is the potential this has for a series.
Thanks so much, guys, and I’m so delighted that you gave Generation V a shot! Can’t wait to see what you think of Iron Night in January!
Remember, you can pre-order now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or wherever you prefer to buy your books!
Oh Rapturous Day!
The Iron Night advanced reader’s copies are here!
Woo!
There will be a more thoughtful post to come, but for now — I leave you with the music of happiness and triumph!
Iron Night Page Proofs
The page proofs for Iron Night have arrived! This is pretty exciting, and a little nerve-wracking, since this is the last chance I have to catch any screw-ups before the whole book goes off to print. Let me tell you – pressure is on.
But the book looks really fantastic (admittedly right now it is a pile of pages I carry around in an old file folder, but still), and I really can’t wait to see what people think of it! I’ve gotten fantastic feedback from so many people on Generation V that I’m a little (okay, a LOT) anxious to see how readers respond to the return of Fort and Suzume. Plus there are some new characters, some bigger roles for returning characters, and a few deaths. (not telling who, but yes – I kill. *maniacal laugh*)
In other news – some great new reviews of Generation V since the last time I posted. Here’s what people are saying:
Bastard at Bastard Books wrote:
Generation V is a refreshingly unique novel that all urban fantasy enthusiast should read, and a book capable of encouraging even the most ardent critics of the genre. Very much a page turner, a story that has a lot of heart and much to offer. With an extremely fun novel full of charm, Brennan has written a winner.
Justin at Staffer’s Book Review wrote:
…it’s a vampire novel that surprised me with its originality. What begins as a typical vampire urban fantasy, ends up with a lot in common with Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London. It’s a delightful novel that would strongly recommend to lovers of urban fantasy or urban fantasy doubters (like me) looking to stick a toe in the water.
Kathy F. at Stellar Four wrote:
First of all, my thought through many parts was, “This is effed up.” And it is, wonderfully, magnificently effed up. Horrible things happen, the whole way vampires are created in this world is nightmare fuel, and we have a MC who realizes how messed up his world is but feels powerless.
I also had the pleasure of doing an interview with Matt at 52 Reviews and I really encourage people to check it out – it was definitely the most in-depth interview I’ve ever done, and the result was one of my favorites!
Here’s a sample:
52 Reviews: To take the discussion of vampiric family values a bit further, I found it interesting that Fort and his siblings fall into somewhat predictable models of abnormal psychology while their mother seems to be a completely different model all together. What can you tell us about your processes in creating the matriarch of this family of vampires?
M.L. Brennan: Primarily, I think of her as an adult crocodile. Crocodiles are a pretty interesting species — when they are born, they are around ten inches long, and are preyed on by mammals, birds, and even big fish. They eat bugs, and spend most of their time hiding and trying to avoid being eaten. But you take that little creature, and (if nothing eats it) it is going to grow into this massive, tough, absolute apex predator that has pretty much no natural predators except other crocodiles.
If you could sit crocodiles down on a therapist’s couch, and assuming a few factors, namely, a) The crocodiles didn’t eat the therapist, b) The therapist had somehow found a way to communicate with the crocodiles, and c) That the crocodiles actually had a complex interior landscape, I think that would be pretty interesting. Because here’s a creature that goes from pretty much being everything’s dinner — and not just for one or two seasons, but for a very serious number of years, and the mommy crocodile stops responding to its distress peeps after the first few weeks — and in fear of everything to this absolute boss of the river with just about nothing being a real danger to it. That’s kind of neat when you think about it. To me, it would suggest that as little as I think I would really be able to understand or empathize with a crocodile, even with a helpful translating therapist (mostly because of the reptile thing, to be honest), I think that it would be almost equally difficult for its offspring to understand or empathize with the adults of the species.
That is admittedly kind of a weird genesis for a character’s psychology, but that’s how I picture Madeline, the vampire matriarch, and it helps me write her.
Pretty neat, right?
Regarding the writing, I just delivered the manuscript of Book 3 to my editor, so I have a little time before the response to that gets back. Iron Night page proofs are due back on September 24, so after that I’ll probably be seeing about lining up some publicity, maybe scheduling a blog tour. I definitely have a slightly larger rolodex than last time, and I really can’t wait until I get my hot little hands on some ARCs, because I am so looking forward to handing a few copies off to a few bloggers who I made friends with last time around.
Oh, and by the by – if you love RPG games with a strong sci-fi storytelling base? You really need to check out this kickstarter for Ambrov X – I’ve already donated money!