Ari Marmell
| Born | Ari Marmell New York |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Game designer |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Genre | Role-playing games |
Ari Marmell is an American novelist and freelance role-playing game writer.
Novels
[edit]His first novel, Gehenna: The Final Night, was published in 2004 by White Wolf Publishing. Agents of Artifice, a media tie-in novel set in the Magic: The Gathering Planeswalkers game-setting, and published by Wizards of the Coast, followed in November 2009.
His first novel that was not based on a role-playing game was 2010's The Conqueror's Shadow. Reviewing the novel for Booklist, Krista Hutley wrote, "This action-packed, morally gray fantasy has an intriguingly twisty plot, full of magic and political intrigue."[1] Reviewer Clay Kallam wrote that it "has a lot going for it, but it still didn't leave me completely satisfied."[2] The sequel to The Conqueror's Shadow is 2011's The Warlord's Legacy.[3] Library Journal wrote that it "fills a vital niche in the fantasy adventurer genre, one occupied by the heroes of Michael Moorcock's Elric Melniboné novels and C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy."[4]
In 2011, Marmell's novel, The Goblin Corps was published by Pyr. This novel was written from the perspective of the traditional "bad guys": the goblins themselves.
In February 2012, Pyr also released Marmell's Thief's Covenant, first in his "Widdershins Adventures" Young Adult series.[5] It was followed by False Covenant,[6] the second "Widdershins Adventures" novel. The third "Widdershins Adventures" novel was announced on April 24, 2013 along with a preview of the cover art and synopsis. The novel will be published on December 3, 2013 and will be called Lost Covenant.[7]
On February 1, 2012, it was announced Marmell would pen a novel set in the Darksiders universe. Darksiders is a video game series published by THQ and developed by Vigil Games. The novel is titled Darksiders: The Abomination Vault and will be published by Random House Publishing Group. The novel will ship earlier than the actual game, in July, whereas Darksiders 2 will ship in August.[8] It centers around the adventures of Death and War, two of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.[6]
Short fiction
[edit]Notable short stories from Marmell include "The Flight of the Righteous Indignation" from Tales of the Last War (Wizards of the Coast, April 2006), "The Ogre’s Pride," (a tie-in to The Conqueror's Shadow (originally published in Spectra Pulse, April 2010), and "Twenty-One-Oh" from the multimedia anthology, Foreshadows: The Ghosts of Zero (Blindsided Books, February 2012).
Role-playing games
[edit]He has written extensively for the role-playing game industry, including White Wolf Publishing[9] and Wizards of the Coast.
Dungeons & Dragons supplements for which he has written include:
Personal life
[edit]Marmell was born in New York State, but moved to Houston, Texas when he was one year old.[10] He attended college at the University of Houston, graduating in 1996. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, George.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Hutley, Krista (February 1, 2010). "The Conqueror's Shadow", Booklist 106 (11): 36.
- ^ Kallam, Clay (July 4, 2010). "Worlds Beyond", Oakland Tribune.
- ^ Kallam, Clay (May 1, 2011). "Aaronovitch delivers London, Froth and Magic", Contra Costa Times, p. D7.
- ^ Cassada, Jackie (February 15, 2011). "SF/Fantasy", Library Journal 136 (3).
- ^ Marmell, Ari (2012). Thief's Covenant (A Widdershins Adventure). Pyr. ISBN 978-1616145477.
- ^ a b Moench, David (February 15, 2012). "Darksiders Novel Set to Accompany Game Launch" (Press release). THQ.com. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
- ^ "Ari Marmell - Lost Covenant cover art and synopsis reveal" (Press release). Upcoming4.me. April 23, 2013. Archived from the original on April 27, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ Farrelly, Stephen (February 1, 2012). "Darksiders 2 to Ship with Lore-Expanding Novel". Ausgamers.com.]
- ^ D'Ammassa, Don (May 2004). "Toreador/Gehenna: The Final Night/The Puppet-Masters: SF, Fantasy & Horror's Monthly Trade Journal", Chronicle 26 (5): 46.
- ^ "Ari Marmell". Archived from the original on March 21, 2009.
- ^ Marmel, Ari. "Words and Weirdness: The Ecology of the Mouseferatu".
External links
[edit]- Ari Marmell at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- The story behind Hot Lead Cold Iron - Online Essay by Ari Marmell at Upcoming4.me
- "Ari Marmell :: Pen & Paper RPG Database". Archived from the original on February 15, 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
