It looks like Conor Kostick has signed a new batch of copies of Epic. I had written to O'Brien press about getting a signed copy and they wrote back offering to sell me one. So even though anyone who wants can get a signed copy direct from the publisher there continues to be a lot of speculation on EBay.
One person is selling 10 copies of Epic one at a time
Farah Mendlesohn is an editor of Foundation, a lecturer at Middlesex University and the the co-editor of the Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction. She is writing a book called (provisionally), the Inter-Galactic Playground of Children's Science Fiction. To this end she is reading as much children's SF as she can and blogging about it at the Inter-Galactic Playground. So this someone who knows what she is talking about. Here is her review: Epic Complexities: Conor Kostick, Epic (Dublin, O’Brien Press, 2004)
One seller is also offering a rare A3 poster showing the front cover (slight creasing)
On 19-dec-2004 in the Sunday Independent (Ireland), Celia Keenan wrote:
I have placed Conor Kostick's fantasy Epic (O'Brien, €7.95) in the young adult category, even though it is marketed for a slightly younger age group. The older young-adult reader would appreciate all that this very exciting first novel hasto offer in terms of its political, social and psychological themes and its challenging use of language. The Epic of the title is a fantasy role-play computer game, played for very high stakes in an otherwise drab futuristic world. The game offers colour, excitement and the possibility of enormous wealth to an exhausted and dispirited people. The hero of the novel, Eric, with his friends, sets out to win the game, and overcomes many terrifying obstacles. In the end he must overcome the game itself. This is, in my view, the most important Irish novel of this year. It would appeal particularly to boys who enjoy computer and role-play games, and who may be uneasy or hesitant about joining the adult world, but like all good books it has something to say to everyone.The original review is online here (but note that registration is required, asks intrusive questions, and does not seem to work). Celia Keenan is Director of the MA programme in Children's Literature and a lecturer in the English Department at St Patrick's College Drumcondra.
This one has a picture of the inscription. Plus the seller claims that this is:
One of only 10 signed/dated/lined copies available at this point in time, so Conor tells me.The seller also compares Epic to Dragon Tamers by Emma Urquhart. There are some amusing discussions of that book's hype here , here and here.
The first copy of Epic sold for £20.01. I asked the seller where he got it from:
The book was purchased directly from the publisher who had the author sign them for me . So yes it is guaranteed authentic Regards BillI wondered how he was able to do this, his reply:
I do have contacts, as you can see from E-bay rating I've been selling books for a number of years now Regards BillI asked the publisher, O'Brien Press, whether they would sell me a signed first edition. So far there has been no reply.
Someone is selling signed first editions of Epic on eBay. See the image below. Don't try to click as it just an image. The seller has two copies for sale, but where did they come from? Are they genuine?
Welcome To Epic: Press Start To Play . On New Earth, Epic is not just a computer game, it's a matter of life and death. If you lose, you lose everything; if you win, the world is yours for the taking. Seeking revenge for the unjust treatment of his parents, Erik subverts the rules of the game, and he and his friends are drawn into a world of power-hungry, dangerous players. Now they must fight the ultimate masters of the game - The Committee. But what Erik doesn't know is that The Committee has a sinister, deadly secret, and challenging it could destroy the whole world of Epic.
