The final novel in Candy Jar Books’ anniversary series of Lethbridge-Stewart books, The Laughing Gnome has been announced as On His Majesty’s National Service, written by Lynette Nusbacher and David A McIntee.
The book picks up where the previous left off, and sees our heroes going back in time to the 1950s and the Korean War. As a young man Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart never wanted to follow in his illustrious family military history; he just wanted to be a math’s teacher. But then the Korean War broke out and he was called up for National Service. He soon met Spencer Pemberton – and his life was changed forever!
As well titles in such franchises as Doctor Who and Star Trek, McIntee previously wrote the second Lethbridge-Stewart novel, The Schizoid Earth, way back in 2015. In our review of his book, we said:
“With plenty of chase scenes, paranoia, and red herrings, this second outing for Lethbridge-Stewart is a wonderful thriller, and definitely one not to miss.”
The cover for On His Majesty’s National Service is by Steve Beckett, the man behind the design and artwork of spin-off series, The Lucy Wilson Mysteries.
Range Editor, Andy Frankham-Allen explains:
“We knew we wanted a Commando-style cover, and it took us a while to remember we had an artist who has done some work featuring military characters over the years. Although Steve is primarily known for his Beano work (as evidenced by the style of the Lucy Wilson covers), he can turn his hand to many different styles. As usual, I consulted the author, asked him what he wanted, and we then sent these suggestions to Steve.”
Steve Beckett says:
“I was thrilled to be invited to illustrate the cover for the Lethbridge-Stewart novel On His Majesty’s National Service. This allowed me to depart from my usual cartoony art style seen on the Lucy Wilson books and work in a style influenced by some of my childhood favourite comics, Battle picture weekly and Commando. I really enjoyed working on the piece which involved a little research into the Korean War and particularly the Hungarian army. I hope regular readers enjoy the explosive cover art and my rendition of a young moustache less Lethbridge-Stewart.”
About the cover, author David A McIntee says:
“I wanted both Lethbridge-Stewart and Hooper on the cover, as well as two Korean characters, with Lethbridge-Stewart and Hooper in Hungarian uniforms, just to further tease the audience and make them wonder why… And, I’m glad to say, the final result is pretty much exactly what I’d imagined. I’ve been lucky to have some great covers over the years, and this is easily right up there with them.”
Subscribers to The Laughing Gnome series will get On His Majesty’s National Service as part of the six-book bundle. Otherwise, you can pre-order the novel for £8.99 (plus postage) from Candy Jar. The book is due for release soon.
