I'm a little bit ashamed to say that Angry Robot only came to my attention because Zoo City - a grimy, gritty sci-fi set in a South Africa plagued by spirit animals – won the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke award. I picked up a copy before a jaunt away and loved it. That got me intrigued, and since then I've read 4 Angry Robot books, and am looking forward to more.

Angry Robot seem to be an imprint with a difference, they really don't feel the need to do things by the book (excuse the pun), and as such they come up with some truly innovative ideas.

The latest of these is the subscription service, set up to celebrate their 2nd birthday. For a measly 69 quid you will receive every ebook they publish over the next 12 months, with a minimum of 24. A bargain I think. To be honest, of the 4 books I've read of theirs, I've only enjoyed 3 – Mistification by Kaaron Warren was beautifully written but far too ambitious, it didn't know what sort of book it wanted to be and as such was a struggle to read – but there are plenty of readers out there that trust them enough to make the jump, and I doubt they'll be disappointed.

The second innovation, and the thing I most want to shout from the roof tops about, is the Angry Robot Army. Basically, if you have a blog or website that deals with Angry Robot-esque books you can join and receive e-ARCs (Advanced Reading Copy), print ARC and interviews, all in on an easy to use website. No more waiting weeks to hear back from publishers, just log in, choose an eARC and start reading. Brilliant. I imagine that little gem boosted the amount of reviews being published dramatically, in turn increasing exposure to their books and sales. It is that sort of idea that can make a marketing man like myself very happy.

Anyway, check out our latest Angry Robot review – Hard Spell by Justin Gustianis

JA – Proud member of the Angry Robot Army