A LOCAL author is set to sign copies of his latest book in Penarth this weekend.

Peter Higgins, who went to school in Penarth, will be signing copies of his second novel 'Truth and Fear' at Windsor Bookshop on Saturday, March 29.

Peter's debut novel 'Wolfhound Century' immediately gathered enthusiastic reviews when it was published last year, by top British and American publishers Gollancz and Orbit, with The Independent calling it "rather wonderful" and the British Fantasy Society describing it as "a thrilling masterpiece".

'Truth and Fear' is the second book in the trilogy that began with 'Wolfhound Century', and continues the story of Police Investigator Vissarion Lom as he pursues the master terrorist Josef Kantor.

The action opens in the city of Mirgorod, which bears a strong resemblance to St Petersburg, Prague and Vienna in the early 20th century, and the chase continues to the Eastern steppe of a land a lot like Russia.

"'Truth and Fear' is a thriller in a fantasy setting," said Peter.

"I grew up reading thrillers and I love their atmosphere of tension and excitement. By setting the story in an imagined place I've been able to bring in fantasy and mythical ideas as well, and use them to explore some of the incredibly important history of Russia and central Europe in the last century."

He added: "The books have been great fun to write and I'm absolutely delighted that readers are enjoying them so much too."

The American book magazine Kirkus has already praised 'Truth and Fear' as a book which "combines alternate history with myth and legends and blends them together into something altogether refreshing and compelling".

"It's been fantastic that 'Wolfhound Century' has received such a brilliant response from readers on both sides of the Atlantic and in Europe where it's now out in translation in French, Polish and Finnish," said Peter.

"'Truth and Fear' cranks up the tension of the story and introduces a whole new set of threads to the plot, to keep readers wondering what will happen next."

'Wolfhound Century' was chosen as Book of the Year 2013 by the website SFBook.com and was selected by the influential American science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus for their 2013 Recommended Reading List.

Peter's website www.wolfhoundcentury.com gives links to interviews he's given about his writing, with SFX magazine, the British Science Fiction Association and a number of British and American websites, as well as reviews of his work.

Peter Higgins will be signing copies of 'Truth and Fear' and 'Wolfhound Century' on Saturday, March 29, from 11am to 12pm at the Windsor Bookshop.