Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Ebook Anthologies and the new Story Bundle

I'm developing quite a stack of books I've bought via special deals/kickstarters online, that I haven't had time to read yet.  But there are always more deals and more books to buy and (not) read.  :P

Here are a few you might find interesting:

1. Story Bundle has their new package up and it's packed full of science fiction.

The bundle includes:
  • Hopscotch by Kevin J. Anderson
  • In Hero Years...I'm Dead by Michael A. Stackpole
  • On My Way to Paradise by David Farland
  • Santiago by Mike Resnick
  • Swarm by B. V. Larson
  • The Disappeared by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
You can pay what you want for the books, but if you pay over $10 you get these as well:
  • The Stars in Shroud by Gregory Benfore
  • High-Opp by Frank Herbert
They're calling High-Opp "an edgy dystopia of class warfare", which not only forces me to buy this bundle, but to get the upgrade.  Definitely worth it!

2. Long Hidden, an anthology by Crossed Genres, had a successful kickstarter campaign.  They're leaving a paypal option up until the end of July if you didn't sign up before and are interested in getting it.  What's it about?  From their website:

Most written chronicles of history, and most speculative stories, put rulers, conquerors, and invaders front and center. People with less power, money, or status—enslaved people, indigenous people, people of color, queer people, laborers, women, people with disabilities, the very young and very old, and religious minorities, among others—are relegated to the margins. Today, mainstream history continues to perpetuate one-sided versions of the past while mistelling or erasing the stories of the rest of the world. 
There is a long and honorable legacy of literary resistance to erasure. This anthology partakes of that legacy. It will feature stories from the margins of speculative history, each taking place between 1400 and the early 1900s and putting a speculative twist—an element of science fiction, fantasy, horror, or the unclassifiably strange—on real past events.


There is a long and honorable legacy of literary resistance to erasure. This anthology partakes of that legacy. It will feature stories from the margins of speculative history, each taking place between 1400 and the early 1900s and putting a speculative twist—an element of science fiction, fantasy, horror, or the unclassifiably strange—on real past events.
- See more at: http://longhidden.com/#sthash.AhryUbze.dpuf
Most written chronicles of history, and most speculative stories, put rulers, conquerors, and invaders front and center. People with less power, money, or status—enslaved people, indigenous people, people of color, queer people, laborers, women, people with disabilities, the very young and very old, and religious minorities, among others—are relegated to the margins. Today, mainstream history continues to perpetuate one-sided versions of the past while mistelling or erasing the stories of the rest of the world.
There is a long and honorable legacy of literary resistance to erasure. This anthology partakes of that legacy. It will feature stories from the margins of speculative history, each taking place between 1400 and the early 1900s and putting a speculative twist—an element of science fiction, fantasy, horror, or the unclassifiably strange—on real past events.
- See more at: http://longhidden.com/#sthash.AhryUbze.dpuf
Most written chronicles of history, and most speculative stories, put rulers, conquerors, and invaders front and center. People with less power, money, or status—enslaved people, indigenous people, people of color, queer people, laborers, women, people with disabilities, the very young and very old, and religious minorities, among others—are relegated to the margins. Today, mainstream history continues to perpetuate one-sided versions of the past while mistelling or erasing the stories of the rest of the world.
There is a long and honorable legacy of literary resistance to erasure. This anthology partakes of that legacy. It will feature stories from the margins of speculative history, each taking place between 1400 and the early 1900s and putting a speculative twist—an element of science fiction, fantasy, horror, or the unclassifiably strange—on real past events.
- See more at: http://longhidden.com/#sthash.AhryUbze.dpuf
Most written chronicles of history, and most speculative stories, put rulers, conquerors, and invaders front and center. People with less power, money, or status—enslaved people, indigenous people, people of color, queer people, laborers, women, people with disabilities, the very young and very old, and religious minorities, among others—are relegated to the margins. Today, mainstream history continues to perpetuate one-sided versions of the past while mistelling or erasing the stories of the rest of the world.
There is a long and honorable legacy of literary resistance to erasure. This anthology partakes of that legacy. It will feature stories from the margins of speculative history, each taking place between 1400 and the early 1900s and putting a speculative twist—an element of science fiction, fantasy, horror, or the unclassifiably strange—on real past events.
- See more at: http://longhidden.com/#sthash.AhryUbze.dpuf
Most written chronicles of history, and most speculative stories, put rulers, conquerors, and invaders front and center. People with less power, money, or status—enslaved people, indigenous people, people of color, queer people, laborers, women, people with disabilities, the very young and very old, and religious minorities, among others—are relegated to the margins. Today, mainstream history continues to perpetuate one-sided versions of the past while mistelling or erasing the stories of the rest of the world.
There is a long and honorable legacy of literary resistance to erasure. This anthology partakes of that legacy. It will feature stories from the margins of speculative history, each taking place between 1400 and the early 1900s and putting a speculative twist—an element of science fiction, fantasy, horror, or the unclassifiably strange—on real past events.
- See more at: http://longhidden.com/#sthash.AhryUbze.
The ebook (in multiple formats) is $10, if you want the paperback as well it's $25 (for US), $32 (international). They're still accepting submissions for the anthology until the end of the month.

3. Finally there's Upgraded, "an original science fiction anthology for the cyborg age. Edited by a cyborg. Stronger. Better. Faster. We will rebuild you."

Edited by Hugo nominated Clarksworld Magazine editor Neil Clarke, the collection boasts stories by:
  • Elizabeth Bear 
  • Helena Bell 
  • Tobias S. Buckell 
  • Xia Jia 
  • Yoon Ha Lee 
  • Ken Liu 
  • Chen Qiufan 
  • Robert Reed 
  • E. Catherine Tobler 
  • Genevieve Valentine 
  • Peter Watts 
  • E. Lily Yu
This has already reached its funding goal, so it's going to be made.  But if you want in there are still a few days left on its kickstarter campaign.  Again, ebook copies start at $10.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Book Review: The 'Geisters by David Nickle

Pros: creepy premise, well written

Cons: uncomfortable and potentially triggering subject matter

Anne LeSage is getting married, and while she often has trouble distinguishing between the feelings of fear and love, she's sure this is love.  But when things start to go wrong around her new husband, she's afraid the poltergeist that has haunted her all her life, and which she finally trapped as a teen after a terrible accident, has broken loose.  It doesn't want to go back in its box however.  And her husband's acquaintances don't want it to either, because they've got their own plans for her 'insect'.

This is a difficult book to review.  As a horror novel it definitely succeeds.  I found parts of the book, particularly Anne's early revelation that she can't distinguish between fear and love, terrifying.  Especially given how things turn out.

So what's the problem?  The plot revolves around a group of men trying to use poltergeists for... sexual purposes.  There are no real descriptions of abuse, but you know that abuse is happening, and that makes for an uncomfortable read.

The ending left me feeling somewhat ambiguous.  It fit the story, but I'm still not sure I liked it.  

In several ways this felt like a Stephen King novel, with great characterization and some chilling scares, without many details.  The fear is often in what you're not told.  Or not told explicitly.  And Nickle's good at leaving things to the reader's immagination.


David Nickle recently appeared on John Scalzi's Whatever talking about the book if you'd like more information about the book. 

William Shakespeare's Star Wars Book Trailer

If you haven't seen it yet, this trailer is awesome.



The book's synopsis from the publisher's website:

Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas’s epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. ’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything.

Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter—and complete with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations--William Shakespeare’s Star Wars will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike. Zounds! This is the book you’re looking for.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Coming in August, 2013

Once again this list is compiled using Amazon's Canadian website, and as such reflects Canadian release dates.

Hardcover:

The Omega Project – Steve Alten
Omens – Kelley Armstrong
The Thinking Woman's guide to Real Magic – Emily Croy Barker
Box Office Poison – Phillipa Bornikova
Winds of Salem – Melissa de la Cruz
Momo – Michael Ende
Transcendental – James Gunn
Codex Born – Jim Hines
Wool – Hugh Howey
Jack Cloudie – Stephen Hunt
Elysian Fields – Suzanne Johnson
Billy Moon – Douglas Lain
Emperor of Thorns – Mark Lawrence
The Lost Prince – Edward Lazellari
Blood of Tyrants – Naomi Novik
Possession – Kat Richardson
A Clockwork Heart – Liesel Schwarz
The Bone Season – Samantha Shannon
The Man Who Rained – Ali Shaw
Hot Times in Magma City – Robert Silverberg
Cataveiro – E. J. Swift
SF Masterworks: The First Men in the Moon – H. G. Wells

Trade Paperback:

The Wingless Boy – Jay Amory (Omnibus including The Fledging of Az Gabrielson and Pirates of the Relentless Desert)
Jupiter War – Neal Asher
Glyphbinder – T. Eric Bakutis
Kindred and Wings – Phillippa Ballantine
Zombies: Shambling Through the Ages – Steve Berman, Ed.
Khan of Mars – Stephen Blackmoore
Warhammer: Gotrek & Felix Lost Tales – Frank Cavallo, Jordan Ellinger, David Guymer & Josh Reynolds
Doctor Who: Dark Horizons – J. T. Colgan
Ironskin – Tina Connolly
Warhammer 40K: Seventh Retribution – Ben Coulter
Nightman – J. Allan Danelek
Earth Star – Janet Edwards
Wrath-Bearing Tree – James Enge
Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It – David Ewalt
Flesh – Philip Jose Farmer
Freaks in a Box: The Myths of Media – Paul Di Filippo
Doorways to Extra Time – Anthony Francis & Trisha Wooldridge, Ed.
Warriors – Barbara Galler-Smith & Josh Langston
The Thousand Emperors – Gary Gibson
The Rise of Ransom City – Felix Gilman
Tell My Sorrows to the Stones – Christopher Golden
Warhammer 40K: The Mark of Calth – Laurie Goulding
Quick Fix – Linda Grimes
The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2013 – Paula Guran, Ed.
The Hollows Insider – Kim Harrison
Gallow: The Crimson Shield – Nathan Hawke
Apocalypse Now Now – Charlie Human
Hunting With Gods – M. K. Hume
A Thousand Perfect Things – Kay Kenyon
Maggot People – Henning Koch
The Unincorporated Future – Dani Kollin & Eytan Kollin
Stormdancer – Jay Kristoff
Super Stories of Heroes and Villains – Claude Lalumiere, Ed.
Deadman's Road – Joe Lansdale
Artifact – Shane Lindemoen
The Tide King – Jen Michalski
The Steel Tsar – Michael Moorcock
Crux – Ramez Naam
The Broken Isles – Mark Charan Newton
The Watcher – Nicholas Oakley
Dark Shadows: Wolf Moon Rising – Lara Parker
Charm – Sarah Pinborough
The Shadow of the Soul – Sarah Pinborough
No Love for the Wicked – Megan Powell
The Educated Ape and Other Wonders of the World – Robert Rankin
The Night of the Swarm – Robert V. S. Redick
The Treasury of the Fantastic – David Sandner & Jacob Weisman, Ed.
The Time of Contempt – Andrzej Sapkowski
Walking in the Midst of Fire – Thomas Sniegoski
Dragonwitch – Anne Elisabeth Stengl
The Crown Tower – Michael Sullivan
Celestial Inventories – Steve Rasnic Tem
Foreworld Saga: Sidequest Adventures No. 1 – Mark Teppo, Angus Trim, Michael Tinker Pearce & Linda Pearce
Fairest of them All – Carolyn Turgeon
The Last Observer – G. Michael Vasey
The Blinding Knife – Brent Weeks
Pirates of the Timestream – Steve White
Right to Know – Edward Willett 
Tour of Duty – Michael Williamson
An Inch of Ashes – David Wingrove

Mass Market Paperback:

Perdition – Ann Aguirre
The Puzzle Box – The Apocalyptic Four
Thirteen – Kelley Armstrong
Hearts in Darkness – Keri Arthur
Only Superhuman – Christopher Bennett
Terminated – Rachel Caine
Breath of Iron – Kate Cross
Forge of Darkness – Steven Erikson
Heart of Venom – Jennifer Estep
1635: Papal Stakes – Eric Flint & Charles Gannon
Immortally Ever After – Angie Fox
Spirits From Beyond – Simon Green
Saxon's Bane – Geoffrey Gudgion
Libriomancer – Jim Hines
The Exodus Towers – Jason Hough
Star Trek: The Fall: Revelation and Dust – David George III
Chosen – Benedict Jacka
Under a Spell – Hannah Jayne
Hellfire – Jean Johnson
Dragon Ship – Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Age of Godpunk – James Lovegrove
V-Wars – Jonathan Maberry
Shadowlands – Violette Malan
Too Many Curses – A. Lee Martinez
They Also Serve – Mike Moscoe
Grave Visions – Kalayna Price
The Wild Road – Jennifer Roberson
The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet and Other Stories – Vandana Singh
The House of the Wicked – Thomas Sniegoski
Sea Glass – Maria Snyder
Blood Bond – Jeanne Stein
Halo: The Thursday War – Karen Traviss
Kiss of Night – Debbie Viguie
Holy War – Lynda Williams

eBook (Kindle Originals & Carina Press): 

The First Bird: Omnibus Edition – Greig Beck
The Days of the Deer – Liliana Bodoc
The Mysterious Case of Mr. Strangeway – Karina Cooper
Esprit de Corpse – Gina X. Grant
Harvest of Dreams – Debra Holland
Dust – Hugh Howey
Charmed I'm Sure – Elliott James
Agamemnon Frost and the House of Death – Kim Knox
Orcs: War Fighting Manual – Dan Patrick
The Adorned – John Tristan

Her Ladyship's Curse – Lynn Viehl

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Books Received in June, 2013

Summer's here and I'm hoping to do more personal (as opposed to review requested) reading, which means getting to some of the fantastic sounding books I've received in the mail that I haven't had the chance to read yet (as well as books I've bought recently, books in my husband's collection and books I've been salivating over for months - or years).

Having said that, I've got 2 new books to showcase today.

The first one, Requiem by Ken Scholes, is the fourth book in the Psalms of Issak series.  I read and really enjoyed the first two books and would like to read on to see what happens next.  

Here's the synopsis for the first book, so there are no spoilers and to get you interested if you haven't picked these up yet:

An ancient weapon has completely destroyed the city of Windwir. From many miles away, Rudolfo, Lord of the Nine Forest Houses, sees the horrifying column of smoke rising. He knows that war is coming to the Named Lands.
Nearer to the Devastation, a young apprentice is the only survivor of the city - he sat waiting for his father outside the walls, and was transformed as he watched everyone he knew die in an instant.
Soon all the Kingdoms of the Named Lands will be at each others'' throats, as alliances are challenged and hidden plots are uncovered.
This remarkable first novel from an award-winning short fiction writer will take readers away to a new world - an Earth so far in the distant future that our time is not even a memory; a world where magick is commonplace and great areas of the planet are impassable wastes. But human nature hasn't changed through the ages: War and faith and love still move princes and nations.

The second book, Wisp of a Thing by Alex Bledsoe, is set in the same world as The Hum and the Shiver, but can be read as a standalone novel.

Touched by a very public tragedy, musician Rob Quillen comes to Cloud County, Tennessee, in search of a song that might ease his aching heart. All he knows of the mysterious and reclusive Tufa is what he has read on the internet: they are an enigmatic clan of swarthy, black-haired mountain people whose historical roots are lost in myth and controversy. Some people say that when the first white settlers came to the Appalachians centuries ago, they found the Tufa already there. Others hint that Tufa blood brings special gifts.
Rob finds both music and mystery in the mountains. Close-lipped locals guard their secrets, even as Rob gets caught up in a subtle power struggle he can't begin to comprehend. A vacationing wife goes missing, raising suspicions of foul play, and a strange feral girl runs wild in the woods, howling in the night like a lost spirit.
Change is coming to Cloud County, and only the night wind knows what part Rob will play when the last leaf falls from the Widow's Tree...and a timeless curse must be broken at last.

Friday, June 28, 2013

New Author Spotlight: Sharon Lynn Fisher

New Author Spotlight is a series designed to introduce authors with up to 3 books in the different SF/F subgenres.

Today's spotlight shines on Sharon Lynn Fisher!

Her debut novel is:


Here's the cover copy for Ghost Planet:

A world in peril. A bond deeper than love.
Psychologist Elizabeth Cole prepared for the worst when she accepted a job on a newly discovered world - a world where every colonist is tethered to an alien who manifests in the form of a dead loved one. But she never expected she'd struggle with the requirement to shun these “ghosts.” She never expected to be so attracted to the charming Irishman assigned as her supervisor. And she certainly never expected to discover she died in a transport crash en route to the planet.
Reincarnated as a ghost, Elizabeth is symbiotically linked to her supervisor, Murphy - creator of the Ghost Protocol, which forbids him to acknowledge or interact with her. Confused and alone - oppressed by her ghost status and tormented by forbidden love - Elizabeth works to unlock the secrets of her own existence.
But her quest for answers lands her in a tug-of-war between powerful interests, and she soon finds herself a pawn in the struggle for control of the planet…a struggle that could separate her forever from the man she loves.

Check out these other books if you enjoy a little romance with your alien encounter stories:


Thursday, June 27, 2013

SF Style Clothing Becoming Reality

My husband pointed me to several articles this morning about how SF style clothing, particularly 3D printed clothes, are becoming a thing.

Buzzfeed has an article with 14 nifty new forms of clothing being experimented with, including glow-in-the-dark fabric, fibre-optic fabric, transforming dresses, and flexible photovoltaic film strips (done up as a bikini) that can charge electronic devices.


Makezine, meanwhile has an article on a fashion show in Malaysia that focused on 3D printed clothing with a bird theme.  The show was a collaboration between the Belgium 3D printing company Materialise and Malaysian fashion designer Melinda Looi.



Then there's this, "the first fully articulated garment made using 3-D printing".  Designed by costume and jewelry designer Michael Schmidt and architect Francis Bitonti for Dita Von Teese, it hit the runway in NYC in June.  The dress is made up of 17 sections and contains more than 12,000 Swarovski crystals.  There's a video at this link of how they made it.