Featurette: Game Of Thrones: The Artisans

Simon Brindle, the supervisor of the costume armor department, talks about the process of creating the various armor suits for the TV series.

Art: Christmas Tree of Books

Gleeson library in San Francisco made this nice Christmas tree last year. You check out more shots of the tree on Shawn Calhoun's Flickr Photostream. It makes me wish that I had a few more green books so that I could do this myself. One of these would look great in my living room.

Nothing says librophile like a Christmas Tree of Books.

Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year!

Poetry: "Nicholas Was..."

Motion graphics studio 39 Degrees North needed a Christmas card, so they turned to Neil Gaiman's poem, "Nicholas Was..." from the anthology Smoke and Mirrors into a short film. The result is a brief but powerful Christmas nightmare.

You can read the original poem on the author's website.

Cover Art: Spellwright

Blacke Charlton has unveiled the French version of the cover for Spellwright, featuring a very French night-life version of Nicodemus. I especially love that French title! "Mortilège." Isn't that the greatest? The word is an amalgam of the words "sortilège" (spell) and "mort" (death). Leave it to the French to invent a sexy word for deadly magic.

This definitely beats the German version, even if artist went a bit heavy on Nicodemus' mascara, but the UK version (below) beats them both out with an atom-shared ball of runes (which makes much more sense if you've actually read the book). Charlton explains that "it provides a wonderful continuation of the theme by illustrating the magical language that drives the plot of Spellbound forward."

Make sure you check out Blake Charlton's website for more covers.

New Book Releases: November 23, 2010

★★★ Our Pick of the Week ★★★ Hull Zero Three [ Kindle ] By Greg Bear ISBN: 0316072818 Publisher: Orbit Publication date: November 22, 2010 Binding: Hardcover Estimated price: $11.60 Share this book on Twitter | Facebook

Description: A starship hurtles through the emptiness of space. Its destination-unknown. Its purpose-a mystery. Now, one man wakes up. Ripped from a dream of a new home-a new planet and the woman he was meant to love in his arms-he finds himself wet, naked, and freezing to death. The dark halls are full of monsters but trusting other survivors he meets might be the greater danger. All he has are questions— Who is he? Where are they going? What happened to the dream of a new life? What happened to Hull 03? All will be answered, if he can survive the ship.

News: Angry Robot launching Short Story Store

I just received the following press release via e-mail from Angry Robot.  It's an announcement that the publisher will be launching what it calls "Nano Editions," an online store for short stories. And may I just say, it's about (#@%^*) time someone did something along these lines. For years, I've been wondering why genre publications don't augment their subscriptions by selling short stories ala cart online. Shelling out thirty bucks to have banged up paper editions of my favorite magazines (that I don't have the shelf space to store) via snail mail each month is getting a bit old. Let's hope other publishers take note of Angry Robot's good idea. Read the full press release below:

ANGRY ROBOT ANNOUNCES DIGITAL SHORT STORY STORE

On December 1st 2010, Angry Robot will be launching “Nano Editions”. Exclusive to the publisher’s own webstore at angryrobotstore.com, Nanos are digital short stories by Angry Robot novelists, sold at sensible prices in ePub format, ready to load onto the world’s most popular eBook readers.

Quote

"I’ve always loved books, all my life. When I was a clerk at Scribner’s bookstore I dreamed of having a book of my own, of writing one that I could put on the shelf. When I would have to unpack and put up the National Book Award winners I used to wonder what it would feel like to be a National Book Award winner, so thank you for letting me find out. And please, publishers: there is nothing more beautiful than the book. The paper, the font, the cloth. Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please never abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book."
- Patti Smith, author of Just Kids, accepting the National Book Award

Book Trailer: Hull Zero Three

Here's a machinima-inspired trailer for Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear.

From what I've read in early reviews, the trailer is inspired by the novel's strong resemblance to many popular first person shooters. The story follows a man who wakes up lost and alone on a ship infested with monstrous creatures. Unlike many games that follow this trope, however, the book is built on the deftly wielded science Bear brings to all of his work.

The trailer was created using the game engine and textures from the Quake 2 World Project, a free, standalone first person shooter video game. Read a three chapters online.

Book Trailer: Hunger Games

A group of fans at a Utah-based production company have created this compelling trailer for Suzanne Collins' popular Hunger Games in anticipation of the upcoming Lions Gate movie based on the book.

It's not your run-of-the-mill fan trailer, though. Director John Lyde has created what could almost be a professional teaser trailer, if only it made less sense and featured more explosions. In any case, it's a must-see for Hunger Game fans.

Cover Art: Minimalist Harry Potter Covers

After years of fans imagining their own versions of the Harry Potter covers, the UK publisher of the series has finally come around. Later this year, Bloomsbury Publishing will re-release the series with new minimalist "signature series" designs for the cover. And yes, this time it's for real.

The art for "Half Blood Prince" is particularly good, though it would work better for a copy of Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

Word Art: Finally Reading

Source: ImgFav

Cover Art: Fuzzy Nation

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

Release: May 10, 2011

Design: Kekai Kotaki

No dustjacket description as of yet, but stay tuned to Scalzi's website for future details.

Art: Medium begins to overflow

溢れだす媒体

"Medium begins to Overflow"

Source: Pixiv

Book Trailer: Matched

Matched by Ally Condie

Release: November 30, 2010

Matched is a new young adult SF novel coming later this month. While I'm not big on YA fiction, distopian novels are right up my alley, especially when there's technology involved.

Dustjacket Summary: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Link Round-Up: November 3, 2010

Where do I pick up one of these?

14 Amazing Bookmark Designs

Listverse has compiled a seriously good list of the Top 10 Underrated Fantasy Stories After 1937

OMG, I don't know why you would ever destroy a book like this, but here's a tutorial on how to Make: Online : Make a secret hollowed-out book

Cover Art: City of Hope and Despair

City of Hope and Despair by Ian Whates

Release: March 29, 2011

Angry Robot recently released a gallery of cover art for its upcoming spring released. This cover in particular caught my eye. It's one of Angry Robot's best covers to date, in my opinion, and the story sounds promising. At least, the book to which this is a sequel has received favorable reviews.

DustJacket Summary: A SECOND VISIT TO THAIBURLEY: THE CITY OF DREAMS, THE FABLED CITY OF A HUNDRED ROWS.

Dark forces are gathering in the shadowy depths, and the whole city is under threat. The former street-nick, Tom, embarks on a journey to discover the source of the great river Thair, said to be the ultimate power behind all of Thaiburley.  Accompanying him are the assassin Dewar and the young Thaistess Mildra.  It soon becomes evident that their journey has more significance than any of them realise, as past secrets catch up with them and unknown adversaries hunt them... to the death!  

Cover Art: Steampunk Bible

The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer

Release: May 1, 2011

Not a lot of information on this one yet, just a teaser image. Hopefully, there will be more details forthcoming soon. Stay tuned to VanderMeer's blog.

Cover Art: The Horns of Ruin

The Horns of Ruin by Tim Akers
Release: November 30, 2010

Pyr has just released the full cover illustration of the upcoming The Horns of Ruin, designed by Nicole Sommer-Lecht. It looks like a steampunk version of Assassin's Creed.

Panel: The Moral Distance Between the Author and the Work

This panel discussion, "The Moral Distance Between the Author and the Work," was recorded Saturday at the World Fantasy Convention (2010) in Columbus Ohio by a friend of Scott Edelman. The panel includes Scott Edelman, Eric Flint, Nancy Kress, Paul Witcover. Kathryn Cramer, and Jack Skillingstead. The panel is described in the program:

What do we make of good art by bad people, or at least people of whom we disapprove? Richard Wagner was a particularly vile anti-Semite, but he still wrote "Kill Da Wabbit!" and other great music. Should we listen? The official Nazi film industry made one very good fantasy film (BARON MUNCHAUSEN, to which the Terry Gilliam version owes a good deal). Should we watch this? What about an author who is a convicted child molester? Should we read his novel? CAN we read it for itself? Is it possible to truly experience any form of art as a thing until itself, rather than the product of its creator?

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Nearly three decades ago, folklorist Alvin Schwartz published a book I loved and treasured as a kid, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, the first of three horror anthologies that would go on to become the single most challenged book series of the nineties. What any Schwartz fan can tell you is that most of the animosity against the series was not due to the stories themselves, which were, in fact warm-milk tame, but rather the uber-eerie sketches of artist Stephen Gammell. Gammell's nightmarish inkscapes imparted the every page of the children's books with an oddly unsettling menace.

Poetry: "The Raven"

John De Lancie of Star Trek fame is producing the Master Series videos for QMx, which he describes as "the classics of science fiction, fantasy and horror, performed by some of the best-known names in genre entertainment."

Via GeekDad via io9

Art: Street Corner

Art: Playground

Video: Bookstore Dominoes

Looking for an innovative way to attract attention, the Arizona book chain "Bookmans" unleashed this viral video on the internet. The video show how Bookmans secretly abuses their books behind closed doors - by using them as dominoes.

Photo: AIU Library

AIU Library
Akita, Japan

Source: jjreade Flickr Photostream

Book Trailer: Black Gate Magazine

Last week, Black Gate Magazine released a teaser trailer created by Magill Foote and Sam Rahn. The opening shot reminds me of the cover of The Way of Kings.

Stephen Fry on the Correct use of Language

Matt Rogers of RogersCreations.com put created this kinetic typography animation set to an audio file from Stephen Fry's website in which Fry rails against grammar pedants.

Photo: Book Porn

Source: Kevin van der Leek

Art: Feed your Mind

Photo: Royal Portuguese Reading Room

Real Gabinete Português de Leitura (Royal Portuguese Reading Room)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The interior of Real Gabinete Português is four stories tall, capped with a stained-glass cupola and illuminated by an elaborate chandelier. Built in 1837 by the Portuguese, the reading room contains over 350,000 volumes, many of them from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Source: Soldon's Flickr Photostream [Translation]

The Longest Fantasy Series

Victor Stanciu of the Walk Into Mordor blog has compiled an amazing list of the longest fantasy series by page number using LibraryThing.com web scraping and Amazon’s API.

The list is a bit mind-blowing personally in light of just how many pages of the series on this list I've read. (Did I really read nine thousand pages of Pern?  How many hours is that?) It's also eyebrow-raising in that the series that top the list aren't necessarily the ones I would have guessed.

I've lifted the first twenty results and posted them below for the sake of discussion, but, before you peek, try guessing which series made it into the top ten.  Drop a comment below to let us know how many you got right.. Read the entire list at Walk into Mordor, and make sure to give Stanciu a head nod in the comments for this great bit of innovation.

Cover Art: The Book of Transformations

The Book of Transformations by Mark Charan Newton

After an earlier draft of this cover was met with a lot of negative reactions around the web, it was revision so that, like Nights of Villjamur, the hardcover edition will just feature a cityscape.  I think it's a definite improvement, but now I feel bad for the model in the previous version. It's not her fault the photographers went for cute over tough. Read more about the book at Mark Charan Newton's blog.

Nicholas Negroponte says books will be Gone in Five Years

Nicholas Negroponte of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Association predicts that books are going the way of the phonograph. I'm not sure I buy the time frame he's talking about, but he makes a few good points.

Video: R.A. Salvatore Appearance

Suvudu: R.A. Salvatore Gauntlgrym Event from Suvudu on Vimeo.

R.A. Salvatore, the author of The Icewind Dale Trilogy and The Dark Elf Trilogy, is now on tour to promote his latest book, Gauntlgrym: Neverwinter, Book I. This video was taken during his appearance in Seattle.

Cover Art: Spellbound by Blake Charlton

Tor Books has released the cover art for Spellbound by Blake Charlton, the sequel to Spellwright.  The cover art is the work of Todd Lockwood, whose work reminds me very much of many of Michael Whelan's better covers.

Source: Tor.com

Interview: Edward Nawotka

This video is a part of Media Bistro's “The Book Futurists” series, which features interviews with digital publishing pros.  In this interview, Publishing Perspectives editor-in-chief,  Edward Nawotka.  Nawotka says that digital publishing is less of a sinkhole and more of a portal.  He thinks that print books will never go away, they will just be expanded by digital options.

Source: MediaBistro

Photo: NYC Public Library

NYC Public Library by Michael Hong

Cover Art: The Greyfriar

The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1) by Clay & Susan Griffith

Release: November 2, 2010

"Great writing, intriguing antagonists and one scrappy heroine make this a worthy addition to the steampunk genre. ... Princess Adele makes a great role model for tween and teen girls – not to mention some adults – and the Greyfriar is everything a steampunk hero should be." RT Book Reviews

Table of Contents: The Way of the Wizard

John Joseph Adams has just posted the table of contents for the upcoming anthology The Way of the Wizard, which will be released November 16, 2010.  Judging by the quality of the writers he's recruited, this collection is going to be outstanding.  Contributors include Susanna Clarke, Neil Gaiman, Ursula K. Le Guin, and George R.R. Martin.

Cover Art: The Dragon's Path

Here's the cover art for The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham, the first book of the The Dagger and the Coin Quintet, which is coming April 7, 2011. Given the quality of Abraham's The Long Price Quartet, I'm looking forward to this new series. It's definitely going on the ol' reading list.

Video: Esquire iPad App Demo

Mashable's Christina Warren previews the Esquire app with Josh Koppel, chief creative officer of Scrollmotion. Read a review at Mashable.

I know, I know. I'm not an Esquire reader, either, but I love the way that this demo magazine looks. Why can't all e-books be designed to look this slick?! This is exactly what I imagine when people discuss e-textbooks, not the formatted-on-the-fly PDF files that publishing houses are churning out now.

Cover Art: The Edinburgh Dead

The Edinburgh Dead by Brian Ruckley

According to Fantasy Hotlist, Ruckley's next book is due out next summer.

Dust Jacket Copy: The year is 1827. For Adam Quire, an officer of the recently formed City Police, Edinburgh is a terrifying place. It is a city populated by mad alchemists and a criminal underclass prepared to treat with the darkest of powers. But nothing can prepare him for the trail of undead hounds, emptied graves, brutal murders and mob violence that will take him into the darkest corners of the underworld and to the highest reaches of elegant Edinburgh society.

Book Trailer: Soul Stealers by Andy Remic

Here's the book trailer for Soul Stealers: The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles, Book 2 by Andy Remic, evidently created by the author himself.

November 2010 Fantasy and Science Fiction Releases

Here's a list of the the Fantasy and Science Fiction books scheduled to be released in November. It's going to be a hell of a month, with the next book in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, a collection of stories from George R.R. Martin, and Tad William's latest Shadowmarch entry all hitting shelves within just days of each other. Make your list and adjust your budget accordingly!

Hardcover
Above His Proper Station – Lawrence Watt-Evans
Echo – Jack McDevitt
Empress of Eternity – L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
Hull Zero Three – Greg Bear
The Human Blend – Alan Dean Foster
Knot Gneiss (Xanth) – Piers Anthony
Microcosmic God, Volume II – Theodore Sturgeon
Midsummer Night – Freda Warrington
On the Banks of the River of Heaven – Richard Parks
Shadowheart: Volume Four of Shadowmarch – Tad Williams
Songs of Love and Death – George R. R. Martin
Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise: Haynes Manual – Ben Robinson
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Vortex – Troy Denning
Surrender to the Will of the Night – Glen Cook
Sword of Fire – William McGrath
The Ultimate Egoist, Volume I – Theodore Sturgeon
Towers of Midnight – Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
Trio of Sorcery – Mercedes Lackey

Interview: Peter F. Hamilton

Pan Macmillan Books offers this two-part interview with science fiction author Peter F. Hamilton. In this video, Hamilton discusses his perspectives on tomorrow's technological and cultural trends and his latest book, The Evolutionary Void.

Interview: Stephen King

Here's a video of Stephen King's appearance on the Vampires Revival Panel at the New Yorker Festival last weekend. The panel was moderated by Joan Acocella, author of the vampire essay, "In the Blood." Speaking on the panel are philosophy professor Noel Carroll, horror novelist Stephen King, film director Matt Reeves, and Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg.

Sadly, you need to pay to see the entire video, but you can read more at the New Yorker website.

Photo: Expresso Bar

D'espresso in New York was designed by Nemo Workshop to look like a library flipped on its side.  The ceiling, floor, and a wall is covered in tiles that have photographs of books printed on them.  The opposing wall is covered in what appears to be parqay flooring.  It's a fantastic theme, but they need to bolt a globe and some couches on that floor-wall. Via.

Photo: Billboard

Source: Christal Sedlock

Campaign: Analog Soul

Book Trailer: Gauntlgrym by R.A. Salvatore

Two of the most popular Dungeons and Dragons franchises finally meet when R.A. Salvatore unleashes Drizzt Do'Urden upon the city of Neverwinter in this, the first book in a new trilogy. Now, if only we could convince him to throw Raistlin into the mix, I'd be in hog heaven. Gauntlgrym by R.A. Salvatore hits shelves today!

Art: Uses Of Enchantment

"Aria: Uses Of Enchantment" by Jay Anacleto

Interview: Margaret Atwood

BigThink is offering this great piece in which Mararet Atwood talks about technology, Twitter, Canadian humour, books, and, best of all, writing.

Cover Art: The River of Shadows

U.S. Version

U.K. Version

I always find the differences between American and British covers. Evidently, us yanks prefer instruments of death to seascapes. I would assume it was just some random marketing decision, but I distinctly recall the same thing happening. The American version bore images of the compass, the knife, and the spyglass, while the British version feature character illustrations. What's up with that?

The River of Shadows by Robert V. S. Redick hits shelves February 15, 2011.

Source: Robert V. S. Redick’s Blog

Interview: Guillermo Del Toro on Vampire Lore

Guillermo Del Toro, co-author of the The Strain Trilogy, talks about vampire lore in a plug for the release of The Fall, the second book in the trilogy. Read our review of The Strain, the first book in the series at The Great Geek Manual.

OpEd: How to make Vampires Scary Again

Stephen King, who has to be the single most widely published horror novelist in the world by this point, kicks off the month right by offering some bald truth on how to make vampires scary again in his introduction to his original comic book American Vampire (out this week). King established himself as an authority on vampire fiction with the release of the 1975 horror classic Salem's Lot, but last year, he openly expressed disdain for Stephenie Meyer, saying that she 'can't write worth a darn.' So it comes as no surprise that the piece makes a few not-so-subtle digs at Twilight.

Here’s what vampires shouldn’t be: pallid detectives who drink
Bloody Marys and only work at night; lovelorn southern gentlemen;
anorexic teenage girls; boy-toys with big dewy eyes.

What should they be?

Killers, honey. Stone killers who never get enough of that tasty
Type-A. Bad boys and girls. Hunters. In other words, Midnight
America. Red white and blue, accent on the red. Those vamps got
hijacked by a lot of soft-focus romance. That’s why I was so excited
when Scott Snyder—a writer I knew from his excellent book of short
stories, Voodoo Heart—mentioned to me in an email that he was in
talks with the folks at Vertigo about doing a vampire comic series.
His take was unique, his enthusiasm infectious.

Read the rest of the article at Entertainment Weekly >>>

Quote

If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips, magazines, music, you automatically explode every morning like Old Faithful. I have never had a dry spell in my life, mainly because I feed myself well, to the point of bursting. I wake early and hear my morning voices leaping around in my head like jumping beans. I get out of bed quickly, to trap them before they escape.
— Ray Bradbury

Photo: Beware of the Book

Watch out!  Free-ranging ideas on the loose.

Book Trailer: StarShipSofa Stories

StarShipSofa plugs its upcoming anthology, StarShipSofa Stories Volume 2, with video by Dee Cunniffe and music by David Bradshaw. Unlike volume one, most of the stories in volume two have not yet aired on the Sofa's podcast. The collection includes stories by Tobias S. Buckell, Cory Doctorow, Stephen R. Donaldson, Neil Gaiman, Nancy Kress, and China Miéville.

Movie Trailer: Mrs. Peppercorn’s Magical Reading Room

Mrs Peppercorn's Magical Reading Room - Trailer from Black Lake Films on Vimeo.

I'm not sure if this is going to be a heart-warming family film or yet another throw-away special-effect loaded kid flick. The trailer kind of rides the line, so I'm withholding judge for the time-being.

Reading: Cover story

There’s a remarkable article over at the Boston Globe titled Cover Story, that documents the first couple of decades following the invention of the printing press.

Inventing the printing press was not the same thing as inventing the publishing business. Technologically, craftsmen were ready to follow Gutenberg’s example, opening presses across Europe. But they could only guess at what to print, and the public saw no particular need to buy books. The books they knew, manuscript texts, were valuable items and were copied to order. The habit of spending money to read something a printer had decided to publish was an alien one.

Read the entire article. Despite covering ancient history, they story it tells strongly parallels the current transition to the digital age of print. Definitely worth a read.

Humor: Can you spot a Book Slut

 

Interview: Terry McMillan

Terry McMillan, author of Getting To Happy, offers advice to young authors.

"I tell a lot of young writers that they should be more concerned about their stories and characters than being famous and even getting published, because when they're ready they will be published," she said in the final installment of our Media Beat interview. "Too many of them now all they think about is how much money they're gonna make, being famous, getting on The New York Times, that's their goal. And that's such a phony, superficial, shallow goal to have as a reason for writing."

Art: Gateway Drug

I'm not sure where this came from, but I love it.  If there were more movies left, I'd get it put on a t-shirt to wear to premiere and release nights.  Oh well.  I'm probably too old for that anyway.  Still...

Quote

I have no feelings of guilt regarding the books I have not read and perhaps will never read; I know that my books have unlimited patience. They will wait for me till the end of my days.
— The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel

Event: Hugo Awards Ceremony

2010 Hugo Awards Ceremony from Kevin Standlee

The 2010 Hugo Awards Ceremony held on September 5, 2010 at Aussiecon 4, the World Science Fiction Convention in Melbourne, Australia. The Hugo Award is the highest honor in the field of science fiction and fantasy literature, and is awarded annually by the members of the World Science Fiction Convention.

Cover Art: The River of Shadows

Dust Jacket Description: The latest novel in Robert V.S Redick's stunning and original fantasy epic is a taut race against time that takes the Chathrand across the seas in a desperate bid to stop the sorcer Arunis unleashing the Swarm of Night ...From the mysterious River of Shadows to the Infernal Forest, to the Island Wilderness Pazel and his companions face a phatasmogoric journey through altered relaities, a nightmare journey which offers glimpses of what might have been while taking them into the terror of what is to come. Will Arunis use the cursed Nilstone to end the world? This is a rich fantasy of nightmares and unexpected beauty and is proof positie that Redick is one of the most exciting new talents in fantasy.

The River of Shadows hits shelves on February 15, 2011!

Book Trailer: The Making of Star Wars

Nobody knows how to make a trailer like Lucas.

Cover Art: Personalized Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

 
To celebrate last October’s 30th anniversary of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, publisher Pan Macmillan commissioned a series of new DIY covers customizable with sticker sheets from Crush Creative. Charles from Faceout Books interviewed Carl Rush, the art director behind the new design.

Book Trailer: Warhammer 40,000 FireDrake

Quote

Excerpt from Richard Morgan's THE COLD COMMANDS

Yesterday, author Richard Morgan teased the next novel in his series, The Cold Commands, on his blog, writing:

Look – you’ve all been very patient.

Thank you.

Here’s a little something to tide you over until The Cold Commands actually hits the shelves. Strictly a Work In Progress, but I doubt it’s going to change very much in final draft, so here you go.

Read an excerpt from The Cold Commands on his blog.

Book Trailer: Death Most Definite

Here's the brand-spanking-new trailer for Trent Jamieson's new book, Death Most Definite.

Free Fiction Round-Up: August 9, 2010

Audio Fiction and Podcasts

• Download The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins through Audiobook Community.
• Listen to “Billion-Dollar View” by Ray Tabler at Escape Pod.
• Listen to “Edgar Can’t Stand It” by Fabio Fernandes and “They Twinkled Like Jewels” by Philip Jose Famer at StarshipSofa.
• Listen to “Paper Cuts Scissors” by Holly Black at PodCastle.

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Read the flash fiction “In The Bag” by Kit St. Germain at Abyss and Apex.
• Read the flash fiction “The Thief of Shadows” by Paul Phillips.
• Read the flash fiction “Three Basic Defenses against Web Goblins” by Rudi Dornemann at Daily Cabal.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum from ManyBooks.net.
• Download the novel Vampires Drool Zombies Rule by Rusty Ficher at Lulu.com.
• Read an excerpt of The Dervish House by Ian McDonald at Pyr.
• Read a preview of Death Most Definite by Trent Jamieson at Orbit books.

Awards: Sidewise Winners

Winners of the Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were announced at ReConStruction, the 10th NASFiC, held August 5-8, 2010, in Raleigh, North Carolina.  The winners are Reynolds and Conroy.  The judges noted before the announcement that, in the Long Form category, No Award was an option.  

Short Form

• “The Fixation” by Alastair Reynolds (Solaris Book of New Sci-F)
• “Yes, We Have No Bananas” by Paul Di Filippo (Eclipse 3)
• “Edison’s Frankenstein” by Chris Roberson (Postscripts 20/21)
• “Black Swan” by Bruce Sterling (Interzone 221)
• “The Persistence of Souls” by Sarah Zettel (The Shadow Conspiracy)

Long Form

• 1942 Robert Conroy (Ballantine)

Book Trailer: The Passage

Fantastic book!

Book Trailer: Zero History

William Gibson reads a passage from his upcoming novel, Zero History, which finishes the sequence of novels that includes Pattern Recognition and Spook Country. The book hits shelves September 7th.

 io9 says "this new book trailer will make you want to get to reading it right now. When he tweeted about the trailer last night, Gibson joked that "some geezer" is reading the lines from his novel in this trailer. Yes, that would be Gibson himself."

There Are 129,864,880 Different Books in the World

Google, which is engaging in extensive book digitization projects, recently set out to determine the number of distinct print books currently in existence:

After some intensive analysis, we’ve come up with a number. Standing on the shoulders of giants—libraries and cataloging organizations—and based on our computational resources and experience of organizing millions of books through our Books Library Project and Books Partner Program since 2004, we’ve determined that number.

As of today, we estimate that there are 129,864,880 different books in the world. That’s a lot of knowledge captured in the written word! This calculation used an algorithm that combines books information from multiple sources including libraries, WorldCat, national union catalogs and commercial providers. And the actual number of books is always increasing.

Source:  GoogleBlog via Cool-O-Rama
Photo: Flickr user Nrbelex used Creative Commons license

Awards: 2010 Parsec Finalists

Finalists for the 2010 Parsec Awards, which honor speculative fiction podcasters, have been announced.

Best Speculative Fiction Story (Short Form)

• Clarkesworld Magazine - "The Things" by Peter Watts
• Podcastle - "Restless in my Hand by Tim Pratt
• Tales of the Children - "Swimming Lessons" by Gabrielle Harbowy
• "The Tank" by Scott Sigler
• Dunesteef Fiction Magazine - "A Princess Of Earth" by Mike Resnick

Poetry: "The Last One"

In honor of W. S. Merwin being named the new Poet Laureate of the U.S., I thought I'd post what has long ben my favorite Merwin poem - maybe my favorite poem ever.

The Last One

 

Well they'd made up their minds to be everywhere because why not.
Everywhere was theirs because they thought so.
They with two leaves they whom the birds despise.
In the middle of stones they made up their minds.
They started to cut. 

Well they cut everything because why not.
Everything was theirs because they thought so.
It fell into its shadows and they took both away.
Some to have some for burning

W. S. Merwin Named New Poet Laureate

W.S. Merwin has been named the 17th U.S. Poet Laureate for 2010-2011.

"William Merwin’s poems are often profound and, at the same time, accessible to a vast audience," said James Billington, Librarian of Congress. "He leads us upstream from the flow of everyday things in life to half-hidden headwaters of wisdom about life itself. In his poem ‘Heartland,’ Merwin seems to suggest that a land of the heart within us might help map the heartland beyond—and that this ‘map’ might be rediscovered in something like a library, where ‘it survived beyond/ what could be known at the time/ in its archaic/ untaught language/ that brings the bees to the rosemary.’" For information about Merwin and his poetry, visit The Poetry Foundation and the Library of Congress Poetry Page.

Free Fiction Round-Up: August 2, 2010

Audio Fiction and Podcasts

• Free Listens has compiled a list of the Best Free (Classic) Audio Short Stories.
• Listen to "Gulls" by Tim Pratt at Pseudopod.
• Listen to "Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time" by Catherynne M. Valente.
• Listen to "To Have and To Hold" by Langdon Jones at StarShipSofa.

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Read the flash fiction "A Woman Made of Gold" by Uri Grey at Brain Harvest.

Book Trailer: Shades of Milk and Honey

Shades of Milk and Honey is described as the novel Jane Austen might have written, had she lived in a world with magic.

The SF Signal Podcast

The popular blog SF Signal is launching its own podcast.  It their first episode they hold a round table discussion about the new exclusivity deal between Kindle and a host of authors represented by Literary Agent Andrew Wylie and how this could affect eBook sales and purchases of genre titles if similar deals become the norm.  Then, John DeNardo and JP Frantz, sit down with Lou Anders, editorial Director of Pyr books, to chat about his recent projects and anthologies.

Link Round-Up: July 30, 2010

Books:

• Interview: Booklife hears from 11 Writers on Writing Zombie Fiction.
• Interview: John Scalzi speaks with S.A. Swann, author of Wolf’s Cross.
• Interview: Suvudu interviews Scott Sigler, author of Ancestor.
• Interview: Volume of Kindle book sales stuns Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.
• News: Amazon predicts it will sell more e-books than paperbacks next year.
• News: Barnes and Noble Plans Big Push for Nook E-Reader.
• 18 Contest Dos and Don''ts for Writers
• Anne Rice Quits Christianity. Readers are shocked. “Rice was a Christian?”
• Battle lines drawn over digital royalties
• Booker Prize longlist snubs genre fiction (again); should we give a damn?
• Huffington Post has a list of The 15 Biggest Bestsellers EVER After The Bible.
• Jo Walton asks Why hasn’t Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell been more influential?
• Tor.com discusses the 2010 Hugo Awards Best Novelette Nominees.
• The Wall Street Journal wonders How Low Will E-Reader Prices Go?

Quote

The first time I read an excellent work, it is to me just as if I gained a new friend; and when I read over a book I have perused before, it resembles the meeting of an old one.
— James Goldsmith

Link Round-Up: July 27, 2010

Books:

• Interview: Ann and Jeff VanderMeer talk steampunk at the Comic Con.
• Interview: Brandon Sanderson talks with Suvudu about the Wheel of Time.
• Interview: China Mieville took a few moments out of his very busy Comic Con Schedule to discuss his newest novel Kraken.
• Interview: Christopher Paolini interviews Patrick Rothfuss at Comic Con.
• Interview: Margaret Atwood interviewed by The Globe and Mail.
• Interview: Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist interviews Ian McDonald of The Dervish House… so does the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography.
• Interview: The Sun-Times profiles Nnedi Okorafor.
• News: Stieg Larsson becomes the first author to sell a million Kindle e-books.
• Cracked names 6 Great Novels that Were Hated in Their Time.
• The Daily Press offers this Ode to the death of the paper book.
• Flavorwire shares 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ray Bradbury.
• Larry Doyle on Genre and Expectations
• New Maps of Science Fiction

Comics:

• Batman: the Least Believable Superhero

Movies:

• 10 Under-Appreciated Sci-Fi Movies

Writing

• 3 shell scripts: Kill weasel words, avoid the passive, eliminate duplicates 
• A. Lee Martinez discusses The Burden of the Smart Protagonist
• Boost your book sales with the magic of niche marketing
• Is "avoiding tropes" the same thing as telling fresh stories?
• The Other Side of the Story: When Plots Go Astray
• Publishing Is the New Literacy: 3 Things Writers Must Know
• A Quick Introduction to a Malaysian and Malaysian SF/F
• Tolkien's Use of Language to Highlight Settings and Events
• The Trouble With Mid-Career Advice.