Rick Klaw

About Rick Klaw

http://www.tachyonpublications.com

Posts by Rick Klaw:

May 2, 2023

Highly recommended, THE ESSENTIAL PETER S. BEAGLE is amazing

Rick Klaw blog booktube, cat eldridge, cuentos para algernon, file 770, in calabria, Sarah Evermotion's Book Thoughts, summerlong, the essential Peter S. Beagle

Some two weeks until its official release, THE ESSENTIAL PETER S. BEAGLE (Volumes I and II) continues to elicit pre-pub praise from places such as Sarah Evermotion’s Book Thoughts (and BookTube) and the Spanish site Cuentos para Algernon. Over on File 770 in Today Birthday’s, Cat Eldridge names their favorite Peter S. Beagle books.

The Essential Peter S. Beagle, Voulmes 1 & 2 — Cover art by Stephanie Law
Design by Elizabeth Story

Though not coming out until May, both volumes (VOLUME I: LILA THE WEREWOLF AND OTHER STORIES and VOLUME II: OAKLAND DRAGON BLUES AND OTHER STORIES) of THE ESSENTIAL PETER S. BEAGLE are available directly from Tachyon and all finer booksellers.

Also available for pre-order direct from Tachyon: single volume limited in both letter and numbered editions.

covers for The Essential Peter S. Beagle limited editions — Cover art by Stephanie Law
Design by Elizabeth Story

“This was an amazing collection, and I cannot recommend it enough for existing fans of Mr. Beagle or fans of fantasy shorts or cozy fantasy.” Sarah Evermotion’s Book Thoughts

I’m going to start with the book I’ve enjoyed the most in quite some time. Peter S. Beagle is a veteran and great writer, although lately he is somewhat forgotten among us. And with this collection he shows us that he is a master of short fiction.
Cuentos para Algernon (Translation from Spanish courtesy of Google)

My favorite works? Tamsin, SUMMERLONG and IN CALABRIA. He won the Novelette Hugo at L.A. Con IV for “Two Hearts”. And he has a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
File 770

May 1, 2023

First review of THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD, an unexpected THE ESCAPEMENT mention, and a AI dystopian film, all featuring World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar

Rick Klaw blog lavie tidhar, lizziethe reader's Weekly Bookish Question, the circumference of the world, the escapement, the speculative shelf, Welcome to your A. I. Future

Though not publishing until September, the Campbell, Xingyun, and Neukom Award winning-author Lavie Tidhar’s latest science fiction novel THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD, The Speculative Shelf shared their thoughts on the book. lizziethe reader’s Weekly Bookish Question #327 (March 5th – March 11th) answer to this week’s query (Have you ever read a book that had a unique or intriguing combination of genres? What was it? (follow-up: are there any genre combinations that you think would be super interesting?)) is THE ESCAPEMENT. On his personal site, Tidhar announces the new Tidhar-written short film Welcome to your A. I. Future, directed by Nir Yaniv.

Cover of The Circumference of the World by Lavie Tidhar — Cover by Elizabeth Story

Reading a new Lavie Tidhar novel is always a treat. You can count on engaging prose paired with an inventive story and THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD certainly fits that bill.
The Speculative Shelf

My shout-out today, though, is THE ESCAPEMENT by Lavie Tidhar. It is:

a western
a quest fantasy
a portal fantasy
a literary novel about a man grieving his son
a dreamscape
and every element of world-building that isn’t pulled from Wild West tropes is drawn from circus and stage magic history.
lizziethe reader’s Weekly Bookish Question #327

What do you do when artificial intelligence starts taking over your life? Should you fear these new technologies, or should you embrace them? With the rise of ChatGPT, MidJourney and their cousins, it can feel like A.I. is taking over the world. What place is there still for the human creative spark? And can we learn to live with, or must we fight against these new creations?

With more questions than answers, the creative team of award-winning writer Lavie Tidhar (Central Station, Neom) and animator Nir Yaniv (LiftOff, The Voice Remains) decided to tackle the question by making a movie about A.I. while using it. Because what if the new machines just want to help? What could possibly go wrong?

Welcome to your A.I. future!
Lavie Tidhar

May 1, 2023

Naseem Jamnia, R. B. Lemberg, Sam J. Miller, Lavie Tidhar, and Tachyon itself are 2023 Locus Award finalists

Rick Klaw blog Alistair Reynolds, boys beasts & men, charles vess, Charlie Jane Anders, dreams bigger than heartbreak, eileen gunn, Ellen Datlow, eversion, Geometries of Belonging: Stories & Poems From the Birdverse, John Joseph Adams, John Picacio, julie dillon, kate elliott, lavie tidhar, locus award finalists, marjorie liu, Naseem Jamnia, neom, night shift, r. b. lemberg, Sam J. Miller, samantha mills, screams from the dark, servant mage, sheila williams, the best american science fiction & fantasy, The Best of World SF: Volume 2, the bruising of qilwa, the night eaters, the unbalancing, uncanny

Locus announced the finalists for the 2023 Locus Awards. NEOM by Lavie Tidhar (alongside the anthology The Best of World SF: Volume 2), THE BRUISING OF QILWA by Naseem Jaminia, THE UNBALANCING by R. B. Lemberg (alongside their collection Geometries of Belonging), BOYS, BEASTS & MEN by Sam J. Miller, and Tachyon Publications itself all received notices. Previous and forthcoming Tachyon authors, editors, and artists John Joseph Adams, Charlie Jane Anders, Ellen Datlow, Julie Dillon, Kate Elliott, Eileen Gunn, Marjorie Liu, Samantha Mills, John Picacio, Alistair Reynolds, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, Charles Vess, and Sheila Williams were all honored too.

The Locus Awards winners will be announced June 24, 2023, during the in-person Locus Awards Ceremony, held in the historic Nile Hall at Preservation Park in downtown Oakland, California. Join Maggie Tokuda-Hall, our MC for the awards ceremony, and special guest Connie Willis for an entertaining presentation of the awards, plus program items and a catered reception. Additional virtual events include author readings, panels with leading authors, and more. Buy your ticket today!
2023 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists

Neom by Lavie Tidhar — Cover by Elizabeth Story

SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

Sweep of Stars, Maurice Broaddus (Tor)
The Red Scholar’s Wake, Aliette de Bodard (Gollancz; JABberwocky)
The Spare Man, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor; Solaris UK)
Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel (Knopf; Picador; HarperCollins Canada)
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey; Jo Fletcher)
Goliath, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tordotcom)
The Kaiju Preservation Society, John Scalzi (Tor; Tor UK)
Eyes of the Void, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor UK; Orbit US)
NEOM, Lavie Tidhar (Tachyon)
Eversion, Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz; Orbit US)

FANTASY NOVEL

The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison (Tor; Solaris UK)
When Women Were Dragons, Kelly Barnhill (Doubleday; Hot Key)
Spear, Nicola Griffith (Tordotcom)
The World We Make, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher (Tor; Titan UK)
Babel, R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager US; Harper Voyager UK)
Nona the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Tordotcom)
The Golden Enclaves, Naomi Novik (Del Rey US; Del Rey UK)
Fevered Star, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga; Solaris UK)
Siren Queen, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

HORROR NOVEL

Saturnalia, Stephanie Feldman (Unnamed)
Just Like Home, Sarah Gailey (Tor; Hodder & Stoughton)
Road of Bones, Christopher Golden (St. Martin’s; Titan UK)
The Devil Takes You Home, Gabino Iglesias (Mulholland; Wildfire)
The Fervor, Alma Katsu (Putnam; Titan UK)
Gwendy’s Final Task, Stephen King & Richard Chizmar (Cemetery Dance; Hodder & Stoughton)
What Moves the Dead, T. Kingfisher (Nightfire; Titan UK)
Echo, Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Nightfire; Hodder & Stoughton)
No Gods for Drowning, Hailey Piper (Agora)
The Pallbearers Club, Paul Tremblay (Morrow; Titan UK)
Sundial, Catriona Ward (Nightfire; Viper)

YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, Charlie Jane Anders (Tor Teen; Titan UK)
The Scratch Daughters, H.A. Clarke (Erewhon)
Bloodmarked, Tracy Deonn (McElderry; Simon & Schuster UK)
The Kindred, Alechia Dow (Inkyard)
Bitter, Akwaeke Emezi (Knopf; Faber & Faber)
Unraveller, Frances Hardinge (Macmillan; Amulet 1/23)
Rust in the Root, Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray)
Lakelore, Anna-Marie McLemore (Feiwel and Friends)
Ballad & Dagger, Daniel José Older (Hyperion)
An Arrow to the Moon, Emily X.R. Pan (Little, Brown; Orion)

Cover for THE BRUISING OF QILWA by Naseem Jamnia — Cover by Elizabeth Story

FIRST NOVEL

Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree (Cryptid; Tor)
The Hacienda, Isabel Cañas (Berkley)
The Book Eaters, Sunyi Dean (Tor; Harper Voyager UK)
THE BRUISING OF QILWA, Naseem Jamnia (Tachyon)
The Ballad of Perilous Graves, Alex Jennings (Redhook; Orbit UK)
THE UNBALANCING, R.B. Lemberg (Tachyon)
The Bone Orchard, Sara A. Mueller (Tor)
How High We Go in the Dark, Sequoia Nagamatsu (Morrow; Bloomsbury)
The Mountain in the Sea, Ray Nayler (MCD; Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
The Genesis of Misery, Neon Yang (Tor)

NOVELLA

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, Becky Chambers (Tordotcom)
Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, Aliette de Bodard (JABberwocky)
Servant Mage, Kate Elliott (Tordotcom)
“Bishop’s Opening“, R.S.A Garcia (Clarkesworld 1/22)
A Mirror Mended, Alix E. Harrow (Tordotcom)
Even Though I Knew the End, C.L. Polk (Tordotcom)
Tread of Angels, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga; Solaris UK)
High Times in the Low Parliament, Kelly Robson (Tordotcom)
Ogres, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Solaris)
Into the Riverlands, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

NOVELETTE

“If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You“, John Chu (Uncanny 7-8/22)
“Two Hands, Wrapped in Gold“, S.B. Divya (Uncanny 5-6/22)
“Incident at Bear Creek Lodge”, Tananarive Due (Other Terrors)
“Solidity”, Greg Egan (Asimov’s 9-10/22)
“The Six Deaths of the Saint”, Alix E. Harrow (Into Shadow)
“In Mercy, Rain“, Seanan McGuire (Tor.com 7/18/22)
“Falling Off the Edge of the World”, Suzanne Palmer (Asimov’s 11-12/22)
“The Sadness Box“, Suzanne Palmer (Clarkesworld 7/22)
“A Dream of Electric Mothers”, Wole Talabi (Africa Risen)
“The Difference Between Love and Time”, Catherynne M. Valente (Someone in Time)

SHORT STORY

“Give Me English”, Ai Jiang (F&SF 5-6/22)
“The Goldfish Man”, Maureen McHugh (Uncanny 3-4/22)
“Rabbit Test”, Samantha Mills (Uncanny 11-12/22)
“Dick Pig”, Ian Muneshwar (Nightmare 1/22)
“Master of Ceremonies“, Frances Ogamba (The Dark 5/22)
“Beginnings”, Kristina Ten (Fantasy 4/22)
“The Coward Who Stole God’s Name”, John Wiswell (Uncanny 5-6/22)
“D.I.Y”, John Wiswell (Tor.com 8/24/22)
“Inheritance “, Hannah Yang (Analog 9-10/22)
“A Monster in the Shape of a Boy”, Hannah Yang (Apex 5/22)

ANTHOLOGY

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories, Yu Chen & Regina Kanyu Wang, eds. (Tordotcom)
The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 6, Neil Clarke, ed. (Night Shade)
Screams from the Dark, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Nightfire)
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022, Rebecca Roanhorse & John Joseph Adams, eds. (Mariner)
Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Solaris)
Tomorrow’s Parties: Life in the Anthropocene, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (MIT Press)
Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, Sheree Renée Thomas & Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki & Zelda Knight, eds. (Tor)
Trouble the Waters: Tales from the Deep Blue, Sheree Renée Thomas & Pan Morigan & Troy L. Wiggins, eds. (Third Man)
The Best of World SF: Volume 2, Lavie Tidhar, ed. (Head of Zeus)
The Future is Female! Volume Two: The 1970s, Lisa Yaszek, ed. (Library of America)

COLLECTION

Dark Breakers, C.S.E. Cooney (Mythic Delirium)
Memory’s Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection, James S.A. Corey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Night Shift, Eileen Gunn (PM)
Breakable Things, Cassandra Khaw (Undertow)
Geometries of Belonging, R.B. Lemberg (Fairwood)
BOYS, BEASTS & MEN, Sam J. Miller (Tachyon)
The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe et al. (Harper Voyager US; Harper Voyager UK)
Illuminations, Alan Moore (Bloomsbury USA; Bloomsbury UK)
Our Fruiting Bodies, Nisi Shawl (Aqueduct)
The Best of Lucius Shepard: Vol. 2, Lucius Shepard (Subterranean)

MAGAZINE

Apex
Asimov’s
Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Clarkesworld
F&SF
FIYAH
Lightspeed
Strange Horizons
Tor.com
Uncanny

PUBLISHER

Angry Robot
Gollancz
Harper Voyager
Neon Hemlock
Orbit
Small Beer
Subterranean
Tachyon
Tor
Tordotcom

EDITOR

Neil Clarke
Ellen Datlow
Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
Arley Sorg & Christie Yant
Jonathan Strahan
Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
Sheree Renée Thomas
Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
Wendy N. Wagner
Sheila Williams

ARTIST

Tommy Arnold
Rovina Cai
Kinuko Y. Craft
Galen Dara
Julie Dillon
Bob Eggleton
John Picacio
Shaun Tan
Charles Vess
Michael Whelan

NON-FICTION

The Rise of the Cyberzines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazines from 1991 to 2020, Mike Ashley (Liverpool University Press)
Fantasy: How It Works, Brian Attebery (Oxford University Press)
An Earnest Blackness, Eugen Bacon (Anti-Oedipus)
Queering SF: Readings, Ritch Calvin (Aqueduct)
Bridging Worlds: Global Conversations on Creating Pan-African Speculative Literature in a Pandemic, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (Jembefola)
Charting the Afrofuturist Imaginary in African American Art: The Black Female Fantastic, Elizabeth Carmel Hamilton (Routledge)
The Visual History of Science Fiction Fandom, Volume Two: 1940, David Ritter & Daniel Ritter (First Fandom Experience)
Keeping It Unreal: Black Queer Fantasy and Superhero Comics, Darieck Scott (New York University Press)
Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences, Bev Vincent (Epic Ink)
Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes: The Official Biography, Rob Wilkins (Doubleday UK)

ILLUSTRATED AND ART BOOK

Visions of Beauty, Dianne Borsini-Burr, ed., art by Kinuko Y. Craft (Borsini-Burr & Imaginary Editions)
Paintings & Drawings of Rowena, Kim DeMulder, art by Rowena (self-published)
The Keeper, Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes, art by Marco Finnegan (Megascope)
In the Black Fantastic, Ekow Eshun (Thames & Hudson; MIT Press)
Spectrum Fantastic Art Quarterly Volume Two, Cathy & Arnie Fenner, eds. (Spectrum Fantastic Art)
Chivalry, Neil Gaiman, art by Colleen Doran (Dark Horse)
The Night Eaters Book 1: She Eats the Night, Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda (Abrams ComicArts)
Mother Christmas, Vol 1: The Muse, Valya Dudycz Lupescu, art by Vic Terra (Rosarium)
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story, George Orwell, art by Omar Rayyan (Suntup)
Creature: Paintings, Drawings, and Reflections, Shaun Tan (Walker Studio UK; Windy Hollow; Levine Querido)

April 28, 2023

Happy birthday to Leonard Pine, the ultimate bad ass

Rick Klaw birthday, blog blood and lemonade, born for trouble, hap and leonard, joe r lansdale, leonard pine, of mice and minestrone, the big book of hap and leonard

Michael K Williams as Leonard Pine from *Hap and Leonard* Season 2, Episode 5
Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/SundanceTV

Vietnam vet, sometimes private investigator, sometimes bouncer, and all around bad ass, Leonard Pine is a gay, politically conservative black man from LaBorde, TX. Alongside his “brother” Hap Collins, who is straight, white, and liberal, Pine challenges the seedier and more unpleasant elements of East Texas. The, at times, bumbling duo has fought the Klan, the Dixie Mafia, murders, kidnappers, and all sorts of other notorious hombres.

Pine has zero tolerance for racist or anti-gay slurs and will challenge the offenders with strong fists and a barbed tongue. His aggressive nature has led to many encounters with the law, most notably regarding his repeated torching of neighborhood crackhouses.

Beginning with Savage Season (1990), Joe R. Lansdale used his adventures with Collins, as the basis for the popular Hap and Leonard series. The 26 published books include five titles currently available from Tachyon Publications: HAP AND LEONARD (2016), THE BIG BOOK OF HAP AND LEONARD (2018), HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE (2018), OF MICE AND MINESTRONE (2020), and BORN FOR TROUBLE: THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HAP AND LEONARD (2022). The pair’s life also inspired three seasons of the TV series, Hap and Leonard (2016-18).

All of us at Tachyon wish a happy birthday to Leonard, our favorite cantankerous moral enforcer. May your day be filled with vanilla cookies and Dr. Pepper.

April 26, 2023

Golden Age great A. E. van Vogt was born 110 years ago

Rick Klaw birthday, blog a. e. van vogt, birthdsy, futures past, out of the unknown, slan, the voyage of the space beagle

Born April 26, 1912, the popular and influential writer A. E. van Vogt began his long and illustrious career writing for “true confession” style pulps. Shortly after, he decided to pursue a career as a science fiction writer. Van Vogt’s first sci fi short “The Black Destroyer” appeared in the July 1939 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. The story remained one of his most popular stories, often cited as a source for the film Alien. In 1980, he was honored with Prix Aurora Award Life Achievement and in 1996, named a Nebula Grand Master.

In a career that spanned five decades, van Vogt produced numerous legendary and acclaimed novels including Slan (1946; 2016 Retro Hugo), The Weapon Makers (1947; 2005 Prometheus Hall of Fame), The World of Null-A (1948), The Voyage of the Space Beagle (1950), and The Weapon Shops of Isher (1951). Out of the Unknown (1948), which featured stories co-written with his wife E. Mayne Hull, was the first of his many short story collections.

Tachyon was honored to publish FUTURES PAST: THE BEST SHORT FICTION OF A. E. VAN VOGT (1999), the last of his books to see print before the author’s death in 2000.

April 25, 2023

With BITTER MEDICINE, Mia Tsai joins the ranks of the 20 Best Paranormal Romance Authors

Rick Klaw blog Between Printed Pages, bitter medicine, bookpage, elizabeth tabler, grimdark magazine, interview, laura hubbard, mia tsai, review, rt book reviews, tales of a bookbug, tia trammel, victoria janssen

Mia Tsai’s debut novel BITTER MEDICINE keeps electrifying reviewers and fans as seen by Tia Trammel for RT Book Reviews inclusion of Tsai on The 20 Best Paranormal Romance Authors – Ultimate Guide and reviews from Laura Hubbard at BookPage, Tales of a Bookbug, Victoria Janssen, and Between Printed Pages. For Grimdark Magazine, Elizabeth Tabler interviews Tsai.

cover for Bitter Medicine by Mia Tasi — Cover art by Jia-Ling Pan
Design by Elizabeth Story

Mia Tsai’s enchanting paranormal debut, BITTER MEDICINE, was released on March 14, 2023. If you’re looking for a book with three-dimensional characters, a plethora of charm, and an intricate magic system, this is the one for you!
RT Book Reviews

Full of heart and hope, BITTER MEDICINE is both a heartwarming look into the relationships that shape our lives and an all-consuming narrative about a hidden world of magic and intrigue, combining dreamy prose with sharp wit and a propulsive story. It’s perfect for those who are looking for a cozier read but still want enough action to keep things interesting.
BookPage

The action and plot go hand in hand with the romance – and it was nice to meet different characters and see what shaped their decisions. I feel like the part about her younger brother gets sidelined in the second half as it’s left up to her family but honestly that’s the best because I wouldn’t want Elle to be put in a position to lose one of her siblings either. The ending was really satisfying as it’s the best outcome for both Luc and Elle! I’d love it if there was another book set in this world, so that we could see what happens in the future and how everything plays out!

But, honestly this was a fantastic debut and a must-read if you’re a fantasy romance or xianxia fan like me!❣️✨
Tales of a Bookbug

Of course, Elle and Luc fall in love, but their conflicting responsibilities and the true selves they hide from each other add a lot of excellent tension, resulting in difficult but ultimately satisfying decisions. There’s a lot of fun banter and some side characters I’d love to see again.
Victoria Janssen

The more I think about this book, the more I love it! There’s so many little details baked into these pages that really bring the story to life. I felt like I was watching an entire romantic saga unfold before me with xianxia magic from the East, faery lore from the West, family drama, action-packed fights and chases, and reflective moments of growth.
Between Printed Pages

Mia Tsai author photo — Copyright (c) Rebekah Chavez Wynne

[GdM] How did you decide on the title Bitter Medicine?

The original title when I first started querying was A Brush with Love, but it was rightly pointed out to me that it sounded like a dentistry rom-com. So I went back to the drawing board and did a word cloud and after some light agonizing, decided Bitter Medicine was a much better encapsulation of the themes in the novel and was better able to hint at Elle’s roots, being a descendant of the Chinese god of medicine and all.
Grimdark Magazine

April 24, 2023

Tachyon tidbits featuring Kimberly Unger, R. B. Lemberg, Anne R. Dick, and Patrick Leary

Rick Klaw blog 51, Anne R. Dick, david agranoff, hour of the wolf, Jim Fruend, kimberly unger, Mark Murata's Suburban Fantasy and Science Fiction, norwescon, Patrick Leary, philip k dick award, postcards from a dying world, r. b. lemberg, the search for philip k dick, the unbalancing, to other worlds

The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web

In Norwescon 2—Supplemental, Mark Murata’s Suburban Fantasy and Science Fiction discusses Kimberly Unger’s appearance at the con and subsequent winning of the Philip K. Dick Award for THE EXTRACTIONIST.

I should have said in yesterday’s post that Kimberly Unger was one of the speakers on the subject of AI—or not really AI, just machine learning.

Later, she won the Philip K. Dick award for best paperback novel (science fiction of fantasy) published last year.

The Extractionist — Cover by Elizabeth Story

To Other Worlds praises R. B. Lemberg’s THE UNBALANCING in 2022 r/Fantasy Bingo Challenge: Conclusion and Thoughts.

Last book I read for Bingo, ending it on a high note. The beginning was a little rough, but the take on gender, especially the setting recognising several non-binary genders, was great. And without going into spoiler territory, it also does something very bold plot-wise, which I can only applaud.

Bingo rating: YAY

**David Agranoff at Postcards from a Dying World reviews Anne R. Dick’s important THE SEARCH FOR PHILIP K. DICK.**

Keep in mind Anne is not a writer, and as such there are some clumsy details. At times there are more details than the average reader needs. THAT SAID. that is stuff that Dickheads like myself are totally digging into. Does the average reader need to know that was Anne who picked the Ludwig Binswanger book at the library? No, but this researcher certainly noted it. David Gill in the introduction pointed out that Anne told us which piece (the old shoe) Phil choose for family monopoly. Does the average reader need a chart of the real-life friends on whom Phil based the characters in Dr. Bloodmoney after? Dickheads will eat it up.

Anne could’ve hated Phil, he certainly crushed her publically, it seemed clear friends that knew her saw through Phil’s stories. Either way, it seems clear to me that Anne without coming out and saying as much blamed the drugs for what happened to Phil, her marriage, and the relationships that came later. Phil said as much in A Scanner Darkly and The Divine Madness of PKD by Kyle Arnold makes a great case for this.

I gained lots of respect for Anne, not that I didn’t have it before. She could’ve been more bitter but the way she approached this project. This book is important to the scholarship of Philip K. Dick

**For Jim Fruend’s Hour of the Wolf, Patrick Leary reads an unpublished chapter from 51.**

April 23, 2023

The extraordinary Avram Davidson was born 100 years ago

Rick Klaw birthday, blog avram davidson, birthday, clash of star-kings, marco polo and the sleeping beauty, masters of the maze, the avram davidson treasury, the boss in the wall, the island inder the earth, the phoenix and the mirror

Born on April 23, 1923, Avram Davidson was a medic in the Navy during World War II, fought with the Israeli Army in the 1948 war for independence, and began writing in the early 1950s as a Talmudic scholar. He eventually produced nineteen acclaim novels including Joyleg (1962 with Ward Moore), Mutiny in Space (1964), Masters of the Maze (1965), Kar-Chee [Rogue Dragon [1965], The Kar-Chee Reign [1966]) , a pair of mysterious as by Ellery Queen (And on the Eighth Day [1964] and The Fourth Side of the Triangle [1965]), Clash of Star-Kings (1966), Vergil Magus (The Phoenix in The Mirror [1969], Vergil in Averno [1987], The Scarlet Fig ; or, Slowly through a Land of Stone [2005]), The Island Under the Earth (1969), Peregrine (Peregrine: Primus [1971], Peregrine: Secundus [1981]), Ursus of Ultima Thule (1973), Marco Polo and the Sleeping Beauty (1988 with Grania Davis), and THE BOSS IN THE WALL (1998 with Grania Davis).

His more than two hundred short stories and essays were collected in Crimes & Chaos (1962), Or All the Seas with Oysters (1962), What Strange Stars and Skies (1965), Strange Seas and Shores(1971), The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy (1975; World Fantasy Award Winner), Polly Charms, The Sleeping Woman (1977), The Redward Edward Papers (1978), The Best of Avram Davidson (1979), Avram Davidson: Collected Fantasies (1982), And Don’t Forget the One Red Rose (1986), Weird Tales no. 293 (Winter 1988-1989, special Avram Davidson issue), The Adventures of Doctor Eszterhazy (1990), Adventures in Unhistory (1993), The Avram Davidson Treasury (1998), The Investigations of Avram Davidson (1999), The Last Wizard; with A Letter of Explanation (1999), El Vilvoy de las Islas (2000), Everybody Has Somebody in Heaven (2000), The Other Nineteenth Century (2001), The Beasts of the Elysian Fields by Conrad Amber (2001), ¡Limekiller! (2003), and David & Son: Peregrine Parentus and Other Tales (2016). Produced by the official Avram Davidson site, The Avram Davidson Universe podcast features a reading of many of these shorter works alongside a discussion of with a special guest.

While at the helm of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1962 to 1964, Davidson also edited three volumes of The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction (13-15) and later Magic for Sale (1983).

His work garnered Davidson two Hugo (1958 Best Short Story “Or All the Seas with Oysters”; 1963 Best Professional Magazine The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction) two World Fantasy (1976 Best Anthology/Collection The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy; 1979 Best Short Fiction “Naples”), and an Edgar (1962 Best Short Story “Affair at Lahore Cantonment) award. In 1986, he was given the prestigious World Fantasy Award For Life Achievement.

April 20, 2023

Happy birthday to the incomparable grandmaster Peter S. Beagle

Rick Klaw birthday, blog birthday, in calabria, peter s beagle, summerlong, the essential Peter S. Beagle, the new voices of fantasy, the overneath, the secret history of fantasy, the unicorn anthology

A recipient of the prestigious World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award and creator of the iconic The Last Unicorn (1968), Peter S. Beagle’s has thrilled and entertained multiple generations of fans. His other book length works include A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE (1960), The Folk of the Air (1986, winner of the Mythopoeic Award), The Innkeeper’s Song (1993, winner of the Locus Poll Award), The Unicorn Sonata (1996), Tamsin (1999, winner of the Mythopoeic Award), SUMMERLONG (2016), IN CALABRIA (2017), and THE LAST UNICORN: THE LOST JOURNEY (2018). He returned to the beloved world of The Last Unicorn in 2023 with The Way Home.

Beagle’s numerous award-winning short fiction have been collected in Giant Bones (1997), THE RHINOCEROS WHO QUOTED NIETZSCHE AND OTHER ODD ACQUAINTANCES (1997), THE LINE BETWEEN (2006), Strange Roads (2008), WE NEVER TALK ABOUT MY BROTHER (2009), Mirror Kingdoms: The Best or Peter S. Beagle (2010), SLEIGHT OF HAND (2011), THE OVERNEATH (2017). THE ESSENTIAL PETER S. BEAGLE a massive overview of the legendary author’s career, comes out in May as both a two volume trade hardback (Volume I and Volume II) and single volume limited (letter and numbered) editions. The story “My Son Heydari and the Karkadann” was published alongside ”The Unicorn Triangle” by Patricia A. McKillip in the limited edition chapbook THE KARKADANN TRIANGLE (2018).

Cover art by Magdalena Korzeniewska Design by Elizabeth Story

He began working in TV and film by writing episodes of Thirty-Minute Theater (1967 “Come Death”) and Apple’s Way (1974 “The Zoo”) and the feature films The Dove (1974 with Adam Kennedy, based on the book by Robin Lee Graham and Derek Gill) and The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened (1977; based on the book by Don Robertson). Beagle followed up the screenplay (with Chris Conkling) for the Ralph Bakshi-helmed Lord of the Rings (1978) with his own script for The Last Unicorn (1982), the Bass and Rankin interpretation of the beloved book. Among Beagle’s other writing credits are teleplays for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990; “Sarek,” one of the most influential and acclaimed episodes of the popular series) and The Little Mermaid TV series (1992). The film adaption of his story “The Bridge Partner” (shot in 2015) was included in the anthology film Grave Intentions (2020).

Cover by Thomas Canty Design by Elizabeth Story

Beagle has edited several acclaimed anthologies: Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn (1995 with Janet Berliner and Martin H. Greenberg), THE SECRET HISTORY OF FANTASY (2010), THE URBAN FANTASY ANTHOLOGY (2011 with Joe R. Lansdale), THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY (2017 with Jacob Weisman; winner of the World Fantasy Award), and THE UNICORN ANTHOLOGY (2019 with Weisman).

Everyone at Tachyon wishes the beloved Peter a happy birthday. May it be magical.

April 19, 2023

Tachyon tidbits featuring Nalo Hopkinson, Marjorie Liu, Marie Brennan, R. B. Lemberg, and Jacob Weisman

Rick Klaw blog book riot, driftwood, falling in love with hominids, forever and everly, in calabria, jacob weisman, k. w. colyard, marie brennan, marjorie liu, nalo hopkinson, nina shepardson, nourish-n-cherish, outside of a dog, r. b. lemberg, Rick reads some books I dunno, suhail rafidi, the four profound weaves, the tangleroot palace

The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web

**For their Book Riot list, K. W. Colyard includes Nalo Hopkinson’s FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS among The Most Influential Sci-Fi Books of the Past 10 Years.**

Authors of color swept the Hugos in 2016, but Nalo Hopkinson’s collection was sadly not among the winners — not because of any failure on the author’s fault, but simply because there is no Hugo Award for best anthology or collection. Despite that little oversight, FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS has been a fan favorite since its publication in 2015. Here, post-apocalyptic monsters mingle with ghosts stranded in shopping malls. It’s an eye-opening look at what science fiction can do.

Cover art by Chuma Hill
Design by Elizabeth Story

Forever and Everly recommends Marjorie Liu’s THE TANGLEROOT PALACE as one of 12 Books to Read When You’re in a Slump.

Short story collections are truly a savior for me whenever I’m struggling to read, and this one is one of my favorites! I adore a majority of these stories, and they are wholly captivating with their rich fantasy (and often fairytale-like) settings, magical weirdness, and focus on female characters and voices. Marjorie Liu has such a unique take on fantasy, and if you’re a fan of the genre, I think you’ll really enjoy her fresh twists on typical tropes and storylines!

Cover art by Sana Takeda
Design by Elizabeth Story

**Nina Shepardson on Outside of a Dog praises Marie Brennan’s DRIFTWOOD.**

While an individual person can move into other parts of Driftwood, their birth-home will inevitably fall to the Crush. Some become despairing, others bitter, but a few manage to maintain hope. Some do this by preserving what they can of their homeworlds, others by intermarrying with people from other worlds and building a new home in the multispecies society of the Drifters. The characters in DRIFTWOOD are diverse, not just in appearance and customs, but in their outlook and reactions to what has happened to them. My only complaint is that I wish the book had been longer so I could have seen more of the world Brennan created.

Nourish-n-Cherish recalls a conversation with their son about Peter S. Beagle’s use of poetry in IN CALABRIA.

We chuckled at the feeble attempts of poetry and I told him about the way poetry was woven into the book written by that mastermind of unicorn stories, Peter S Beagle. In the book, IN CALABRIA. In the book, a farmer writes poems and reads poetry (not his own but famous poets) out to his goats and cows.

Rick reads some books, I dunno loves R. B. Lemberg’s Nebula Award-nominated THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES to a rating of 5 out 5.

This book throws you in at the deep end of its world and its magic, and is all the better for it. Lemberg weaves exposition and conceptual brilliance into their narration with such ease that I immediately let myself go into the dream-logic of cloths woven from change, wanderlust, hope, and death. It all made deep intuitive sense. The magic within this book, within this world, was palpable, hungry, too brilliant to encompass in mere words on the page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story based on initial concepts by Francesca Myman

Suhail Rafidi was excited to visit with Tachyon publisher Jacob Weisman at San Francisco Writer’s Conference 2023.

I had the opportunity, for the second time ever, to speak with Jacob Weisman, the founder of Tachyon Publications. And he remembered me! Well, he mostly remembered my friend David Gill (“The Philip K. Dick Guy”). The first time I met Mr. Weisman was at an SF in SF event, when the featured guest was Robert Silverberg. At the conference, we stood by the bookstore table and spoke of everything from sci-fi novellas to the next SF in SF event at the Bookbinder’s Museum. I love a friendly chat among nerds.

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