Meet Carrie Vaughn at Denver’s BookBar
In celebration for the release of THE IMMORTAL CONQUISTADOR, Carrie Vaughn is reading and signing at BookBar in Denver, CO on March 13, 7PM.
Cover design by Elizabeth Story
Cover design by Elizabeth Story
Cover design by Elizabeth Story
In her newest short fiction collection MIDNIGHT CIRCUS, beloved fantasy author Jane Yolen’s dark side has fully emerged
“Jane Yolen is the Hans Christian Andersen of America” —The New York Times
Welcome to the MIDNIGHT CIRCUS—and watch your step. The dark imaginings of fantasy icon Jane Yolen are not for the faint of heart. In these sixteen brilliantly unnerving tales and poems, Central Park becomes a carnival where you can—but probably should not—transform into a wild beast. The Red Sea will be deadly to cross due to a plague of voracious angels. Meanwhile, the South Pole is no place for even a good man, regardless of whether he is living or dead.
Wicked, solemn, chilling, and droll, the circus is ready for your visit—you just really won’t want to arrive late.
The Midnight Circus
by Jane Yolen
ISBN: Book ISBN: 9781616963408; Digital ISBN: 9781616963415
Published: October 2020
Available Format(s): Trade Paperbacks and Digital
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Introduction by Theodora Goss
- The Weaver of Tomorrow
- The White Seal Maid
- Snatchers
- Wilding
- Requiem Antarctica (with Robert J. Harris)
- Nightwolves
- The House of the Seven Angels
- Great Gray
- Little Red (with Adam Stemple)
- Winter’s King
- Inscription
- Dog Boy Remembers
- The Fisherman’s Wife
- Become a Warrior
- An Infestation of Angels
- Names
- NOTES and POEMS
Happy birthday to the extraordinary Tim Powers
Best known for crafting intelligent and unique secret histories, Tim Powers first gained acclaim for one of the earliest and finest steampunk novels: The Anubis Gates (1983), which won the Philip K. Dick, SF Chronicle, and Prix Tour-Apollo awards. Many of his other works have also won awards including Dinner at Deviant’s Palace (1985; Philip K. Dick), THE STRESS OF HER REGARD (1989; Mythopoeic Award), Last Call (1992; World Fantasy and Locus), Expiration Date (1995; Locus), Earthquake Weather (1997; Locus), Declare (2000; World Fantasy and International Horror Guild), and the collection THE BIBLE REPAIRMAN AND OTHER STORIES (2011; World Fantasy an Locus).
Powers’ novel On Stranger Tides (1987) inspired both the Monkey Island video game franchise and the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Among his other acclaimed works are Three Days To Never (2006), Hide Me Among The Graves (2012), Alternate Routes (2018), More Walls Broken (2019), and Forced Perspectives (2020).
Cover by Josh Beatman 
Cover by Ann Monn
His numerous short stories have been collected in Night Moves and Other Stories (2000), On Pirates (with James Blaylock as by William Ashbless; 2001), The Devils in the Details (with James Blaylock; 2003), STRANGE ITINERARIES 2004), THE BIBLE REPAIRMAN AND OTHER STORIES, and Down and Out in Purgatory: The Collected Stories of Tim Powers (2017).
An accomplished artist, several of his smaller/limited edition publications offer Power crafted covers and interiors. He produced the covers to the James Blaylock chapbooks Doughnuts (1997) and Metamorphosis (2009) as well to his own chapbook The Bible Repairman (2006). Works with interior illustrations include The Silent Rebellion (2015), Selected Doodles (2011), and the Charnel House limited edition of The Stress of her Regard (1989).
All of us at Tachyon wish the amazing Tim a happy birthday. May it be the best of all alternate realities.
Happy birthday to the lyrical, World Fantasy winner Patricia A. McKillip
Known for her lush imagery and compelling characters, Patricia A. McKillip has written over 25 novels including the award-winning THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD (1974; World Fantasy), Harpist inthe Wind (1979; LOCUS), Something Rich and Strange (1994; Mythopoeic), Ombria in Shadow (2002; World Fantasy and Mythopoeic), Solstice Wood (2006; Mythopoeic), and Kingfisher (2016; Mythopoeic). Her collection DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES (2016) was honored with an Endeavor Award. In 2008, she received the prestigious World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Among McKillip’s other prominent novels are The Riddle-Master of Hed (1976), The Changeling Sea (1988), The Book of Atrix Wolfe (1995), Winter Rose (1996), Song for the Basilisk (1988), Alphabet of Thorn (2004), Od Magic (2005), The Bell at Sealey Head (2008), and The Bards of Bone Plain (2010). Her numerous short stories have been collected in several volumes including The Throme of the Erril of Sherill (1984), Harrowing the Dragon (2005), WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD (2012), and DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES. The story “The Unicorn Triangle” was published alongside “My Son Heydari and the Karkadann” by Peter S. Beagle in the limited edition chapbook THE KARKADANN TRIANGLE (2018).
Cover by Thomas Canty 
Cover art by Tomas Canty
Design by Elizabeth Story
Cover by Thomas Canty
All of us at Tachyon wish the marvelous Pat a happy birthday. May it be a magical one.
Tachyon 25th Anniversary eBooknanza! Newsletter subscribers get your free copy of the Nalo Hopkinson’s FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS
It’s been 25 years since Jacob Weisman started publishing books, and here we are entering the ’20s with digital giveaways for every newsletter subscriber!
For the whole of 2020 on every last Wednesday of the month, we will be giving away a free ebook to everyone subscribed to our newsletter prior to that Wednesday. This will be the only time we amp up our newsletter from quarterly announcements of new and upcoming books to monthly. The download link will be good for 48 hours, so if this is a book you’ve been meaning to get, make sure you download it as soon as you can.
This is our thanks for sticking around with us for so long. We look forward to another 25 years with you.
Cover art by Chuma Hill Design by Elizabeth Story
If you missed out on this month’s title, sign up for the newsletter to be sure and get next month’s selection.
Tachyon tidbits featuring Kameron Hurley, Nalo Hopkinson, James Morrow, Ellen Datlow, and Michael Swanwick
The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web.
Kameron Hurley 
Nalo Hopkinson
Photo by Sana Pudas
James Morrow 
Ellen Datlow 
Michael Swanwick
Photo by Beth Gwynn
Callum McSorley, on his eponymous site, offers a preview of his forthcoming SHORELINE OF INFINITY review for Kameron Hurley’s MEET ME IN THE FUTURE.
I’ve spent many words on this excellent SFF collection in my Shoreline review which will be published in a future issue. Here’s a sneak peek:
“Conceptually, these stories are out at the weird end of SFF, but her characters are so well drawn, rich in complexity, allowed to be angry, scared, cruel, and even kind sometimes, that they are believably, undeniably human – regardless of their appearance or if their intelligence is deemed real or artificial – which creates an anchor for the incredible things happening all around them.”
Design by Elizabeth Story
At STORY 366, Michael Czyzniejewski discusses “The Easthound” by Nalo Hopkinson plus “Soul Case” and “Message in a Bottle”, all from FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS.
So glad that this project has led me to writers like Nalo Hopkinson and her collection, FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS. Hopkinson’s books number in the teens and her awards, especially from sci-fi and fantasy-type societies, are just as numerous. I loved exploring her imagination, her settings, and her characters, eating up her super-awesome stories one after another.
Design by Elizabeth Story
WOW ESSAYS in their sample essay Godzillas Transformation From Monster To Hero Research Papers Example cites James Morrow’s Sturgeon Award winner SHAMBLING TOWARDS HIROSHIMA.
In James Morrow’s novella SHAMBLING TOWARDS HIROSHIMA, a man is hired by the US government to put on a rubber monster suit and put on a demonstration in which he destroys a small city, in order to completely end World War II. As his main character says of his intentions for the beast, “I hope to make this magnificent lizard as famous a symbol for the abolition of nuclear weapons as Smokey the Bear has become for the prevention of forest fires” (Morrow 162). This scenario is an obvious homage to the Godzilla films from Japan’s Toho Company in the 1950s – a distinct reaction to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki several years beforehand, and a nuclear cautionary tale in the guise of a kitschy monster movie.
Via Twitter, JABberwocky Foreign Rights Department shared the Japanese edition of Ellen Datlow’s acclaimed anthology LOVECRAFT’S MONSTERS, which comes in two volumes.
The really good PETER WATTS IS AN ANGRY SENTIENT TUMOR is funny, scathing, and depressing as f*ck
In two separate posts, THE ANTISOCIAL SOCIALIST praises PETER WATTS IS AN ANGRY SENTIENT TUMOR.
Anyway, the essays. Peter Watts? Not a happy guy. Which is understandable as I’m 3/4 through the book and his brother and father have died, two of his cats died (described, of course, in the sort of visceral detail and grief that only a biologist-turned-author can manage), he’s contracted flesh-eating disease, he accidentally dissolved a toad in Drano, and the world is ending. This is what I mean about maybe not being the right thing for me to read right now.
THE ANTISOCIAL SOCIALIST
This said, it’s really good.
Pretty much what I said last week—funny, scathing, and depressing as fuck.
THE ANTISOCIAL SOCIALIST
Cover by Elizabeth Story 
Cover art by Hugh Sicotte
Design by Elizabeth Story
While looking back over their reads of 2019, BEER RANTS AND BOOKS were remind how much they enjoyed Peter Watts’ THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION and wanted to explore more of the Sunflower Cycle. So far, they’ve reviewed two of the stories: “Hotshots” and “The island” (The latter appears in the BEYOND THE RIFT)
Moving on from that, what I enjoyed most about this particular work was its psychological profile of Sunday and the very long view of it takes of human development from the perspective of people about to become outside observers. There was also an interesting look at technology here as well, specifically at its uses and limitations and what room these leave for human action and agency in an age of highly advanced artificial intelligence. There was a whole lot of this content packed into a mere 23 pages and that was definitely more than enough to inspire me to read on!
Book Review: Hotshot, by Peter Watts (Sunflower Cycle)
I’ll keep this post short and sweet and close by saying that this was an absolutely brilliant short and one that I highly recommend. That this story managed to pack so much depth into such a small amount of space is truly amazing and something that must be read to truly appreciate.
Book Review: The Island, by Peter Watts (Sunflower Cycle)
Easy to recommend to a newcomer or a fan of Hap and Leonard, Joe R. Lansdale’s OF MICE AND MINESTRONE is laden with the irresistible combination of relaxed badinage and playful threats
Though not due out until April, praise for Joe R. Lansdale’s OF MICE AND MINESTRONE garners a lot of praise.
KIRKUS enjoys the collection.
The dialogue throughout is worth the price of admission, not as stylized as Elmore Leonard’s but laden with the same irresistible combination of relaxed badinage and playful threats that sometimes spiral into serious consequences while still remaining playful.
The 17 down-home recipes contributed by Lansdale’s daughter, Kasey, many of them as chatty as the stories, are a bonus.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY feels much the same.
Full of humor, gritty drama, and insightful observations, the five stories in this rewarding collection from Edgar winner Lansdale (The Elephant of Surprise) concentrate on the early years of his two mismatched East Texas private eyes: Hap Collins, a straight, white liberal; and Leonard Pine, a gay, black conservative. Lansdale packs a punch in the standout “Sparring Partner,” in which the pair, as high schoolers, are hired by a ruthless boxing manager to train a weakling college kid and a giant named Man Slayer.
GREEN MAN REVIEW further agrees.
Overall this collection was an excellent piece of regional fiction, focusing on character while reflecting the times and difficulties very well. Like any collection of short stories there are stronger and weaker pieces. However, even the weakest in this collection is worth reading. While the initial stories only feature one of the leads, all help to paint a clear picture of the pair as human beings. These stories evoke the likes of Elmore Leonard, and manage to feel so reflective that one can almost taste the food. Easy to recommend to a newcomer or a fan of Hap and Leonard as a whole.
Meet Peter S. Beagle, Richard A. Lupoff, and Tim Powers at Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Collectors Show
Join Peter S. Beagle, Richard A. Lupoff, and Tim Powers at Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Collectors Show on Sunday, March 8, 9-4 at Glendale Civic Auditorium.
The show has grown in popularity every year, attracting dealers and participants from throughout the country and around the world.
Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Collectors Show History
An important attraction of the show has been its exciting roster of guest authors and artists: over the years it has included such notables as Robert Bloch (18 years), A. E. Van Vogt , Ray Bradbury, Poul Anderson, and Fredrik Pohl (all for over 10 years), and William F. Nolan (probably the show’s champ, with over 33 years of appearances).
This year the show will feature approximately fifty guests who will be available to sign their work and meet the attendees.
Peter S. Beagle
Photo by Rina Weisman
Richard A. Lupoff
Photo: George Katechis [CC BY-SA 1.0], via Wikimedia CommonTim Powers
Photo by Matt Gush
There are many signings scheduled throughout the day including
Peter Beagle ………………………….10-11am
Tim Powers …………………………..11am-1pm
Richard Lupoff ………………………12-1pm
Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Collectors Show
Sunday March 8, 9-4
Glendale Civic Auditorium
1401 Verdugo Rd
Glendale, CA
Happy birthday to Nebula Award finalist Dave Smeds
The Nebula Award-nominated writer Dave Smeds has authored six novels including the two volume War of The Dragon series (The Sorcery Within and The Schemes of Dragons), the original X-Men novel The Law of the Jungle, and Piper in the Night.
His numerous short stories have been collected in Earthly Pleasures (as Reed Manning), EMBRACING THE STARLIGHT, and Raiding the Hoard of Enchantment: Seven Tales of High Fantasy.
All of us at Tachyon wish the fantastic Dave, a happy birthday.