barbera bella Archives - Tachyon Publications

July 29, 2016

SLOW BULLETS intrigues

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized alastair reynolds, barbera bella, david steffen, diabolical plots, elizabeth story, Hugo Awards, kate paulk, mad genius club, novella, review, science fiction, slow bullets, Thomas Canty

As the World Science Fiction approaches, commentators review the Alastair Reynolds’ Hugo nominated SLOW BULLETS.

Kate Paulk of MAD GENIUS CLUB enjoys the book.

For me this was the pick of this character: not only did it have an intriguing premise and an interesting protagonist, it was the only story in this category that I simply could not stop reading.

Photo: Barbera Bella

At DIABOLICAL PLOTS, David Steffen praises the story.

Lots of action and difficult decisions in this story, as soldiers from opposite sides of a long and gruesome conflict wake up in a closed system with each other. Scur takes on the responsibility of being an impromptu leader to try to keep everyone from each other’s throats long enough to understand how they all ended up there, how to best salvage as much functionality out of the malfunctioning ship as possible, and where to go from there. A solid science fictional tale about a group of opposing soldiers trying to unite in a post-war environment to try to survive.

For more info about SLOW BULLETS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Thomas Canty

Design by Elizabeth Story

March 15, 2016

Belated Happy birthday to the extraordinary Alastair Reynolds

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized alastair reynolds, barbera bella, birthday, elizabeth story, poseidon's wake, science fiction, slow bullets, Thomas Canty

Photo: Barbera Bella

Beginning in 2000 while
researching astronomy and astrophysics
for the European Space Agency’s main research establishment in the
Netherlands, Alastair Reynolds published the
first four volumes of the acclaimed REVELATION SPACE series:
REVELATION SPACE , CHASM CITY (winner of the British Science Fiction
Award), REDEMPTION ARK, and ABSOLUTION GAP. Later he added a fifth
title with THE PREFECT. After leaving the Agency in 2004, he became a
full time writer and continued his impressive output of which
included the POSEIDON’S CHILDREN series (BLUE REMEMBERED EARTH, ON
THE STEEL BREEZE, and POSEIDON’S WAKE), PUSHING ICE, TERMINAL WORLD,
HARVEST OF TIME, and SLOW BULLETS.

Reynolds’ numerous short stories have garnered him Seiun and
Sidewise awards. Much of his shorter work have been collected in
DIAMOND DOGS, TURQUOISE DAYS, ZIMA BLUE AND OTHER STORIES, GALACTIC
NORTH, THOUSANDTH NIGHT AND MINLA’S FLOWERS, and DEEP NAVIGATION.

All of us at Tachyon wish the amazing Alastair a happy birthday.
Keep watching the skies!

For more info about SLOW BULLETS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Thomas Canty

Design by Elizabeth Story

January 13, 2016

Tachyon tidbits featuring Alastair Reynolds, Jeff VanderMeer, and Nalo Hopkinson

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized agave, alastair reynolds, barbera bella, booklife, booklife: strategies and survival tips for the 21st century writer, chris cold, chuma hill, collection, elizabeth story, falling in love with hominids, fantasy, frodo's book of randomness, ian sales, it doesn't have to be right..., jeff vandermeer, john coulthart, john green, nalo hopkinson, novella, review, science fiction, serial distractions, shedrick pittman-hassett, short stories, slow bullets, Thomas Canty, wsfa press

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

Alastair Reynolds (Photo: Barbera Bella)/Jeff VanderMeer (Photo: Agave)/Nalo Hopkinson

At IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE RIGHT, Ian Sales reviewed the signed, numbered WSFA Press edition of Alastair Reynolds’ SLOW BULLETS.

This is typical Reynolds – a universe which he perhaps might not have visited before but nonetheless feels like one of his, and a plot predicated on horrible violence which still manages to slingshot off an optimistic and redemptive ending. It is, in fact, pretty much about as Reynolds as you can get and, as a result, your mileage may vary. I enjoyed it, some bits more than others.

WSFA Press limited edition cover by Chris Cold

Shedrick Pittman-Hassett at SERIAL DISTRACTIONS discusses Jeff VanderMeer’s thought-provoking BOOKLIFE: STRATEGIES AND SURVIVAL TIPS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY WRITER.

Most writing books focus on technique–the nuts and bolts of writing. Some even detail the ins and outs of publishing. But what sets BOOKLIFE apart from these other books is its focus on the writing life. It is decidedly not a how-to book, but more of a written coach on the creation and maintenance of, for lack of a better term, your Booklife.

One of the biggest themes of the books is BALANCE. VanderMeer emphasizes repeatedly the need to strike a balance between the public and private Booklife–and to err in favor of the private. This sense of moderation and balance is a through-line for the book. It is also important to note that most of the advice given in the book boils down to common sense approaches to dealing with people. Your Booklife, despite the many hours spent alone churning out words, is a collaborative effort requiring the support of a network of people–treat them shabbily at your peril.

For both novice and experienced writers, BOOKLIFE is highly inspirational, thought-provokingly humane, and highly recommended.

FRODO’S BLOG OF RANDOMNESS followed John Green’s advice and end up enjoying Nalo Hopkinson’s beautiful FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS is a love letter to the very idea of fantasy. The characters within experience joy and loss, wonder and dread, the mundane and the amazing, all with fantastical beings and creatures as the vehicles to the extremes and peaks of those emotions and occurrences. Some of the characters are the fantastical beings, others interact with them or bring them to life, and most are seemingly “normal” people that have wondrous thing happen to them, changing their lives in incredible ways. Yet, at the same time, no fantasy element removes the stories from our reality in full, making each story feel more real, more possible, and their worlds approachable and attainable.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS then takes those incredible things and uses them to write beautiful short stories that cover a range of very real ideas, examining those ideas, and often flipping many of them on their heads. A few of them are: what growing up is like from the mind of a child, guilt over someone’s death, the afterlife, deprivation of the senses, mental deficiencies and genius, what the life of a god would be like, and the reality that would exist if every person really did have someone meant for them.

I’ll admit, some of this book went over my head, which I did expect being that it was recommended by someone as cerebral as John Green. However, that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the stories, even if I found a few of them dragging on a bit unnecessarily. Hopkinson’s writing shows that she has a different view of the world than anyone else could, and her Caribbean roots shine in the names, dialogue, and surroundings of the characters she creates. It is a very high level of writing, but never pretentious. I don’t understand every element in all the stories, but I didn’t feel like I needed to in order to enjoy them fully.

For more info about SLOW BULLETS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Thomas Canty

Design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about BOOKLIFE: STRATEGIES AND SURVIVAL TIPS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY WRITER, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by John Coulthart

For more info about FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Chuma Hill

Design by Elizabeth Story

December 4, 2015

The enthralling SLOW BULLETS is one of the best books of the year

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized adam roberts, alastair reynolds, barbera bella, best of 2015, elan samuel, elizabeth story, military science fiction, novella, review, science fiction, slow bullets, space opera, The Guardian, Thomas Canty, warbler

(Photo: Barbera Bella)

For THE GUARDIAN, Adam Roberts named his best science fiction and fantasy books of 2015, which included Alastair Reynolds’ SLOW BULLETS.

Alastair Reynolds’s SLOW BULLETS (Tachyon) is a treat: a punchy short novel set in the aftermath of an interstellar war.

Elan Samuel of the WARBLER loved the book, as well.

The story that SLOW BULLETS became had me enthralled—it is full of tension, confusion, fear, horror, and loss. It fascinated and inspired me. Most of all, I really, really enjoyed it. With SLOW BULLETS, I’ve become a fan of Alastair Reynolds. if science fiction, mystery, and political thrillers intrigue you, I highly recommend SLOW BULLETS. It’ll sate your hunger as it did mine.

For more info about SLOW BULLETS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Thomas Canty

Design by Elizabeth Story

October 20, 2015

SLOW BULLETS will please Alastair Reynolds fans and newcomers alike

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized alastair reynolds, asimov's science fiction, barbera bella, bewildering stories, elizabeth story, novella, review, science fiction, slow bullets, space opera, the fictional hangout, the page of reviews, Thomas Canty

Four fresh reviews for Alastair Reynolds’ compelling SLOW BULLETS.

(Photo: Barbera Bella)

From ASIMOV’S SCIENCE FICTION:

Reynolds does his usual fine job of creating a compelling narrative out of the classic materials of space opera as viewed through a modern sensibility and an awareness of the real science of space travel. Recommended.

THE FICTIONAL HANGOUT:

If you’re looking to explore Alistair Reynolds’ work but are worried about investing in a full length novel, SLOW BULLETS is perfect. It’s a quick read and offers a very accessible story to new readers, not feeling like most of the hard science fiction that Reynolds normally writes. The short is unpredictable and enthralling, and the lead character, Scur, is a likeable and well developed protagonist. Reynolds manages to weave a compelling and engaging science fiction short far better than a few full length novels that I’ve read recently, with everything falling into place to work perfectly. It’s amazing how, given the short pagecount, Reynolds is able to develop and expand the world, and blends everything together very well indeed.

SLOW BULLETS is a confident read from Reynolds that will please fans and newcomers alike, and hopefully it will draw in new readers and encourage them to explore more of the writer’s work. Highly Recommended.

VERDICT: 8/10

BEWILDERING STORIES:

SLOW BULLETS is hardly longer than a novella. It has few bang-bang demolitions. But Reynolds wasn’t playing the two-tone scale, he banged away at the cathedral organ instead. This is not military science fiction, this is war opera. Recommended!

THE PAGE OF REVIEWS:

Military science fiction almost always asks its readers to examine solders giving up their lives for the greater whole. It can show the absurdity of conflict, or reinforce the notion that the cost of freedom is vigilance eternal. Mr. Reynolds uses SLOW BULLETS to take the traditional war story in a different direction, asking its soldiers, even in peace, to continue sacrificing their individuality for a greater whole. While it might be somewhat self-serving of an author to suggest that poetry and art is worthy of an individual sacrifice, this critic sees no reason to disagree. If the transcendent isn’t worth protecting, then what is the purpose of anything? A person would do well to keep this question in mind as they read SLOW BULLETS.

For more info about SLOW BULLETS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Thomas Canty

Design by Elizabeth Story