Tachyon tidbits featuring Kameron Hurley, Nancy Kress, Ellen Datlow, and Peter V. Brett

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

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Kameron Hurley, Nancy Kress (photo: Ellen Datlow), Ellen Datlow, and Peter V. Brett (Karsten Moran)

B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG reveals the cover to Kameron Hurley’s The Light Brigade.

Kameron Hurley (The Stars Are Legion) has definitely earned having her name on the cover in big, bold type on the cover of her ninth novel, sci-fi war thriller The Light Brigade, which we’re showing off today. She’s racked up nominations for her work (among them nods for the Nebula and the Arthur C. Clarke awards), and has won the Hugo, Locus, and British Science Fiction awards.

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Art by Even Ventrue and art direction by Michael McCartney

But let’s not forget about the words beneath it, which also promise to be worth your attention. This is military science fiction as only Kameron Hurley could tell it—a story about the life of an infantry grunt and the corporate future of warfare, with shades of Robert Heinlein and Joe Haldeman, and a touch of the bizarre that could only come from the author of God’s War. Or as she puts it: “I’m incredibly thrilled with how this cover turned out. I can’t wait for everyone to experience this time-bending, full-throttle quantum mindquake of a ride.”

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ARC MANOR/PHOENIX PICK’s ebook of the month for October is New Under the Sun by Nancy Kress along with a companion novelette by Therese Pieczynski. The book is pay-what-you-want throughout the month.

A brand-new book by master storyteller Nancy Kress. Set in the near future, Nancy Kress’ story gives us a world increasingly hostile to new ideas as religious fundamentalism dictates social agenda and where the primary use of science is to bolster these very same uncompromising attitudes. Annabel Lee is a child of this society, but unique. She has been infected by a long-dormant alien parasite. But this ģinfection may be the only hope for the world, if she can survive long enough.

Therese Pieczynski’s companion piece predates the world Nancy Kress gives us and takes us to back to 1980s Nicaragua, where a strange demon lurks.

Sam Reader at B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG delivers 10 Years of Terror: 7 Standout Stories from The Best of the Best Horror of the Year

This month, Night Shade Books celebrates that milestone with The Best of the Best Horror of the Year, a summing up of 10 years of terror that runs the gamut—stories of gruesome monsters, cerebral surrealism, twisted bloodletting, and existential dread—contributed by a murderer’s row of horror authors.

Curating a list of standout stories from the collection might sound easy, with names like Neil Gaiman, John Langan, and Mira Grant within reach. But naming certain names is, well, expected, and horror isn’t about what’s expected. It’s about challenging expectations and upending context. I’ve written a lot about horror for this blog, so in recommending this retrospective as essential—and it is—I’m doing so only by mentioning authors I’ve never written about before. If you aren’t a denizen of the world of disturbing fiction, it’s more than likely these names are new to you, but they are definitely worth remembering. Certainly, the seven stories below are terribly unforgettable.

For TOR.COM, Martin Cahill reviews Peter V. Brett’s Barren.

Overall, Barren is a success, and if you’ve enjoyed Brett’s previous work, you’re going to enjoy this. Brett continues to add to the mythos of the Demon Cycle, and gives us a chance to see what the future of his world may look like. Progress, both personal and social, is hard fought for in this novella, despite the horrendous actions of the Brook in the past, and I can only hope we see more of this new world, and new social status quo, in future books from Peter V. Brett.