io9

February 13, 2019

Lyrically compelling, THE VERY BEST OF CAITLÍN R. KIERNAN is a collection to be read and savored

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized b&n sci-fi & fantasy blog, becky spratford, book bum, espresso and books, io9, jacob olson, nick cato, ra for all, reviews, reviews and robots, the hero complex, the horror fiction review, the very best of caitlin r kiernan, weirdiana

The impending release of THE VERY BEST OF CAITLÍN R. KIERNAN has the internet all abuzz.

Becky Spratford for RA FOR ALL praises the book.

The result is a volume that presents a mere snapshot of her genius, showcasing how she plays with gender, creates tension that progresses to the level of nightmare, and crafts a story where beginnings and endings don’t matter, rather it is about the characters, their struggle, and really humanity itself. Yet despite the darkness at each story’s core, there is also beauty in these lyrical compelling, and intriguing tales that are nearly impossible to stop reading. Fans may have read some of these stories before, but many readers who have more recently been introduced to works of writers with more mainstream attention like Carmen Maria Machado, Jeff VanderMeer, or China Mieville, will be glad to find this volume on your shelves so that they can discover a writer who inspired them all.

At REVIEWS AND ROBOTS, Jacob Olson was impressed.

THE VERY BEST OF CAITLÍN R. KIERNAN is a collection of stories that defies expectation. You’ll find fantasies to startle and impress the imagination. Horrors to shock and enthrall you. Most importantly, you’ll find a brilliant writer that gives you every detail, no matter how gruesome or grotesque. Kiernan’s talent oozes off the page, forcing itself into your mind, leaving you startled by how skilled one person could be. The stories gave me chills at times, and I was in awe of these strings of words that acted more like spells than stories. It’s a collection to be read and savored.

Photo: Kyle Cassidy

Nick Cato for THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW enjoys his further dive into Kiernan’s works.

I’ve read a story or two from Kiernan over the years, but never read a novel or collection (and she has many of both). So when given the chance to check out her latest collection I figured it was high time to dive in. While most of the tales here are dark fantasy or sci-fi, almost all have elements of classic, sometimes extreme horror.

<snip>

These are 20 previously published stories, so this might not be of much interest to long time fans. But for this newbie, it has made me a fan, and a big one at that. Kiernan is easily one of the best writers of weird fiction working today and I’m looking forward to digging into her catalog.

ESPRESSO AND BOOKS likes their first exposure to Kiernan’s works.

I don’t know why I haven’t read anything previously by Caitlin R. Kiernan! Her writing is beautiful and really draws you into the stories. This book is a collection of short stories. The stories range from sci-fi to full out horror. There is a darkness to her writing style that really gives these stories an edge. I will definitely have to check out more by her!!

The Italian site WEIRDIANA mentions THE VERY BEST OF CAITLÍN R. KIERNAN.

Edited by Tachyon Publications, the collection includes twenty stories published between 2003 and 2017, testimony to the talent and originality of the Irish writer, best known for the novel The Drowning Girl.

THE HERO COMPLEX and BOOK BUM were both attracted by the cover.

THE HERO COMPLEX:

Granted, I’ve only read Kiernan’s The Red Tree, but that book has, somewhat literally, haunted me (that is at least a double pun, good lord) since I read it two years ago. I’m so excited to dig into a collection of her short fiction — and that cover art!

I am easily seduced by good cover art, what can I say?

BOOK BUM:

I’ve never heard of Caitlín R. Kiernan before, but you know me… I’m a sucker for a short horror story collection! I also love this mesmerising & disturbing cover for this one.

B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG and IO9 included the title among their things to look forward to in February.

For more info about THE VERY BEST OF CAITLÍN R. KIERNAN, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Hannes Hummel
Design by Elizabeth Story

November 7, 2017

Tachyon tidbits featuring James Morrow, Kameron Hurley, John Picacio, and Leslie What

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized elizabeth story, evan narcisse, galen dara, historical novel society, io9, James Morrow, John Picacio, kameron hurley, lightspeed, michael dashow, olympic games, popular mechanics, review, star trek, the cabinet of dr. caligari, wadim kashin

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

James Morrow, Kameron Hurley, John Picacio, and Leslie What

HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY praises James Morrow’s THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI.

The story was inspired by the classic 1920s film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. While Morrow’s story is satirical and almost slapstick at times, it manages to avoid delving into the ridiculous, but a certain amount of patience with the absurdity is required. While it is possible to read this book without having much knowledge of Dr. Caligari or the original Robert Weine film, having that experience and background brings the story and the character to life all the more. Morrow successfully uses art as the link between the worlds (bridging from film to print), but the story is essentially original and all his, in all of its strange and interesting glory.

Kameron Hurley, author of the forthcoming APOCALYPSE NYX, contributes to POPULAR MECHANICS’ 8 Sci-Fi Writers on Where Star Trek Should Go Next.

There’s no better time for Star Trek to do what it does best—engaging in tough moral dilemmas. The episode I’m most interested in seeing Star Trek explore is one that addresses the scourge of perpetual war, and how to de-escalate it and come out the other side.

The Star Trek episode “A Taste of Armageddon” envisioned a 500-year-long war that continued to persist because the horror and brutality of that war were hidden from the people who fought it. It’s the horror of war, Kirk says, that forces us to end it. As long as we are able to put people to death neatly, cleanly, behind closed doors, away from the eyes of the media, of witnesses, war will continue without end.

As America soon enters its second decade of ongoing war in the Middle East, it’s worth asking this question again via the safe space-western format that allows us to divorce our political baggage from the moral question, and interrogate ourselves and our actions in a way that doesn’t feel like an attack.

I want a Star Trek that makes me engage with my own world in new ways, and challenges me to solve problems using the skills that made the series great: knowing and understanding your enemy, finding common ground, and being open to new experiences, to not just boldly go where no one has gone, but to not be a dick about it when you get there.

I want see an episode that tells us not only how to surface the horrors of war to drive action, but to create the egalitarian future Star Trek has always promised us.

Art: Wadim Kashin
Design: Elizabeth Story

On IO9, Evan Narcisse profiles artist John Picacio.

You may not know who John Picacio is by name but, if you’ve been a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, then you’ve seen his work illuminating the world created by George R.R. Martin’s books. The award-winning illustrator helped define the looks of Jon Snow, Eddard Stark and other iconic ASoIaF characters before casting directors got cracking on HBO’s hit Game of Thrones television adaptation.

Picacio’s one of those artists whose work glows with a distinctive and elegant point-of-view. Aside from Martin, his linework has graced works by Michael Moorcock, Harlan Ellison, Joe R. Lansdale and tons of other science-fiction/fantasy luminaries. For the last few years, he’s also been creating Loteria Grande, a re-invented version of loteria, the classic Mexican game of chance. io9 is featuring at some of Picacio’s favorite pieces in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month—including his recollections about the creation of each illustration.

I grew up playing a card game with my family. It’s called Loteria, and it’s a Mexican game of chance, played much like Bingo. The icons on the cards are super-familiar within Mexican culture, but I wanted to re-imagine them in my own unique way. ‘La Sirena’ was one of the first of those visions, and she’ll always be one of my favorites because she caused a lot of people to fall in love with my Loteria work. This art ended up winning the 2013 Chesley Award for Best Product Illustration, when it appeared as a limited-run art card.

Art: Galen Dara

LIGHTSPEED (Nov. 2017 Issue 90) reprints “The Mutable Borders of Love” by Leslie What, author of OLYMPIC GAMES.

Though Marietta’s eyes are closed, she is wide awake, fingering the new sheets she gave Asher as part of his six-month anniversary present. The other parts were dinner, followed by multiple sexual favors. She has already thought ahead, to the seven-month anniversary, when she will trade dinner for breakfast, trade a languorous night of sex for a quickie. She worries about thinking so far ahead and having expectations concerning things she cannot fully control. Is this really the way being in love should feel?

Asher’s bed is a California king. It is out of place, too big for the eight-by-ten room. The sheets cost almost double the price of her queen-size, but she bought these for herself as much as him. Asher’s new sheets are crisp and cool dense cotton that makes them feel shiny. Marietta is obsessed by their smooth texture and fine weave. She can’t stop fidgeting with the fabric between her forefinger and thumb. The old sheets were a remnant from a previous relationship. No matter how many times they were laundered, the Hawaiian ginger scent favored by the woman Marietta has since replaced lingered like old smoke. Marietta hated sleeping over at Asher’s until tonight.

Her lover snores content beside her, something she calculates will continue another ten minutes before he fades into a deep and heavy sleep, at which time he will probably call out the names of women he dated before they met. These women are dead, just as her past sweethearts are dead, but it bothers her just the same, maybe because it’s an unwelcome reminder that not everyone’s strong enough to survive love.

For more info on THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

For more info on OLYMPIC GAMES, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Michael Dashow

September 12, 2017

Tachyon tidbits featuring Jane Yolen, Peter S. Beagle, Jo Walton, and Nalo Hopkinson

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized changing hands bookstore, cheryl eddy, chuma hill, edinburgh book festival, elizabeth story, fantasy faction, io9, Jane Yolen, jo walton, kirkus, nalo hopkinson, peter s beagle, the emerald circus

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

Jane Yolen (photo: Jason Stemple), Peter S. Beagle (Rina Weisman), Jo Wallton, and Nalo Hopkinson (Sanna Pudas)

KIRKUS praises Jane Yolen’s THE EMERALD CIRCUS.

An impressive overview of the author’s breadth and career, this collection will appeal to the author’s existing devotees—or to anyone who has ever thought that “happily ever after” left too many questions.

Cheryl Eddy at IO9 includes Peter S. Beagle’s forthcoming collection THE OVERNEATH among All the Science Fiction and Fantasy Books to Keep on Your Radar This Fall.

This short-story collection includes a callback to the author’s classic, THE LAST UNICORN, along with several other new fantasy tales.

At the 2017 Edinburgh International Book Festival, FANTASY FACTION interviewed Jo Walton

Your most recent series of novels, the THESSALY trilogy, came to an end last year. It deals with time travel, alien planets and Plato’s REPUBLIC. What is it like writing something so complex yet keeping it engaging and approachable?

It is actually quite an old fashioned thing. It is a family saga, a generational saga. The first book is about Greek gods and philosophers from throughout time, a handful of slave children, and a bunch of robots setting up Plato’s Republic. The first book takes place a bit over ten years. It’s kind of a Utopian experiment with, and one of the things I say about it is, what could possibly go wrong? Well, things go wrong and things go right. What I wanted to do with it is explore issues of liberty and consensuality and axiomatically different ways of thinking about living. Different things are important to these people. Plato said, start with ten-year-olds, as if ten-year-olds are nothing, are blank. But ten-year-olds are not blank slates. And, I think, because I read THE REPUBLIC (380 BC) when I was fifteen, I was very aware of that.

You have a short story collection coming out at the beginning of next year.

Yes, yes I do. STARLINGS, which has all of my short stories that have been published, and a play, and a bunch of poetry. I very seldom write short stories, but I write poetry all the time. So this is my first short story collection but my third poetry collection. STARLINGS, is coming out from Tachyon in January.

Now that the Thessaly series has come to an end, what’s next for Jo Walton?

Right now I’m writing a book called LENT, which is about Savonarola. My short hand way of describing this is it’s Savonarola Groundhog Day. It’s not probably what you would expect but I’m really enjoying it. I’ve written sixty thousand words and I’m probably about 60% of the way through it. I was just in Florence for six weeks writing it, and I got so much done. If I had stayed there another two weeks I would have finished it. But I’m hoping it’ll be done by Christmas. I’m very excited about that book.

Changing Hands Bookstore via Instagram shared this about Nalo Hopkinson’s FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS.

For #SciFiSunday today we’re #reading Nalo Hopkinson’s short story collection, FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS. Hopkinson, who was born in Jamaica and has lived in the U.S., Trinidad, Guyana, and Canada, continues to “expand the boundaries of culture and imagination” here. There’s a retelling of THE TEMPEST as a Caribbean myth in this collection that is not to be missed!

For more info on THE EMERALD CIRCUS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info on THE OVERNEATH, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info on STARLINGS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more information on FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Chuma Hill

Design by Elizabeth Story

August 8, 2017

Lovely throughout, THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY delivers beautifully crafted tales

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized a novel haul, b&n sci-fi & fantasy blog, booklist, cheryl eddy, io9, jacob weisman, jeff somers, pete herr, peter s beagle, rebecca vnuk, review, the geekiverse, the new voices in fantasy, ventureadlaxre

Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman’s THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY continues to impress.

A NOVEL HAUL surprisingly enjoys the anthology.

I’m generally not a great lover of fantasy. I find it difficult to get through a long high fantasy novel or series and as a genre it doesn’t have the same pull for me as others do. That being said I do absolutely adore short stories so this collection caught my eye as a sort of gateway drug in to longer fantasy stories.

<snip>

The thing I loved most about this collection is the range of cultural inspiration behind the stories. It wasn’t just your bog-standard Tudors-with-dragons English affair; there were stories drawing inspiration from myths originating everywhere from Ireland to Pakistan.

<snip>

There’s no collective theme to these stories other than they’re all beautifully crafted and chosen to represent the best of the genre. And they may have convinced this fantasy-avoider to try out more of the genre!

VENTUREADLAXRE praises the collection.

Stars: Five out of Five

So many authors are the reason I picked this one up – it would probably be easier to list those I haven’t yet come across yet. This is however a collection of people fairly new to the scene (last four or so years until now), and an excellent starting point for people who may not have come across them yet – get in on the ground floor, type of thing, so you can follow what are sure to be excellent bibliographies.

“Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” by Alyssa Wong

It would drive you crazy if you could see the thoughts of anyone you concentrated on – especially if you focused on their worst thoughts and memories. Imagine it’s what you digest – what you feed on.

We see Jen on a tinder date who notes her date wants to split her open and glory at her insides. It’s just as well for the rest of the women on tinder that Jen has the ability to suck out every thought in his mind and leave him a maybe-dead mess in an alleyway – something she’s seemingly inherited from her mother who has a home filled with ‘hissing (…) ugly, bottled remains of her paramours’. Who wouldn’t want to read more? Jen’s problem is she has a sweet friend, Aiko, who’s becoming more and more alluring. Scared that she won’t be able to resist hurting her, she pushes her away instead and retreats to her mothers home, and distracted, then gets herself into a whole lot of trouble.

This is sweet and perfectly delivered. Wong is certainly someone to keep an eye on – every piece she’s had published so far it a wonder to read and sometimes a little hard hitting.

<snip>

“The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn” by Usman T. Malik

A boy grows up listening to a story his grandfather tells, of a pauper princess who had a tea store in the shade of a eucalyptus tree, in which a jinn resided. The tale tells of a place that seems a very long way from where they now reside in Florida, where even when they speak to each other in Urdu it’s like they’re in another world entirely.

Possibly the longest piece in this collection, but being Usman it manages to be worth it. As the grandfather’s story dominates the boy’s life, it overwhelmed the story too (in a good way) for the little it takes up, and pages and pages after are about the boy – now grown up – and his journey to find answers, meanings, an end to the story that sustained him as a kid.

It’s a grand ending to this anthology, and lovely throughout.

Peter S. Beagle (photo: Rina Weisman) and Jacob Weisman

Several venues included the title on their top SF/Fantasy books for August.

BOOKLIST (Rebecca Vnuk):

This collection brings together stories that represent the new and evolving possibilities for fantasy writing, particularly “literary” fantasy, which exists between the boundaries of genre and mainstream fiction

B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG (Jeff Somers):

Celebrating the new voices in fantasy that will define the future of the genre, Beagle assembles an impressive roster of 19 authors who will introduce the unaware to the Next Big Things. The list of authors includes many you’ll recognize from awards ballots over the past few years: Max Gladstone, Alyssa Wong, Usman T. Malik, Ursula Vernon, and many others. The tone, subject matter, and precise sub-genres change from story to story, and the end result is a varied and entertaining anthology with something for every reader—and one that will likely introduce every reader to at least one great new voice.

IO9 (Cheryl Eddy):

Rising stars of fantasy fiction (Sofia Samatar, Maria Dahvana Headley, Max Gladstone, Alyssa Wong, and many more) contribute to this 19-story genre collection, which is co-edited and curated by Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn).

THE GEEKIVERSE (Pete Herr):

Each month I add a collection of short form fiction. This is August’s collection. An anthology of fantasy shorts by 19 of the genre’s up and coming stars including Usman T. Malik, Sofia Samatar, Eugene Fischer, E. Lily Yu, Ben Loory, Maria Dahvana Headley, Ursula Vernon, Max Gladstone and more. The stories were selected and edited by award-winning novelist Peter S. Beagle of The Last Unicorn fame. This collection showcases authors that are defining the fantasy genre today.

For more info about THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Camille André

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

June 8, 2017

James Morrow’s THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI is a small masterpiece

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Amazon, b&n sci-fi & fantasy blog, io9, James Morrow, jeff somers, madame griselda, review, the asylum of dr caligari, trevor atherton

For MADAME GRISELDA, Trevor Atherton praises James Morrow’s THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI.

The novella is a fascinating look at the devastating effects of World War One and the flowering of modern art. The narrator is an American, Francis Wyndham, who has seen the famous Armory Show in New York and decides that he wants to become a painter. He finds a job peeling potatoes on a passenger ship and makes his way to France, where he looks up Picasso in hopes of apprenticing himself to the renowned artist.

<snip>

When I see an opening like this, I am struck by two things: the author has an awesome way with words and a wily sense of humor. But it is this very tongue-in-cheek stodginess that allows the book to maintain a foothold in reality while following such a wild and unbelievable plot. In some ways, the piece reads like a dream or an elongated fairytale, though I think neither comparison is sufficient to describe what is really a small masterpiece of speculation on the horrors of war and the power of art.

James Morrow was born in 1947 and has turned out over fifteen novels and novellas, including TTHE LAST WITCHFINDER (2006), GALÁPAGOS REGAINED (2015), and THE MADONNA AND THE STARSHIP (2014). Though he is sometimes identified as a science fiction author, he calls himself a “scientific humanist,” and his work has often contained a satirical look at politics or religion. THE GODHEAD TRILOGY (1994-1999), for example, discusses what happens when God dies, leaving an enormous corpse. Such imagination is evident in THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI, as well.

Jeff Somers at B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG includes the novella among The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of June 2017.

Morrow crafts a plot that takes every unexpected twist and turn possible in less than 200 pages. It starts with the quietly mediocre farm boy Francis Wyndham, and his life-changing visit in 1913 to an exhibition of modern art. Wyndham heads to Paris and sets himself up as a North American gypsy folk artist. He fails to get much attention for his work, but is offered a job at an art therapist at an asylum run by the mysterious Dr. Caligari. Wyndham soon learns that Caligari viewed World War I as a work of art, and has created a painting imbued with strange and disturbing powers that can drive anyone who looks upon it to do his bidding. Wyndham finds it’s up to him—and a ragtag bag of misfits—to fight back against the doctor’s monstrous plans to profit at the world’s expense.

AMAZON and IO9 also include the book among their best of June selections.

For more info on THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

May 2, 2017

Seems like everyone is recommending Ellen Klages’ WICKED WONDERS

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Amazon, b&n sci-fi & fantasy blog, cheryl eddy, elizabeth story, ellen klages, io9, jeff somers, wicked wonders

Photo: Scott R. Kline

On B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG, Jeff Somers includes Ellen Klages’ WICKED WONDERS in The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of May 2017.

Klages offers up a collection of short fiction that wanders across the spectrum of sci-fi and fantasy—and beyond, dipping a toe or two into non-genre tales. Along the way, her vibrant imagination finds deep pleasures in unusual premises, including an astronaut on Mars who discovers her pregnancy has determined her fate, ladies who lunch ever-so-politely delving into a dark side of quantum mechanics, and a player trapped inside a series of board games, and at the mercy of a fairy queen. Klages surprises in each story, but maintains a sense of humanity and warmth throughout that transforms her tales from narrative experiments into powerful observations of the human (and non-human) condition.

Cheryl Eddy at IO9 mentions the title in 20 Amazing New Scifi and Fantasy Books to Add to Your Reading List in May.

The author of THE GREEN GLASS SEA presents her second short-story collection of “lyrical stories with vintage flair” (topics include: life on Mars, gambling with fairies), with an introduction by Karen Joy Fowler.

AMAZON includes the collection among its Best Books of the Month: Science Fiction & Fantasy.

For more info on WICKED WONDERS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

November 9, 2016

Tachyon tidbits: Preview edition featuring Lauren Beukes, Bruce Sterling, and Ellen Datlow

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized alternative history, anthology, bruce sterling, cheryl eddy, clara bacou, collection, dieselpunk, elizabeth story, Ellen Datlow, horror, hungary, io9, john coulthart, lauren beukes, mandiner.sci-fi, nightmares, nightmares: a new decade of modern horror, nihil, pirate utopia, preview, science fiction, slipping, slipping: stories essays & other writing, tor.com

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

Lauren Beukes, Bruce Sterling, and Ellen Datlow (credit: THIS IS HORROR)

TOR.COM mentions Lauren Beukes’ SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING and Ellen Datlow’s NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR in Fiction Affliction: Genre-Benders for November.

NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR—Ellen Datlow, editor (November 1, Tachyon Publications)

Unlucky thieves invade a house where Home Alone seems like a playground romp. An antique bookseller and a mob enforcer join forces to retrieve the Atlas of Hell. Postapocalyptic survivors cannot decide which is worse: demon women haunting the skies or maddened extremists patrolling the earth. In this chilling twenty-first-century companion to the cult classic DARKNESS: TWO DECADES OF MODERN HORROR, Ellen Datlow again proves herself the most masterful editor of the genre. She has mined the breadth and depth of ten years of terror, collecting superlative works of established masters and scene-stealing newcomers alike.

SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING—Lauren Beukes (November 29, Tachyon)

A Punk Lolita fighter-pilot rescues Tokyo from a marauding art installation. Corporate recruits harvest poisonous plants on an inhospitable planet. An inquisitive adolescent ghost disrupts the life of a young architect. Product loyalty is addictive when the brand appears under one’s skin. Award-winning Cape Town author and journalist Lauren Beukes (ZOO
CITY, MOXYLAND, BROKEN MONSTERS) spares no targets in this edgy and satiric retrospective collection. In her fiction and nonfiction, ranging from Johannesburg across the galaxy, Beukes is a fierce, captivating presence throughout the literary landscape.

The Hungarian MANDINER.SCI-FI features SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING and Bruce Sterling’s PIRATE UTOPIA in Pirates, Vampires, Aliens: Anglo-Saxon books for November.

Lauren Beukes: SLIPPING

Lauren Beukes was not required to show the domestic audience, as it has been published four novels at home (two fantastic work of the Ad Astra, two thrillers in the care of Gabo SFF). A South African woman is now a writer and essay collections novella- appears: Johannesburg depths of space.

Bruce Sterling: PIRATE UTOPIA

Although Balázs Ablonczy classic warning , according to a book should beware of those that advertise themselves with, who wrote the preface, we recommend a new novel by Bruce Sterling (which Warren Ellis wrote in the preface). To what are we talking about? The Adriatic Sea futurist, utopian pirates plundering capitalists and communists between the two world wars. But there is a chance for world domination?

Translated from Hungarian by Google.

Cheryl Eddy at IO9 includes Bruce Sterling’s PIRATE UTOPIA on 16 Must-Read Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for November.

PIRATE UTOPIA by Bruce Sterling

A gaggle of ne’er-do-wells plot global chaos in this new satire from the editor of the seminal
MIRRORSHADES:
THE CYBERPUNK ANTHOLOGY.

For more info about NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Nihil

Design by Elizabeth Story

For more information about SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Clara Bacou

Design by Elizabeth Story

For more info on PIRATE UTOPIA, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover and image by John Coulthart

September 7, 2016

Tachyon tidbits featuring Ellen Datlow, Joe R. Lansdale, and Bruce Sterling

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Ann Monn, bruce sterling, cheryl eddy, daniel schwent, darkness, darkness: two decades of modern horror, diselpunk, elizabeth story, Ellen Datlow, hap and leonard, hap and leonard ride again, horror, io9, Joe R. Lansdale, john coulthart, michelle garza, mirrorshades, nightmares, nightmares: a new decade of modern horror, nihil, pirate utopia, review, science fiction, shelf inflicted, swamp noir, texas noir, this is horror

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

Ellen Datlow (credit: THIS IS HORROR), Joe R. Lansdale (Karen Lansdale), Bruce Sterling (THE VERGE)

For THIS IS HORROR, Michelle Garza praises Ellen Datlow’s NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR.

As indicated in
Ellen Datlow’s introduction, you could consider this a sequel to
DARKNESS: TWO DECADES OF MODERN HORROR, which included greats like
Clive Barker, Stephen King, Peter Straub, Neil Gaiman and George R.
R. Martin. NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR is a celebration
of the art of writing short stories. These tales are a gathering of
those that left a lasting impression on her. It did on us, and
certainly will on you.

An excellent collection over all, featuring some of the best voices in horror. It has something to suit a wide variety of tastes, blending stories about real life trauma and bloodshed, to stories that pass into the realms of cosmic terror, horror in the old west and even those with a grim fairytale-like feel. In these pages you will find a nightmare for every horror fan.

Daniel Schwent on SHELF INFLICTED reviews HAP AND LEONARD RIDE AGAIN.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The guys at Tachyon sent me this as well as HAP AND LEONARD. There’s a significant amount of overlap so some of this will be a clip job.

Introduction by Michael Kortya: I’m always interested in what one writer writes about another. Kortya echoes my feelings on Hap and Leonard and Joe Lansdale in general. He also refrains from spoiling the shit out of stories, which is growing increasingly rare in introductions.

Joe R. Lansdale, Hap and Leonard, and Me by Bill Crider: Bill Crider details his decades-long friendship with Joe Lansdale and gives an outsider’s point of view on Joe working on the series.

The Oak and the Pond: Hap tells the story of what happened to the Robin Hood Tree, a tree mentioned in several of the early Hap and Leonard books.

The Boy Who Became Invisible: Hap recounts a tale of his youth, the tale of the boy everyone picked on.

The Boy Who Became Invisible is a powerful tale because it’s all too believable and very relatable. I remembered the ending but it still hit pretty hard. This particular version of The Boy Who Became Invisible is in screenplay format.

An Interview with Joe R. Lansdale, His Own Self: Rick Klaw interviews Joe, asking his thoughts on such topics as racism, genres, Texas, violence, and other subjects.

The Care and Feeding and Raising Up of Hap and Leonard: Lansdale talks about the genesis of Hap and Leonard and writing the books, confirming that Hap is something of a stand-in for Lansdale himself.

At IO9, Cheryl Eddy includes Bruce Sterling’s forthcoming alt history, dieselpunk adventure PIRATE UTOPIA in All the New Scifi and Fantasy Books You Absolutely Must Read This Fall.

A gaggle of
ne’er-do-wells plot global chaos in this new satire from the editor
of the seminal MIRRORSHADES: THE CYBERPUNK ANTHOLOGY.

For more info about NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Nihil

Design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about DARKNESS: TWO DECADES OF MODERN HORROR, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Ann Monn

For more info about HAP AND LEONARD RIDE AGAIN, visit the Tachyon page.

For more info on HAP AND LEONARD, visit the Tachyon page.

Covers by Elizabeth Story

For more info on PIRATE UTOPIA, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover and images by John Coulthart

August 2, 2016

Each story in Michael Swanwick’s NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT is a work of art

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Ann Monn, beelzebub, cheryl eddy, collection, elizabeth story, io9, michael swanwick, not so much said the cat, review, risingshadow, sam lubell, seregil of rhiminee, sfrevu, short stories, the dog said bow-wow

Reviews and recommendations for Michael Swanwick’s recently released collection NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT keep coming.

At IO9, Cheryl Eddy includes the book among her 15 Must-Read Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Arriving This August.

A second collection of short science fiction from the author of THE DOG SAID BOW-WOW, with tales that promise to include the Devil, time travelers, a horse with magic powers, and “a semi-repentant troll.”

Sam Lubell at SFREVU praises the collection.

Michael Swanwick is one of the best short story writers in the science fiction/fantasy field. He will be a guest of honor at this month’s Worldcon, MidAmeriCon in Kansas City. While he jokes that he has lost more major awards than any other science fiction writer, his display cabinet holds five Hugo awards, a Nebula, and a World Fantasy Award. Swanwick writes clear, elegant prose that is a joy to read, and excels at creating lifelike characters. Each story is a complete work of art.

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Perhaps the best reason to read short stories is the way they give a skilled writer many different canvases to display his talents. Not So Much Said the Cat tackles themes of love, identity, morals, and reality in varying settings and plots. Still, Swanwick’s style shines through in all of these and each story will make the reader think.

For RISINGSHADOW, Seregil of Rhiminee lauds NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT.

Ah, what a pleasure it was to read Michael Swanwick’s NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT. This magnificent collection was everything I hoped it would be and more, because it contained imaginative and well written stories. It wonderfully demonstrates Michael Swanwick’s strengths as an author and lets readers marvel at his vast imagination. It’s a collection that I can wholeheartedly praise and recommend, because it’s excellent.

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NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT is an excellent collection of imaginative and beautifully written stories that deftly explore various themes, issues and elements ranging from magic and robots to love and aliens. There’s something for everyone in this collection.

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I’m impressed by the author’s ability to blend science fiction with fantasy elements. He’s one of the few authors who succeed in combining these genres in a flawless way, because his stories are at their best wildly imaginative. He even manages to spice up some of his stories with a few horror elements.

I like the author’s storytelling skills, because he’s a masterful storyteller who takes his readers on a journey into fascinating places. He writes imaginative stories that offer plenty of food for thoughts.

<snip>

What makes these stories especially good and memorable is the author’s literary writing style, because he charms readers with his fluent and atmospheric prose. His prose is irresistibly beautiful, vibrant and vivid, but also strikingly effective.

If you’re a newcomer to Michael Swanwick’s fiction, you’re in for a special treat when you pick up this collection and begin to turn its pages. I’m sure that you’ll find each of the stories intriguing, because they’re well-created stories with lots of imagination.

I highly recommend Michael Swanwick’s NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT to speculative fiction readers. This magnificent collection is essential reading material to those who love quality and originality. The stories contained within its covers are simply marvellous and offer plenty of entertainment, excellent prose, memorable scenes and thought-provoking moments to readers. What more could you possibly hope to find in a speculative fiction short story collection?

Beelzebub celebrates all the kind words

For more information on NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info on THE DOG SAID BOW-WOW, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Ann Monn

June 28, 2016

It’s official! HAP AND LEONARD to return, both on TV and in books

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized bruce campbell, bubba ho-tep, cheryl eddy, don coscarelli, elvis, hap and leonard, hap and leonard ride again, io9, james purefoy, michael k. williams, news, ossie davis, rusty puppy, sundanceTV'

James Purefoy and Michael K. Williams as Hap and Leonard

On Twitter, James “Hap” Purefoy made the announcement.

On a brighter note @HapAndLeonard has been officially picked up for Season 2..

In other Hap and Leonard news, Joe R. Lansdale’s not-so-dynamic duo will return in the spring to Tachyon with an original mosaic novel of the boys early years, at time when they first met as very young men. That’s on top of the 10th Hap and Leonard novel RUSTY PUPPY from Mulholland Books.

Not Hap and Leonard related but of interest to Lansdale fans, Cheryl Eddy at IO9 explains Why Bubba Ho-Tep May Be the Most Perfect B-Movie Ever Made.

BUBBA HO-TEP is about foul-mouthed ancient mummies, conspiracy theories, and the ultimate battle between good and evil. It’s also a surprisingly layered tale about growing old, regrets, and redemption. And it stars Bruce Campbell as Elvis Presley. Is this the perfect B-movie? If not, it’s damn near close.

Adapted from Joe Lansdale’s novella by Don Coscarelli (Phantasm), who also directs, Bubba Ho-Tep is that rare cinematic combination of totally unique story and near-perfect execution. The set-up is entirely insane: an aging Elvis meets an aging John F. Kennedy—played by Ossie Davis, because the presumed-dead POTUS was “dyed black” after Dallas—in a sleepy Texas nursing home, and they team up to battle a cowboy hat-clad mummy who begins terrorizing the place. (Are these guys who they believe themselves to be, or are they just delusional? Doesn’t matter, really.) The premise is so goofy that it shouldn’t work, but it absolutely does.

For more info on HAP AND LEONARD, visit the Tachyon page.

For more info about HAP AND LEONARD RIDE AGAIN, visit the Tachyon page.

Covers by Elizabeth Story

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