lauren k cannon

July 8, 2016

Tachyon tidbits featuring Michael Swanwick, Michael Blumlein, Rudy Rucker, Jacob Weisman, and Peter V. Brett

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized badali jewelry, brayan's gold, bruce sterling, elizabeth story, goro fujita, invaders, invaders: 22 tales from the outer limits of literature, jacob weisman, john denardo, kirkus, lauren k cannon, michael blumlein, michael swanwick, not so much said the cat, peter v brett, podcast, review, rudy rucker, SF in SF, soma fm, speculition, the demon cycle, the great bazaar, the great bazaar & brayan's gold, the roberts, transreal cyberpunk

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

Michael Swanwick (Beth Gwinn), Michael Blumlein (Flurb), Rudy Rucker (Rudy Rucker, CC-BY-SA), Jacob Weisman (Jill Roberts), and Peter V. Brett (Karsten Moran)

SPECULICTION reviews Michael Swanwick’s forthcoming collection NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT.

Michael Swanwick had his first short story published in 1980, and in the three and a half decades since, if anything, has proven himself to be one of speculative fiction’s least predictable writers. For any reader who has spent at least a few years in the field and begun to discern the formulas much of genre adheres to, this comes as a blessing. Forever thinking laterally, one simply never knows what they’re going to get with a new Swanwick offering. His latest, the 2016 collection NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT (Tachyon), is no exception.

In the end, NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT is confirmation that, even in the latter phases of his career, Swanwick is still one of the most original acts on the scene. Short fiction as complementary to his dynamic style as his novel-length work, the stories skip and jump, sending stereotypes scurrying to the shadows. The base premises of some of the stories may be tried and true, but in Swanwick’s hands come across as something more, making any collection, including this one, richer and more dynamic for it.

SOMA FM shared their podcast of the Michael Blumlein/Rudy Rucker June 12 SF IN SF.

For KIRKUS in his article The Science Fiction and Fantasy Books You’ll Want to Read in July, John DeNardo recommends Jacob Weisman’s forthcoming anthology INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE.

For multi-author themed anthologies, any of the following will give you hours of solid entertainment:

Beyond the Woods: Fairy Tales Retold edited by Paula Guran

Deserts of Fire: Speculative Fiction and the Modern War edited by Douglas Lain

Drowned Worlds edited by Jonathan Strahan

In the Shadow of Frankenstein edited by Stephen Jones

Invaders: 22 Tales from the Outer Limits of Literature edited by Jacob Weisman

Badali Jewelry is offering an official line of medallions and rings based on Peter V. Brett’s THE DEMON CYCLE. Each piece uses Lauren K. Cannon’s ward designs.

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

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more information on THE ROBERTS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Goro Fujita

Design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

October 30, 2015

Win a SIGNED copy of Peter V. Brett’s THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized brayan's gold, collection, contest, demon cycle, elizabeth story, fantasy, fnatsy, giveaway, goodreads, lauren k cannon, novella, peter v brett, the great bazaar, the great bazaar & brayan's gold

With the help of fine folks over at GOODREADS, we’re giving away a SIGNED copy of Peter V. Brett’s must-read THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.

“A handsome and affordable trade paperback edition. It something no fan of Peter V. Brett will want to miss.”
—Black Gate

From the dangerous world of the Demon Cycle comes the early adventures of Arlen, Peter V. Brett’s quintessential fantasy hero. These exciting origin tales follow Arlen as he learns to navigate a world where the elemental forces of evil conjure themselves from the earth each night.

“It’s a must-read collection for fans of Peter V. Brett because of its thrilling blend of traditional fantasy elements, action, magic and originality, but it’ll also please newcomers who haven’t read any of the author’s novels.”
—Risingshadow

Humanity has barely survived a demonic onslaught by using magical wards that protect their cities and homes. Only a handful of mercenaries and explorers risk traveling after the sun sets. Arlen, seeking adventure and fortune, is barely protected by the warded armor upon which he has inscribed intricate defensive runes. From a journey ferrying a wagonload of dynamite to a mountain stronghold, to a dangerous mission to recover desert treasures, Arlen faces friends and enemies with a strong arm and a cunning wit.

“This edition of The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold is a wonderful contribution to the world of the Demon Cycle, packed with bonus content-like material that enhanced my experience with the setting and characters. Filled with goodies for fans of the series and yet still accessible enough for new readers, this volume both thrilled and fascinated me. Highly recommended.”
—The Bibliosanctum

For more info about the giveaway, visit GOODREADS.

Defensive ward against: Snow Demons
First appeared: Brayan’s Gold

Ward by Lauren K. Cannon, copyright by Peter V. Brett.

For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story.

July 31, 2015

THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD is perfectly fun

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized brayan's gold, collection, elizabeth story, fantasy, lauren k cannon, novella, peter v brett, review, sci-fi and fantasy reviews, the fantasy book collector, the great bazaar, the great bazaar & brayan's gold

A pair of reviews for Peter V. Brett’s highly recommended THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.

From SCI-FI AND FANTASY REVIEWS:

[BRAYAN’S GOLD] also has demons. Lots and lots of demons. Arlen manages to spend quite a bit of his time trying to avoid getting into a fight with a demon, and also somehow managing to fail. There’s some fairly hectic chase scenes, and some genuinely raw and impactful combats. Brett writes fast-paced, gruesome fights, and they’re entirely believable. His non-protagonist characters don’t have quite the same depth, but this is more of a stricture of length than anything else – they’re certainly excellent foils for Arlen, and the reader does get a broader understanding of both the world and Arlen’s character from the narrative. It helps that it’s a page turner; the spaces between action are less lulls, and more necessary breathers.

<snip>

As with Brayan’s Gold, this story gives us a great deal of fast-paced action. Arlen manages to do some incredibly stupid things and get away with them, at least partially through luck; but the chases, the fights, they’re page-turners, every one. At the same time, the reader is getting more context for the larger trilogy. Arlen as a younger man, possibly less angry, more easily thwarted perhaps, and not as cunning as he might be – but still driven, still recognisably the protagonist of Brett’s larger series. His careful, respectful relationship with Abban is fleshed out a bit more in this text than it has been before, and gives a new layer of meaning to their interactions in other slices of Brett’s narrative. The Great Bazaar is less of a journey story than Brayan’s Gold, but it feels like it puts a bit more meat onto the bones of extant characters, and it’s a lot of fun to read.

<snip>

Overall, if you’re already a fan of Brett’s Demon Cycle books, this is an excellent adjunct to that series. If you’re coming to it fresh, these are perfectly fun standalone novellas – you actually don’t need to have read the rest of the series to ‘get’ them; that said, I’d recommend you do, because if you have, there’s more understanding to be had. In either case, this collection is entirely worth your time.

Defensive ward against: Snow Demons
First appeared: Brayan’s Gold

Ward by Lauren K. Cannon, copyright by Peter V. Brett.

THE FANTASY BOOK COLLECTOR:

I don’t want to delve too much more into the story, as you can see from just a few quotes Brett’s writing is unique, descriptive and poetic like to every detail, which is why he would rather use these novellas to describe events of gaps within his books where in his books he will skip years to keep the continuation at a speed more suited for a reader and balance out the parts of his characters within the books.

I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading the novellas and would highly recommend them to readers who love fantasy but do not fancy the longer books and especially to fans who have read the books and want to fill in some of the gaps.

5/5

For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story.

July 23, 2015

It’s worth your time to grab Peter V. Brett’s THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized brayan's gold, collection, demon cycle, elizabeth story, fanasy, fantasy literature, karsten moran, lauren k cannon, novella, peter v brett, review, sfcrowsnest, the book plank, the great bazaar, the great bazaar & brayan's gold, there are inkspots on my page!

A quartet of reviews for Peter V. Brett’s intriguing THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.

Photo: Karsten Moran

From SFCROWSNEST:

‘Brayan’s Gold’ being a novella, I don’t want to give any more of the story away. Suffice to say, it’s as a good a read, with plenty of action and adventure as well as another look at Arlen’s keen sense of justice.

<snip>

What makes [ The Great Bazaar] worth the read is the opportunity to spend more time with Abban, the merchant Arlen befriends in Fort Krasia. The scenes from his point of view offer a unique insight to a culture that obviously fascinates the author as much as it does Arlen. There is also plenty of excitement.

<snip>

While this collection of stories may serve as an introduction to ‘The Demon Cycle’, I do think they’ll be more appreciated by fans. For me, they bridge the gap nicely between the first and second books of the series, even if the stories are all set during the time period covered by ‘The Warded Man’. I hope Peter V. Brett is inspired to write more short adventures for Arlen and his companions.

THERE ARE INKSPOTS ON MY PAGE:

These two novellas were my introduction to Peter Brett and his Demon Cycle, and I must say, they were pretty great.

There are just enough references to the greater series for existing fans, and enough explanation for new readers to make it perfect for everyone, regardless of whether you’ve read the series or not. And really, if this is your first exposure and you don’t want to read more afterwards, you may be a little crazy.

My favourite of the two was The Great Bazaar, Arlen is a bit older than in Brayan’s Gold, and has settled into himself a bit more. Plus, it was just a good story.

<snip>

If you’ve read the series and want to know more about Arlen’s history: grab this book.

If you haven’t read the series and want to know whether it’s worth your time: grab this book.

It will be well worth your time.

FANTASY LITERATURE:

Also included are a Krasian Dictionary and a Ward Grimoire. The dictionary seems superfluous, as any foreign terms were recognizable from context within dialogue or description. On the other hand, the Ward Grimoire is very useful. Not only does it provide a history of ward usage and the delineations of those wards — usefulness against which demons and whether it’s intended for offense or defense — but each ward’s entry is accompanied by a picture of the ward and a detailed description of the affected demon’s habitat and appearance. I was particularly glad that this was included because it’s further evidence of the care and thought which Brett has invested in these books.

The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold is a good introduction to Brett’s style for new readers, as well as the larger world of his DEMON CYCLE series. Readers who are already familiar with that series should also enjoy the extra glimpses into the life of Arlen as he battles demons and wanders the world. I’m intrigued enough to add The Warded Man to my to-be-read list, but not enough so that it’s going to zoom straight to the top.

Defensive ward against: Snow Demons
First appeared: Brayan’s Gold

Ward by Lauren K. Cannon, copyright by Peter V. Brett.

THE BOOK PLANK:

If you are new to the Demon Cycle series like me, both Brayan’s Gold and The Great Bazaar make up for a very good an clear introduction/teaser for the bigger series, they can be easily read and understand as standalone books.

The strength for me in these two stories really are the protagonist Arlen, he is a cool guy, as I said a bit naive but when he has to do things he will make sure the job gets done, and most importantly he sticks to his guns, no matter how dire the situation is. Another thing is the part of the whole demon fighting and the bigger idea behind it. I am a big fan of cool fighting scenes and unique systems with advantages/disadvantages and limitations and this is precisely what Peter. V. Brett utilizes in these two stories. This short omnibus edition featuring Great Bazaar and Brayan’s Gold has definitely wet my appetite for more!

For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story.

June 16, 2015

Bestselling author Peter V. Brett participates in another Reddit AMA

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized ama, brayan's gold, demon cycle, elizabeth story, fantasy, interview, lauren k cannon, peter v brett, reddit, the great bazaar, the great bazaar & brayan's gold

Over at his REDDIT AMA, Peter V. Brett answered questions about writing, publishing, THE DEMON CYCLE, and his new book THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.

Terr1ble

Mr. Brett, How hard is it switching from radical viewpoints mid-story? The more European traditional story line interrupted by mid-Eastern value influenced characters and vise-versa adds interesting depth as a reader. I find myself not wanting to wait to get back to the Warded Man and crew, but then I don’t want to leave the Shar’Dama Ka’s entourage. How do you lay out the timelines and mesh them together to create the books? Thank you for the AMA and the wonderful world.

Pvbrett

I plot out each viewpoint storyline in advance before I start writing, giving each a (usually) three-act story arc, using dates on the Thesan calendar to keep the timeline straight. Then I move the chapters around to weave the stories together more or less chronologically, tying deeper flashback chapters in to events in the “present”.

Once I have the full outline of the book complete, I then write the prose chapters in in proper order. This usually results in writing every character’s act 1, then every character’s act 2, then the climax which usually brings many of them together.

I also have a detailed series wiki, and a lot of headaches.

Defensive ward against: Snow Demons
First appeared: Brayan’s Gold

Ward by Lauren K. Cannon, copyright by Peter V. Brett.

KeithXDow

Hello Mr. Brett! I recently finished my debut manuscript about the life of a young professional in New York City set against the rise and fall of the 2008 stock market.

Can you detail for us the process you went through to get signed by your first literary agent?

Pvbrett

I met Joshua Bilmes of JABberwocky Literary at a Science Fiction Writers of America event, and again at an SF convention. After telling him about my novel, he asked me to submit it.

He rejected it, but said he would read other books if I had them. So I sent him another book. He rejected that, too, then told me to read Writing to Sell by Scott Meredith, and gut-rewrite the first book. I took a year to do that, and came back with The Warded Man, which went on to sell in 27 different languages worldwide. It was a good lesson in the power of being stubborn but able to accept criticism.

Good luck!

GlorNarzig

Hey Peter. Thanks for doing another AMA, it’s great to have authors doing these more often. It’s great that fans can connect with their favourite world builders. How do you think social media has best helped authors interact with fans and establish a really awesome fanbase? Do you feel that it sometimes takes too much out of your day to be constantly updating things once you start?

I love your books and I can’t wait to see how everything turns out in the end.

Oh, one last thing. I haven’t yet read your novellas, I plan to but I wanted to know if there’s some really interesting things I’m missing out on. Thanks again.

Pvbrett

Thank you!

Social media has been great in letting authors establish themselves apart from their books and publishers as real people. For me it has been an incredible boon, letting me interact with people all over the world. I am published in 27 languages, and thanks to social media and translation software, all of my readers can feel included and that I hear and care about them. Writing is also an incredibly lonely occupation, so it’s nice to have the reminder that we’re not just shouting in the dark.

I think most social media users are learning that it sometimes takes up too much of their IRL day. Every couple I know is establishing device time rules to keep it from interfering in their relationships. This is typical of new technology, so it’s not shocking, but we are in as big a flux as the introduction of television. Takes discipline and getting used to in order to keep it from taking over.

Regarding the novellas, it isn’t strictly necessary to read them to enjoy the novels, but they definitely enhance and add a lot IMO, and I’m very proud of them. The Great Bazaar and Messenger’s Legacy, in particular, were written to tie directly into Desert Spear and Skull Throne respectively.

LucidLunatic

The events in Bryan’s Gold are mentioned as an aside, and it is good reading, but contributes relatively little to understanding of the series. I haven’t read Great Bazaar, but I hope/suspect it is in a similar place. Messenger’s Legacy, however, is a pretty direct prequel to Skull Throne, and without reading it xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx will come out of the blue.

Pvbrett

Great Bazaar ties into Desert Spear quite closely. It was meant as a bridge between the books. Brayan’s Gold is the most standalone of the bunch.

Read the rest of Brett’s AMA at REDDIT.

Defensive ward against: Clay Demons
First appeared: The Great Bazaar

Ward by Lauren K. Cannon, copyright by Peter V. Brett.

For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story.

June 9, 2015

THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD is altogether a great read

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized black gate, brayan's gold, collection, demon cycle, elan samuel, elizabeth story, fantasy, john o'neill, lauren k cannon, novella, peter v brett, review, the great bazaar, the great bazaar & brayan's gold, the warbler

At THE WARBLER, Elan Samuel reviews Peter V. Brett’s THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.

Ultimately, I found the story beneath the sound effects, accents, and ear-splitting shrieks to be one that I knew I would enjoy if I’d read it myself. I haven’t read The Warded Man on paper yet, but I will, and soon. Why, you ask?

A few weeks ago I was contacted by San-Francisco-based Tachyon Publications, who asked if I’d like to review an upcoming release of Peter Brett’s. THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD contains two novellas from the Demon Cycle, as well as two deleted scenes from The Warded Man. I jumped at the opportunity, and am glad to report that my prediction was entirely accurate. Sitting down and reading the book, I found myself transported in a way that the audio version of The Warded Man was never able to achieve. In these two novellas, I got a taste for how great the “real” thing is, and an understanding of why so many people are so entranced by the series.

<snip>

The book also includes two deleted scenes from The Warded Man. The first provides fans with the source of the whole shebang — Peter Brett’s first foray into this world, in the form of a short story written for a classroom assignment. It’s pretty good too, despite the (necessary) caveat that it was written in one night, as homework. The second is a moment where Leesha — one of the protagonists in The Demon Cycle — in the course of her studies to become a medicine woman, years-since ostracized by her community for perceived indecency, confronts one of her old friends, whom she discovers is being beaten by her husband. Leesha is a character who is hardened by the cruelty of her world, threatened by demons from without and social constructs from within. No splitting hairs here — this world isn’t kind to women. Leesha is empowered by Bruna, the healer before her, and with the mantle of a healer grows into her own. In this scene we find a Leesha who manages to be impartial and objective, and simply help someone who desperately needs it, despite the difficulties this particular young woman caused her. I can understand why Peter Brett cut it from the final version of The Warded Man, but I was glad to read it here.

The bottom line is that I was on the fence about the Demon Cycle. I went into great detail about that in my review of The Warded Man. These stories helped me fall to one side — the one that’s ready to read more. Now I want to hop into The Desert Spear and keep the momentum going. I highly recommend this to fans of the Demon Cycle. It’d be a bit tough to pick up and digest if you’re new to the world, but not hard enough that you won’t enjoy yourself. An altogether great read.

Read the rest Samuel’s review at THE WARBLER.

Meanwhile over at BLACK GATE, John O’Neill recommended THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.

Peter V. Brett’s second novel in the Demon Cycle, The Desert Spear, became an international bestseller, and the next two books in the series made him one of the top-selling authors on the market. So it’s no surprise that The Great Bazaar and Brayan’s Gold, two limited edition novellas from P.S. Publishing, set in the world of the Demon Cycle, and detailing Arlen’s early adventures, have been sold out for years.

Now Tachyon Publications is releasing an omnibus collection of both novellas in a handsome and affordable trade paperback edition. It something no fan of Peter V. Brett will want to miss.

Defensive ward against: Clay Demons
First appeared: The Great Bazaar

Ward by Lauren K. Cannon, copyright by Peter V. Brett.

For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story.

May 11, 2015

Win the full Demon Cycle collection including the forthcoming THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized brayan's gold, contest, demon cycle, elizabeth story, fantasy, lauren k cannon, peter v brett, the great bazaar, the great bazaar & brayan's gold

On his site PEEPHOLE IN MY SKULL, Peter V. Brett is hosting a contest for a “full Demon Cycle collection” including the U.S. hardcovers of THE WARDED MAN, THE DESERT SPEAR, THE DAYLIGHT WAR, and THE SKULL THRONE as well as the forthcoming Tachyon edition of THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD and the latest novella, MESSENGER’S LEGACY.

1) Choose a person, place or thing
2) Ward it!
3) Send a picture of your creation to contest@petervbrett.com no later than Tuesday, May 19, 2015.

You can find the full grimoire of wards and their descriptions in this public facebook album: https://t.co/8eD7TIccER

This contest is open internationally!! Anyone can enter!

The Grand Prize winner will receive a “full Demon Cycle collection” including the U.S. hardcovers of The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, The Daylight War andThe Skull Throne as well as the forthcoming Tachyon edition of The Great Bazaar and Brayan’s Gold and the latest novella, Messenger’s Legacy. It’s a hefty prize, but that’s not all we are giving away! A number of lucky runner-ups will receive signed copies of the beautiful new Warded Man hardcover.

For full details visit PEEPHOLE IN MY SKULL.

Wards by Lauren K. Cannon, copyright by Peter V. Brett.

For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story.

lauren k cannon

With the help of fine folks over at GOODREADS, we’re giving away a *SIGNED* copy of Peter V. Brett’s must-read THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.

With the help of fine folks over at GOODREADS, we’re giving away a SIGNED copy of Peter V. Brett’s must-read THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.