Yesterday we started the Tachyon playback of 2015. Now we continue in July with the first of the reviews for Nalo Hopkinson’s extraordinary FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS.

“Hopkinson’s stories dazzle”
—NPR

“The stories all share a common thread of magic, which is often woven, whether subtly or blatantly, into the fabric of everyday reality, allowing characters to react to the strange or the impossible as it crosses into their world. Hopkinson also draws frequently on her Caribbean upbringing and heritage, and her characters’ voices are distinct and authentic, both in their speech patterns and in their ways of looking at their surroundings. Hopkinson’s fans will be delighted by these examples of her wide-ranging imagination.”
—Publishers Weekly

A Barnes and Noble Bookseller’s Pick for August 2015
“The award-winning author of Midnight Robber and Brown Girl in the Ring returns with a collection of fantastical short fiction, assembling a decade’s worth of stories of magic and the supernatural intersecting with everyday life.”
—Barnes and Noble

“There is something for everyone in this collection. Hopkinson manages to make a reader’s skin crawl in one story and smile in the next. It’s a mixture that keeps you reading just to see what she will come up with next. A great collection from a highly imaginative and insightful mind, Falling in Love with Hominids is a must read for fantasy and short story fans”
—Portland Book Review

“Hopkinson’s stories stack up well against their source of inspiration, but her voice is clearly her own, charged with deep feeling and vast imagination.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

“Every reader will surely find something to love, as this collection is often hilariously funny, deeply tragic, intensely engaging, and strongly steeped with fantastic elements.”
—Civilian Reader

and many more….

Daryl Gregory’s extraordinary novella WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE won the prestigious Shirley Jackson Award.

The first reviews for the forthcoming LED ASTRAY: THE VERY BEST OF KELLEY ARMSTRONG started coming in.

“[STAR] From the first moment, this collection of fantastical tales sizzles with dark promise, rich world-building, and complex, often haunting characters. In “Rakshashi,” Amrita has long since completed her penance for the crimes she committed as a mortal, and is willing to take any avenue to capture her reward. Tanya is a woman with a gaslighting husband and a complicated history in “A Haunted House of Her Own.” “Dead Flowers by a Roadside” features a grieving man who can speak to ghosts—all but the ones he most longs to hear from. “Harbinger” introduces a group of spirits who have a message but no voice. Each story feels innovative and exciting, and they work together to create a harmonious whole from glittering supernatural fragments. The stories are set at various times and places but all feel as though they spring from the same dark, dangerous, and fantastical world. This excellent anthology will thrill Armstrong fans and new readers alike.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“…excellent escapism for urban fantasy readers!”
—Risingshadow.net

“…excellently written…. I’m impressed, deeply impressed by almost every story in this book.”
—Fangs for the Fantasy

“If you are a fan of any of Armstrong’s series then this book is one that you NEED!”

—Night Owl Reviews

“Shocks, horror, grief, magic and a little romance [—] this collection has it all!
—Just Talking Books

“Kelley Armstrong’s Led Astray hits all the notes it’s supposed to, and quite a few higher ones as well…. plenty for hard-core fans and newcomers alike to enjoy.”
—Green Man Review

and many more….

HOLLYWOOD LIFE revealed that Christina Hendricks in her first major post MAD MEN role will play Hap Collins’ ex-wife Trudy on Sundance TV’s HAP AND LEONARD, the adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale’s acclaimed crime series.

Through the Zeno Literacy Agency, we announced the forthcoming publication of the acclaimed Lavie Tidhar’s new book CENTRAL STATION.

The first views of John Coulthart’s incredible and horrific illustrations for Ellen Datlow’s THE MONSTROUS went public.

After teasing and hinting about it for months, we finally officially announced HAP AND LEONARD, a collection of the finest Joe R. Lansdale short stories featuring the not-so-dynamic East Texas duo.

Tachyon enjoyed Armadillocon 37.

Claude Lalumière and James Morrow have a good laugh at the con (photo: Jayme Lynn Blaschke)

In August, we shared the cover to Lavie Tidhar’s CENTRAL STATION.

Joe R. Lansdale produced an original story for the forthcoming Hap and Leonard collection.

We celebrated James Tiptree, Jr.’s centenary.

Alice B. Sheldon (James Tiptree, Jr.)

Ars Necronomica featured John Coulthart at their showcase of the legacy and future of Lovecraft in visual arts.

Coulthart standing beside his LOVECRAFT’S MONSTERS title page image.

(photo: courtesy of Providence Art Club)

Though not due out until October, reviews started coming in for Ellen Datlow’s anthology THE MONSTROUS. 

[STAR] Datlow, horror anthologist extraordinaire, brings together all things monstrous in this excellent reprint anthology of 20 horror stories that explore the ever-widening definition of what makes a monster, with nary a misstep. The varied sources of monstrosity include a very troubled kindergarten teacher, a catering company that puts humans on the menu, and spirit-devouring creatures out of Japanese mythology, all creating distinctive microcosms where monsters reign in many forms. In Gemma Files’s “A Wish from a Bone,” an archeological reality show filming in Sudan uncovers evidence of the Terrible Seven, ancient beings who are bent on destruction and domination. Adam-Troy Castro’s “The Totals” skewers bureaucracy and the daily grind by populating a drinking hole with monsters, who create mayhem, commit murder, and kvetch with their deadly coworkers with the same sense of ennui felt by any office drone. Other standouts by Sofia Samatar, Dale Bailey, and Christopher Fowler round out this atmospheric and frequently terrifying collection. (Oct.)
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The only direction editor Datlow gave her contributors when compiling this collection was that she didn’t want any human monsters. While some of the tenty stories here skirt that rule, there are a nice variety of inhuman beasties as well. A moody Japanese tale from Jeffrey Ford, “A Natural History of Autumn,” opens the collection, followed by Peter Straub’s school-set riff on Cinderella, “Ashputtle.” Other standouts include Adam-Troy Castro’s “The Totals,” which gives us a competitive monster office and “Down Among the Dead Men” from Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois about a vampire imprisoned in a World War II concentration camp. The anthology also finishes strong with John Langan’s Scottish-set “Corpsemouth,” the single story original to this collection. VERDICT The list of contributors, including Gemma Files, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Adam L.G. Nevill, and Kim Newman, will be enough to get horror fans excited. The assortment of styles means that there is a monster here for everyone’s taste.—MM”
—Library Journal

“[T]he writers whose yarns appear in this collection are definitely responsible for eliciting some genuinely unsettling responses to their tales. Unsettling is a desired response for those who write and read horror fiction, and The Monstrous fulfills the desire… .The twenty high caliber tales in Tachyon Publications’ The Monstrous delve into egregious behavior with intelligent observations. Eerie and artfully executed, the narratives are highly imaginative and chilling.”
—Diabolique

“It is the monstrous wonders that come from the intelligent minds of these authors that make this book amazing.”
—Suspense Magazine

“For my money, this is the official book for Halloween 2015, a collection of shadows, scales, flesh and bone that is beautiful and unsettling all at once.”
—Ensuing Chapters

and many more….

September began with the exciting news that World Fantasy Award winner Patricia A. McKillip was returning to Tachyon with the short story collection DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES.

That same month, we announced Jacob Weisman’s guided tour along the borders of fantastic fiction: INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE.

Featured guest W. P. Kinsella hit a homer at The Word on the Street: Saskatoon Book and Magazine Festival.

Photo: Pat Covello

The excitement came quick in October as we finally got a first look at James Purefoy and Michael K. Williams as Joe R. Lansdale’s Hap and Leonard.

Shortly after, we made another Lansdale-related announcement. Coming out in March, 2016 concurrently with the print only HAP AND LEONARD, the ebook HAP AND LEONARD RIDE AGAIN delivers more adventures of the not-so-dynamic duo, including an original vignette only available in this edition.

The first big news of November was Daryl Gregory’s WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE winning the World Fantasy Award.

Daryl Gregory and Tachyon publisher Jacob Weisman after the World Fantasy Awards ceremony (photo: Sunil Patel)

Tachyon’s 20th anniversary party happened on November 15. In honor of the event, we produced a limited 300-copy chapbook edition of Charlie Jane Anders’ Hugo Award winning tale SIX MONTHS, THREE DAYS. 

For the party, writer Effie Seiberg produced an astonishing cake of the Tachyon logo. 

And Associate Editor Rachel Fagundes showed up in her custom made dress.

(photo: Francesca Myman)

Managing editor Jill Roberts getting to know the local wildlife off Skywalker Ranch (photo: Ellen Datlow)

November ended with the Tachyon crew leaving the relative safety of their San Francisco offices and venturing to the legendary Skywalker Ranch. 

Associate editor Rachel Fagundes, Managing Editor Jill Roberts, Editor of many groundbreaking, award-winning anthologies Ellen Datlow, Publisher Jacob Weisman, Lead Designer Elizabeth Story, and facilitator of this whole shebang Gregory Norman Bossert at Skywalker Ranch.

A relatively quiet December was punctuated by two events, both centered around Joe R. Lansdale.

At the Courmayeur Noir in Festival, Lansdale was presented with the prestigious Raymond Chandler Award. Previous recipents include Elmore Leonard, Scott Turow, and John le Carre.

Christina Hendricks as Trudy in SundanceTV’s HAP AND LEONARD

And at long last, Sundance TV released a teaser trailer for HAP AND LEONARD.

Thank you for being part of our adventure. Happy new year to everyone out there. And here’s to Tachyon’s 21st year. We’re finally legal!

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

Cover art by Chuma Hill

Design by Elizabeth Story

For more information on WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more information on LED ASTRAY: THE VERY BEST OF KELLEY ARMSTRONG, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

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

Cover by Reiko Murakami

Illustrations by John Coulthart

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more information on CENTRAL STATION, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

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

Cover by Elizabeth Story

For more information on DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty

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

Cover by Goro Fujita

Design by Elizabeth Story

For more information on THE ESSENTIAL W. P. KINSELLA, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Thomas Canty

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more information on HAP AND LEONARD RIDE AGAIN, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

For more information on SIX MONTHS, THREE DAYS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story