the asylum of dr caligari

March 17, 2023

Happy birthday to the enigmatic James Morrow

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Satirist James Morrow initially focused his prodigious storytelling skills into making 8MM genre films with his friends. The dozen or so films included The Revenge Of The Monster Maker, Cagliostro the Sorcerer, and two literary adaptations, The Ancient Mariner and The Tell-Tale Heart. Their efforts garnered a CINE Golden Eagle for the 16mm short film, Children Of The Morning and the Francis Scott Key Award at the Baltimore Film Festival, the Judge’s Prize at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, the Jury’s Prize at the Columbus Film Festival, and the Audience Prize at the Midwest Film Festival, all for the short film A Political Cartoon.

After receiving degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, Morrow taught and worked on various odd writing jobs including as a contributor to TV Guide, creator of the murder-mystery board game Suspicion, and the graphics designer and script doctor for the video game Fortune Builder, often regarded as a forerunner to SimCity. His first two novels The Wine Of Violence (1981) and The Continent Of Lies (1994) received positive reviews but it was the third novel This Is The Way The World Ends (1986) that proved to be his breakout work with a Nebula award nomination and lots of acclaim. If the previous work got peoples attention, Morrow’s next cemented his reputation as an explorer into the enigma of religious faith. Only Begotten Daughter (1990) earned a World Fantasy Award. Next came the Godhead Trilogy with Towing Jehovah (1994; winner of the World Fantasy and Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire), Blameless In Abaddon (1996), and The Eternal Footman (1999). Other novels include The Last Witchfinder (2006), The Philosopher’s Apprentice (2008), Galápagos Regained (2015, winner of he Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire), and Lazare attend (2021 French Lazarus Is Waiting).

Morrow has had five novellas published as books: The Adventures of Smoke Bailey (1983), City of Truth (1991), SHAMBLING TOWARDS HIROSHIMA (2009; winner of the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award), THE MADONNA AND THE STARSHIP (2014), and THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI (2017). In 2018, his acclaimed novelette BIGFOOT AND THE BODHISATTVA (2009) also enjoyed a separate edition. Morrow’s numerous short stories including the Nebula award-winning “Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge” are collected in Swatting at the Cosmos (1990), Bible Stories for Adults (1996), THE CAT’S PAJAMAS & OTHER STORIES (2004), and Reality By Other Means: The Best Short Fiction of James Morrow (2015).

All of us at Tachyon wish the enlightening Jim an entertaining birthday. Keep watching the skies and ponder, is any of this really happening?

November 29, 2022

Tachyon tidbits featuring Kimberly Unger, Joe R. Lansdale, James Morrow, David Liss, Michael Swanwick, Jacob Weisman & David Sandner, and Alyssa Wong

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

Tales from a Hack enjoys Kimberly Unger’s THE EXTRACTIONIST.

Fast paced. An action-movie of a novel.

**Joe R. Lansdale’s BORN FOR TROUBLE: THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HAP AND LEONARD garners a 5 star review from Nonstop Reader.**

Hap & Leonard are simply a mighty force of nature. The stories are violent, outlandish, over the top, and hysterically funny (often at the same time and with a suddenness which leaves the reader with whiplash). Lansdale is such a capable writer that I can simply go along for the ride knowing that he knows where we’re going and I can just look around and enjoy the scenery. And what scenery it is. There’s a real-ness and urgency to the storytelling that *must* be from the writer’s stored experiences. He’s simply a virtuoso storyteller and I love his work.

The little befuddled Snapdragon Alcove recommends James Morrow’s THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI.

This book is hard to describe what it is and it just weird. If you like old films and weird things then give this book a read.

**Lancer Kind on his Scifi Thoughts podcast interviews David Liss about his book THE PECULIARITIES.**

**TALES OF OLD EARTH by Michael Swanwick was included in Dafni Ma’s “8 Best Lesser Known Sci-fi Books To Read During The Holidays” at Game Rant.**

In this anthology of nineteen sci-fi and fantasy tales, writer Michael Swanwick manages to push, pull, stretch, and dissect the whole genre of speculative fiction.

There are some really hard sci-fi stories that would make for perfect movie adaptations. But they work amazingly well as short stories too – if the reader is prepared to be slapped in the face with some harsh truths about the society we live in. But then again, that’s a constant when it comes to sci-fi.

**Eric Smith for the San Francisco Book Review praises David Sander and Jacob Weisman’s sequel to Mingus Fingers, Hellhounds.**

This short, sweet, supernatural story touches on a few myths and legends surrounding blues music.

**The authors also contributed to John Scalzi’s The Big Idea.**

When two writers join forces… how does the work actually get done? David Sandner and Jacob Weisman get real on this topic, and how it was their collaboration on Hellhounds got done.

Cover art by Camille André
Design by Elizabeth Story

Remembrance of Things Past and Future reviewed Alyssa Wong’s short story “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers,” which was reprinted in the World Fantasy Award winning THE NEW VOICES IN FANTASY (edited by Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman).

I didn’t intend it like this (reading these stories blind and all), but it feels like “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” is a good counterpoint to Kornbluth’s “The Mindworm,” as if Wong took the animalistic vampire of that story and made him human—all too human.

March 17, 2022

Happy birthday to the enigmatic James Morrow

Rick Klaw birthday, blog bigfoot and the bodhisattva, birthday, James Morrow, shambling towards hiroshima, the asylum of dr caligari, the cat's pajamas, the madonna and the starship

After receiving degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, Morrow taught and worked on various odd writing jobs including as a contributor to TV Guide, creator of the murder-mystery board game Suspicion, and the graphics designer and script doctor for the video game Fortune Builder, often regarded as a forerunner to SimCity. His first two novels The Wine Of Violence (1981) and The Continent Of Lies (1994) received positive reviews but it was the third novel This Is The Way The World Ends (1986) that proved to be his breakout work with a Nebula award nomination and lots of acclaim. If the previous work got peoples attention, Morrow’s next cemented his reputation as an explorer into the enigma of religious faith. Only Begotten Daughter (1990) earned a World Fantasy Award. Next came the Godhead Trilogy with Towing Jehovah (1994; winner of the World Fantasy and Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire), Blameless In Abaddon (1996), and The Eternal Footman (1999). Morrow’s recent novels (The Last Witchfinder [2006], The Philosopher’s Apprentice [2008], and Galápagos Regained [2015]) dramatize the birth of the scientific worldview.

All of us at Tachyon wish the enlightening Jim an entertaining birthday. Keep watching the skies and ponder, is any of this really happening?

March 17, 2021

Happy birthday to the enigmatic James Morrow

Rick Klaw birthday, blog bigfoot and the bodhisattva, James Morrow, shambling towards hiroshima, the asylum of dr caligari, the cat's pajamas, the madonna and the starship

NOW THROUGH SATURDAY (3/20)
**Celebrate the anniversary of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with 20% off on all James Morrow titles**

After receiving degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, Morrow taught and worked on various odd writing jobs including as a contributor to TV Guide, creator of the murder-mystery board game Suspicion, and the graphics designer and script doctor for the video game Fortune Builder, often regarded as a forerunner to SimCity. His first two novels The Wine Of Violence (1981) and The Continent Of Lies (1994) received positive reviews but it was the third novel This Is The Way The World Ends (1986) that proved to be his breakout work with a Nebula award nomination and lots of acclaim. If the previous work got peoples attention, Morrow’s next cemented his reputation as an explorer into the enigma of religious faith. Only Begotten Daughter (1990) earned a World Fantasy Award. Next came the Godhead Trilogy with Towing Jehovah (1994; winner of the World Fantasy and Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire), Blameless In Abaddon (1996), and The Eternal Footman (1999). Morrow’s recent novels (The Last Witchfinder [2006], The Philosopher’s Apprentice [2008], and Galápagos Regained [2015]) dramatize the birth of the scientific worldview.

All of us at Tachyon wish the enlightening Jim an entertaining birthday. Keep watching the skies and ponder, is any of this really happening?

February 27, 2021

Celebrate the anniversary of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with 20% off on all James Morrow titles

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The groundbreaking Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari premiered in Germany on Feb 26, 1920. One of the earliest cult films, its influence would be felt on nearly every horror and noir movie that followed. Also, it served as an inspiration for James Morrow, author of The Asylum of Dr. Caligari. To celebrate this important movie and our author, Tachyon Publications is discounting all Morrow titles in our store through Morrow’s birthday on March 17 and finally ending on March 19, the 100th anniversary of US release.

20% off all James Morrow books, with free media mail shipping within the U.S. Use coupon code CALIGARI at checkout.

October 9, 2020

Join Nancy Kress, James Morrow, and Carrie Vaughn for Capclave 2020

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Tachyon authors Nancy Kress, James Morrow, and Carrie Vaughn will participate in the virtual Capclave 2020, October 17-18.

Sponsored by the Washington Science Fiction Association, Capclave is a small relaxed literary convention with a program that usually focuses on the short fiction form. Guests of Honor and other notable authors, editors, artists, and fans of the short fiction form will explore the creation and enjoyment of short fantasy and science fiction genre stories.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to the novel coronavirus, the Capclave team has made the decision to be virtual this year. We will be holding Capclave October 17-18. Yes, this is two days, but we will run longer on Sunday than is typical. We will be focused on presentations, panels, and small group activities such as author readings or discussions.

Going virtual does present the opportunity to include people who would likely not be able to participate in a normal year. Keep an eye on our website and social media for news regarding new participants.

We plan to use Zoom for most activities, but we are looking at adding a text chat area via Discord as well. We will be updating our Code of Conduct to reflect the online nature of the convention. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact chair@capclave.org.

As a special deal, if you purchase a full membership for $55, you will be able to attend both Virtual Capclave 2020 and next year’s Capclave, to be held October 1-3, 2021. For those of you who can’t attend in 2021, we are offering a $10 Capclave 2020 only membership as well. Memberships can be purchased on our registration page.
Bill Lawhorn
Capclave 2020 Chair

Capclave offers a large selection of readings, signings, and panels including several with the Tachyon authors.

Saturday, October 17

10:30 am ET

Overused Mistakes in Hard SF (Ends at: 11:25 am)
Participants: Charles Gannon, Inge Heyer (M), Nancy Kress, Bud Sparhawk
Hard SF is all about accurate science. So why do authors frequently fall into clichés and outright errors. The same writer who works out elaborate orbits can have FTL drives, lag-free interstellar communications, temperatures below absolute zero, and so on. How can writers tell their story without without breaking the laws of physics along the way? Are some exceptions to scientific plausibility “grandfathered” into hard sf? What can be done to encourage greater plausibility?

Noon ET

Carrie Vaughn discussion with Connie Willis (Ends at: 12:55 pm)
Participants: Carrie Vaughn, Connie Willis
Two of Colorado’s finest authors, Carrie Vaughn and Connie Willis, discuss anything and everything.

Laughter with Bite: Satire and Other Funny Stuff (Ends at: 12:55 pm)
Participants: Charlotte Honigman, James Morrow, Alex Shvartsman (M), Michael Alan Ventrella
What is the difference between satire and other forms of humor? Is satire just humor with a purpose? Is all political humor satire? What is the difference between satire and mocking something? What can you do in satire that you cannot do in other humor? Is satire always funny (or at least trying to be funny)? Why or why not? What are some satires that worked and ones that have failed?

1:30 pm ET

Connie Willis and Nancy Kress Discussion (Ends at: 2:25 pm)
Participants: Nancy Kress, Connie Willis
Past Guests of honor Connie Willis and Nancy Kress discuss a little bit of everything.

Magic – Obvious or Mysterious? (Ends at: 2:25 pm)
Participants: Sarah Beth Durst, Charlotte Honigman, Jon Skovron, Carrie Vaughn, Jean Marie Ward (M)
Some modern fantasy settings have the existence of magic and magical creatures known to the public – think True Blood, or Poul Anderson’s Operation Chaos. Others have the magic secret, such as Incryptid or Supernatural. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach? Why might an author choose one or the other? Are some authors better at one than the other?

3:00 pm ET

Writing Time Travel and Paradoxes (Ends at: 3:55 pm)
Participants: Iver Cooper, Aliza Greenblatt, James Morrow, Ian Randal Strock
Time travel stories date to the 19th century. How can you make your type of time travel unique, or have all the twists already been mined? How do writers keep everything (relatively) straight for the writer and readers, even while the characters are facing convolutions? How can you explain worldbuilding challenges, such as why time travellers don’t mob every historical event? Panelists will discuss what makes some time travel stories work and which ones do not.

4:30 pm ET

Author Reading – Carrie Vaughn (Ends at: 4:55 pm)
Participants: Carrie Vaughn (M)
Author Carrie Vaughn reads from their recent and upcoming work.

7:30 pm ET

Sharing a Universe (Ends at: 8:25 pm)
Participants: Iver Cooper, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Carrie Vaughn, Jean Marie Ward
Shared universes have been around years. 1632 is its own cottage industry these days and WildCards has experienced rebirth. Panelists will discuss the advantage, disadvantages and what it take to work in this type of writing. What is the appeal to authors and readers? Why do some shared universes work while others produced a handful of volumes and vanished? What caused Thieves’ World to turn dark and toxic and how can other shared worlds escape this?