Top 10 Speculative Fiction Titles of 2010

Four Pyr titles make Pat's Fantasy Hotlist's Top 10 Speculative Fiction Titles of 2010. Ian McDonald's The Dervish House ties with Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven for the top spot, with David Louis Edelman's Geosynchron at # 4, Kay Kenyon's Prince of Storms at # 5, and Thirteen Years Later by Jasper Kent - which Bantam released in the UK in 2010 and we will release in February - at # 10.

Here's the full list:

1- Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay [Penguin Books, Voyager]
1- (tie) The Dervish House by Ian McDonald [Pyr, Gollancz]
3- Stonewielder by Ian Cameron Esslemont [Tor, Bantam Press]
4- Geosynchron by David Louis Edelman [Pyr]
5- Prince of Storms by Kay Kenyon [Pyr]
6- The Machinery of Light by David J. Williams [Bantam Dell]
7- Shadowrise by Tad Williams [Daw, Orbit]
8- Leviathan Wept and Other Stories by Daniel Abraham [Subterranean Press]
9- Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis [Tor]
10- Thirteen Years Later by Jasper Kent [Pyr, Bantam Press]

Praise for Geosynchron and the Jump 225 Trilogy

With Geosynchron out now, and io9 selecting Infoquake for their Book of the Month Club discussion, now is a good time to look at some recent praise for Geosynchron and the series it completes:

“The Jump 225 trilogy could well be the best science fiction series of the new millennium. David Louis Edelman deserves his place among the most talented sci-fi authors in the field today. Highly recommended.” Pat's Fantasy Hotlist

“This smart, idiosyncratic blend of cyberpunk, libertarian entrepreneurship, and social engineering will, I think, stand as a seminal work of 21st century SF.” Locus

“Takes the series one level higher, beyond mundanity to true sense-of-wonder SF, so it finally plays on the level of the masters of modern SF… An A+ and so far the best core-SF novel I’ve read in 2010.” Fantasy Book Critic

“The Jump 225 trilogy is a must-read, an instant classic and a work of SF that will help define this first decade of the 21st century, and could cast a long shadow for many years to come.” SFFWorld

“Geosynchron is an engaging conclusion to a thrilling, thought-provoking saga.” io9

Jump into Infoquake with io9

io9 has announced that their bookclub selection for April will be David Louis Edelman's Infoquake, the first volume of his acclaimed Jump 225 trilogy. Here is their review of the third and final volume, the recently released Geosynchron.

Meanwhile, if you haven't checked out David Louis Edelman's work, then perhaps the io9 reading is the excuse you've been waiting for. But if you need further impetus:

Fantasy Book Critic said of Geosynchon that it "plays on the level of the masters of modern sf like A. Reynolds and PF Hamilton," and was "so far the best core-sf novel I've read in 2010."

SFFWorld agreed and said, "The Jump 225 Trilogy is a must read, an instant classic, and a work of SF that will help define this first decade of the 21st Century and could cast a long shadow for many years to come."

Meanwhile, Locus said of the whole trilogy that, "This smart, idiosyncratic blend of cyberpunk, libertarian entrepreneurship, and social engineering will, I think, stand as a seminal work of 21st century SF."

Just a few of the many enthusiastic reviews that are coming in. 

A Whole Batch of Pyr Reviews

A whole batch of Pyr reviews:

Astroguyz on Paul McAuley's Gardens of the Sun:

"Fans of the series will not be disappointed. ...The union of hard science and good story telling is one that harkens back to such greats as Arthur C. Clarke or Asimov.... We fully recommend Gardens of the Sun as a first rate space opera that melds science, politics and fast paced action. A worthy sequel of this series could easily span those hinted future millennia much like Olaf Stapledon’s The Last and First Men or the Dune franchise… be sure to get in on the The Quiet War saga from the ground floor!"

Fantasy Book News & Reviews on Adrian Tchaikovsky's Empire in Black and Gold:

"Read it. Right now. ....Fans of the current crop of UK fantasy authors like Abercrombie, Barclay, Erikson, Ruckley & Lloyd. This book has the same sorta feel as most of those books. This procession of Pyr books from many of the UK authors listed above is converting me into a big fan of the UK fantasy scene. ...One of my favorite reads so far this year. I would say that it is likely a top 10 2010 read for me, except for the fact that there are 3 more books coming out in the US this year. I have a feeling that as this series gathers steam, the later books are going to be even better. So books 2-4 have moved near the top of my "must reads in 2010" pile. For fans of epic fantasy, there is quite a lot to like here."

Science Fiction L.A. on Empire in Black and Gold:

"British fantasy writer Adrian Tchaikovsky has created a very deep world in Empire in Black and Gold, the first novel in his Shadows of the Apt series. Striding the line between high fantasy and steampunk sf, he carefully builds a society equal parts politics, emerging technology, and leftover ancestral magic. Drawing on classic fantasy themes – quest, growth, old ways versus new – and throwing in more modern themes of class and ethnic conflict, Tchaikovsky creates a complex web of character and action that pulls you relentlessly to the end. ... The depth of the world Tchaikovsky creates is stunning."

The Examiner on David Louis Edelman's Geosynchron:

"It felt like the first two books in Edelman's Jump 225 series had twisted reality about as far as it could go. However, with the last book in the trilogy, Geosynchron, we realize we were only peeking into the rabbit hole before. Now we get a swift kick that sends us tumbling all the way to the bottom."

Two Smart Guys Talking

There's a great video interview with End of the Century author Chris Roberson over at Transmissions from Beyond (the TTA press podcast). The interview was recorded at Denvention last year, so he is speaking of End of the Century as a forthcoming release. But it's a good insight into all of his work, as well as his publishing company, Monkeybrain Books.

Meanwhile Geosynchron author David Louis Edelman guest blogs on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist today, explaining why the acronym for his Jump 225 trilogy (Infoquake, MultiReal, Geosynchron) spells IMG. (And Pat says of the trilogy, "As good or better than most quality scifi yarns out there.") For more info on Geosynchron, you can check out the website at http://www.geosynchron.net/, which includes the first eight chapters of the book.

Geosynchron: a seminal work of 21st century SF

Paul Witcover, in Locus, on David Louis Edelman's Geosynchron: "This smart, idiosyncratic blend of cyberpunk, libertarian entrepeneurship, and social engineering will, I think, stand as a seminal work of 21st century SF."

And hey, that Martiniere cover is worth it alone, even if the book weren't phenomenal. Which it is.

A Word on Infoquake....

Now that David Louis Edelman's Geosynchron, the final book in the Jump 225 series,  is out, we are getting emails from folks who can't find the first book in the trilogy, Infoquake, on Amazon. The reason for this: Amazon has just changed their search results in a baffling and frustrating manner. Now, under the stated purpose of offering "more choices" to consumers, they only display what they deem the "best edition" of a volume in a search string, rather than all editions. (The "best edition" seems to mean the most recent as far as we can tell.)

Thus, in the case of Edelman's Infoquake, the Solaris mmpb, being the most recent, is the only edition they will return in a search. The Pyr edition is still in there, but it's difficult to find. You have to click on "paperback" in the "formats" box, and then it will come up.

But just in case you are having trouble, here it is. And here is Multireal.

I hope that Amazon will restore the full capabilities of their search engine, since the resource that their database used to represent was one of their primary strengths. Meanwhile, I see that the Pyr edition of Infoquake pops right up on Barnes & Noble and Borders.

For Your Viewing Pleasure: Geosynchron

Geosynchron© David Louis Edelman

Cover Illustration © Stephan Martiniere

Design by Jacqueline Cooke

The Defense and Wellness Council is enmeshed in full-scale civil war between Len Borda and the mysterious Magan Kai Lee. Quell has escaped from prison and is stirring up rebellion in the Islands with the aid of a brash young leader named Josiah. Jara and the apprentices of the Surina/Natch MultiReal Fiefcorp still find themselves fighting off legal attacks from their competitors and from Margaret Surina's unscrupulous heirs -- even though MultiReal has completely vanished.

The quest for the truth will lead to the edges of civilization, from the tumultuous society of the Pacific Islands to the lawless orbital colony of 49th Heaven; and through the deeps of time, from the hidden agenda of the Surina family to the real truth behind the Autonomous Revolt that devastated humanity hundreds of years ago.

Meanwhile, Natch has awakened in a windowless prison with nothing but a haze of memory to clue him in as to how he got there. He's still receiving strange hallucinatory messages from Margaret Surina and the nature of reality is buckling all around him. When the smoke clears, Natch must make the ultimate decision - whether to save a world that has scorned and discarded him, or to save the only person he has ever loved: himself.

Coming February 2010

Stephan Martiniere Love @ SF Signal

Geosynchron doing more than okay in the latest Book Cover Smackdown.

For Your Viewing Pleasure: David Louis Edelman's Geosynchron

Geosynchron© David Louis Edelman

Cover Illustration © Stephan Martiniere
Design by Jacqueline Cooke
Coming February 2010

DAVID LOUIS EDELMAN'S BUSINESS SCIENCE FICTION SAGA THAT BEGAN WITH INFOQUAKE AND MULTIREAL COMES TO A STUNNING CONCLUSION WITH GEOSYNCHRON, THE LAST BOOK OF THE JUMP 225 TRILOGY.

The Defense and Wellness Council is enmeshed in full-scale civil war between Len Borda and the mysterious Magan Kai Lee. Quell has escaped from prison and is stirring up rebellion in the Islands with the aid of a brash young leader named Josiah. Jara and the apprentices of the Surina/Natch MultiReal Fiefcorp still find themselves fighting off legal attacks from their competitors and from Margaret Surina's unscrupulous heirs -- even though MultiReal has completely vanished.

The quest for the truth will lead to the edges of civilization, from the tumultuous society of the Pacific Islands to the lawless orbital colony of 49th Heaven; and through the deeps of time, from the hidden agenda of the Surina family to the real truth behind the Autonomous Revolt that devastated humanity hundreds of years ago.

Meanwhile, Natch has awakened in a windowless prison with nothing but a haze of memory to clue him in as to how he got there. He's still receiving strange hallucinatory messages from Margaret Surina and the nature of reality is buckling all around him. When the smoke clears, Natch must make the ultimate decision -- whether to save a world that has scorned and discarded him, or to save the only person he has ever loved: himself.