Free Ebook: Sean Williams' The Crooked Letter

As you've probably already heard on Boing Boing or SF Signal or Bookspot Central, and as I've already Tweeted and Facebooked:

For the first time ever, Pyr Books is making one of our novels available for free as an eBook. Sean Williams' The Crooked Letter: Books of the Cataclysm: One is available now, in its entirety, as a PDF.

When mirror twins Seth and Hadrian Castillo travel to Europe on holidays, they don’t expect the end of the world to follow them. Seth’s murder, however, puts exactly that into motion.

From opposite sides of death, the Castillo twins grapple with a reality neither of them suspected, although it has been encoded in myths and legends for millennia. The Earth we know is just one of many “realms”, three of which are inhabited by humans during various stages of their lives. And their afterlives...

In the tradition of Philip Pullman and Ursula K. Le Guin and inspired by numerous arcane sources, the Books of the Cataclysm begin in the present world but soon propel the reader to a landscape that is simultaneously familiar and fantastic.

See why SFFWorld said:

"[E]xplores the nature of life, death, and reality. Big subjects, but with the precision of an archaeological expert, Williams is more than up to the task. There is a lot to admire in Williams' epic fantasy, the wide range of global religions and myths of which his afterlife is comprised, to the characterization of the protagonists. The story has the mythic resonance of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and American Gods, the dark fantasy/horror one might associate with something like Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga, the multiple universes/realities of Moorcock’s Eternal Champion mythos, and the strange, weird creatures one might associate with China Miéville’s Bas-lag novels. Williams imagined world is equal part those novels which preceded his, but fortunately, there is enough newness to both the approach and vision to make this the work of a singular vision...." [R]eading many of the other titles Lou Anders has published with Pyr, I shouldn’t have been surprised with both the quality of the writing and the breadth of Williams’ imagination. Like a lot of the other books published by Pyr, Williams captures what makes a tried and true genre like Epic Fantasy so popular and enjoyable of a genre and spins a tale with his unique voice. This is the type of book you finish and can’t wait to read the sequel."

Download your copy here, and thanks for helping us spread the word!

Sean Williams' Advice to New Writers

I always knew Sean Williams could write. I didn't know he could speak. Sean recently gave an address to the winners of the Writers of the Future contest, and Shaun Farrell, of Adventures in SciFi Publishing, was there to record his speech and interview Sean afterwards.

Sean's talk is full of tremendous advice for those just starting out, and his interview covers a range of topics, including his new Star Wars novel, The Force Unleashed. The podcast is available via iTunes but can be accessed directly from the link above. Thanks to WotF for letting it be recorded and Shaun Farrell for doing so!

THE FORCE UNLEASHED unleashed at last

When I was offered The Force Unleashed at the end of 2006, the decision to take it on or not was a no-brainer. Who wouldn't grab with both hands at the chance to novelise the latest LucasArts computer game? Occasionally billed as Star Wars: Episode 3.5, in which Darth Vader's secret apprentice wreaks havoc on the GFFA and the rebellion is born, it offers a glimpse into the Dark Times--a period of fictional history I'd been wondering about ever since seeing "A New Hope" as a wide-eyed 10-year old in 1977. No schedule is too tight for something like this.

The only downside has been the cone of silence surrounding the story--but now it's out and people are reading it, the embargo has finally been lifted. I'm thinking of that wonderful Simpsons episode with the musical version of "Planet of the Apes."

"He can talk. He can talk. He can talk. He can talk."
"I can SING!"

Anyway, the fans seem to be excited too. The Force Unleashed will debut at #1 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list next week. That's just icing on the cake, folks. Thanks to everyone who's bought a copy. I hope you enjoyed it. (Don't forget to buy the game. It kicks ASS.)

The Daily Dream

Sean Williams, author of The Crooked Letter,writes to tell us:

The Daily Dream is an LJ community created with the intention of capturing a
snapshot of the world's unconscious musings--all its anxieties and desires,
and all that is just plain meaningless as well. Or is it?

Members post their dreams every morning, or whenever they wake up, in simple
one-sentence summaries. Whatever captures the mood and the message, with as
few clauses as possible. Slowly, we hope, a bigger picture will emerge.

If you're interested in being part of this project, feel free to join up and
begin posting your own dreams. All are welcome. There's no charge.

Tell your friends.

Who knows what currents flow at these depths, and what they might bring to
the surface?

Williams, Avery, McDonald, Oh My!

Sean Williams is interviewed on the wonderful Adventures in SciFi Publishing podcast, available via iTunes and as a direct download. (Also interviewed, best-selling author Kevin J. Anderson.)

Meanwhile, The Book Swede takes us all the way back to our first season with a review of Fiona Avery's historical fantasy, The Crown Rose.Says the Swede, "This is a good read. It combines classic French history, with an even older story, with generally good, intriguing and likeable characterisations, and a very well imagined 13th century Paris. It does indeed has a certain YA feel to it, but certainly less than the cover would seem to indicate, and is quite a fun feel-good read, but with enough battles, etc to keep my interest! 8.5/10."

And Gardner Dozois has posted the contents of his forthcoming The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fifth Annual Edition. I'm thrilled that "Sanjeev and Robotwallah" by Ian McDonald has made the list, as it appeared originally in my own Fast Forward 1.Here's the full list at SFScope.

Finally, we've uploaded a few more book pages from our 2008 season. Click "Forthcoming" on the left to see if you are on the Pyr site, and if you are viewing this through a feed click here.

Stargate Your Engines

Joseph Mallozzi, executive producer of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis, is a big SF&F reader - and you know it's always interesting to me to discover people from the filmic side of the genre who are. He's such a heavy reader, in fact, that each month Joe picks two science fiction titles and two fantasy titles and asks his readership votes for one of each to read and discuss.

Recently, our own Sean Williams' The Crooked Letterlost out to The Princess Bride (which, to be fair, has the advantage of also being a famous film), but Joe has decided to read The Crooked Letter anyway. And he invited his readership to do so as well. Now, thanks to our publicity director, Jill Maxick, Pyr willl be helping Joe host a contest on his blog for those readers that join him. As Joe explains:

"Free copies of The Blood Debtto three lucky readers who finish The Crooked Letter and are ready to continue the series. Winners will be announced sometime in mid-January so start reading."

The Big Pyr News Roundup

Lots going on round the blogosphere to catch up on.

First, Sean Williams is interviewed by author Tobias S. Buckell in the latest edition of Clarkesworld Magazine. They discuss his Books of the Cataclysm, which begin with The Crooked Letter,as well as his science fiction, his upcoming novella Cenotaxis,his thoughts on writing for the Star Wars universe, and much, much more. Here's a taste:

"I spent a very long time working on the religious background to the Books of the Cataclysm. Really, it started when my father chose to become a priest during my early high school years. I witnessed the study he undertook from the sidelines, and became fascinated with the idea of faded myths—stories (such as Noah's Ark) that one culture appropriates from another and adopts as their own. Once it occurred to me that all religion can be viewed as a bunch of great stories that people take entirely too seriously, it was just a short hop sideways to the atheist I remain today—one who denies the existence of both deities and the afterlife but is endlessly fascinated with other people's fascination with the same."

Then SciFiChick comes in with not one, but three, Pyr reviews.

Keeping It Real, Justina Robson: "Deftly fusing science fiction and fantasy, it's hard to categorize this novel. The magic is vividly portrayed, and the idea of such different and accessible dimensions makes for a truly unique setting. The character of Lila, would make a more interesting Bionic Woman, than the current tv show version. No cardboard cutout characters here."

The Prodigal Troll, Charles Coleman Finlay: "This is a humorous and moving tale in the vein of such classics as The Jungle Book and Tarzan. With characterization as the strength of this novel, Finlay has created a fantastic world for this tragic circumstance. Seeing the human world from Maggot's troll mindset, invokes times of humor as well as drama in a realistic way. Well, as realistic as a world where trolls and magic are the norm. I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel. "

Paragaea, Chris Roberson: "Paragaea is a wonderful story with the feel of a fantasy, but the heart of a science fiction novel. Though it isn’t necessary to read Set the Seas on Fire, I found it helpful to already have a background on the character of Hero. I found myself loving Paragaea , the story and world, even more. With more swash-buckling action and stronger characters, Roberson is a truly gifted storyteller."

Then Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin' Book Reviews chimes in with two Pyr reviews:

Bright of the Sky, Kay Kenyon: "I found the world that Kenyon created to be rather fascinating, not so much because of the strong Asian influence, but in the way that she designed her various aliens. No species are useless; they all seem to have a purpose that makes sense. I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of these different species--their bodies, minds, uses, hobbies, etc... All in all, the novel is good. It would be suited for someone that looks for a different flavor of adventure story--a sort of more subtle adventure that doesn't attempt to be too grand until the end, fulfilling what I would call a sense of wonder over a sense of pure action. It'll be interesting to see where the story goes in the next book."

The Crown Rose, Fiona Avery: "I enjoyed The Crown Rose a great deal. It was engaging, well-written, and quite obviously well-researched. I will say though that anyone with a strong (for lack of a better word) fundamentalist Christian view might find the ending of the book a trifle upsetting. I believe that the key to appreciating this book is an acknowledgment that, though much of the story is based in fact, it is in essence a work of fiction, and should be read as such. If you can manage that, this is definitely a book for you."

Sean Williams' Reconstitué

This morning Sean Williams' kindly shared the cover of Reconstitué with me, the French-language edition of his novel, The Resurrected Manout from Bragelonne. Here is the full image, san text. Art is by illustrator Miguel Coimbra. Our own cover illustration, pictured lower right, was by the marvelous John Picacio.

And because I love doing this, here is Babel Fish's French to English description of the book:

The private detective Jonah McEwen is required for murder. Somebody kills out of the women who resemble Marylin Blaylock, his/her former colleague and amante. The last macabre discovery takes place right on the step of its door. It is the ideal suspect. The problem? Jonah has been in the coma for three years - a coma into which it does not remember to have fallen. And it there has the worse... killer in series, known under the name of Réplicateur, uses the technology of the instantaneous transfer of matter, or "D-chechmate", for violently torturing and killing out of perfect copies of its victims, without touching with the original ones. While the legal conflicts make rage to determine if the elimination of a copy is assimilable to a murder, Jonah is found in the uncomfortable position to have to protest its innocence whereas its own copy is perhaps guilty. In a future where the border between the human one and the machine are done increasingly fuzzy, the reconstituted man explores the future of terrorism, of the world conspiracy and maintenance of law and order. Perfect mixture of thriller and science fiction Cyberpunk, this novel depicts the complexity of the relations between Jonah and Marylin, and their tracking of the killer before it does not strike again. It unties also the tensions which have bound Jonah to his/her father - a man, died for three years, but which could still hold the key of the mystery..."

Sounds great to me!

Get Sean a Hot Chocolate

Sean Williams just encountered the notion of Mundane SF for the first time, and the results aren't pretty.

Cataclysmic Contest

Fantasy Book Critic is hosting a Sean Williams Giveaway. Three lucky winners will be awarded the first three volumes of The Books of the Cataclysm by Sean Williams: The Crooked Letter,The Blood Debt,and The Hanging Mountains.Giveaway ends Tuesday, July 31, 2007 – 11:59AM PST.

"...the mind-blowing concept is enough to make me want more. " Fantasy Book Critic

"[E]xplores the nature of life, death, and reality. Big subjects, but with the precision of an archaeological expert, Williams is more than up to the task. There is a lot to admire in Williams' epic fantasy, the wide range of global religions and myths of which his afterlife is comprised, to the characterization of the protagonists. The story has the mythic resonance of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and American Gods, the dark fantasy/horror one might associate with something like Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga, the multiple universes/realities of Moorcock’s Eternal Champion mythos, and the strange, weird creatures one might associate with China Miéville’s Bas-lag novels. Williams imagined world is equal part those novels which preceded his, but fortunately, there is enough newness to both the approach and vision to make this the work of a singular vision...." [R]eading many of the other titles Lou Anders has published with Pyr, I shouldn’t have been surprised with both the quality of the writing and the breadth of Williams’ imagination. Like a lot of the other books published by Pyr, Williams captures what makes a tried and true genre like Epic Fantasy so popular and enjoyable of a genre and spins a tale with his unique voice. This is the type of book you finish and can’t wait to read the sequel."- SFFWorld.com

MythMaking Down Under

Sean Williams, author of The Hanging Mountainsand some 20 other novels (!), is podcast on episode 33 of StageCast, talking about everything from space opera and fantasy epics, to creating myths for Australia, to writing for children vs. adults. The podcast is available from both iTunes and as a direct download from the site.

Sean Won't Leave You Hanging

Sean Williams' The Hanging Mountains is in from the printer! That means it should start to show up for online ordering any day now and will begin appearing in stores in about three weeks. This is the third book in Sean's epic Books of the Cataclysm quartet, which SFF World previously described as:

"The story has the mythic resonance of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and American Gods, the dark fantasy/horror one might associate with something like Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga, the multiple universes/realities of Moorcock’s Eternal Champion mythos, and the strange, weird creatures one might associate with China Miéville’s Bas-lag novels. Williams imagined world is equal part those novels which preceded his, but fortunately, there is enough newness to both the approach and vision to make this the work of a singular vision...."

What's more, I'm also very pleased to announce that The Hanging Mountains has been designated as a Book Sense Notable for July!!!!!

Love Stricken & Agoraphobic: An Interview with Sean Williams

John Scalzi, he of Old Man's War and The Android's Dream, has been interviewing an author a day all week over on his AOL blog, By the Way. After wonderful interviews with Karl Schroeder, Karen Traviss, Charles Stross and Sarah Hoyt, Scalzi concludes his week with an interview with Sean Williams. They talk about publishing on two continents, writing solo and in collaboration, creator owned worlds vs shared universes like Star Wars, and how love can strike you at the oddest moments. Along the way, they also find time to discuss Sean's marvelous Books of the Cataclysm, of which two (The Crooked Letter, The Blood Debt) are now published here via Pyr in the US. Of The Blood Debt, Sean says:

"The book is simultaneously a chase novel and a romance, with various people trying to rescue family members and maintaining or starting relationships along the way. Love strikes us in the oddest places sometimes, and at the most awkward times. Its perversity is what makes it so addictive, I think. If it always came when and how we wanted to, where would be the fun in that? I'm getting married next year, to a wonderful woman who, like me, thought she would never tie the knot. That we're both willing and eager to do this thing that we've resisted for so long, with other people, is testimony to the amazing transformations that love can wreak, for good or ill, on the unsuspecting. To a certain extent, The Blood Debt is also about that."

Sean Williams: On Wings of Metal and Feathers

Rob H. Bedford has interviewed Sean Williams over on SFFWorld. The interview covers Sean's two related fantasy series, the Books of the Cataclysm and the Books of the Change, as well as his Star Wars novels, and his space opera - the books written with Shane Dix and his upcoming solo effort Saturn Returns. In other words, it's quite a broad interview.

On the differences in writing science fiction vs. fantasy, Sean says:

"I do find that writing SF and fantasy can be very different on both a nuts-and-bolts level and in terms of other fundamental perspectives. Fantasy is more overtly about character and landscape, while good SF self-consciously uses science and the scientific method to take us places on wings made of metal, not feathers. There are crossovers, of course: the Star Wars novels felt like fantasy half the time, and I was more strict with The Crooked Letter's worldbuilding than I am with some of my SF. I like both approaches to speculative fiction. It keeps me fresh. "

On blowing up the world:

"I wanted to show how the world we live in, which we tend to take for granted and assume will be around forever, is just one part of a long history of change and cataclysm. In this view of the world, many other people have made the same assumptions we make only to have the rug violently pulled out from under them. There are no guarantees, except for there being no guarantees, so the Books of the Change and the Books of the Cataclysm are stories about the philosophy underpinning the world, as well as what goes on inside it. I think that sets them apart from a lot of other fantasy novels, which are often about maintaining or returning a proper order, and while I'd never say that this makes my books better for that reason, I do think I'm tapping into a readership that sometimes prefers stories a little different from normal."

Elsewhere on SFFWorld, Rob reviews the second Book of the Cataclysm, the Blood Debt:

" I don’t know that subverting is exactly the right word for what Williams does, but the way he plays with the clichés, his creativity and his storytelling ability make The Blood Debt a uniquely satisfying work. In a sense, this a more straightforward novel than was The Crooked Letter, but this makes The Blood Debt all the more entertaining and fun to play along as Williams throws predictability to the wind. Throughout the characters’ travels across the landscape and their encounters with creatures such as the man-kin, who resemble zombies; the Stone Mages and Sky Wardens, who both feel like the archetypical mages/councilors; and the Homunculus itself, the created man, Williams provides readers with seemingly familiar elements, that come across as both fresh and natural aspects of his inspired imagination. Not only do these, and all the elements of the story, feel natural, but there is also a sense of interconnectivity between everything in this world. Nothing is without reason.... Between the characters, the strange creatures, and the landscape, Sean Williams gives readers something fresh and mildly familiar in Epic Fantasy with his Books of the Cataclysm."

Sean Williams Interview & Review

Ken of Neth Space interviews author Sean Williams about everything from Star Wars to atheism, writing in collaboration to owning monkeys. The interview is online at both Neth Space and Wotmania. Speaking of writing The Crooked Letter, Sean says:

"I have a fascination with religion that goes right back to Sunday school, when I persistently queried theological points that didn't make sense to me. When I was in High School, my father had just started studying for the priesthood, so I was exposed to nuts and bolts of theology from a practitioner's perspective, as well as a parishioner. Later, I realized that any faith I had once had in Christianity had evaporated, and I became an atheist, where I've been comfortable ever since--but my fascination with religion has never gone away. There's an awful amount of energy invested in world-building and story-telling behind every religion. It's not so different from science fiction, in that sense, if you look at it long enough. So wanting to devise a natural system that might be the big picture lurking behind all human religions was a perfectly natural step. The world behind the Books of the Cataclysm was the result, in which there is a form of reincarnation as well as an afterlife (in fact there are two afterlives, which reflect the belief of some cultures that we have two souls), and there is an almost-supremely powerful deity ruling over a lesser pantheon. Magic used to work, but does no longer. The world has undergone several apocalyptic changes, and might yet go through another one. As theological world-building goes, this one has everything."

Meanwhile, Rick Kleffel sounds off about monsters in his thoughts on the second book in Williams's Books of the Cataclysm, The Blood Debt:

"Williams is one of those writers that I suspect readers will someday twig to en masse and wonder why the hell they weren't rabidly buying his books long, long ago. That said, these Books of the Cataclysm are particularly appealing to me, combining as they do big chunks of monsterific horror with a surreal science fictional / fantasy setting and characters from the here-and-now who give us regular folks something to grab on to. Book One, The Crooked Letter set Seth and Hadrian Castillo loose in a wildly-conceived universe chock-a-block with monsters and underpinned by a couple of master's theses worth of religious imagery...Dirigibles. Monsters. Boatloads of research. What more can you ask for?"