Politics and Action: Two Great Tastes that Taste Great Together

There were two things that drew me to Joel Shepherd's Cassandra Kresnov series initially. The first was that his was the first prose work that I'd encountered that fully embraced and explored the ramifications of a totally integrated mind-to-net world, in a way I'd never seen done in prose SF before, but had seen only in the manga (not the anime) Ghost in the Shell. I mean, we all remember Case and Molly in each others heads from way back, but I'd yet to encounter a novel in which the entire population was chipped, with multiple conversation threads and images zipping around between everyone. And since this is pretty much where I think we're heading in the real world, I was surprised it took me till Joel to see it anywhere outside of manga. (I'm sure there are other examples, our own David Louis Edelman being one, but I'm talking my perspective.)

The second was the way he so seamlessly interwove action and political intrigue, and the coin toss it was to decide which was the more gripping. So it was really gratifying to see so many reviews stating things like "I can't wait to get through the action to the next political discussion." Not something you expect to see, right? Since then, I've held Joel up many times as the epitome of what a good SF novel can be - I mean, it has synthetic warrior women leaping out of flying cars with machine guns blazing, and is also a masterful examination of what it means to be human and the ramifications of artificial life, chocked full of strong female protagonists. It's smart, it's deep, it's fast-paced, it's action packed, it would make a hell of a good movie or tv series, and it's quintessential SF.

So this latest review from Rob H. Bedford of SFFWorld makes me smile. Since it just confirms everything above, "I also found the political maneuvering to parallel the action very well, much like the previous two volumes. Shepherd’s adept hand at balancing these two differently flavored adrenaline inducing types of scenes continues to be a strong point in his writing."

See? Rob continues, "Another strength that comes to the fore in Killswitchis that Shepherd doesn’t offer easy answers to his character’s problems. The relationship between Vanessa Rice and Sandy has been both intense and a walk across eggshells. Although these two do try to confront the tension between them, it doesn’t fully become resolved. I found this to be somewhat refreshing."

Hey hey!

He concludes, "With this trilogy complete, Shepherd has proven his ability to deliver politically and action charged science fiction. ...the books stand well together as good action-packed Science Fiction. Kresnov is a strong character and a very human non-human character at that. Killswitch is a nice ending to the trilogy and a culmination of Sandy’s journey."

Thanks Rob. I couldn't agree more!

Starship: Mercenary Scores a Hit

Now this is interesting. Graeme of Graeme's Fantasy Book Reviews, admits to "not really being into science-fiction" and also & therefore to having never heard of multiple Hugo-winning author Mike Resnick. And to picking up Starship: Mercenarywithout having read books one and two in the series (why do people do that? Okay, we sent it him to review, but I know there are readers out there who do it too). So, coming in cold midway to the series without an over-abiding love for SF to fall back on, how did he find Mercenary?

Why, the book is "just the kind of sci-fi that I can see myself reading more of… it’s fun and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. A clever blend of ‘military sci-fi’ and ‘space opera’ that is just the job for a trip into work or a lazy weekend. Seven and a Half out of Ten."

Now, if that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.

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.

2nd Starred Review in PW for Kay Kenyon's Entire & the Rose

Publishers Weekly has given a starred review to Kay Kenyon's forthcoming A World Too Near. This is the second such for The Entire and The Rose series, as the first book, Bright of the Sky, was also starred (and went on to make their Best Books of the Year list too).

A World Too Near Kay Kenyon Pyr, $25 (456p) ISBN 978-1-59102-642-6

"The fate of two universes hangs in the balance in this intricately plotted sequel to Bright of the Sky (2007)....Tangled motivations, complex characters and intriguing world-building will keep readers on the edges of their seats."

Perfect timing too, as the paperback of Bright of the Sky comes out next month. And I just finished reading the manuscript to book three, City Without End, and can't imagine it's going to do any less.

Gradisil Short-listed for the PKD Award

Big news this morning. Adam Roberts' Gradisilhas been short-listed for the Philip K. Dick Award. Congratulations, Adam!We're thrilled. (Remember: sample chapters online here.) Here's the full press release:

2007 Philip K. Dick Award Nominees Announced

The judges of the 2007 Philip K. Dick Award and the Philadelphia SF Society are pleased to announce seven nominated works that comprise the final ballot for the award:

GREY by Jon Armstrong (Night Shade Books)
UNDERTOW by Elizabeth Bear (Bantam Spectra)
FROM THE NOTEBOOKS OF DR. BRAIN by Minister Faust (Del Rey)
NOVA SWING by M. John Harrison (Bantam Spectra)
GRADISIL by Adam Roberts (Pyr)
ALLY by Karen Traviss (Eos)
SATURN RETURNS by Sean Williams (Ace Books)

First prize and any special citations will be announced on Friday, March 21, 2008 at Norwescon 31 at the Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport, SeaTac, Washington.

The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the award ceremony is sponsored by the NorthWest Science Fiction Society. Last year's winner was SPIN CONTROL by Chris Moriarty (Bantam Spectra) with a special citation to CARNIVAL by Elizabeth Bear
(Bantam Spectra). The 2007 judges are Steve Miller, Chris Moriarty (chair), Steven Piziks, Randy Schroeder, Ann Tonsor Zeddies.

For more information, contact the award administration:
David G. Hartwell (914) 769-5545.
Gordon Van Gelder (201) 876-2551
For more information about the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society,
http://www.psfs.org/:
Contact Gary Feldbaum (215) 563-2511
For more information about Norwescon: http://www.norwescon.org/:
Contact NorthWest SF Society: (360) 438-0871

Edelman on Edelman

This is too funny to ignore.

Michael Moorcock: Top 50 English Language Writers since 1945

The Times Online have just released their list of The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945. Quite a few genre names on the list, including Tolkien, Lewis, Pullman and Rowling, and also, coming in at number 50, our own Michael Moorcock. They say, " Most of Moorcock’s 80-plus novels are unashamedly pulp. But he wins his place for a series of genre-crossing novels linked by a taste for metafictional devices — he often appears in them himself and characters occur and recur in 'historical' and 'fantasy' guises." They discuss his major works and his influences on such notables as William Gibson, Neil Gaiman, Iain Sinclair and Peter Ackroyd.

Meanwhile, Andrew McKie reviews The Metatemporal Detectivefor the Telegraph, in a piece called "Michael Moorcock: His Own Private Multiverse." McKie opens by crediting Moorcock with bringing the term Multiverse to quantum physicists and philosophers, then describes his latest as, "tremendous fun for fans of Sherlock Holmes, or perhaps Sexton Blake, so long as they are prepared for occasional forays into the milieu of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, as well as Robert E Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian... This is all pastiche, and Moorcock's fans will not be surprised to find that it is astoundingly sure-footed....I think it, on the whole, terrific. "

Killswitch: The Heroine Bionic Woman Should Have Been

JP on SF Signal gives Joel Shepherd's Killswitchfour and a half stars, with a review that says, "These books cry out for some type of screen (big or small) time. (I'm looking at you Sci Fi Channel. Convince Kate Beckinsale to play Cassandra and you won't be able to keep the SF fans from storming the channel.) ...If there's anything Shepherd can do well, it's action sequences. Everything you'd expect a synthetic being like Kresnov to do, she does. And Shepherd's prose brings it to life with widescreen clarity. This is the heroine the Bionic Woman should have been. Smart and supremely confident..."

JP says he even paused in his playing of a videogame to read. Can there be any higher praise in our current century?

For Your Consideration: Pyr Books I Edited in 2007

Since everybody's doing it, here's my 2007 output. Or rather, here are the 17 books that Pyr released in 2007, on which I served as editor, in order of appearance.

The Man Who Melted, Jack Dann (reprint)
Fast Forward 1, Edited by Lou Anders (anthology)
Gradisil, Adam Roberts
Keeping It Real, Justina Robson
Breakaway, Joel Shepherd
Bright of the Sky, Kay Kenyon
Context, John Meaney (paperback after hardcover)
Brasyl, Ian McDonald
The Hanging Mountains, Sean Williams
Hurricane Moon, Alexis Glynn Latner
Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future, Mike Resnick (reprint)
The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie
River of Gods, Ian McDonald (paperback after hardcover)
The Metatemporal Detective, Micheal Moorcock
Selling Out, Justina Robson
Killswitch, Joel Shepherd
Starship: Mercenary, Mike Resnick

More on these titles on the catalog page of the Pyr website, including substantial excerpts for many of them.

In with the New Year, Out with the Old

A few more end of the year round ups showing up.

John of SFSignal posts his 2007: A Year in Review - John's Take. He lists his personal favorite reads from the year - not necessarily all books published in 2007, but all books he read, liked, and rated a 4.5/5 or higher. Two Pyr books make the list: Martin Sketchley's The Liberty Gunand Mike Resnick's Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future.

Meanwhile, over at Futurismic, Tomas Martin takes A New Year's Look at 2007's Science Fiction. Listing his Top Five Books of 2007, we're pleased to see Joel Shepherd tying with himself in fifth place for Breakawayand Killswitch, Ian McDonald coming in at number three for Brasyl,and (thank you) a "special mention" for my own Fast Forward 1: Future Fiction from the Cutting Edge.

Meanwhile, the interestingly titled The Breathing Corpse blog lists The Years Best Reads - Science Fiction. Mike Resnick's Starship: Pirateand New Dreams for Oldboth make the list with the comments that, "I read a bunch of Mike Resnick this year but these are the best. Starship: Mercenaryis out now and I'll be reading it soon. Resnick is now one of my favorite writers." Meanwhile, their 2008's Books I Can't Wait to Read includes several Resnick titles as well, including the forthcoming Stalking the Vampire: A Fable of Tonight.