Killswitch: A Kinetic Thrill-Ride

Ryun Patterson of Bookgasm reviews Joel Shepherd's latest, Killswitch,third in his Cassandra Kresnov series. Ryun has been a big supporter of the previous two books, so it's good to hear that Killswitch is, in his opinion, "another remarkable effort that remains true to its predecessors and shows Shepherd’s evolution as a writer. His strengths are on full display: Action is electric and infused with the rough-edged reality of warfare, the characters are multifaceted and introspective, and the sexy quotient is once again high. Kresnov as a character has matured in a delicious way, staying hot and ultra-bad-ass while keeping the self-examining, self-reliant emotional core that makes her such an appealing heroine..."

I'm also always very gratified to see when cover art makes it into a discussion of a book, as our genre has a unique history of illustration that deserves much more attention than it historically gets. In this case, Ryun says, "So many times when you get books with covers as great as Stephan Martiniere’s, the contents are a letdown, but the kinetic thrill-ride of the Pyr covers really captures the essence of what’s great about this series."

Update: Calico Reaction reviews Killswitch, as well as previous book Breakaway. Her overall impression: "Overall, this has been a pretty enjoyable trilogy. It's ambitious and intellectual, action-packed but yet intimate. Shepherd's greatest strength are characters you can really emphasize with and the amazing level of his diverse, culturally relevant world-building. Also enjoyable is the fact he really does have some strong, heroic women leads, and multiple leads at that, which is really awesome."

Lucky Number 600

I just logged the 600th Pyr review.

Here it is, a review of Brasyl:

“Flashy, rhythmic, kaleidoscopic writing characterizes McDonald’s slick novel of the past, present and future, set in kinetic Brazil…[It’s] full of mind-bending ideas, psychological insight and imaginative flights of fancy. The complex characters will have you rooting for their better sides, and the colorful atmospheric details of each timeline intrigue and dazzle.” -Portsmouth Herald/SeaCoastOnline.com, NH, October 14, 2007

Joe Won't Shut Up

Joe Abercrombie is interviewed by John Joseph Adams on SciFi Wire today. Discussing his hit fantasy The Blade Itself,Joe says he was aiming to write, "Something with the action and adventure, the magic and mystery, that readers look for in a fantasy, but focused very much on the characters rather than the world. I tried to make those characters as surprising, as morally ambiguous, as funny and horrible as I've found real people to be. I wanted to write something that was really capable of surprising the reader, and above all I wanted it to have a sense of humor without being all-out pastiche."

Fast Forward Makes Year's Best

I'm very proud to announce that Ken MacLeod's wonderful short story, "Jesus Christ, Reanimator," which originally appeared in our anthology, Fast Forward 1: Future Fiction from the Cutting Edge,has been selected for inclusion in the forthcoming The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume 2, edited by Jonathan Strahan. The collection will be in stores March 2008, from Night Shade.

Meanwhile, I'm excited to say I've already accepted wonderful stories from Nancy Kress, Jack Skillingstead and Paul McAuley for Fast Forward 2, with more coming in soon. John Picacio returns as illustrator for the next cover as well.

Crossover: A Very Angry Thing Running Fast

Chris, of the Book Swede & His Blog, has some nice things to say about Joel Shepherd's Crossover,including:

• "....a short, snappy writing style which makes the story always seem to be hurtling along at the speed of a very angry thing running very fast indeed."

• "In a book filled with action and drama, Joel Shepherd still managed to inject humour into situations at just the right moments..."
  

and

• "Breakaway(Book 2) is certainly on my must-read list."

He gives the book 9 out of 10.

On the Road: John Picacio & Michael Moorcock

Via John Picacio's blog, On the Front:

This is gonna be fun. Michael Moorcock and I will be signing copies of his new hardcover release THE METATEMPORAL DETECTIVE on Saturday, Dec. 8th at 3pm at the largest bookstore in Texas, BookPeople / Austin, TX. (Store location details here.) In addition, I'll be bringing a few of my original drawings from the forthcoming release of ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS. (Rumor has it, we may also be celebrating Mike's birthday early, with free chocolate cake all around.)

Here's a recent pic of a BookPeople shelf display featuring "Great Illustration & Design Books." Needless to say, I'll be happy to personalize copies of this book as well. :)

Kay on the Road, Again

Kay Kenyon reports on this past weekend's Orycon in Portland, Oregon, and the subsequent SF/F AuthorFest at Powell's Books. She writes: "Orycon was in fine form this year, with GOH Robert Charles Wilson, among others. I was there too, and signed a few books and one robot. This yet-to-be-named robot will soon sport hundreds of sf/f fantasy author signatures. It will be auctioned off at a major venue like World Con or the RadCon Toxic Waste Party for the benefit of the Endeavour Award. (Won this weekend by Robin Hobb.)" Here is Kay and the unnamed robot (left).

Meanwhile, at the Powell's AuthorFest, Kay signs Bright of the Sky next to the wonderful Mary Rosenblum, on hand with her novel Horizons. Also pictured on the left, Eldon Thompson.

In related Kenyon news, Calico Reaction has read Bright of the Sky and says, "Let me just start off by praising her ability to create real, individual characters from the start. ....what amazed me with Bright of the Sky is that every character, no matter how minor, reads like a real, individual person from the moment you meet him/her...."

Which is very nice. And she continues:

"Another reason this book's worth the effort is the amazing complexity of the world-building. This world (story, characters, EVERYTHING) is so intricate that I can only marvel at the revelation of it. I know I sound over the top, but if you sit down with this book and start reading, you start to realize just how deep the world-building goes. ...I'm really impressed."

And that's nice too. And finally:

"There's a weight to this book, a depth, that really drew me in from the start. It's not a fast read in that the prose flies off the page, but it's by no means a slow read either. It's a book you want to savor and absorb, gathering all the information and clues you can, because the story and characters and EVERYTHING is so damn complex. I keep saying that, I know, but it is. Just when you think you know what's at stake, you find out that you really don't. And that's what keeps you reading."

And that's nice enough for one blog post.

Spring Summer 2008

Thoughts on The Blade Itself and Infoquake

Four stars for Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itselfup on SF Signal. JP writes, "The Blade Itself is Joe Abercrombie's first novel, and it's a darn fine one at that. And as a self-professed fantasy hater, that's saying something." He praises the action and the pacing, and adds, "Each one of these characters is well thought out and well presented and each one has a role to play in the story. While you may not be sympathetic to them all, Abercrombie has a knack for creating believable characters."

Meanwhile, Calico Reaction isn't sure what she thinks of David Louis Edelman's Infoquake,but is intrigued enough to want to know more: "I'm interested in the world, the situation, and where the story might be going. No doubt, it's complex, and while this volume has its own story arc, it does not even begin to answer every question raised. Which is why, of course, I'm looking forward to the sequel, to learn what's really happening, even if some of it flies over my head. :) Boardroom SF, people. Who knew? I think Edelman has definitely made a splash in the genre, and I think those interested in the worlds and technologies found in Charles Stross's works and Vernor Vinge's (mind you, I've only read Accelerando and Rainbows End respectively) will be entertained by this book, which--for the record--will be re-released as a Solaris mass market paperback this June, a month before Pyr's release of the sequel, MultiReal."

Killswitch: Rough and Tumble Action

Sandy Amazeen of Monsters & Critics has some thoughts on the latest Cassaandra Kresnov novel from Joel Shepherd, the just released Killswitch:

"Plenty of rough and tumble action full of high-tech weaponry and battle savvy female warriors keep readers engaged as Cassandra and all of Callay become mired in the endless political machinations that come with social upheaval... Definitely a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy with enough wiggle room for more to come from this series that serves up social commentary with military action in equal doses."