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]

Grab Your Colored Pencils - The Buntline Special gets extra points for presentation.

The Little Red Reviewer makes my day with this:

"Fast paced plot, and addictive characters and witty dialogue aside, can I tell you how much I’m in love with the presentation of  The Buntline Special? A handful of illustrations that gave me a giddy urge to grab my colored pencils, fictional and actual newspaper articles headed in a font I’ve only dreamed about, along with a few other artistic touches here and there. The publisher, Pyr, was under no obligation to make this book physically alluring, they made a stylistic choice to do so. If this was Iron Chef, I’d be awarding extra points for presentation."

The interior illustrations, as well as the cover art, is by the wonderful J. Seamus Gallagher.  The cover layout is by Nicole Sommer-Lecht. Interior layout by Bruce Carle.

B&N's Explorations Blog names The Greyfrair and Twelve as among "The Best Vampire Releases of 2010"

Barnes and Noble's Explorations blog, run by Paul Goat Allen, has named Clay and Susan Griffith's The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire Book 1) as the #2 book in "The Best Vampire Releases of 2010" and Jasper Kent's Twelve as #10.

Starship: Motín, de Mike Resnick

This trailer for the Spanish edition of Mike Resnick's Starship: Mutiny has an awesome spaceship:

Babel Clash: Jasper Kent and Clay & Susan Griffith

Starting tomorrow, join Jasper Kent (whose Twelve is called "great example of how vampire tales should be told") and Clay & Susan Griffith (whose mix mix of vampires and steampunk in The Greyfriar is "masterful") guest blogging at Borders' Babel Clash.

LEC Book Reviews Names Pyr Co-Publisher of the Year

LEC Book reviews have posted their "2010 in Review & Anticipation of 2011" list. It's chocked full of Pyr titles. Their top ten features Tome of the Undergates and The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, as well as the UK versions of books Pyr will be releasing in the States in 2011--Wolfsangel, The Scarab Path, Thirteen Years Later. (Also pleased to see my own co-edited Eos anthology, Swords & Dark Magic.) Meanwhile, the award their "Best SFF Publisher/Imprint" jointly to Pyr and Tor UK/Pan Macmillan. Speaking of Pyr, they say:

"If you haven’t given Pyr releases a look, you really should. Their output, under the editorial hand of Lou Anders, is nothing short of amazing. By this I mean the number of releases of theirs that are consistently good. I had the chance to read a large number of their releases, particularly in the back half of the year (in fact I’m devouring Mike Resnick’s The Buntline Special as we speak), and most were good while some were simply outstanding. For UK readers Pyr publications might be difficult to get you hands on (actually, they are the US outlet for a number of originally British releases such as Syke’s Tome of the Undergates, Tchaikovsky’ Shadows of the Apt and Kent’s Danilov Quintet, which are all mentioned in the lists above) but trust me, importing their books through a service like Bookdepository.co.uk is well worth it."

Best Vamp Novel of 2010

VampChix has chosen Clay and Susan Griffith's The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire Book 1) their "Best Vamp Novel of 2010"

They write, "Just the absolute best vampire novel VampChix has read all year. Simple enough? I've been touting the winner since October..."

Congratulations to Clay and Susan, long live the Vampire Empire!

James Enge makes an Ogre's Top Ten

The Erudite Ogre has posted a Top Ten List for works read in 2010. These include the 2009 books Blood of Ambrose and This Crooked Way. The Ogre writes:

"I discovered James Enge through his story in the Swords & Dark Magic anthology, and I am so glad that I did. His work has rekindled my love for sword & sorcery through its combination of vigorous action, depth of character, and crisp prose. People who call his prose 'slick' are missing some of its deeper pleasures, such as his economy of description, his deft characterizations, and a cavalcade of fascinating ideas that are woven together unassumingly into a cultural fabric that makes his work both warm and visceral. He takes the basic heroic mode of sword & sorcery and expands upon it even as he plays with it. His books have a classical heft to them, but are neither stiff nor dated. He refreshes the genre by taking old roads and then suddenly going off into the misty woods beyond, making new paths that wind in and out of our expectations. Really top-notch stuff!"

The Functional Nerds: Clay and Susan Griffith

Clay and Susan Griffith, authors of The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire Book 1), are the guests this week on Episode 37 of The Functional Nerds podcast. They discuss steampunk, the Victorian Era, alternate history, Scotland, Highlander, body snatchers (the real ones, not the made up ones from the movies), comic books, graphic novels, Kolchak The Night Stalker, Alan Quartermain, pulps, collaborating as writers and as a married couple, Pyr books & (a favorite topic of mine) Lou Anders. You can listen at the link above or download from iTunes.

Hey, Nothing Says Christmas like Vampires

But don't let me convince you that The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire Book 1) makes an ideal stocking stuffer. Listen to these folks:

“If you liked Twilight, you will love Clay & Susan Griffith’s The Greyfriar, the first volume of their Vampire Empire series...you will go nuts for this book. And how stunning is that cover art? What’s not to like...The Greyfriar would make an excellent movie.”

-The Little Red Reviewer blog, December 9, 2010 

“This book was awesome! I love everything in it. It was definitely one that brought all kinds of giddiness to my heart. The adventure, the mysterious, and love makes for a great read. This is not your ordinary vampire tale. This is a complete unique reading experience that I can enjoy over and over again...The Greyfriar blew me away! I love every moment in reading it. The plots and the fights were absolutely mind blowing...If you have not read this book you should. The Greyfriar is a must read of 2011!  I can't wait for the next book!! I give it 5 BITES!”

-Books With Bite blog, December 9, 2010 

“I had every reason not to even read The Greyfriar, let alone like it… being more of a scifi guy… Only I couldn’t put the book down. I read it every spare chance I could get. The Greyfriar is one the best books I’ve read this year ; and I highly recommend it, even to the most skeptical of you out there. I personally can’t wait to read book 2.”

-Fantasy and SciFi Lovin' News and Reviews blog, December 10, 2010

“I am so glad I picked up this book...I didn't care what important things I had to do or if I had to go to work the next day - I was glued to the book and I just had to keep on reading through the night. I love the Greyfriar. It's been a while since I've read a character this memorable and so touching, it warms my heart. I seriously can't wait for the next book.”

-A Nocturnal Bookworm blog, December 12, 2010

“What a fantastic adventure!... I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping tale with its well wrought characters and exciting, believable plot.”

-Patricia's Vampire Notes, December 11, 2010

“The story is a mix of swashbuckling and suspense, with the obvious dash of alternate history, and while I approached it with considerable reservations – I don’t usually like mixtures of fantasy and
science fiction – I found this quite engaging and look forward to the two
further volumes projected.”

-Don D'Ammassa's Critical Mass, December 8, 2010

“It crosses so many different genres. It's steampunk/vampire/romance/adventure and it's like nothing I've ever read...The vampire mythology was unique, which is getting harder and harder to do. I'm looking forward to the next installment. “

-Recommended on the forum of bestselling author Karen Marie Moning's fan site