Books I Edited in 2009

So, it's that time of year again....

Here is the list of all the books on which I served as editor (and art director) in my capacity as Editorial Director at Pyr books for 2009.


Chris Roberson, End of the Century
Kay Kenyon, A World Too Near (Book Two of The Entire and the Rose) (paperback after hc)
Kay Kenyon, City Without End (Book Three of The Entire and the Rose)
Ian McDonald, Cyberabad Days
Tom Lloyd, The Twilight Herald (The Twilight Reign 2)
Matthew Sturges, Midwinter
Ian McDonald, Brasyl (paperback after hc)
James Enge, Blood of Ambrose
Joel Shepherd, Crossover (mass market after trade paperback)
Sean Williams, The Hanging Mountains (3) (paperback after hardcover)
Mark Chadbourn, World’s End (Age of Misrule 1)
Joel Shepherd, Breakaway (mass market after trade paperback)
Mark Chadbourn, Darkest Hour (Age of Misrule 2)
Joel Shepherd, Killswitch (mass market after trade paperback)
Ian McDonald, Desolation Road (reprint)
Mark Chadbourn, Always Forever (Age of Misrule 2)
Mike Resnick, Stalking the Dragon (A Fable of Tonight 3)
Justina Robson’s Chasing the Dragon (Quantum Gravity 4)
Tom Lloyd, The Grave Thief (The Twilight Reign 3)
Paul McAuley, The Quiet War
James Barclay, Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven 1)
Joel Shepherd, Sasha (A Trial of Blood & Steel 1)
James Enge, A Crooked Way
James Barclay, Noonshade (Chronicles of the Raven 2)
Mark Chadbourn, The Silver Skull (The Sword of Albion)
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Diving into the Wreck
James Barclay, Nightchild (Chronicles of the Raven 3)
Mike Resnick, Starship: Flagship (Starship 5)

What a year it's been. I'm proud of every damn one of them, and all my fabulous authors and artists! Thank you all. 

SF Reviews.net chooses its Publisher of the Decade 2000-2009

SF Reviews.net chooses its Publisher of the Decade 2000-2009. Thomas M. Wagner writes:

...if I had to boil it all down to one, there has been an imprint whose output and dedication has impressed me — not necessarily more than all the others, but in a way that has made them stand out boldly in a publishing field often marked by conservative (if not outright craven), bottom-line-driven choices. And that would be these folks.

Some of the many nice things Thomas M Wagner says about us are...

Pyr has risen in about 5 years to becoming one of the genre's true successful stories.

And most commendably, Anders has done this by bucking conventional wisdom at every turn, choosing a merit-based strategy for the books he adds to Pyr's catalog that has skirted the easy paths to bestsellerdom that bigger publishers, with their higher overhead, find it hard to ignore. If Lou thinks the book is really really good, it's in, pretty much....

...I have no end of admiration for what he's doing with Pyr instead. It's all down to writers and their original works. He's making it Pyr's business to import talented names from outside the US, who have until now found it hard to get a toehold in the US market. He's kept the careers of hard SF writers like Paul McAuleyand humanist SF writers like Kay Kenyonafloat, publishing some of their career-best work. He's revived the occasional lost nugget of obscure genius, like Jack Dann's The Man Who Melted.... And the quality bar has been uniformly high in a way that most publishers can only dream of.

So with all of my love for all my other publishers out there in the open, and without taking anything away from them, allow me to anoint with my mighty +4 sword of critical mightiness... Pyr SF, Publisher of the Decade 2000-2009! Now all of you out there start buying their stuff. And Pyr, once your victory lap is out of the way, do kindly get back to work! Think you can rest on your laurels now? Oh no you don't. The pressure's on. We all want more! We're geeky that way.

Deeply humbled and appreciative of this. Love my +4 sword. Working ass off to make our five year anniversary year the best yet. Pretty confident it will be! Thanks!

Even Even More Best of 2009

Fantasy Book Critic has posted Cindy's Top 2009 Book List. James Barclay comes in at number five with the entire Chronicles of the Raven series of Dawnthief,Noonshade,and Nightchild.Whereas Mark Chadbourn is on twice, at number six with the Age of Misrule series of World's End,Darkest Hour,and Always Foreverand at number 9 with The Silver Skull.

Meanwhile SFFWorld has posted their SF Review of 2009 and their Fantasy Review of 2009. Ian McDonald's Cyberabad Days,Kay Kenyon's City Without End,and Paul McAuley's The Quiet War all get shout outs. On the fantasy side, Matthew Sturges' Midwintergets the love.

Keep 'em coming!

Even More Best of 2009

The Best of the Year lists keep pouring in, and Pyr keeps placing on them.

Fantasy Literature has posted FanLit's Favorite Books of 2009, and I'm thrilled to see Joel Shepherd's Sashaand Mark Chadbourn's The Silver Skullon the list, as well as the UK edition of Jasper Kent's Twelve.

Meanwhile, Grasping for the Wind has posted their Best Reads of 2009, and in the category of "Best Adventure Novel," a category "designed to be broad, focusing on the adventure aspect of a story, not its setting per se.... to highlight the book that had a similar effect to the watching of an action movie," they select Diving into the Wreckby Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Not surprising given all the comparisons to Star Trek and Babylon 5 the book is garnering.

Meanwhile, Rob Will Review... has posted The 10 Best Books I Read in 2009.  These aren't necessarily books published in 2009, so he includes (and we are pleased to see) Chris Roberson's 2005 novel, Here, There & Everywhere,coming in at #5, ahead of some writers named Neil Gaiman and Dave Eggers. Rob writes:

On the surface, Here, There & Everywhere is actually a joyous romp through time and space–the life story of a singularly unique woman, Roxanne Bonaventure, who, from a young age, is gifted with a very special bracelet, which she dubs “the Sofia,” that allows her to spend her life zigzagging through time and space…Underneath the larksome exterior, however, Roberson’s novel has a rather serious subtext.  Although most of the time, Roxanne has a ball traipsing across the universe, she can also be a deeply lonely individual…Here, There & Everywhere captures the alienation of a time traveler’s life in a profound yet subtle manner that never overwhelms the story with pathos but which keeps the novel–even in its most thrillingly pulpy of moments–cushioned in a layer of emotional reality that beautifully complements its jaunty surface…

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Everybody!

Amazing how fast these past ten years have gone. Ten years ago today, I'd just lost my job in San Francisco due to dot com bubble burst, and was wondering what I was going to do next. Looking back, I can't believe how much was packed into just ten years. Most of it is friendships I treasure that I didn't even have in Jan 1, 2001. (A lot of it is family I didn't have then either!). But Pyr itself will be turning five years old this March. I was collating our awards information yesterday, and so I'll use this occasion to reflect back on some of Pyr's accomplishments in the 00s.  Frankly I'm flabbergasted.

• 2010 BSFA Award for Best Artwork, nominee: Desolation Road cover by Stephan Martiniere, Jaqueline Nasso Cooke 
• 2010 RUSA Reading List Award Science Fiction nominee: Paul McAuley, The Quiet War
  
• 2009 Chesley Award for Best Art Director: Lou Anders
• 2009 Hugo Award for Best Editor Long Form, nominee: Lou Anders 
• 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novella, nominees:“True Names” by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2)
• 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, nominee: “The Gambler” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2)
• 2009 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award nominees: "True Names" by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2)
• 2009 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award nominee: "The Gambler" by Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2)
• 2009 Locus Award for Best Novella, Finalists: "True Names" by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2)
• 2009 Locus Award for Best Short Story, Finalists: “The Kindness of Strangers" by Nancy Kress (Fast Forward 2)
• 2008 Philip K Dick Award, nominee: Fast Forward 2, edited by Lou Anders
• 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novel nominee: Ian McDonald Brasyl
• 2008 Hugo Award for Best Editor Long Form, nominee: Lou Anders
• 2008 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer nominee: Joe Abercrombie
• 2008 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer nominee: David Louis Edelman
• 2008 Philip K. Dick Award nominee: Adam Roberts Gradisil
• 2007 Quill Award nominee: Ian McDonald, Brasyl
• 2007 Hugo Award for Best Editor Long Form nominee: Lou Anders
• 2007 Chesley Award for Best Art Director nominee: Lou Anders
• 2006 World Fantasy Award - Special Award, Professional nominee: Lou Anders
• 2006 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel nominee: David Louis Edelman, Infoquake
• 2006 Independent Publisher Book Award winner: John Meaney, Paradox
• 2005 Philip K Dick Award nominee: Justina Robson, Silver Screen
• 2006 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer nominee: Chris Roberson
• 2005 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer nominee: Chris Roberson