Fair Coin "End Credits"

Thief's Covenant Scores with Teens and Adults

Ari Marmell's Thief's Covenantis garnering much love from both teen and adult readers and reviewers. Which is just what we wanted with this wonderful fantasy novel. Here is a small sampling of the praise it's receiving:

"This may be one of the best fantasy young adult novels to hit the shelves this year." The New Paltz Oracle

"Thief’s Covenant is a fun, brisk story. I got sucked in every time I picked up the book, and the pages zipped by. This is a thoroughly entertaining novel, and one that should appeal to younger and older readers alike. Marmell doesn’t condescend to the reader, and instead gives us a great fantasy novel. I’m very glad I won’t have to wait too long before the second book in the series, False Covenant, is available. Very highly recommended." Civilian Reader

"Widdershins is a wonderful protagonist, she’s fun, exciting, and filled with enough sarcasm to make any of her retorts quick witted and wonderful to read. But like Marmell’s other books it’s not just Windershins’s charming personality that makes her fun to read, it’s her hilarious, snarky, and sensitive sidekick Olgun that make this book such a fun read. Oh also Olgun is a god, so that certainly makes things interesting. ...I loved the book because of the fast paced action, fantastic interactions between Windershins and Olgun, and fun style of writing. Overall a great book that I’d easily recommend." Whatchamacallit Reviews


"I am so glad that my sister brought Thief's Covenant to my attention because I absolutely loved it. ...Widdershins was definitely a little crazy, but crazy in an interesting what will she do next kind of way. One of the things I liked best about her and her crazy/stubborn streak would have to be that it got her into all sorts of trouble, which meant that there was rarely any dull scenes. I know mean of me to say that I liked that her personality got her into trouble, but I did enjoy." The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

"This is pretty much an adult fantasy novel plot with a teenaged protagonist so don't be put off by the label regardless of your age. Marmell writes a lively story." Critical Mass

"A Trial of Blood and Steel" Prequel Short Story

So what do you do when, in the process of editing your novel, you're forced to cut out a preface chapter you really liked?   You post it on your blog as a free prequel short story, of course.   I'd post the whole thing here on the Pyr blog, but it runs to six thousand words...

This is a prequel tale from 'A Trial of Blood and Steel', on the invasion of Saalshen by King Leyvaan, and the rise of the great serrin leader Maldereld.   It's not exactly a pleasant little story, but then it wasn't exactly a pleasant little war.

http://joel-shepherd.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/trial-of-blood-and-steel-prequel-short.html

Crossing the Streams

Care for the chance to win a free book? How about potentially winning fifteen free books, from a wide variety of fantasy authors (including several Pyr authors)?

Presenting the Crossing the Streams multi-author book contest.

Good luck. :-)

Happy New Things

Well, I haven't posted in a long time. I was away thinking.  Also I played some games.  If you'd like to read more pop over to my actual blog Quantum Gravity.  Meanwhile PYR books keep us all sane and I'm here to wish all of the PYR readers a late but sincere Happy New Year.  Don't stop readin'!

Cover for Shadow's Master Revealed

Hey everyone,

I've just received the final cover art for Shadow's Master by Michael Komarck (via the very awesome Art Direction of Lou Anders). Check it out!

Adventures Fantastic selects Pyr as the #1 Publisher You Should be Reading in 2012

Adventures Fantastic have posted a list of "Four Publishers You Should Be Reading in 2012". Pyr made their number one spot. They say:

If you read books from only one publisher in 2012, this is the one you should read.  This is by far the most impressive and innovative line in all SFF publishing, although the others on this list are giving them increasing competition. If you've read many of their books, you understand why editor Lou Anders won the Hugo for Best Editor - Long Form last year.  I've not read a single book published by Pyr that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed, something I can't say about any other publisher.

 They also make the following Recommendations:  The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie, Twelve by Jasper Kent, Wolfsangel by M. D. Lachlan, Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk



Thanks!

The Shared DNA of Epic Fantasy and Steampunk

I am not a sociologist.

Normally, this doesn’t really mean anything. I’m not a lot of things. I’m not a firefighter, or an accountant, or a Buddhist, or an anarchist, or a zucchini. Normally, these are all of about equal relevance.

In this case, however, the fact that I’m not a sociologist matters a little, since what I’m suggesting dips a toe into those waters. But I’m going to speculate anyway, and if I’m way off base, well, it wouldn’t be the first time.

(It would, in fact, be the seventh. I have been wrong exactly seven times in my life. Or eight, if you count this assertion.)

Anyway, all of this is just me dithering aimlessly, so enough of that. It’s time to dither with purpose.

Trends and tastes in entertainment tend to rise and fall in cycles. Something’s popular for a while, falls out of popularity, the pendulum swings back and it comes back for a while, and so forth. Some details my change. Maybe sword-and-sorcery fantasy is popular during one surge, whereas sweeping epics are dominant in the next (Not that such things can’t both coexist, of course; I’m just talking trends being more or less common.) The details may change, but the core aspect of a genre/style/whatever—and the purpose it serves for its particular audience—returns.

My hypothesis, after giving it some thought, is this: The surge in popularity of steampunk over the last decade or so is an upswing in the same cycle that gave us the popularity of epic fantasy from the 70s to the 90s. Not similar. Not related. They are the same cycle and fill the same needs for the speculative fiction audience; only the cosmetic details have changed.

Yes, you now think I’m crazy. Steampunk and high fantasy are pretty far apart on the spec-fic continuum, and when most people do look for connections, they suggest a much closer link between steampunk and sci-fi than between it and fantasy (due, in part, to the reliance on technology).

And you’d be right, I am crazy. But not because of this.

Continue reading here.

A Portion of the Continent of Laent

James Enge's Morlock the Maker stories and novels take place on the continent of Laent, a land on a world much different from our own. For one thing, the world is flat, and for another, the sun sets in the east. For the novel This Crooked Way,illustrator Chuck Lukacs, who apart from being a brilliant illustrator is also the creator of Fantasy Genesis: A Creativity Game for Fantasy Artists, provided us with a map of a portion of that world. I've always loved the "Tolkien meets Led Zeppelin" feel of Chuck's map. For more about Morlock and his world, you can always readthebooks.

LEC Book Reviews names Pyr "Best SFF Publisher or Imprint 2011"

LEC Book Reviews has just released their choice for the "Best SFF Publisher or Imprint 2011" and we are gratified to see that they have selected Pyr. They write:

"...throughout the year, in almost every review of their titles I’ve written you’ll have noticed some mention of how great Pyr is. Under the deft editorial management of Lou Anders, this imprint of Prometheus Books continued to grow on the genre scene, and even expanding a new YA-oriented line of books. But more importantly, Pyr continued to do what we love it for; publishing consistently quality genre novels, adorned with gorgeous artwork from their Art team.

Pyr doesn’t necessarily publish the most thought-provoking novels or those with great literary ambitions - they publish the devilishly creative, offbeat, and fun ones. Their books are often pulpy, hilarious, colorful, and brimful with fantastical goodness. Pyr knows how to pick them, and we’re glad they do."

Thanks! We appreciate this very much!