John Picacio: Son of Man Sketch

This is a first. And probably a last. John Picacio has posted his preliminary sketch for our upcoming reissue of Robert Silverberg's Son of Man (due out Spring, 08). Son of Man is one of my all time favorite science fiction works. In a field that ostensibly celebrates mind-expansion, alienation, estrangement, change, the impermanence of any social institution, the wonder and terror of the universe, the fundamental truth that today is not like yesterday and tomorrow will not be like today, Son of Man shines (even and especially today) as the vanguard of that perspective. John and I have been talking a lot about how to convey this in art, as well as how to convey certain other aspects of the book. In a totally unprecedented move, he's put the work in progress up on his blog, so please - go, see, comment!

Interview: Michael Moorcock on the Wire

John Joseph Adams interviews Michael Moorcock on SciFiWire today. They talk about the history of The Metatemporal Detective, and the book's connection to Victorian detective Sexton Blake, New Worlds magazine, and the Pyat quartet. Speaking of Elric in his Count Zenith guise, itself modeled on Blade adversary Zenith the Albino, Mike says:

"Zenith was an influence on my character Elric, so in some ways these stories are homages. But there are many other homages in the stories, too. For instance in 'The Affair of the Basin des Hivers,' there are characters from French pulp fiction and movies, as well as a victim from a Balzac novel."

Moorcock Interview: The Making of a Metatemporal Detective

Jeremy at The Fantasy Review has posted an interview he conducted with Michael Moorcock, in which they discuss, among other things, the genesis of the Sir Seaton Begg character and The Metatemporal Detective'srelationship to the Elric saga.

When asked about the direct connection between Elric and the book's villain, Count Zenith, Moorcock says, "through it I could add a dimension to the Elric stories, as I’ve tried to do in the most recent trilogy beginning with The Dreamthief's Daughter(which of course also dealt with the Nazis). I’ve always been wary of what I consider to be the fascistic elements in certain sword and sorcery stories. I feel that I want to make those elements manifest and use Elric/Zenith to question and oppose those elements."

This Man Knows How to Write

Neth Space has just posted a review of Michael Moorcock's forthcoming work, The Metatemporal Detective.I'm really glad to see he likes the book, especially since Neth confesses to being a Moorcock virgin. Those already initiated will know that pretty much everything in Mike's extensive canon takes place across the various quantum realities of his "multiverse," wherein the majority of his protagonists (and a few of his antagonists as well) are all various permutations of the same reincarnated soul. What's more, this particular book not only collects and unifies all of Mike's Seaton Begg stories, but also ties in directly with his recent Elric trilogy as well, so for Neth to declare that the book is "one of the more enjoyable books that I’ve read in a while" really makes me smile. He further says that "My immediate impression of Moorcock’s writing was one of awe and appreciation for someone who clearly is a master of language. The writing was an absolute joy to read while never becoming flippant. In mere moments, the mood was set and characters brought to life. This man knows how to write."

Update: Just noticed that The Fantasy Review posted their thoughts on The Metatemporal Detective as well, which I'm pleased to say are equally as positive: "...an entertaining collection of short stories that are highlighted by controversial figures, engagings dialogues, vivid landscapes and enigmatic characters. Moorcock does an excellent job of creating engaging mysteries that kept me guessing until the very end. If you are a fan of mystery and intrigue I would recommend checking out this book. If are a fan of Michael Moorcock’s Elric saga then this book is an absolute must read and if you don’t pick it up you should be ashamed of yourself!

Update Two: And the Library Journal says, "Moorcock's storytelling is impeccable, his humor both arch and to the point. Most libraries should consider adding this themed short story collection to their holdings."

Resnick's Ivory is Solid Speculation

Ryun Patterson takes a look at Mike Resnick's classic Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future,a tale set 6,000 years in the future and which traces the path across the galaxy of the very real and enormous tusks of the legendary Kilimanjaro elephant. In his review on Bookgasm, Ryun states that Resnick writes about Africa "as if he grasps some of the subtleties of the hugely diverse and multifaceted continent. Ivory, which was first published in 1988, demonstrates this, along withResnick’s flair for solid speculation."

Ryun also takes the time to praise the cover, which always makes me really glad to see, as art and prose are closely linked in our genre, and I applaud those reviewers who take the artwork into account. In this instance, the cover illustration is by Bob Eggleton, and the layout is by our own Grace M. Conti-Zilsberger. Bob turned in what may be my favorite piece he's ever done, while the bronze band solution Grace came up with for displaying the author's name has a classical feel that I'm considering adopting for future reissues as well. As Ryun says, "It’s also got the best cover it has ever had and a great, solid feel – which many classic reissues deserve but don’t receive – thanks to Pyr." Very glad someone noticed!

Conventions: Chris Roberson at Fencon IV

This weekend, Here, There & Everywhereand Paragaea: A Planetary Romanceauthor Chris Roberson will be attending Fencon IV in Addison, Texas. Catch him at the following panels:

Friday 8:00 PM Programming 1
All Things Joss
Description: A discussion of Joss Whedon and his creations.

Saturday 10:00 AM Programming 3
20th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Description: After a bit of a shaky start, TNG ran for seven years on television and spawned two other hit Trek series before moving on to the big screen. Fans discuss why this show is still special after all this time.

Saturday 11:00 AM Programming 3
Who's Your Doctor?
Description: Everyone has their own favorite incarnation of the Time Lord. Conversation may get a bit spirited, and we ask you to turn off your Sonic Screwdrivers.

Saturday 2:00 PM Main Stage
Book Business Basics
Description: What are the steps from manuscript acceptance to publication? How are royalities paid? How is promotion of a book determined? These questions and more are answered.

Ivory: A Lament for the Disintegration of Distinctive Cultures

Lee Clarke Zumpe praises Mike Resnick's Ivory: A Legend of Past and Futurein the Tampa Bay Newspapers Online Edition. Lee begins by proclaiming that "The name Mike Resnick may not be as familiar as, say, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Silverberg, Ursula K. Le Guin or Harlan Ellison, but it should be," and then goes on to justify this claim.

Lee goes on to talk about the stories-within-the-story, and then nails what I personally love about the book by saying, " While the individual accounts of the warlord, the thief, the curator and the others who play a role in the history of the tusks display the appealing escapism of classic science fiction, the novel has an overriding melancholy about it that underscores the tragedy of post-colonialism and vanishing heritage. Resnick’s subtle theme of conservationism encompasses not only the flora and fauna of this planet, but the distinctive cultures of its varied ethnic groups – particularly those of Africa."

A Realistic Assessment of The Blade Itself

Grasping for the Wind chimes in on Joe Abercrombie's debut fantasy epic, The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One).They key off barbarian warrior Logen Ninefinger's catch phrase, “You have to be realistic about these things," noting the various elements of our own history woven into Abercrombie's fantasy setting. (For my money, the novel also weaves aspects of Tolkien and Arthurian mythos together quite expertly.)

They say that Abercrombie is "a skilled writer whose clever turns of phrase are darkly funny... Each character’s motivations are different but compelling, and the fight scenes are impressively described." Finally, they conclude, "The story is wickedly funny, the fight scenes memorable, and the characters fascinating. Nothing in this novel is as it seems, and Abercrombie’s contribution to the genre is sure to endure."

Selling Out: The New Bionic Woman

Here's a rather amusing fill-in-the-blank style review of Justina Robson's Selling Out (Quantum Gravity, Book 2)up at Wistful Writings. They say the book is, "an excellent read that'll challenge imaginations and hook its talons deep."

My favorite bit:

The cover sez and shows: The New Bionic Woman II striking a pose. I think it's for a magazine ad. For Swiss Army knife arms. All the rad these days with the kiddos.

Roberson Rambles on Brasyl

Author Chris Roberson (Paragaea,Set the Seas on Fire) has started "Book Report Monday." In his inaugural report, he looks at Soon I Will Be Invincible, Eisenhorn, and Ian McDonald's Brasyl.The latter shares enough structural commonalities with his forthcoming End of the Century that I, as he points out, advised him not to read it until he'd finished that manuscript. Now that he has, he finds Brasyl "highly recommended. If you've been looking for a story featuring bisexual transvestite wheeler-dealers in the future, kick ass Irish Jesuits in the past, and complex TV producers in the modern day, complete with knives that will cut through the bonds of space-time and secret conspiracies across the multiverse, then Brasyl is the book for you. And if you haven't been looking for that story, then you should be now."