From the In Box

UPDATE:  See below for a new release from Eric Brown

Frank R Paul interior art for sale
The Man of Bronze is Back
Lightspeed’s latest issue
The Serene Invasion

Frank Wu sent along a note to let us know that newly identified interior artwork by Frank R. Paul is up for sale on Ebay.

The illustration is from Hugo Gernsback’s annual Forecast circular from 1954.  The piece itself is signed on the back by Hugo Gernsback.

Frank says “The illo itself is for an article (which is shown in part in the eBay ad) which laments our lack of scientific knowledge about the universe.  “”We still clumsily poke around in a thick broth with a probe relatively as coarse as the top of the Empire State Building.””

This black and white Frank R. Paul interior artwork piece just went on sale on eBay for $750.

DOC SAVAGE  VS. KING KONG!

Eighty years ago in February, 1933 the Street & Smith company released the
first issue of Doc Savage Magazine, introducing one of the most popular and influential pulp superheroes ever to hit the American scene. Doc Savage was the greatest adventurer and scientist of his era, and while his magazine ended in 1949, he influenced the creators of Superman, Batman, Star Trek, The Man from UNCLE and the Marvel Universe—to name only a few.

While that first issue of Doc Savage was fresh on Depression newsstands, RKO Radio Pictures released one of the most important fantasy films of all time. Everyone  knows the story of how King Kong was discovered on Skull Island and hauled back to New York in chains, only to perish tragically atop the world’s tallest  skyscraper, the Empire State Building.

As it happened, that was where Doc Savage had his world headquarters. For decades, fans have wondered: Where was Doc the day Kong fell?

On the eightieth anniversary of these fictional giants, Altus Press is proud to release the first authorized clash between The Man of Bronze and the Eighth Wonder of the World—Doc Savage: Skull Island. Written by Will Murray in collaboration with Joe DeVito, creator of KONG: King of Skull Island, Doc Savage: Skull Island is a new pulp epic.

The story opens when Doc returns from his secret retreat in the North
Pole to discover the cold corpse of Kong lying on his doorstep.

“I know this creature,” Doc tells his dumbfounded men.

Tasked to dispose of the remains, the Man of Bronze then relates the untold story of his epic encounter with Kong back in 1920, after Doc returns from service in World War I, long before Kong became known to the civilized world as “King” Kong.

Doc Savage: Skull Island is a multi-generational story in which Doc and his father—the man who placed him in the hands of scientists who made him into a superman—sail to the Indian Ocean in search of Doc’s grandfather, the legendary Stormalong Savage, whose famous clipper ship has been discovered floating, deserted, her masts snapped by some incredible force.

The quest for Stormalong Savage leads to the fog-shrouded Indian Ocean
and—Skull Island! There, Doc Savage faces his first great test as he encounters its prehistoric dangers and tangles with the towering, unstoppable Kong.

“When Joe DeVito brought this idea to me,” says Will Murray, “I knew it had to be written with reverence for both of these immortal characters. So I used the locale of Skull Island to tell a larger story, an untold origin for Doc Savage. It all started back on Skull Island….”

“Pulling off the first ever face-off between Doc Savage and King Kong  
was both challenging and exhilarating,” adds DeVito. “Will’s unique take on the tale 
scatters the primordial mists surrounding Skull Island long enough to reveal secrets of both classic characters hidden since their creation.”

Doc Savage: Skull Island has already been hailed as “The Doc Savage novel that Doc fans have been waiting on for 80 years!”

Doc Savage: Skull Island is the fifth entry in Altus Press’ popular Wild Adventures of Doc Savage series. Cover by Joe DeVito.

For further information, contact Will Murray at Cartomancer@netzero.net

www.adventuresinbronze.com

Light Speed Magazine News

The March 2013 Issue is Now on Sale!

Welcome to issue thirty-four of Lightspeed!

In this month’s issue, we have original science fiction by Jake Kerr (“Biographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince”) and Rich Larson (“Let’s Take This Viral”), along with SF reprints by Holly Phillips (“Three Days of Rain”) and Angélica Gorodischer (“The Sense of the Circle”).

Plus, we have original fantasy by Sarena Ulibarri (“The Bolt Tightener”) and Lisa Tuttle (“The Dream Detective”), and fantasy reprints by Felicity Savage (“Ash Minette”) and Karen Joy Fowler (“Lily Red”).

For our ebook readers, our ebook-exclusive novella is “Things Undone” by John Barnes, and of course we have our usual assortment of author and artist spotlights, along with feature interviews with acclaimed authors Philip Pullman and Angélica Gorodischer.

Can’t wait to get your hands on a copy? You can purchase the issue from the following ebookstores: Lightspeed (direct), Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, and Weightless Books. Visit our Ebooks page for links and more information.

Lightspeed…Direct!

Last month, we told you about how we hoped to have our custom-built ebook store launched and ready to take orders on lightspeedmagazine.com. Well, that didn’t quite happen in February, but it’s JUST about ready, so keep an eye out for it soon. This will replace our current ecommerce software, which has been giving us some trouble the last several months. But the big news is that like our sister-magazine, Nightmare, Lightspeed will now offer direct subscriptions as well. So in addition to being able to subscribe via Amazon and Weightless Books, you’ll now also be able to subscribe directly from us. As always, you can go to lightspeedmagazine.com/subscribe to see all of our subscription options.

Nebula Award Nominations!

The Nebula Award nominees for this year have been announced, and we here at Lightspeed are thrilled to have two finalists in the short story category: “Give Her Honey When You Hear Her Scream” by Maria Dahvana Headley (Lightspeed, July 2012) and “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” by Ken Liu (Lightspeed, August 2012). So congrats to Ken and Maria, and to all of the other nominees!

The Hugo Awards Nomination Period Closes March 10 + Free Stuff!

Speaking of awards, just a reminder that the nomination period for the Hugo Awards is now open. The 2012 Hugo Awards will be presented in San Antonio, TX during Lone Star Con 3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention (Aug. 29-Sep. 2). Nominations close on March 10, 2012. Anyone who has a supporting or full membership of Lone Star Con 3 as of January 31, 2013 and all members of Chicon 7 (last year’s Worldcon) may nominate works. If you didn’t attend Chicon 7, and you don’t plan to attend Lone Star Con 3, you can still nominate by purchasing a supporting membership. Nominations may be submitted through the online ballot at lonestarcon3.org/hugo-awards.

If you’d like to reference a list of all Lightspeed stories (and other material published by yours truly in 2012), visit our editor John Joseph Adams’s personal website at johnjosephadams.com/blog. There, he’s sorted everything into their proper categories (short story vs. novelette, etc.), including material from his 2012 original anthologies, Armored and Under the Moons of Mars.

Also, if you are planning and eligible to vote for the Hugos this year, you’re eligible for some free stuff! Just visit johnjosephadams.com/blog for details.

Nightmare Magazine

Have you checked out our new sister-magazine Nightmare yet? If you enjoy horror and dark fantasy, we hope you’ll do so if you haven’t already. Thus far, we’ve published original stories by acclaimed and bestselling horror scribes Ramsey Campbell, Sarah Langan, Jonathan Maberry, Laird Barron, Daniel H. Wilson, along with new material from talented newer writers such as Genevieve Valentine and Desirina Boskovich, among others. All that plus classic reprints by the likes of Joe Haldeman, Poppy Z. Brite, Sarah Pinborough, Tananarive Due, Lucius Shepard, and Lisa Tuttle.

The February issue of Nightmare includes original stories by Ted Kosmatka and Sarah Langan (our first two-time author!), along with reprints by Norman Partridge and Margo Lanagan. Plus, the issue also features an in-depth interview with Caitlin R. Kiernan, and an H Word column on fear by horror author Dale Bailey.

Pop on over to www.nightmare-magazine.com to check out the magazine, purchase issues or subscribe, or just for more information and updates (or to subscribe to the free Nightmare newsletter).

New Anthologies from John Joseph Adams

There are two new anthologies of original fiction edited by John Joseph Adams now available. The first, The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination, came out Feb. 19, 2013. It features all-new stories by the likes of Diana Gabaldon, Daniel H. Wilson, Seanan McGuire, Naomi Novik, Austin Grossman, and many more. Learn more at johnjosephadams.com/mad-scientists-guide.

The other book out in February was Oz Reimagined: New Tales From the Emerald City and Beyond, which John co-edited with Douglas Cohen (editor of the dearly-departed Realms of Fantasy). This one features new stories by Orson Scott Card, Tad Williams, Jane Yolen, Seanan McGuire, and others. Learn more at johnjosephadams.com/oz-reimagined.

Subscribe!

We just wanted to remind you that in addition to our subscriptions offered via Weightless Books, you can subscribe to Lightspeed via Amazon.com; subscribers will have every issue of Lightspeed delivered automatically to their Kindle library (whether it’s an actual Kindle or one of the Kindle apps). And, of course, as mentioned above–soon you’ll be able to subscribe directly via lightspeedmagazine.com.

Visit lightspeedmagazine.com/subscribe to learn more about all of our subscription options.

If You Love Your Subscription, Review Your Subscription!

Speaking of subscriptions, if you already have and love a Lightspeed subscription, please consider leaving us a positive review on Amazon.com or Weightless Books. A few kind words can go a long way toward encouraging other readers to try out Lightspeed if they’re on the fence about whether to give it a shot or not. And on Amazon, we only have—gasp!—FIVE reviews!

If you’d like to leave a review, here’s the product page on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Lightspeed-Magazine/dp/B004HO5TCO, and here’s the 12-month subscription option on Weightless Books: https://weightlessbooks.com/format/magazine/lightspeed-magazine-12-month-subscription.

Reviews of individual issues are also welcome, of course, though our primary interest is in spreading the word about subscriptions, so if you want to help out, please let other readers know what you think!

Sponsor Spotlight: Orbit Books

Lightspeed‘s sponsor this month is Orbit Books:

Orbit US is the Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint at Hachette Book Group USA. Their authors include Joe Abercrombie, Iain M. Banks, Lilith Saintcrow and Brent Weeks. They publish a wide range of fiction from both established and debut authors. Orbit also publishes digital short stories from their authors. The stories are available at all major ebook retailers—currently in the US and Canada, and further afield in the very near future. You can find their short fiction program at www.orbitshortfiction.com.

This month, look for Wolfhound Century by Peter Higgins. You can find more from Orbit—including digital short fiction and monthly ebook deals—at www.orbitbooks.net.

For more information about Lightspeed‘s sponsorship program, visit our advertising page.

Keeping Current

Remember, in addition to this newsletter, there are several ways you can sign up to be notified of new Lightspeed content:

• RSS feed (full): lightspeedmagazine.com/rss-2
• Podcast feed: lightspeedmagazine.com/itunes-rss
• Twitter: @lightspeedmag
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• Subscribe: lightspeedmagazine.com/subscribe

Looking Forward: Issue 35

Coming up in April, in Lightspeed . . .

We’ll have original science fiction by Desirina Boskovich (“Deus Ex Arca”) and acclaimed indie bestseller Hugh Howey (“Deep Blood Kettle”), along with SF reprints by Kathleen Ann Goonan (“A Love Supreme”) and the legendary Robert Silverberg (“Schwartz Between the Galaxies”).

Plus, we’ll have original fantasy by Anaea Lay (“The Visited”) and Swedish sensation Karin Tidbeck (“A Fine Show on the Abyssal Plain”), and fantasy reprints by Bruce Sterling (“Dinner in Audoghast”) and Christopher Barzak (“Smoke City”).

We’ll also have our usual assortment of author and artist spotlights, along with feature interviews with bestselling authors Jane Yolen and Brandon Sanderson. And for our ebook readers, our ebook-exclusive novella will be “Bellony” by Nina Allan, and our featured novel excerpt is The Red: First Light by Linda Nagata.

It’s another great issue, so be sure to check it out. And while you’re at it, tell a friend about Lightspeed!

Thanks for Reading!

We couldn’t publish the magazine without the loyal support of readers like you. So we here at Lightspeed salute you, and would like to thank you for your continued patronage.

Well, that’s about it for this installment of the newsletter. Thanks again for reading. Meanwhile, for more, visit www.lightspeedmagazine.com. See you next month!

~~~

The Serene Invasion

By Eric Brown

First contact takes place on April 30^th (US & Can) and May 9^th (UK)

 £7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-1-78108-091-7

$8.99/$10.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1-78108-092-4

 Available in paperback and ebook

REVIEW COPIES AND AUTHOR INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE

THEY ARE HERE… AND WE ARE NOT READY

 It is 2025 and the world is riven by war, terrorism, poverty and scarcity of natural resources. The West and China confront each other over an inseparable ideological divide, each desperate to sustain their future.

 And then the Serene arrive, enigmatic aliens from Delta Pavonis V, and nothing will ever be the same again. The Serene bring peace to an ailing world, an end to poverty and violence – but not everyone supports the seemingly benign invasion. There are forces out there who wish to return to the bad old days, and will stop at nothing to oppose the Serene.

The award-winning author of Helix, Guardians of the Phoenix, Necropath, and The Kings of Eternity, brings his revolutionary vision of first contact to Solaris with a thrilling story that gets to the heart of human nature through the lens of cutting-edge science-fiction from one of the most respected SF writers in the field.

“This is the rediscovery of wonder.”

– Stephen Baxter on Helix

About the Author

For all press enquires please contact Michael Molcher

on +44 (0)1865 792 201 or press@rebellion.co.uk