AMAZING NEWS: 9-7-2014

SPECIAL NOTE:  We’ve moved the sections around a bit.  Fandom & Awards now appear up top, followed by Newsletters & Press Releases, Social, Entertainment Industry & Science news headings – it’s all still here, just shuffled around a bit.

FAN NEWS

NEWS HEADER FOR FILE 770

Donatas Banionis (1924-2014)
Actor Donatas Banionis, who appeared in more than 70 films and is best known in the West for starring in Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris, died September 4 at the age of 90. In 2013, he was honored with the Lithuanian National … Continue reading →

Awards at Polish National Convention
The 2014 Janusz A. Zajdel Awards were presented this weekend at Polcon, the Polish national convention. The winners are: Novel “Cienioryt” by Krzysztof Piskorski Short Story “Discontinuous Man” by Anna Kantoch … Continue reading →

Bradbury Estate Auction Begins Online
The Ray Bradbury estate auction has gone live on the Nate D. Sanders Fine Autographs & Memorabilia site – see the full catalog here. It includes paintings by Charles Addams and Hannes Bok that hung on Bradbury’s walls and items from … Continue reading →

DC or PU?
People have noticed that not all major comics publishers march to the same drummer. In fact, one of them can’t help tripping over its own feet. A tickld dialog illustrates the differences between DC and Marvel. DC: Wonder Woman is … Continue reading →

Gosh It All To Hecksinki in 2017
Crystal Huff shared this link to the most recent “Finnish educational video” by the Helsinki in 2017 Worldcon bid. Eemeli and Saija Aro’s children, Lumi and Papu, teach viewers some key Finnish cuss words. Anybody ready to swear a mighty oath to vote for … Continue reading →

Wolf von Witting Declares for TAFF
Wolf von Witting, born in Finland, worked in Sweden for 25 years, and now lives in Italy – he’s as international as they come. And on September 4 Wolf announced he wants to be the next Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund delegate. … Continue reading →

Stanley C. Skirvin (1927-2014)
By Bill Higgins: Stanley C. Skirvin, one-time Cincinnati fan, passed away March 28 in Scottsdale, Arizona at the age of 86. Returning from Navy service in World War II, he found Cincy fandom. He claimed responsibility for persuading hometown fans to … Continue reading →

Worldcon Wayback Machine: Monday at Noreascon 3 (1989)
Monday, September 4, 1989 at Noreascon Three. Final installment of my reminiscences about the once-in-a-generation convention that took place 25 years ago this week. This is really only a postscript. My work schedule made it necessary for me to fly … Continue reading →

Awards at DragonCon Banquet
Two honorees were in the spotlight at DragonCon’s awards banquet on August 31. Julie Award Terry Gilliam The award, named for Julius Schwartz, is “bestowed for universal achievement spanning multiple genres.” The recipient is selected each year by a panel … Continue reading →

Kirby McCauley (1941-2014)
Literary agent Kirby McCauley died over Labor Day Weekend of renal failure associated with diabetes. McCauley represented many writers, Stephen King once among them, and in the 70s and 80s was one of the top agents in the field. He was George … Continue reading →

Worldcon Wayback Machine: Sunday at Noreascon 3 (1989)
Sunday, September 3, 1989 at Noreascon Three. Fifth installment of my reminiscences about the once-in-a-generation convention that took place 25 years ago this week. Sunday In The Park With George: As I set up the Fanzine Sales table Sunday morning … Continue reading →

2014 Parsec Award Winners
The winners of the 2014 Parsec Awards were announced at Dragon*Con on August 31. The Parsecs recognize the best in speculative fiction podcasting. Shows are nominated by fans, finalists are chosen by a steering committee, and the winners are voted on by … Continue reading →

Remembering “Science Fiction’s 50th Anniversary Family Reunion” at Noreascon Three (1989)
Noreascon Three marked the 50th Anniversary of the first World SF Convention, held in New York in 1939, by hosting a Sunday brunch that featured testimonials from every fannish generation, including from several people who had been to the original … Continue reading →

Stephenson and Krauss in L.A. at MOCA 9/15
“Can Science Fiction Revolutionize Science?” will be discussed by sf author Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon) and ASU physicist Lawrence Krauss (The Physics of Star Trek) during Zócalo at MOCA in L.A. on September 15. Isaac Asimov’s robots. Robert Heinlein’s … Continue reading →

Apex Magazine #64 Contents
Apex Magazine #63 delivers free fiction from Gary Kloster, Seth Dickinson, Liz Argall and Karin Lowachee plus poetry and articles. The table of contents below includes links to all the original short fiction, poetry, and nonfiction available to read online. EBook editions, … Continue reading →

Died This Day 9/2
Three well-known figures in the sf and fantasy field left us on September 2. 1973 – J. R. R. Tolkien (b. 1892), author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy 2000 – Curt Siodmak, (b. 1907), scripted The Wolf Man … Continue reading →

Worldcon Wayback Machine: Saturday at Noreascon 3 (1989)
Saturday at Noreascon Three. Third installment of my reminiscences about a once-in-a-generation convention that took place 25 years ago this week. Lights, Camera, Inaction! Fire marshals threw a large monkey wrench into plans for opening the Art Show when they … Continue reading →

efanzines header

New Adds & Archives

Jean Martin’s Science Fiction/San Francisco #156
Christopher J. Garcia’s The Drink Tank #385
Wolf von Witting’s CounterClock #19
Lisa & Joseph Major’s Alexiad #76
John Thiel’s Surprising Stories (Sep. 2014) is available on his website
R. Graeme Cameron’s Auroran Lights #11
R. Graeme Cameron’s Auroran Lights #10

Cosplay Photos

David Langford’s Loncon3 Picture Gallery

Levar Burton Proclaimed Geek of the Year

Burning Man’s Temple of Grace

History of Filk Kickstarter (via SF Signal)

Bears Discover Fire Short Film Kickstarter (via SF Signal)

PRESS RELEASES & NEWSLETTERS (see full text below)

Phoenix Pick

Now Available From Tor/Forge

Night Shade Books New Release

trek-captainsSOCIAL

Ironman Wants A Black Widow Film (Saying No To Tony Stark Would Be Just Plain Stoopid)

Offend Four Groups With One Pic

Middle Eastern Cosplay

Speculative Literature Foundation Supporting Latino/a Rising Anthology

Star Trek (all of ’em) Vs The Bechdel Test

Teacher Detained & Questioned Over Novel (Black Teacher of Course…) Via Ansible

Ethiopian Amharic SF From 1945! 

Infographic:  Political Ideologies & Faiths in America

29575Legendary_Star-Lord_4_LGAutistic Kids Can Be Superheroes Too!  (can too!)

Redheaded Step Genre:  Hoyt Continues the Battle for the Hearts, Minds & Souls of Science Fiction

SF Worldviews:  Sanford on the Genre

Superheroes Stomp On Bullys

Clarkesworld to Feature Chines SF In Translation in Every Issue

Book Promotion Diss

ENTERTAINMENT

TV Show Seeks Interesting, Unusual Collections

The Shadow (new comics & a history)

A Newer Hero Gets a Reboot – The Greatest

childhoodbChildhood’s End Production Images

SyFy To Produce Childhood’s End Mini-series (Chance of Being Totally Effed Up? 97.73 Chance of Not Getting The Point of the Story? 99.99999999999)

Cello-Only Dr. Who Theme (video & Excellent!)

Bastion SF #6

Groot Cupcake Recipe (“I am Groot!”  “No, you are delicious”)

Catwoman’s Evolution From ’66 To Now

SF/F/H Kindle Deal Roundup

New Dub Of Sailor Moon

Fry Meets Homer (Futurama & Simpsons Crossover)

oldphoneINDUSTRY

There Is NO Genre, ONLY Story (Kameron Hurley)

Don’t Let the Trolls Win:  Absolute Write vs the Internet

Haikasoru Becomes SFWA Qualifying Market

Apps & Tools For the Online Author  (Good stuff here:  I’ve adopted some of the recommendations for myself)

and from the same source as the previous:  Tips For Handling Email

American Gods TV Series

Guardians Biggest Film of 2014 (“I am Groot!”  “Yes, Groot, that is pretty cool!)

Clarion Fundraiser Anthology

Forget Amazon vs Hachette:  Check Out Amazon vs Brazil

US-USSR Relations Via Bookfares

2.6 Million Vintage Images Added to Public Database

SF Has Lost Its Way (yet again)

World Science Fiction Course (via SF Signal)

Project Hieroglyph:  Fighting Against Dystopia

Landon on Book Series – The Internets Is Killing ‘Em

sls-70-metric-ton-artist-conceptSCIENCE

How Ebola Might Spread (2006 Model Eerily Prescient)

Nye-deGrasse-Tyson For President in 2016!

The Challenges of Quantum Computing (video)

X37B Passes 600 Days In Orbit Milestone (if you don’t know what that is – good!  It’s a secret spaceplane!)

Saturn V’s Replacement To Be Test Launch Ready by 2018

Labor Day In Spaaaaaace!

A Day On Mars

Tricorder X-Prize

VLBAparallaxHow Far Away Are the 7 Sisters?  Now We Know

Rosetta Zeroes In On Landing Site

Feynman’s Physics Lectures Now Online

One Third of Americans Believe Tech Is Destroying Their Lives (but the luddites never do seem to remember antibiotics, do they?)

Endless Bacon?  (How To Make A Bacon Moebius Strip)

Brain to Brain Messaging Via the Internet (via SF Signal)

Time Travel Grandfather Paradox Resolved (You are now free to travel back in time to kill your grandfather – he’ll have a 50/50 chance of surviving)

PRESS RELEASES & NEWSLETTERS

Phoenix Pick

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Now available in paperback, from TOR/FORGE BOOKS!

 

KALIMPURA / Jay Lake

“Green lives in a remarkable world, in which gods walk the earth, and not all people are human. Lake’s world-building is stellar.” —Booklist

 

This sequel to Green and Endurance takes Green back to the city of Kalimpura and the service of the Lily Goddess. 

Green is hounded by the gods of Copper Downs and the gods of Kalimpura, who have laid claim to her and her children. She never wanted to be a conduit for the supernatural, but when she killed the Immortal Duke and created the Ox god with the power she released, she came to their notice.

Now she has sworn to retrieve the two girls taken hostage by the Bittern Court, one of Kalimpura’s rival guilds. But the Temple of the Lily Goddess is playing politics with her life.


“Lake deftly weaves complicated, stubborn characters into a plot that reaches the grandest and most personal scales without ever straining credulity…. This complex, lonesome, haunting novel will appeal to fans of Valente, Monette, and Miéville.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review on Endurance

 

Now available as a Tor Trade paperback. On sale September 2, 2014. 978-0-7653-2716-1. $15.99

JAY LAKE lives and works in Portland, Oregon, within sight of an 11,000-foot volcano. He is the author of more than two hundred short stories, four collections, and a chapbook, along with ten novels. In 2004, Lake won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. He also has been a Hugo nominee for his short fiction and a three-time World Fantasy Award nominee for his editing.
You can find him online at: www.jlake.com.

 

THE CUSANUS GAME / Wolfgang Jeschke

“One of the most ambitious and accomplished SF novels of the year…. Extraordinary.”  —Locus

 

“An extraordinarily ambitious novel combining the best of the thriller, the historical novel, and detailed science fiction…. Outstanding.”—L. E. Modesitt, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of The Imager Portfolio

Biologist Domenica Ligrina fears her planet is dying. She might be right.

An atomic disaster in Germany has contaminated Northern Europe with radioactivity. Economic and political calamities are destroying the whole planet. Human DNA is mutating, plant species are going extinct, and scientists are feverishly working on possible solutions. It becomes increasingly apparent that the key to future salvation lies in the past. In 2052 a secret research facility in the Vatican is recruiting scientists for a mission to restore the flora of the irradiated territories. The institute claims to have time travel. When Domenica’s sometime-lover tells her that he knows her future but that she must decide her own fate, she enlists despite his ambiguous warning. 

The Middle Ages hold Domenica spellbound. She immerses herself in the mysteries, puzzles, and peculiarities of a culture foreign to her, though she risks changing the past with effects far more disastrous than radiation poisoning. Perhaps there is more than one Domenica, and more than one catastrophe.

“An epic that combines the cerebral satisfactions of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose with a ripping, gripping, time-tripping vision of a near-future apocalypse.”—James Morrow, editor of the SFWA European Hall of Fame

“I recommend Jeschke because we need to see science fiction as a world literature, and he is one of its first rank practitioners.”—Gregory Benford, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Bowl of Heaven

 

Now available as a Tor Trade paperback. On sale September 23, 2014. 978-0-7653-1909-8. $16.99

WOLFGANG JESCHKE is a German science fiction author and editor.

 

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SCIENCE FICTION / Edited by David G. Hartwell and Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Editorial dream team David G. Hartwell and Patrick Nielsen Hayden’s giant anthology of the best SF of the first wave of the twenty-first century, now in paperback.

 

“One of the definitive anthologies of the genre.”
Des Moines Register on The Science Fiction Century

 

Twenty-First Century Science Fiction is an enormous anthology—close to 250,000 words—edited by two of the most prestigious and award-winning editors in the SF field and featuring recent stories from some of science fiction’s greatest up-and-coming authors.

David Hartwell and Patrick Nielsen Hayden have long been recognized as two of the most skilled and trusted arbiters of the field, but Twenty-First Century Science Fiction presents fans’ first opportunities to see what their considerable talents come up with together, and also to get a unique perspective on what’s coming next in the science fiction field.

The anthology includes authors ranging from bestselling and established favorites to incandescent new talents including Paolo Bacigalupi, Cory Doctorow, Catherynne M. Valente, John Scalzi, Jo Walton, Charles Stross, Elizabeth Bear, and Peter Watts, and the stories selected include winners and nominees of all of the science fiction field’s major awards.

 

Chosen as one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2013

“Compiled by two of the most highly respected editors in the business… Grab this book. Whether newcomer or old hand, the reader will not be disappointed.”
Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Twenty-First Century Science Fiction will certainly be recognized as one of the best reprint science fiction anthologies of the year, and it belongs in the library of anyone who is interested in the evolution of the genre.” —Gardner Dozois, Publishers Weekly

 

Now available as a Tor Trade paperback. On sale September 23, 2014. 978-0-7653-2601-0. $21.99

DAVID G. HARTWELL, widely acclaimed as the most influential SF editor of his age, lives in Pleasantville, New York.

PATRICK NIELSEN HAYDEN, called “one of the most literate and historically aware editors in science fiction” by The Washington Post, lives in Brooklyn, New York.

They have both won the World Fantasy Award and multiple Hugo Awards for their editorial work. You can find them online at www.davidghartwell.com and www.nielsenhayden.com.

 

COPPERHEAD / Tina Connolly

A historical fantasy set in the world of Tina Connollys Nebula finalist debut, Ironskin.

“This is an outstanding exploration of the interplay between beauty, power and female freedom…. Connolly expands her world of fae, dwarvven, and (sometimes monstrous) humans in a truly rich and satisfying way.”—RT Book Reviews, 4½ Stars

Helen Huntingdon is beautiful—so beautiful she has to wear an iron mask.

Six months ago her sister Jane uncovered a fey plot to take over the city. Too late for Helen, who opted for fey beauty in her face—and now has to cover her face with iron so she won’t be taken over, her personality erased by the bodiless fey.

Not that Helen would mind that some days. Stuck in a marriage with the wealthy and controlling Alistair, she lives at the edges of her life, secretly helping Jane remove the dangerous fey beauty from the wealthy society women who paid for it. But when the chancy procedure turns deadly, Jane goes missing—and is implicated in the murder.

Meanwhile, Alistair’s influential clique Copperhead—whose emblem is the poisonous copperhead hydra—is out to restore humans to their “rightful” place, even to the point of destroying the dwarvven who have always been allies.

Helen is determined to find her missing sister, as well as continue the good fight against the fey. But when that pits her against her own husband—and when she meets an enigmatic young revolutionary—she’s pushed to discover how far she’ll bend society’s rules to do what’s right. It may be more than her beauty at stake. It may be her honor…and her heart.

“Connolly has created a complex and well-drawn world here, and the story is indeed an original and imaginative take on the gothic-fiction tradition. An intriguing and ambitious fantasy tale.” —Kirkus Reviews on Ironskin

“All the romance, mystery, and horror that a good gothic story needs.”—Portland Monthly on Ironskin

Now available as a Tor Trade paperback. On sale September 23, 2014. 978-0-7653-3062-8. $15.99

TINA CONNOLLY lives with her family in Portland, Oregon, in a house that came with a dragon in the basement and blackberry vines in the attic. Her stories have appeared all over, including in Strange Horizons, Lightspeed, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. She is a frequent reader for Podcastle, and narrates the Parsec-winning flash fiction podcast Toasted Cake. In the summer she works as a face painter, which means a glitter-filled house is an occupational hazard. You can visit her online at www.tinaconnolly.com.

 

FORGE OF DARKNESS / Steven Erikson

In this first installment of the prequel trilogy for the New York Times bestselling series Malazan Book of Fallen, an ancient power emerges at the brink of civil war.

“Extraordinarily enjoyable… Erikson is a master of lost and forgotten epochs, a weaver of ancient epics.” —Salon.com

Steven Erikson entered the pantheon of great fantasy writers with his debut, Gardens of the Moon. Now Erikson returns with a trilogy that takes place millennia before the events of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Forge of Darkness introduces readers to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, and tells an epic tale of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in shaping the world of the Malazan Empire.

It’s a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the realm of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. This ancient land was once home to many powers…and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners’ great hero, Vatha Urusander, is being promoted by his followers to take Mother Dark’s hand in marriage, but her Consort, Lord Draconus, stands in the way of such ambitions. The impending clash sends fissures throughout the realm, and as rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the First Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Andarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold.

Steven Erikson brings to life this ancient and important tale set in the world he introduced in the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

“Erikson has no peer when it comes to action and imagination, and joins the ranks of Tolkien and Donaldson in his mythic vision and perhaps then goes one better.” —SF Site

Now available as a Tor Trade paperback. On sale September 16, 2014. 978-0-7653-2363-7. $17.99

STEVEN ERIKSON was born in Toronto, grew up in Winnipeg, and then lived in the UK for several years with his wife and son. They recently returned to Winnipeg. He spent nearly twenty years working as an anthropologist and archaeologist, which shines quite clearly in the depth and breadth of the various societies, peoples, and cultures in this epic fantasy series. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop.

 

THE PLANET THIEVES / Dan Krokos

Star Trek meets Rick Riordan in this new middle-grade series, now in paperback.

“Moves at warp speed… A riveting story with characters so finely drawn that I wonder if Dan Krokos actually is an alien.”—Eoin Colfer, New York Times bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series

The Planet Thieves is the first thrilling installment of a new middle-grade series by Dan Krokos.

Two weeks ago, thirteen-year-old Mason Stark and seventeen of his fellow cadets from the Academy for Earth Space Command boarded the SS Egypt. The trip was supposed to be a short, routine voyage to log their required space time for summer quarter.

Routine goes out the airlock when they’re attacked by the Tremist, an alien race who have been at war with humanity for the last sixty years.

With the captain and crew dead, injured, or taken prisoner, Mason and the cadets are all that’s left to warn the ESC. They soon find out exactly why the Tremist chose their ship to attack: the Egypt is carrying a weapon that could change the war forever.

Now Mason will have to lead the cadets in a daring assault to take back the ship, rescue the survivors, and recover the weapon. Before there isn’t a war left to fight.

“Krokos launches this series with skill and purpose, immediately placing readers in the action and never slowing down…. Intriguing concept, intense sense of adventure, and high stakes.” —Publishers Weekly

 

Now available as a Starscape Trade paperback. On sale September 9, 2014. 978-0-7653-7538-4. $9.99

After pumping gas for nine years to put himself through college, DAN KROKOS now writes full-time. He enjoys watching TV, playing MMORPGs, and drinking coffee. His YA novel, False Memory, debuted from Hyperion in Fall 2012. He is the author of The Planet Thieves and The Black Stars. You can find him online at www.dankrokos.com.

 

GHOST MEDICINE / Aimée and David Thurlo

When a former police officer is murdered, Navajo Special Investigator Ella Clah will do anything to bring his killer to justice.

 

“The skinwalker angle is especially creepy here, with vivid descriptions of the way they leave their calling card of body mutilation. The Thurlos mix in a great deal of knowledge about trafficking in Native American antiquities with a well-constructed investigation steered by a believable and admirable heroine.” —Booklist


Former Navajo Police officer Harry Ute’s body is found in an isolated part of the Navajo Reservation, rumored to be skinwalker country. This makes Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah’s job much harder—no one wants to speak to her for fear of incurring the wrath of the Navajo witches. 

Harry’s latest P.I. case involves tracking down property stolen from the county. This leads Ella to work with county Detective Dan Nez. Ella doesn’t trust Nez but can’t deny her growing attraction to him.

The murder and thefts turn out to be the tip of an iceberg. Previously unknown Navajo artifacts are being offered for sale, indicating a hidden dig somewhere on the Reservation. As danger mounts, Ella worries that her latest case might also become her last.

“Does anybody understand the Navajo better than the Thurlos? Their keen understanding and attention to detail makes Black Thunder a first-rate mystery.”
RT Book Reviews on Black Thunder

 

“An excellent, page-turning, and suspenseful read.”
Mysteries Galore on Black Thunder


Now available as a Forge Trade paperback. On sale September 16, 2014. 978-0-7653-3405-3. $15.99

AIMÉE and DAVID THURLO have written more than seventy novels. Winners of the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award, the Willa Cather Award for Contemporary Fiction, and the New Mexico Book Award for mystery and suspense, they are the authors of the critically acclaimed Ella Clah series and A Time of Change.

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Title

2nd of September 2014

BREAKING NEWS: STORIES OF THE RAKSURA: VOLUME ONE BY MARTHA WELLS IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT AMAZONAND BARNES & NOBLE!

In “The Falling World,” Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud Court, has traveled with Chime and Balm to another Raksuran court. When she fails to return, her consort, Moon, along with Stone and a party of warriors and hunters, must track them down. Finding them turns out to be the easy part; freeing them from an ancient trap hidden in the depths of the Reaches is much more difficult… read more

    


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