NEW RELEASES FROM AMAZING STORIES & ITS PARTNERS!
(Wherein we tout our own stuff before bringing you the general news. Hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it!)
The Seeds of Life by John Taine an AMAZING STORIES CLASSIC from Futures Past Editions.
https://FuturesPastEditions.com
AMAZING STORIES CLASSICS PRESENTS “SEEDS OF LIFE: A Novel of Evolution’s Fires”
Amazing Stories Classics is proud to bring this landmark novel from the pages of the Amazing Stories Quarterly Oct 1931—with all of its original Wesso magazine illustrations—back before the reading public.
“A superb tale that every lover of science fiction will want to have around. Completely off-trail science fiction—and highly recommended therefore.” –Galaxy Science Fiction
This amazingly prophetic 1931 novel, which some say inspired Flowers for Algernon (on which the film Charlie was based), is easily the best novel Hugo Gernsback ever published in Amazing Stories. It features characters so mature their like would not be seen again until the post-war sf of the 1950s, and a theme that, in its rise and fall, prefigures that of “Flowers for Algernon” and carries it to a level of operatic tragedy not to be equaled until Bester’s The Demolished Man.
Seeds of Life, in short, is the story of Neils Bork, an alcoholic and failure raised to supernal heights of scientific genius and altruism by a scientific accident. And it is the story of what became of his golden dream of free, limitless energy for all, and of the marriage he thought would be crowned with glorious offspring.
“In the unbelievably short period of six years, from 1924 to 1930, John Taine (Professor Eric Temple Bell of California Institute of Technology) drove himself to a unique .position in the science fiction world through the outrageously daring flights of the imagination which are the Taine trademark. Seeds of Life is top-notch Taine. The theme is biological—the sources of life, and of the forces which mold life. An accident remakes the blundering technician, Neils Bork, into the mutant superman, Miguel De Soto, and at the same time sets in motion other processes which attract the attention of Bork’s employer, Andrew Crane, and the very competent Dr. Brown. The author keeps several mysteries at the boiling point—what has happened to Bork, to the black widow spider, to Bertha the hen; what is “De Soto’s” plot against the mankind he considers degraded and degrading; what, above all, is the theory of evolution and devolution around which the whole book is built?” –Analog Science Fiction
“Seeds of Life: A Novel of Evolution’s Fires”
eBOOK
Special introductory sale price $1.99
ISBN 9781615085712
https://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Life-Novel-Evolutions-Fires-ebook/dp/B00N2AS82C/
PAPERBACK
Special introductory sale price $8.99
ISBN-13: 978-1500768690 3
https://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Life-Amazing-Stories-Classics/dp/1500768693/
Amazing Stories Classics is a joint venture of Amazing Stories and Digital Parchment Services, distributed by FuturesPast Editions.
For electronic review copies contact: m.christian@renebooks.com
THIS JUST IN! A DOCTOR FOR THE ENTERPRISE – Amazing Stories’s first comic, authored by David Gerrold and illustrated by Troy Boyle has been sent to David for signing; those who reserved a copy previously have been contacted and have been given payment information in order to secure their low number copy of this limited edition, signed and numbered comic. Additional pre-orders are now being accepted and will continue to be accepted until all 500 copies have been signed and are ready to ship, at which time any remaining copies will go on sale here in our store. To reserve a low numbered issue of A DOCTOR FOR THE ENTERPRISE, email THEDOCTOR@AmazingStoriesmag.com.
PRESS RELEASES & NEWSLETTERS (Full Text Below)
Join the Zooniverse Competition
Worldcon Heritage Organization Receives Public Charity Status
Industrial Toys
NIght Shade Books at NYCC
Phoenix Pick
TOR
Quantum Muse
Open Road Media & Sword & Laser
SOCIAL
CONCERNED ABOUT EBOLA? Read this excellent round up of the history of the outbreak, the failures to react in time and effectively and current efforts now being deployed to contain the epidemic in the Washington Post. You may be thinking about buying protective gear – but stocks have largely been depleted by panic buying ever since the Texas case was reported. What do you need and how do you put it on and take it off? Video on WSJ. Protection is only good for an hour in a high-risk environment. If you are truly concerned, your best bet is probably withdrawing from the public, particularly transportation systems. As this is probably impractical, your second best bet is to carefully monitor the news (reliable sources) – and don’t let people you don’t know kiss you!
You Go Girl Astronaut! Female Russian Cosmonaut Shuts Down Questions About Hair & Makeup (Srsly? She’s going into space and you’re asking about lipstick!?!)
Women Did/Do the Strangest Things for Birth Control
Why Do Girls Need Their Own Day? Here’s Why
A ‘Prayer’ For Flying Spaghetti Monster Devotees
ENTERTAINMENT
The Shat May Be Back!
Walking Dead: A Character Study
Fairy Houses Take Micro-Homes to a whole new ‘level’
Sins of the Fans
New Universal Monsterverse?
New Daredevil Logo
Shiver Me Timbers! Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Confirmed
From the no, No, NO, NO NONONONO! Department: I Am Legend gets a reboot
Star Wars News Roundup
Guardians of the Galaxy DVD & Blu-Ray
New INTERSTELLAR Movie Trailer
She’s Back! Elvira Haunts Hulu
INDUSTRY
SFWA Grievance Committee Updates
Wanted: SF Authors to Create the Future
The Book Smugglers Blog Goes Into the Publishing Biz
ANOVOS Seeks Women’s Costume Needs
New Alt Hist Releases
N.K. Jemisin via Radish Reviews – Author Strength Training
Temporarily Out Of Order Anthology
SCIENCE
Total Blood Red LUnar Eclipse Coming
NASA Orion Test
To Find Earthlike Exo Planets – Look in the Mirror
Guy Consolmagno on Science vs Religion
Star Wars Science: WRONG!
Have They Found Mysterious, Fog-Shrouded Skull Island…on Titan?
Hitchhiker’s Got There First: An Astronomer’s Guide to the Galaxy
Start Your Own Space Start-Up Today! (via SF Signal)
Now We Know Where the Non-Existent Man in the Moon Came From (But What About the Chinese Rabbit in the Moon?)
Now THAT’S What We’re Talking ‘Bout: New Spacesuit Design
If The Onboard Computer System Is Named HAL, I’m Staying Awake for the Whole Trip!
Mr. Space Potato Head Is Spewing Jets
PRESS RELEASES AND NEWSLETTERS
The Zooniverse is part of a competition to receive a grant to fund an entirely new type of crowdsourcing project, and now we need your help to make it happen!
Mazda are running the competition on their ‘Mazda Rebels’ website. The Zooniverse is in the running and, if we win, we plan to use the Mazda grant to create a Zooniverse ‘First Responders’ program. The aim is to use the power of the Zooniverse to help during a major humanitarian crisis, such as a future natural disaster. Together we’ve made major contributions to scientific research, from marking bubbles in the Milky Way to marking giraffes in the Serengeti. We think exploring and tagging images taken by satellites, and from the air, could provide similarly useful results in an humanitarian crisis, assisting organisations and first responders on the ground, who need more accurate information about where help is needed.
This is something we’ve been working on for a while, in an effort led by Galaxy Zoo researcher Brooke Simmons, and now we’re ready to give it a try. As a global community coming together during a crisis, the Zooniverse could provide rapid assistance and even, possibly, save lives.
The competition itself features our own Robert Simpson in a short video outlining what we do at the Zooniverse and highlighting some different projects (you might also spot Galaxy Zoo scientist Brooke Simmons in her other capacity as a Zooniverse volunteer!). It’s a great video, and Rob – who is a TED Fellow this year – is up against four other TED Fellows, who each have their own projects. There is a public vote to determine who gets the grant, and there are only two weeks left to vote.
If you’re interested, go and watch the videos and vote for your favourite project at https://www.mazdarebels.com/en-gb/content/four-inspiring-ted-fellows-one-mazda-grant
Thanks,
Grant and the Zooniverse Team
Twitter | Facebook | G+
PS You can read about all sorts of cool things that the Zooniverse does on the Daily Zooniverse blog
~~~
The Worldcon Heritage Organization – a non-profit corporation, in its purposes of acquiring, maintaining, storing, and
displaying items of interest o the World Science Fiction Society has received notice from the IRS approving its public charity status.
Donations can be sent to Kent Bloom, 1245 Allegheny Drive, Colorado
Springs, CO 80919, or to our treasurer, Ted Monogue, 3640 Arborview
Ct., Colorado Springs, CO 80918-4726.
We ask that anyone who wants to donate physical items contact us in
advance with a brief description, so we can decide if we can accept or
if it duplicates items we already have.
~~~
Soft Launch: The Big Build
The team at Industrial Toys is operating at a fever pitch as we polish gameplay, UI and mechanics for Midnight Star’s coming release. This last month, we released the biggest update we’ve generated to date, and added new territories and new players. Highlights:
The Tasty Update – If you’re playing in the Soft Launch, you won’t recognize the Campaign Details or the Challenge Details screens, because their awesomeness level is +50 and that’s just the beginning of the upgrades in the most interesting update ever (you’re going to hear me say that again someday, I promise). On top of those visual treats, two of the guns got a bunch of love, the RPG mechanics were updated and a whole new registration system makes things nice and smooth for new players. Check out all the details here.
Live In New Territories – We’ve been enjoying watching our new friends in Ireland and the Philippines play through the game (and bust on each other in Challenges), and as we get closer to global launch, we’re opening up in two new territories: Sweden and New Zealand! So if you’re getting this newsletter for the first time after discovering Midnight Star in one of those territories, welcome to the Greatest Newsletter Evar.
Live Events – Twice a week, the community gets an open invitation to participate in the Midweek Rumble or the #BeatADev Challenge, where players beat up on each other or a developer for Catalyst (M*’s currency) rewards. An echelon of elite player has already emerged, but have no fear if you’re waiting in a non-Soft Launch territory– the multiplayer Challenge system in the game now supports public, private and community Challenges, so you’ll be able to find a competitive game regardless of skill level when Midnight Star comes your way.
We’re getting pretty excited for Midnight Star’s launch and hope you are too. Keep following the game’s day-to-day progress on Twitter, and if you haven’t already, register your username at the game’s website.
Streaming Updates
Catch the all the latest LIVE: Every Tuesday and Thursday @ 2pm PST, we stream Midnight Star on Twitch. Join CM Johnny Skwirut, Designer Travis McLain & Co. as they take you through all of our updates– They demo Midnight Star basics, walk through Pro Tips, answer questions, highlight app updates, and even perform live Challenges. Be sure to tune-in every Tuesday and Thursday @ 2pm PST, and if you can’t make it, you can still view the broadcasts later on the Midnight Star YouTube page!
New Makers
#killinit: We’re excited to welcome more superb Makers to the team this month including Rob Ray and Omar Rodriguez, who are bolstering the engineering ranks at Industrial Toys. That crew here continues to push the boundaries of what can be done on mobile, and these new additions are not only good looking, they’re wicked smaht. Both are already making a huge impact on Midnight Star, and we’re excited to have them on board during the game’s global release.
Friend on Facebook
Follow on Twitter
Forward to a Friend
Scalzi and Choi at NYCC
Stop by for a Midnight Rises Demo: That’s right! If you’re going to be at New York Comic Con from October 9-11, you ‘ll have an opportunity to check out Midnight Rises, our interactive graphic novel app, from the two masterminds that put it together: Author John Scalzi and Artist Mike Choi. They’ll be teaming up at Choi’s booth in Artists’ Alley (I-14) to give show-goers a hands-on demo of Rises as well as a limited-edition autographed card for your growing collection. Stay tuned to our Twitter feed for updates on when the two will get together and be sure to stop by Mike’s booth to see what he’s been up to as well as the Tor Books booth (#2223) for all things Scalzi (i.e. Lock In, Old Man’s War, etc.) — See you there!
~~~
Night Shade Books @ New York Comic Con
October 3, 2014
Hello Night-Shaders,
It’s been a long time since we last “talked.” The last year or so has seen a ton of changes behind the scenes, but one thing that is still the same is that Night Shade is still out hustling, trying to find the right books for the right readers.
We’re in the process of some website changes, which includes updating the books we’ve already published and the ones we’re about to release. See for yourself what we’ve published recently by visiting the Recent Books and Forthcoming Books sections of our site. Moving forward we’ll have more new features as well – author interviews, Q&As, personal remembrances, and previews of upcoming books – the usual “DVD extras” type of stuff that discerning science fiction fans have come to expect.
Night Shade always made regular appearances on the convention circuit, where we would show off our exciting new titles and our favorite authors. We’re happy to announce that’s happening again, starting next week at New York Comic Con. Laird Barron, Mike Martinez, and Ellen Datlow will be at the Night Shade/Skyhorse booth, and there will be plenty of raffles and swag to go around, including a drawing to win a paperback set of all our published Neal Asher books.
New York Comic Con Author Schedule
Night Shade Books/Skyhorse Publishing, Booth #2129
Michael J. Martinez – Thursday, October 9 @ 3 p.m., Friday, October 10 @ 11:30 a.m.
Ellen Datlow – Friday, October 10 @ 3 p.m.
Laird Barron – Friday, October 10 @ 5 p.m.
Bring your favorite titles from Mike, Ellen, and Laird to be signed, and if you’re missing a few, don’t worry: We’ll have paperback copies (2 for $10, cash only!) for sale.
There will be lots of goodies for those in attendance, but that shouldn’t mean everyone else will be left out. Anyone who blogs or tweets about Night Shade at NY Comic Con (even if it’s just about how much you wish you were there, just remember to @ us!) can be entered in a raffle to receive a free copy of one of our recently released books. Just email publicity@nightshadebooks.com with “New York Comic Con” in the subject line, include a link to your post, and the winner will be announced on Twitter the week after the convention.
In addition to the regular updates and RSS feeds on the web site, we’ve also launched a new Twitter account (@NightShadeNews) to help keep you up to date on cool stuff, not only from us, but from around the SF/fantasy/horror world. Night Shade published a lot of first novels over the years, and many of those authors are still out there helping redefine what genre fiction can be in the twenty-first century. In celebration of this new Twitter handle, let’s do a second giveaway: the first five followers who RT our first tweet will receive a free book as well.
Consider this newsletter the first of many like it to come, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at our books, our authors, and our publishing universe. We’ve been reading and buying a lot of new SF, fantasy, and horror, and we can’t wait to share it to you.
All the best,
The Night Shade Books Team
www.nightshadebooks.com
@NightShadeNews
www.start-media.com/start-publishing/
@StartPublishing
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
@SkyhorsePublishing
~~~
This month we’re releasing the much-awaited Red Tide by Larry Niven, Brad R. Torgersen and Matthew J. Harrington.
This is probably the hottest release we’ve had to date and we are all very excited about it.
Loosely based on Larry Niven’s 1973 novella “Flash Crowd,” Red Tide continues to examine the social consequences of the impact of having instantaneous teleportation, where humans can instantly travel long distances in milliseconds.
This is a theme that has fascinated the author throughout his career and appeared in his seminal work Ringworld, where the central character celebrates his birthday by instantly teleporting himself to different time zones, extending his birthday. The author also discussed the impact of such instantaneous transportation in his essay “Exercise in Speculation: The Theory and Practice of Teleportation.”
RED TIDE by Larry Niven (with Brad R. Torgersen and Matthew J. Harrington)
Order paper
Order ebook (Amazon Kindle)
Issue 10 of Galaxy’s Edge magazine is live (and free) through October. This is a very special issue, with an interview with George R. R. Martin, a brand new Draco Tavern story by Larry Niven AND a new Secret World Chronicles “prequel” by Mercedes Lackey.
And of course lots more, including book reviews by Paul Cook and columns by Barry Malzberg and Gregory Benford. We also get a special look into African bathroom adventures, courtesy of Mike Resnick.
Don’t risk missing any of the great stories we carry every month.
You can purchase a digital subscription by clicking here.
Or, a paper subscription by clicking here. (There’s even an issue-by-issue payment option.)
And, as always, you can read the magazine for free online by clicking here.
EBOOK OF THE MONTH
Ebook of the Month—October
The Earth Is All That Lasts by Catherine Wells.
Welcome to the North American continent after a series of catastrophes, including famine, plague and floods, have destroyed almost all of humanity.
Descendants of the survivors (those who stayed) have created a tribal society in the depopulated American West which lives side by side with an enclave of scientists.
But unknown to all, a spaceship is coming: one with humans on board who care little for the new tribal customs and ways of life. Financed by an influential family settled away from Earth, Homeward Bound is an exploratory ship sent back to see what has become of the home planet, and how best it can be used to further the aims of certain vested interests.
PLUS Special Deals for up to three more Catherine Wells books
To get your book, look for the link on our online catalogue page or go directly to the download site
https://www.PhoenixPick.com/botm/Wells.htm
~~~
Sleepy Hollow and Doctor Who Collide Weirdly in Selfie, and The Doctor’s Conscience Needs Love, Too!
The second episode of Sleepy Hollow’s second season gives us one of the best characters yet: Franklin-stein’s Monster! Seriously, that is so much fun to say. Resident recapper Leah Schnelbach also has a review of the first-ever Sleepy Hollow tie-in novel: Children of the Revolution by Keith R.A. DeCandido! Leah also shares her thoughts on Selfie, a new sitcom that attempts modernize Pygmalion with John Cho, Karen Gillan, ukuleles, and a whole lot of cellphones. And while an old Companion attempts to storm American television, Clara continues to shine in Doctor Who! Chris Lough reviews “The Caretaker,” which examines Clara’s role as the Doctor’s conscience, and spends some time with her friend Danny Pink.
SHARE THIS: Facebook Twitter
Outlander Outlander Delivers Drama, Gotham Digs Cats and Death Metal, and Once Upon a Time Gets Frozen!
Thom Dunn reviews this week’s episode of Gotham, “Selina Kyle.” Despite its title, it doesn’t seem to spend much time with the young Catwoman… Mari Ness tunes in to find out whether anyone on Once Upon a Time will help Elsa and Anna build a snowman, while the Outlander mid-season finale reduces Alex Brown to a blubbering mess…in a good way! Finally, The Legend of Korra premieres its trailer for Book 4, and things are getting serious.
SHARE THIS: Facebook Twitter
Words of Radiance Sanderson Releases a Chapter, Douglas Adams Inspires, and GRRM Sings a Song of Ice Dragons!
Brandon Sanderson has just revealed a longer, more polished version of the opening chapter of the third book in the Stormlight Archive, and we’re delighted to share it with you! Be aware, though: this chapter opens with Words of Radiance spoilers, so proceed with caution! Anton Strout talks about how a line from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy shaped his outlook on life, and Jack Heckel picks a posthumous fight with G.K. Chesterton, questioning the idea that fairy tales are inherently moral. Finally, we have a dazzling pair of exclusive excerpts for you! “Secret in the Snow,” a chapter from George R.R. Martin’s middle grade tale, The Ice Dragon, and “Silent Spring,” a chapter from Cixin Liu’s excellent novel, The Three-Body Problem.
SHARE THIS: Facebook Twitter
Doctor Who “Time Heist” Comics, Characters, Cosplay, and Cons: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Are cosplayers killing comic-cons? More specifically, are Millennial, selfie-taking cosplayers killing comic-cons? Emily Asher-Perrin weighs in on the current debate with an emphatic no, and takes a look at other reasons why comic conventions are evolving. Alex Brown updates her comics Pull List and heads into the woods with the delightful Lumberjanes . And David Cranmer catches us up on Barry Allen, aka The Flash, and his appearances so far on Arrow, just in time for the premiere of his very own spin-off!
SHARE THIS: Facebook Twitter
Boxtrolls Movies: The Boxtrolls, Interstellar, Jupiter Ascending, and a Fond Farewell to Chestbursting Aliens…
The Boxtrolls, featuring a star-studded cast of voice actors we love, has just hit theaters, and Kelly Quinn reviews the latest anarchic-yet-charming stop-motion animated film from Laika! Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, has a new trailer that somehow makes us even more excited than we already were, and the Wachowskis’ latest Jupiter Ascending trailer builds some serious suspense! Finally, Ryan Britt reacts to news of a xenomorph-free Prometheus sequel, and he thinks the movie will work even without its infamous aliens!
SHARE THIS: Facebook Twitter
Star Wars Chinese Bootleg Star Wars is the Best Star Wars, Batman goes Classical, and Buffy Gets Animated!
Darth Vader rides a Triceratops. Chewie is a chimp. Threepio and R2 finally get physical. Check out Emily Asher-Perrin’s write-up of the greatest Chinese bootleg tie-in Star Wars comic of all time! Speaking of the best things ever, each member of the Scooby Gang shines in this fan-made animated version of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer opening credits! (But wait, why is Dawn covered in shrimp?) And whether you prefer the original Batman TV theme song or the Batman movie scores, you’ll find all your favorite Bat-themes lovingly rendered in this fantastic cello and piano medley by ThePianoGuys!
SHARE THIS: Facebook Twitter
NEW ORIGINAL FICTION
Con/GameDaughter of Necessity
Original Fiction:
We have two pieces of original fiction for you this week! Set in the world of their new graphic novel In Real Life, Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang’s comic “Con/Game” is a thoughtful look at adolescence, gaming, poverty, and culture-clash, while Marie Brennan’s “Daughter of Necessity” goes inside the mind of a Fate!
Con/Game by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang
Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role playing game that she spends most of her free time on. It’s a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. It’s a place where she can meet people from all over the world, and make friends. Gaming is, for Anda, entirely a good thing. But things become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer-and Anda soon comes to realize that questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real person’s real livelihood is at stake.
Daughter of Necessity by Marie Brennan
“The strands thrum faintly beneath her fingertips, like the strings of a lyre. Plain grey wool, held taut by the stone weights tied at the ends, awaiting her hand. She can feel the potential in the threads, the resonance. She has that much of the gift, at least. But it is madness to think she can do more. It is hubris. It is desperation.” Marie Brennan tells us a story of fate and weaving, as this Daughter of Necessity tries to untangle the threads of a dark future.
~~~
It’s October, the witching month here at Quantum Muse. As usual we put away the Science Fiction and Fantasy and let the dark side of the Muse come out. Make sure to read this month’s issue with the lights on. The October, 2014 issue of Quantum Muse is now up at www.quantummuse.com.
October’s featured artist is the evil side of mother nature. Come take a look at what is waiting for you out in the real world.
following is a list of this months selections.
The Price of Power by Jeff Baumgartner
Off in the Fields by Jessica Baumgartner
Curiosity Killed the Clodhopper by Edward Sullivan
Kill Crazy by Gordon Rowlinson
A Slice of the Past by Michele Dutcher
~~~
Open Road and the fabulous genre podcast, Sword & Laser!
We took fan questions to six great authors at the World Science Fiction Convention and filmed their answers.
Authors include bestselling Simon R. Green and Todd McCaffrey, who’s picked up the mantle of his mother Anne McCaffrey’s bestselling Pern novels.
