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Tor Launches Print-on-Demand Imprint with Year’s Best Fantasy 9

David Halpert — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:33:28 +0000

It’s a big week for Tor.com and they’re proud to announce the immediate availability of David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer’s anthology, Year’s Best Fantasy 9.

This highly anticipated release also marks something they’re particularly proud of: Tor.com’s debut as a publishing entity, distinct from Tor Books and as a separate imprint under our shared corporate overlords at Macmillan.

Here’s what the publisher had to say on the matter:

“YBF 9 is available only as a print-on-demand book, in keeping with our mission of always exploring alternative forms of publishing. Similar to the launch of the Tor.com Store, this title is one of our various publishing projects that seek to experiment with the available alternatives to publishing’s traditional sales, distribution, and delivery mechanisms.”

As you’d expect with multiple Hugo Award-nominated (and recent winner!) editors like David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, the Table of Contents for YBF 9 is impressive.

Check out the table of contents below and be sure to check out Geoff Ryman “The Film-makers of Mars” at Tor.com.

“Shoggoths in Bloom” – Elizabeth Bear
“The Rabbi’s Hobby” – Peter S. Beagle
“Running the Snake” – Kage Baker
“The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm” – Daryl Gregory
“Reader’s Guide” – Lisa Goldstein
“The Salting and Canning of Benevolence D.” – Al Michaud
“Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake” – Naomi Novik
“A Buyer’s Guide to Maps of Antarctica” – Catherynne M. Valente
“From the Clay of His Heart” – John Brown
“If Angels Fight” – Richard Bowes
“26 Monkeys and the Abyss” – Kij Johnson
“Philologos; or, A Murder in Bistrita” – Debra Doyle & James Macdonald
“The Film-makers of Mars” – Geoff Ryman
“Childrun” – Marc Laidlaw
“Queen of the Sunlit Shore” – Liz Williams
“Lady Witherspoon’s Solution” – James Morrow
“Dearest Cecily” – Kristine Dikeman
“Ringing the Changes in Okotoks, Alberta” – Randy McCharles
“Caverns of Mystery” – Kage Baker
“Skin Deep” – Richard Parks
“King Pelles the Sure” – Peter S. Beagle
“A Guided Tour in the Kingdom of the Dead” – Richard Harland
“Avast, Abaft!” – Howard Waldrop
“Gift from a Spring” – Delia Sherman
“The First Editions” – James Stoddard
“The Olverung” – Stephen Woodworth
“Daltharee” – Jeffrey Ford
“The Forest” – Kim Wilkins

What can we expect from Tor Books this season?

David Halpert — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:46:30 +0000

While at Worldcon in Montreal I had the opportunity to go to the publisher’s presentation for Tor Books with all of their editors (including Patrick Nielsen Hayden, David G. Hartwell, and Tom Doherty) present and I can honestly say that if Tor delivers on the goods this year in terms of their books we can expect a very interesting and exciting season for science fiction literature this year. The following is a list of books we can expect in the near future.

Makers by Cory Doctorow (Hardcover, October 2009)

Twilight Zone Anthology edited by Carol Serling (Paperback, September 2009)

The novelization of the video game Bioshock, developed by 2K Studio (TBA)

The Golden Shrine by Harry Turtledove (Hardcover, October 13, 2009)

Canticle by Ken Scholes (Hardcover, October 13, 2009)

Imager’s Challenge by L.E. Modersitt, Jr. (Hardcover, October 13, 2009)

The Matters by Mansfield by Carrie Bebris (Paperback, September 29, 2009)

Neuropath by R. Scott Bakker (Hardcover, October 13, 2009)

Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber (Reprint Edition, TBA)

The Ghost in Love by Jonathan Carroll (Paperback, September 29, 2009)

The Stars Like Dust by Isaac Asimov (Reprint Paperback, September 29, 2009)

The Comet’s Curse by Dom Testa (Hardcover, January 20, 2009)

The Box by Richard Matheson (Reprint, TBA)

Eve: The Burning Life by Hjalta Danielsson (TBA, based on the popular video game)

Orson Scott Card: The Authorized Ender Companion by Jack Black (Hardcover, November 10, 2009)

A Young Magician Without Magic by Lawrence Watt-Evans (Hardcover, November 10, 2009)

Destroyer of Worlds by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner (Hardcover, November 10, 2009)

Wings of Creation by Brenda Cooper (Hardcover, November 10, 2009)

An Evil Guest by Gene Wolfe (Paperback, November 10, 2009)

Indigo Springs by A.M. Dellamonica (Paperback, October 27, 2009)

Reborn: Book IV of the Adversary Cycle by F. Paul Wilson (Paperback, October 27, 2009)

Boneshaker by Christopher Priest (Paperback, September 29, 2009)

The House of Stag by Kage Baker (Paperback, TBA)

Hidden Empire by Orson Scott Card (Hardcover, December 22, 2009)

Puttering About in a Small Land by Philip K. Dick (Hardcover, December 8, 2009)

Suicide Kings: A Wild Card Novel by George R.R. Martin (Hardcover, December 22, 2009)

The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter (Paperback, December 8, 2009)

Muse and Reverie by Charles de Lint (Hardcover, December 8, 2009)

The Domino Pattern by Timothy Zahn (Hardcover, January 5, 2010)

Sword of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Paperback, September 9, 2009)

Burning Shadows by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (Hardcover, December 8, 2009)

Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov (Hardcover, February 16, 2010)

Brian Thief by Alexander Jablokov (Hardcover, January 5, 2010)

The Jewel in the Skull: The First Volume in the History of the Runestaff by Michael Moorcock (Reprint, TBA)

Truancy by Isamu Fukui (Paperback, TBA)

What can we expect from Stephen King’s ‘Under the Dome’?

David Halpert — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:43:02 +0000

While I’m not a Stephen King fan per se, I don’t think there’s a novel more anticipated this year than Stephen King’s ‘Under the Dome‘ set to debut this November. Which begs the question, what do we know about this novel thus far? Well, despite being four months away from the release date we do know some things. For example, ‘Under the Dome’ promises to be Stephen King’s longest novel to date, more than double that of his current novel Duma Key and nearly 100 hundred pages longer than the first edition of The Stand.

Publishers have been very close-lipped about the details of the plot but here’s what King has revealed so far. ‘Under the Dome’ is the culmination of two rewrites King began in the 80s of a novel that was never completed. These novels were titled ‘The Cannibals’ and ‘Under the Dome’ respectively.

Below are the details concerning the plot from Stephen King’s official website:

“On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener’s hand is severed as “the dome” comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when—or if—it will go away. Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens—town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing—even murder—to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn’t just short. It’s running out.”

While the novel will explore similar themes that were brought up in The Stand, King himself has stated that the two are very different novels in terms of plot and character. I’m a little more than excited for this novel, I might even do myself a favor and pick up a copy.

Click Here to View the Works of Stephen King at Ebay
Click Here to View the Works of Stephen King at Amazon

Robert Charles Wilson Reads from ‘Julian Comstock’ (video included)

David Halpert — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:30:03 +0000

I first met Robert Charles Wilson 6 years ago as a guest lecturer during my freshman humanities course at York University entitled “Science Fiction Culture”. Yesterday (July 3, 2009) I was fortunate enough to attend the book launch of Wilson’s latest novel Julian Comstock at the Merril Collection in Downtown Toronto. Also, I’ve provided about 15 minutes of video of the event at the bottom of this screen. To say that I’ve been looking forward for this book is an understatement.

For those that don’t know Robert Charles Wilson, he is a Canadian science fiction author that truly excels when it comes to combining hard science fiction with fully-flushed out, nuanced characters. Over the course of his nearly 25 years career Wilson has published 14 novels and has gone on to win the following accolades: the Hugo Award (for the novel Spin), the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (for the novel The Chronoliths), the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award (for the novelette “The Cartesian Theater”), three Aurora Awards (for the novels Blind Lake and Darwinia, and the short work “The Perseids”), and the Philip K. Dick Award (for the novel Mysterium).

His novels are often quite dense, but not boring, and despite their length still manage to capture the readers attention even if you’re hundreds of pages into the text. However, Wilson’s greatest strength, in my opinion, is that he has a real command of how to use the English language, which allows him in turn to give his characters true personalities and voices.

I’ve provided a synopsis from Amazon because quite frankly even the synopsis appears a bit unwieldy. However, I encourage you to check out the rest of Wilson’s works at the links provided below. The video of the reading is below as well.

In the reign of President Deklan Comstock, a reborn United States is struggling back to prosperity. Over a century after the Efflorescence of Oil, after the Fall of the Cities, after the Plague of Infertility, after the False Tribulation, after the days of the Pious Presidents, the sixty stars and thirteen stripes wave from the plains of Athabaska to the national capital in New York City. In Colorado Springs, the Dominion sees to the nation’s spiritual needs. In Labrador, the Army wages war on the Dutch. America, unified, is rising once again.

Treachery and intrigue dog Julian’s footsteps. Hairsbreadth escapes and daring rescues fill his days. Stern resolve and tender sentiment dice for Julian’s soul, while his admiration for the works of the Secular Ancients, and his adherence to the evolutionary doctrines of the heretical Darwin, set him at fatal odds with the hierarchy of the Dominion. Plague and fire swirl around the Presidential palace when at last he arrives with the acclamation of the mob.

As told by Julian’s best friend and faithful companion, a rustic yet observant lad from the west, this tale of the 22nd Century asks— and answers—the age-old question: “Do you want to tell the truth, or do you want to tell a story?”

Click Here to View the Works of Robert Charles Wilson on Amazon
Click Here to View the Works of Robert Charles Wilson on Ebay

Robert Charles Wilson Book Launch in Toronto on July 2nd

David Halpert — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:41:02 +0000

I recently received word that Robert Charles Wilson will be having a book launch for his latest novel “Julian Comstock: A Story of 22-century America” in the Merill Collection reading room at the Lillian H. Smith Library in Downtown Toronto. Wilson will be doing a reading, providing a quick Q&A, as well as a brief book signing session where Bakka-Phoenix will be supplying books for the event. It will be held on July 2nd from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Julian Comstock takes place in a 22-century America after the depletion of oil has left to devastation, corruption, and overall general chaos. According to the product description on Amazon:

“In the reign of President Deklan Comstock, a reborn United States is struggling back to prosperity. Over a century after the Efflorescence of Oil, after the Fall of the Cities, after the Plague of Infertility, after the False Tribulation, after the days of the Pious Presidents, the sixty stars and thirteen stripes wave from the plains of Athabaska to the national capital in New York City. In Colorado Springs, the Dominion sees to the nation’s spiritual needs. In Labrador, the Army wages war on the Dutch. America, unified, is rising once again.”

I think Robert Charles Wilson is one of our most understated authors of our time but his books are brilliant. I’ll most likely be attending the event but for anyone else in Toronto be sure not to miss this.

Click Here to View the Works of Robert Charles Wilson at Amazon
Click Here to View the Works of Robert Charles Wilson on Ebay

Star Trek Takes in $76.5 million in its First Weekend

David Halpert — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:56:34 +0000

Click Here to View Star Trek Products on Amazon
Click Here to View Star Trek Products on Ebay

Now for me this is kind of a surprise seeing it’s a Star Trek movie, but this weekend proved that a relaunching of the Star Trek franchise was a great movie decision for the studios as Abrams’ Star Trek for the May 8th weekend box office made up an estimated $76.5 million according to the Associate Press. This includes an extra $4 million from preview screenings on Thursday night as well.

What do I attribute its success to? Firstly, J.J. Abrams as director, I think there’s enough fans of Lost, Fringe, and Cloverfield to put asses in the seats. Second, there’s more than enough Star Trek fans to fill the other half of the theatre. But honestly, I mostly attributed its success to a well though-out marketing campaign that never pushed the hype barrier in the way Watchmen did. And of course the positive reviews and a great script didn’t hurt either.

The timing was also perfect, a week after Wolverine: X-men Origins and two weeks before Terminator Salvation. You couldn’t ask more better timing. The movie’s budget was an estimated $140 million to produce and if early numbers are any indication it should far exceed its budget during its theatrical run.

What’s the irony of this whole piece? I still haven’t seen it yet. LOL!

“Watch” Book Launch Held in Toronto

David Halpert — Sun, 03 May 2009 00:38:46 +0000

Click Here to View the Works of Robert J. Sawyer at Amazon

Click Here to View the Works of Robert J. Saywer

: Image by StarbuckGuy via Flickr

Last night, the Dominion House on Queen Street West in Toronto played home to the launching of Robert J. Sawyer’s latest novel, “Wake”, the first book in his WWW trilogy and the 18th novel of his career. The event was sponsored by Bakka-Phoenix Bookstore, the oldest operating science fiction and fantasy bookstore in North America, where Sawyer worked for several years in the mid-80s. They also sponsored the event@. After a brief meet-and-greet, attendees were offered refreshments (meaning free booze and appetizers) after which Sawyer gave a short reading from the first chapter of his novel, followed by a book signing.

This event marks the end of his 12-city tour in promotion of “Wake” which began in Seattle more than two weeks ago. At which point he travelled west through the Canadian cities until finally reaching Toronto. Other authors in attendance included Terrence M. Green, Ed Greenwood, Robert Charles Wilson, Adrienne Kress, Lesley Livingstone, and many others.

I enjoyed the event very much. The bar atmosphere gave the audience a chance to mingle with other fans of the genre as well as give a chance to not only see how devoted Sawyer’s fans are to him, but also how devoted Sawyer is to his fans.

To purchase “Watch” or to simply browse the other works of Robert J. Sawyer (Click Here).

For a plot summary read below:

“Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a genius at math—and blind. Still, she can surf the net with the best of them, following its complex paths clearly in her mind. But Caitlin’s brain long ago co-opted her primary visual cortex to help her navigate online. So when she receives an implant to restore her sight, instead of seeing reality, the landscape of the World Wide Web explodes into her consciousness, spreading out all around her in a riot of colors and shapes. While exploring this amazing realm, she discovers something—some other—lurking in the background. And it’s getting more and more intelligent with each passing day…”

Robert J. Sawyer: “Wake” Released and “Flash Forward” is a Go

David Halpert — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:03:09 +0000

Click Here to View the Works of Robert J. Sawyer on Amazon

Click Here to View the Work of Robert J. Sawyer on Ebay

Well it seems there’s no slowing down for Robert J. Sawyer. Currently, he is on tour for his 18th novel “Wake“, the first book of his WWW trilogy. Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a genius at math—and blind. Still, she can surf the net with the best of them, following its complex paths clearly in her mind. But Caitlin’s brain long ago co-opted her primary visual cortex to help her navigate online. So when she receives an implant to restore her sight, instead of seeing reality, the landscape of the World Wide Web explodes into her consciousness, spreading out all around her in a riot of colors and shapes. While exploring this amazing realm, she discovers something—some other—lurking in the background. And it’s getting more and more intelligent with each passing day.

In addition, “Flashforward“, his 11th novel written almost a decade ago, got the green light last week to be made into a series to premiere this fall on ABC alongside the 6th and final season of Lost. If instinct, intuition, and the buzz I’ve been reading in the press has taught me anything it’s that “Flashforward” can easily be one of the most talked about shows to premiere this fall.

In Flashforward, Nobel-hungry physicists conducting an unimaginably high-energy experiment accidentally induce a global consciousness shift. In an instant, everyone on Earth is “flashed forward” 21 years, experiencing several minutes of the future. But while everyone is, literally, out of their minds, their bodies drop unconscious; when the world reawakens, car wrecks, botched surgeries, falls, and other mishaps add up to massive death and destruction.

The show is set to star Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, John Cho, Christine Woods, Jack Davenport and Courtney B. Vance. However, unlike the book, the show is set to take place in present-day Los Angeles. And instead of people getting a vision of themselves 21 years in the future, the Flash Forward takes place only a couple of months ahead in time. I plan to attend his book launch next week when he comes back to Toronto to get his thoughts and feelings about the show. Also, be sure to stay tuned for next week’s 100th episode of Lost where a two-minute promo of the new show will premiere during one of the commercial breaks.