A period of silence

In the past week and the next week there are a few changes to be made at work and this process requires my full attention. Also, as usual for this month, I will need to make a business trip and therefore as much as I would like to post regularly I will not be able to do so. However, this hectic time of year will settle itself later this month, around 20th or 25th, and it is then when I will start blogging on regular basis again. I hope to see you all at the end of May and until then, please take care of yourselves :)

Awards round-up

Another week-end with plenty of awards announcements has passed. Let’s start with the winners of the 2010 BSFA Awards announced at the 62nd Eastercon convetion:

Best Novel: “The Dervish House” by Ian McDonald (Gollancz)

Best Short Fiction: “The Shipmaker” by Aliette de Bodard (Interzone #231)

Best Non-Fiction: “Blogging the Hugos: Decline” by Paul Kincaid (Big Other)

Best Artwork: Joey Hi-Fi for the cover of “Zoo City”

Congratulations to all the winners!

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2011 Ditmar Awards

The 2011 Ditmar Awards winners have been announced at Swancon36, the 36th Annual Western Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention:

Best Novel: “Power and Majesty” by Tansy Rayner Roberts (Voyager)

Best Novella or Novelette: “The Company Articles of Edward Teach” by Thoraiya Dyer (Twelfth Planet Press)

Best Short Story: “All the Love in the World” by Cat Sparks (Sprawl, Twelfth Planet Press)

“She Said” by Kirstyn McDermott (Scenes From the Second Storey, Morrigan Books)

Best Collected Work: “Sprawl” edited by Alisa Krasnostein (Twelfth Planet Press)

Best Artwork: Short film – “The Lost Thing” (Passion Pictures) - Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan

Best Fan Writer: Alexandra Pierce for body of work including reviews at Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus

Best Fan Artist: Amanda Rainey for Swancon 36 logo

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium: “Galactic Suburbia” podcast - Alisa Krasnostein, Tansy Rayner Roberts and Alex Pierce

Best Achievement: Alisa Krasnostein, Kathryn Linge, Rachel Holkner, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts and Tehani Wessely - Snapshot 2010

Best New Talent: Thoraiya Dyer

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review: Tansy Rayner Roberts for “A Modern Woman’s Guide to Classic Who”

Congratulations to all the winners!

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2010 Philip K. Dick Award

The winner of the 2010 Philip K. Dick Award was announced at Norwescon 34, the Pacific Northwest’s Premier Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention:

2010 Philip K. Dick Award: “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack” by Mark Hodder (Pyr)

2010 Special Citation: “Harmony” by Project Itoh, translated by Alexander O. Smith (Haikasoru)

Congratulations!

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2011 Hugo Awards nominees

The nominees for the 2011 Hugo Awards and for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer have been announced. The winners will be announced on 20th August, at the Hugo Awards Ceremony held at Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, held in Reno, Nevada.

Best Novel:
“Blackout/All Clear” by Connie Willis (Ballantine Spectra)
“Cryoburn” by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
“The Dervish House” by Ian McDonald (Gollancz / Pyr)
“Feed” by Mira Grant (Orbit)
“The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms” by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)

Best Novella:
“The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window” by Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Magazine, Summer 2010)
“The Lifecycle of Software Objects” by Ted Chiang (Subterranean)
“The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon” by Elizabeth Hand (Stories: All New Tales, William Morrow)
“The Sultan of the Clouds” by Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s, September 2010)
“Troika” by Alastair Reynolds (Godlike Machines, Science Fiction Book Club)

Best Novelette:
“Eight Miles” by Sean McMullen (Analog, September 2010)
“The Emperor of Mars” by Allen M. Steele (Asimov’s, June 2010)
“The Jaguar House, in Shadow” by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s, July 2010)
“Plus or Minus” by James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s, December 2010)
“That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made” by Eric James Stone (Analog, September 2010)

Best Short Story:
“Amaryllis” by Carrie Vaughn (Lightspeed, June 2010)
“For Want of a Nail” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s, September 2010)
“Ponies” by Kij Johnson (Tor.com, November 17, 2010)
“The Things” by Peter Watts (Clarkesworld, January 2010)

Best Related Work:
“Bearings: Reviews 1997-2001” by Gary K. Wolfe (Beccon)
“The Business of Science Fiction: Two Insiders Discuss Writing and Publishing” by Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg (McFarland)
“Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It” edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Tara O’Shea (Mad Norwegian)
“Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century, Volume 1: (1907–1948): Learning Curve” by William H. Patterson, Jr. (Tor)
“Writing Excuses, Season 4” by Brandon Sanderson, Jordan Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells

Best Graphic Story:
“Fables: Witches” written by Bill Willingham; illustrated by Mark Buckingham (Vertigo)
“Girl Genius, Volume 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse” written by Phil and Kaja Foglio; art by Phil Foglio; colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
“Grandville Mon Amour” by Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse)
“Schlock Mercenary: Massively Parallel” written and illustrated by Howard Tayler; colors by Howard Tayler and Travis Walton (Hypernode)
“The Unwritten, Volume 2: Inside Man” written by Mike Carey; illustrated by Peter Gross (Vertigo)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form:“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” screenplay by Steve Kloves; directed by David Yates (Warner)
“How to Train Your Dragon” screenplay by William Davies, Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders; directed by Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders (DreamWorks)
“Inception” written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Warner)
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” screenplay by Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright; directed by Edgar Wright (Universal)
“Toy Story 3” screenplay by Michael Arndt; story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich; directed by Lee Unkrich (Pixar/Disney)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form:
Doctor Who: “A Christmas Carol” written by Steven Moffat; directed by Toby Haynes (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: “The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang” written by Steven Moffat; directed by Toby Haynes (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: “Vincent and the Doctor” written by Richard Curtis; directed by Jonny Campbell (BBC Wales)
“Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury” written by Rachel Bloom; directed by Paul Briganti
“The Lost Thing written by Shaun Tan; directed by Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan (Passion Pictures)

Best Editor, Short Form:
John Joseph Adams
Stanley Schmidt
Jonathan Strahan
Gordon Van Gelder
Sheila Williams

Best Editor, Long Form:
Lou Anders
Ginjer Buchanan
Moshe Feder
Liz Gorinsky
Nick Mamatas
Beth Meacham
Juliet Ulman

Best Professional Artist:
Daniel Dos Santos
Bob Eggleton
Stephan Martiniere
John Picacio
Shaun Tan

Best Semiprozine:
“Clarkesworld” edited by Neil Clarke, Cheryl Morgan, Sean Wallace; podcast directed by Kate Baker
“Interzone” edited by Andy Cox
“Lightspeed” edited by John Joseph Adams
“Locus” edited by Liza Groen Trombi and Kirsten Gong-Wong
“Weird Tales” edited by Ann VanderMeer and Stephen H. Segal

Best Fanzine:
“Banana Wings” edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
“Challenger” edited by Guy H. Lillian III
“The Drink Tank” edited by Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon
“File 770” edited by Mike Glyer
“StarShipSofa” edited by Tony C. Smith

Best Fan Writer:
James Bacon
Claire Brialey
Christopher J Garcia
James Nicoll
Steven H Silver

Best Fan Artist:
Brad W. Foster
Randall Munroe
Maurine Starkey
Steve Stiles
Taral Wayne

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer:
Saladin Ahmed
Lauren Beukes
Larry Correia
Lev Grossman
Dan Wells

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

Cover art - "11/22/63" by Stephen King

It seems that this is a week of covers. This time, however, it is the moment of the King himself, because yesterday on Stephen King’s official message board the hardcover dust jacket of the Scribner edition of the anticipated “11/22/63” was revealed. The design is created by Rex Bonomelli and looks marvelous. A perfect companion for one of the novels I am eagerly looking forward to read this year. Stephen King’s “11/22/63” is another massive volume, close to 1000 pages, but there are plenty of reasons for me to put his novel on My Most Wanted list of books. To be brief and not to enumerate all the reasons why I am waiting for 8th of November, the release date of Stephen King’s “11/22/63”, I show you only two of them, the one you see above and the one I post below :)

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King's heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination - a thousand page tour de force.

Following his massively successful novel Under the Dome, King sweeps readers back in time to another moment - a real life moment - when everything went wrong: the JFK assassination. And he introduces readers to a character who has the power to change the course of history.

Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students - a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning's father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake's friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane - and insanely possible - mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake's new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake's life - a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

A tribute to a simpler era and a devastating exercise in escalating suspense, 11/22/63 is Stephen King at his epic best.

Cover art - "Servant of the Underworld" by Aliette de Bodard (French edition)

As much as I would like to bring my reviews back on track the truth is I am a bit behind with them. Still, the good news is that two of them are already half written, David Wingrove’s “Son of Heaven” and Aliette de Bodard’s “Servant of the Underworld”. I am especially happy about “Servant of the Underworld”, because yesterday I saw on Aliette de Bodard’s blog an awesome cover for the French (which else?) edition of her debut novel. I did like the cover of the English edition of “Servant of the Underworld” published by Angry Robot Books, simple, symbolic and efficient. But the cover of the French edition, “D’Obsidienne et de Sang”, looks wonderful and equally efficient. It is hard for me to choose between the covers of Aliette de Bodard’s “Servant of the Underworld”, because I like both of them a lot, but I do love the approach taken by Eclipse, the publisher of the French edition, too. Not only that this cover would make me pick the book if I see it on a bookshop shelves, but since I read and enjoyed the novel I find the artwork made by Larry Rostant, the master of photographic covers, suitable for “Servant of the Underworld”. And since Aliette de Bodard indicates on her blog post that Larry Rostant will create the covers for the rest of her trilogy I am looking forward to see with what the artist comes up next.

Cover art - "Them or Us" by David Moody (US edition)

I had many pleasant surprises because of my blog and among them there is the discovery of David Moody. I loved his novels in the “Hater” trilogy, the first novel of the series, “Hater”, a bit more than the second, “Dog Blood”. But both of them were very interesting and with plenty of good things to be found, especially Danny McCoyne, who is a strong character. The conclusion of David Moody’s trilogy, “Them or Us”, is due to be released in the US on November by Thomas Dunne Books and in the UK on December by Gollancz. It is one of the novels that I am eagerly looking forward to read this year and find the conclusion of this fine trilogy. Although there is plenty of time until then we can admire the cover art of the US edition of David Moody’s “Them or Us”. It steps away from the line of the first two covers, but I have to say that it looks good. The conflict and its fatality found in the novel’s title, “Them or Us”, is projected on the artwork of the cover, in the two groups facing each other, the colors of the lettering and of the cover. I find it very appropriate. David Moody has a blurb for “Them or Us” on his website, but I would not recommend it for those unfamiliar with the series, because it contains some spoilers.

Awards round-up

2010 Australian Shadows Awards

The winners of the 2010 Australian Shadows Awards have been announced:

LONG FICTION:

“Under Stones” by Bob Franklin (Affirm Press)

EDITED PUBLICATION:

“Macabre: A Journey Through Australia’s Darkest Fears” edited by Angela Challis & Marty Young (Brimstone Press)

SHORT FICTION:

“She Said” by Kirstyn McDermott (Scenes from the Second Storey, Morrigan Books)

Congratulations to all the winners!

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2010 Galileo Awards nominees

The list of nominees for the first edition of the Galileo Awards has been announced. From today the list of nominees will be voted in the Australian system, with one title eliminated from the list at each stage and with the winners due to be announced at the National Book Fair, Bookfest, on 28th of May.

THE BEST VOLUME:

Oliviu Crâznic – “…și la sfîrșit a mai rămas coșmarul” (…and at the end remained the nightmare) (Vremea)

Michael Haulică – “Povestiri fantastice” (Fantastic Stories) (Millennium)
Mircea Opriţă – “Povestiri de duminică” (Sunday Stories) (Millennium)

Liviu Radu – “Modificatorii” (The Modifiers) (Millennium)

Cristian-Mihail Teodorescu – “S.F. Doi” (S.F. Two) (Bastion)

THE BEST SHORT FICTION:

Ștefana Cristina Czeller – “Slujesc Zeului-Cîine” (I Serve the Dog-God) (Galileo 2)

Costi Gurgu – “Îngeri și molii” (Angels and Moths) (Galileo 2)

Michael Haulică – “Microtexte” (Microtexts) (Povestiri fantastice, Millennium, 2010)
Florin Pîtea – “Vînătoarea de sfincși” (The Hunt of Sphinxes) (Galileo 2)

Marian Truță – “Cumania 2010” (Cumania 2010) (Galileo 2)

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

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2010 Shirley Jackson Awards nominees

The nominees for the 2010 Shirley Jackson Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced at Readercon 22, which will be held between July 14th and 17th at Burlington Marriott, Burlington, Massachusetts.

NOVEL:

“Dark Matter” by Michelle Paver (Orion)

“A Dark Matter” by Peter Straub (Doubleday)

“Feed” by Mira Grant (Orbit)

“Mr. Shivers” by Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit)

“The Reapers Are the Angels” by Alden Bell (Holt)

“The Silent Land” by Graham Joyce (Gollancz)

NOVELLA:

“The Broken Man” by Michael Byers (PS Publishing)

“Chasing the Dragon” by Nicholas Kaufmann (Chizine Publications)

“Mysterium Tremendum” by Laird Barron (Occultation, Night Shade)

“One Bloody Thing After Another” by Joey Comeau (ECW Press)

“Subtle Bodies” by Peter Dubé (Lethe Press)

“The Thief of Broken Toys” by Tim Lebbon (Chizine Publications)

NOVELETTE:

“--30—“ by Laird Barron (Occultation, Night Shade)

“The Broadsword” by Laird Barron (Black Wings, PS Publishing)

“Holderhaven” by Richard Butner (Crimewave 11: Ghosts)

“The Redfield Girls” by Laird Barron (Haunted Legends, Tor)

“Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains” by Neil Gaiman (Stories: All New Tales, William Morrow)

SHORT STORY:

“As Red as Red” by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Haunted Legends, Tor)

“Booth's Ghost” by Karen Joy Fowler (What I Didn't See, Small Beer Press)

“The Foxes” by Lily Hoang (Haunted Legends, Tor)

“six six six” by Laird Barron (Occultation, Night Shade)

“The Things” by Peter Watts (Clarkesworld, Issue 40)

SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTION:

“Occultation” by Laird Barron (Night Shade)

“The Ones That Got Away” by Stephen Graham Jones (Prime Books)

“The Third Bear” by Jeff Vandermeer (Tachyon)

“What I Didn't See” by Karen Joy Fowler (Small Beer Press)

“What Will Come After” by Scott Edelman (PS Publishing)

EDITED ANTHOLOGY:

“Black Wings: Tales of Lovecraftian Horror” edited by S. T. Joshi (PS Publications)

“Haunted Legends” edited by Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas (Tor)

“My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales” edited by Kate Bernheimer (Penguin)

“Stories: All New Tales” edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio (William Morrow)

“Swords and Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery” edited by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders (Eos)

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

Cover art - "La Colère" (King's Wrath) by Fiona McIntosh

I find myself in the impossibility of talking about Marc Simonetti’s artworks anymore. Not because I don’t like the art pieces Marc Simonetti creates, but because the constant high standard of his works leaves me speechless. He is always surprising and with each art piece he seems to achieve something more. We’ve seen before how Marc Simonetti enriched the French editions of various fantasy novels by creating some wonderful cover artworks; I’ve spotlighted a few of them, such as George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire”, Patrick Rothfuss’ “The Name of the Wind” or Ken Scholes’ “Lamentation” & “Canticle”, here on my blog too. Now we can see another excellent one. The French editions of Fiona McIntosh’s trilogy, “Valisar”, published by Bragelonne, reached the third novel, “King’s Wrath”, and as we can see, “La Colère” as is the French title, has a stunning cover artwork, signed Marc Simonetti. As I said at the beginning I found myself without words, but I still have a wish: some day to see Marc Simonetti’s works on the cover of English editions too.