Reading Queue

For Review:

Coming up any day now ill be my reviews of Hard Luck Diggings by Jack Vance and New Model Army by Adam Roberts. I've also read Ted Chiang's Lifecycle of Software Objects and I've just finished Ian R MacLeod's anthology Journeys. Reviews of both of these will be appearing at some point. Lined up next I have Absorption by John Meaney.


Not for Review:

I've recently read Stormqueen! which is one of two remaining Darkover books by Marion Zimmer Bradley that I've not read. It's one of those series that I've been reading on and off for two decades. Just Hawkmistress to track down. Earlier this month I read Patriarch's Hope, David Feintuch's penultimate novel in the Hope saga. Just Children of Hope to get hold of. Last week I read Extro, one of only 2 books by Alfred Bester that I've read. The other was the faboulous classic The Stars My Destination aka Tiger, Tiger. Extro was much more dated, in attitude and stereotyping more than technology. Next up is The Early Asimov, Volume 1, several years after reading volumes 2 & 3, then Jack Vance's Showboat World, one of the few remaining Vance novels I have yet to read. I'm trying to spread them out so there's always another to look forward to.

I really need a bigger bookshelf.

One Quarter

A few more thousand words on Gap Years over the past couple of days. I've now passed 25,000 words - one quarter of the projected total for the book.

The Immersion Book of Steampunk

As anounced by Immersion Press editor Carmelo Rafala yesterday, I shall be editing The Immersion Book Of Steampunk, an invitation-only anthology due to be released late 2011.

I've always been a fan of original Victorian SF: H.G.Wells, Jules Verne, Arthur Conan Doyle and recently wrote my own Victorian SF story - though it's not very steampunkish. I read K.W.Jeter's Morlock Night - generaly recognised as an early steampunk novel - two or three decades ago and more recently I've enjoyed several short steampunk stories and Cherie Priest's books Boneshaker and Clementine.

Who will be featuring in The Immersion Book of Steampunk? Well, we have grand plans. More details will appear here and on the Immersion Press website.

Novellette to Novella

After another lengthy gap, I returned to my novel Gap Years over the past week and made some good progress. I completed part 2 (of 9 parts), graduated from novellete to novella status and passed the 20,000 word marker.

I'm hoping to keep up the momentum.

The Editors: Carmello Rafala

You can read my interview with Carmelo Rafala of Immersion Press on SF Crowsnest.

Magazine Review: Interzone #228

Read my review at SF Crowsnest.

Magazine Review: Albedo One #38

Read my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: Fun with Rainbows by Gareth Owens

I first came across Gareth Owens in Nature magazine, where in fact he has had four stories published. Other than that, he’s a relatively unknown author in SF circles and yet as I read through this collection I began to wonder why that is so.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry

Genetic manipulation, clones, transgenics, reconstructed DNA from extinct animals, cool gadgets and high-tech computer systems – all ingredients that you may expect to see in a sci-fi novel, but here blended seamlessly into an explosive thriller that pushes the boundaries of science.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.