Final Publication of the Year, Probably

 The reprint of my steampunk novelette The Journey Within appears now in the anthology Dickensian Steamfantasy, from Rogue Planet Press, making a total of fourteen publications this year.

This story was first published in the anthology Ancient New and has also been published in German.

Dickensian Steamfantasy Anthology

 The people behind last year's Shakespearian speculative fiction anthology are back this year with a Dickensian anthology: Dickensian Steamfantasy - A Very Unexpected 1800.

A reprint of my novelette The Journey within has been accepted for the anthology which could be out by the end of the year. 

Parsec Award Finalist

My story 'The Long Afternoon of Sir Rupert Moncrief' is shortlisted in the Best Speculative Fiction Story: Small Cast (Short Form) category of the Parsec Awards!

The Long Afternoon of Sir Rupert Moncrief

My chronologically confused steampunk story The Long Afternoon of Sir Rupert Moncrief is on line today at Gallery of Curiosities. It's read out in a fabulous Scottish voice and sounds wonderful.

Book Review: The Time Roads by Beth Bernobich

The Irish Empire takes the place of the traditional British Empire in The Time Roads, an alternative history/steampunk tale from Beth Bernobich, set at the turn of the 20th century when European geography and politics are almost familiar yet convincingly different.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis

It’s airships and rifles in a kind of Napoleonic-era war in the steampunkish debut novel The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis. Other than the steam engines mounted on the airships and the mention of trains, there’s little of the traditional Victorian steampunk ethos in this book. But there’s plenty of adventure, grittiness and sarcastic comments.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: Everfair by Nisi Shawl

Nisi Shawl’s debut novel, Everfair. is a fantastically intricate portrayal of the birth of a free state in the heart of Africa and its fight for survival against the brutal regime of Belgian King Leopold. The classic steampunk tropes of Victorian Britain are transported to the burgeoning state of Everfair and the neighbouring Congo and adapted to the tropical climate and local materials and culture.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: Jacaranda by Cherie Priest

I’ve been a fan of Cherie Priest’s Clockwork Century books since I was first captivated by Boneshaker. Although Fiddlehead was announced to be the last Clockwork Century novel, we’ve been given the bonus of a novella in the form of Jacaranda to assuage the withdrawal symptoms.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Victorian SF Story Sale

I'm very pleased to have sold my 7100 word stoy The Long Afternoon of Sir Rupert Moncrief to steampunk / retro futurist podcast Gallery of Curiosoties.

This is my second recent podcast sale after Squirrels, Foxes and Other Fine Specimens was accepted by Escape Pod last month.


Moncrief is my second Victorian SF story, the other being The Journey Within that first appeared in the anthology Ancient New and this year was published in German in Austrian magazine Visionarium.

The German Within

Issue 8 of Austrian magazine Visionarium is now out, with the German translation of my Victorian SF adventure novelette The Journey Within. This is my longest translation to date, and my second story in German.

Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk Adventures

This is my second large dollop of steampunk in recent weeks, having polished off ‘The Mammoth Book Of Steampunk’ in short order. I’m optimistic about this volume, simply due to the addition of the word ‘Adventures’. I like steampunk but I find many of the stories in anthologies I’ve read are more fantasy or romance stories than the Science Fiction or adventure-type steampunk that I particularly enjoy.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk

It’s been a while since I had any steampunk to read, so the chunky 500-page ‘Mammoth Book Of Steampunk’ was, I decided, an excellent opportunity to catch up with a wide selection of authors and stories. The volume contains 30 stories, including a handful original to the collection, gathered together by regular Mammoth editor Sean Wallace.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Mammoth Reprint

I discovered today that Gord Sellar's story The Clockworks of Hanyang that first appeared in The Immersion Book of Steampunk edited by my very self, was reprinted in The Mammoth Book of Steampunk Adventures, published last year. The elephantine anthology also includes Aliette De Bodard's Memories in Bronze, Feathers and Blood that appeared in my anthology too, though as a reprint there.

It's a pleaseing affirmation of my taste in stories to have two of them reprinted in such a well-respected anthology series.

Vector Steampunk Review

The BSFA's Vector #269 came out in spring 2012, but I didn't receive a copy. Presumably lost in the post. I got a replacement copy today and it includes a nice review of The Immersion Book of Steampunk. As you would expect, the reviewer liked some stories more than others, but the final sentence is a satisfying acknowledgement of one of my aims:

As a whole though, the collection is a stylish and interesting collection of tales from authors who may normally live in the shadows cast by the zeppelins of more instantly recognisable heralds of the subgenre but here are given a chance to showcase their talents and do so in fine fashion

.

Becoming Academic

The Immersion Book of Steampunk was referenced in a lecture at Durham University. I feel quite academic now.

Ancient New Anthology Published

The anthology Ancient New is out today from Deepwood Publishing, and it looks rather splendid. My novelette The Journey Within is a Victorian SF adventure and is my longest story so far published.

Ancient New Anthology Due

The cover art for the semi-pro anthology Ancient New has been revealed on the Deepwood Publishing website, and I've received an e-ARC to glance through. I'm very excited about this anthology, not least becasue it contains my first published novelette, the Victorian SF adventure The Journey Within. Oh, and my name's on the cover!

Physical copies should be available soon.

Steampunk Update

I noticed today that over on Goodreads, The Immersion Book of Steampunk has continuued to clock up ratings from readers. It now has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, which is pretty fabulous.

Random Interview Question: Stephen Hunt

Sephen Hunt's Jackelian series of futuristic steampunk tales includes The Court of the Air and The Kingdom Beyond the Waves. He also founded SF Crowsnest where over 100 of my book reviews have appeared.


Q. Would you like to live in a court in the air or in a kingdom beneath the waves?

A. Well, my answer to that one has to be 'The Court of the Air' - especially if I was running the joint, as I could sit up high watching everyone and ordering the arrest without trial or murder of anyone who did bad stuff down in the world... and it doesn't get any better than that.

Steampunk Cover Kudos

Charles Harbour, the artist behind the fabulous cover of The Immersion Book of Steampunk has more good news this week:

The Immersion Book of SteamPunk  cover has been accepted for inclusion in this year’s Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art Book no.19

Pretty pleased as it’s pretty stiff competition to get in, with judges including Art directors from Blizzard, Wizards of the Coast and Disney.


Judging process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqh4Rq3Gvic

If you look closely you can spot the cover at about 35 sec’s in, apparently this room was filled and cleared 3 times.