Greek Anniversary

Ten years ago this month the second half of my story Artefact Nouveau was published in Greek magazine Universe Pathways, following part 1 that had been published in the previous issue. This was my second translated story and the first published in Greek.


I've now had 5 stories published in Greek, making this making this my 3rd most published language after English and Spanish:


Artefact Nouveau - Universe Pathways - Oct & Dec 2006

Absolute Zero - 9 - Sep 2007

Fool Britannia - Ef-Zin - Jan 2009

The Gondolier - Ef-Zin - Jul 2009

Inside Every Successful Man - 9 - Jun 2010

Book Review: The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo

I’ve read several translated novels during the past year and, one thing I’ve come to realise is that, although the location, language and customs may be different, the ingredients of a great Science Fiction novel are just as indefinable. ‘The Core Of The Sun’ is the first Finnish novel I’ve read but, once again, it has proven to be a fabulous book and the fact that it is a translation is just one part of its charm.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Interview Reaction

My interview with Cixin Liu has been mentioned in more diverse places than probably anything I've done in the past.



I already posed that it was mentioned on File 770, then last week it was tweeted on the official Three Body Problem Twitter account.

Book Review: The Commons by Matthew Hughes

I first came across Matthew Hughes in ‘Interzone’ a few years back and was immediately struck by the story’s similarity to something that might have been written by Jack Vance. Of course, I’m not the only one to have spotted that and the cover of this and his other books makes that comparison.

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: Invisible Planets by Ken Liu (Ed)

Not to be confused with Hannu Rajaniemi’s recent debut collection of the same name, this Invisible Planets is an anthology of contemporary Chinese SF in translation. Ken Liu is the editor and also the translator of all the stories, most of which have appeared in some of the top SF venues over the past few years. Coming hot on the heels of my reading Liu Cixin’s Three-Body Trilogy and then interviewing both Ken Liu and Liu Cixin, I was decidedly in the mood for some more Chinese Science Fiction.

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.

An Excellent Interview

My interview with Cixin Liu was referenced on the venerable 'File 770' where it was called 'an excellent interview.

Cixin Liu Interview

It’s a surprisingly warm October day in London and the Embankment is crowded with tourists. Outside the South Bank Centre, dozens of people are eating and drinking at tables belonging to half a dozen restaurants. It’s also busy inside the building but, fortunately, I’ve entered at the right end of the building and spot the lift straight away. It’s quieter as I step out on the wide expanse of the fifth floor and directly in front of the lift is the Chinese contingent.

Read my interview at SF Crowsnest.

Interview with Ken Liu

Ken Liu is an author and translator of speculative fiction, as well as a lawyer and programmer. A winner of the Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy awards, he has been published in ‘The Magazine Of Fantasy & Science Fiction’, ‘Asimov’s Magazine’, ‘Analog’, ‘Clarkesworld’, ‘Lightspeed’ and ‘Strange Horizons’, among other places.

Photo by Lisa Tang Liu



Read my interview with Ken Liu at SF Crowsnest.