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Your Feb 09 SFcrowsnest sci-fi issue is enclosed
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SFcrowsnest
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Feb 01, 2009 02:02 PST
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STEPHEN HUNT'S SFCROWSNEST.COM
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com | Issue 183. February 2009.
"A leader can't lead until he knows where he's going."
- John Locke, Lost.
January 2009 circulation was: 752,735 readers, who read 3.31 million
articles, generating 42.4 million hits.
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+++ REVIEWS FOR FEBRUARY 2009
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40 Years by Bernd Struben
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13595.php
Albedo # 35
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13567.php
An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13579.php
Anathem audio book by Neal Stephenson
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13591.php
Black God: Vol 2 by Dall-Young Lim and Sung-Woo Park
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13582.php
Black Static # 3 - February 2008
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13597.php
Black Static # 5 - June/July 2008
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13600.php
Black Static # 6 - Aug/Sept 2008
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13599.php
Busted Flush (Wild Cards book 19) edited by George R.R. Martin and
Melinda Snodgrass
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13575.php
Confessions Of An Ugly Sister by Gregory Maguire
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13574.php
Conversions Feb 2009
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13565.php
Cronan The Librarian by Steve Westcott
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13586.php
Dark Shadows - The Skin Walkers by Scott Handcock
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13578.php
Deathstalker Coda by Simon R. Green
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13596.php
Elephantmen # 010 May 2007 - Elephantmen # 014 Dec 2008
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13566.php
Elephantmen: War Toys 3 issue mini-series
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13573.php
Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress (Chronicles Of The Last Emperor Of
Melniboné Volume 3) by Michael Moorcock
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13568.php
Exile (The Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series book 4) by Aaron
Allston
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13571.php
Fast Forward 2 edited by Lou Anders
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13598.php
Fools' Experiments by Edward M. Lerner
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13601.php
Interzone # 220 -February 2009
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13581.php
Joe 90 - Collector's Edition Complete Series
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13588.php
Jupiter # 23: SF Magazine January 2009 aka Jupiter 4 XXIII: Kalyke
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13587.php
Max Payne by Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13570.php
Mobile Trek: In Space No One Can Hear You Dial by Douglas Rae
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13585.php
Moon Phase Phase 2 Vol. 2 episodes 6-10
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13584.php
Peach Girl Volume 2
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13583.php
Spaceship Away Parts 11-15 Spring 2007-Summer 2008
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13593.php
Stalking The Unicorn (A John Justine Mallory Mystery) by Mike Resnick
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13602.php
Stalking The Vampire (A John Justine Mallory Mystery) by Mike Resnick
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13592.php
Star Wars Omnibus Volume 2: Tales Of The Jedi by Tom Veitch and Kevin J
Anderson
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13577.php
Star Wars: Rebellion: Volume 2: The Ahakista Gambit by Brandon Badeaux,
Rob Williams and Michel Lacombe
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13576.php
Starfish by Peter Watts
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13590.php
Tempest (The Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series book 3) by Troy
Denning
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13572.php
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles by Bear McCreary
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13569.php
The Dark Knight: Two-Disc Special Edition
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13589.php
The Mammoth Book Of Monsters edited by Stephen Jones
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13594.php
The Man With The Iron Heart by Harry Turtledove
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13603.php
The Map Of Moments by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2009/nz13580.php
| | | | Got a review for us? Send your submissions to revi-@sfcrowsnest.com
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+++ OBSERVATION DECK
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Hi all you Nestizens,
I've been a busy bee again this January, can you feel the sweat dripping
off this e-mail?
On the novel writing front, I've just handed in my fourth Jackelian
novel to HarperCollins - and I had only just watched its manuscript
disappear into the luxuriously-appointed mahogany offices of
HarperCollins's fantasy & SF empire when out pops novel number III in
the bookshops, fully-formed as The Rise of the Iron Moon.
Imagine my surprise when I hear The Rise of the Iron Moon is so popular
with the buyers at the big chains in the UK it's being made one of the
featured titles at both Waterstones and Borders, and is to be given
enough prime shelf-space to make even Terry Pratchett look twice and
wonder if someone in the store window dressing department has confused
my new novel with one of his Diskworld books.
I discovered this myself by accident - before officially being told by
HarperCollins - when I strolled into the Waterstones store at Trafalgar
Square and discovered a pile of hardbacks at eye-level in the
recommended new books section right by their front door. A nice
surprise, and by such things are an author's heart kept warm at night.
I believe the official launch date for the hardback of The Rise of the
Iron Moon is the 5th of February, but it seems to be selling early all
over the place in London in the bookshops' scramble to get it out first
- and Amazon is pushing copies now too, (although they appear to be
constantly selling out and instantly re-ordering at the moment - with
their 'in-stock' button flashing on and off like a police siren. Bear
with them, I guess, while they load up).
While it's torpedoes in the water for The Rise of the Iron Moon, it's
business as normal at Casa Hunt.
Book five is fairly well plotted out and my labours on said tome are
about to commence, so if you see someone frantically scribbling on a
train in London, or taking up far too much space and consuming far too
little coffee at a Starbucks, have a little sympathy, it just might be
me!
You might notice I have added a few extra sections to the newsletter
this issue, integrating the e-mail with the new areas of content on
SFcrowsnest (the online games arcade you can play on the site, our
sci-fi social networking community and blogs etc). Hope you enjoy them.
Before I get back to the novel writing, a quick reminder that the David
Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy Award of 2008 is still open for
online voting by yourself. My second novel, The Kingdom Beyond the
Waves, is up for the award (hint hint). Get yourself over to
http://gemmellaward.com/page/2323348:Page:6781 to make your voice heard.
Catch you in 28 days time with the March 2009 issue, amigos.
Stephen
www.StephenHunt.net
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+++ EDITORIAL
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THERE'S NO ACCOUNTING FOR TASTE, ESPECIALLY WHEN HAVING THEM DEFINED IN
BOXES
UNCLE GEOFF SAYS HE'S LOUSY AT PICKING FAVOURITES.
Don't confuse this with preferences, as that's more down to personal
taste than favouritism... I mean I prefer Science Fiction but it would
be a lot tougher to choose just one favourite author or film out of so
many I like. Yet displaying such a list would surely indicate that is
all you read which is obviously far from the multiple bookcases in my
case.
DO YOU LIKE CURLING UP AND READING A BOOK?
Do you have a preference for fantasy, SF or horror? Do you find it the
greatest pastime you have next to being on your computer? Are you very
vocal about what you like and don't like in what you read? Would you
like to share your thoughts with others about books? Would you like an
endless supply of books to do this with? Do you live in the UK?
If you've been nodding your head up to this point then link in below and
see if you have what it takes to be a reviewer at SFCrowsnest. If you
have that special knack to read and write or want to develop said skill
then the only way you're going to find out is to take the plunge
yourself rather than wait for others to do it first. It's got to be
better than waiting for the sun to come out. Check out our recruitment
procedures through the following link and let me decide if you have what
it takes.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/contribute.php
<<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>>
<<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>> The Rise of the Iron Moon <<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>>
<<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>><<<<<>>>>>>
Stephen Hunt's third fantasy novel set in the Jackelian world...
THE RISE OF THE IRON MOON
From the author of The Court of the Air and The Kingdom Beyond the Waves
comes a thrilling new adventure set in the same Victorian-style world.
Born into captivity as a product of the Royal Breeding House, friendless
orphan Purity Drake suddenly finds herself on the run with a foreign
vagrant from the North after accidentally killing one of her guards. Her
strange rescuer claims he is on the run himself from terrible forces who
mean to enslave the Kingdom of Jackals as they conquered his own nation.
Purity doubts his story, until reports begin to filter through from
Jackals' neighbours of the terrible Army of Shadows, marching across the
continent and sweeping all before them. But there's more to Purity than
meets the eye.
As Jackals girds itself for war against an army of near-unkillable
beasts serving an ancient evil with a terrible secret, it soon becomes
clear that their only hope is a strange little royalist girl and the
last, desperate plan of an escaped slave.
Available for pre-order now on Amazon - click here.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0007232225?ie=UTF8&tag=scienficticrowst&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0007232225
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+++ SCIFI PLAY
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GAME OF THE MONTH - GALAXY RACERS
Do you feel the need for speed? Hyperspace speed? WARP SPEED? Then you
must race all the other wacky starships and come first to win your place
among the stars.
Play online at SFcrowsnest Sci-Fi Play and see if you can beat Stephen
or Geoff's high score (well, Uncle Geoff is easy, he's still on a slow
dial-up account in deepest darkest Somerset).
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/games/2559-Galaxy-Racers.html
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+++ SCIFI BLOGS
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| | | | A FEW OF THE SCIFI AND FANTASY BLOGS BEING HOSTED ON SFCROWSNEST.COM
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- SCIFI Now
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/blog.php?user=SciFiNow
- Day Dream
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/blog.php?user=DayDream
- Mulluane
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/blog.php?user=Mulluane
- Turner
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/blog.php?user=Turner
- Bob Lock
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/blog.php?user=BobLock
- FantasySci
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/blog.php?user=fantasysci
- Scrybe Press
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/profile.php?user=ScrybePress
Set up your own fantasy/SF blog here.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/user_blog.php
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+++ SFCROWSNEST HIVEMIND
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RANDOM RECENT HIVEMIND MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Favourite SFF books: Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Stephen Hunt, Raymond
Feist, Robert Rankin, Robin Hobb, Douglas Adams, J.R.R Tolkein etc...
Join SFcrowsnest.com's HiveMind, the social networking hub only for
science fiction and fantasy fans - people just like you, in fact. Unlike
FaceBook, we probably haven't been banned from your work yet!
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/home.php
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+++ Stephen Hunt's THE KINGDOM BEYOND THE WAVES - Paperback out now
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Professor Amelia Harsh is obsessed with finding the lost civilisation of
Camlantis, a legendary city from pre-history that is said to have
conquered hunger, war and disease -- tempering the race of man's baser
instincts by the creation of the perfect pacifist society.
It is an obsession that is to cost her dearly. She returns home to the
Kingdom of Jackals from her latest archaeological misadventure to
discover that the university council has finally stripped her of her
position in retaliation for her heretical research. Without official
funding, Amelia has no choice but to accept the offer of patronage from
the man she blames for her father's bankruptcy and suicide, the fiercely
intelligent and incredibly wealthy Abraham Quest.
He has an ancient crystal-book that suggests the Camlantean ruins are
buried under one of the sea-like lakes that dot the murderous jungles of
Liongeli. Amelia undertakes an expedition deep into the dark heart of
the jungle, blackmailing her old friend Commodore Black into ferrying
her along the huge river of the Shedarkshe on his ancient u-boat.
With an untrustworthy crew of freed convicts, Quest's force of female
mercenaries on board and a lunatic steamman safari hunter acting as
their guide, Amelia's luck can hardly get any worse. But she's as yet
unaware that her quest for the perfect society is about to bring her own
world to the brink of destruction!
HARDBACK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007232209/ref=nosim/scienficticrowst
PAPERBACK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingdom-Beyond-Waves-Stephen-Hunt/dp/0007232217
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+++ DAILY NEWS UPDATES FOR FEBRUARY 2009
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Doing the dinosaur thing
Sci-fi TV series Primeval is back for its third season in the UK with
lots of dinosaurs-falling-through-time-holes action, as well as a
monster from the future that looks distinctly like a Gremlin from the
movie of the same name. Gosh, we're old if we can remember Gremlins I,
II and III.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13562.php
BookViewCafe night at the NYRSF
BookViewCafe.com has been invited to participate in New York Review of
Science Fiction's monthly reading series. On Tuesday February 3rd 2009,
BVC members will be reading at the NYRSF's new meeting place, 12 Fulton
Street in the South Street Seaport in New York City. BVC members that
are scheduled to be on hand include Laura Anne Gilman, Susan Wright, and
Sue Lange.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13563.php
Odyssey Writing Workshop goes blogging
The Odyssey Writing Workshop is launching a blog for writers of fantasy,
science fiction, and horror. Weekly posts will aim to provide insights
into the writing process and the sci-fi publishing industry.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13564.php
Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait scoops Australia's main science
fiction award
Hades Publications has told the Nest that the KA Bedford's science
fiction novel Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait has won Australia's
Aurealis Award, the main award for sci-fi novels down Oz-way.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13559.php
Viz is taking sci-fi Japanese style
US publisher VIZ Media is launching a new science fiction novel imprint
called Haikasoru, which aims to publish contemporary Japanese science
fiction and fantasy stories for English-speaking audiences. This is the
first time an imprint with a dedicated focus on Japanese scifi has
launched in the USA.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13560.php
El Zombo to be El movie
Dark Horse comicbook El Zombo Fantasma is making the leap to the cinema
screen with a movie deal. The tale follows the mysterious murder of the
world's most notorious Mexican wrestler who bargains his way out of an
eternity of fiery damnation by returning to Los Angeles to play guardian
angel to a troublesome teen, Belisa Montoya. He soon discovers that the
teen is not what she seems and that their fates have been intertwined
for centuries.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13561.php
From Bond to TinTin
Principal photography on The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn
movie has started. The little quiffy reporter is being brought to life
by both Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, and has Daniel Craig and
Jamie Bell starring in the film. There's pirates too. Shiver my fantasy
timbers.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13557.php
Timecrimes
Timecrimes is a new Spanish science fiction film written and directed by
Nacho Vigalondo (it was a selected feature back at the 2008 Sundance
Film Festival). Timescrimes is shortly to be remade in the English
language, with David Cronenberg mooted as a potential director.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13558.php
Doctor Who goes bionic
Michelle Ryan, aka the Bionic Woman, and funny man Lee Evans will be
appearing in the first Doctor Who special of 2009.The BBC has told
SFcrowsnest that Michelle Ryan and Lee Evans will guest star in the
forthcoming BBC One Doctor Who Easter special which began filming this
week in Wales.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13555.php
The best fantasy and scifi of 2008
Robert Thompson, better known as the Fantasy Book Critic, has turned his
eyes to the best fantasy and scifi novels of 2008, along with some games
and comics too.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13556.php
Alien Trespass
A new science fiction movie from director/producer RW Goodwin of the The
X-Files fame, and a homage to the science fiction movies of the 1950s.
Set in 1957, Alien Trespass chronicles a fiery object from outer space
that crashes into a mountaintop in the California desert, bringing the
threat of disaster to Earth. Out of the flying saucer escapes a
murderous sci-fi creature, the Ghota, which is bent on destroying all
life forms on the planet.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13552.php
Tomorrow's Memories
The Ghost in the Machine podcast, hosted by fantasy author Gail Z.
Martin is featuring authors Danielle Ackley-McPhail - Yesterday's Dreams
- and Misty Massey - the writer of Mad Kestrel.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13553.php
Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel
A new British sci-fi movie, Frequently Asked Questions About Time
Travel, featuring the star of the TV comedy IT Crowd, Chris O'Dowd. It's
about a sci-fi geek, Ray, who has a well-known obsession with time
travel, so when Cassie, a woman who claims to be from the future
approaches him, he naturally suspects a prank.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13554.php
Le Stephen Hunt
For those of you that like to balance your science fiction and fantasy
novels on the cafe table-tops of Paris as you watch the world go by and
get abused by rude waiters, then here is an interview with SFF novelist
Stephen Hunt in French. Oui, it's true.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13550.php
The Victorious Mongoose concealable ray pistol
One for the collectors of steampunk weapons. A Derringer-esque raygun
contraption embedded in a decadent presentation case.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13551.php
David Gemmell Legend Award for best Fantasy novel
Some good news for the David Gemmell Legend Award for best Fantasy
novel... the award has hit the big time with an article in the Guardian
newspaper.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13548.php
Gary Gianni adaptation of Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Sci-fi publisher Flesk Publications is publishing a graphic novelisation
of Jules, father of steampunk, Vernes' Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the
Sea by the illustrator and writer Gary Gianni. Featuring an introduction
by science fiction author Ray Bradbury, the oversized, hardbound volume
also includes the text of The Sea Raiders, a short story by H.G. Wells,
accompanied by ten illustrations created by Gianni.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13549.php
Xena becomes an Angel of Death
Angel of Death is the new live-action series for Crackle.com, Sony
Pictures's online video network, which stars Zoe Bell (Tarantino's Death
Proof), Doug Jones (Hellboy), Vail Bloom (The Young and the Restless),
and Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), among others. Angel of Death
reunites Lucy Lawless, Ted Raimi, and Zoë Bell - who all worked together
on Xena Warrior Princess. Bell was Lawless's stunt-double on the fantasy
series. The series is created and written by comic book author Ed
Brubaker who has worked on Captain America, Criminal, and Daredevil.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13547.php
The scifi audiobooks must flow
Macmillan Audio has created a behind-the-scenes video about the making
of the Dune sci-fi audiobooks, to coincide with the upcoming publication
of Chapterhouse Dune, the final audio installment of Frank Herbert's
original far future science fiction series.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13542.php
The flatulance of Mars
File this one under possibly sci-fi. A team of NASA and university
scientists has achieved the first definitive detection of methane in the
atmosphere of Mars. This discovery indicates the planet is either
biologically or geologically active.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13543.php
StarGate Universe cast grows
The SCI-FI Channel has told the Nest that Justin Louis, David Blue,
Brian J. Smith and Jamil Walker Smith is to join the cast of the
upcoming television series Stargate Universe. The four will enlist
alongside Robert Carlyle (aka Doctor Nicholas Rush) in the new series.
Production is set to start in Vancouver in February 2009, hoping for an
autumn 2009 premiere.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13544.php
Vikings meet aliens: new Outlander trailer
There's a new trailer just gone up for the science fiction film
Outlander. Aliens meet vikings on ancient Earth, what a movie.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13545.php
Planet 51 trailer
Trailer for an animated science fiction comedy about an alien planet
that bases its society on diddly 1950s US culture, complete with lawns,
happy families and BBQs... then modern Earth people land and muck
everything up.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13546.php
Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait does the double
Canadian publisher EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, has told
us that Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait, by Australian author K. A.
Bedford, has been short listed for the Aurealis award (Australia's main
award for science fiction literature) and the P. K. Dick Award in the
US.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13540.php
Scifi author Jeff VanderMeer goes into a hyper-frenzy
Only a handful of writings have survived to be considered true classics
of great thought: tomes that have provoked discussion, revolution and
changed the world - and madcap scifi author Jeff VanderMeer has just
decided to read them all.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13541.php
The Kingdom Beyond the Waves a top five sci-fi novel
Some news close to home, Stephen Hunt's second fantasy novel, The
Kingdom Beyond the Waves, was recently named one of the best five scifi
and fantasy novels of 2008, alongside the likes of The Steel Remains by
Richard Morgan and House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13538.php
Patrick McGoohan finally escapes the village
Patrick McGoohan, who starred in the classic spy-fi TV show The
Prisoner, has passed away at 80. A great big white bouncing ball is said
to have carried him away from the hospital.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13539.php
Alan Moore's Century
One for the steampunk fans. Alan Moore and The Forbidden Planet's
Padraig O Mealoid have been talking about a follow-up interview ahead of
the first part of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century, coming
out this spring.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13537.php
Lamplighter
Timothy Travaglini, the editor over at GP Putnam's, writes in to tell us
that their YA fantasy novel Lamplighter by D. M. Cornish is now a Best
Young Adult Novel finalist for the 2008 Aurealis Awards, and a Fantasy &
Science Fiction Finalist for the 2008 Cybil Awards.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13535.php
Classic sci-fi artist Edd Cartier dies
Mark R. Leeper reports that the Golden Age science fiction artist Edd
Cartier has sadly passed away.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13536.php
Trailer for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is the second live action movie
based on the Street Fighter series of games. It follows the street
fighter Chun-Li, who will be portrayed by Smallville's star actress
Kristin - Babe - Kreuk.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13533.php
EverQuest collector's edition volume
Sony Online Entertainment held a private event at the US Consumer
Electronics Show to unveil the cover art being used for an upcoming
sci-fi/fantasy book that recounts how massively multiplayer online game
EverQuest became a global phenomenon. The art for EverQuest: The 10th
Anniversary Collector's Edition, created by artist Donato Giancola,
shows elf princess Firiona Vie leading a band of adventurers into battle
against an evil wizard and his enormous dragon ally in the Swamp of No
Hope.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13534.php
Twilight II sees Taylor Lautner return
Taylor Lautner will reprise his role as Jacob Black in the Twilight
movie sequel, New Moon.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13531.php
Necrophenia
Comedy fantasy author Robert Rankin will be signing his novel
Necrophenia at the Forbidden Planet Birmingham Superstore on Friday 16th
January 2009 from 1-2pm and at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore on
Saturday 17th January 2009 1pm-2pm.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13532.php
Killer space weather
A NASA-funded study has found how extreme solar eruptions could have
severe consequences for the future of life on Earth - with
communications, power grids and other technologies on the planet zapped
beyond repair. It isn't sci-fi and it should worry you.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13529.php
Will you enter the horror dimension?
The horror film has long played a leading role in the evolution of 3-D
cinema. The visceral nature of the genre and the format's immersive
effects go together like, well, slashers and scream queens. In fact, the
first big hit of the Golden Age of 3-D was the classic chiller House of
Wax (1953), starring Vincent Price. Audiences were captivated by the
film's stereoscopic visuals and Price's performance in a role that would
make him virtually synonymous with the genre.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13530.php
Orbit going cheap
US science fiction publisher Orbit is currently offering an e-book for
sale each month for $1.00. The scheme will include The Way of Shadows by
Brent Weeks, Empress by Karen Miller, as well as Use of Weapons by Iain
M. Banks.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13525.php
Wolverine and the X-Men toon
Wolverine and the X-Men is a new animated series based on Marvel's
mutant super hero team.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13526.php
SCI-FI Wire goes it alone
SCI FI Channel's SCIFI.com is to spin off its daily entertainment news
service into a new stand alone site.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13527.php
Lost Season Five
This January, Sky1 is screening LOST's fifth and penultimate season in
the UK. It goes even more sci-fi with enough time travelling twists to
give Doctor Who a headache.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13528.php
Matt The Eleventh
News comment by GF Willmetts. The BBC announced on Saturday 03 January
2009 that the eleventh lead actor in 'Doctor Who' is to be twenty-six
year-old Matt Smith. The way things are going, the thirteenth
regeneration won't have been born yet as the Doctor becomes increasingly
younger.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13522.php
Shambling Towards Hiroshima
There's now an online video for James Morrow's new scifi novel Shambling
Towards Hiroshima.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13523.php
The Situation
Jeff VanderMeer's novelette The Situation, from PS Publishing, is now up
as a free Adobe PDF file download from Wired.com's GeekDad site.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13524.php
Matt Smith is the new Doctor Who
The BBC has told SFcrowsnest that Matt Smith has been cast in the role
of the Doctor in the BBC scifi series Doctor Who.
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/news/arc/2009/nz13521.php
Got news for us? Send your press releases to
pressre-@sfcrowsnest.com
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Stephen Hunt's +++ THE COURT OF THE AIR +++
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
When streetwise Molly Templar witnesses a brutal murder at the brothel
she has recently been apprenticed to, her first instinct is to run back
to the poorhouse where she grew up. But there she finds her fellow
orphans butchered, and it slowly dawns on her that she was the real
target of the attack. For Molly carries a secret deep in her blood, a
secret that marks her out for destruction by enemies of the state.
Oliver brooks has led a sheltered existence in the backwater home of his
merchant uncle. But when he is framed for his only relative's murder he
is forced to flee for his life, accompanied by a agent of the mysterious
Court of the Air. Chased across the country, Oliver finds himself in the
company of thieves, outlaws and spies, and gradually learns more about
the secret that has blighted his life.
Soon Molly and Oliver will find themselves battling a grave threat to
civilisation, an ancient power thought to have been quelled millennia
ago.
Their enemies are ruthless and myriad, but indomitable friends in this
endlessly inventive tale full of drama, intrigue and adventure also aid
the two orphans.
"An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels."
- THE TIMES newspaper: May 7, 2007 (Review: Hardback edition, The Court
of the Air)
"Hunt can take his place alongside such eminent Magratheans as JRR
Tolkien, Mervyn Peake and China Mieville. Creating a fully realised
other-world which feels new and different, yet cohesive and believable
is half the battle in a fantasy novel, and it is a battle Hunt wins with
honours... Hunt's world is so rich and colourful it keeps you engrossed
... It's a confident audacious novel."
- SFX magazine: FEBRUARY 2009 (Review: Hardback edition, The Court of
the Air)
"The characters are convincing and colourful, but the real achievement
is the setting, a hellish take on Victorian London where grim,
steam-driven machines work beside citizens with magical powers. The
Court of the Air is aimed at young adults, but the depth and complexity
of Hunt's vision makes it compulsive reading for all ages."
- THE GUARDIAN newspaper: May 21st 2007 (Review: Hardback edition, The
Court of the Air)
'Wonderfully assured ... Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it
to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension'
TIME OUT magazine: October 2007 (Review: Paperback edition, The Court of
the Air)
Click here for free sample chapters...
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/author/sh_courtoftheair_home.php
@@@ HARDBACK (USA edition coming FEBRUARY 2009)
NEW - Tor's U.S. edition hardcover - Amazon USA
http://www.amazon.com/Court-Air-Stephen-Hunt/dp/0765320428/
@@@ PAPERBACK (UK edition out now)
| | | | Order now from Amazon UK <<
|
|
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007232187/ref=nosim/scienficticrowst
| | | | Order now from Amazon Canada <<
|
|
http://www.amazon.ca/Court-Air-Stephen-Hunt/dp/0007232187/
| | | | Order now from Amazon Japan <<
|
|
http://www.amazon.co.jp/Court-Air-Stephen-Hunt/dp/0007232187/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
+++ CALL FOR CONTRIBUTORS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the nice things about being online is that SFcrowsnest can
publish slightly off-the-wall material that would never find a home in a
highly targeted advertising-ruled print magazine world. An article we
always trot out as an example of this, is Uncle Geoff's piece about what
the heck fuel & engine combination the Thunderbirds craft might have
used in the classic 1960s TV series of the same name.
Let's face it, you're never going to read the likes of that in Analog,
Starlog, Starburst, Interzone or the rest of the print world's
publications! If there's an article inside you - could be continuity
errors in Andromeda, your latest work of short fiction, or just why you
think Iain Banks' novels are the greatest SF since a little man called
Verne put pen to paper - do drop Geoff a line below. Articles, fiction,
reviews and pieces you've already completed should ideally be submitted
as Microsoft Word attachments.
Contact Uncle Geoff in the rainy English countryside at
contrib-@sfcrowsnest.com
We still fund this puppy's bandwidth and other miscellaneous expenses
out of our own pocket, so the spirit of volunteerism is about the only
thing that keeps our happy ship in hyperspace. Any time, articles,
stories or reviews you can submit are always appreciated.
Current requirements: FEBRUARY 2009
- short fiction
- articles
- comment pieces
- convention reports
- web site reviews
- book reviewers (see below)
- Television reviews ... Stargate, Andromeda, Trek etc
- Movie reviews
- Games reviews ... RPGs, scenarios, wargames etc
- SFF models and figures ... reviews, painting tips, scratchbuilds,
conversions
BTW, if you're interested in becoming a book or DVD reviewer, we'd
really, really (no, really) appreciate it if you were UK-based. Posting
out the hundred of goodies we get every week is an expensive business,
and extra airmail costs could lead to Geoff, Jessica, Mark and Steve
eating dog food in a crazed economy-drive of death. Of course, if you're
based in the US, Canada or Australia and you fancy reviewing your own
drip-feed of goodies resulting from your science fiction and fantasy
addiction, then that okay by us ... but we can't supply you ourselves!
Sorry.
-----------------------------------------
+++ ET AL
-----------------------------------------
Know of any science fiction and fantasy pals who don't yet receive this
fine monthly magazine? Forward it to them and let them quiver in awe of
your highly evolved and very discriminating SFF-loving taste. Then twist
the arms of the little blighters in a cruel-to-be-kind attempt to get
them to subscribe free too!
Add science fiction & fantasy to your Google Toolbar
http://toolbar.google.com/buttons/add?url=http://www.SFcrowsnest.com/googlebutton.xml
Not got Google Toolbar? Click here first...
http://toolbar.google.com/
SFcrowsnest Daily Sci-Fi News via RSS feed
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/rss.xml
| | | | | | OUR ONLINE COMMUNITIES <<<
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SFcrowsnest.com FaceBook Page (the Nest's community on FaceBook )
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21093694832
Stephen Hunt's Rule Jackelia FaceBook Group (for FaceBook-based fans of
SH's novels)
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=34257537930
Stephen Hunt FaceBook Page (SH's personal page for his FaceBook friends)
http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephen_Hunt/767028254
Stephen Hunt's HiveMind Page (SH's personal page for his HiveMind
friends)
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/profile.php?user=StephenHunt
Stephen Hunt's The Jackelians HiveMind Group (for HiveMind-based fans of
SH's novels)
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/hivemind/group.php?group_id=1
Content is copyright (c) 1991-2009 SFcrowsnest and/or its respective
contributors.
January 2009 circulation was: 752,735 readers, who read 3.31 million
articles, generating 42.4 million hits.
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