NEWS: Myke Cole, Weston Ochse, and I Discuss OPERATION ARCANA on the Latest Episode of The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy

Myke Cole, Weston Ochse, and I discuss OPERATION ARCANA on the latest episode of The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy:

Fantasy books are full of epic battles like the Battle of Helm’s Deep from Lord of the Rings. And for most fans just reading about such battles is enough, but some fans go further, enlisting in the military in order to live out real-life adventures. One of them is Weston Ochse, a thirty-year military vet who still works with the military, traveling regularly to warzones in countries like Afghanistan. He traces his yearning for adventure back to reading The Hobbit as a child.

“That desire was definitely inculcated by the idea that one lone hobbit can make a difference,” Ochse says in Episode 143 of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast. “And if one lone hobbit can make a difference, then this poor guy from Tennessee can make a difference too. So absolutely it was inspirational.”

Read the article and/or listen to the whole episode over at Wired.com. [read | listen]

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NEWS: Pay-What-You-Want for the Humble “Post-Apocalyptic” Book Bundle, including THE END IS NIGH!

I helped curate the latest Humble Bundle, which includes THE END IS NIGH, as well as a mini-bundle of Lightspeed issues that contain apocalyptic stories.

You can pay-what-you-want to get the bundle, which includes a great assortment of titles. Here’s more about the Bundle and how Humble Bundle works, from the press release:

Today Humble Bundle has launched its latest curated bundle featuring a mix of books, comics, magazines, an audiobook, plus a game, each with a post-apocalyptic bent to them. For this sci-fi themed bundle, Humble is partnering with some of the leading publishers from around the country such as Broad Reach Publishing, Open Road, Dark Horse, Tachyon, Drawn & Quarterly, iBooks, Trion Worlds, Penguin Random House UK, Diversion Books, Oni Press, Prime Books, and Lightspeed Magazine, many of which Humble has successfully partnered with before.

This Humble Book Bundle boasts works by some of the top writers, artists, and editors in literature and comics including Octavia Butler, Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, David Lapham, Hugh Howey, Brian Wood,Brian Ralph, Kim Stanley Robinson, Roger Zelazny, MK Wren, Antony Johnston, Cory Doctorow, John Joseph Adams, Walter Mosley, Fritz Leiber, George R. R. Martin, Lauren Beukes, Paolo Bacigalupi, Nancy Kress, and many more.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books

Customers can name their price for Lightspeed Magazine, July 2010;Lightspeed Magazine; March 2013; A Gift Upon the Shore; Wasteland Vol. 1: Cities In Dust; After the End: Recent Apocalypses; Gather, Darkness!; Wool – Omnibus Edition (Audiobook); and Defiance (Game).

Those who pay more than the average price will also receive Futureland;After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall; The Massive Vol. 1: Black Pacific; Daybreak; The Wild Shore; and Damnation Alley.

Customers who pay $15 or more will receive all of the above plus The End is Nigh; Parable of the Sower; and The Strain Vol. 1.

Additional titles will be unveiled mid-promotion on March 25.

“We are so excited about the launch of this mixed multi media bundle, our first ever to include books, graphic novels, magazines, an audiobook, and a game!” said Humble Bundle Director of Books Kelley Allen. “John Joseph Adams is very well read in this particular sub-genre and together we worked for months curating the list, searching for the best “post apoc” titles from beloved and popular authors. We also have titles from some very promising up-and-comers as well. A complete collection to tide you over after the End Days!”

As with all Humble Bundles, customers can choose how their purchase dollars are allocated, between the publisher and charity. The Humble Post Apocalyptic Book Bundle supports both Worldbuilders, whose mission is to unite the geek community in hopes of bringing about long lasting change in the world, and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America Emergency Medical and Legal Fund, established to assist eligible member writers who have unexpected medical expenses and to create loans for eligible member writers who have writing-related court costs and other related legal expenses.

The Humble Post-Apocalyptic Book Bundle runs from now until Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 11 a.m. Pacific time.

And here’s a bit about Humble Bundle: Humble Bundle organizes pay-what-you-want plus charity promotions for awesome digital content and puts the power directly in the hands of the consumers, offering them fully-featured titles at prices they set themselves. Consumers pay what they want and decide how to allocate their money between content creators, charity and a humble tip. Humble Bundle also offers the Humble Store, a digital storefront that features great games at great prices with a portion of sales going to select charities. Since the company’s launch in 2010, Humble Bundle has helped empower its community to allocate more than $54 million toward charity to date. For more information, please visit humblebundle.com.

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INTERVIEW: SF Signal on Wastelands 2

SF Signal interviews me about Wastelands 2:

What do you especially enjoy about editing anthologies, and what kinds of special problems do anthologies present (i.e. choosing stories, contacting authors, winnowing, etc.)?

JJA: When I’m doing a reprint anthology like Wastelands 2, I enjoy being a curator, and it’s a responsibility I take very seriously. When you read one of my anthologies, I want it to be clear that much more went into it than just slapping the first X number of stories I found between two covers; when I do a reprint volume, I really try to search far and wide, and cast as wide a net as possible to ensure that I included all of the best material on the given topic that is available. I read everything you so you don’t have to; “Trust me,” I say, “I’ve conducted an extensive survey of the field, and these are all the stories on this particular theme that you need to read.”

Read the whole thing at SF Signal!

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NEWS: OPERATION ARCANA is Now Available!

Operation Arcana, my new anthology of military fantasy, is now available from Baen Books.

COVER COPY:

In the realms of fantasy, the battlefield is where heroism comes alive, magic is unleashed, and legends are made and unmade. From the War of the Ring, Tolkien’s epic battle of good versus evil, to The Battle of the Blackwater, George R.R. Martin’s grim portrait of the horror and futility of war, these fantastical conflicts reflect our highest hopes and darkest fears, bringing us mesmerizing visions of silver spears shining in the sun and vast hordes of savage beasts who threaten to destroy all that we hold dear.

Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams is sounding the battle cry and sixteen of today’s top authors are reporting for duty, spinning never-before-published, spellbinding tales of military fantasy, including a Black Company story from Glen Cook, a Paksenarrion story from Elizabeth Moon, and a Shadow Ops story by Myke Cole. Within these pages you’ll also find World War I trenches cloaked in poison gas and sorcery, modern day elite special forces battling hosts of the damned, and steampunk soldiers fighting for their lives in a world torn apart by powers that defy imagination.

Featuring both grizzled veterans and fresh young recruits alike, including Tanya Huff, Simon R. Green, Carrie Vaughn, Jonathan Maberry, and Seanan McGuire, Operation Arcana is a must for any military buff or fantasy fan. You’ll never look at war the same way again.

Operation Arcana

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  • INTRODUCTION—John Joseph Adams
  • RULES OF ENCHANTMENT—David Klecha & Tobias S. Buckell
  • THE DAMNED ONE HUNDRED—Jonathan Maberry
  • BLOOD, ASH, BRAIDS—Genevieve Valentine
  • MERCENARY’S HONOR—Elizabeth Moon
  • THE GUNS OF THE WASTES—Django Wexler
  • THE GRAPHOLOGY OF HEMORRHAGE—Yoon Ha Lee
  • AMERICAN GOLEM—Weston Ochse
  • WEAPONS IN THE EARTH—Myke Cole
  • HEAVY SULFUR—Ari Marmell
  • STEEL SHIPS—Tanya Huff
  • SEALSKIN—Carrie Vaughn
  • PATHFINDER—T.C. McCarthy
  • BONE EATERS—Glen Cook
  • BOMBER’S MOON—Simon R. Green
  • IN SKELETON LEAVES—Seanan McGuire
  • THE WAY HOME—Linda Nagata

 BUY THE BOOK:

If you’d like to learn more about the book, read stories from the anthology for free online, or read interviews with the authors, visit my Operation Arcana website at johnjosephadams.com/operation-arcana.

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