Spellbinder Is A Love Story
SCI FI Wire just published a piece I wrote about Melanie Rawn’s new novel, Spellbinder.
STRONG MEDICINE book reviews: October 2006
Intergalactic Medicine Show published my October book reviews today. This month, I review Wings to the Kingdom by Cherie Priest, The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld, and Majestrum by Matthew Hughes.
[Excerpt:] Although billed as the second book of a trilogy (following the excellent Four and Twenty Blackbirds), Wings to the Kingdom stands completely on its own. You should read Four and Twenty Blackbirds first, but only because it’s a great book; you don’t need to have read it to enjoy Wings. One unusual thing about Wings, as the second book of a trilogy, is how different in tone it is to Blackbirds; whereas Blackbirds felt like a modern take on classic gothic horror, Wings feels much more like a contemporary horror novel. Or a better way to put it might be to say that Blackbirds was more of a literary horror novel, while Wings is more of a fun and Buffyesque one. Which is not to say it is in any way inferior; Priest somehow manages both modes with equal skill.
Go read the whole thing and tell me what you think!
Outlander Keeps Galloping
SCI FI Wire just published a piece I wrote about Diana Gabaldon’s novel A Breath of Snow and Ashes, which was recently named as a finalist for the Quill Awards.
Does anyone know a good goat wholesaler?
F&SF Oct-Nov 2006: Favorite Story Poll
What was your favorite story in the Oct-Nov 2006 issue? Vote in the poll! Let your voice be heard!
F&SF Oct-Nov 2006: Favorite Story Poll
VOTING HAS CLOSED
Selection
Votes
Abandon the Ruins – Charles Coleman Finlay
16%
El Regalo – Peter S. Beagle
16%
Pop Squad – Paolo Bacigalupi
32%
Pol Pot’s Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy) – Geoff Ryman
18%
Revelation – Albert E. Cowdrey
3%
Killers – Carol Emshwiller
5%
With By Good Intentions – Carrie Richerson
8%
I was not overly impressed with any of them.
3% 
38 votes total
September 2006 Acquisitions
A small batch this month. We’ve got a post-Katrina New Orleans story from a man who witnessed the carnage first-hand: Albert Cowdrey; a humorous tale about a writer’s attempt to ghostwrite a memoir for a witch-queen from Ron Goulart; and a tale of xenoanthropology from Lawrence C. Connolly (returning to the pages of F&SF at last!). We also bought reprint rights to Paolo Bacigalupi’s “The Tamarisk Hunter,” which originally appeared in a special edition of High Country News, an environmental newspaper.
Oh, and somewhere in the nether-realms between monthly acquisitions, we bought a new Neil Gaiman story, which I don’t think I previously announced because it wasn’t finalized yet.
Don’t despair slushbombers: I don’t think Gordon’s gone through all that stuff yet (or at least hasn’t made final decisions on it, anyway).
Endymion Is Book Of Books
SCI FI Wire just published a piece I wrote about Matthew Skelton’s YA novel Endymion Spring.
Days Started With A Band
I just realized that I forgot to post a link to one of my SCI FI Wire stories (and forgot to mark it down on my invoice, which is more important). In any case, at Worldcon, I interviewed Scott Westerfeld about his new novel, The Last Days.
New Art Blog
SF/fantasy artist (and frequent creator of F&SF covers) Maurizio Manzieri has just started a blog. His first few posts detail the creation of his most recent F&SF cover, which was for Donald Mead’s “iKlawa.” For those of you who have had illustrations based on your work, it’s an interesting insight into the creative process of the artist as he tries to translate your vision from prose into pictures. And for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure as of yet, well, it’s still interesting.
Priest Serial
Subterranean is serializing Cherie Priest’s new novella “The Wreck of the Mary Byrd,” which is the first part of a new book called Dreadful Skin (Feb. 2007). The first three chapters are up now, and updates will be posted throughout the month. Go read!