Some New Reviews

The Sacramento Book Review reviews Federations:

“For this anthology of twenty-four stories, editor John Joseph Adams tasked some of the brightest luminaries of speculative fiction to write stories of vast, galaxy-spanning empires and the people that live in them. … By mixing writers with great experience in with newer authors, Adams captures both the feel of the old pulp magazines and the practical elements of the ever-changing science of astronomy and space travel. … Editor Adams has collected both the finest writers and their finest tales in the definitive volume of vast, epic, interstellar Federations.”

Bibliophile Stalker reviews Federations:

“It’s a testament to the strength of the editor when a mixed anthology–one that features both reprints and original stories–features a consistent selection that one has trouble discerning which is which (or ceases to care about identifying them). Federations is one of those anthologies where I open the book and each story is a treat. … Federations is an accessible science fiction anthology and features both recognizable and refreshing elements of the genre. … [O]ne of the more enjoyable books I’ve encountered in quite some time”

BookPage Magazine reviews By Blood We Live:

“More than anything, this anthology demonstrates that the vampire is not only undead but mutable, and in the best writers’ hands, a tool for analyzing our mortal frailty and resilience in the teeth of unadulterated evil and unimaginable love.”

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Readercon Schedule

I’ll be attending Readercon next weekend (July 9-12, in Burlington, Mass.). Here’s my schedule:

Friday 7:00 PM
Salon F: Autographing

Friday 11:00 PM
Meet the Pros(e) Party

Saturday 12:00 Noon
VT: Group Reading

Federations Group Reading (60 min.)

John Joseph Adams (host) with K. Tempest Bradford, Robert J. Sawyer, Allen Steele, Catherynne M. Valente,
Genevieve Valentine

Readings from the original and reprint anthology (cover blurb: “Vast. Epic. Interstellar.”) edited by Adams and published by Prime Books in January.

Sunday 1:00 PM
Salon A: Panel

We Won, We Lost.  John Joseph Adams, Michael A. Burstein, F. Brett Cox (L), Paul Di Filippo, Robert Killheffer, Michaela Roessner

[Greatest Hit from Readercon 12.]  It’s an sf world. Our once-visionary iconography is now commonplace. The present turns into the future even before we wear it comfortably, let alone wear it out, and this sense of constant change is now the common currency of our culture  rather than our precious private truth. And yet the sf readership shrinks, or at least gets older, every year; as sf media ascends (and merges with real life), the written sf word seems ever more irrelevant-and certainly wins no greater prestige for its creators than in the past. Maybe this has nothing to do with sf, but just reflects the death of reading (a development we perhaps ironically foresaw). But maybe somehow the contents of sf, the accidents, have conquered mass culture, but some crucial part of the form, the essence, has been left behind. Is it an sf world after all? Or just a holographic simulation of one?

ALSO, in addition to these programming items, it looks like I might just be hosting a con-sanctioned Rock Band party in one of the con rooms after hours, sort of as counter-programming to the inevitable Mafia games.

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Philadelphia Science Fiction Society event

I’ll be speaking at the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society on July 17. If you’re in the area, drop by! The event is free and open to the public. They will have copies of my books on hand to sell and for me to sign. Here’s the press release about the event.

The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society

The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society brings in a professional writer, artist, editor, or some other kind of mover and shaker in the Science Fiction genre, nearly every month.

July’s guest will be:

John Joseph Adams

Friday July 17th at International House 3701 Chestnut St. Phila. PA  9:00 PM

 

John Joseph Adams is the editor of the anthologies Federations, The Living Dead, Seeds of Change, and Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse. Forthcoming work includes the anthologies Brave New Worlds, By Blood We Live, The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Living Dead 2, The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination, and The Way of the Wizard. He is also the assistant editor at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Adams also works as a freelance writer. He is currently a blogger for Tor.com, and he has written reviews for Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show. His other non-fiction has appeared in: Amazing Stories, The Internet Review of Science Fiction, Locus Magazine, Novel & Short Story Writers Market, Science Fiction Weekly, SCI FI Wire, Shimmer, Strange Horizons, Subterranean Magazine, and Writer’s Digest.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from The University of Central Florida in December 2000. He currently lives in New Jersey. His website is www.johnjosephadams.com.

 

The event is free and open to the public. There will be books on hand for purchase and signing.

Past guests include:

Forrest J. Ackerman, Poul & Karen Anderson, Catherine Asaro, Terry Bisson, Jeff Bredenberg, Lois McMaster Bujold, P.D.  Cacek, Ray Cannella, Jack Chalker, David A. Cherry, C.J.  Cherryh, Hal Clement, Greg Costikyan, A.C.  Crispin, Tony Daniels, Peter David, John DeChancie, Samuel Delaney, Vincent DiFate, Gardner Dozois, George Alec Effinger, Bob Eggleton, Lloyd Eschbach, Mark Fabi, Jan Howard Finder, Leslie Fish, Phil & Kaja Folio, Esther Friesner, Gregory Frost, Craig Shaw Gardner, Marty Gear, David Gerrold, Alexis & Dolly Gilliland, Charles Grant, James Gurney, Laurell K. Hamilton, Elizabeth Hand, David Hartwell, Bruce Jensen, Janet Kagan, James Patrick Kelly, John Kessel, Angela Kessler, Todd Kimmell, Eric Kotani, Nancy Kress, Ellen Kushner, David A. Kyle, Warren Lapine, Jonathan Lethem, Shariann Lewitt, Kelly Link, Don Maitz, George R.R. Martin, Lisa Mason, David Mattingly, Julian May, Jack McDevitt, Maureen McHugh, Catherine Mintz, Stuart Moore, James Morrow, Larry Niven, John Norman, Rebecca Ore, Severna Park, John Passarella, Frederik Pohl, Andrew I. Porter, Tom Purdom, Roman A. Ranieri, Mike Resnick, Mark Rogers, Steve Saffel, Pamela Sargent, Felicity Savage, Robert Sawyer, Charles Sheffield, Joan Slonczewski, Allen Steele, Michael Swanwick, Shane Tourtellotte, Bob Walters, Martha Wells, Janny Wurts, Stephen Youll, Timothy Zazhn, George Zebrowski

PSFS:  www.psfs.org

Philcon: www.philcon.org

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Come Meet Me & Authors from Federations

I’ll be guest-curating the New York Review of Science Fiction reading series in July. See the press release below for details!

The New York Review of Science Fiction Readings

&

The South Street Seaport Museum

PRESENT

Readings from Federations

K. Tempest Bradford

Allen Steele

Genevieve Valentine

Guest Curator

John Joseph Adams

 

     Tuesday, July 7th — Doors open 6:30 PM

     $5 suggested donation

     South Street Seaport Museum

     12 Fulton Street

(directions and links below)

 

Usually our season runs through June, but when editor John Joseph Adams approached us with the opportunity to celebrate his new science fiction anthology, FEDERATIONS, we couldn’t resist adding an extra date to the season.

FEDERATIONS From Star Trek to Star Wars, and from Dune to Foundation, science fiction has a rich history of exploring the idea of vast interstellar societies, and the challenges facing those living in or trying to manage such societies. The stories in Federations continue that tradition, and therein you can find a mix of all-new, original fiction, alongside selected reprints from authors whose work exemplifies what interstellar SF is capable of, including Lois McMaster Bujold, Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, George R. R. Martin, L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Alastair Reynolds, Robert J. Sawyer, Robert Silverberg, Harry Turtledove, and many more. To learn more about the anthology (or read several complete stories from the book), visit the anthology’s Web site, https://www.johnjosephadams.com/federations.

K. Tempest Bradford’s fiction has appeared in Sybil’s Garage, Electric Velocipede, Podcastle, and Strange Horizons. She also contributes non-fiction essays and columns to Tor.com, Fantasy Magazine, and the Carl Brandon Society blog. Her Web site is http://ktempestbradford.com/

Allen Steele is the two-time Hugo Award-winning author of the novels Orbital Decay, Lunar Descent, Chronospace, Spindrift, and many others. Over the last several years, he’s been focusing on writing and expanding his Coyote milieu, of which his story in Federations is a part. The most recent novel in the Coyoteverse, Coyote Horizon, came out in March, and will be followed by Coyote Destiny. Steele is also a prolific writer of short fiction, with four published collections, and a new one—The Last Science Fiction Writer—on the way. His stories have appeared in the magazines Asimov’s Science Fiction, Analog, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Omni, Science Fiction Age, and in numerous anthologies. His Web site is http://allensteele.com.

Genevieve Valentine’s fiction has appeared in or is forthcoming in Strange Horizons, Journal of Mythic Arts, Fantasy Magazine, Farrago’s Wainscot, Sybil’s Garage, and Escape Pod. She is a columnist for Tor.com and Fantasy Magazine. Her appetite for good costumes and bad movies is insatiable, obsessions she tracks on her blog, http://glvalentine.livejournal.com.

John Joseph Adams is the editor of the anthologies Federations, The Living Dead, Seeds of Change, and Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse. Forthcoming work includes the anthologies Brave New Worlds, By Blood We Live, The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Living Dead 2, The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination, and The Way of the Wizard. He is also the assistant editor at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and a columnist for Tor.com. To learn more, visit his Web site at https://www.johnjosephadams.com/. 

—

The New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series is wrapping up its 19th season of providing performances from some of the best writers in science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, etc.  The series takes place the first Tuesday of every month at the South Street Seaport Museum.  We have been known to move from one venue to another within the museum, so check each time.  We are currently at 12 Fulton Street on the 4th Floor.  Admission is by a $5 donation.  If circumstances make this a hardship, let us know and we will accommodate you.  The producer and executive curator is radio producer and talk show host Jim Freund.
—
WHEN:
Tuesday, 7/7/9
Doors open at 6:30 — event begins at 7
WHERE:
The South Street Seaport Museum
12 Fulton Street — 4th floor
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=12+fulton+street,+ny
HOW:
By Subway
Take 2, 3, 4, 5, J, Z, or M to Fulton Street; A and C to
Broadway-Nassau. Walk east on Fulton Street to Water Street
By Bus
Take M15 (South Ferry-bound) down Second Ave. to Fulton Street
By Car
  From the West Side: take West Street southbound. Follow signs to FDR
Drive Take underpass, keep right – use Exit 1 at end of underpass. Turn
right on South Street, six blocks.
  From the East Side, take FDR Drive south to Exit 3 onto South Street
Proceed about 1 mile.
By Boat
http://nywaterway.com/ferry/terminals/wallstreet.asp

or http://www.nywatertaxi.com

LINKS:
http://hourwolf.com/nyrsf
http://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/

http://nyrsf.com

—

Coming up:

Our 20th Anniversary Season!

—
The New York Review of Science Fiction magazine is celebrating its 20th year!
Subscribe or submit articles to the magazine!
   New York Review of Science Fiction
   PO. Box 78, Pleasantville, NY, 10570
   NYRSF Magazine: http://nyrsf.com

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Guidelines: The Way of the Wizard

Story Guidelines

(a) The story should be about a wizard, witch, sorcerer, sorceress, of some kind (basically, any sort of user of magic).

(b) The fact that the story has wizards in it should be vital to the story, i.e., magic should be an important factor in the resolution of the plot.

(c) The wizards should be literal, in that they do actual magic, not like a pinball wizard or something like that.

(d) I’m interested in all types of wizard tales, but am especially interested in seeing some stories that explore the idea of wizardry from a non-traditional viewpoint–i.e., something based on the Chilean Kalku or on the supernatural practices of other cultures.

(e) The story may be set in a secondary world, the real world, the present, or in a historical time period…let your imagination run wild.

Genres: Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror. Obviously wizard stories tend to be fantasy, but some sort of SFnal take on the theme would be acceptable.

Reprints/Originals: Original fiction strongly preferred. The anthology will include some reprints, but I will be very selective in my choices given I have all of sf/fantasy history to choose from. If you want to submit a reprint or submit a recommendation for a reprint, instructions for that are here.

Payment: 5 cents per word ($250 max), plus a pro-rata share of 50% of the anthology’s earnings and 1 contributor copy.

Word limit: 5000 words. (Stories may exceed 5000 words, but $250 is the maximum payment per story, and stories 5000 words or less are strongly preferred.)

Rights: First world English rights, non-exclusive world anthology rights, and non-exclusive audio anthology rights. See my boilerplate author-anthologist contract, which spells out the rights in detail.

Reading Period: July 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010.

Response Time: I will be making all of my final decisions in April and May 2010, so if you submit early, your story might be held for consideration for a long time. Most rejections will be sent out quickly, however, so I’ll only hold onto a story if I’m seriously considering it, and if that happens, I’ll notify you.

Publication date: November 2010

Publisher: Prime Books

Submission Instructions: Email your story in .doc Microsoft Word format (preferred) or .rtf rich-text format to jjadams.anthology@gmail.com. Include the words “Wizards Submission” and the title of the story and your byline in the subject line of the email (i.e., Re: Wizards Submission: “The Wizard’s Revenge” by Slushy P. Slusherton). ETA: There is no need to query first. Submissions should be made in standard manuscript format.

About the Editor

John Joseph Adams is the editor of the anthologies Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse, Seeds of Change, The Living Dead, and Federations. Forthcoming work includes By Blood We Live (August 2009), The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (September 2009), and The Living Dead 2 (Fall 2010). He is also the assistant editor at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. For more information, visit his website, www.johnjosephadams.com.

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New Anthology Sale: The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination

From Victor Frankenstein to Lex Luthor, from Dr. Moreau to Dr. Doom, readers have long been fascinated by megalomaniacal plans for world domination and the madmen who come up with them. Typically, we see these villains through the eyes of superheroes (or other good guys) as they attempt to put an end to their evil ways. This anthology, however, will explore the world of mad scientists and evil geniuses–from their own point of view.

Evil geniuses are always so keen on telling captured heroes all their fiendish plans. Isn’t it about time someone gave them a platform such as this one to reach the masses with their messages of hope death and prosperity destruction?

Publisher: Tor

Publication date: TBD, circa 2011

Note for writers: I’m not sure yet if I’ll be able to have an open submission period for this anthology, given the limited space I have to work with (I had to get commitments from a lot of writers to sell the book), but if I do, I’ll announce that here. If I’m familiar with your work already, and you’re keen on this idea, feel free to query me about writing something. I’d really like to have an open reading period, but not sure it’s going to happen at this point; this is the best I can do for now. Watch this space for updates.

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Listen to Federations

StarShipSofa has posted a podcast of Jeremiah Tolbert’s story from Federations,  “The Culture Archivist,” which Tolbert describes as his take on “what if the Star Trek Federation were actually capitalist bastards.”

In other Federations-related news, contributor Catherynne M. Valente (“Golubash, or Wine-War-Blood-Elegy”) has developed a cool an unique piece of work based on her story. It’s a “ReadMix,” which is basically a song with text from the story being read in the background, all mixed and such to create a piece of music. The song is called “Wine is a Story,” and you can read more about it and listen to it here.

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