Wastelands on Sale?
Amazon.com is indicating that they have stock of Wastelands already, though I haven’t seen copies of it yet. But if they really do have it in stock already, let me tell you, it’ll make a wonderful holiday gift.
"The Quest for Creeping Charlie" by James Powell
James Powell, whose story "The Quest for Creeping Charlie" appears in the January 2008 issue of F&SF, said in an interview that the story is about a man who sets out to find a creature called the megamensalopes. "In the early 1950s in Toronto George Muir, a university student, finds this quotation in a book: ‘When asked to name the smartest of all the animals an ancient wise man replied, "Surely the megamensalopes, because they have avoided discovery by man."’ Then and there Muir decides that he will set out on a quest to find the megamensalopes," Powell said.
Muir joins the Toronto branch of the Explorers Club and pores over maps of the remote corners of the world where he believes the creatures must exist. "Then he has a revelation. Perhaps the creatures needed to live close to man where they could learn from him while, at the same time, avoiding discovery. Perhaps they were right there in Toronto," Powell said. "So he begins his search closer to home, using all his free time to find the creatures. He decides they graze on the common ground ivy Canadians call Creeping Charlie and because ‘megamensalope’ is too much of a mouthful and because we are what we eat he names his quarry ‘Creeping Charlie.’ His search costs him his marriage and his life in more ways that one."
NPR…at last!
The NPR piece I’m quoted in is available now (after a delay of a day), though it’s only about a minute of me (if that), and you can actually read the prose version of the piece on the NPR website.
Overall, I’m kind of disappointed. I mean, I wasn’t promised a large segment or anything, but I guess I just thought that our conversation went to more interesting places than what was quoted. I expect any of you who were looking forward to listening to it will be disappointed too.
And Christ, what an awful, awful voice I have.
But hopefully it’ll be good exposure for the book. I already got an email from someone who heard the show. It was someone I’d corresponded with a while back, not a stranger, but still.
Bumped!
Looks like my segment got bumped again from All Things Considered. There’s a note on the page, though, promising it will air tomorrow:
COMING UP:
Dec. 16 · A 1950s novella gets its fourth big-screen adaptation with I Am Legend. Neda Ulaby talks to the original story’s fans and the film’s creators to find out why the apocalypse just keeps on coming.
Books Received 12/15/07
Child of a Dead God
Authors: Barb Hendee & J.C. Hendee
Book Description: For years, Magiere and Leesil have sought a long-forgotten artifact, even though its purpose has been shrouded in mystery. All Magiere knows is that she must keep the orb from falling into the hands of a murdering Noble Dead, her half-brother Welstiel. And now, dreams of a castle locked in ice lead her south, on a journey that has become nothing less than an obsession. | Accompanying Magiere and Leesil are the sage Wynn, their canine protector Chap, and two elven assassins-turned-guardians who must fight their distrust of this sister of the dead. For forces more powerful than they are rallying around Magiere, arming her for the conflict to come. Because finding the orb may be just the beginning of the challenges that await her…
Breath and Bone
Author: Carol Berg
Book Description: As the land of Navronne sinks deeper into civil war and perilous winter, everyone wants to get their hands on the rebellious sorcerer Valen-a murderous priestess, a prince who steals dead men’s eyes, and even the Danae guardians, whose magic nurtures the earth and whose attention could prove the most costly of all. | Addicted to an enchantment that turns pain into pleasure-and bound by oaths he refuses to abandon-Valen risks body and soul to rescue one child, seek justice for another, and bring the dying land its rightful king. Yet no one is who they seem, and Valen’s search for healing grace leads him from Harrower dungeons to alien shores. Only at the heart of the world does he discover the glorious, terrible price of the land’s redemption-and his own.
The Vacant Throne
Author: Joshua Palmatier
Book Description: Ruled by the Mistress of the Skewed Throne, the city of Amenkor has just survived a devastating invasion, paying a terrible price both in the loss of lives and destruction in the city itself. Yet perhaps the most crucial loss is the throne of Amenkor-the true seat of power in every sense-now totally drained of the magic, knowledge, life force, and memories of previous rulers. The city’s only hope lies with its sometime ally, the city of Venitte, home to the throne that is twin in power to Amenkor’s, the two created at the same time by a magic that no one can now duplicate.
The Escapement
Author: K. J. Parker
Book Description: The engineer Ziani Vaatzes engineered a war to be reunited with his family. The deaths were regrettable, but he had no choice. Duke Valens dragged his people into the war to save the life of one woman – a woman whose husband he then killed. He regrets the evil he’s done, but he, equally, had no choice. Secretary Psellus never wanted to rule the Republic, or fight a desperate siege for its survival. As a man of considerable intelligence, he knows that he has a role to play – and little choice but to accept it. The machine has been built. All that remains is to set it in motion.
Amulet
Author: Kazu Kibuishi
Book Description: After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids’ mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals. | Eventually, they enlist the help of a small mechanical rabbit named Miskit. Together with Miskit, they face the most terrifying monster of all, and Em finally has the chance to save someone she loves.
Other NPR Coverage of I Am Legend
Apparently, today, there was a different radio piece by Neda Ulaby, talking with the screenwriter and director of I Am Legend. You can listen to that one here. That one doesn’t have anything from me in it; apparently the piece with me was supposed to air today, but was bumped til tomorrow. Also, you can listen to a review of the film, by critic Bob Mondello.
Oh, and here’s something you can read right now that quotes me (and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman), a prose piece by Neda called "A ‘Legend’ of a Tale, Remade Era After Era."
Listen to Me on NPR’s All Things Considered
NPR reporter Neda Ulaby has a piece on I Am Legend that will air tomorrow on NPR’s All Things Considered. She interviewed me about the book, the previous adaptations, and the story’s relevance to post-apocalyptic fiction in general.
I’m not sure how much of my contributions will make it into her piece, but we talked for about 45 minutes, and I think I gave her some good quotes. (And she seemed quite happy with the results.)
If you’d like to listen to the piece, it’s supposed to air tomorrow. In the New York City area, it looks like it airs at 4 PM on WNYC 93.9 FM. For other areas, check out NPR’s broadcast schedule. Or, if you just want to listen to it online, the show should be available at 7 PM. Once it’s available, you should be able to find it here, or via the archives page. Theoretically, this should be the permalink (or at least will be once the show airs).
We pre-recorded my contributions to the piece last Wednesday at the Rutgers Livingston Campus TV studio (in a sound booth in the studio; they didn’t film me or anything). Since Neda’s in Washington, D.C., she called up on the phone and they piped her voice into the headphones they gave me to wear. So her sound was recorded on her end; my sound was recorded on mine, files are sent around, and production magic happens.
I’m curious to hear how it turned out.
Shimmer — The Steampunk Parable Issue
Shimmer has announced next year’s special double-length themed issue–The Clockwork Jungle Book, guest-edited by George Mann of Solaris Books .
Think “Steampunk Fables.” We’re looking to explore the steampunk sub-genre through a series of short, succinct fables, preferably using a variety of animals to give the issue a particular feel and theme.
Like any well-written fiction, good steampunk will blend adventure with speculation, wonder with insight, and fun with a sense of appropriate gravitas. This is all true of the stories we are looking to publish in this special issue of Shimmer.
Your story can be a steampunk re-imagining of a classic fable (such as those attributed to Aesop), or something entirely new. The animals do not have to be simple steampunk-inspired ciphers of their real-life counterparts (ie: we don’t want fifteen stories about clockwork chipmunks), but we encourage you to find imaginative ways to explore the topic. You may decide to write about a real-life, biological animal in a steampunk setting, a pseudo-bionic experimental monkey, a clockwork Pinocchio-like creation, or a world where intelligent rats have taken over the universe. We’re looking for an eclectic range of stories.
It’s scheduled for release in Autumn 2008. For more information, check out the writer’s guidelines.
links for 2007-12-14
The Fix reviews The Pirate Issue
Marshall Payne reviews The Pirate Issue for The Fix. He singles out J. K. Cheney’s "A Hand For Each," Rajan Khanna’s "The Furies," and Grant Stone’s "Hard Times for Bartelby Crow" as the best of the issue. Also, he has some additional comments on his LiveJournal.