So, that goes up on SFRevu this morning, and within minutes, I get word from our wonderful
publicity director that Publishers Weekly has given my upcoming anthology, Fast Forward 1: Future Fiction from the Cutting Edge,
a Starred Review!!They praise stories by Robert Charles Wilson, Mary A. Turzillo, Paul Di Filippo, and Ken MacLeod, and say:
"The solid, straightforward storytelling of the 19 stories and two poems that Anders (Futureshocks) gathers for this first in a projected series of all-original SF anthologies speculates on people's efforts to "make sense of a changing world." The contributors don't necessarily assume that humans will find it easy or even possible to cope with all the changes around and within them-but they'll try, which is just part of SF's continuing dialogue about the future... All the selections in this outstanding volume prompt thoughtful speculation about what kind of tomorrow we're heading toward and what we'll do when we get there."
What's more, they've selected John Picacio's wonderful cover illustration for the table of contents page. We've stopped the presses, literally, to get the PW quote on the cover, so the timing couldn't be better.
Meanwhile, Fast Forward 1 debuts in February, with the following TOC:
Introduction:Welcome to the Future...Lou Anders
YFL-500...Robert Charles Wilson
The Girl Hero's Mirror Says He's Not the One...Justina Robson
Small Offerings...Paolo Bacigalupi
They Came From the Future...Robyn Hitchcock
Plotters and Shooters...Kage Baker
Aristotle OS...Tony Ballantyne
The Something-Dreaming Game...Elizabeth Bear
No More Stories...Stephen Baxter
Time of the Snake...A.M. Dellamonica
The Terror Bard...Larry Niven & Brenda Cooper
p dolce...Louise Marley
Jesus Christ, Reanimator...Ken MacLeod
Solomon's Choice...Mike Resnick & Nancy Kress
Sanjeev and Robotwallah...Ian McDonald
A Smaller Government...Pamela Sargent
Pride...Mary A. Turzillo
I Caught Intelligence...Robyn Hitchcock
Settlements...George Zebrowski
The Hour of the Sheep...Gene Wolfe
Sideways from Now...John Meaney
Wikiworld...Paul Di Filippo
And it's worth mentioning that my good day actually started yesterday, when I found this Ideomancer review of Fast Forward 1, which concludes with the sentiment: "This anthology is proof hard science fiction is still a vibrant, worthwhile endeavor for any writer; here's hoping this anthology series has a long, healthy life." Here's hoping indeed.
6 comments:
Hey, nice interview, Lou. A day in the life of the Anders sounds like a truly formidable experience. Good stuff.
And my socks have been rocked by the PW love.
Hi Justin,
Glad you liked the interview. I hope that it came across that, despite my obsessive behavior, there are a great many talented folk at Prometheus who deserve credit for what they do.
Lou,
It sounds like you folks are a happy family up there. Speaking from the ranks of people who would've liked to hear a boss or co-worker throw a little glory their way: you're an ocifer and a gentleman, and I caught that in the interview. It's pretty clear, at least to me, that most of your obsessiveness is applied constructively toward doing an ambitious job well and growing the imprint.
More importantly, I'm a little intrigued how you arrange your trophy bookshelf. I have a picture of a shrine in my head, all bedecked with knobbly candles and baroque festoonery, and anything less would be disappointing. If it's alphabetical, I don't want to know.
JW
Sounds like I shouldn't tell you. But the bookshelf it's on is a half-sized shelf that, while just functional, was built by my grandfather, so has some history/meaning to me. And above it is a 1 of 4 signed print of the original cover illustration that John Picacio did for LIVE WITHOUT A NET, my first pro-antho. So it's an important spot.
Okay, well, that rocks. I've added the Picacio illustration to my mental image of the shrine, but I'm going to keep the candles and you're now saying "om mani padme hum" in front of it sometimes, very late at night.
Did you get the Live antho from your work on Outside the Box? If, logically, it be so, I'd love to hear what conspired to get you a shot at theBox?
Not sure I understand your question. But as to "om mani padme hum" - I've been afraid to chant that since I watched Planet of the Spiders.
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