Tuesday, January 01, 2008

2 Years, 10 Months, and Counting...

...since we launched the Pyr science fiction & fantasy imprint in March, 2005. So as we leave 2007 and enter 2008, I thought I'd take a look back on some of the highlights thus far. This is a list I made some months back and which you've seen a shorter version of before, and which I update from time to time. Totally cool if you just want to skim this, but it blows my mind we haven't yet closed out our third year:

Ian McDonald's Brasyl:
Quill nominee, Salon.com's Summer Reading Recommendation, Starred Review in PW, Starred Review in Booklist, A grade in SciFi Weekly, B+ in Entertainment Weekly, Amazon.com "Best Books of the Year So Far: Hidden Gems," The Times Christmas choice: science fiction / fantasy, Bookgasm's 5 Best Sci-Fi Books of 2007.
  • USA Today: "...the most rewarding science fiction in recent memory."
  • Boing Boing: "...his finest novel to date"
  • Salon.com: "...you will delight in Brasyl."
  • Amazon's Bookstore Blog: "McDonald deserves to be going up against most of the world’s top fiction writers, period."
  • Sci Fi Weekly: "...hot and tropical and full of music."
  • Publishers Weekly: "Chaotic, heartbreaking and joyous, ... must-read"
  • Locus: "...without doubt one of the major SF books of 2007."
  • Washington Post: "...as close to perfect as any novel in recent memory."
Ian McDonald's River of Gods:
BSFA Award winner, Arthur C. Clarke nominee, Hugo nominee, starred review in Library Journal
  • Washington Post: "...a major achievement from a writer who is becoming one of the best sf novelists of our time."
  • Library Journal: "Highly Recommended.”
  • Asimov's: "A literary masterpiece."
  • San Francisco Chronicle: "...one of the best science fiction novels published in the United States this year.”
  • Publishers Weekly: "...sure to be one of the more talked-about SF novels of the year."
Justina Robson's Keeping It Real (Quantum Gravity Book One)
Locus Recommended Read, Starburst Five Star Review
  • Entertainment Weekly: ""For fans of Tolkien, had he gone electric, dropped acid, and discovered tantric sex."
  • Ain't It Cool News: "This isn't SF for SF readers. This is SF for a generation raised on anime, manga, and MMORPGs. This is SF for the Wii gamer. "
  • Monsters & Critics: "This action-packed futuristic sci-fi that will appeal to techies and fantasy fans alike."
  • Library Journal: "...skillfully builds a seamless connection between sf and fantasy in this fast-paced series opener featuring a strong, action-oriented heroine and a unique world setting."
  • SFX: "...a novel packed with memorable characters and ideas but that doubles as holiday-reading escapism.”
Kay Kenyon's Bright of the Sky (Book One of The Entire and the Rose):
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year 2007, Starred Review in Publishers Weekly, A grade in SciFi Weekly
  • Publishers Weekly: “Kenyon’s vision of a unique universe ranks with those of such science fiction greats as Frank Herbert and Orson Scott Card.”
  • Sci Fi Weekly: ""a bravura concept bolstered by fine writing; lots of plausible, thrilling action; old-fashioned heroism; and strong emotional hooks."
  • Booklist: "...a fascinating and gratifying feat of worldbuilding... a grand epic, indeed. "
  • Library Journal: "Reminiscent of the groundbreaking novels of Philip K. Dick, Philip Jose Farmer, and Dan Simmons."
  • Washington Post: "...as compelling as anything by Stephen R. Donaldson, Philip José Farmer or, yes, J.R.R. Tolkien."
David Louis Edelman's Infoquake (Volume One of the Jump 225 Trilogy):
Barnes & Noble's # 1 Editor's Choice Top 10 SF&F Novels for 2006, John W. Campbell Memorial Award Nominee for Best Novel 2006, Bookgasm's 5 Best SciFi Books of 2006
  • Publishers Weekly: "Bursting with invention and panache."
  • B&N Explorations: "The love child of Donald Trump and Vernor Vinge."
  • SFFWorld: "This may be THE science fiction book of the year."
  • Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show: "Like a more accessible Charles Stross."
  • Asimov's: "A high-speed, high-spirited tale of capitalist skullduggery."
Mike Resnick's Starship: Mutiny,Starship: Pirate, and Starship: Mercenary (Starship series):
B in Sci Fi Weekly
  • Publishers Weekly: "Readers craving intelligent, character-driven SF need look no further.”
  • Analog: "...a fast, smooth, utterly effortless read.”
  • SF Reviews: "...simply pure escapism, impossible to resist by anyone who still remembers that good old fashioned sense of wonder.”
  • Sci Fi Weekly: "...good old-fashioned space adventure."
  • Library Journal: "Snappy dialog, intriguing human and alien characters, and a keen sense of dramatic focus."
Joel Shepherd's Crossover, Breakaway and Killswitch (Cassandra Kresnov series):
Bookgasm's Top Five SciFi Books of 2006 and 2007, Pat's Fantasy Hotlist's Best Books of 2007 runner-up, Waterstone's Top Ten SF for 2006
  • Publishers Weekly: ""Robert Ludlum meets Elizabeth Moon in this classic military SF adventure..."
  • Don D'ammassa's Critical Mass: "Space opera the way it ought to be written."
  • Library Journal: "... delivers a fast-paced story of intrigue and adventure set against galactic politics."
  • Philadelphia Weekly Press: "Very exciting and impossible to put down."
  • Bookgasm: "Action is electric and infused with the rough-edged reality of warfare, the characters are multifaceted and introspective, and the sexy quotient is once again high."
Recent Awards & Nominations for Pyr:
  • 2007 Quill Award nominee: Ian McDonald, Brasyl
  • 2007 Hugo Award nominee - Best Professional Editor - Long Form - Lou Anders
  • 2007 Chesley Award nominee - Best Art Director - Lou Anders
  • 2006 World Fantasy Award nominee - Special Award, Professional - Lou Anders
  • 2006 John W. Campbell Award for Best Novel nominee - David Louis Edelman, Infoquake
  • 2006 Independent Publisher Book Award winner - John Meaney, Paradox
  • 2005 Philip K Dick Award nominee - Justina Robson, Silver Screen
  • 2006 John W Campbell Best New Writer nominee - Chris Roberson
  • 2005 John W Campbell Best New Writer nominee - Chris Roberson
Recommendations/Endorsements:
  • Salon.com's Summer Reading Recommendation - Ian McDonald - Brasyl
  • Amazon.com "Best Books of the Year So Far: Hidden Gems" - Ian McDonald - Brasyl
  • The Times Christmas choice: science fiction / fantasy - Ian McDonald - Brasyl
  • Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year 2007: SF&F - Kay Kenyon - Bright of the Sky
  • 3 Pyr Books included in Bookgasms Top Five SciFi Books of 2007 - Ian McDonald - Brasyl (#1), Joel Shepherd's Breakaway and Killswitch
  • Locus magazine’s Recommended Reading: 2006 : Joe Abercombie - The Blade Itself, Justina Robson - Keeping It Real
  • 3 Pyr Books included in the B&N Editor's Choice: Top Ten SF&F Novels of 2006: David Louis Edelman - Infoquake (#1), Sean Williams -The Crooked Letter, John Meaney - Resolution
  • 2 Pyr Books included in Waterstone's Top Ten SF for 2006: Joel Shepherd - Crossover, Chris Roberson - Paragaea: A Planetary Romance
  • 3 Pyr Books included in Bookgasm's Top Five SciFi Books of 2006 - Ian McDonald - River of Gods (#1), Joel Shepherd - Crossover, David Louis Edelman - Infoquake
  • Sean Williams, The Hanging Mountains selected as a BookSense Notable Book for July
  • Kay Kenyon, Bright of the Sky - one of four novels selected by ReaderCon "the con that assigns homework" for their attendees to read pre-convention
  • Justina Robson, Silver Screen selected for Kirkus Reviews Best SF&F Books of 2005
  • John Meaney, Paradox - #2 on Barnes & Noble's Editor's Choice: Top Ten SF&F Novels of 2005
Foreign Awards given to Pyr books for their overseas editions:
  • 2007 Arthur C Clarke Award nominee - Adam Roberts, Gradisil (Gollancz)
  • 2005 Arthur C Clarke Award nominee - Ian McDonald, River of Gods (Simon & Schuster)
  • 2004 British Science Fiction Association Award winner - Ian McDonald, River of Gods (Simon & Schuster)
  • Spain's Xatafi-Cyberdark Awards. nominees: Mike Resnick, New Dreams for Old and Ian McDonald, River of Gods.

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