A Trip Back in Time...and Sideways in Crime!

Really nice to see a review for my 2008 anthology Sideways in Crime pop up. Pandora's Longbox singles out stories by Paul Di Filippo, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and others, and concludes: "Anders has included 15 short stories in Sideways in Crime and all of them show skill and verve. The result is the second collection I've recently read with Anders associated with it and the second that I have pretty much thoroughly enjoyed. So I'll be looking for Anders's name on new anthologies and, if you like a good collection of short stories, I recommend you do so as well."

Sideways in Crime was an anthology of  "alternate mystery" stories - meaning classic "Who Dunnit" mysteries set in alternate histories. I'm very proud of it and very glad to see it's still being read.

Three Stories from Sideways in Crime make Sidewise Shortlist!!!

Three - count 'em three - stories from Sideways In Crime make the Sidewise Award shortlist!!!

I'm absolutely thrilled for Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Tobias S. Buckell, and Mary Rosenblum! Also very happy to my friends George Mann, Chris Roberson, and Adam Roberts (all Pyr authors too!) on their nominations. Congratulations to everyone!

Press Release: 2008 Sidewise Awards Nominees

The 2008 Sidewise Awards will be presented at Anticipation, the 67th Worldcon, to be held in Montreal, Canada from August 6-10, 2009. The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were established in 1995 to recognize excellence in alternate history fiction. The winners are selected from a panel of judges that currently includes Stephen Baxter, Evelyn Leeper, Jim Rittenhouse, Stuart Shiffman, Kurt Sidaway, and Steven H Silver.

Short Form:

"A Brief Guide to Other Histories" (Postscripts #15)
"G-Men," by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Sideways in Crime, edited by Lou Anders, Solaris)
"Night Bird Soaring," by T.L. Morganfield (Greatest Uncommon
Denominator, Autumn/08)
"The People's Machine," by Tobias Buckell (Sideways in Crime, edited by Lou Anders, Solaris)
"Poison Victory," by Albert E. Cowdrey (F&SF, 07/08)
"Sacrifice," by Mary Rosenblum (Sideways in Crime, edited by Lou Anders, Solaris)

Long Form:

The Affinity Bridge, by George Mann (Snowbooks/Tor, 2009)
The Dragon's Nine Sons, by Chris Roberson (Solaris)
Half a Crown, by Jo Walton (Tor)
Nation, by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins/Doubleday UK)
Swiftly, by Adam Roberts (Gollancz)

For more information about the Sidewise Award, visit
http://www.uchronia.net/sidewise, or contact Steven H Silver, the Award Administrator, at shsilver@sfsite.com.

2008 Locus Recommended Reading List

The Locus magazine 2008 Recommended Reading List is out. I am pleased and honored to see both anthologies that I edited in 2008 made the list - Fast Forward 2and Sideways In Crime.Five stories are individually recommended from Fast Forward 2, two from Sideways in Crime.

From Fast Forward 2:

"The Kindness of Strangers" by Nancy Kress, short story
"Catherine Drewe", Paul Cornell, novelette *
"An Eligible Boy", Ian McDonald, novelette
"The Gambler", Paolo Bacigalupi, novelette
"True Names" by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow, novella

* Note that "Catherine Drewe" is technically a short-story, as it lists at 6,674 words. Don't know why it's listed here as a novelette, but very happy to see it being recommended either way.

From Sideways in Crime:

• "The Blood of Peter Francisco" by Paul Park, short story
• "Sacrifice"by Mary Rosenblum, novelette

Also making the list is the Gollancz edition of Paul McAuley's The Quiet War, which Pyr will be bringing out in the US later in '09. Wait for it!

Congratulations to all those receiving recommendations. 2008 was a great year. On to 2009!

G-Men in Two Year's Best, SF & Mystery

Just got the very exciting news from Kristine Kathryn Rusch that her story, "G-Men," which I was privileged to publish in Sideways In Crime,has been selected by Otto Penzler and Jeffrey Deaver to be in The Best American Mystery Stories 2009. So the novella will be in both Gardner Dozois' The Year's Best Science Fiction: 26th Annual Collection *and* The Best American Mysteries. Congratulations, Kris! How cool is that?

Incidentally, Gardner's anthology will also have "An Eligible Boy" by Ian McDonald and "The Gambler" by Paolo Bacigalupi, both from my other anthology of 2008, the (ahem) PKD-nominated Fast Forward 2.

And speaking of Stargate...

Unrelated to my previous post, here's Stargate: Atlantis Executive Producer/writer Joseph Mallozzi on Sideways In Crime:

"Editor Lou Anders assembles a little over a dozen contributions on the theme of alternative history and crime in this interesting mix of stories. As is the case with most anthologies, some of the selections resonate more than others. Stand-outs for me were Mary Rosenblum’s “Sacrifice”, Paul Di Filippo’s “Murder in Geektopia”, and John Counrtenay Grimwood’s “Chicago”. Although I preferred the more wide-open possibilities found in Anders' Fast Forward anthologies(I was struck by how many of the stories in this collection touched on contemporized Aztec culture, Sherlock Holmes, and French-controlled Louisiana), Sideways in Crime proved an entertaining read in its own right."

Podcast: Lou ex Machina

I'm a guest today on Fantasy author Gail Z. Martin's Ghost in the Machine podcast. We talk about the two anthologies I have out this year, Sideways In Crimeand Fast Forward 2. We also talk about the difference in writing for short form vs novel length, Stephen King's It and The Gunslinger, and much more. And here it is:

Sideways in Crime: A Lot of Fun to Be Had

Lory Hess, of Green Man Review, on Sideways In Crime:

"In general I was impressed by how well the authors represented in this anthology succeeded, each one quickly drawing me into his world with only a slight creaking of the scenery. ...there's a lot of fun to be had here. Some of the stories are unabashedly comic -- including one of my favorites, Kage Baker's 'Running the Snake,' set in the reign of a queen titled the Living Boudicca and concerning the adventures of a former druid named Will Shakspur. A few -- and these I admit I tended to skip through -- are on the gruesome side (John Meaney's "Via Vortex," for example, in which a form of teleportation has been developed with rather gory consequences). In between there's room for lots of variation; you'll find the answers to all sorts of questions, from what really happened to Jimmy Hoffa, to who really wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories."

Hess then complains that she had to read the book too fast, resulting in "a dizzy sensation of not remembering facts such as who is actually ruling North America now: the Aztecs? the French? the Spanish?"

Her advice? "Give some time between each dip into an alternate world to clear your brain, and enjoy the ride."

Sideways in the Guardian

Hey, Kéthani author Eric Brown reviews Sideways In Crimefor The Guardian, in an article called "Decisions and revisions!"

In his perceptive introduction, Anders makes a case for the relatedness of the mystery, historical and science fiction genres, and goes on to say that this was the impetus for the anthology: a series of crime stories set in alternative histories. It's a great premise and results in a wonderfully varied collection, from Kage Baker's humorous run-around set in a 16th century under druidic rule with Will Shaxpur as a detective, to Chris Roberson's steampunk melodrama featuring murder and political intrigue aboard a dirigible travelling between alternative realms.

Top billing though must go to Paul Di Filippo's zany "Murder in Geektopia," a murder mystery set in a world where Randolph Hearst became US president and set about pacifying the globe through the influence of popular media. Great fun.

Sideways in Crime: A Nifty Notion

"The earth's greatest science fiction and fantasy magazine," SFX, has reviewed my just-released latest anthology Sideways In Crime,calling it "a nifty notion." They toss out phrases like "it brilliantly conjures up a sense of place" (for Kristine Kathryn Rusch) or "proves he’s as adept at the whodunit as he is at rewiring the past" (for Stephen Baxter). They praise stories by Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Jack McDevitt, Mary Rosenblum, Pat Cadigan and Chris Roberson. But we only get three stars. Apparently, we are too clever. As in: "Here, the sheer cleverness of so many of the stories can become wearing: as clever twist follows clever idea, don’t be surprised if occasionally you find yourself yearning for more straightforward narratives." I am reminded of something Ian McDonald said recently about books verses television. And my own opinions of why The Simpsons was more popular than Futurama. But happy that we're nifty.

Sideways in SciFi

John Joseph Adams interviews Yours Truly on SciFi Wire today regarding my "alternate mystery" anthology Sideways In Crime(due out very, very soon from Solaris books and apparently already in stock at Amazon).

Here's a snippet: The other inspiration for the book was Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union, which marries a classic detective tale to an alternate history. "I was intrigued by Chabon's premise," Anders said. "So between Sawyer and Chabon, I found I was thinking about 'alternate mystery' a lot, and, as I try to make all of my anthologies explorations of genre, I decided--or rather discovered--that this was something I very much wanted to explore."

And here again - because, why not? - is the cool audio promo for the book, courtesy of Singularity Audio:

Sideways in Crime: Audio Promo

Check it out, an audio promo for my forthcoming anthology Sideways In Crime,courtesy of Shaun Farrell and SingularityAudio.com.

Shaun is, of course, also the co-host of the absolutely marvelous podcast, Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing, and this is a sample of his new audio consultation and development service.

What do you think?

Sideways in Crime: A "High Quality" Anthology

The first review of my forthcoming anthology, Sideways In Crime,appeared in my mailbox today, in the March 31st issue of Publishers Weekly. And it's a great one for starting this book off right:

"Fans of alternate history and crime fiction should enjoy this high-quality anthology from noted editor Anders (Outside the Box). The tone of the 15 contributions ranges from the tongue-in-cheek (Mike Resnick and Eric Flint's 'Conspiracies: A Very Condensed 937-Page Novel,' featuring an alien abduction of Jimmy Hoffa) to serious political theory (Stephen Baxter's 'Fate and the Fire-lance,' a whodunit set in a 20th-century Roman Empire). Jon Courtenay Grimwood weighs in with 'Chicago,' a twisty tale in which technological advances allow the narrator to plot a perfect murder. The standouts are S.M. Stirling's 'A Murder in Eddsford,' which could be at home in a collection of English cozies, and Mary Rosenblum's 'Sacrifice,' which marries a vision of advanced Aztec civilization to an intricate plot."

I should add that the book review is given it's own sidebar, with the cover, paired with Cecilia Tan's Best Fantastic Eroticaand under the title "Genre-Benders: Editors blend speculative fiction with other genres to create anthologies with broad appeal." Sweet! Congratulations, Cecilia - and to all of our marvelous contributors!

Sideways in Crime: Latest Cover

Here's a Christmas present! The good guys at Solaris just sent me a pack of cover flats from my forthcoming anthology, Sideways In Crime.Needless to say, I'm thrilled to death with my first Eggleton, and his work is complimented by a cool retro-design from Darius Hinks too. Nice, yes?

Sideways in Crime - Cover Mock-up

My forthcoming alternate history mystery anthology, Sideways in Crime, has a dedicated page at the Solaris Books site now. And it features what I think is a mock-up - not a final cover - but I'll post it here anyway, since they've posted it there. Curious to see what people think.

The TOC has been reordered a bit too, so the final running order will look like this:

Running the Snake by Kage Baker
Via Vortex by John Meaney
Fate and The Fire-lance by Stephen Baxter
The Blood of Peter Francisco by Paul Park
The Adventure of the Southsea Trunk by Jack McDevitt
G-Men by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Sacrifice by Mary Rosenblum
Murder in Geektopia by Paul Di Filippo
Chicago by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
The Sultan's Emissary by Theodore Judson
Worlds of Possibilities by Pat Cadigan
A Murder in Eddsford by SM Stirling
Conspiracies: A Very Condensed 937-Page Novel by Mike Resnick & Eric Flint
The People's Machine by Tobias S. Buckell
Death on the Crosstime Express by Chris Roberson

You've Got, I've Got...

So, Jeff Vandermeer has a movie.
Martin Sketchley has a band.
Chris Roberson has a new book.
And I've got a provisional TOC.

The table of contents for Sideways in Crime: An Alternate Mystery Anthology, folks.
Here it is:

The People's Machine by Tobias S. Buckell
Running the Snake by Kage Baker
Via Vortex by John Meaney
The Blood of Peter Francisco by Paul Park
G-Men by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
The Adventure of the Southsea Trunk by Jack McDevitt
Sacrifice by Mary Rosenblum
Murder in Geektopia by Paul Di Filippo
Fate and The Fire-lance by Stephen Baxter
Chicago by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Worlds of Possibilities by Pat Cadigan
Conspiracies: A Very Condensed 937-Page Novel by Mike Resnick & Eric Flint
A Murder in Eddsford by SM Stirling
The Sultan's Emissary by Theodore Judson
Death on the Crosstime Express by Chris Roberson

SOLARIS CONFIRM DEAL WITH LOU ANDERS

A Solaris Press Release out today, about which I am suitably excited:

BL Publishing is very excited to announce the purchase of a major new anthology from Hugo Award short-listed editor Lou Anders for its unmissable SOLARIS imprint.

SIDEWAYS IN CRIME

Alternative History Mystery! Sideways in Crime is a brand new anthology of all-original stories from some of the genre’s foremost writers.

Featuring an eclectic range of alternative history crime stories, from Jacobean power-plays to far future empires, this new anthology explores the darker side of the alternative history genre. Includes new stories by Kage Baker, Stephen Baxter, Tobias Buckell, Pat Cadigan, Paul Di Filippo, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Theodore Judson, Jack McDevitt, John Meaney, Paul Park, Mike Resnick & Eric Flint, Mary Rosenblum, Chris Roberson, Justina Robson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, SM Stirling and Liz Williams. (Subject to change)

Sideways in Crime will be published simultaneously in both the US and UK by Solaris, in trade paperback, Summer 2008.

Consultant Editor George Mann said of the deal “I’m delighted to be working with Lou. He’s one of the very best editors in the field today and Sideways in Crime is a fantastic exemplifier of his keen eye and depth of knowledge.”

Lou Anders is an editor, author, and journalist. He is the editorial director of Prometheus Books' science fiction imprint Pyr, as well as the anthologies Outside the Box (Wildside Press, January 2001), Live Without a Net (Roc, July 2003), Projections (MonkeyBrain, December 2004), FutureShocks (Roc, January 2006) and Fast Forward 1 (Pyr, February 2007). He served as the senior editor for Argosy Magazine's inaugural issues in 2003-04. In 2000, he served as the Executive Editor of Bookface.com, and before that he worked as the Los Angeles Liaison for Titan Publishing Group. He is the author of The Making of Star Trek: First Contact (Titan Books, 1996), and has published over 500 articles in such magazines as Publishers Weekly, The Believer, Dreamwatch, Star Trek Monthly, Star Wars Monthly, Babylon 5 Magazine, Sci Fi Universe, Doctor Who Magazine, and Manga Max. His articles and stories have been translated into Danish, German, Greek, French, and Italian, and have appeared online at Believermag.com, SFSite.com, RevolutionSF.com and InfinityPlus.co.uk. Visit him online at www.louanders.com.

Praise for Lou Anders

“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.” —Publishers Weekly Starred Review on Fast Forward 1

"Lou Anders is establishing a reputation as one of the most interesting editors of original anthologies…” — Rich Horton, Locus

“Wildly imaginative, thoughtful, and thought-provoking looks at a subject that is nearly unthinkable: a future free from the Internet.” — Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing on Live Without a Net

“The year's best original SF anthology...first-rate and highly inventive." — Gardner Dozois, Locus on Live Without a Net

"as good a survey of the latest, greatest and best as you could hope to find. ... Fast Forward 1 is a definite contender for best anthology of the year." — Jonathan Strahan, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year

For more information please contact BL Publishing on: solaris@blpublishing.com
or call George Mann on ++44 (0)115 900 4172

www.solarisbooks.com