Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Adventures in SciFi Publishing

The Desert of SoulsThe latest episode of Adventures in SciFi Publishing features an interview with The Desert of Souls author and Black Gate managing editor Howard Andrew Jones.  They talk about the novel (which sounds great), his other novel, Black Gate's plans for the future, and the importance of heroes. At the end, I return for my first "Ask the Editor" segment in some time. I appear to be panting, as the segment was taped as I paced back and forth around my den, but hopefully there's some information in amid the heavy breathing.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Got Wolfsangel?

Wolfsangel“Savage, dark, strange, and unpredictable.” -Joe Abercrombie


“Sorcery and savagery fuel this rousing historical fantasy... Vivid in its rendering of the primitive historical past, this entertaining adventure will have readers eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.” -Publishers Weekly, January 17, 2011

“This somber series debut echoes the brooding atmosphere of Scandinavian myth and should appeal to a wide readership.” -Library Journal, February 15, 2011

“We are not done with werewolves and the fey, at least not while we have books as fine as Wolfsangel by M. D. Lachlan...”  -Agony Column, January 12, 2011

“Lachlan is a gifted author and one who clearly loves his chosen subject and historical setting, which makes this novel is a must-read for fans of dark fantasy tinged with atmospheric horror elements...[his] writing has a certain quality that sucks you in and draws you on through the story...From raids to single combat, the author really puts the reader into the heart of the action; it is close, brutal and often highly personal. Certainly, Wolfsangel contains some of the best, most realistic fight scenes I’ve read in a while...Wolfsangel is a highly recommended historical fantasy… if you give it a try you will be rewarded for doing so. Dark, atmospheric, original… This is a great read.” -Civilian Reader blog, December 21, 2010

Wolfsangel is wonderful historical fantasy that gives a different spin on the werewolf legend that tells a story of love, betrayal and the search for the truth. It is a tale that mixes love, betrayal and brutal action in a satisfying way that will leave a reader wanting more. This is recommended for fans who wish for a more brutal type of werewolf story in a historical fantasy setting. I give this one five stars Top Pick keeper status and looking forward to the sequel!” -Night Owl Reviews, Five StarsMarch 11, 2011

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Works I Edited in 2010: The Complete List (repost)

In these last hours of  Hugo Awards nominations, I thought I'd repost this handy-dandy list of all the books that I edited in 2010, which details not only all of Pyr's output but  the two short story collections that I edited as well. Many of these books and stories are deserving of consideration, and I'll detail the artists who did these covers as well. So...

Pyr's 2010 Publications:

Gardens of the SunKay Kenyon's Prince of Storms (in hc and paperback). Cover art by Stephan Mariniere.
Kay Kenyon's City Without End (reprint). Cover art by Stephan Martiniere.
Paul McAuley's Gardens of the Sun. Cover art by Sparth.
David Louis Edelman's Geosynchron. Cover art by Stephan Martiniere.
Joel Shepherd's Petrodor. Cover art by David Palumbo.
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Empire in Black and Gold. Cover art by Jon Sullivan.
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Dragonfly Falling. Cover art by Jon Sullivan.
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Blood of the Mantis. Cover art by Jon Sullivan.
Ghosts of ManhattanGeorge Mann's Ghosts of Manhattan. Cover art by Benjamin Carre.
Ian McDonald's Ares Express (reprint). Cover art by Stephan Martiniere.
Mark Chadbourn's The Devil in Green. Cover art by John Picacio.
Mark Chadbourn's The Queen of Sinister. Cover art by John Picacio.
Mark Chadbourn's The Hounds of Avalon. Cover art by John Picacio.
Matthew Sturges' The Office of Shadow. Cover art by Chris McGrath.
Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Son. Cover art by Michael Komarck.
Ian McDonald's The Dervish House. Cover art by Stephan Martiniere.
Tom Lloyd's The Ragged Man. Cover art by Todd Lockwood.
Jasper Kent's Twelve. Cover art by Paul Young.
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack (Burton & Swinburne in)Sam Sykes' Tome of the Undergates. Cover art by Paul Young.
Mark Hodders' The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack. Cover art by Jon Sullivan.
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Salute the Dark. Cover art by Jon Sullivan.
Joel Shepherd's Tracato. Cover art by David Palumbo.
Pierre Pevel's The Cardinal's Blades. Cover art by Jon Sullivan.
The Wolf AgeJames Enge's The Wolf Age. Cover art by Dominic Harman.
Clay and Susan Griffith's The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire Book 1). Cover art by Chris McGrath.
James Barclay's Elfsorrow. Cover art by Raymond Swanland.
James Barclay's Shadowheart. Cover art by Raymond Swanland.
James Barclay's Demonstorm. Cover art by Raymond Swanland.
Tim Akers' The Horns of Ruin. Cover art by Benjamin Carre.
Mike Resnick's The Buntline Special. Cover art by J. Seamus Gallagher.

The Dervish House30 novels in 31 bindings. Quite a year. Pyr itself turned 5 and hit our 100th title. I've posted a round up of various Best of 2010 posts over at the Pyr blog. Ian McDonald's The Dervish House and Clay and Susan Griffith's The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire Book 1) seem to be making the most Best of lists, but Pyr novels are appearing all over!

The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1)Turning to short fiction, I edited 33 individual stories, detailed below. The Hugo Awards defines a short story as anything less than 7,500 words, a novelette as being between 7,500 words and 17,500 words, and a novella as being from 17,500 words to 40,000.

Pyr released one novelette in 2010, James Enge's "Travellers' Rest," which was made available as a free ebook in both ePub and Kindle formats. Cover art by Chuck Lukacs. 8,471 words.

Beyond Pyr, I edited two short fiction anthologies (making this a year in which I am personally eligible in both the long form and short form categories, in case you are wondering). Each contained very many deserving short stories, novelettes, and novellas. They were:

MaskedMasked (Gallery Books). Cover art by Trevor Hairsine:

  • "Cleansed and Set in Gold" by Matthew Sturges (9,825 words)
  • "Where their Worm Dieth Not" by James Maxey (6,868 words)
  • "Secret Identity" by Paul Cornell (4,795 words)
  • "The Non-Event" by Mike Carey (6,093 words)
  • "Avatar" by Mike Baron (4,483 words)
  • "Message from the Bubblegum Factory" by Daryl Gregory (9,514 words)
  • "Thug" by Gail Simone (5,746 words)
  • "Vacuum Lad" by Stephen Baxter (6,733 words)
  • "A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows" by Chris Roberson (11,404 words)
  • "Head Cases" by Peter David & Kathleen David (5,474)
  • "Downfall" by Joseph Mallozzi (18,181)
  • "By My Works You Shall Know Me" by Mark Chadbourn (6,636 words)
  • "Call Her Savage" by Marjorie M. Liu (8,955 words)
  • "Tonight we fly" by Ian McDonald (4,998 words)
  • "A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too)" by Bill Willingham (15,932 words)

Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery
Swords and Dark MagicSwords & Dark Magic (co-edited with Jonathan Strahan, Eos). Cover art by Benjamin Carre. (Deluxe edition, Subterranean Press. Cover art by Dominic Harman).
  • "Goats of Glory" - Steven Erikson (10,301 words)
    "Tides Elba: A Tale of the Black Company" - Glen Cook (9,973 words)
    "Bloodsport" - Gene Wolfe (5,562 words)
    "The Singing Spear" - James Enge (3,455 words)
    "A Wizard of Wiscezan" - C.J. Cherryh (10,543 words)
    "A Rich Full Week" - K. J. Parker (9,912 words)
    "A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet" - Garth Nix (5,068 words)
    "Red Pearls: An Elric Story" - Michael Moorcock (17,206)
    "The Deification of Dal Bamore" - Tim Lebbon (7,425 words)
    "Dark Times at the Midnight Market" - Robert Silverberg (8,177 words)
    "The Undefiled" - Greg Keyes (4,254 words)
    "Hew the Tint Master" - Michael Shea   (11,489 words)
    "In the Stacks" - Scott Lynch (14,643 words)
    "Two Lions, A Witch, and the War-Robe" - Tanith Lee (10,715 words)
    "The Sea Troll's Daughter" - Caitlin R Kiernan
    "Thieves of Daring" - Bill Willingham  (2,219 words)
    "The Fool Jobs" - Joe Abercrombie (8,372 words)
And that's it for 2010. I do sincerely hope you will check out all the many deserving writers and artists in the list above.