Paolo Bacigalupi's "The Gambler" Nominated for Nebula

Wonderful news this morning. Paolo Bacigalupi's "The Gambler", which originally appeared in our anthology Fast Forward 2, has been nominated for a Nebula Award in the Novelette category. Congratulations to Paolo on this, and also on his nomination in the Novel category for The Wind-Up Girl (from Night Shade Books). 

"The Gambler" was previously a Hugo award and a Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award nominee. So if you haven't read it already, you might want to read "The Gambler" in its entirety on the Pyr Sample Chapters blog here.

And here is the full SFWA press release:

SFWA is proud to announce the nominees for the 2009 Nebula Awards.

The Nebula Awards are voted on, and presented by, active members of  SFWA. The awards will be announced at the Nebula Awards Banquetthe evening of May 15 at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, just 20 minutes from the Kennedy Space Center in Fla. Other awards to be presented are the Andre Norton Award for Excellence in Science Fiction or Fantasy for Young Adults, the Bradbury Award for excellence in screenwriting and the Solstice Award for outstanding contribution to the field.

 Short story

"Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela," Saladin Ahmed (Clockwork Phoenix 2, Norilana Press, Jul09)

"I Remember the Future," Michael A. Burstein (I Remember the Future, Apex Press, Nov08)

"Non-Zero Probabilities," N. K. Jemisin (Clarkesworld, Nov09)

"Spar," Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld, Oct09)

"Going Deep," James Patrick Kelly (Asimov's Science Fiction, Jun09)

"Bridesicle," Will McIntosh (Asimov's Science Fiction, Jan09)

Novelette

"The Gambler," Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2, Pyr Books, Oct08)

"Vinegar Peace, or the Wrong-Way Used-Adult Orphanage," Michael Bishop (Asimov's Science Fiction, Jul08)

"I Needs Must Part, The Policeman Said," Richard Bowes (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Dec09)

"Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast," Eugie Foster (Apex Online, Nov09)

"Divining Light," Ted Kosmatka (Asimov's Science Fiction, Aug08)

"A Memory of Wind," Rachel Swirsky (Tor.com, Nov09)

Novella

The Women of Nell Gwynne's, Kage Baker (Subterranean Press, Jun09)

"Arkfall," Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sep09)

"Act One," Nancy Kress (Asimov's Science Fiction, Mar09)

Shambling Towards Hiroshima, James Morrow (Tachyon, Feb09)

"Sublimation Angels," Jason Sanford (Jason Sanford, Nov09)

The God Engines, John Scalzi (Subterranean Press, Dec09)

Novel

The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Nightshade, Sep09)

The Love We Share Without Knowing, Christopher Barzak (Bantam, Nov08)

Flesh and Fire, Laura Anne Gilman (Pocket, Oct09)

The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey, May09)

Boneshaker, Cherie Priest (Tor, Sep09)

Finch, Jeff VanderMeer (Underland Press, Oct09)

Bradbury Award

Star Trek, JJ Abrams (Paramount, May09)

District 9, Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (Tri-Star, Aug09)

Avatar, James Cameron (Fox, Dec 09)

Moon, Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker (Sony, Jun09)

Up, Bob Peterson and Pete Docter (Disney/Pixar, May09)

Coraline, Henry Selick (Laika/Focus Feb09)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

Hotel Under the Sand, Kage Baker (Tachyon, Jul09)

Ice, Sarah Beth Durst (Simon and Schuster, Oct09)

Ash, by Malinda Lo (Little, Brown & Company, Sep09)

Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev (Feiwel and Friends, Jul09)

Zoe's Tale, John Scalzi (Tor Aug08)

When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, 2009)

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making, Catherynne M. Valente (Catherynne M. Valente, Jun09)

Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld (Simon, Oct09)

For more information, visit www.nebulaawards.com or www.sfwa.org

About SFWA

Founded in 1965 by the late Damon Knight, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America brings together the most successful and daring writers of speculative fiction throughout the world.

Since its inception, SFWA® has grown in numbers and influence until it is now widely recognized as one of the most effective non-profit writers' organizations in existence, boasting a membership of approximately 1,500 science fiction and fantasy writers as well as artists, editors and allied professionals.  Each year the organization presents the prestigious Nebula Awards® for the year’s best literary and dramatic works of speculative fiction.

Fast Forward 2: #12 on All-Time High for Reviews

Huge thanks to Joe Mallozzi for cluing me in to SFFmeta, a site that cross-references official online reviews of different works in the fields of Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction, generates ratings from each, then generates an average score for each book.  Categories include: low and high-scoring titles for 2007 and 2008, low and high-scoring titles over the last 90 days, and, All-Time High and Low-Scoring Titles.

And looking at 2008 High Scores, our own  Joe Abercrombie comes in at the number five spot with Last Argument of Kings, whereas my own anthology, Fast Forward 2, claims the #12 slot. Nice way to start the day.

2009 Locus Poll Results

The results of the 2009 Locus poll have been published in the July issue of the magazine. They are very interesting. (Note: Although non-subscribers to the magazine may vote, last year publisher Charles Brown made the somewhat controversial decision to make subscriber votes count double non-subscriber votes.)

"The Kindness of Strangers" by Nancy Kress from Fast Forward 2came in at #4 (out of 25) for Best Short Story
"The Gambler" by Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2) came in # 8 (out of 29) for Best Novellete
"An Eligible Boy" by Ian McDonald (Fast Forward 2) came in #26 in the same category
"True Names" by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2) came in #5 (out of 17) for Best Novella

Fast Forward 2 itself came in #6 (out of 24) for Best Anthology.

Yours Truly was #7 for Best Editor (out of 23).

Pyr was #9 for Best Publisher/Imprint (out of 23). Interestingly though, non-subscribers had us as the # 4 publisher. Which says if subscribers didn't count double, we might be higher than 9. Either way, we've moved up over last year. Thanks!

Our friend John Picacio came in #3 for Best Artist (out of 23). Most impressive!

High Praise for Fast Forward 1 and 2

From Derek Johnson's SF Site review. I am somewhat speechless:

In 2007 Lou Anders edited Fast Forward 1,one of the strongest original anthologies that science fiction has seen -- so strong, in fact, that after one closed the book one wondered if Anders would be able to match both the quality and the ambition of that volume in his next. After all, the anthology's very title indicated that Anders wanted to actually incorporate the Campbellian vision into a genre that, for all of its rhetoric about being a literature of the future, too often looks fondly over its shoulder at the trails blazed in the past. Even Dangerous Visions fought to bring the genre up to the speed of the present more than chart a path to the future. But Anders did it; Fast Forward not only met the challenge to look forward, but succeeded. And with Fast Forward 2,his follow-up anthology, Anders not only continues to forge ahead and actually push science fiction into the future, but also position himself as one of the genre's most dynamic and influential editors. A reader looking for the best in contemporary science fiction will find not a wasted story in Fast Forward 2's pages. This is the Stuff.

Fast Forward 2: Awards and Best of's Round Up

The anthology itself is a Philip K. Dick Award nominee.

Hugo Award nominees:

Best Novella - “True Names” by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow
Best Novelette – “The Gambler” by Paolo Bacigalupi

Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award nominees:

"True Names" by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow
"The Gambler" by Paolo Bacigalupi

2009 Locus Award Finalists:

Best Novella: "True Names" by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow
Best Short Story: "The Kindness of Strangers" by Nancy Kress

The Year's Best Science Fiction, volume 26, edited by Gardner Dozois:

"The Gambler" by Paolo Bacigalupi
"An Eligible Boy" by Ian McDonald

Year's Best SF 14, edited by David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer:

"Mitigation" by Tobias Buckell & Karl Schroeder

The Best SF and Fantasy of the Year Vol. 3, edited by Jonathan Strahan:

"The Gambler" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2009, edited by Rich Horton:

"Catherine Drewe" by Paul Cornell

Not too shabby, no?

Fast Forward 2 and the Locus Award Finalists

The Locus Awards Finalists have been announced and I'm thrilled to report that two stories from Fast Forward 2are in the running.

Best Novella- "True Names", Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow

Best Short Story- "The Kindness of Strangers", Nancy Kress

Congratulations to all three authors and thanks for such terrific work.

Winners will be announced at the Locus Awards Ceremony in Seattle WA during the Science Fiction Awards Weekend, June 26-27, 2009.

Photos from the PKD Awards

My friend and fellow PKD nominee Jeff Carlson, author of the excellent Plague Yearand Plague War,kindly read an excerpt from Fast Forward 2at the ceremony on my behalf. He sends these photos, one of him posing with the FF2 book cover, and the other with winner David Walton (who split the honor with Adam-Troy Castro). And here is Jeff's brief but worthwhile con report. Please somebody go explain Twitter to him and why he needs it. I've done my bit.

My Locus Interview is Up

The wonderful Nick Gevers interviews me for his new SF Quintessential column on Locus Online, where we talk about my anthology Fast Forward 2and science fiction in general. Here's a clip:

Anders: Well, first and foremost, science fiction has to be entertaining if it is to work at all. I recently read an anthology (won't say which) that I thought was just one sanctimonious lecture after another on how bad our contemporary lifestyle is and how we've all got it coming. And frankly, I had to slog through the book, and it's made me quite angry, because I don't think this sort of thing is doing anyone any favors. "Action," "Adventure," and "Fun" aren't dirty words and never should be.

Fast Forward 2: The Pulse of Sciece Fiction

I haven't seen the issue yet, but thanks to Shirt'n'Tie, I learned that Death Ray issue #17 has a very positive review of Fast Forward 2.

The review, by Thom Hutchinson, apparently says:

“May the series continue – while other anthologies look to check the pulse of SF, Anders seems determined to be the pulse, and that alone demands celebration.”

Works by me! And thanks to Shirt'n'Tie for pointing it out.

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!

FF2 up for the PKD: 2008 Philip K. Dick Award Nominees Announced

Fast Forward 2has just been shortlisted for the 2008 Philip K. Dick Award, with the result that I can barely type let alone think. So in lieu of being eloquent, here's the press release:

The judges of the 2008 Philip K. Dick Award and the Philadelphia SF Society, along with the Philip K. Dick Trust, are pleased to announce six nominated works that comprise the final ballot for the award:

EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD by Adam-Troy Castro (Eos Books)
ENDGAME by Kristine Smith (Eos Books)
FAST FORWARD 2 edited by Lou Anders (Pyr)
JUDGE by Karen Traviss (Eos Books)
TERMINAL MIND by David Walton (Meadowhawk Press)
TIME MACHINES REPAIRED WHILE-U-WAIT by K. A. Bedford (EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing)

First prize and any special citations will be announced on Friday, April 10, 2009 at Norwescon 32 at the Doubletree Seattle Airport Hotel, SeaTac, Washington.

The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Philip K. Dick Trust and the award ceremony is sponsored by the NorthWest Science Fiction Society. Last year’s winner was NOVA SWING by M. John Harrison (Bantam Spectra) with a special citation to FROM THE NOTEBOOKS OF DR. BRAIN by Minister Faust (Del Rey). The 2008 judges are Tobias Buckell, M. M. Buckner (chair), Walter Hunt, Rosemary Kirstein, and William Senior.

For more information, contact the award administration:

David G. Hartwell (914) 769-5545.

Gordon Van Gelder (201) 876-2551

For more information about the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, http://www.psfs.org/:

Contact Gary Feldbaum (215) 563-2511

For more information about the Philip K. Dick Trust: www.philipkdick.com

For more information about Norwescon: http://www.norwescon.org/:

Contact NorthWest SF Society: (360) 438-0871

Congrats to all the nominees, and a special shout of gratitude to everyone who contributed to Fast Forward 2!

Update 1/14/09: Kristine Smith's Endgame is apparently ineligible. It has been removed from the list, and replaced with my friend Jeff Carlson's Plague War. Congratulations Jeff! 

Fast Forward 2: Best Book of 2008!!!

Ryun Patterson, at Bookgasm, publishes his 5 Best Sci-Fi Books of 2008, and Fast Forward 2is the pick for the # 1 book of the year!

"Up until last year, I would never have believed that an anthology of new science fiction could be the best sci-fi book put out in a given year. First of all, is there even a demand for such a beast? It seems that a budding anthologist could make a far more successful book by picking a theme, say 'green aliens with tentacles who are really children in search of their parents but are thought of as evil because of a cultural misunderstanding,' and find awesome tales from the genre’s creaky grandmasters that would guarantee an endcap placement at Borders. (This is by no means a knock against some of the great anthologists out there, like John Joseph Adams, whose Wastelands collection had a big impact on me this year.)

But Anders, who has paid his dues many times over in the science-fiction trenches, doesn’t seem to do the predictable thing, and his risk-taking has paid off. Fast Forward 2 is even more electric than last year’s first: Anders has assembled some of the best and brightest current stars of the genre, and they turned in stories that, as a whole, really do represent the cutting edge of fiction. From a fashion designer who grows living gowns to a raid on the doomsday seed bank to a young man getting Cyrano-with-a-twist dating advice in the India of the future, Fast Forward 2 is the book to read this year. It’s the surest of sure things, and a bargain, to boot."

Deeply honored.

Overdue Roundup

Because yes, I've been away, and while we're on it - they friggin' ruined the Enchanted Tiki House. Ruined. I am really, sincerely devastated.

Now...

The incomparable Shaun Farrel, of the indispensable Adventures in SciFi Publishing podcast, has an interview with Yours Truly up now, which you can listen to directly here, or via iTunes. We talk about my latest anthology, Fast Forward 2, sort of, as I found it hard to stay on topic. (Or, admittedly, to let him get a word in.)

Then, Fantasy Book Critic runs my picks in their 2008 Review/2009 Preview.

And here's an interesting review of Fast Forward 2, by blogger Steven Mollman, who admittedly never buys non-media tie-in science fiction, and what an interesting animal that is! Like a being from a parallel universe to my own! But it seems Mollman picked up FF2 for Paul Cornell (and hence the Doctor Who connection). His verdict? He seems lukewarm on a lot of it, but calls it a "fine anthology" and says he will seek out more stories by at least one of the contributors (Ian McDonald), which is the desired effect of an anthology, isn't it? So I am pleased. Interestingly, he notes, "for an ostensibly unthemed anthology, there sure were a lot of stories about a future Earth with its ecology either on the verge of collapse or already collapsed. Maybe that happened because it's what's actually going to happen, but it got a little tiring after a while."

I didn't think there were a lot. But hopefully we won't have to get tired of actually living that future, rather than just reading about it.

Way to Go Paul! "Catherine Drewe" in Best of the Year!

Via SF Signal, I see that Rich Horton has posted the (almost-final) contents of Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2009 Edition, and that Paul Cornell's brilliant short story, "Catherine Drewe," from my own recently-released Fast Forward 2is among them!

Congrats Paul! I told you so.

Podcast: SciFiDimensions and Me

John C. Snider interviews me for the SciFiDimensions Podcast. You can hear in streaming from his website, or you can search iTunes for "SciFiDimensions." I've not listened to it yet, so no idea how I come off, but it felt like a very thorough interview at the time. We talk about Fast Forward 2,Pyr, the art of John Picacio, and many more topics besides. He's a good interviewer, (and hit me with a curve ball out of the gate. Not that I'm saying that's a criteria for a good interview!) He also interviews Tim Lasuita, licensing director for Jack Lake Productions, a Canadian company involved in reprinting Classics Illustrated. Cool!

John also reviews Fast Forward 2 on his blog.

There’s no theme to the Fast Forward series, other than excellence in storytelling. The stories in FF2 cover the spectrum of sub-genres, from near-future parables to far-future space opera, from post-cyberpunk to hard SF; from cautionary tales a la The Twilight Zone to uplifting vignettes that affirm the best in human nature. With such a wide selection of styles and themes, it should come as no surprise that not every entry will appeal to every reader. At the very least, FF2 is like a Whitman Sampler; a little something for everyone, and if you find a story you like, it’ll be from a writer with plenty of other work you can chase down later.

FF2: The Age of Accelerating Returns

My introduction to Fast Forward 2,"The Age of Accelerating Returns," has just gone up on SFSignal this morning.

I don't know if anyone actually reads introductions, but I'm pretty proud of this one, as it says a lot of what I have to say about science fiction in general.

Paul Cornell's Short Story From FF2 Free Online!

In support of Fast Forward 2,we've put the entirely of the opening story from the anthology online at the new Pyr Sample Chapters page. (If you are viewing this inside the frame of the Pyr site, you might right click to avoid opening a window in a window).

"Catherine Drewe" by two-time Hugo nominee Paul Cornell is a tale of a Bond-like character in an alternate history where the Great Game never ended and the British Empire - along with the other world powers - extends its reach throughout the solar system.

Paul says of the character:

"I like to think I'm writing in the tradition of Ian Fleming's Bond novels (not the movies) but I'm trying to stay away from pastiche, and instead hope to explore the same debates about masculinity and Britishness he did, while perhaps coming to different conclusions."

Fast Forward 2 is here!

Fast Forward 2is in stock at Amazon. Which means it should be showing up elsewhere very soon.

I'm very excited about this one, which might be the best anthology I've ever assembled. Next week I'll be putting up an entire short story from the book at the new Pyr Sample Chapters page. And, when the Pyr newsletter goes out next on October 1, we'll be offering the previous volume - Fast Forward 1 - at 50% off cover price in a special offer exclusive to our newsletter subscribers. If'n you're not one and want to be, go to www.pyrsf.com and sign up (from the link below the menu buttons in the left margin).

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:

Fast Forward 2: The Full Jacket

The full cover for Fast Forward 2.Artwork by John Picacio. Design by Jacqueline Cooke.