I am so reading this...

I'm talking, of course, abot Michael Moorcock's Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles. I've known about it for a while of course, but the description comes via SF Signal:

Miggea - a world on the very edge of reality. The cusp between this universe and the next. A point where space-time has worn thin, and is in danger of collapsing. And the venue for the grand finals of the competition to win the fabled Arrow of Law. The Doctor and Amy have joined the Terraphiles - a group obsessed with all aspects of Earth's history, and dedicated to re-enacting ancient sporting events. They are determined to win the Arrow. But just getting to Miggea proves tricky. Reality is collapsing, ships are disappearing, and Captain Cornelius and his pirates are looking for easy pickings. Even when they arrive, the Doctor and Amy's troubles won't be over. They have to find out who is so desperate to get the Arrow of Law that they will kill for it. And uncover the traitor on their own team. And win the contest fair and square. And, of course, they need to save the universe from total destruction.

Publishers Weekly on Masked

Publishers Weekly has reviewed my forthcoming superhero anthology, Masked:

Anders (Fast Forward) delivers an ambitious collection of superhero tales that provide top-notch plots and characterizations while honoring their four-color roots. In Daryl Gregory's superbly metafictional "Message from the Bubble Gum Factory," a former sidekick finally realizes the broader implications of superheroes. Stephen Baxter nicely applies hard science to the futuristic "Vacuum Lad." Gail Simone's "Thug" and Mike Carey's "The Non-Event" bolster predictable plots with solid characters and prose. Joseph Mallozzi's "Downfall" and Marjorie M. Liu's "Call Her Savage" embrace comics clichés and make them both more complex and more entertaining. ...Overall, Anders has assembled a solid anthology that provides first-rate entertainment.

The Office of Shadow: Politics, Treachery, Heroism, Sacrifice and Action

"The Office of Shadow is a great adventure with a finely woven narrative and a compelling plot. Sturges’ writing is of high-quality and he brings a fascinating cast of characters to a tale full of politics, treachery, heroism, sacrifice and slick action. It also features a magic system which is utterly credible and brilliantly realised. One of the very best I have encountered. I really enjoyed this book. The Shadows are a terrific creation and I want more. Much more." James Barclay, author of the Raven series

Charlaine Harris on Shadow's Son

Charlaine Harris, of Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood fame, has very kindly given a plug for Jon Sprunk's debut fantasy, Shadow's Son, on her blog.

"The cover looked sort of young adult-ish, but there’s nothing on the cover to classify it, so I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. As it turns out, Sprunk’s book could be read by young adults but is also quite entertaining for older adults. Assassin Caim, in the city of Othir, finds that he himself is the subject of an insidious plot. The killer becomes the prey, as Caim is framed for a murder he didn’t commit. Caim forms an alliance with the daughter of the murdered man, but her own past is as much of a lie as Caim’s. This is a short but fast-moving novel with heartbreak and redemption both."

Kay Kenyon's The Entire and the Rose: A Landmark SF Series

From Greg L Johnson at SF Site:

"When Bright of the Sky, the first novel in The Entire and the Rose appeared, comparisons were quickly made between Kenyon's Bright, Larry Niven's Ringworld, and Philip José Farmer's Riverworld. With the publication of Prince of Storms, it's just as easy to make comparisons to C.J. Cherryh's many novels dealing with the relationships of power in society, and to Frank Herbert's examination in Dune of the dangers inherent in trying to control the future. That's pretty rarified company, and in the case of The Entire and the Rose completely deserved. With The Entire and the Rose, Kay Kenyon has crafted one of the most captivating multi-universe, multi-cultural settings in science fiction history, and used it tell a story of tragedy and loss, of decisions made and regretted, sacrifices made, and an ultimate re-birth and renewal. It's a grand theme that more than matches its brilliant setting, and that makes The Entire and the Rose a landmark science fiction series of the twenty-first century, one that deserves a place on the bookshelf of science fiction readers everywhere."

Pretty much every single review, and there has been a LOT of them, praise this series as landmark. With the final book out in hardcover now and coming out in trade paperback in August, and the entire series now up on the Kindle, maybe it's time to check it out?

Three Chesley Award Nominations for Pyr

ASFA, the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, have announced the 2010 Chesley Award nominees for works eligible from 2009, and I am very honored to report that Pyr has made the ballot three times.

For Best Cover Illustration: Paperback:

David Palumbo for Stalking the Dragon by Mike Resnick (Pyr, August 2009)

John Picacio for World's End by Mark Chadbourn (Pyr, May 2009)

For Best Art Director:

Lou Anders (which is me). We are all very honored by these three nominations.

2010 is the 25th anniversary of the Chesley Awards. The awards will be presented at NASFiC: The 10th Occasional North American Science Fiction Convention, August 5th-8th, 2010, in Raleigh, NC.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Behind the Mask: The Evolution of a Super Cover

Designer Richard Yoo worked on the cover treatment for my forthcoming comic heroes-in-prose anthology, Masked. Over on his blog, he posts several interesting cover concepts that were explored before artist Trevor Hairsine was brought in, as well as type treatments after he was. (Note that Masked was originally titled With Great Power).

Masked will be released by Gallery Books this coming July, with an amazing list of contributors that includes Bill Willingham, Marjorie M Liu, Gail Simone, Mike Carey, Peter David, and Mike Baron.

Three New Lou Interviews for You (Say That FIve Times Fast)

What are the chances of three interviews going live on the same day?

This morning, I'm the guest on the wonderful Dragon Page Cover to Cover podcast, episode #410a. They say,  "Lou talks about how the iPad has shifted his reading preferences recently, and despite his deep and continuing love for physical books themselves, he can see where his future book buying may go the way his music buying went after iTunes became more widely used.Technology is changing the publishing game, and the guys talk about easy it’s becoming to be lured away from the book to the many electronic readers out there; about whether to use enhanced content for ebooks to encourage sales, the importance of having a quality story, and much more. Lou also walks through what happens on the path from manuscript to shelf: from the acquisition process, the editing process, the cover art process, and the book design process." This is my second appearance on the Dragon Page. I'm a big fan of the show and always have fun talking with Mike & Mike. You can listen with the direct link on the page itself, download, or get via iTunes.

Meanwhile, a brand-new, online magazine launches today, Redstone Science Fiction, from editor Michael Ray. Redstone is an online magazine that publishes "primarily science fiction short stories" and pays SFWA pro rates. Their first issue features "Raising Tom Chambers" by Daniel Powell and flash fiction story "Freefall" by Peter Roberts. There are also three interviews, one with  cover artist Kittyhawk, a popular webcomic artist, one with Joel Hardy, an engineer who works with scientific research on the International Space Station, and one with Yours Truly (conducted by author David Alastair Hayden). Check it out and give them your love.

Finally, I'm interviewed on The Mad Hatter's Bookshelf and Book Review as well. We talk about steampunk, anthologies, the submission process, my own writing, and, yes, hats.

Mike Resnick on the Dragon Page

I'm a little behind in my podcast listening, so I'm a week behind in alerting you that Mike Resnick was a guest on episode  #408A of the Dragon Page Cover to Cover, available at the link or on iTunes. He talks about the Starship series, his forthcoming Weird Western, The Buntline Special, and his forthcoming Golden Gryphon novel Blasphemy, among other things.

Mike is always worth listening too.

Priceless - Bill Maher: Bradley Byrne attack ad parody

ImagiCon 2010

Last weekend I was a guest of Imagicon 2, held May 21-23rd at the McWane Science Center in Birmingham, AL. Timothy Zahn and Larry Elmore were the guests of honor, and they had guests that ranged from John Ringo and JF Lewis to Buck Rogers' Erin Gray and Gil Gerard.

The con was small but enthusiastic. The paper reported 1,300 attendees but I would have put it at a fourth that from what I actually saw. Still, they split the anime track off to another location, and the McWane Science Center is a four floor complex that the convention was threaded throughout, so it was very hard to get a clear fix on who was where when. The location also probably brought in some traffic that came for the center itself, and all the exhibits - robots, tornadoes in a tube, etc...  - made for an interesting backdrop to the events. Plus, the IMAX theater there ran Star Trek just for the weekend.

As with all conventions, it is the people that make or break it, and this weekend was great to hang with friends JF Lewis, author of  Staked and Revamped, and Shane and Rachel Ivey of Arc Dream Publishing. It was also wonderful to hang with the Inner Worlds Book Club. I'd like to see Birmingham with an annual convention, so I hope this event will return and grow year after year.

Got Sprunk?

“The action scenes are solid and the story is fast-paced with no moments threatening to slow things down… So the core of Shadow's Son feels solid, with characters who come into their stride, uncover past misdeeds and surprise themselves with what they're able to accomplish.” The Speculative Fiction Examiner, Examiner.com, May 5, 2010

“When Sprunk gets going, he writes with an energy that has to be experienced to be believed. [He] knows that if your main character is up against a wall and facing ten swordsman then the resulting fight for your life can’t be written at anything other than a break neck pace. Not only does Sprunk more than deliver on this score but he remains in control of his writing the whole time. Shadow's Son will have me coming back for a sequel… Sprunk’s eye for spectacle means that if Shadow’s Son was ever made into a film I’d definitely be there to watch it… a thoroughly entertaining read that had me wondering if perhaps all assassin stories aren’t the same after all…” Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review, May 20, 2010

“Wonderful fight sequences is what you expect out of a Swords & Sorcery novel and Sprunk more than delivers…Shadow's Son had me up late at night as nearly every chapter ended in climax after climax of tight action sequences to see how Caim will get out of the next scrape. I give Shadow's Son 7.5 out of 10 hats. Even though this is the first in a trilogy Sprunk does an admirable job at having a clear culmination to most of what he started while leaving plenty left open for the next volumes as things escalate. Sprunk shows loads of promise as he hones his craft.” The Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf and Book Review, May 23, 2010

Empire in Black and Gold: A Stunning Debut

"Empire in Black and Gold is a stunning debut, original in setting, peopled with interesting characters, and plot that moves quickly and excitingly. I highly recommend this novel to epic fantasy readers looking for something new and unusual, sword and sorcery readers who love a good fight scene, fans of character driven fantasy, and anyone look for a fresh and innovative take on an age-old narrative." Grasping for the Wind

Rebooting Spider-Man

Via SF Signal:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

The Functional Nerds

I am a guest today on Episode 10 of The Functional Nerds podcast, hosted by Patrick Hester & John Anealio. They say:

"Lou joins us this week to discuss a little bit of the history of the Pyr imprint from Prometheus books, the branding of Pyr that stands out on the bookshelves thanks to artwork from great artists like John Picacio, upcoming projects from Pyr, two new anthologies from Lou titled ‘Swords & Dark magic’ due in June and ‘Masked’ due in July, then we branch off into Stargate Universe, John Scalzi, Joseph Mallozzi, FlashForward and Batman comics."

You can download the episode on iTunes or listen at the direct link above.

Public Service Announcement

Apologies, but due to a rash of anonymous spam (in what looks like Japanese), I'm turning off anonymous comments. Just spending too much time deleting spam. Hope everyone legitimately here will understand. Thanks.

ImagiCon 2010, ABC 33/40, and Me

I will be participating in Birmingham's ImagiCon convention this weekend, held at the McWane Science Center, as well as Old Car Heaven, May 21-23. In support of the con, I and Staked and Revamped author J. F. Lewis, spoke with Tracy Haynes of Talk of Alabama on ABC 33/40. Here is the video:



Meanwhile, I will be appearing on two panels at the convention:

Saturday, May 22

11:30a.m. "Lou Anders and Pyr Books" Come meet Lou Anders and find out what is coming from Pyr Books, one of the fastest rising stars of the fantasy and sci-fi world!

Sunday, May 23

1:00p.m. "Fantasy Today" M.B. Weston, Lou Anders, Van Plexico, J.F. Lewis Wondering why all the Vampires are sparkling? Wondering what happened to the grittiness of Conan? Wonder what happened to the outrageous worlds of Zalazny? Come and talk with some people who would know!

Here is the link to the full Literary Track, which includes such notables as John Ringo, Timothy Zahn, and Travis S Taylor.

Hard to Argue With This

" Empire in Black and Gold is a stunning debut, original in setting, peopled with interesting characters, and plot that moves quickly and excitingly. I highly recommend this novel to epic fantasy readers looking for something new and unusual, sword and sorcery readers who love a good fight scene, fans of character driven fantasy, and anyone look for a fresh and innovative take on an age-old narrative." Grasping for the Wind

With Great Power is now... Masked

For reasons you can probably work out yourself, Gallery Books has decided to retitle my forthcoming Superhero Anthology. The new title is Masked, and here is the revised cover. Again, the art is by Trevor Hairsine, artist on such titles as Judge Dredd, Captain America, Wisdom, Ultimate Galactus, Black Panther and many other comic books. I think the new title -- and title design -- works quite well.

Once again, here's the awe-inspiring Table of Contents:

Introduction: The Golden Age by Lou Anders
"Cleansed and Set in Gold" by Matthew Sturges
"Where their Worm Dieth Not" by James Maxey
"Secret Identity" by Paul Cornell
"The Non-Event" by Mike Carey
"Avatar" by Mike Baron
"Message from the Bubblegum Factory" by Daryl Gregory
"Thug" by Gail Simone
"Vacuum Lad" by Stephen Baxter
"A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows" by Chris Roberson
"Head Cases" by Peter David & Kathleen David
"Downfall" by Joseph Mallozzi
"By My Works You Shall Know Me" by Mark Chadbourn
"Call Her Savage" by Marjorie M. Liu
"Tonight we fly" by Ian McDonald
"A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too)" by Bill Willingham

Cover - Swords & Dark Magic: Limited Edition

Now it can be shown, the cover for the Subterranean Press Limited Edition version of Swords & Dark Magic, to be published in July, with a cover by Dominic Harman.

Swords & Dark Magic
edited by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders
(preorder--to be published in July 2010)
Dust jacket by Dominic Harman
Limited: $75
ISBN: 978-1-59606-311-2
Length: 424 pages

Swords & Dark Magic is the most important new fantasy anthology to be published this decade. Featuring new stories from the bestselling and brightest writers working in the genre, including: New York Times bestselling authors Scott Lynch and Garth Nix; genre greats Michael Moorcock (with an all-new Elric novella), Michael Shea (with a fully authorized new Cugel the Clever adventure), Robert Silverberg (with an all-new Majipoor tale), Glen Cook (with an all-new Black Company story), Gene Wolfe, and C. J. Cherryh; and hot new writers who've been re-inventing swords and sorcery like Steven Erikson, Joe Abercrombie, Tim Lebbon, and many more.

Limited: 500 signed numbered copies, bound in full cloth

Table of Contents

• Check Your Dark Lord at the Door" — Lou Anders & Jonathan Strahan
• Goats of Glory — Steven Erikson
• Tides Elba: A Tale of the Black Company — Glen Cook
• Bloodsport — Gene Wolfe
• The Singing Spear — James Enge
• A Wizard of Wiscezan — C.J. Cherryh
• A Rich Full Week — K. J. Parker
• A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet — Garth Nix
• Red Pearls: An Elric Story — Michael Moorcock
• The Deification of Dal Bamore — Tim Lebbon
• Dark Times at the Midnight Market — Robert Silverberg
• The Undefiled — Greg Keyes
• Dapple Hew the Tint Master — Michael Shea
• In the Stacks — Scott Lynch
• Two Lions, A Witch, and the War-Robe — Tanith Lee
• The Sea Troll's Daughter — Caitlin R Kiernan
• Thieves of Daring — Bill Willingham
• The Fool Jobs — Joe Abercrombie

Update 5/3/10: Subterranean Press reports that "Swords is selling very well. At this point, we have fewer than 200 copies left for sale, which means we may not have copies for large online retailers and our wholesale accounts, and the it may even be sold out by the time it's released this summer." Get yours here.