Tag: Empire Dreams

Lavie Tidhar Curates the BEST OF BRITISH SFF Story Bundle…

Posted on Thursday, April 16th, 2020

Lavie Tidhar has curated an excellent Story Bundle, featuring some of the best of British science fiction! The bundle is available until April 3rd, as a pay-what-you-want/can, and goes to support not only the authors but also Locus Magazine. Here’s a short description from Lavie…

It feels surreal to be writing this as the world is in the grip of a pandemic, and Britain itself, like much of the rest of the world, is on lockdown, in scenes that could only have been dismissed as science fiction a few weeks ago. Or years. How long has it been? I have lost the sense of time by now. As we’re all holding on, many, including the writers here and elsewhere, have been affected. Bookshops and newsstands are closed, publishers are laying off staff and delaying books, and all of us are feeling the pinch. Buying this bundle will help the small publishers included here, from Apex and NewCon to Solaris and Tachyon – the very independent publishers who continue to champion exciting new voices and works.

Finally, this bundle will help, in however small a way, my favourite magazine. Locus was established in 1968, and has become the single most important news source for the SF/F field, offering unparalleled cover, in-depth reviews and author interviews, and so much more. They have won the Hugo Award more times than I can mention. The effect of the shutdown has hit Locus hard. As a non-profit, they rely on a mixture of traditional revenue and on donations. Your purchase of this bundle will raise some much needed cash to help Locus weather the current apocalypse – and we all need Locus.

The bundle includes the following titles:

If you pay at least $15, you will also get the following six books:

  • THE BEST OF MICHAEL MOORCOCK
  • COIL by Ren Warom
  • A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar
  • THE IRON TACTICIAN by Alastair Reynolds
  • BEST OF BRITISH FANTASY 2018 edited by Jared Shurin
  • BEST OF BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION 2018 edited by Donna Scott

Three New Audible Titles, from Blaylock and McDonald

Posted on Monday, April 21st, 2014

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Three more great backlist titles have been released as audiobooks. First up, we have a pair of titles from the great James P. Blaylock – one Steampunk novella, and an eclectic short story collection…

Here’s just a small selection of what critics have said about the books…

‘While many recent novels have picked up the steampunk banner, this one fully delivers, offering action, farce, tender relationships, and prose full of genuine Victorian cadence and flavor.’  —  Publishers Weekly on THE AFFAIR OF THE CHALK CLIFFS

‘If you haven’t read Blaylock before, this is a good place to start, particularly if you enjoy steampunk and/or mysteries. If you are a fan of Blaylock’s writing, you’ll want to add this to your collection.’  —  SF Revu on THE AFFAIR OF THE CHALK CLIFFS

‘A short story collection from [Blaylock] is cause for celebration and rejoicing.’ — Neil Gaiman on 13 PHANTASMS

And finally, we also have a science-fiction anthology by Ian McDonald…

Ian’s fiction has been praised far and wide, and here are just a couple of examples…

‘One of the most interesting and accomplished science fiction writers of this latter-day era, indeed maybe the most interesting and accomplished, and certainly the most culturally and musically sophisticated, the Frank Herbert, William Gibson, or arguably even Thomas Pynchon of the early 21st century.’ — Asimov’s

‘McDonald’s power as a storyteller lies in his stylistic versatility and intensity of language as well as in his capacity to create vivid and memorable characters.’ — Library Journal

As before, the titles above include links to their respective Audible pages, original print-publisher, and narrator. There are a few remaining backlist titles still to come via Audible, and we’ll be sharing that info as soon as it’s available. Watch this space!

New US eBook Editions for Ian McDonald’s Backlist

Posted on Thursday, November 28th, 2013

We’re delighted to announce that two of Ian McDonald‘s backlist series and a short story collection are in the process of being released as eBooks in the US market. Produced through the JABberwocky eBook Program, the novels will be available through digital platforms in the USA (Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, etc.). Below are the titles, covers and information for the six books in question…

CHAGA, KIRINYA, and TENDELEO’S STORY

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Here’s the synopsis for CHAGA…

On the trail of the mystery of Saturn’s disappearing moons, network journalist Gaby McAslan finds herself in Africa researching the Kilimanjaro Event: a meteor-strike in Kenya which caused the stunning African landscape to give way to something equally beautiful – and indescribably alien. Dubbed the ‘Chaga’, the alien flora destroys all man-made materials, and moulds human flesh, bone and spirit to its own designs. But when Gaby finds the first man to survive the Chaga’s changes, she realizes it has its own plans for humankind…

Against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, McDonald weaves a staggering tale of keen human observation and speculation, as the Kilimanjaro Event changes the course of the human race by exposure to something beyond its imagination.

DESOLATION ROAD and ARES EXPRESS

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Here’s the synopsis for DESOLATION ROAD…

It all began thirty years ago on Mars, with a greenperson. But by the time it all finished, the town of Desolation Road had experienced every conceivable abnormality; from Adam Black’s Wonderful Travelling Chautauqua and Educational ’Stravaganza (complete with its very own captive angel), to the Astounding Tatterdemalion Air Bazaar. Its inhabitants ranged from Dr. Alimantando, the town’s founder and resident genius, to the Babooshka, a barren grandmother who just wants her own child – grown in a fruit jar; from Rajendra Das, mechanical hobo who has a mystical way with machines to the Gallacelli brothers, identical triplets who fell in love with – and married – the same woman.

McDonald-EmpireDreams-JAB-BlogAnd last, but by no means least, the EMPIRE DREAMS collection…

Published simultaneously as Desolation Road, the Empire Dreams collection was intended to exploit the author’s nomination for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 1985. It collects the following stories:

Vivaldi Visits to Remarkable Cities

Unfinished Portrait of the King of Pain by Van Gogh

Scenes from a Shadowplay Radio Marrakech

King of Morning, Queen of Day

The Island of the Dead

Empire Dreams (Ground Control to Major Tom)

Christian The Catharine Wheel (Our Lady of Tharsis)