SF Signal "Our Favourite Books" Podcast

The SF Signal Podcast #19 is the first live podcast I've done. I was a lot more relaxed than for the phone in. :)

Here were my 'best of 2010' books (and please note these aren't in ranked order, this is the order I spoke about them on the podcast):

For Fantasy:
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Desert Spear by Peter Brett
Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

For Science Fiction:
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
Veracity by Laura Bynum
State of Decay by James Knapp

For Teen SFF:
Mockinjay by Suzanne Collins (as that's the one in the series published this year. I loved the other 2 books in the series as well.)
Eon by Alison Goodman
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
bonus: (ie not a 2010 publication) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (I intend to read his 2010 release - the third in the series, Monsters of Men - before the year is out.)

I came out of the podcast with new books to look up, so go listen to what the other SF Signal bloggers have to recommend.

If You Like... Reading (or Gift) Suggestions

My new Christmas endcap is "If you like... Try this!"

Basically it's suggested SFF gifts for people who like certain things and want a new (ish) book that their recipient may not have read yet.

Here's the list. I wanted to add extra suggestions for all of the categories but there's never enough time to do everything you'd like, so a few have a second book in brackets.

I'm following the photo of the endcap rather than alphabetizing in any way.

So, If you like... Try...

Strong Partners - The Sleeping God by Violette Malan (Swords of Heaven by Simon Green)
Hauntings - Geist by Phillippa Ballantine
Twisted Fairy Tales - The Stepsister Scheme by Jim Hines (Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey)
Regency England - Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett)
Thieves - Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron (Master of None by Sonya Bateman)
Epic Fantasy - Lamentation by Ken Scholes
Swashbuckling Action - Triumff by Dan Abnett (Sword of Albion by Mark Chadbourn)
Private Eyes - Grave Witch by Kaylana Price (Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook)
Zombies - Deadtown by Nancy Holzner (Autumn by David Moody)
The Wild West - A Book of Tongues by Gemma Files
Scary Stories - Monstrous Affections by David Nickle
Old School Vampires - The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Plagues - Infected by Scott Sigler (The White Plague by Frank Herbert)
Assassins - Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells (The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks)
Fascinating Magic - The Warded Man by Peter Brett (Spellwright by Blake Charlton)
Elves and Guns - A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans
Steampunk - Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder (Flaming Zeppelins by Joe Lansdale)
Military SF - Carnifex by Tom Kratman
Space Terrorism - Mirrored Heavens by David Williams
The Internet - Wake by Robert Sawyer
SF Thrillers - State of Decay by James Knapp
Futuristic Cops - At Empire's Edge by William Dietz (Damage Time by Colin Harvey)
Exotic Locations - The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
Clones - Clone Republic by Stephen Kent
Rewriting History - Emperor by Stephen Baxter (Into the Storm by Taylor Anderson)
Visiting the Past - Blackout by Connie Willis
Gritty Fantasy - Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
Political Intrigue - Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas (King's Bastard by Rowena Cory Daniels)
Lyrical Writing - Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay (Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin)
Apocalyptic Fiction - Noise by Darin Bradley
Big Brother - Veracity by Laura Bynum (The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks)

If there's a category I missed that you want suggestions for, feel free to ask in the comments. Or, suggest your own books for the categories.

Author Interview: Colin Harvey

Novels:
Damage Time
Vengeance
Lightning Days
The Silk Parade
Blind Faith
Winter Song

Anthology Editor for:
Dark Spires
Future Bristol

Website: www.colin-harvey.com

> What's Damage Time about?

Forty years from now Detective Pete Shah is about to retire from the NYPD. He works as a memory retrieval specialist; we now have the technology to upload memories onto the net, but some criminals like to hurt their memories' donors, and it's Shah's job to find out who they are. BUT NYC is near bankrupt and with three weeks to go, Shah finds that his retirement date has been put off by five years. Depressed and angry, Shah goes to a bar where he meets a girl -- and the next morning her body is pulled from the East River. All the evidence seems to point to Shah being the killer. And later on, when he becomes even more of a threat, the criminals attack him and strip him of his memories, and Pete Shah has to learn how to become who he is all over again.

>You've written several genres (near-future SF, hard SF, epic fantasy, etc.).  Do you think it's easier to write fantasy or science fiction?

At the risk of sounding like I'm dodging the bullet (LOL), they're both challenges. Good SF has to stand up to known constraints, whereas often fantasy worlds have be built from the ground up. 

> What was it like to be on the grant committee for the Speculative Literature Foundation?

For eight months of the year, it was easy! But then from June to mid-October, we'd be issuing press releases counting down to the opening period, reading the submissions, more press releases counting down to the closing date, reading more submissions, more press releases -- then judging; that was the hardest part -- we could only have one winner, and we had some superb entries. In that respect, it was very good training to be an editor.

> What made you want to be a writer?

I've always liked writing, ever since I was eight or nine. Like many writers, I need to write something and to write every day. I can't imagine any other job where I get to fulfill those needs.

> In the books you’ve written, who is you favourite character and why?

Generally, it's whoever the protagonist of my latest book is! Seriously, I identify a lot with Pete Shah, with his struggles to do the right thing, and his doubts about his life -- but his inability to change it. I think that we've all felt like that at times - haven't you?

> If you could, would you change places with any of your characters?

At times, I'd change with any and all of them. Wouldn't it be great to walk or ride across an alien world? Wouldn't you like to know now what the world's going to be like in forty years time? Or a thousand?

> What was the first novel, published or unpublished, that you wrote and how long did it take to write it?

My first novel -Vengeance- was written between 1998 and 2001, and then revised in 2005. I describe it as a mix of Agatha Christie and Jack Vance, with a little spaghetti western thrown in!

>What was the hardest scene for you to write?

They were all hard at that stage!

> What is your university degree in and does it help with your writing?

I'm studying for a BA in Creative Writing, made up of lots of different modules. Last year I wrote poetry, which helps with the precision, and scriptwriting, which helps to work out how late in the story a writer can start. But every module helps in some way or another. I'm taking Film Making, which gives me an insight into how the film industry works, and Genre, which helped me understand my own writing. I'd recommend anyone who is thinking of writing for a living to take such a course -- it tilts the odds of being published enormously in your favour. But also, if like me, you love to write, it's just a great thing to do.

> When and where do you write?

I try to write in the mornings, between seven and twelve; I write at home. But I also write on bus or train journeys -- it's that or read, or stare out of the window, and of the three things I know which is most productive.

> What’s the best/worst thing about writing?

Worst thing; when you hit that writing equivalent of the marathon-runner's wall. It's usually half to two-thirds through a novel. Best thing; when it's finished, and the work is as good as you can make it.

> What is something you didn’t know about the publishing industry before you had your first book published?

How much is involved in the industry other than writing! You have to be part salesman, part bookkeeper (yes, I have an accountant, but still, I have to keep records, and accountants don't chase payments), and part promoter as well as a writer. More and more writers are expected to be out there, promoting their books.

> Do you have any advice for hopeful authors?

Write. Write every day. A little every day is better than a big splurge once a week. But the only way to improve is to write and to listen to feedback.

> Any tips against writers block?

Just try to take the pressure off yourself. Write nonsense for five minutes before you start writing, to warm up a little. Take writing one word, one sentence, one paragraph, one scene at a time.

> How do you discipline yourself to write?

How do you discipline yourself to go into work? It's a serious question. If you don't go to work, you don't get paid. Nor do I. It's important to remember that it is a job; if I don't work, I don't get paid.

But even so it's a great life.

Book Review: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Website: www.randomhouse.com/teens/mazerunner/home.html
Blog: jamesdashner.blogspot.com

Pros: lots of tension, great pacing

Cons: while I still didn't connect with any of the boys, I didn't find them as annoying as I did in the first book

Picking up directly where The Maze Runner left off, The Scorch Trials doesn't let the Gladers relax much before the next round of horrors begins.

While you find out a bit more of the mystery surrounding the boys - including the fact that there was a similar experiment for girls - a lot of mysteries remain at the end of the book.

Look forward to a wild ride of one bad thing followed by another.

This book is definitely better than the first one. All of my complaints for it were dealt with/not applicable here. The pacing is good, there's some downtime to appreciate the situation the boys are in but not enough to feel bored. There's little character development, but the book takes place over two weeks so that's to be expected. And what development there is, follows logically from the events of the story.

While I felt teens would enjoy the first book better than adults, the sequel is a fantastic book for readers of all ages.

Can't wait for the third, when I hope to learn what's really going on with WICKED.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels Coming in January 2011

Hardcover

Myth-Fortunes – Robert Asprin

The Last Unicorn – Peter Beagle (reprint)

River Marked – Patricia Briggs

Farlander – Col Buchanan

The Lost Gate – Orson Scott Card

Agatha H. and the Airship City – Phil Foglio

Of Truth and Beasts – Barb & J. C. Hendee

March in Country – E. E. Knight

The Warlord's legacy – Ari Marmell

Citadel – John Ringo

The Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith Vol. 5 – Clark Ashton Smith

Among Others – Jo Walton

House Name – Michelle West

Home Fires – Gene Wolfe

Cobra Guardian – Timothy Zahn

Trade Paperback

Blue – Lou Aronica

Nell Gwynne's Scarlet Spy – Kage Baker

The Soul Mirror – Carol Berg

Summer Morning, Summer Night – Ray Bradbury

The Scar-crow Men – Mark Chadbourn

Halo: Helljumper – Peter David

The Stranger – Max Frei

A Hard Day's Knight – Simon Green

The Fallen Blade – Jon Courtenay Grimwood

Brave New Worlds: Dystopian Stories – Ursula K. Le Guin, Ed.

The Book of Elizabeth – Darby Harn

A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! – Harry Harrison

Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures – Robert Howard

God's War – Kameron Hurley

ParaSpheres 2: Extending Beyond the Spheres of Literary and Genre Fiction – Ken Keegan, Ed.

Zombie, Ohio – Scott Kenemore

Thirteen Years later – Jasper Kent

Spellweaver – Lynn Kurland

The Agent Gambit – Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

The River Kings' Road – Liane Merciel

The Hammer – K. J. Parker

Bloodshot – Cherie Priest

Allison Hewitt Is Trapped – Madeleine Roux

The Double Shadow – Clark Ashton Smith

Best New Fantasy 2 – Sean Wallace, Ed.

Japanese Dreams – Sean Wallace, Ed.

Mass Market Paperback

The World House – Guy Adams

Spirit Lens – Carol Berg

Silver Borne – Patricia Briggs

52 – Greg Cox

Harbinger of the Storm – Aliette De Bodard

The Sentinel Mage – Emily Gee

Through Stone and Sea – Barb & J. C. Hendee

Dragon Keeper – Robin Hobb

Bound in Blood – P. C. Hodgell

Moon Flower – James Hogan

Mercy Blade – Faith Hunter

Managing Death – Trent Jamieson

Much Fall of Blood – Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint & Dave Freer

Play Dead – John Levitt

Crossed – J. F. Lewis

The Sworn – Gail Martin

Star Wars: Knight Errant – John Jackson Miller

Heart of the Exiled – Pati Nagle

A Brush of Darkness – Allison Pang

Tempest's Legacy – Nicole Peeler

Flip This Zombie – Jesse Petersen

Boondocks Fantasy – Jean Rabe & Martin Greenberg, Ed.

Secrets of the Demon – Diana Rowland

The Griffin's Flight – K. J. Taylor

Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Paths of Disharmony – Dayton Ward

City of the Night – Michelle West

Warhammer: Sword of Vengence – Chris Wraight

SF Contario - Artist Alley

I'd meant to do a few SF Contario posts last week, but other things came up, so they've been pushed back to this week.

First up are some of the fantastic works from Artists Alley.

The artist guest of honour was Billy Tackett, 'art with BRAAAAINNNNSSSS!!'. He has some great pictures in his "Dead, White & Blue" series, like this one: A New Corpse.


Heather V. Kreiter had a nice display of "My Little Demon" ponies.


Margaret Chown's site won't let me save a picture for display. She's got watercolours and more, so go check it out.

Kerry Maffeo has steampunk inspired art. You can see some of it on her blog, and buy it on her etsy page.


If you like steampunk jewelry, there were two dealers. The first, Irina Pertseva,


the second, C. J. Grand-Cowan.

PBS to air "Pioneers of Television" Sci-Fi Episode

Press Release:


















KELSEY GRAMMER NARRATES PBS’ “PIONEERS OF TELEVISION”;
FOUR-PART SERIES CELEBRATES THE EXTRAORDINARY TALENT AND THEMES OF EARLY TELEVISION
PREMIERING JANUARY 18, 2011 AT 8 P.M. ET/PT ON PBS

PIONEERS OF TELEVISION depicts the epic beginnings of the four featured television genres and explores the stories and influences of their groundbreaking pioneers. The hour-long episodes are:

“Science Fiction” (Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT):

Storytellers Gene Roddenberry, Irwin Allen and Rod Serling created the storylines and characters behind the best-loved futuristic television of their time. But as Roddenberry’s “Star Trek” competed for ratings with Allen’s “Lost in Space,” each show’s creator aimed for a very different direction. This episode explores how Roddenberry and Serling (of “The Twilight Zone”) used the future as a stage for modern morality plays, and William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols and other science-fiction stars describe how they prepared to interact on-camera with a malevolent alien force … or, perhaps, a giant radish.

“Westerns” (Tuesday, January 25, 2011, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT):

Known everywhere as the quintessential American cultural identity, westerns filled small screens across the country night after night and were some of the most successful television shows in history. Fess Parker’s portrayal of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett channeled the bravery, independence, honesty and rugged individualism of a young nation — and made Walt Disney enough money to build an empire. Westerns introduced James Garner, who starred in the television hit “Maverick,” where he developed the reluctant hero character that would cement his successful TV and film career. Garner, in his only recent interview, and Parker tell their stories, and Linda Evans recalls how two strong female characters emerged with her onscreen interaction with Barbara Stanwyck in “The Big Valley.” This episode also examines the success of Robert Conrad in “The Wild Wild West,” the popularity of “Bonanza” and the creation of the classic series “Gunsmoke” with James Arness — one of the longest-running television series of all time.

“Crime Dramas” (Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT):

As viewers reveled in being transported to shadowy underworlds, creative geniuses emerged in the forms of Jack Webb (“Dragnet”), Desi Arnaz (“The Untouchables”) and Bruce Geller (“Mannix” and “Mission: Impossible”). Groundbreaking actors Bill Cosby (“I Spy”) and Angie Dickinson (“Police Woman”) reveal the methods behind their successes as the first African-American and breakthrough female lead characters in a television series. Barbara Bain and Martin Landau share the secrets behind the innovative hit “Mission: Impossible”; Peter Falk’s friends and colleagues recall the evolution of his “Columbo” character; and James Garner and series creator Stephen J. Cannell recount the success of the “The Rockford Files.”

“Local Kids’ TV” (Tuesday, February 8, 2011, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT):

Local kids’ programs shaped the childhoods of millions of American children in the early years of television. Performers such as Willard Scott and William Shatner honed their skills performing on live TV with small budgets and little support. With the flimsiest of second-hand store costumes and their own imaginations, they learned how to make their audience laugh, smile and think. One early talent, Stan Freberg, got off the bus in the middle of Hollywood, became a cartoon voice talent and created “Time for Beany” — a show that captured seven out of 10 viewers, including Albert Einstein, during its run in Los Angeles. Freberg’s story is told along with the stories of legendary Muppets creator Jim Henson (who started on local television as a teenager), actor Chuck McCann (originator of New York’s “Puppet Hotel”), Larry Harmon (who popularized Bozo the Clown) and Nancy Claster (who developed the Baltimore kids’ series “Romper Room” — the first franchised show in television history).

Don’t miss selected PBS programs streaming free online, the day after broadcast, on the PBS Video Portal (pbs.org/video/).