The Haul of Books 2.0: Books Received Vol. 3
It’s time for yet another edition of the Haul of Books, in which I tell you about the stuff that recently showed up at my door in one form or another. Let’s get started: The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike by Philip K. Dick (Tor) The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike was written by Philip K. Dick in the winter and spring of 1960, in Point Reyes Station, California. In the sequence of Dick’s work, it was written immediately after Confessions of a Crap Artist and just before The Man in the High Castle, the Hugo Award–winning science fiction novel that ushered in the next stage of Dick’s career. This novel, Dick said, is about Leo Runcible, “a brilliant, civic minded liberal Jew living in a rural WASP town in Marin County, California.” Runcible, a real estate agent involved in a local battle with a neighbor, finds what look like Neanderthal bones in Marin and dreams of rising real estate prices because of the publicity. But it turns out that the remains are more recent, the result of an environmental problem polluting the local water supply. We Can Report Them by Michael Brodsky (Four Walls Eight Windows) In We Can Report Them, Bert, the director of an unorthodox TV commercial, aims to canonize a serial killer as a viable cultural hero. Pudd, the serial killer, has undergone a pseudoreligious conversion. These two, plus Joyce, a patient combating her fatal disease on any terms but the real ones, all seek answers through creation, expressing their unique slant on what passes for reality in defiance of authority. The Devil’s Diaries by Nicholas D. Satan (Lyons Press) Narrating the Devil’s random musings on key dates through history, “The Devil’s Diaries” reveals Satan’s part in such things as the Fall; musical moments at the crossroads; the invention of the tetrapak, making work for idle hands; small print; Faust; decorating hell circle by circle; the joy of getting all the best tunes; and, lawyers. The Dark One reveals his disquiet at the way some of this finest ideas have been hijacked and credited elsewhere; and confesses his frustration that much of his best work goes unappreciated. We also gain extraordinary insights into his private thoughts, and discover that even Satan gets depressed. Geist by Philippa Ballantine (Ace) Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists… Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse. But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows. And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to? Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine (Ace) Though one of the most powerful Deacons, Sorcha Faris has a tarnished reputation to overcome, which is why she jumps at the chance to investigate a string of murders in the exotic city of Orithal. But it is there that her lover, the shapeshifting rival to the throne, is targeted by a cruel and vengeful goddess, unwittingly unleashed by the Emperor’s sister. Sword of Fire and Sea by Erin Hoffman (Pyr) Three generations ago Captain Vidarian Rulorat’s great-grandfather gave up an imperial commission to commit social catastrophe by marrying a fire priestess. For love, he unwittingly doomed his family to generations of a rare genetic disease that follows families who cross elemental boundaries. Now Vidarian, the last surviving member of the Rulorat family, struggles to uphold his family legacy, and finds himself chained to a task as a result of the bride price his great-grandfather paid: the Breakwater Agreement, a seventy-year-old alliance between his family and the High Temple of Kara’zul, domain of the fire priestesses. The priestess Endera has called upon Vidarian to fulfill his family’s obligation by transporting a young fire priestess named Ariadel to a water temple far to the south, through dangerous pirate-controlled territory. A journey perilous in the best of conditions is made more so by their pursuers: rogue telepathic magic-users called the Vkortha who will stop at nothing to recover Ariadel, who has witnessed their forbidden rites. Together, Vidarian and Ariadel will navigate more than treacherous waters: Imperial intrigue, a world that has been slowly losing its magic for generations, secrets that the priestesshoods have kept for longer, the indifference of their elemental goddesses, gryphons—once thought mythical—now returning to the world, and their own labyrinthine family legacies. Vidarian finds himself at the intersection not only of the world’s most volatile elements, but of colliding universes, and the ancient and alien powers that lurk between them. The Mall by S.L. Grey (Corvus) Dan is an angsty emo-kid who works in a deadly dull shopping mall. He hates his job. Rhoda is a junkie whose babysitting charge ran off while she was scoring cocaine. She hates her life. Rhoda bullies Dan into helping her search, but as they explore the neon-lit corridors behind the mall, disturbing text messages lure them into the bowels of the building, where old mannequins are stored in grave-like piles and raw sewage drips off the ceiling. The only escape is down. Plummeting into the earth in a disused service lift playing head-splitting Musak, Dan and Rhoda enter a sinister underworld that mirrors their worst fears. They finally escape, but something feels different. Why are the shoppers all pumped full of silicone? Why are the shop assistants chained to their counters? And why is a
Promo Bits: If You Lived Here — What’s your favorite scifi/fantasy world?
The fine folks at Underland Press are up to no good, it seems. They want to start a big mean argument about our favorite science fiction and fantasy worlds for their new book, If You Lived Here. Of course, I’m joking. The idea is really awesome, if you haven’t heard of it before. Here’s the promo stuff I got in my email: The project, authored and edited by Jeff VanderMeer, is called If You Lived Here: The Top 30 All Time Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Worlds. It’s a compendium, of sorts, but also a travel guide to places like Dune, Ring World, Middle Earth, Lankhmar . . . and beyond . . . We’ve all lived in these places–in imagination if not in fact–and we’re all united by our common experiences of them. We wanted to collect the worlds together in one place as both a walk down memory lane and a place to start new dreams. We’re reaching out to readers, writers, and booksellers to ask for nominations of worlds to include. We’ve set up a web form at www.ifyoulivedherebook.com, which takes the nominations and asks respondents to describe what they love about the world. (If things go according to plan, we’ll include some of the responses in the book itself.) So, I’m going to ask you for two things: Leave a comment telling me about your favorite scifi/fantasy world. Send in your nominations for the book. Have at it!
Promo Bits: Tor at Comic-Con — the Schedule
If you haven’t received an email from them yet, then you’ll be surprised to learn about all the fun things Tor Books will be up to at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con. They include (taken from the email): This year at the Tor Booth (#2707), we’ll not only have our popular *in-booth signings and giveaways, but you’ll also have a chance to download exclusive content via QR codes and win a tablet from our friends at Tor.com! And finally, our esteemed Tor Staff will participate in our popular #Torchat series on Twitter, live from the con on Thursday the 21st from 10am – 11am PST. Read on for all the details! And (the schedule of Tor-related events): Thursday, July 21st · 10am – 11am #Torchat, live from Comic-Con! With @tdelucci (Theresa Delucci, Ad/promo Manager & Tor.com blogger), @Laura_FitzG (Laura Fitzgerald, Digital Mktg Coordinator) @opattyg (Patty Garcia, Director of Publicity) and @jgolenbo (Justin Golenbock, Senior Publicist Extraordinaire) · 12pm Tor Booth signing with Carrie Vaughn, author of New York Times bestselling Kitty Norville series, signing copies of Kitty Goes to War. Booth #2707 · 12pm – 1pm Putting the “Epic” in “Epic Fantasy: Writing to excite! Room 6A With Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings), Peter Orullian (The Unremembered), George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, Kevin J. Anderson and others. Moderated by Michael Spradlin. 1:30pm – 2:30pm Signing in the autographing area, AA8 · 2:45pm Tor Booth signing with Brandon Sanderson, signing Mistborn. Five lucky fans will win an Advanced Readers Copy of his new book Alloy of Law, coming in November. Booth #2707 · 4pm – 5pm No Damsels in Distress Here: Female voices in sci-fi/fantasy create kick-ass heroines. Room 25ABC. With Carrie Vaughn (Kitty’s Big Trouble), Seanan McGuir, Sherrilyn Kenyon and others. Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. 5:30pm – 6:30pm Signing in the autographing area, AA2 · 5pm Tor Booth signing with Tony Gonzales, IP Development Manager at CCP Games and author of Eve: Empyrean Age and the upcoming Eve: Templar One (December). Booth #2707 Friday, July 22nd: Videogame Day Tor has positioned themselves as the industry leader within this burgeoning subgenre of science fiction via an expanded program of stand-alone novels that flesh out virtual worlds with original stories through partnerships with industry-leading videogame developers, established writers, and prominent gaming studios. This year we take over and get our own panel! We’ll also be giving away Halo and Dragon Age messenger bags all day! · 10am – 11am Writing in Videogames: In-game, novels, comics, & other franchise-building offshoots. Room 32AB. With Greg Bear (Halo: Cryptum), Karen Traviss (Halo: Glasslands), David Gaider (Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, Dragon Age: The Calling), John Shirley (Bioshock: Rapture), Tony Gonzales (EVE: The Empyrean Age, EVE: Templar One), Frank O’Connor (Chief of 343 Industries, Halo: Evolutions) and Kevin Grace (Managing Editor of 343 Industries, Halo: Evolutions). Moderated by Matt Staggs of Suvudu.com. 11:30am – 12:30am Signing in the autographing area, AA2 · 12pm Tor Booth signing with Bram Stoker Award winner John Shirley, signing copies of Bioshock: Rapture, the prequel story to the award-winning and bestselling video game franchise. Booth #2707 · 2pm Tor Booth signing with multiple Hugo and Nebula Award winner Greg Bear, #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Travis, Frank O’Connor, Chief of 343 Industries, and Kevin Grace, Managing Editor of 343 Industries, signing copies of Halo: Evolutions. Booth #2707 · 5pm Tor Booth signing with David Gaider, lead writer on the award-winning role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins among others, signing copies of Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne. Booth #2707 Saturday, July 23rd · 12pm Tor Booth signing with the iconic Vernor Vinge! This fall will finally see the release of The Children of the Sky, the long awaited follow up to Hugo Award winning A Fire Upon the Deep. Never read it? Stop by the booth and get a copy signed by the wonderful author himself! Booth #2707 · 3pm The Long Man give-away by comic legend, Steve Englehart. Booth #2707 · 5pm Tor Booth signing with legendary George R.R. Martin! Originally created in 1987 and long before Martin became a household name, George R. R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass’ Wild Cards series earned a reputation for its smart reimagining of the superhero idea. Martin & Snodgrass will be joined by other contributors including Carrie Vaughn, Carolyn Spector and Daniel Abraham. Note: Martin will only sign copies of Inside Straight; limit one copy per person. Booth #2707 Sunday, July 24th · 10:30am Wildcards Sunday Morning, Moderated by George R.R. Martin & Melinda Snodgrass. With Paul Cornell, David Anthony Durham, Carrie Vaughn, Daniel Abraham & Caroline Spector. A Tor exclusive! 12pm – 1pm Signing in the Autographing area AA8 · 12pm Dreadnought giveaway by steampunk high priestess, Cherie Priest. Booth #2707 · 12pm – 1pm Speculative Fiction: Space odyssey, alien encounters and future worlds Room 25ABC. With Vernor Vinge (The Children of the Sky), Greg Bear (Halo: Cryptum), Timothy Zahn and others. Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. 1:30pm – 2:30pm Signing in the autographing area AA8 · 2pm – 3pm Tor Booth signing with comic legends Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham! We’re proud to announce the publication of Down the Mysterly River, Willingham’s first book for young readers to be published by Starscape (Tor’s younger sibling) this fall. Willingham &; Buckingham (hey that rhymes!) will sign one of four specially designed postcards featuring art from the upcoming book. A Comic-Con exclusive! *All Tor Booth signings are on a first come first serve basis and while supplies lasts. Limit one book per person. So there you have it. If you’re going to be at Comic-Con (wish I could be), you should check out some of the Tor events. I’m sure they’ll be amazing!