That Inevitable Victorian Thing, E.K. Johnston; Katherine Kellgren, narrator (Listening Library, $25.00, digital download, 8.5 hr., unabridged) October 2017.
This thoughtful yet frothy confection is set in an alternate future that developed when Queen Victoria rejected the repressive Kensington system so definitively that her daughter, not her son, succeeded her, and that heir fostered the belief that marrying among the various peoples of the Empire would strengthen it. And it ...Read More
Persepolis Rising, James S.A. Corey (Orbit 978-0-316-33283-5, $28.00, 551pp, hc) December 2017. Cover by Daniel Dociu.
Cover blurbs and media PR keep referring to James S.A. Corey’s Expanse series as space opera, which has always struck me as an inadequate descriptor for a set of novels that employs an unusually, um, expansive set of science-fictional tropes. (The television adaptations on Syfy are a bit biased toward space-adventure and -combat, though ...Read More
All the Crooked Saints, Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic 978-0-545-93080-2, $18.99, 320pp, hc) October 2017.
Young adult powerhouse Maggie Stiefvater dives into magic realism with her latest book, All the Crooked Saints. Set in the fictional Colorado desert enclave of Bicho Raro, the novel follows the travails of the Soria family, who are gifted (or cursed) with the ability to perform miracles. Pilgrims come from far and wide seeking solace from their ...Read More
Terminal Alliance, Jim C. Hines (DAW 978-0-7564-1274-6, $26.00, 368pp, hc). November 2017. Cover by Daniel Dos Santos.
One thing links the books I read for Locus this month. With one exception – Jim Hines’s Terminal Alliance – none of them were quite as entertaining as I’d hoped. Still, that’s life, right? It’s not as though they weren’t entertaining at all….
Terminal Alliance is the latest novel from Jim C. Hines, ...Read More
The Weight of Words, Dave McKean & William Schafer, eds. (Subterranean 978-1-59606-825-4, $40.00, 248pp, hc) December 2017.
At least in the SFF world, Dave McKean’s prolific multimedia career is most often associated with that of his frequent collaborator and pal Neil Gaiman, who has two short pieces in The Weight of Words, a fascinating anthology edited by McKean & William Schafer in which ten authors – including McKean himself – ...Read More
How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig (Viking 978-0-525-52287-4, $26, 336pp, hardcover) February 2018
I am not quite sure how I managed to be ignorant of Matt’s Haig’s work prior to this moment, especially since he has produced twelve prior novels–the first appearing in 2004, and one currently optioned for film–and a non-fiction bestseller. I can only blame the incredible and overwhelming plethora of interesting books being produced these ...Read More
Storycom is funding The Shimmer Program’s Two-way Exchange Fund, intended “to encourage cultural exchange between Chinese science fiction fans and science fiction fans all over the world.” Similar to their ongoing Program for Chinese fans, the Two-way Exchange Fund
will provide 15,000 RMB per person (this will approximately cover economic class plane tickets and hotels; the fund recipient will be responsible for all costs exceeding this budget). For the first ...Read More
The YA Book Prize 2018 shortlist includes several titles of genre interest:
The YA Book Prize is awarded to a YA title written by an author living in the UK or Ireland. Finalists and winners are selected by a panel of judges which includes Akala, Melanie Ramdarshan Bold, Caroline Carpenter, Angie Crawford, ...Read More
PEN America announced Jennifer Egan as their new president March 1, 2018. Egan takes over the role from Andrew Solomon and will work in partnership with Suzanne Nossel, who was named chief executive officer after serving as PEN America’s executive director since 2013. Nossel says:
A writer both renowned and beloved, Jennifer Egan ’s consummate skill, insight and humanity make her a perfect leader for PEN America at a time ...Read More
Leading SF publisher Tor Books has announced significant changes to the publishing team. Fritz Foy, senior vice president of strategic technology at Macmillan and publisher of Tor.com, has been named president and publisher at Tom Doherty Associates. Tom Doherty says:
Fritz has had an impressive career in publishing, first at Simon & Schuster, and for the last 21 years at Macmillan. He has had roles in sales, marketing, operations, technology, ...Read More
Children of Icarus by Caighlan Smith (Curious Fox) has won the 2018 Scottish Teenage Book Prize. The prize, “to celebrate the most popular teen books by authors in Scotland,” is run by the Scottish Book Trust. Smith will receive £3,000. The authors of two shortlisted titles, Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan) and The Haunting of Jessop Rise by Danny Weston (Andersen), will each receive £500. Lucy Eldridge, the ...Read More
It Devours!: A Welcome to Night Vale Novel, Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor; Cecil Baldwin, narrator (HarperAudio 978-006247610-4, $39.99, CD, 9.5 hr., unabridged [also available as a digital download]) October 2017.
This is the second standalone novel associated with one of my favorite podcasts, Welcome to Night Vale, set in a strange desert town in which all conspiracies are true and anything can happen (and usually does). At the behest ...Read More
Dell Magazines reported that some copies of the March-April issue of Analog and Asimov’s magazines were bound with an incorrect signature due to an error at the printer. According to editor Sheila Williams, subscribers’ issues have already been replaced but any customers or retailers who have a misbound copy can contact customer service at 800-220-7443 for a replacement issue.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus ...Read MoreWinners of the 2017 Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award have been announced:
Ghosts/Horror/Dark Fantasy/Paranormal & Urban/Epic Fantasy
Romance/Holiday
Romance/Holiday – ...Read More
The Murders of Molly Southbourne, Tade Thompson (Tor.com 9780765397133 $11.99, 128pp, tp) October 2017.
The figure of the doppelganger features in the work of a number of well-known writers, from Poe (“William Wilson”) to Dostoyevsky (The Double) to Dick (“The Father Thing”) to Ellison (“Shatterday”). In these narratives, and in the larger traditions from which they draw, the appearance of one’s double is a cause for anxiety. It is in ...Read More
The finalists for the 32nd annual Asimov’s Readers’ Awards have been announced. All except one are available to be read online.
Best Novel/Novella
Best Novelette
The Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS) has announced the finalists for the 2018 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award:
The award honors the best first SF/fantasy/horror ...Read More
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) announced Kenesha Williams as the recipient of its 2018 Scholarship From Hell. The scholarship places writers in the intensive Horror University workshop, which will take place during StokerCon 2018.
Williams will receive airfare to and from the StokerCon venue, a four-night stay at the convention, and registration for StokerCon 2018 and the Horror University workshop classes.
StokerCon 2018 will be held March 1-4, 2018 at ...Read More
Ghosts of Greenglass House, Kate Milford (Clarion Books 978-0-544-99146-0, $17.99, 464pp, hc) October 2017.
There is something positively delightful about sinking into the plot-heavy, character-rich, never-dull-for-a-moment novels of Kate Milford. From the intense rural scares of The Boneshaker to the historical high seas of The Left-Handed Fate, Milford’s trademark combination of mystery and fantasy, with no small amount of action, is immensely appealing for younger teens. In Greenglass House she ...Read More
Amazon is discontinuing its editorial, design, and marketing services for Createspace, their print self-publishing and distribution platform, “after a thorough review of our service offerings,” according to a spokesperson. They are cutting 58 jobs from their North Charleston SC office, most of them customer service positions. Createspace will otherwise continue as before.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. ...Read More
New issues of Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ...Read More
