Zeppelin Reviewed

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Pulp reviewer and author Ron Fortier has just posted a review on his Pulp Fiction Reviews blog of  Uchronic Tales: The Zeppelin. Here are a few of the nice things he had to say:

"Miller’s writing is pulp-perfect and the action nonstop from beginning to end. Tyler is a great, stalwart champion and the young, lovely scientist a spunky spitfire capable of holding her own when the action kicks into high gear."

Having relished this great little book, this reviewer is looking forward to digging into the second titled, “The Horn.”  If it is as good as, “The Zeppelin,” we pulp fans have much to celebrate."

You can find The Zeppelin and the Horn at the links to the right. They are available in print at Amazon, and on Nook, Kindle, and Smashwords.

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Hugo Awards 2011 - Short Story Nominees

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2011 HUGO AWARD SHORT STORY NOMINEES

I decided to start my Hugo nominee reading with the Short Story category. The four nominated stories vary widely in tone and topic, from the struggles of a species to survive to My Little Pony. All were well written. Here's my picks from last to first…

Ponies - Kij Johnson- My Little Pony and how they lose their wings and their horns. OK - fun idea, but it's My Little Pony. First appearance on tor.com. You can read it here.

For Want of a Nail - Mary Robinette Kowal - A story on a generation ship about a family's computer that falls in love with a man with dimensia and doesn't want to be deactivated. Interesting. First published in Asimov's Sept 2010. You can read it here.

 

Amaryllis - Carrie Vaughn - A post-ecopocalypse story about a fishing crew getting a bigger quota and being allowed to have a baby. This was a very nicely told story and came very close to winning me over for the top slot. First appeared in the June 2010 issue of the online magazine, Lightspeed. You can read it here.

The Things - Peter Watts - A unique retelling of the events of the John Carpenter movie, The Thing, told in first person from the perspective of the invader. My #1 pick. I found the storytelling compelling and the alien perspective fascinating. This story came from Clarkesworld in January 2010. You can read it here.

I find it telling that 3 of the four stories first appeared online. That is good news for the short fiction market, and perhaps bad news for the print magazines. In today's hurried, always online times, it is easier and faster to find and read a short story on your phone that to find a print issue of a magazine at a store - A few months ago I went to 3 bookstores and 4 newsstands while trying to find the current issue of Asimov's. If I want to buy your magazine and can't find it anywhere, then you are in trouble.

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Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing is Back

For those interested in the fantasy and SF literary fields, Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing is one of the best podcasts out there. They do news, reviews, and best of all, author interviews. But be careful, you might end up buying a few books. They have been on hiatus... BUT NOW THEY ARE BACK!

One of the things that sets AiSFP apart is that Shaun Farrell really researches the author he interview and asks great questions. Who has been on the show? Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, David J. Williams, Elizabeth Bear and Tobias Buckell, Neil Gaiman, Lois McMaster Bujold, Timothy Zahn, Michael Moorcock, Larry Niven, Kay Kenyon, Robert J. Sawyer, Dan Simmons, and many others. The guests really are amazing.

While I was at the San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, I noticed Kevin J. Anderson was sitting at his table and upon remembering the AiSFP interview I had recently listened to (I am way behind, but catching up), I met Mr. Anderson and bought his new book. After hearing how I came to arrive at his table, Mr. Anderson proclaimed to his wife, "A podcast direct sale!" Yes, that was true. If I hadn't heard the interview I would have passed right by.

The first post hiatus episode features an interview with Greg Van Eekhout, author of Norse Code. Another good interview and his book sounds interesting.

Check it out.