Science Fiction Isn’t Predictive, Except When it Is

The general public often thinks science fiction writers are supposed to predict the future.

Science fiction writers, of course, know better.

Sometimes, all the same, fiction and reality unexpectedly — and uncannily — overlap.

The narrative of Walter Jon Williams’ new novel DEEP STATE, correlates in any number of ways with the ongoing situation in Egypt. He writes about how he came about he did this, and what he thinks about it, both as the latest Big Idea at John Scalzi’s Whatever, and on io9.com today.

Check out what he has to say — then go read the book, to see for yourself.

The Windup Girl: SF at its very best

The winner of an extraordinary five of 2010’s major international SF awards, and named by Time Magazine as one of the top ten novels of the year, The Windup Girl has garnered Paolo Bacigalupi incredible critical acclaim since UK publication in December:

‘The Windup Girl embodies what SF does best of all: it remakes reality in compelling, absorbing and thought-provoking ways, and it lives on vividly in the mind’ – Guardian

‘Vigorous and compelling… the action scenes, related in taut, breathless prose, can be stunning.  Tremendous entertainment’ – Independent on Sunday

‘Pitch-perfect writing… It’s science-fiction as warnings of the future, as social commentary, and as just bloody good storytelling… SF at its very best’ – SFX

‘Deserves all of the critical adulation already heaped upon it… one of the finest SF books we’ve read’ – SciFi Now

‘One of the best debut novels of recent years’ – Salon Futura

International praise

‘Bacigalupi is a worthy successor to William Gibson: this is cyberpunk without computers’ – Time Magazine

‘Clearly one of the finest science fiction novels of the year’ – Publishers Weekly

‘An exciting story about industrial espionage, civil war, and political struggle, filled with heart-thudding action sequences, sordid sex, and enough technical speculation for two lesser novels’ Cory Doctorow

‘It’s ridiculous how good this book is’ Techland

‘Postmodern Bangkok springs to life in Bacigalupi’s brilliant dystopian tale of culture clash, recalling the best of China Mieville and Neal Stephenson’ Library Journal

Conjures up Venice so vividly you can almost smell it…

Jon Courtenay Grimwood‘s latest novel hits the shelves today, and marks a major change of genre for the critically acclaimed science fiction author.  The Fallen Blade is a meticulously researched and extremely compelling fantasy thriller, set in an alternate 15th century Venice – a city in the grip of corrupt politics, a decadent age, and under threat from a mysterious assassin… 

So far the consensus is that Jon definitely hasn’t lost his touch, and that this is not your average vampire novel!

‘A fantastic evocation of Renaissance Venice, both the atmosphere and architecture of the city, the beauty of the culture it gave birth to and the merciless, brutally violent and Machiavellian politics that ran alongside it … Grimwood has made [a] fusion of genre energy and literary depth his calling card.’ – Damien G. Walter, Guardian Online

‘Conjures up Venice so vividly you can almost smell it… Impressive, but not nearly so impressive as the way Grimwood draws Tycho, essentially a vampire teenager subject to fierce emotion because he doesn’t even realise yet that he craves blood.  He’s a figure both frightening and yet also, at different moments, pitiable and even downright noble…  Reinventing the Vampire myth. Never, ever let it be said that Jon Courtenay Grimwood lacks for ambition.’ – Jonathan Wright, SFX 

‘Sick to death of vampires?  Take heed, because Grimwood’s take on the subject is leagues away from your average fangbanger… The writing is elegant, the dialogue is sharp, the characters economically but well drawn, the action unrelenting, and the story moves – to pardon a phrase – like shit off a shovel…  Hits all the right notes.’  – Alastair Reynolds, SciFi Now

‘It’s too early to start dealing in hyperbole about fantasy books of the year, so let’s just say this one is a very good start.  It’s a novel you can gorge yourself on; a fast-paced, swashbuckling adventure of the old school, full of fire and brimstone thrills and rich flavours.  Yet, unlike many such page-turners, it doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste.  Rather, it leaves plenty to ponder… I’d recommend this book to anyone.’ – Sam Jordison, Salon Futura

Events

Signing at Forbidden Planet, London this evening (Thurs 3rd Feb) with Kate Griffin, 6pm

SFX Weekender – various panels and signing, Sat 5th Feb

Discussion event at the London School of Economics with Ken MacLeod, Thurs Sat 17th Feb

 

Shadowheart

With just 2 days to go until the official release date of Shadowheart (UK / ANZ), the final book in Tad Williams’ captivating Shadowmarch series, we thought we’d give you a little preview to whet your tastebuds. Read the prologue here!

Barrick Eddon, prince of Southmarch, is no longer entirely human. He has vowed to safeguard the legacy of the dark Qar race, and must now decide where his loyalties lie.

His twin sister Briony has a difficult choice of her own. Her father, King Olin, is held captive by the Autarch, a mad god-king who plans to use Olin’s blood to gain unlimited power. And the castle of Southmarch still remains in the possession of Hendon Tolly, Briony’s murderous relative. As time runs out, will Briony decide to save her father’s kingdom . . . or her father?

As the foretold Great Defeat draws near, history is stripped of its costume of lies. Poets and players, mortals and fairies, warriors and gods, all will have their roles to play as the fate of the known world hangs in the balance.

And don’t forget that Shadowrise (UK / ANZ) is also out now in paperback . . .

Cover Launch: HEARTLESS by Gail Carriger!

Well, as you can tell from the infrequency of the postings from the Art Dept since the holidays, it’s been craaaaaazy busy here. Our Fall/Winter 2012 covers are due in 3 weeks, and we’re killing ourselves bringing you the coolest artists and designs we can. We also have a couple new features in the pipeline which we’ll be talking more about after the evil 2/18 deadline, so hang with us. Meanwhile, we are going to finish posting the rest of the Spring/Summer 2011 Covers for your viewing pleasure, starting with one of my fave series…

Here you go folks, Heartless, the fourth Alexia Tarabotti/Soulless book by Gair Carriger. I love this series, and I am really digging the covers too – who wouldn’t, when I get to work with such fun material as the photos Steampunk icon Donna Ricci keeps sending me? The photographer this round was Pixie Vision Productions.

I tried to find a good British castle as a stand-in for the pack headquarters, and I think the cool heavy stonework here does the job – I can totally picture Alexia going up and down those steps to visit with the werewolves camped out on the back lawn…and whipping some military discipline into them!

After the jump is a teaser, and I’ve tried to take out as many spoilers as I could, but still, if you haven’t read the previous books (Soulless, Changeless, and Blameless) then BE WARNED, SPOILER ALERT. (more…)

Lord Knows I’m a Voodoo Child

Ask ten writers how music influences their writing and you’ll likely get ten different answers. Some might say they don’t listen to music at all. Some will say they can’t write without it. Might even tell you that entire books were influenced by a particular song or album.

I fall into the can’t-write-without-it-camp. Music not only helps me get into the right headspace to write particular scenes, but specific lyrics have helped me figure out the themes of entire books.

I thought since the latest book in my Sabina Kane series, GREEN EYED DEMON, comes out in the UK on February 3 (and March 1 in the US), I’d share my playlist for the book, as well as some notes about why each was included.
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Kate Griffin and Jon Courtenay Grimwood at Forbidden Planet in London and SFX Weekender

 

Kate Griffin and Jon Courtenay Grimwood will both be signing at Forbidden Planet London on Thursday 3rd Feb to launch their new books: The Neon Court and The Fallen Blade.  Shaftesbury Avenue, 6-7pm.

They will also both be at the SFX Weekender in Camber Sands for panels on Saturday 5th Feb. Here’s their schedule:

11am: Main Void – Essential SF, fantasy and horror classics – with Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Joe Abercrombie, David Wingrove, Peter F Hamilton, Adrian Tchaicovsky and Kevin J Anderson.

11.45: Screening Zone – Dual Brittania: creating alternate Englands – with Kate Griffin, China Mieville, Al Ewing and Stephen Baxter.

12.30: Main Void – What’s next for TV vampires?  Pitching a new vampire show – with Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Toby Whithouse and Sarah Pinborough.

(Exact schedule and line-ups all subject to possible change)

THE DRAGON’S PATH: the Prologue

Now up at A Dribble of Ink — the prologue from what we are sure will be one of the major fantasy titles of the year, Daniel Abraham’s THE DRAGON’S PATH. The book itself will be on-sale April 7 but in the meantime, whet your appetite for the rest of this epic, unforgettable narrative. And don’t just take our word for it:

“Daniel Abraham gets better with every book” — George R.R.Martin

“Intricate, elegant, and almost hypnotically told — to call Daniel Abraham an exciting new author is to wildly understate the case” — Connie Willis

“Welcome to Daniel Abraham. If you are meeting him for the first time, I envy you: you are in for a remarkable journey” — Junot Diaz

Cover post: ECHO CITY artwork

We’ve now received the shiny new cover flat for Tim Lebbon’s Echo City from our production department, so there was much excitement on the Orbit bench. It’s always  seems so much more real and nearly-there than when you just print it on regular paper, but here’s the next best thing here on the interweb …

I think Lee Gibbon’s illustration is terrifically atmospheric and designer Peter Cotton has done a great job putting this together for us. It really portrays the desolate feel of a city stranded in a hosile desert, its dwellers believing there is no other life in their world – until a stranger arrives from across the toxic wastes …

Steven Erikson had this to say about this darkly fantastical novel — so look out for it in July if you’re after something to read on the beach. Or maybe not the beach, if you’ve a particularly vivid imagination:

Brilliantly conceived and exquisitely well written by one of the genre’s most original and inventive writers. Tim Lebbon is one of the few fantasy authors whose new works I eagerly antcipate’ Steven Erikson

 

A taste of Venice and The Fallen Blade

Jon Courtenay Grimwood was recently described in the Guardian as making ‘the fusion of genre energy and literary depth his calling card,’ and his latest book certainly fits such a description. If you’ve read his posts this week, you may already suspect this truth: The Fallen Blade is probably unlike anything you would have read before.  This is a novel that simultaneously reclaims the vampire myth, crafts a thrilling political landscape, fits in both romance and brutal violence and portrays a fifteenth century Venice so vividly that you’ll swear you’ve been there (and then!).

So in this trailer for The Fallen Blade, we’re taking you there…

You can read the first chapter here.