Thursday, January 17, 2008

SF in SF - Peter S. Beagle and Mark Ferrari

Here's where you'll definitely want to be this Saturday night:

Presented by Tachyon Publications
A FREE monthly SF/F author event. NOW IN ITS 3RD YEAR!

SF IN SF
Science Fiction. San Francisco.
A Perfect Fit.

PETER S. BEAGLE and MARK FERRARI

Saturday, January 19
Lounge /cash bar open at 6:00 PM
7:00 PM readings

The Variety Preview Room
The Hobart Building, 1st Floor
582 Market St. @ Montgomery, by Montgomery MUNI/BART
Entrance to the Hobart Bldg. is between Citibank and Quiznos

Take MUNI or BART instead of driving! Montgomery St. Station is steps away from our front door. (.25 per 5 mins; street meters til 6PM)

Phone (night of event): 415-572-1015
questions? Email sffilmvariety@yahoo.com

Each author will read a selection from their work followed by Q&A from the audience
moderated by author Terry Bisson. Authors will schmooze and sign books afterwards in the lounge. Books available for sale (courtesy of Borderlands Books)

Seating is limited, so first come, first seated.
Come early and hang out in the lounge!
Bar proceeds benefit Variety Childrens’ Charity of N. California

About the Authors:

PETER S. BEAGLE
author of the beloved fantasy classic, The Last Unicorn, and the sequel novelette, Two Hearts, winner of the 2006 Best Novelette Hugo and Nebula Awards. Currently in print with a reissue from Tachyon Publications of his first novel, also a classic, A Fine and Private Place. Learn more at www.locusmag.com/2007/Issue07_Beagle.html

MARK FERRARI
author of The Book of Joby - truly a breakout first novel, it’s garnered reviews like "With its winning combination of King Arthur and the Book of Job, this book deserves to stand on the bookshelf next to C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia." (10-07 Book Sense Picks & Notables Preview). Mark was also a fine artist in a previous life as you can tell by a visit to www.markferrari.com

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Starred PW review for The New Weird


Out of the gate with a starred Publishers Weekly review for The New Weird, which is out on February 1st. Our New Year's resolution to get even more rave reviews is obviously working.

"The VanderMeers (Best American Fantasy) ably demonstrate the sheer breadth of the 'New Weird' fantasy subgenre in this powerful anthology of short fiction and critical essays. Highlights include strong fiction by authors such as M. John Harrison, Clive Barker, Kathe Koja and Michael Moorcock whose work pointed the way to such definitive New Weird tales as Jeffrey Ford's 'At Reparata' and K.J. Bishop's 'The Art of Dying.' Lingering somewhere between dark fantasy and supernatural horror, New Weird authors often seek to create unease rather than full-fledged terror. The subgenre's roots in the British New Wave of the 1960s and the Victorian Decadents can lend a self-consciously literary and experimental aura, as illustrated by the 'laboratory,' where more mainstream fantasy and horror authors, including Sarah Monette and Conrad Williams, try their hands at creating New Weird stories. This extremely ambitious anthology will define the New Weird much as Bruce Sterling's landmark Mirrorshades anthology defined cyberpunk."

Thursday, January 03, 2008

New York Review of Science Fiction Reading:
Judith Berman and Michael Swanwick

New York area sf fans are in for a serious treat - Judith Berman is one of the finest up and coming talents in the field, and Michael Swanwick is, well, if you've ever read this blog you know just how wonderful Michael is. Either way, go check this out.

The New York Review of Science Fiction Readings
and The South Street Seaport Museum present

Judith Berman
Michael Swanwick

Tuesday, January 8th -- Doors open 6:30 PM
Free Admission -- $5 donation if possible
South Street Seaport Museum's Melville Gallery
213 Water Street
(directions and links below)

Judith Berman's first novel from Ace, Bear Daughter, a finalist for the 2006 Crawford Award, has been praised as "utterly absorbing, unforgettable" (Booklist, Starred Review). Her short fiction has appeared in Asimov's, Interzone, Realms of Fantasy, and Black Gate, garnering both critical acclaim and a place on numerous award and best-of short lists. Writing in Asimov's, Paul di Filippo praised Lord Stink and Other Stories, her 2002 chapbook from Small Beer Press, as "evoking the best of Ursula Le Guin." Her often-cited essay on current trends in the field, "Science Fiction Without the Future," received the Science Fiction Research Association's Pioneer Award in 2001.

Michael Swanwick is one of the most acclaimed science fiction and fantasy writers of his generation. He has received Hugo Awards for short fiction an unprecedented five times in six years. His novel Stations of the Tide was honored with the Nebula Award and was also nominated for the Hugo and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. "The Edge of the World" received the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award and was nominated for both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards. "Radio Waves" received the World Fantasy Award. His stories are frequently reprinted in Best of the Year anthologies and have been translated and published throughout the world. He is the author of Griffin's Egg, In the Drift, Stations of the Tide, and Vacuum Flowers. His latest novel is The Dragons of Babel, the highly anticipated sequel to The Iron Dragon's Daughter.

The New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series is in its umpteenth season (we'll specify after Gordon Van Gelder tells us when it all began) of providing performances from some of the best writers in science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, etc. The series takes place the first Tuesday of every month at the South Street Seaport's Melville Gallery, 213 Water Street. Admission is free, but $5 donations are encouraged to offset costs and buy dinner for the readers. The producer and executive curator is radio producer and talk show host Jim Freund.