Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Steampunk Reloaded

(working cover)
Jeff and Ann VanderMeer have announced the line-up for Steampunk Reloaded. With a zeppelin-load of original fiction, nonfiction, and art, this companion to our bestseller Steampunk will be a must-have for all Steampunk fans.

STEAMPUNK RELOADED: Steampunk 2
Edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
Interior design by John Coulthart, the genius behind The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases, et al.

This lavishly illustrated anthology edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer builds on the strengths of the World Fantasy Award nominated first volume, presenting 155,000 words of rich and varied Steampunk stories, nonfiction, and art that plays off the idea of Steampunk not just in the context of dirigibles and other antiquated technology but also as connected to the maker movement and other aspects of the Steampunk subculture that have begun to infiltrate the literature. It includes the William Gibson story that inspired the Steampunk offshoot of "Raygun Gothic."

Original Art by:
Winona Cookie
John Coulthart
Eric Orchard
Ivica Stevanovic

Original nonfiction by:
Gail Carriger, author of Soulless (fashion and fiction)
Jake Von Slatt of the Steampunk Workshop (maker movement)
Mike Perschon, the Steampunk Scholar (the future)

Original fiction by:

Ramsey Shehadeh, "The Unbecoming of Virgil Smythe" – A fast-paced, riveting tale of time slips and the perils of colonialism, featuring the enigmatic Dromedons, rebellion, and a very strange train ride.

Vilhelm Bergsoe, "Flying Fish (Prometheus)", translated by Dwight R. Decker – A novelette from 1869 previously unpublished in English, by a Danish writer. This progressive tale of the dirigible Flying Fish, written in the form of a letter from the future to the past, will dazzle you with its Steampunk stylings and its prescient knowledge of a genre that would not be named for more than another century!

"A Secret History of Steampunk" featuring further originals by:

Ekaterina Sedia, "Two Short Excerpts from the Russian Book of the Improbable" – Eclipses and lunar seas collide with robots and airships in these delightful Russian clockwork concoctions presented in their original context as pages from the heretical (and possibly theoretical) Russian Book of the Improbable.

Jeffrey Ford, "Dr. Lash Remembers" – A harrowing tale of Steampunk disease that will make you think twice about jumping into an airship. It was recently discovered by Dr. Ford in a trunk whilst cleaning out his attic, and most probably penned by one of his forebears. Its original context as an extended fold-out broadsheet from the 1800s will be represented by facsimile.

Matthew Cheney, "Confessions and Complaints of a True Man" – Incontrovertible evidence of Steampunk invention in the time of the American transcendentalists, including mechanized elephants.

As well as contributions by Fabio Fernandes, Brian Stableford, Jess Nevins, and the Steampunk heretic known only as "The Mecha-Ostrich."

Amazing Reprint Stories Culled from Broadsheets Far and Wide:

Daniel Abraham, "Balfour and Meriwether in the Adventure of the Emperor’s Vengeance"
Stephen Baxter, "The Unblinking Eye"
Winona Cookie, "The Unlikely Career of Portia Dreadnought," "Artemesia's Absinthe," and "Obadiah Theremin, MD"
G.D. Falksen, "The Strange Case of Mr. Salad Monday"
William Gibson, "The Gernsback Continuum"
Samantha Henderson, "Wild Copper"
Caitlín R. Kiernan "The Steam Dancer (1896)"
Andrew Knighton, "The Cast-Iron Kid"
Marc Laidlaw, "Great Breakthroughs in Darkness"
Margo Lanagan, "Machine Maid"
Lisa Mantchev & James Grant, "As Recorded on Brass Cylinders: Adagio for Two Dancers"
Shweta Narayan, "The Mechanical Aviary of Emperor Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar"
David Erik Nelson, "The Bold Explorer in the Place Beyond"
Cherie Priest, "Tanglefoot"
Chris Roberson, "O One"
Margaret Ronald, "A Serpent in the Gears"
Catherynne M. Valente, "The Anachronist’s Cookbook"

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Hitchhikers Guide to Extraterrestrial Animals

The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals is reviewed on Jewish Learning.com, which observes that it, "Aims to do for kosher food what Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials did for animal guides, and what The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy did for…well, the galaxy.... And the thing is: it really does the job."

Friday, February 19, 2010

The Nebula Award Ballot is In

...and Tachyon is on it! We're proud to announce that two Tachyon titles have been nominated for the Nebula Award this year: Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow in the Best Novella category, and The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker is up for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The Complete Ballot:

Short Story

Novelette

Novella

Novel

  • The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Nightshade, Sep09)
  • The Love We Share Without Knowing, Christopher Barzak (Bantam, Nov08)
  • Flesh and Fire, Laura Anne Gilman (Pocket, Oct09)
  • The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey, May09)
  • Boneshaker, Cherie Priest (Tor, Sep09)
  • Finch, Jeff VanderMeer (Underland Press, Oct09)

Bradbury Award

  • Star Trek, JJ Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Paramount, May09)
  • District 9, Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (Tri-Star, Aug09)
  • Avatar, James Cameron (Fox, Dec 09)
  • Moon, Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker (Sony, Jun09)
  • Up, Bob Peterson and Pete Docter (Disney/Pixar, May09)
  • Coraline, Henry Selick (Laika/Focus Feb09)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Reminder: SF in SF Movie Night, Coraline and UP!

Don't forget, movie night is tomorrow!

Wednesday the 17th, SF in SF is showing a double feature of Pixar's UP and Neil Gaiman's Coraline at the Variety Preview Room.

Door and bar open at 6:00, first film starts at 6:30. There will be *free popcorn* and a chance to win TWO FREE PASSES to the Albion Steampunk Exhibition.

A 5$ suggested donation at the door or bar supports the Variety Children's Charity of Northern California.

No need to look for parking, the BART/MUNI Montgomery St. Station is steps from our door!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Starred Publishers Weekly review for
Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror

Publishers Weekly declares Darkness "an anthology to be cherished and an invaluable reference for horror aficionados":

STAR. This diverse 25-story anthology is a superb sampling of some of the most significant short horror works published between 1985 and 2005. Editor extraordinaire Datlow (Poe) includes classic stories from horror icons Clive Barker, Peter Straub, and Stephen King as well as SF and fantasy luminaries Gene Wolfe, Dan Simmons, Neil Gaiman, and Lucius Shepard. The full diversity of horror is on display: George R.R. Martin's “The Pear-Shaped Man,” about a creepy downstairs neighbor, and Straub's “The Juniper Tree,” which chronicles a drifter's sexual molestation of a young boy, exemplify horror's sublime psychological power, while Barker's “Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament” and Poppy Z. Brite's “Calcutta, Lord of Nerves” are audaciously gory masterworks. This is an anthology to be cherished and an invaluable reference for horror aficionados. (Apr.)
-Publishers Weekly

Friday, February 12, 2010

Lansdale, Animation, and SF in SF!

Get your fix of Texas weirdness! The first-rate horror blog Dread Central posted an interview with mojo-storytelling king Joe R. Lansdale.

Read it! Read it now!

Also, just a reminder that the Science Fiction in San Francisco reading series continued tomorrow with Jedediah Berry and Laurie R. King. Reception and cash bar open at 6:00, reading starts at 7:00 PM at The Variety Preview Room, 582 Market St., San Francisco. Visit SF in SF's site for more details.

Wanna watch a movie? How about some top-notch, Academy Award nominated animation?

Don't sit home alone with Netflix. Just because you're a grownup doesn't mean you can't enjoy the latest SF in SF film night: a double feature of Pixar's UP and Neil Gaiman's Coraline!

Show is Wednesday, February 17th. Doors and bar open at 6, films begin at 6:30 PM at The Variety Preview Room, 582 Market St. And don't forget the free popcorn!

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

UK Guardian is Going Back to the Future (with Steampunk)

"Why steampunk is back is hard to say. Perhaps it offers what SF could be starting to lose – a sense of wonder and, more importantly, the opportunity for a bit of fun."

The UK Guardian has done a nice feature on Steampunk and its comeback. Tachyon's Steampunk Anthology is named among titles like The Difference Engine and The Anubis Gates as a genre favorite.

Friday, February 05, 2010

Locus Magazine Recommended Reading List

Locus Magazine has unveiled its 2009 Recommended Reading List, their must-read picks for books released last year. Six of Tachyon's 2009 titles are recommended on this impressive list.

The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker.







The Best of Michael Moorcock by Michael Moorcock






The Secret History of Science Fiction edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel







We Never Talk About My Brother by Peter S. Beagle







Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow







The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction edited by Gordon Van Gelder

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Spotlight: John Coulthart


Here at Tachyon, we work with a lot of wonderful people, and we want to shine the spotlight on some of the many folks who make our books so great.

John Coulthart is the designer behind the gorgeous interiors (and sometimes exteriors) of so many of our latest books, including The Best of Michael Moorcock, Booklife, The Hotel Under the Sand, and The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction. His personal style is surreal, ornate, and richly detailed. In addition to books, John designs logos, websites, graphics, and CD and DVD packages. He is also a comics illustrator, contributing to HP Lovecraft adaptations and the controversial Lord Horror.

John explained his career choices in a 2009 interview with Innsmouth Free Press: "I never thought of pursuing what’s called a fine art career. Illustration interested me a lot more, not least because it was evident that the surreal imagery I preferred was no longer encouraged in the gallery world, whereas it flourished on book jackets and record sleeves. Illustrators and graphic designers seemed to have a huge audience for their work and also seemed to connect with people who would never visit an art gallery."



Besides Tachyon, John has produced work for Night Shade Books, Savoy Books, and Wyrm Publishing. His designs and illustrations have appeared on record sleeves, CD and DVD packages for Cradle of Filth, Alan Moore & Tim Perkins, Steven Severin, Jon Hassell and more. His own book, The Haunter of the Dark and Other Grotesque Visions, collects his Lovecraft adaptations and comics. He is a contributor to Arthur Magazine.



To see more of John's work, you can visit his website.

John's site

John's blog
John's store

SF in SF - elementary, my dear Watson!

SF in SF - Science Fiction, San Francisco - A Perfect Fit
www.sfinsf.org


Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Variety Preview Room
582 Market St. @ Montgomery
1st floor of The Hobart Bldg.
Doors open at 6:00PM, reading begins at 7:00 PM

SF in SF is pleased to present authors JEDIDIAH BERRY and LAURIE R. KING.

Jedediah Berry was raised in the Hudson Valley region of New York State. His short stories have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Best New American Voices and Best American Fantasy. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, and works as the assistant editor of Small Beer Press. The Manual of Detection is his first novel, now available in hardcover and paperback.

While Laurie R. King's fiction falls into several areas, first in the hearts of most readers comes Mary Russell, who becomes first the apprentice of Sherlock Holmes, and then his partner. Over the course of ten books (and more to come!), Russell and Holmes challenge each other to ever-greater feats of detection, traveling the world from Sussex to Simla. King's other series concerns San Francisco homicide inspector Kate Martinelli, her SFPD
partner Al Hawkin, and her life partner Lee Cooper. In the course of her five books, Kate has encountered a female Rembrandt, a modern-day Holy Fool, two difficult teenagers, and a manifestation of the goddess Kali.

Each author will read a selection of their work, followed by Q & A moderated by author Terry Bisson. Booksigning and schmoozing in the lounge afterwards.

Books for sale at event, courtesy of Borderlands Books

Monday, February 01, 2010

Kage Baker 1952-2010

We here at Tachyon and SF in SF were deeply saddened to hear of Kage's passing, due to a rare form of cancer, this past Sunday morning. The community has been weighing in with tributes, accolades for her writing, and expressions of love, good will, and the desire to have changed this history to one with a better outcome. There's no words to express, really, the unfairness of the situation, but as author Charles de Lint wrote, "I have spent many happy hours in her imagination." We have enjoyed happy hours in Kage's company, and at several SF in SF events, and hope you have too. Life can be pretty damn unfair at times. This is one of those times.

She will be greatly missed, and our condolences to her family and tribe. Go read her books. Your life will be the richer for them.

For more information, please view the page set up at at SFWA . I also would like to point readers to Marty Halpern's lovely tribute, and the info her sister has given permission to post at Green Man Review.