REVIEW SUMMARY: Supernatural, urban fantasy that successfully combines a paranormal thriller with a little romance.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In this four-story anthology, Armstrong introduces readers to the flip-side of her female-centered supernatural series showcasing the American werewolf pack through three generations of Danvers men: Malcolm, Jeremy, and Clayton.

MY REVIEW:

PROS: A refreshing insight into Armstrong’s Otherworld via well-known characters who have never before narrated one of her novels.

CONS: I expected a more compelling voice from Clayton. In the other books from Elena’s point of view, Clayton practically jumps off the page. From his own point of view, not so much.

BOTTOM LINE: I found Men of the Otherworld to be a welcome addition to Armstrong’s existing series.

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Here’s a fan-made opening title sequence for AMC’s new zombie television series The Walking Dead, featuring art by by Charlie Adlard & Tony Moore. I love the look. Neat stuff. And creepy-cool tune by the Eels, too.

[via It's Art Mag]

Dreamworks’ I Am Number Four is based on the young adult novel of the same name about a group of young aliens, and their teachers, who flee their war ravaged planet and land on Earth. Now they are on the run from those who want to kill them, not named in the trailer, but in the book they are called the Mogadorians. The interesting conceit? The kids can only be killed in number order and for the book/movie, the first three have bit it.

An honest to good SD premise, but the movie looks like Heroes meets Twilight. The book actually sounds better to me, but then again, isn’t that almost always the case?

See also: Jason Sanford’s review.

Grab some popcorn! It’s time for another Book Cover Smackdown!

Here are the contenders…

Your Mission (should you choose to accept it): Tell us which cover you like best and why.

Books shown here:

• Pegasus by Robin McKinley (Artist: Unknown)
• The Unremembered by Peter Orullian (Artist: Kekai Kotaki)
• The River of Shadows by Robert V.S. Redick (Artist: Edward Miller)

NOTE: Bigger, better cover art images are available by clicking the images or title links.

I know trailers are supposed to look awesome, but man, this looks Awesome. Looks like part ID4, part Cloverfield, with a dash of District 9.

Sold. I know where I’m going in November…

Guillermo Del Toro, co-author with Chuck Hogan of the The Strain Trilogy, discusses vampire lore…

The fall is the 2nd book in the trilogy, read my review of the first book, The Strain, here.

Interviews/Profiles

• Matt

  Staggs Take Five with James

  Enge.

• StarShipSofa interviews Dee

  Cunniffe and Hannu Rajaniemi (podcast).

• Suvudu On Air

  interviews Jeff

  VanderMeer (podcast).

• Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews

  interviews Mark

  Charan Newton.

• SFX interviews Summer

  Glau.

• The Link interviews Tad

  Williams. [via Charlie

  Jane Anders]

• Book Chick City interviews Becca

  Fitzpatrick.

• John Joseph Adams interviews Rory

  Harper.

News

• John

  Joseph Adams is looking for Dystopian Fiction Recommendations for his upcoming

  Brave New Worlds anthology.

• StrowlerCon 2010.
• Trilobite

  Named in Honor of Baxter.

• Joseph

  Mallozzi’s November Book of the Month Club Pick: Bloodsucking Fiends: A

  Love Story by Christopher Moore.

• Month

  two of Angry Robot’s U.S. Invasion rolls out.

• Now available: The Parthenopeian

  Scalpel, an unpublished story by Bruce Sterling.

• Sharper

  footage of Apollo 11 moon landing will be screened next week in Australia.

• Chris

  Nolan Confirms he will direct Batman 3.

• Matthew Sanborn Smith opens this week’s Starship Sofa with a

  heartfelt letter to Harlan Ellison.

Articles

• Gail

  Carriger and M.K. Hobson on Tea with Oscar

  Wilde: Gail & Mary & Impressions of America.

• RevolutionSF

  on Uncanny

  Un-Collectibles : Missing Comic Book Trades Master List.

• Jeff

  LaSala on Music

  and Writing.

• Juliette Wade on Character

  arcs – how characters change.

• John Scalzi on Five

  Years That Changed Science Fiction Forever.

• Jo Walton on The

  Suck Fairy. [via Futurismic]

• Michael Stackpole on Ebooks Pinch Literary

  Authors.

• Jed Hartmen on Watership Downs

  (Books with Animals).

• Andrew Liptak Doesn’t

  Care if Han Shot First.

• Andrew Liptak on A

  Library Without Books.

• USAToday reveiws William

  Gibson’s Zero History.

• USAToday on Serialized

  novel delivered by an app: –The Mongoliad by Neal Stephenson

  and Greg Bear.

• eBookNewser is Introducing

  The Book Futurists Video Series.

• Maxin lists 21

  Things That Look Like Darth Vader.

• WebUrbanist on Sci-Fi

  Concept Redux: 20 Syd Mead Inspired Vehicles.

More Fun

Stuff

• G4tv on An

  Exclusive Look at the Star Wars Salacious B. Crumb Poster.

• Suvudu Poll: Who

  Has the Best Beard in Sci Fi and Fantasy Fiction?.

• XKCD on

  Stephen Hawking.

[Do you have an idea for a future Mind Meld? Let us know!]

Several folks here at SF Signal are big fans of Black Library‘s Warhammer 40K universe and this week, we thought we’d ask Warhammer 40K authors about that setting:

Here’s what they said:

It is the richness of the setting in all its darkness and horror that I find so appealing about the 40K universe. It’s very far from a generic sci-fi setting – it’s something more akin to the Dark Ages, complete with all its religious persecution, brutality, fear, and ignorance… but with added bio-engineered super-soldiers, Titan war machines as big as buildings, and daemons that like nothing better than tearing their way into the material plane to devour your soul.

As a writer, the 40K universe is a great place to work in, as while there is incredible depth of background material to draw from, there is a still a heck of a lot of room to play. The universe is a big place… if the odd planet, civilisation or solar system needs to be destroyed for the sake of storytelling, then so be it. It happens. The sheer scale of the universe is such that there is also always room for new developments, so for me, the setting has never felt restricting.

For new readers, Dan Abnett’s First and Only is a well-written and accessible entry point, but if you’re brave enough, I’d suggest just jumping in at the deep end. Pick a book that you like the look of and get reading. You might not understand every reference, but you don’t need to.

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Just when you thought LucasFilm couldn’t wring any more money from the Star Wars films comes word that Episodes I – VI will be re-released in theaters in 3D!

Seriously, George? I gotta tell you, if there’s anything worse than gimmicking a film to use 3D, it retrofitting a film to use 3D.

But maybe that’s just me. I’m sure there are legions of fans who will welcome this news with eager wallets. And they can do so beginning in 2012 (the now-certain end of the world) when The Phantom Menace will rear it’s 3D head. Every year, a new episode will be re-released in 3D, meaning that in 2017 you can see the Ewoks in all their comin’-at-’cha splendor.

Hmmm…that also means 3D metal bikini. May have to rethink my stance on this issue…

Interviews/Profiles

• Bart

  Carroll interviews Brom.

• The

  Dragon Page interviews Harry

  Harrison (podcast).

• Lev Grossman interviews Paolo

  Bacigalupi.

• Angela Slatter interviews Cat

  Sparks.

• John Scalzi’s The Big Idea: Sam

  Sykes.

• Erin Stocks interviews John

  Scalzi.

• CNet interviews Jeff

  Bridges

• Lightspeed Magazine profiles Robert

  Silverberg.

• John Joseph Adams interviews Paula

  R. Stiles.

• From Bar to Bar interviews Gwyneth

  Jones.

• Paris Review has posted online its interviews with: Margaret

  Atwood, William

  S. Burroughs, Stephen

  King, Jonathan

  Lethem, Ray

  Bradbury, Aldous

  Huxley, Anthony

  Burgess, and J.G.Ballard.

News

• RIP: Ralph

  M. Vicinanza, 1950-2010.

• Steam-Powered:

  Lesbian Steampunk Stories TOC.

• Giveaway:

  Clockwork Phoenix 3.

• Australian

  Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival.

• 2010

  Sunburst Awards Winners.

• Trent

  Reznor making a sci-fi series Year Zero for HBO.

• Amazon

  Debuts “Kindle for the Web”.

Events

• Mutants,

  Androids, and Cyborgs: The Science of Pop Culture Films: October 20, 2010 at

  Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

Articles

• Frederik Pohl on The

  Gateway Story.

• Mindy Klasky

  on How to

  Support Authors You Like.

• Nader Elhefnawy on Of

  Alternate Nineteenth Centuries: The Enduring Appeal of Steampunk.

• Jeremy

  L.C. Jones on Breaking

  Work Habits & Trying Something New.

• Madeleine E. Robins

  on Banned

  Books Week: Gatekeeping.

• Aliette de Bodard on Bones,

  flesh and clothes: research and the research-heavy story.

• Janice

  Hardy on A

  Rose By Any Other Name is Still Too Flowery. And Purple.

• An editorial discussion at BabelCash: Lou Anders on The

  Nature of Rivals and the Rising Tide; Ginjer Buchanan on http://bordersblog.com/scifi/2010/09/28/lou-anders-ginjer-buchanan-and-jeremy-lassen/good-points-lou-i-certainly-hold-with-the-rising-tide-lifts-all-boats-notion-of-each-and-every-imprint-enhancing-the-genre-in-an-over-all-way-by-providing-readers-with-the-best-___________fill/; and Jeremy Lassen

  on Lifting

  Boats Into the Future.

• Matthew R. Bradley on Richard

  Matheson–Storyteller: We Are Legend. (Intro.)

• Comic Vine on Combining

  Comic Book Genres (video).

• Karen Burnham on Geeking

  Out: 100 Short Stories.

• io9 on Margaret

  Atwood and Ursula K. Le Guin debate science fiction vs. “realism”.

• Discover Magazine on The

  Fundamental Problems of Minority Report-style Biometrics.

• Lawrence Person on A Short,

  Incomplete, and Somewhat Random List of People Who Have Had Their Heads Impailed

  on a Spike on London Bridge.

• Blastr on The lyrics to

  Star Trek:TOS‘s opening theme.

• Blastr lists 8 things you

  should know about the 2nd season of Stargate Universe.

• Geeks of Doom on Official

  Zombie Rules Of The Walking Dead TV Show.

• Stephen Totilo offers The Kotaku

  Guide To Fall Video Games.

• Heard Mentality lists 5

  Video Game Series That Need a Reboot. [via Look

  At This]

• Real Science: Space.com lists 6

  Hard Facts About NASA’s Next Mars Rover.

• 10

  Essential Works of Transhumanist Fiction. [via Bill

  Crider's Pop Culture Magazine]

More Fun Stuff

• A

  Pile Of New Concept Art From Tron: Legacy.

• Fantastic

  Flashbacks: 1976 Logan’s Run article.

• Cool art at CoolVibe: “Rusty Ship Fire” by Jeremiah

  Humphries.

REVIEW SUMMARY: Police procedural, Miéville style. Dark and probing.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In twin cities that could be anywhere, creating the illusion that they aren’t that far from the reader – there’s a murder. In the course of a deceptively simple police procedural, Miéville’s characters ask questions about the nature of what we see, what we don’t, and why.

MY REVIEW:

PROS: This book was like gold for me – a mystery by one of my favorite SF authors; the book brings up interesting questions about what we see daily, and the things we choose to see or not see.

CONS: The navigation of Besz’el and Ul Qoma can be difficult until the reader becomes familiar with the mechanics.

BOTTOM LINE: A tightly plotted murder mystery that raises some interesting philosophical and cultural questions.

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Amazon is offering the Kindle version of Sixty-One Nails by Mike Shevdon for the low, low price of free.

Here’s the book description:

There is a secret war raging beneath the streets of London. A dark magic will be unleashed by the Untained… unless a new hero can be found.

Neverwhere’s faster, smarter brother has arrived. The immense SIXTY-ONE NAILS follows Niall Petersen, from a suspected heart attack on the London Underground, into the hidden world of the Feyre, an uncanny place of legend that lurks just beyond the surface of everyday life. The Untainted, the darkest of the Seven Courts, have made their play for power, and unless Niall can recreate the ritual of the Sixty-One Nails, their dark dominion will enslave all of the Feyre, and all of humankind too.

[via Distracted by Star Wars]

REVIEW SUMMARY: Good background material for fans of Warhammer 40K‘s Chaos Marines, and specifically the Night Lords.

MY RATING: (Add 1 star if you’re familiar with the Chaos Space Marines Night Lords forces from other books.)

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The Night Lords attempt to recover a valuable artifact.

MY REVIEW:

PROS: Outstanding performances by John Banks and Beth Chalmers; gripping action sequences; cinematic experience overall.

CONS: Some extra world building would have been appreciated for newcomers like me.

BOTTOM LINE: Works less as a standalone than as background filler for the apparently-rich Night Lords corner of the expansive Warhammer 40K universe.

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Another video after the jump

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Check out Sandra McDonald‘s charming homemade book trailer for the paperback release of The Stars Blue Yonder.

And be sure to check out Sandra’s post that introduces it. Funny stuff.

Interviews/Profiles

• Adventures in SciFi Publishing interviews John Picacio (podcast).
• Sybil’s

  Garage interviews Amal

  El-Mohtar.

• Larissa’s My Bookish Life interviews Gail

  Carriger.

• Grasping for the Wind interviews Martin

  H. Greenberg and John Helfers on The End of the World.

• The World SF Blog interviews Samit

  Basu.

• Lev Grossman Interviews Paolo

  Bacigalupi. [via Genreville]

• Risingshadow interviews Helen

  Lowe.

• John Joseph Adams interviews Paul

  McAuley.

News

• Novelist

  Stephenie Meyer has joined J.K. Rowling on the list of the most

  frequently-challenged books.

• The

  chief editor who enraged editorial staff at a highly circulated science fiction

  magazine in China has been sacked. [via SF

  Site]

Articles

• Heather Massey on Sex

  in Science Fiction: Are They Doing It Right? (A response to this

  week’s SF Signal podcast.)

• Zachary Kendal on Gene

  Wolfe: New Wave author?

• Mary

  Robinette Kowal on Debut

  Author Lessons: Mail and P.O. Boxes.

• Maria Snyder on The

  Weather: Part Art, Part Science, and Part… Magic?

• Steven

  Harper Piziks on Writing

  Nowadays-Why the Pen Name?

• Janice Hardy on E is

  for Everyone.

• Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett on Writing

  Collaboration.

• Jaine Fenn on My

  Life as the Ruler of the Universe.

• Patrick Brown on What

  Does it Mean to be a “Best Bookstore” Anyway?.

• Jo Walton reviews Robert

  Charles Wilson’s The Chronoliths.

• Triplanetary on Cosmic

  Engineers by Clifford D. Simak.

• Fred Burdsall on Ode

  to Roger Corman, Part 1: Galaxy of Terror.

• Walyou lists 14

  Amazing Bookmark Designs.

• Blastr lists 13 worker revolts

  and labor union uprisings from sci-fi history.

More Fun

Stuff

• Real-Life “Iron Man” Xos 2 Suit

  Revealed.

• Logan’s

  Run LEGO Diorama.

• Chris Roberson on The

  Waldo Ultimatum.

• Free Sample #1: Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks (Chapter 1).
• Free Sample #2: A

  Glimpse of Darkness by Harry Connolly (Chapter 2).

Whatever happened to scary vampires?

Did vampires slowly transition from creatures of horror to this romanticized ideal or did it happen over night?

I remember the conversation we had at The Functional Nerds with Mike Resnick wherein he said, “When I was growing up, Vampires were unclean things that wanted to suck your blood.” He’s not wrong.

How did we get to the point where teenage girls are swooning over them? How did vamps become what they are and when did we forget what they were?

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Here’s the intro movie for Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions, published by Activision:

In the ninth episode of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester is joined by Jeff Patterson, Matthew Sanborn Smith, Jay Garmon and John DeNardo to discuss:

What is the role of sex in science fiction?

Authors Philip José Farmer, Robert Heinlein and Ursula K. Le Guin, to name just a few, have all had sex and sexuality in their stories in one way or another. Science fiction and fantasy is full of examples of blurred gender roles, cross-species sex, virtual sex – are these legitimate points to move the story forward or are they simply there to sensationalize the prose? What are some examples of sex in science fiction that, good or bad, still stick in your mind? What are some examples where you felt it was completely out of place?

Later, Patrick Hester sits down to chat with New York Times bestselling author Brent Weeks. His Night Angel Trilogy consists of The Way of Shadows, Shadow’s Edge and Beyond the Shadows. His new series, Lightbringer, has launched with the new novel: The Black Prism.

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