George R.R. Martin has posted the table of contents for his the upcoming anthology he co-edited with Gardner Dozois. It’s called Rogues and is their latest of “big cross-genre anthologies”:
Says Martin:
This one was an enormous amount of fun. We’re got something for everyone in ROGUES — SF, mystery, historical fiction, epic fantasy, sword and sorcery, comedy, tragedy, crime stories, mainstream. And rogues, cads, scalawags, con men, thieves, and scoundrels of all descriptions. If you love Harry Flashman and Cugel the Clever, as I do, this is the book for you.
If there’s any bloody justice, some of these stories will contend for awards.
What is it about dogs that hold such a special place in our hearts? Is it their undying loyalty? Their unceasingly wagging tails? The feral gleam in their adorable puppy eyes when they leap for the throats of our mortal enemies?
Probably a mix of all that, in varying degrees.
Whatever the reason, dogs cling close to our heels even in realms of fantasy and wonder, popping up alongside urban fantasies and epic fantasies alike. There’s something about a person–be they wizard, warrior, angel, demon, or otherwise–who has a faithful canine companion that makes them instantly more personable and sympathetic. After all, if the dog likes the guy well enough, they can’t be all that bad, can they? The opposite is often true, as one of the defining aspects of villainy is the mindless kicking of puppies or drowning sacks of them in the nearest river, is it not?
Let’s give the dogs their day, then, and look at a few examples of fantasy series where these four-legged friends join in the endless adventures of speculative fiction.
George R.R. Martin has posted the table of contents for the upcoming all-original retro-SF anthology he co-edited with Gardner Dozois, Old Mars, coming om October:
“Martian Blood” by Allen M. Steele
“The Ugly Duckling” by Matthew Hughes
“The Wreck Of The Mars Adventure” by David D. Levine
“Swords of Zar-tu-kan” by S.M. Stirling
“Shoals” by Mary Rosenblum
“In The Tombs of the Martian Kings” by Mike Resnick
Worldbuilders, a non-profit organization founded by Patrick Rothfuss, is raising money for their cause by offering a 2013 Fantasy Pin-Up Calendar. All proceeds from the sale of the calendar will go to Worldbuilders in support of Heifer International.
Each month the calendar will feature a pin-up based on a different author’s works and/or characters illustrated by Lee Moyer. Participating authors include: Read the rest of this entry
George R.R. Martin has posted the table of contents for the upcoming anthology Old Mars he co-edited with Gardner Dozois. It’s just been delivered to the publisher (Bantam), so not much more is known…but here’s what we do know about the anthology gleaned from George’s post:
OLD MARS is a new anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories about Old Mars (not the real post-Mariner Mars, but the one we all loved as kids, with the canals and the dead cities and the various flavors of Martian).
The anthology will feature fifteen original, never-before-published short stories and novelettes, story notes and author intros by Gardner Dozois, and an introduction by George R.R. Martin.
If ever there was a success story coming out of the field of literary science fiction and fantasy, it has to be the story of George R.R. Martin. These days, Martin is famous because of HBO’s adaptation of his fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, an ongoing, multivolume series of epic fantasy novels depicting the struggle for control over the fictional continent of Westeros. But long before the drama unfolded in House Lannister, Martin was involved in many other worthwhile projects.
Here is the full interview with George R.R. Martin from at TIFF Bell Lightbox Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In it, he reveals a new chapter from the next in the series, Winds of Winter.
From the YouTube description: The #1 New York Times bestselling author discusses his epic saga A Song of Ice and Fire and its adaptation to the small screen as HBO Canada’s hit series Game of Throne.
Viewers chomping at the bit for the new season of Game of Thrones to begin will enjoy this “illuminating special that revisits the stunning events of Season 1, introduces the major players, and presents a tantalizing peek at Season 2.”
HBO has released the “Power And Grace” Trailer for Season 2 of Game Of Thrones, which premieres April 1st. I’m one of the very few who hasn’t seen Season 1, so it’s difficult for me to tell if this is something fans are looking forward to.
Are you a fan? Does this trailer stoke your interest? Rate it on a scale of 1 – 10.
REVIEW SUMMARY: A mesmerizing ride through thick deceit as Martin compels you through every incredible page.
MY RATING:
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The land of Westeros is held together by tenuous peace, while turmoil shifts and boils beneath the surface. The powerful houses of old plot and scheme, a threat rises across the ocean, and an old evil stirs from its icy domain.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Prose; characterization; gripping politics; a world that lives and breathes; heart wrenching.
CONS: Not for the faint of heart.
BOTTOM LINE: A must-read, you will be awed by the intrigue, gripped by the passion, and amazed at the realism in this magical, epic tome.
The Hollywood Reporter tells us that HBO has greenlighted the television adaptation of George R.R. Martin‘s Game of Thrones which is based on the first book in his popular A Song of Ice and Fire series:
The premium network has picked up the project for a first-season debut next spring. Nine episodes plus the pilot have been ordered. Production will begin in Belfast this June.
…
The sprawling tale set in the mythical land of Westeros tells the story of the noble Stark family who become caught up in high court intrigue when patriarch Eddard (played by Sean Bean) becomes the king’s new right-hand man. The four-and-counting books in the series would each be used as one season of the series.
And they go one to describe is as “Sopranos with swords”.
This news, of course, means I will now have to pull the books off the shelf.. Oh, and get HBO.
George R.R. Martin has posted the table of contents to Songs of Love and Death: Tales of Star-Crossed Love, a cross-genre anthologies that he co-edited with Gardner Dozois that bends stories of fantasy, science fiction, and romance:
“Love Hurts” by Jim Butcher [a Harry Dresden story]
“The Marrying Maid” by Jo Beverly
“Rooftops” by Carrie Vaughn
“Hurt Me” by M.L.N. Hanover
“Demon Lover” by Cecelia Holland
“The Wayfarer’s Advice” by Melinda M. Snodgrass [an Imperials story]
“Blue Boots” by Robin Hobb
“The Thing About Cassandra” by Neil Gaiman
“After the Blood” by Marjorie M. Liu
“You and You Alone” by Jacqueline Carey [a Kushiel story]
“His Wolf” by Lisa Tuttle
“Courting Trouble” by Linnea Sinclair
“The Demon Dancer” by Mary Jo Putney
“Under/Above the Water” by Tanith Lee
“Kashkia” by Peter S. Beagle
“Man in the Mirror” by Yasmine Galenorn
“A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” by Diana Gabaldon [an Outlander story]
Speaking of steampunk, check out Jaymee Goh’s article on Steampunk as Subculture over at Tor.com.
Ever wonder what a book cover artists thinks of other people’s covers? Head on over to Missions Unknown and see their resident artist extraordinaire, John Picacio, do just that.
EVENT: Ray Harryhausen and his co-author Tony Dalton will be signing An Animated Life at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Saturday 24th October 1 – 2pm.
Amazon Settles Kindle Deletion Lawsuit For $150,000: “Amazon.com has agreed to pay $150,000 to the student who sued the company for deleting his digital copy of George Orwell’s 1984 from his Kindle e-book reading device.” Wow! (Thanks, Daniel!)
