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Two more favorable reviews for Sean Williams’s The Crooked Letter.

JP at SFSignal describes the book as “Non-standard fantasy setting, loads of different deity figures, interesting premise,” and says, “if you’re looking for a good non-standard fantasy book, pick up The Crooked Letter.” (Be warned, though, that there are some pretty big spoilers in his book description.)

Meanwhile, Neth Space calls Williams “an author to watch,” and says Williams’s writing is “as dark and gritty as a Miéville novel, as strange as Stephen King, and more accessible than either.”

Two more favorable reviews for David Louis Edelman’s Infoquake.

Ryun Patterson of Bookgam offers a comparison to William Gibson’s Neuromancer and says, “Infoquake is a triumph of speculation. Edelman has foreseen a nanotech future of warring corporations and stock markets of personal enhancement in which both the good and the bad of the present day is reflected with an even hand and startling clarity.”

Meanwhile, JP at SFSignal gives Infoquake 4 1/2 stars. He sites similarities to Orson Scott Card and Frank Herbert and says, “A very strong debut novel mixing a historically detailed timeline with an intriguing technological future. David Louis Edelman makes reading about corporate shenanigans fun…. Edelman seems to be channeling Charlie Stross in his ability to imagine future tech and the consequences arising from its use.”

And for those in Baltimore and Northern Virginia, David Louis Edelman will be making two appearances next week. On Tuesday, September 5, at 7:00 P.M., he will be making an appearance at the Barnes & Noble in White Marsh, MD to promote Infoquake. And on Thursday, September 7, at 7:30 P.M., he’ll be reading and signing at the Barnes & Noble in Reston, VA.

Finally, David has uploaded a handful of photos to Flickr of the August 12 Infoquake launch party (featuring the world famous Infocake).

Meanwhile, I hope we can be forgiven for calling attention to this final line of the Bookgasm review, “Pyr is quickly becoming the standard by which all other sci-fi imprints are judged, and Infoquake is no exception. This book is billed as the first of a trilogy, and for once, that’s a good thing.”

A contest to win one of two copies of Joel Shepherd’s Crossover, first volume of his Cassandra Kresnov series, starts today on Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist. Here are the details. Good luck!

(Note: Pat refers to the book as first in a trilogy. It’s really more of a stand-alone novel in a series. Each novel builds on the events of the last, but nothing ends “to be continued” in any sense. Just an FYI.)

“Very exciting and impossible-to-put down. I can’t wait for the other two to appear.” Philadelphia Weekly Press

Last week was the 64th World Science Fiction Convention, this one held in Anaheim, CA and host to about 6,000 fans. This was my busiest convention ever – I’ve blogged about it in depth at my personal site. Rather than repeat that here, I thought I’d show some of the pictures from the various Pyr events.

Friday 2 PM was also the Pyr Panel, where we spoke to a crowd of some 70 or 80 people (it was hard to tell, but the room was packed). Present were Fiona Avery, David Louis Edelman, Alan Dean Foster, Kay Kenyon, Ian McDonald, John Picacio, Mike Resnick, Chris Roberson, Dave Seeley, Joel Shepherd, and Sean Williams. Despite a shaky start with the PowerPoint projector, and perhaps aided by unexpected fun from the dualing ringtones – Ian McDonald trumped my David Bowie with the theme song from the A-Team – the panel appears to have been a tremendous success. (Thanks to Fiona Avery for the photos!)

Saturday afternoon, the wonderful people of Borderlands Books were kind enough to host a Pyr signing for Ian McDonald, David Louis Edelman, Joel Shepherd, and Sean Williams.(Thanks to Dan Zieber for the photos! Thanks to Alan and Jude for everything!) A shout out to everyone who lent their enthusiasm and their support! I think this whole week was a tremendous success in terms of promoting Pyr-awareness and also tremendous fun.

Just back from WorldCon and playing mad catch up. More on the convention soon. In the meantime, I was thrilled to find a host of positive reviews upon my return:

First up, Rob H Benford posts a lengthy and very enthusiastic review of David Louis Edelman’s Infoquake on SFFWorld, wherein he says that “the genre might not be quite the same after this book…a stunning debut novel by a lucid, precise, and talented new voice in the genre…With an already impressive list of authors in their stable, Pyr looks to have nabbed one of, if not, the next big thing in Science Fiction. This may be THE science fiction book of the year.”

Rob compares Edelman to Frank Herbert and Neal Stephenson, adding, “Like Stephenson and Herbert’s work, Edelman’s novel seems to have come along at the right time, capturing a sense of the world as it is now, reacting to and projecting a fully realized extrapolation of it.”

And, not done there, over on his personal blog, Rob’s Blog o’ Stuff, he adds “Infoquake just might be THE Science Fiction novel of the year, if not the past five years. David Louis Edleman has done so many things right in this book, from the plausible next steps in human society to the characters, all the notes ring true. The future history only begs for MORE background, to the Reawakening to the Three Jesuses to the typical lunar colonies, he has it all mapped out and Infoquake is only the tip of the iceberg. Edleman has a fascinating background and timeline mapped out at http://www.infoquake.net… I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Pyr is publishing some great books, but this might be the book that puts them over the top in terms of US genre publishing.”

Meanwhile, Andi Shechter of January Magazine has some nice things to say about Joel Shepherd’s just released Crossover, which she describes as “an example of a book that brings up the gosh-wow excitement of futuristic ideas at the same time that it — very sneakily, I might add — tackles one of the basic themes of modern-day science fiction: what is human? What is it to be a human being?” While admitting that she isn’t a fan of protracted battles (she finds blood icky), Andi adds, “This is an exciting story, a well-written adventure, and an impressive debut novel.”

What’s more, Alan Dean Foster’s upcoming Sagramanda draws praise from Publisher’s Weekly:

“SF elements make colorful window dressing for this unpredictable thriller, whose multiple threads Foster juggles like the professional he is.”

And Justina’s Mappa Mundi, out any day now, has Booklist –

“Robson’s take on the problems associated with anything that can re-write a human personality is a complex one, and also a solidly written, entertaining story.”

And Bookpage –

“…an engaging pyrotechnic slice of a near future in which computer software for humans is the next big research front…Robson delves into how the aphrodisiac of power can affect individual and social identities. She is a romantic, but the stakes here are high and she pulls no punches.”

-adding themselves to the list of those who sing her praises. Not a bad bit of news to come home from a con to, no?

Fiona Avery, author of The Crown Rose, which Publishers Weekly called “a superior historical fantasy,” will be making only two official appearances at the 64th World Science Fiction Convention, this next week in Anaheim, CA. Fiona will be holding a reading & a separate autographing. She is sometimes hard to catch, so be sure to stop by and say hello. Details as follows:

Panel 2: Wed 8/23 5:00 PM, 60 minutes.
Title: READING: Fiona Avery
Precis: Reading from The Crown Rose. Questions after the reading, and a drawing for the free reader’s copy afterward.

Panel 7: Sat 8/26 1:00 PM, 60 minutes.
Title: AUTOGRAPHING: Fiona Avery

Fiona will, however, be appearing with the rest of us on the Pyr: A Look Forward panel, scheduled for Friday at 2:30pm in Room 201-B. See you there!

“Elegant, understated and moodily atmospheric, this is the kind of book that should inspire a small Crusade of followers.” Washington Post

John Joseph Adams, in his wonderful “Strong Medicine,” a review column for Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show, has some absolutely fantastic things to say about David Louis Edelman’s new novel, Infoquake:

“If all novels were as chockfull of ideas as Infoquake is, then science fiction would never have to worry about a shortage of sense of wonder. The author who Edelman reminds me most of is Charles Stross, for the sheer complexity of his ideas and his thrusting of the reader into a new and daringly different, yet plausible future. If anything, Edelman is like a more accessible Stross; whereas Stross’s fiction is about as dense as it can get and still be readable, Edelman’s style is more inviting, and, to me, more appealing.”

Adams further adds, “Few first novelists manage as assured a debut as Infoquake; almost all new authors stumble around a bit in their first novel, but Edelman comes off as a seasoned professional.”

Meanwhile, over on his personal blog, The Slush God Speaketh, Adams continues with some praise for our typesetters and designers: “Infoquake’s (and all Pyr titles’) typesetting on the other hand, is widely-spaced and a pleasure to read. As someone who is both a lover of books as entertainment, and as a lover of books as physical objects, it just has to be said that Pyr puts together some of the finest-looking books on the planet–both on the inside with their lovely typesetting and on the outside with their beautiful covers. Coincidentally, they’ve also been publishing some of the best books period, so it’s a mighty fine combination.”

In this instance, Infoquake’s jacket was designed by the wonderful Dave Stevenson, while all our interior layouts are done by the incomparable Bruce Carle, whose work always blows me away and who deserves way more credit than he usually gets, so I’m very glad Adams noticed and called him out!

Update: SFReview has also posted their thoughts on Infoquake:

“Edelman has managed to capture the mania and obsession of Internet moguls nicely, and Natch is just the sort of person who can create a market from a new technology…but that doesn’t make him lovable, as Natch’s closest associated note, or even sympathetic. I found Infoquate interesting, and genuinely wanted to find out what happened next…but the characters in the book are quite like people I’ve known in the world of international entrepreneurship. Work is their life, and much as I channel the puritan ethos myself, it’s hard to do anything other than feel sorry for them as they ramp themselves up for another 36 hour stint to prepare for the next dog and pony show. On the other hand, I know just how compelling it can be to stand in the center of that storm and imagine that you can actually affect the winds of change.”

I think that the lack of an endgame for Natch keeps the reader from knowing whether to root for or against him, while the sympathetic characters in the story seem bent to go down roads that lead away from their dreams.