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For your viewing pleasure, the front cover of Adam Roberts’ upcoming book, Gradisil, a near-future tale of revenge and nation-building told across three generations, coming from Pyr in March of next year. Cover art is by the wonderful (and Hugo-nominated) Stephan Martiniere, with design by Jacqueline Cooke.

Gradisil has already drawn comparisons to “the best of Robert Heinlein” according to the Times, and SFX says, “Against the backdrop of Gradisil’s nation-building odyssey, Roberts impressively explores a variety of themes. It all adds up to proof, if any were really needed. That Roberts belongs in the front rank of hard SF writers.”

David Louis Edelman has done something quite remarkable, and the result may prove very instructive to beginning writers. As he details on Deep Genre in a post entitled From First to Final Draft: A Case Study, David has posted all nine drafts of the first chapter of his novel Infoquake online. Beginning in 1997 (or 98!) and leading through April 17, 2006, David demonstrates just how much of writing is rewriting.

As David says, “Now the point of posting these drafts is not to dazzle everyone with how wise and witty I’ve become. (Although if anyone is dazzled, I’m enough of an egomaniac to take it, no questions asked.) The point is that I thought writing neophytes might be interested in a behind-the-scenes look at what novelists go through in the revision process. These are the actual drafts of chapter 1, unedited, unaltered from their original versions (except to convert them to HTML, naturally). I’ve also added a few footnotes along the way to give some clue as to what I was thinking as I was revising.

“And what lesson are you writing neophytes supposed to take away from this? Well, the obvious lesson, I guess, but also the most important: don’t give up.”

William Lexner has just posted his thoughts on Sean Williams’ award-winning fantasy novel, The Crooked Letter, over on his blog I Hope I Didn’t Just Give Away the Ending. William writes, “Set in the same world, as a prequel of sorts, as his previous young adult Book of The Change series, The Crooked Letter is a stark turn towards adult fantasy for Williams. In fact, the book is quite gritty, violent, and very much aimed at a mature audience….Mythologies and religious beliefs are melded and warped in a world not unlike our own in many ways. Narration is divided through the separate realms, but manages to weave itself into a wonderful story. The prose is eloquent and the dialogue is flawless…. I may not have been a Williams fan prior to it’s reading, but I certainly count myself amongst that number now.”

The follow-up novel to The Crooked Letter, The Blood Debt, will be published this coming October. Cover art for the series is by the wonderful Greg Bridges.

Ian R. MacLeod (The Light Ages, House of Storms) has just interviewed our own Martin Sketchley for the website Infinity Plus. Martin talks about his writing process, the influence of music and mythology on his work, and the future of science fiction:

“I’ve got a book called Dictionary of World Myth — An A-Z reference guide to gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines and fabulous beasts. I love all that stuff, and pore over this book quite a lot when I’m developing a new idea. There’s evidence of this in the chapter titles in The Affinity Trap and The Destiny Mask. Cerberus was a three-headed dog that guarded the underworld — that’s fantastic! (And I think he might have appeared in one of the Harry Potter films…) And I love the Labours of Herakles. My Favourite is the Stymphalian Birds, which is the title of the first chapter in The Destiny Mask. Herakles has to get rid of vicious man-eating birds with iron claws, wings and beaks that infested lake Stymphalios in Arcadia. He scared them out of the trees with his bronze castanets, then shot them down individually with his bow and arrow. I love anything with bronze castanets.”

The third book in Martin’s Structure series, The Liberty Gun, will be published this November. All covers shown here are by the wonderful Dave Seeley.

Martin Sketchley is the author of the Structure Series, a fast-paced and gritty military SF comprised of the books The Affinity Trap, The Destiny Mask, and the forthcoming Liberty Gun (November). The Agony Column describes the series as, “just the sort of dense and intense science fiction space opera that we really love to read – a great combination of shameless entertainment with thought-provoking literature. This is clearly wide-screen, far-flung future science fiction with all the attendant baroque complexity in place.”

Now, writing for the news magazine of the British Science Fiction Association, the Matrix, Martin Sketchley interviews acclaimed author John Meaney, whose Nulapeiron Sequence (Paradox, Context, and Resolution) has drawn comparisons to Frank Herbert’s Dune books and racked up critical praise. (Paradox was chosen #2 in Barnes & Nobles’ Top Ten SF&F Books of 2005, and won an IPPY award).

In this interview, they talk mostly about martial arts and its intersection with science fiction, with a few words about that famous movie of the same name as the magazine:

“I asked Meaney whether there are any SF books or films in which martial arts featured, and which he thought were particularly well executed? ‘You know I’m fond of a good paradox…,’ he says. ‘I liked the wirework antics of The Matrix, because they’re supposed to be inside VR, and it works like a video game. Otherwise, I detest wirework movies.

‘There have been flashes of authentic martial arts in some SF books. Um, Hardwired and Angel Station by Walter Jon Williams, who’s a kempo fourth dan, and Tricia Sullivan’s Someone To Watch Over Me. And there’s the occasional microsecond of fighting in Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s novels. Those moments work because he is the most stylish writer in the world.'”

John Meaney’s To Hold Infinity makes its N. American debut this September.

Presented for your viewing pleasure, the full jacket for Sean Williams’ upcoming fantasy epic, The Blood Debt: Books of the Cataclysm: Two. In this case, we made use of the wonderful art and adapted elements of the design from the Australian edition, artwork by Greg Bridges and design by Gayna Murphy. Our own Jaqueline Cooke – who omits her name from the jacket – does deserve credit for adapting the Australian design on their mass-market paperback to the needs of our hardcover (those foil symbols weren’t easy to resize), the wonderful flaps, etc… (Right click the image for a larger view as always)

The most excellent Hal Duncan, whose World Fantasy Award-nominated Vellum has drawn comparisons to the preceding book, The Crooked Letter, has this to say: “Williams’s mix of grand metaphysical vision, weird landscapes, and wild adventure makes for a great read, but it’s the deeply human story at the heart of The Crooked Letter that really makes it something wonderful.”

Infoquake, the new novel from David Louis Edelman, is the subject of a BarnesandNoble.com Spotlight feature. B&N Explorations newsletter editor Paul Goat Allen says, “Brilliantly blending the cutthroat intrigues of the high-tech business world with revolutionary world building, Edelman could quite possibly be the love child of Donald Trump and Vernor Vinge. Infoquake is one of the most impressive science fiction debuts to come along in years — highly recommended.”

The Spotlight includes both B&N’s review as well as a short interview with Edelman:

“Like with the character of Natch, there are things to both admire and fear about the future I’ve come up with. Hunger and disease have essentially vanished, and people take for granted the ability to travel anywhere in the world instantly. On the other hand, the world is ruled by an autocratic military organization that essentially has no checks and balances. I think some people would have been happier if I had written a straightforward novel with a good guy and a bad guy and an easily identifiable political bias. But for better or for worse, my dad taught me to always play the devil’s advocate. “

Meanwhile, Online discussion forums for Infoquake are now open on Yahoo! Groups. David Louis Edelman also has the following readings & appearances scheduled:

• August 23-27: WorldCon in Anaheim, CA
• September 1-4: Dragon-Con in Atlanta, GA
• September 5: Reading and signing at Barnes & Noble in Baltimore, MD (time TBD)
• September 7: Reading and signing at Barnes & Noble in Reston, VA at 7:30 P.M.
• October 20-22: CapClave in Silver Spring, MD

Update: David is also interviewed on the live journal talk show here.

I am on a whoppin’ 8 program items this year, including a Pyr panel at which we will talk about our upcoming books, introduce our authors & artists, and debut upcoming arwork:

Panel 1: Wed 8/23 4:00 PM, 60-90 minutes.
Title: FUTURE TRENDS IN SCIENCE FICTION
Participants:
Lou Anders
John-Henri Holmberg
James Patrick Kelly(M)
Mark von Schlegell
Gary K. Wolfe

Precis: Not long ago, we were awash in Splatterpunks, Cyberpunks, and even Steampunks. What happened to those SF literarymovements? What’s the next trend?

Panel 2: Thu 8/24 12 Noon, 60 minutes.
Title: AUTOGRAPHING: Lou Anders
Participants:
Lou Anders

Panel 3: Thu 8/24 3:00 PM, 60 minutes.
Title: KAFFEKLATSCH: Lou Anders
Participants:
Lou Anders

Panel 4: Thu 8/24 5:30 PM, 60-90 minutes.
Title: PUBLISHING SCIENCE FICTION
Participants:
Lou Anders
Jaime Levine
Anthony R. Lewis
Alan Rodgers
Michael J. Walsh(M)

Precis: From small press to major publishing houses, science fiction is a popular place to be. What’s it take to know the field and to get your books into the stores?

Panel 5: Fri 8/25 2:30 PM, 60-90 minutes.
Title: PYR: A LOOK FORWARD
Participants:
Lou Anders
David Louis Edelman
Kay Kenyon
Ian McDonald
John Picacio
Mike Resnick
Chris Roberson
Dave Seeley
Joel Shepherd
Sean Williams

Precis: One of science fiction’s newest major publishers give a look at their future publications.

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Panel 6: Sat 8/26 1:00 PM, 60-90 minutes.
Title: OMNIBUS PUBLISHING PANEL
Participants:
Lou Anders
Robert Meyer Burnett
Lydia C. Marano
Richard Pini
Evo Terra(M)
Gordon Van Gelder

Precis: Publishers from different areas of publishing — a major imprint, a small press, an on-line magazine, a prozine –compare the similarities and differences in their tasks.

Panel 7: Sun 8/27 10:00 AM, 60-90 minutes.
Title: THE INFLUENCE OF EDITORS ON THE SF FIELD
Participants:
Lou Anders
Ellen Datlow(M)
David Hartwell
Stanley Schmidt
Sheila Williams

Precis: Do editors publish what the readers want to buy or does the field reflect the editors’ tastes?

Panel 8: Sun 8/27 11:30 AM, 60-90 minutes.
Title: IN DEFENSE OF ESCAPIST LITERATURE
Participants:
Lou Anders
Pat Cadigan
Stephen Eley
Kelly L. Perry
Brandon Sanderson(M)

Precis: Science fiction has had a moniker of being junk food for the mind; escapist fare only. Is that true? Not all of it is literature but surely some of it must be? Mustn’t it? What literary trends can be found? What will withstand the test of time? And does it matter?