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?

Here is the full cover for Alan Dean Foster’s Sagramanda, a techno-thriller set in near-future India coming this October. Art is by John Picacio, design by Jacqueline Cooke. A bit of a differnt look for us, no? I’m well pleased. (As always, click to enlarge.)

Here it is: the full cover spread for Justina Robson’s upcoming near-future thriller, Mappa Mundi, due out this coming September in trade paperback. Artwork is by Stephan Martiniere with design by Jacqueline Cooke. Click for the large image of course. Nice yes?

Joel Shepherd’s Crossover is in stores now. And just in time, two excellent reviews have appeared:

Sandy Amazeen of Monsters & Critics says:

“The first in a new series that will follow the adventures of Cassandra Kresnov, this is more then an action packed sci-fi tale set far into the future. Delving deeply into issues of sentience, self-determination and artificial intelligence this is an examination of the possible political implications that will arise as artificial intelligence progresses and begins thinking for itself ….This fast paced read uses political intrigue, dirty dealings, old and new friendships to keep the story well grounded in human issues while raising some interesting points to ponder. Shepherd’s new series is certain to gain an instant following with this exciting and thoughtful entry.”

Meanwhile, Henry L Lazarus writes in the Philadelphia Weekly Press:

“Pyr has brought the first of Joel Shepherd’s tales of an all too-human android in a conservative future empire… Very exciting and impossible-to-put down. I can’t wait for the other two to appear.”

The August 2006 issue of Locus magazine features an interview with Ian McDonald, in which he talks about such things as growing up in Northern Ireland, the genesis of River of Gods, and the 1950 World Cup:

“There’s a huge gaping hole in science fiction. A lot has been done about China, but people have overlooked India…. Historically, the UK and Ireland have been much closer to India, and it has enriched our culture-and, thank God, our cookery-immeasureably.”

There is also a substantial discussion of his next novel, Brasyl, which we’ll be releasing next year with another Stephan Martiniere cover.

Five-time Hugo winner Mike Resnick, author of Starship: Mutiny and the recent short story collection New Dreams for Old, will be interviewed on July 30, 2006 on Cincinnati radio station WVXU 91.7, around 7pm.

The wonderful group blog Meme Therapy has uploaded a number of Pyr-related posts lately.

First, there is an interview with Genetopia author Keith Brooke:

“I’d be very surprised if in ten years we ‘log on’ to the net: it’ll just be there, part of the way we communicate with each other and with our household appliances, part of the way the world is automated around us: our awareness of it as ‘the internet’ will have dwindled. As this sense of being permanently logged on permeates our lives, it’s bound to shift the way we communicate and learn about the world and discuss what’s going on…”

Then, David Louis Edelman joins several other interesting folks in opinioning about the dangers of corporations:

“Once you eliminate the middle class from the equation, you’re back to the feudal system of lords and serfs. And that system wasn’t such a great deal for the serfs.”

Finally, Joel Shepherd, whose novel Crossover should pop up on shelves any day now, describes his Cassandra Kresnov novels:

“I wanted to make Cassandra the anti-‘android cliche’. She doesn’t suffer from a desperate desire to be human (she indignantly insists she already IS human), and she’s quite happy being what she is, although the politics behind her creation are another matter. She has free will and personality like any of us, and wrestles constantly with the moral implications of possessing incredibly dangerous abilities, and what therefore she should do with her life.”

More love for Ian McDonald:

“A painterly, colorful writer, McDonald…manages to slot together the many puzzle pieces of his plot in coherent, clever bursts of illumination…Adventurous, mysterious, suspenseful and engagingly speculative, with steamy sex scenes and a redolent, eye-popping atmosphere, River of Gods should have appeal well beyond sci fi fans.”

June 18 review in Portsmouth Herald, Portsmouth, Virginia

David Louis Edelman, author of Infoquake, is interviewed by Cat Rambo on Suite 101:

“For the most part, I’m just a jeans and button-down shirt kind of guy. I do like to wear hats. I’ve got a black fedora that I wear a lot, and it’s turned into a nice little bit of marketing. People tend to remember who you are if you’re always wearing a distinguishing piece of clothing.”

Meanwhile, William Lexner is quite happy with Chris Roberson’s Paragaea, as he posts over at I Hope I Didn’t Just Give Away the Ending:

“Roberson dedicates the book to Edgar Rice Burroughs, (Barsoom, Tarzan) Alex Raymond, (Flash Gordon) and David Gerrold. (Land of The Lost, Star Trek, much else) There are obvious nods to each in Paragaea, and each were accomplished quite well. If classic adventure yarns turn your crank, then Paragaea is that one classic tale you’ve never been able to find in stores or libraries. It’s a throwback, a real gem.”

A whole heap of love for Justina Robson cropped up this week. Her forthcoming Pyr novel, Mappa Mundi (out this coming September), garnered a starred review in the July 10th issue of Publishers Weekly:

“British author Robson’s third novel to appear in the U.S. (after Natural History and Silver Screen) maintains throat-tightening suspense from its teasingly enigmatic introduction of its major characters to its painful conclusion that evil will succeed if well-meaning people try to achieve good at any cost…Shortlisted for the 2001 Arthur C. Clarke Award, this near-future SF thriller presents convincing characters caught in profound moral dilemmas brought home through exquisite attention to plot details and setting.”

Then, Dave Itzkoff’s latest New York Times piece (July 9, 2006) reviews Justina’s Living Next Door to the God of Love (Bantam), with glowing things to say about her prose:

“As in Robson’s previous novels, Natural History, Mappa Mundi and Silver Screen, the first thing a reader notices about her work is the exquisite precision and thoughtfulness of her writing. There is simply no moment too small, no interaction too seemingly insignificant for her to resist putting her distinctive signature on it…”

A big congratulations Justina!