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Just a quick note to say that we’ve added PayPal buttons to all the individual Pyr book pages in our current catalog. Now purchases can be made direct from parent company Prometheus Books, who are offering a 20% discount off the cover price to customers who order via PayPal. As always, the usual suspects of online merchant options are also offered: Amazon, B&N, Books-a-Million, and Booksense.

Over at the Agony Column, Rick Kleffel has just posted his thoughts on David Louis Edelman’s Infoquake, forthcoming from Pyr this July. Kleffel sees Infoquake as fitting into the tradition of Frederick Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth’s classic The Space Merchants, and being in the company of Cory Doctorow’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom and Charles Stross’ The Family Trade:

“Edelman, Doctorow and Stross are, like all great science fiction writers, not really writing about the future. They’re responding to the present, and in the present, economic science is driving societal decisions every bit as much as any hard-science technology. In fact, economics drives the hard science, in that we only get the technologies that look profitable. Edelman’s vision in this regard is particularly sharp and particularly on-point. There’s a certain amount of satire going on here, but Edelman is quite serious about his world, which makes it all the easier to invest in his characters and settings. “

Kleffel has already opinioned elsewhere that Infoquake “will be one of the most praised first novels this year.” Meanwhile, Edleman continues to podcast chapters from his novel, post excerpts, and grow his fascinating background articles about the Infoquake world. (Oh, and completely unrelated, he blogs about his recent trip to France.)

Here is the final cover design for Joel Shepherd’s Crossover, coming out this August. The artwork is by Stephan Martiniere with design by Jacqueline Cooke. (When clicking to enlarge the image, right click and open the image in a new window to avoid the frames here.)

Crossover is the story of Cassandra Kresnov, an artificial person struggling to find a new life away from the war with which she has grown disillusioned. Tobias S. Buckell (Crystal Rain) recently described it as “an awesomely zesty adventure set amongst a nicely realized multiethnic future. A blast to read.”

Update: You can see the original illustration, sans text, here on Stephan’s website.

Reviewer Steve Lazarowitz really enjoyed Mike Resnick’s Starship: Mutiny, as he says over at SFSite:

“Starship: Mutiny was a blast, in more ways than one… It’s an action-packed romp through a science fiction funhouse complete with bizarre aliens, breathtaking escapes, space battles and the biggest battle of all, trying to do the right thing when everyone around you is beyond caring. To say I enjoyed the book would be an understatement of vast proportions, and you can rest assured I’ll be reading the sequels as they come out. Can a science fiction maestro like Mike Resnick turn his hand to the pure entertainment of space opera? You can bet your last galactic credit on it. If you’re a fan of the subgenre, or Mr. Resnick’s work, Starship: Mutiny is one book you won’t want to miss.”

For those wanting more of Ian McDonald’s near-future India, his latest story “The Djinn’s Wife,” on stands in the July issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine and partially excerpted online here, is another tale set in the same universe as his 2005 Hugo nominated novel River of Gods and his 2006 Hugo nominated novella “The Little Goddess.”

I am very happy to announce that Pyr has just closed a deal with Orion to publish the US version of Adam Roberts’s brilliant multi-generational epic of near future space colonization and revenge, Gradisil. I’ve long been a fan of Roberts’ work and am thrilled to be able to bring him to the attention of US readers.

Speaking of the UK edition, Nick Gevers writes in the May 2006 issue of Locus, “There is powerful prose in Gradisil, a maturing mastery with language reminiscent of Ian McDonald. This is Robert’s best novel to date, and quite conceivably a harbinger of greatness.”

While SFX has this to say, “It all adds up to proof, if any were really needed. That Roberts belongs in the front rank of hard SF writers.”

I’m equally excited to announce that Hugo-nominee Stephan Martiniere will be providing the cover art for our edition. More details soon. Meanwhile, you can visit Adam Roberts online at: www.adamroberts.com

After being largely absent from the internet for the past six months, Fiona Avery is back online with a newly redesigned website, www.fionaavery.com. In addition to being the author of The Crown Rose, Fiona is the author of some fifteen comic books and graphic novels (including Spider-Man, Tomb Raider, Witchblade and X-Men), and numerous episodes of science fiction television. Check out her new site and be sure to stop by her journal.

Aaron Hughes has some nice things to say about Keith Brooke’s Genetopia over at Fantastic Reviews:

“…a fascinating look at the consequences when the nature of humanity begins to change at a genetic level. …Like Mark Twain, and in refreshing contrast to the current standard of bloated multi-volume series, Brooke is able to confine his coming-of-age tale to an engaging and relatively short stand-alone novel, even as he uses it to frame important questions about the future of mankind.”

More kind words about Pyr as well:

“Genetopia is an original publication of Pyr Books, which in just one year under the adroit direction of Lou Anders has established itself as one of the leading publishers of quality science fiction and fantasy, with a welcome emphasis on the current crop of outstanding British SF writers. Like many of these British Boom authors, Keith Brooke is remarkably adept at envisioning an almost unrecognizable far future, and Genetopia is an excellent example.”

Marin Morse Wooster, of the Washington Post, calls Ian McDonald “one of the best sf novelists of our time” in his review of River of Gods:

“…a bold, brave look at India on the eve of its centennial, 41 years from now. MacDonald has become increasingly popular in recent years, and it’s easy to see why in this novel, his first to earn him a Hugo nomination. …MacDonald takes his readers from India’s darkest depths to its most opulent heights, from rioting mobs and the devastated poor to high-level politicians and lavish parties. He handles his complex plot with flair and confidence and deftly shows how technological advances and social changes have subtly changed lives. River of Gods is a major achievement from a writer who is becoming one of the best sf novelists of our time.”

Book Expo America has come and gone. While this year’s show felt less hectic than last year – no doubt due to the venue of D.C. as opposed to New York – it was a productive and fun weekend.

Highlights included the number of independent bookstore owners we met with, and the chance to put a face on and hang out with Pyr author David Louis Edelman (Infoquake). Here is a picture of Dave with his dashingly handsome editor.

And here is a picture of the whole BEA-attending Prometheus/Pyr gang. Pictured from left to right: Marcia Rogers, Jill Maxick, Richard Snyder, Jonathan Kurtz, Gretchen Kurtz, Lou Anders, & Linda Regan.