Hugo Nominations

I filled out my ballot last Friday.

If you were a member of LA con IV or are a member of Nippon 2007 don't forget to get your nominations in by March 3rd.

Its probably to late to mail in your ballot but you can nominate online here.

My personal pimp is to recommend The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch for Best Novel and Scott for the Campbell Award.

I also found out that your favorite bloggers are eligible for best Fan Writer, so despite its recent hiatus, think about nominating William Lexner for I Hope I Didn't Just Give Away the Ending .

My final recommendation is for Best Dramatic Presentation Short Form. Battlestar Galactica Exodus Pt.2 is easily the best television I saw last year. One of the best ever imo. So despite the dramatic fall off in the quality of the show since that episode airing give it the love it deserves.

If you need some help in other categories suggestions can be found several places.

Live Journal Community

SF Revu

NESFA

Locus

Money, Money, Money, Money

Income is subject that's not often talked about by writers.
John Scalzi does so rather in depth on his blog.
Its a pretty interesting breakdown.

Read the post here.

So a pretty successful author brings in a comfortable income. Of course that's with effectively 3 novels bringing in income for the year. But its taken him a number of years to reach this level.

Supreme Power Vol2

Publisher: Marvel Comics (December 27, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0785121331
Hardcover: 264 pages
$29.99

This volume collects Supreme Power issues 13-18 as well as Hyperion issues 1-5 in a lovely hardcover format.

Written by J. Michael Straczynski the first part is illustrated by Gary Frank and the later half is drawn by Dan Jurgens. While the book compiles two different comics, the plot line is pretty well integrated as Hyperion takes place immediately following the end of the Supreme Power series. The change in the artwork I found rather jarring as I loved Frank's work, and Jurgens style is not so much to my liking. I really didn't care for the story line in the Hyperion half either. The first half of the book follows Hyperion, Blur and Nighthawk as they track down a serial killer who is an escaped convict who was subjected to genetic experiments by the government. He essentially was given the same powers as Hyperion. The story itself was OK, but not IMO up to par with the prior storyline in Vol 1. In the Hyperion sub arc, the government upset at Mark leaving "the team" outs him as an alien. They also assemble a team of super humans to bring him back. I was average at best.

I was rather disappointed with this collection. I loved the first volume, but this one certainly is quite the fall off in quality. Combine that with half the book being drawn in a style I didn't care for results in a reader not to bothered by the dropping of this title from the Max line.

5 out of 10

Available from

Amazon

Howard Who?

Publisher : Small Beer Press :Peapod Classics
August 1, 2006
ISBN 1931520186
$14trade paperback
256 pages


Howard Who? is a short story collection by Howard Waldrop with an introduction by George R. R. Martin.

It consists of the following stories.

The Ugly Chickens
This story won the Nebula and the World Fantasy awards as well as being nominated for a Hugo.
It puts forth the question What if the Dodo hadn't been wiped out.

Der Untergang des Abendlandesmenschen
I have no idea what this story was about, but I was never the less tremendously entertained by it.

Ike at the Mike
Did you ever wonder how the world would be different if Eisenhower and Patton had been in a band with Louis Armstrong rather than leading the allies in Europe? Well Me neither, but Howard did, and its a wonderful story.

Dr. Hudson's Secret Gorilla
Classic old school horror movie plot. Or old school bugs bunny cartoon either way .

. . . the World, as we Know't
I don't see the word Phlogiston used enough anymore. This story is a cautionary tale of a science experiment gone bad. Really, Really, horribly bad.

Green Brother
This is the first of two Native American centered stories. I much preferred the next one.

Mary Margaret Road Grader
Or Mad Max meets the county fair. This is a post apocalyptic story where Native American again rule the plains of the US, and they engage in tractor pulls.

"Save A Place in the Lifeboat for Me
Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, and others are sent to prevent "The day the music died." This was also one of my favorites perhaps because I've been to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake IA many times.

Horror, We Got
You've got to love a time travel tale crossed with a Zionist conspiracy don't you? I loved this story.

Man-Mountain Gentian
Zen Sumo. 'nuff said.

God's Hooks
Izaak Walton goes fishing for a nightmare.

Heirs of the Perisphere
Another post apocalyptic tale. This time Mickey, Goofy, and Donald are the only survivors and they are trying to figure out why no one is coming to Disneyland.

I enjoyed this collection, but I've found I have a hard time getting into reading short fiction. I have a zone I get into in a book I really like, and short stories are over before I ever get to that point. Its much more of a chore to read short fiction for me. But taking that into account the writing itself is very good. Waldrop is very eclectic, and is certainly a master of the short story.

8 out of 10

buy this book at
Amazon
or
Dreamhaven

Clarkesworld is closing its virtual doors

I was dissapointed to read the below post regarding the closing of Clarkesworld Books.

I had the chance to talk with Neil for awhile at Boskone last year, and he's a very nice guy. Clarkesworld was an outstanding alternative to Amazon and it will be missed. I wish Neil and his family the best in their future endeavors.

Clarkesworld: The Final Chapter

I started Clarkesworld Books seven years ago and each year, it
has outperformed the prior year. I'm the only employee, but the store uses my home as its storage space, so in effect my wife and kids are honorary staff. I couldn't ask for a more supportive team.

A few weeks ago, we found out that we're expecting our third child. Life takes these little unexpected turns every now and then. This particular one requires living space and that space is currently occupied by a bookstore that has nowhere else to go. After much consideration, I'msad to say that I'm going to be closing the store. I've considered all the options and this is the one that makes the most sense for my soon to be expanding family. If you know how much this business has meant to me,
you know this wasn't an easy decision.

I owe a lot to everyone that has supported us over the years. I feel a bit like I'm letting people down, but this is something I have to do. Family comes first. Clarkesworld is not big enough to take on the staff we'd need to continue (babies need time), and I certainly can't afford the cost
of rent here in NJ. My wife will also need my help to keep her (more profitable) business going.

Everyone who has a preorder in with us will receive their books, but I'll probably stop taking more preorders in the next week or so. The website will continue to be maintained and I will take orders for in-stock books for as long as it takes to sell them all off.

Some of you are probably wondering what this will do to Clarkesworld Magazine. None of the reasons for closing the store apply to the magazine. I have every intention of keeping the magazine going and quite probably taking advantage of a few other related opportunities that are presenting themselves.

Running the store has been a personally rewarding experience. I've met many new friends over the years and never ceased to be amazed by how good some people were to us. Thanks to all of you from all of us.

Take care,
-Neil
Neil Clarke

February 10, 2007

Move Under Ground

Nick Mamatas has released his novel Move Under Ground online under the Creative Commons License.

Download it for FREE here.

http://www.moveunderground.org/

This book has been sitting on my shelves for awhile. I really need to move it up the queue, as I've heard great things about it.

“It’s Kerouac vs. Cthulhu as the most human of writers tangles with the
most inhuman horror. Move Under Ground is a wild, weird ride, and Nick Mamatas
shows awesome chops as well as some sad and funky soul.”—Stewart O’Nan.

Infoquake

Publisher : Pyr
400pp
ISBN: 1-59102-442-0
Trade Paperback (6" x 9")
$15
July 2006
Cover Illustration and Design: ©2006 David Stevenson

"Hack the body and the mind will follow."

Infoquake, the debut novel by David Louis Edelman, is the first volume of the Jump 225 trilogy. Its a financial thriller in a cyberpunk setting. Infoquake takes place several hundred years in the future, mankind has emerged from the decimation of the autonomous revolution thanks to the work of Sheldon Surina. Surina is the father of bio/logics, digital programs that work through nanobots, or OCHRES, which are spread throughout the bodies of most humans. Competition to create and sell new bio/logic programs is fierce, and Natch is one of , if not the best in the business.

The story starts out with Natch unveiling a Machiavellian plot to ascend to the top spot on Primo's list, the Fortune 500 of the bio/logic biz. This stunt works and even earns him the notice of Margaret Surina, the descendant of Sheldon. She presents Natch with the opportunity of a lifetime. She wants him to finish and sell MultiReal a bio/logic program capable of creating a near infinite number of alternate realities. The catch is that not only does every other Fiefcorp want to get their hands on this program, so does the shadowy High Executive of the Defense and Wellness Council, Len Borda.

The book is fast paced from the start, although the action is much more cerebral than physical. Plots and intrigues abound. Edelman creates a very interesting character in Natch. He has few redeeming qualities but the reader is drawn to him none the less. The supporting cast is very strong as well. I particularly enjoyed Jara, one of Natches apprentices. Edelman creates a rich narrative of a future earth. The back of the book is chock full of appendixes, which includes, a glossary, a time line, and in depth explanations of some of the most prevalent technologies. He is clearly a master at fleshing out his concepts. The story drew me in from the start, and I'm eagerly anticipating the forthcoming volumes.

8.5 out of 10

A sample chapter can be read here

You can purchase this book at Amazon