tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38094107647556305132012-01-22T15:24:05.979ZNews and comments on the world of SF, fantasy, horror, etcPeter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.comBlogger2221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-10951764385700052872012-01-22T13:15:00.001Z2012-01-22T15:24:05.988Z

Jenny Barber has created a new website / blog: Shiny Shorts. Here's why: "Shiny Shorts was born out of a passion for a fiction form that perhaps doesn't get talked about as much as it should. Whether it's flash, short stories, novellas; podcasts, print or online magazines; anthologies or collections; horror, SF, fantasy or crime -- if it's story we're there, so drop by and share the love." Now

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-31431973637987684212012-01-21T13:31:00.001Z2012-01-21T13:32:22.938Z

A new edition for February: Zombie – An Anthology of the Undead edited by Christopher Golden (Piatkus £8.99). “The hungry dead have risen. They shamble down the street…” And so on…This anthology includes nineteen stories by, amongst others, John Connolly (with a story called “Lazarus”, so you see how far back the fear of the undead stretches), Tim Lebbon, Kelley Armstrong, Mike Carey, Tad

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-12861615845985027572012-01-21T13:21:00.000Z2012-01-21T13:21:46.547Z

Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Troupe looks promising (due out in February on Orbit, £8.99). “George Carole ran away from home to join the Vaudeville circuit. Sixteen years old, uncommonly gifted at the piano, he falls in with a strange troupe – even for Vaudeville. Under the eye of the enigmatic Silenus, George comes to realise that the members of the troupe are more than they appear to be. And

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-17724272475634048372012-01-20T16:47:00.002Z2012-01-21T13:07:02.845Z

Rachel Aaron - The Legend of Eli Monpress (omnibus edition) - Orbit £12.99 Adam Baker – Juggernaut – Hodder & Stoughton £12.99 Robert Jackson Bennett - The Troupe - Orbit £8.99 Jack Campbell - Jag in Space: A Just Determination - Titan £7.99 Jack Campbell - Jag in Space: Burden of Proof - Titan £7.99 Ian C Esslemont – Orb Sceptre Throne (a Malazan Empire novel) – Bantam £20.00 Christopher Golden

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-29803253771610905142012-01-20T15:28:00.001Z2012-01-20T15:28:21.199Z

Now available from Fantom Publishing: The Hammer Out Book of Ghosts 2012. The editor isn’t listed but is, I gather, Dexter O’Neill. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to the Hammer Out charity, which was created to increase awareness of brain tumours and those affected by them. The Hammer Out Book of Ghosts is a well-produced hardcover book containing eleven stories by Simon Guerrier,

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-12485746215794501532012-01-11T11:00:00.001Z2012-01-11T11:00:58.082Z

If you still need to be tempted, here is one of Peter Atkins' superb stories, "Stacy and Her Idiot", from the collection Rumours of the Marvellous (co-published by The Alchemy Press). The story is available via Paul Kane's website, Shadow Writer.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-76264481839013918152012-01-11T10:44:00.004Z2012-01-11T10:48:03.883Z

Scream Quietly, edited by Stephen Jones, is subtitled The Best of Charles L Grant.  This is a smart-looking collection of some 500 pages and 30-plus stories, along with short items by Stephen King, Peter Straub, Kim Newman, Thomas F Monteleone, Nancy Holder and an interview conducted by Nancy Kilpatrick. There are several full-page illustrations by Andrew Smith plus a portfolio of photographs by

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-29338986023502019302012-01-10T15:31:00.003Z2012-01-10T15:32:46.664Z

Dark Currents, edited by Ian Whates and Ian Watson is scheduled from NewCon Press, and due to be launched at Eastercon this year. As far as I’m aware, there will be a signed edition as well as the standard one. The cover painting is by Ben Baldwin. 1.      Introduction by Ian Whates2.      The Fall of Lady Sealight – Adrian Tchaikovsky3.      The Age of Entitlement – Adam Nevill4.      

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-47900014272120071562012-01-06T11:25:00.000Z2012-01-06T11:25:40.364Z

A companion volume to Zombies is also available from Corvus. The Weird, edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer, is a “compendium of strange and dark stories”. To prove the point, here are 1100 pages stuffed with over a hundred stories selected from a century or more – plus a foreword by Michael Moorcock and an afterword by China Miéville. Looking through the contents, I am reminded of reading some of

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-31866279637107999952012-01-03T18:11:00.001Z2012-01-03T18:12:15.313Z

Zombies: A Compendium of the Living Dead, edited by Otto Penzler, is a massive anthology weighing in at over 800 pages (published by Corvus at £19.99).  One sometimes asks, Haven’t we yet done zombies to death? The answer is, Quite possibly yes. However, this large tome shows that there has been life in the undead for a long time, and have been dealt with by many a fine writer. This is a reprint

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-77346487864315816552012-01-03T17:50:00.002Z2012-01-03T17:50:52.057Z

Sarah Alderson – Fated. Simon & Schuster £6.99Chris Beckett – Dark Edens. Corvus £18.99Kit Berry – Magus of Stonewylde. Gollancz £7.99Kit Berry – Shadows at Stonewylde. Gollancz £9.99Simon Bestwick – The Faceless. Solaris £7.99Cinda Williams Chima – The Warrior Heir. Indigo £6.99Cinda Williams Chima – The Wizard Heir. Indigo £6.99Cinda Williams Chima – The Dragon Heir. Indigo £6.99Philip Emery –

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-68097925168263989752011-12-30T21:58:00.000Z2011-12-30T21:58:26.360Z

The British Fantasy Society’s Journal, dated winter 2011/12, is now available. The BFS Journal, incorporating the previous individual publications Dark Horizons and Prism, is edited by Peter Coleborn (fiction), Lou Morgan (non-fiction) and Ian Hunter (poetry). For more information on Peter Coleborn and Dark Horizons, visit his blog. Fiction in this issue, several using seasonal themes, comes from

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-1831851526995968312011-12-30T14:00:00.000Z2011-12-30T14:00:18.528Z

The Faceless is the new supernatural novel by Simon Bestwick, published by Solaris at £7.99. “In the Lancashire town of Kempforth, people are vanishing. Mist hangs heavy in the streets, and in those mists move the masked figures the local kids call the Spindly Men. When two year old Roseanne Trevor disappears, Detective Chief Inspector Renwick vows to stop at nothing until she finds her … [and]

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-37919129737885905842011-12-29T14:27:00.001Z2011-12-29T14:28:04.561Z

Pop over to the Screaming Dreams website and follow the links to download for free the latest issue of Estronomicon, edited by Steve Upham. Included are stories by James Bennett, Peter Coleborn, Neil Davies, Jan Edwards, Matt Finucane, John Forth, Stewart Horn, Ian Hunter, Mark Howard Jones, Bob Lock, Marion Pitman, Neil Williamson and Stuart Young. You'll also find links to other Screaming

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-77986655435017583102011-12-03T13:26:00.002Z2011-12-03T13:28:54.987Z

Rumours of the Marvellous by Peter Atkins: fourteen of the writer's best stories. Limited to 250 signed and numbered copies, features an introduction by Glen Hirshberg, a cover painting by Les Edwards. Co-published by The Alchemy Press and Airgedlámh Productions. Price and ordering details are available here. Also recommended: Peter Atkins' blog.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-15617403566384795452011-12-03T12:31:00.004Z2011-12-03T13:20:21.446Z

The Alchemy Press has published its first eBook in Kindle format: "Sailors of the Skies" by Mike Chinn (originally published in Dark Horizons in 2009). “Mix generous dollops of The Scorpion, The Shadow and Dominic Fortune, a taste for 1930s detective fiction, and the simple desire to tell a creepy tale…” Available via Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-52575201261670762132011-12-03T12:12:00.000Z2011-12-03T12:12:44.856Z

Back in the late 1970s Adrian Cole created a fantasy character every bit as enigmatic as Moorcock’s Elric: The Voidal. I haven’t read one of these stories in a long while, perhaps too long. So the recent publication of Cole’s The Long Reach of Night (volume 2) and The Sword of Shadows (volume 3) (both just published by Wildside Press – no prices on the cover but affordable via Amazon UK) offers

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-53536696085605343322011-07-10T14:48:00.004+01:002011-12-03T13:30:02.889Z

The Alchemy Press in association with Airgedlámh Productions is publishing a collection of short stories by Peter Atkins this year. Visit the Alchemy Press blog for a look at the cover.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-19011120635858359402011-04-11T14:49:00.000+01:002011-04-11T14:49:25.151+01:00

The Northampton Science Fiction Group's blog can be found here: http://northamptonsfwritersgroup.blogspot.com/

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-49471434067492605272011-04-11T14:43:00.000+01:002011-04-11T14:43:51.100+01:00

Cops A and B, sitting in their squad car, are discussing electric light switches -- which seems to be as relevant to the programme as a discussion on burgerjoints in Paris. Then A owns up to his marriage being in difficulty. There, that's the characters set up. Immediately after, they rush off, sirens blaring, to apprehend some criminals and in the ensuing chaos cop A is shot and wounded and

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-11032353691535387222011-02-19T14:45:00.000Z2011-02-19T14:45:02.869Z

Not really AWOL... I've just been so busy of late working on the British Fantasy Society and Renegade Writers websites, Dark Horizons and Wild Stacks (not to mention the day job) that I've neglected this blog for quitre a while. Sorry. If you have a few moments why not visit the above links.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-90962376879899519342011-01-27T16:09:00.000Z2011-01-27T16:09:40.609Z

New from Telos Publishing: Zombies in New York and Other Bloody Jottings.  "Something is sapping the energy of the usually robust dancers of the Moulin Rouge … Zombies roam the streets of New York City … Clowns die in mysteriously humorous ways … Jack the Rippers crimes are investigated by a vampire … Welcome to the horrific and poetic world of Sam Stone, where Angels are stalking the undead and

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-17557114662667652362011-01-09T18:51:00.000Z2011-01-09T18:51:19.043Z

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman. Canongate £10.99 Reviewed by Peter Coleborn I finally bought a copy of this book – it’s been on my wants list for a while. Although I’ve not read Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights series, I'm aware of the criticism he’s gathered due to their apparent anti-religious nature. The Good Man Jesus… is Pullman’s attempts to answer his

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-88990474432592085232011-01-09T18:32:00.001Z2011-01-09T18:33:36.769Z

Choose directed by Marcus Graves. Starring Katheryn Winnock, Kevin Pollak and Richard Short. Reviewed by Peter Coleborn Here's another movie about another serial killer with a 'past'. He seemingly picks victims at random, giving them a choice about how they are mutilated -- or killed. For seemingly unknown reasons he's targeted a journalism student. He sends her clues which she follows up and

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-27681286721001159162011-01-09T11:21:00.000Z2011-01-09T11:21:42.533Z

This anthology seems to have slipped quietly onto the shelves of Waterstone’s: The New Uncanny: Tales of Unease edited by Sarah Eyre and Ra Page was published by Comma Press (£7.95) in 2008 – see what I mean. I suppose a clue lies in the support the book was given by the Arts Council and Literature Northwest. It’s a shame that they didn’t make a bigger splash at the time -- that’s assuming I didn

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-17599353046678365132011-01-09T10:58:00.001Z2011-01-09T10:59:02.814Z

Prime Books has recently published The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2010, edited by Paula Guran. This is a fat, tasty treat: nearly forty stories culled from a range of sources, print and online, mainstream and small press. Authors include Kelley Armstrong, Peter Atkins, Holly Black, Ramsey Campbell, Steve Duffy, Joe Lansdale, Sarah Pinborough and Michael Marshall Smith. The good thing

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-44420958478893875592010-12-04T12:54:00.002Z2010-12-04T12:59:17.950Z

Victorian Undead: Sherlock Holmes vs Zombies by Ian Edginton and Davide Fabri. Wildstorm (Titan Books £14.99) Reviewed by Peter Coleborn Yet more zombies! The undead are everywhere, it seems, breeding like flies. Do I really want any more? However, Sherlock Holmes vs Zombies is a jolly jaunt through Victorian London, a city besieged from within by the undead, created by a particular evil

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-52299684388789558612010-12-04T12:50:00.003Z2010-12-04T12:59:57.351Z

A new anthology has hit the book shelves recently: Damn Near Dead 2: Live Noir or Die Trying! edited by Bill Crider (Busted Flush Press $18.00 -- you can buy this via Amazon). The book cover states that this in an ‘anthology of geezer noir’ -- so it seems as if it should be a fun read. There are two dozen stories here, all new, by the likes of Neal Barrett Jr, Christa Faust, Ed Gorman, Joe R

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-40245617312485025702010-11-27T14:43:00.001Z2010-11-27T14:43:43.277Z

I’ve just come across this series of crime books, of which Los Angeles Noir volume two, edited by Denise Hamilton (Akashic Books, $15.95) appears to be the latest addition. It seems that Akashic began this series in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir and in 2007 Los Angeles Noir volume one saw publication. LA Noir 2 includes 15 stories by the likes of Leigh Brackett, James M Cain, Raymond Chandler, James

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-3545624342158660442010-11-27T14:30:00.001Z2010-11-27T14:31:00.472Z

The next title in Freda Warrington’s Aetherial Tales series, Midsummer Night (Tor $27.99) is now available. “Decades ago, at a remote British estate where the veil between our world and the world of the Aetherials – the fair folk – is too easily breached, three young people tricked their uncle by dressing as the fey. But their joke took a deadly turn when true Aetherials crossed into our world,

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-2964332480885603482010-11-26T15:49:00.001Z2010-11-26T15:51:22.340Z

Greek Street volume 2: Cassandra Complex by Peter Milligan and Davide Gianfelice. Vertigo $14.99 Reviewed by Peter Coleborn The comic’s title says it all: Greek Street. It involves characters called Furey and Dedalus and Medea. There are visions and vengeance and Oedipal crimes… You won’t need a second guess to work out that in this graphic novel Greek drama is heavily – and cleverly –

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-56169527656282140222010-11-25T18:49:00.000Z2010-11-25T18:49:02.549Z

The Windup Girl by multi-award winning Paolo Bacigalupi is published in December 2010 by Orbit (£7.99). Time Magazine named The Windup Girl as one of the ten best novels of 2009. The book won five of 2010’s SF awards: Hugo, Nebula, Locus, Compton Crook and the John W Campbell awards. “Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen’s calorie representative in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager,

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-5989263403009044692010-11-25T18:33:00.001Z2010-11-25T18:33:19.126Z

The 2010 edition Jonathan Strahan’s The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year (volume 4) is now available. Here, you’ll find 29 stories first published in 2009. Authors include Stephen Baxter, Peter Beagle, Holly Black, Pat Cadigan, Andy Duncan, Diana Wynne Jones, John Kessel, Ellen Kushner, Margo Lanagan and Kelly Link. The editor sourced the stories from a wide range of publications

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-52946315299444543052010-11-25T18:18:00.000Z2010-11-25T18:18:18.314Z

Hey... Some of these sculptures actually look like the character they model. I like this one. You can buy it for around £50.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-54377535501359230242010-11-25T18:08:00.001Z2010-11-25T18:08:36.884Z

Back to the Middle of Nowhere edited by Jessy Marie Roberts & Jessica A Weiss. Pill Hill Press. $16.99 Reviewed by Jenny Barber When reviewing short story anthologies, it’s rare to find one in which all the stories appeal and sometimes the best we can hope for is that the balance is weighted towards the ones that do. Luckily, Back to the Middle of Nowhere has plenty of stories that hit the spot

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-32042615152929548582010-11-22T20:20:00.001Z2010-11-22T20:25:27.463Z

Zombie Apocalypse! edited by Stephen Jones. Robinson £7.99 Reviewed by Peter Coleborn To be honest, I get bored with trends – very quickly. The rash of books all about vampires and werewolves and zombies tend to pass me by. So I was a little apprehensive at first when I obtained Zombies Apocalypse! Fortunately, I had no reason to be concerned. Zombies Apocalypse! was a joyride, from page one to

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-85735019208994939842010-11-21T15:34:00.001Z2010-11-21T15:34:59.883Z

The Unwritten 2: Inside Man by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. Vertigo $12.99Review by Peter Coleborn This is volume two in Carey and Gross’s clever story arc, about Tom Taylor who may be the model for Tommy Taylor, hero of a children’s fantasy series. Or is he, in fact, the caricature himself? But Tom has disgraced himself, it appears. He’s imprisoned for several murders (see volume 1). Even in

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-12307168808806996562010-11-21T14:23:00.000Z2010-11-21T14:23:00.495Z

Issue 1 of Wild Stacks: The Library of the Imagination will feature new fiction by Rob Shearman and Rod Rees. Coming soon.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-42689289070417001532010-11-21T14:20:00.000Z2010-11-21T14:20:25.144Z

I can’t resist an anthology, especially one packed with new stories. Songs of Love & Death fits the bill perfectly. Edited by George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois, you can be sure of the quality, as well. This anthology includes fiction by Peter S Beagle, Jim Butcher, Neil Gaiman, Robin Hobb, Tanith Lee, Melinda M Snodgrass, Lisa Tuttle and many others – 17 stories in all. According to the blurb,

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-6548558432613496702010-11-05T16:00:00.000Z2010-11-05T16:00:24.361Z

Now available from Dark Regions Press: Wine and Rank Poison by Allyson Bird: “Revenge. Best served cold. Here are ten stories involving most of the deadly sins: greed, lust, envy, wrath, and pride. Strange stories woven in time and place from Ancient Greece to 1929 Odessa, Italy to the modern United States ... stories that mix reality, mythology, legend, half-humans and the inhuman... ‘The

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-61820080721657625492010-11-03T19:02:00.000Z2010-11-03T19:02:56.489Z

How to kick-arse like the walking dead: “This manual provides a review of the tactical combat advantages enjoyed by zombies and gives the reader a step-by-step guide to adopting them for him or herself. Have you wondered where the great military leaders of modern history have found their collective inspirations? Well look no further. It is the walking dead upon whom the most important tactical

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-70179000704188548042010-11-03T18:53:00.000Z2010-11-03T18:53:25.873Z

Now available: The Mammoth Book of Apocalyptic SF edited by Mike Ashley (Robinson 2010, £7.99). This is the type of book that Robinson is good at: tasty, hefty anthologies edited by some of the best anthologists around. This time Mike Ashley has selected 24 stories all about … yes … the end of the world. “Humankind has long been fascinated by the precarious vulnerability of civilisation and of

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-21811346483649081852010-11-02T15:16:00.000Z2010-11-02T15:16:14.508Z

Piper friend Sam Stone's collection of horror and dark fantasy, Zombies in New York and Other Bloody Jottings, is set to appear in February 2011, published by Telos Press (£12.99). Vincent Chong provides the cover illustration and Russell Morgan the interior artwork. This promises to be a fine-looking book. More details on the BFS website.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-8772237768171257952010-10-29T17:42:00.000+01:002010-10-29T17:42:41.695+01:00

Will ghost talkers or whisperers be the next big thing, the monster to oust vampires and zombies? Jan Edwards thinks they stand a good chance.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-19184258264194238902010-10-29T17:38:00.000+01:002010-10-29T17:38:31.405+01:00

The Castings Trilogy by Pamela Freeman hits the bookshops early December, published by Orbit. This omnibus edition contains: Blood Ties, Deep Water and Full Circle. “Bramble is impetuous with a talent for trouble, and she finds it when an accident brands her a criminal. But she expects no mercy with her Traveller blood - so when the village gods tell her to flee, she hits the road. In

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-57610272957149821702010-10-28T13:45:00.000+01:002010-10-28T13:45:40.439+01:00

The Alchemy Press has announced its new online magazine: Wild Stacks, The Library Of The Imagination. The first issue will be posted in a few months. Meanwhile, issue 0, the pre-launch issue, is already available. Wild Stacks aims to publish stories from all corners of the diverse fantasy world.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-57718121877615637852010-10-28T13:35:00.001+01:002010-10-28T13:37:33.493+01:00

Out this month on Orion, Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. “'What is it? What does it want? Why is it angry with me?' January 1937. Clouds of war are gathering over a fogbound London. Twenty-eight year old Jack is poor, lonely and desperate to change his life. So when he's offered the chance to be the wireless operator on an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Spirits are high as the ship leaves

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-22590327334651967452010-10-23T21:33:00.002+01:002010-10-28T13:37:11.068+01:00

Published in 2009 but just arrived on my "to be read" bedside heap is He is Legend, edited by Christopher Conlon, an anthology celebrating Richard Matheson (Tor $25.99). This book collects 15 original stories inspired by Matheson. Contributors include Stephen King, Joe Hill, F Paul Wilson, Ed Gorman, Joe R Lansdale and Richard Christian Matheson -- and others. The book won the Bram Stoker Award,

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-6847640682364054412010-10-23T14:15:00.002+01:002010-10-28T13:38:37.032+01:00

Hellblazer: India by Peter Milligan and others. Vertigo $14.99 Reviewed by Peter Coleborn "Why does the newborn baby cry?" asks the priest of his flock. "It cries because it has been separated from God," he continues. Then John Constantine enters the room and the priest? He says "Oh fuck, no!" And that is why I so like the Hellblazer comics/graphic novels. Peter Milligan’s writing creates a

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-75834246169646924492010-10-20T16:38:00.000+01:002010-10-20T16:38:03.507+01:00

That fine writer Paul Finch has started a new blog. It's called "Walking in the Dark" and you can catch it here.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-4039618600133632022010-10-20T16:30:00.000+01:002010-10-20T16:30:51.765+01:00

The Double-Edged Sword: The Nowhere Chronicles, Book One, by Sarah Silverwood. Gollancz 2010. £9.99 Reviewed by Jan Edwards Finmere Tingewick Smith’s sixteenth birthday, and his odd world is just about to get a lot odder. Abandoned as a baby with nothing but an old woollen blanket and a man’s ring to identify him, he was raised by the venerable Judge Brown and the old men of Orrery House.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-7948234158499968402010-10-18T17:44:00.001+01:002010-10-18T17:45:41.410+01:00

Subterranean Press news: All of the stories for Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 2, edited by William Schafer, are in hand, and the book has been designed and undergone its first round of proofing. The cover illustration is by Dave McKean. The anthology includes the Joe Hill's "Wolverton Station", Kelley Armstrong's "Chivalrous", David Prill's "A Pulp Called Joe", "Smelling Darkness", a new

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-84668237613580493722010-10-12T17:52:00.000+01:002010-10-12T17:52:46.118+01:00

The people behind Piper have set up a new writers' group, Renegade Writers. It's located in the Hartshill area of Stoke-on-Trent, but it welcomes people from as far as they wish to travel. The group meets every Wednesday at 7.30pm in the Jolly Potters pub. It's a friendly group, so come along and help members improve their writing -- and have a drink or two. For more information visit the

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-30303834817814993572010-10-12T17:47:00.000+01:002010-10-12T17:47:20.318+01:00

Jan has created a new blog which lists all her publications todate -- plus forthcoming titles. To visit her blog click here.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-61713287024639619152010-10-11T18:13:00.000+01:002010-10-11T18:13:36.597+01:00

Emma Thawley, Rights Director at Quercus, has sold US rights in two novels by UK novelist Rod Rees, The Demi-Monde: Winter and The Demi-Monde: Spring, to Gabe Robinson of HarperCollins, in a significant deal. The books will be published in hardback on the Morrow imprint. World rights in Rod’s series, The Demi-Monde, were acquired pre-emptively by Quercus (who publish the first volume in January

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-74555625397389427252010-10-11T17:59:00.000+01:002010-10-11T17:59:28.957+01:00

News from Constable & Robinson: Zombie Apocalypse is a 'mosaic novel' set in the near-future, when a desperate and ever-more controlling UK government decides to restore a sense of national pride with a New Festival of Britain. However, controversial plans to build on the site of an old church in South London releases a centuries-old plague that turns its victims into flesh-hungry ghouls whose

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-40238429493563695802010-10-05T16:38:00.001+01:002010-10-05T16:39:09.328+01:00

Just received from the Birmingham Science Fiction Group. Their guest speaker for the Friday 8 October meeting is Adam Roberts: "Roberts holds a degree in English and Classics from the University of Aberdeen, and a PhD at Cambridge. Currently he works as a senior reader at Royal Holloway, University of London, teaching English Lit and Creative Writing. He has published twelve SF/fantasy novels

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-5670923451053997762010-10-05T16:28:00.000+01:002010-10-05T16:28:07.117+01:00

The fifth issue of the Innsmouth Free Press has just been launched. Here, you can find: "eight tales of horror and the bizarre, a number of them connected by the thread of dark gods. Sword-and-sorcery meets horror in 'The Song of Tussagaroth', while a deity of the forest haunts a widowed man in “The Green World” and a terrible plague must be contained in 'The Night We Burned Our Hearts Out'. A

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-31319590631850102302010-10-04T18:25:00.000+01:002010-10-04T18:25:32.129+01:00

Tickets for Christopher Fowler's play Celebrity, starring Victoria Jeffrey, Neil Burgess, Mark Martin and Lucy Clements are now on sale at just £10.00. To book telephone 020 7836 1077 or email: maurice@phoenixartistclub.com (plus 50p for credit card bookings). Tickets are limited so book early. The play is set to run from 23 November to 4 December 2010 (nightly 7:30pm; matinees Sat 4:00pm; No

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-76978093585706516932010-09-30T19:05:00.001+01:002010-09-30T19:06:09.703+01:00

One Monster is Not Enough by Paul Finch includes eight novellas and novelettes, including two winners of international horror awards. "From the icy wastes of the Russian Steppes to the grimy backstreets of industrial north England, from the depths of the ocean abyss to a forgotten corner of inner London, Paul Finch brings you eight stories about monsters that will guarantee you never dismiss the

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-26972232796701829592010-09-30T18:39:00.001+01:002010-09-30T18:42:23.291+01:00

You can now visit the official website for FantasyCon 2011, the year FantasyCon goes to the seaside! The venue for next year's convention is the Royal Albion Hotel, situated directly opposite the landmark Brighton Pier. Mistress of Ceremonies for FantasyCon 2011 is award-winning author Sarah Pinborough, author of A Matter of Blood, the first novel in the Dog-Faced Gods trilogy. More guests to

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-43762944761926277752010-09-27T20:29:00.000+01:002010-09-27T20:29:24.255+01:00

Now available from Orbit is Kate Elliott's Cold Magic: "From one of the genre's finest writers comes a bold new epic fantasy in which science and magic are locked in a deadly struggle. It is the dawn of a new age... The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming in the cities. But the old ways do not die easy. Cat and

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-55380391093661839062010-09-27T20:22:00.000+01:002010-09-27T20:22:45.804+01:00

This just in from Orbit books: "Iain M Banks fans take note -- Surface Detail is out at the end of October, and here's what you need to know: General Systems Vehicles, Special Circumstances, Orbitals. Plus Unfallen Bulbitians, Smatter, Hells and Intagliates. For those of you who have no idea what we are talking about, don’t worry. It is never too late for you to join the Culture. You can start

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-56370248019239475942010-09-25T17:24:00.001+01:002010-09-25T17:29:36.411+01:00

According to Wildside Press’s newsletter, they conducted a survey last month and it was “a real eye-opener. We were amazed at how few of our newsletter readers have seen our magazines.” To remedy this they are offering coupons: $5.00 off any magazine subscription (new subscribers only.) Use coupon code 5OFFWT. $6.00 off any magazine subscription (existing subscribers only.) Use coupon code

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-27501457811541424892010-09-25T17:11:00.002+01:002010-09-27T20:39:35.153+01:00

And now it’s time for some exciting stories from the Pulps. Leigh Brackett may be best known for her screenplay for The Empire Strikes Back, but her lush tales of interplanetary adventures were thrilling readers long before Star Wars. Here’s the evidence: collected in this book is the short novel Black Amazon of Mars (the final magazine appearance of her hero, Eric John Stark), as well as "A

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-9981955141192739512010-09-25T16:56:00.002+01:002010-09-25T16:57:50.511+01:00

Look out for The Demi-Monde by Rod Rees: "The Demi-Monde is the most advance computer simulation ever devised. Thirty million people ruled by history's cruelest tryants, locked in eternal civil war. The intention: to create the closest thing to hell, preparing soldiers for the nightmarish reality of war. But something has gone badly wrong inside the Demi-Monde... Heydrich. Beria. Torquemada.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-43279237402368917322010-09-25T16:45:00.000+01:002010-09-25T16:45:37.084+01:00

Coming soon from Angry Robot: Andy Remic’s Soul Stealers, Book II of the Clockwork Vampire Chronicles, will be published on 7 October for £7.99. “They came from the North and the city fell. Now it is time for Kell to organize the resistance. But there are vampire assassins on his trail.” Remic has been described as “the Tarantino of fantasy” – so it should be fun. Also due on 7 October is Damage

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-72457756362081300522010-09-25T16:28:00.000+01:002010-09-25T16:28:36.225+01:00

Deja vu? A trip down memory lane (for those with long memories, at anyrate)? Pan has just republished the initial volume of The Pan Book of Horror Stories edited by Herbert van Thal. Just over 50 years ago – in 1959 – this book first appeared, marking the start of an incredible publishing history in the world of horror fiction, one that lasted about 30 years. What's especially pleasing is that

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-45287196956822503582010-09-23T20:00:00.000+01:002010-09-23T20:00:01.316+01:00

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, edited by Stephen Jones, has reached its 21st volume. And as ever, it is an indespensible guide to the world of horror fiction. Jones reads hundreds, if not thousands, of stories in order to present the very best. In this volume there are 19 stories by the likes of Stephen King & Jo Hill, Ramsey Campbell, Reggie Oliver & M R James, Michael Marshall Smith,

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-7155148728508646052010-09-23T19:42:00.000+01:002010-09-23T19:42:26.895+01:00

New Australian author Jo Anderton has signed with Angry Robot for at least two novels in her Veiled Worlds series. The worldwide deal, covering physical books and eBooks, was done by agent Anni Haig-Smith and Angry Robot’s publishing director, Marc Gascoigne. Debris will be published in the autumn of 2011, with direct sequel Suited to follow in 2012. Series opener Debris introduces Tanyana,

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-28521306298460407682010-09-23T19:14:00.000+01:002010-09-23T19:14:36.444+01:00

Wil Wheaton, John Scalzi and Subterranean Press have announced Clash of the Geeks, a special and fantastical electronic chapbook. It features stories by Wheaton, Scalzi, New York Times bestseller Patrick Rothfuss, Norton Award winner and Hugo Best Novel nominee Catherynne M. Valente, Hugo and Nebula Award nominee Rachel Swirsky, and others, and is for the benefit of the Michigan/Indiana affiliate

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-23099532151170189082010-09-23T19:07:00.001+01:002010-09-23T19:07:43.424+01:00

Subterranean Press has announced Dread Island, a major new novella by Joe R. Lansdale, an 84 page, printed in two colors mash-up of Huck Finn, Brer Rabbit, and Lovecraftian Horrors. Expect publication in the fall. "Dread Island appears but once a month, in deepest fog. During its current appearance, Tom Sawyer is trapped, and it's up to Huck Finn and Jim to save him before sunrise or lose their

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-14934408974714825292010-09-23T19:01:00.000+01:002010-09-23T19:01:49.806+01:00

Bryan Talbot will be signing his graphic novel Grandville, Mon Amour at Forbidden Planet, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8JR on Thursday 2nd December, from 6.00-7.00 pm. "The Badger is back! Set three weeks after the finale of Grandville, Grandville Mon Amour pits Detective Inspector Archie LeBrock of Scotland Yard against an old adversary, Edward 'Mad Dog' Mastock -- a psychotic serial

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-71557220595125023532010-09-23T18:55:00.000+01:002010-09-23T18:55:30.407+01:00

"While helping a friend clear out her parents' effects, recently, I stumbled on a tatty old pre-war tome called The Monster Book for Girls. It was adorned with pictures of jolly school lasses wielding hockey sticks and was full of 'thrilling adventure stories for girls'. I loved the title so much I’ve stolen it for a new Exaggerated Press anthology. First it is not a book for teenagers or

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-54787430869627136072010-09-20T19:09:00.000+01:002010-09-20T19:09:04.191+01:00

The 2010 British Fantasy Awards were announced at the British Fantasy Awards ceremony at FantasyCon 2010. Best Novel: the August Derleth Fantasy Award: One by Conrad Williams (Virgin Horror) Best Novella: The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough (PS Publishing) Best Short Fiction: “What Happens When You Wake Up in the Night” by Michael Marshall Smith (Nightjar) Best Anthology: The Mammoth

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-38673823295597235242010-09-20T14:41:00.003+01:002010-09-20T14:42:51.934+01:00

Now available: "Morgan is sent on a new mission for the Hermetic Division, investigating the murder of the world¹s foremost expert on the Elizabethan alchemist, John Dee. The killer is an agent of Mossad with superhuman powers. In America, a powerful medium called Alex is employed by the CIA to investigate a cult called the Croatoans, who seem to be able to possess animals. Alex and Morgan¹s

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-12013410800126699292010-09-14T19:14:00.001+01:002010-09-14T19:14:40.497+01:00

Make sure you go to the show!

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-42904339749535799982010-09-14T18:43:00.000+01:002010-09-14T18:43:41.124+01:00

I've just obtained a copy of Australian Ghost Stories, published by Wordsworth for around £3.00. Crazy price! Here are 17 short stories by the likes of Louis Becke, Guy Boothby, Mary Fortune, Beatrice Grimshaw and Roderic Quinn. James Doig also provides an introduction which wonders if Australia can be a home to Gothic fiction. The introduction gives a brief history of the Gothic novel (story)

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-31707166981275129052010-09-09T17:46:00.001+01:002010-09-09T17:47:29.063+01:00

Due soon: Shoes, Ships and Cadavers: Tales from North Londonshire by the Northampton Science Fiction Writers Group; with an introduction by Alan Moore. Twelve tales of science fiction, fantasy and horror… Northampton: a town that sits at the heart of England. A town that has played host to kings, saints, parliament, public hangings, and hot air balloons. A place steeped in history, laden with

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-81335242255654586522010-09-08T20:09:00.001+01:002010-09-08T20:11:00.106+01:00

The 2010 Hugos were announced recently at Aussiecon 4. the 68th World SF Convention. BEST NOVEL (Tie): The City & The City by China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK) and The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade) BEST NOVELLA: "Palimpsest" by Charles Stross (Wireless; Ace; Orbit) BEST NOVELETTE: "The Island" by Peter Watts (The New Space Opera 2; Eos) BEST SHORT STORY: "Bridesicle" by

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-25178142250995449572010-09-08T19:58:00.000+01:002010-09-08T19:58:57.442+01:00

Volker Busch at VGS Egmont has acquired German rights in two fantasy novels by Mark Charan Newton from Jon Mitchell, Rights Manager at Pan Macmillan. Julie Crisp acquired World rights in the books from agent John Jarrold. The books will be published on Egmont's 'Lyx' imprint. Other authors on the Lyx list include Jacqueline Carey, Jennifer Fallon, Tanya Huff, R. A. Salvatore, and Seanan McGuire.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-48152179672978172202010-09-08T19:53:00.000+01:002010-09-08T19:53:34.139+01:00

Brian Froud will be signing the deluxe collector’s edition of Faeries at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8JR on Saturday 2nd October from 1 to 2 pm. "A quarter of a century after its initial publication, and with more than a million copies in print worldwide, Faeries is a fantasy classic. Now, Froud returns to hs most enduring and beloved work in this deluxe

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-65681647615292966192010-09-08T19:45:00.000+01:002010-09-08T19:45:01.178+01:00

The Poole Literary Festival takes place over the weekend 29–31October 2010: "50 events, 30 writers, 10 workshops, three days, one amazing festival! Poole is set to welcome over 30 acclaimed writers from across the UK with three days of fun filled activities for people of all ages to enjoy. Poole Literary Festival (PLF) will play host to a wealth of literary talent, outstanding live art

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-4706609858868363612010-09-08T15:19:00.000+01:002010-09-08T15:19:13.437+01:00

Something ghostly takes place over the weekend 29-31 October in Halifax: Jeremy Dyson (League of Gentlemen and Ghost Stories) discusses a lost literary genius and screens his film, The Cicerones; Lawrence Gordon Clark in conversation, plus the screening of four of Clark’s famous MR James BBC film adaptations; Tartarus Press on the latest in haunted fiction (with Dr Gail-Nina Anderson and Mark

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-32419915830199688562010-09-07T23:11:00.005+01:002010-09-07T23:17:58.256+01:00

The Dark End of the Street edited by SJ Rozan & Jonathan Santlofer. Bloomsbury £7.99/$16.00Reviewed by Peter Coleborn I checked the city's two large bookshops recently and short story collections of crime fiction were a rarity. So this one promised to be a treat -- and it is a promise handsomely fulfilled. Here are 19 stories by some of the finest crime writers around with tales themed on sex

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-50256248761144821592010-09-07T18:01:00.000+01:002010-09-07T18:01:39.178+01:00

The autumn issue of Dark Valentine magazine is now available to download from their website. Contents this time (issue 2) include: "Affairs of Estate" by Eric Stone, "Discord" by Kate Kelly; "Shipwreck" by Kaye George; "A Soldier of the Reich" by Anna Sykora; and "April Love" by our own Jan Edwards.

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-7501495069225895142010-09-07T17:52:00.002+01:002010-09-07T17:52:40.527+01:00

Some of the leading lights of the SF genre provide an insight into their favourite films in this collection of essays on SF cinema, Cinema Futura, edited by Mark Morris and published by PS Publishing (to be launched at Fantasycon 2010). The contents include: Stan Nicholls on Metropolis; Joe Lansdale on Invaders from Mars; John Connolly on The 7th Voyage of Sinbad; Christopher Golden on Day of

Peter Coleborn / Alchemy Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833436536772138668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809410764755630513.post-56801235516661610312010-09-07T17:41:00.001+01:002010-09-07T17:42:13.766+01:00

PS Publishing has issued the following: "We're all of us sitting with digits crossed waiting for the results of the World Fantasy Awards. We did pretty good nomination-wise, so let's hope we end up with a rosette or two when the tape across the finish line is broken. Meanwhile, we thought we'd spice things up a little by doing a special deal on all the nominated books. So check out Paul

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News from John Jarrold: "James Frenkel, Senior Editor at Tor Books in New York, has concluded a two-book world rights deal for Australian SF author Rjurik Davidson, for a good five-figure sum in US dollars. The agent was John Jarrold. The first of these books will be Davidson’s debut novel. It is presently titled Caeli-Amur after the city in which it and its sequel take place. James Frenkel said

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You can watch a YouTube video promoting Gary Fry's new book, The House of Canted Steps here. The book is due from PS Publishing, with a launch scheduled for FantasyCon 2010. Those not attending the convention can order online. A tray-cased edition will also be available.

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The Mail on Sunday is running a novel competition. All you need to do is to write the opening of a novel (50-150 words) introducing the word 'set'. "It could be a set expression, a set to, setting off; you could use it as an adjective, noun or verb." The prize is £400 in book tokens and a place on an Arvon writing course. Send your entry to arrive no later than 29 October to The Mail on Sunday

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Angry Robot has signed new British science fiction author Guy Haley for two books in his Richards and Klein series. The first book in the series will be published by Angry Robot in autumn 2011, in both the UK and USA. The deal includes worldwide physical and eBook rights. In Reality 36, readers are introduced to investigators Richards and Klein – the Holmes and Watson of the 22nd Century. Except

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Incwriters (International Network & Community of Writers Society) was founded in 2004 by Andrew Oldham, William Park, Bixby Monk and Ian Parks, created initially as Inc. in 2002-2003, it has grown into the one stop website for promoters, agents, publishers, readers and writers. Incwriters creates networks, protects literature (of all genres), promotes writing, publishing and reading. Incwriters

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This just received from Subterranean Press, exciting news for Dick fans: "More than two decades ago, another small press issued The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick in a hardcover edition limited to only 500 sets. Earlier this year, the Dick estate approached us to see if we'd issue them in hardcover again, with a uniform set of dust jackets by Bill Sienkiewicz, two stories that weren't in

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The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. Virago £7.99Reviewed by Jan Edwards WW2 has just ended and like many of its ilk Hundreds Hall in Warwickshire is spiralling into decay, as is the society that had supported it in bygone times. Dr Faraday is called to an emergency at the Hall. He is curious about the place since his mother had been a maid there between the wars. He had once sat in the kitchen

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Last call for entries! Poole Literary Festival in partnership with the Media School at Bournemouth University has established a prize for new media writing. The prize creates an exciting opportunity for writers working with new media to showcase their skills, provoke discussion and raise awareness of new media writing and the future of the written word. The competition deadline is approaching

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Fantasycon 2010 is nearly here!

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"The soul is a magician. Only living flesh hampers it." -- from Death's Master I've just discovered that Death's Master, winner of the British Fantasy Society's August Derleth Fantasy Award, is to be reprinted next month by Norilana Books at £12 for the PB and £20 for the HB editions (go here for further information). This is good news, indeed. Death's Master is the second in the Tales from the

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Zombies seem to be livening up publishing just now. Coming soon from Orbit: Married With Zombies by Jesse Petersen. This is the first in a series; volume two is due in January 2011. Discover more on Petersen's website. "Meet Sarah and David: Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they’re on the verge of divorce and going to couples’ counselling. On a routine trip to their counsellor

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The Black Prism, book one in Brent Weeks' new Lightbringer series, is available now, published by Orbit. The Black Prism introduces a new world, a new magic system, and a new cast of characters -- plus the twists, turns, and reversals of fortune fans loved in The Night Angel trilogy. Grasping for the Wind calls The Black Prism “an epic fantasy unlike any of its contemporaries… a truly visionary

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