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Archive for November, 2008
Douglas Smith – Impossibilia
Posted by Paul Raven on November 28th, 2008 at 10:11
We recently released the fifth in our ongoing series of PS Publishing Showcases in the form of Impossibilia by Douglas Smith, a collection of memorable short stories that take your expectations and turn them inside out, but which stay true to the human experience. From Chaz Brenchley’s introduction:
“However it dresses, literature has its great themes – love and death, largely – and its lesser themes, and they mirror the natural concerns of life. Which is why, whatever the setting and whatever the mood, Doug Smith’s stories turn inward, on their characters. Not always in a kindly way – fiction is necessarily ruthless, or else it degrades into sentimentality – but these are none the less stories that treat with hope, and will not in the end deny it. Dues are paid, and life goes on: reaching, purposeful, intent.”
Douglas is a fine writer, in other words; Pete only picks the best for the Showcases. But don’t take my word for it – the opening passages of three of the stories from Impossibilia are available to read on Douglas Smith‘s website, so why not pop over there and see if the flavour is to your liking?
And then pop on back and click through below to order a copy – an ideal gift for the fiction addict in your life, or even just for yourself!
- Impossibilia (hardcover) – [ £10 / $15 approx. ]
- Impossibilia (jacketed hardcover) – [ £25 / $37.50 approx. ]
Cover art for Terry Bisson’s Planet of Mystery
Posted by Paul Raven on November 25th, 2008 at 8:35
Here’s the cover art for the forthcoming Planet of Mystery by Terry Bisson. Once again, Tomislav Tikulin is the man to thank for the painting:
Planet of Mystery is an instant Bisson classic that takes place on the border between appearance and reality. Here’s the jacket blurb:
Marooned on Venus, Hall and Chang of the first Chinese-American expedition are surprised to find themselves breathing Earth-normal air; and alarmed to find themselves captured by beautiful amazons mounted on foul-smelling centaurs.
“None of this can be real!” Hall protests, as he is dragged off to meet the Amazon Queen. Chang is inclined to agree (even though the arrow in his shoulder feels genuine).
Then the robot rolls in…
Pulp tropes and big ideas – a great combination! Planet of Mystery is out next year, but you can get your pre-orders in now to beat the rush:
- Planet of Mystery (hardcover) – [ £10 / $15 approx. ]
- Planet of Mystery (jacketed hardcover) – [ £10 / $15 approx. ]
Interzone review for Barclay’s Vault of Deeds
Posted by Paul Raven on November 21st, 2008 at 9:56
Interzone #219 is out and about, and it contains a review of James Barclay‘s Vault of Deeds by Sandy Auden, who has the following to say:
In some ways Vault of Deeds is a very typical Barclay story: there’s sharp banter, grim determination and wonderful personalities. But this time the author has jettisoned any previously established sense of seriousness, put his tongue very firmly in his cheek and gone on an irreverent romp through a landscape of fantasy clichés with what can only be described as joyous abandon.
… all in all, this is a feisty little novella that’s more than capable of holding its own against the big fat fantasy bricks.
Filipino genre guru Charles Tan enjoyed Vault of Deeds, too:
Barclay’s writing is easy to get into but it goes beyond simply being functional or serviceable. Dialogue and action is frequently utilized to draw the readers in while a source of comedy is the verbose and exaggerated prose spoken by the protagonists.
In summary – if you’re looking for a good laugh and a break from oh-so-serious fantasy doorstops, James Barclay is the prescription your doctor would order. So click through below and dose up your humour glands before the cold closes in:
Ordering now open for Secret Histories, Postscripts five-year subs and five new titles!
Posted by Peter Crowther on November 19th, 2008 at 12:00
Hi everyone! Here’s a quick newsletter to mention some newly released titles, plus the new order pages now available for both Secret Histories and our special Postscripts five-year subscription deal.
Secret Histories and Postscripts specials: when they’re gone, they’re gone!
Some folks noticed the new Postscripts pages even before we were able to make the announcement and, as a result, we’ve been receiving orders for the past few days. So do place your order now to avoid disappointment — and remember that some editions of these titles are very limited indeed: only 26 copies of the three-book edition and 200 copies of the two-book edition of Secret Histories; and only 100 copies of the top edition of the five-year sub to Postscripts, with the illustrated and signed (by the artists) copy of Stephen King‘s One For the Road.
Here are the links for ordering Secret Histories:
- Ultra-limited deluxe three-volume edition
- Slipcased two-volume edition
- Limited single-volume edition
And here’s where you go to sign up for five years of Postscripts:
- Five year sub to Postscripts in unsigned hardcover editions
- Five year sub to Postscripts in limited special hardcover editions
- Other options, including instalment payments for the above
Five more new titles released
But that’s not all! The newly released titles are:
- Postscripts #16
- Living With The Dead by Darrell Schweitzer
- Impossibilia: PS Showcase #5 by Douglas Smith
- The City in These Pages by John Grant
- The Day It Rained Forever by Ray Bradbury
- unsigned hardcover
- signed and slipcased edition
- special deluxe edition – signed additionally by Caitlin Kiernan and featuring a second bonus book, A Medicine For Melancholy
US readers: take advantage of the weak pound!
It’s worth noting that, if you’re a US customer, the pound is now down (Sunday 16 November) to a new low of just $1.48. This means (math-lovers) that, to our US fans, our £10 and £25 novellas currently cost around $15 and $37 respectively (instead of $20 and $50) and the bigger books (£20 trade and £50 slipcased editions) will set you back just $30 and $75 respectively instead of $40 and $100. I don’t know how long the slide will last but if you’ve been thinking about treating someone you care about (or just treating yourself) then now might be the time to do it.
There’s been more stories bought up and several bigger books purchased… but that’ll have to wait until next time.
Wrap up well, look after each other… and, of course, happy reading!
Pete
Lucius Shepard interviewed
Posted by Paul Raven on November 14th, 2008 at 9:51
Few genre authors have quite the reputation of Lucius Shepard, a strong writer with a unique voice which has earned him plenty of awards and plaudits over the years – including an International Horror Guild Award for Dagger Key and Other Stories, which we published last year.
Dagger Key included the novella “Stars Seen Through Stone”, which was one of my favourites (as I vainly consider myself a musician of sorts). It was also nominated for a 2007 Nebula Award, and as a result the Nebula Awards website has an interview with Lucius where he discusses the story and his writing in general:
All writing is sleight of hand, making the reader believe he’s seen something or knows something about the story that he truly does not. You can’t put a person down on a sheet of paper; you have to evoke them. A crucial part of that evocation comes from knowing how your characters speak, the rhythms of their speech, their use of colloquialisms, profanity, etc, and being able to reduce that to a credible shorthand. Settings are easier. The first paragraph of “Stars Seen Through Stone” is a writerly trick in which I attempted to focus the reader’s attention on a minor event, a strange gust of wind witnessed by someone who’s smoking a joint; by doing that, I hoped to make them comfortable with the narrator, to rely on his witness and believe he was showing them the town of Black William, even though he’s only giving them tiny pieces of a reality.
Sleight of hand it may be, but Lucius Shepard comes across as a proper wizard when you read his work, because you never see the wires and trapdoors… unless he wants you to, of course! We’ve still got a last few copies of Dagger Key and Other Stories lurking around in the PS warehouse, so grab yourself a copy of this award-winning collection while there’s still a chance:
- Dagger Key and Other Stories (slipcased hardcover) – [£50 / $92.50 approx]
- Dagger Key and Other Stories (jacketed hardcover) – [£25 / $46.25 approx]
And a check of the catalogue reveals that there’s also one or two remaining copies of our earlier Lucius Shepard collection, Trujillo – they’re the slipcased version, at £50.
Jay Lake’s introduction to Template now online
Posted by Paul Raven on November 13th, 2008 at 8:30
The introduction to Matthew Hughes‘ recent PS Publishing novel Template was written by Jay Lake, himself a rising star of genre fiction in both the long and short forms. Now you can read that introduction in full, as Jay has given permission for Matthew to host a copy of it on his own website. (Normally he puts the opening chapters of his books there, but that honour went to Fantasy Book Spot BookSpot Central this time round.)
Here’s just a snippet of the introduction for you:
As rococo as the novel may be, ultimately Template owes more to Hari Seldon than Gully Foyle. The plot is advanced by machinations of men long dead yet still reaching out from within the graves of time. The will and deeds of these offstage protagonists are carried forward by proxies who themselves are often unconscious of their roles in the progress of events. Even with this very classic “invisible hand” plot in play, the novel’s underpinnings are also profoundly modern. Identity paranoia and the price of progress lie at the core of the tale like twinned worms coiled round the heart of a dying prince. In at least one meaningful sense, the central question of the novel is quite literally that of who shall wear the coronet.
To find out who shall wear that coronet – and lots more besides! – grab yourself a copy of Template from the PS Webstore by clicking through below:
- Template (slipcased hardcover) – [£50.00 / $92.50 approx.]
- Template (hardcover) - [£20.00 / $37.00 approx.]
The Enigma of Departure reviewed
Posted by Paul Raven on November 11th, 2008 at 11:30
We’ve got two reviews of Nicholas Royle‘s The Enigma of Departure to share. First up is Charles Tan at Bibliophile Stalker, who is at great pains not to let the fictional cat out of the bag:
Royle’s agenda with the book is difficult to explain without spoiling it. Suffice to say, it is tricky from a technical standpoint and the author succeeds as Royle’s writing is a good fit for what he was attempting. Combine that with compelling storytelling and non-intrusive exposition and you have a winner.
Alex Dally MacFarlane at The Fix Online is a little braver, but still keeps things enticingly vague:
Working through issues of recurrence and death via the lives of the narrator and those he knows, The Enigma of Departure is an interesting read. The prose is often spare, but occasionally displays beauty, such as in the descriptions of labyrinthine Venice [...]
If The Enigma of Departure has a marked weakness, it is that the characters are more like vehicles for thoughts than people for the reader to care about. However, the discussion of recurrence taking place throughout the text provides enough engaging substance for the reader who enjoys spotting and examining the meaning of motifs.
You too can experience Nicholas Royle‘s dexterous and literary style by clicking through below to buy a copy of The Enigma of Departure:
- The Enigma Of Departure (jacketed hardcover) – [£25.00 / $46.25 approx.]
- The Enigma Of Departure (hardcover) – [£10.00 / $18.50 approx.]
Another acceptance for Catastrophia
Posted by Paul Raven on November 10th, 2008 at 9:40
Editor Allen Ashley has just finished overseeing the publication and launch of his recent Subtle Edens anthology from Elastic Press.
However, he’s not been neglecting his editorial duties with the forthcoming PS Publishing anthology Catastrophia; here’s his latest update:
“I am pleased to announce that I have just accepted another story for Catastrophia. This story is called “The Phoney War” and is about 10,000 words in length. The author is an exciting, younger British writer called Nina Allan who had a collection out from Eibonvale Press a couple of years back and has featured regularly in the BFS magazine Dark Horizons. Nina’s story is the third definite acceptance for the book and I am really pleased to have her on board.
In the meantime, I am still considering a few recently received stories and remain open to submissions. Just one gentle reminder to those of you mailing your stories – please ensure you pay the correct postage as I have had a few letters lately with yellow stickers and fines to pay. If in doubt, it’s best to get it weighed at the post office.”
Wise words there, folks – keep the editor happy! If you fancy submitting a piece of catastrophe fiction to Allen’s anthology, then go ahead – but make sure you refer to the guidelines, eh?
Dead Reckonings reviews Thieving Fear
Posted by Paul Raven on November 9th, 2008 at 12:44
Hippocampus Press produces Dead Reckonings, a critical journal of horror fiction, and the about-to-be published fourth issue includes an essay by John Langan called “The Nightmares That Cling To Us” which takes an in-depth look at Ramsey Campbell‘s Thieving Fear.
It’s serious stuff, and (as critical pieces tend to be) pretty spoilery, but I thought I might share this passage:
In the end, the novel’s title has a trio of meanings. It refers to Arthur Pendemon’s stealing of his victims’ fears for his sinister purposes. It also refers to that which fear steals from us, our better selves. Finally, it refers to that which we may need to steal back from fear, the courage we must claim if we are not to be trapped in narrow, nightmarish lives. There are mirrors hung throughout this novel; as in Lovecraft’s “The Outsider” (1926), what may be most terrible is what is staring back at us from our reflections.
It’s a positive piece overall, and Langan finds plenty of interesting facets to discuss; I guess it would be fair to conclude that Thieving Fear isn’t just a pulp horror novel. That said, if you’re a Ramsey Campbell fan, you knew that already, right? Right! So click through below and order your copy, if you haven’t already:
- Thieving Fear – slipcased hardcover – [£50.00 / $92.50 approx.]
- Thieving Fear – hardcover – [£20.00 / $37.00 approx.]
The Fix reviews Nancy Jane Moore’s Conscientious Inconsistencies
Posted by Paul Raven on November 4th, 2008 at 10:20
The Fix Online is at it again! This time Lyndon Perry takes on Conscientious Inconsistencies by Nancy Jane Moore, the second of the PS Showcase collections. And, in his own words, he was impressed:
Although touted in the introduction as a sampling of stories influenced by Moore’s feminism, I found, rather, the four pieces of fiction (and a list of “Thirty-One Rules for Fulfilling Your Destiny”) as examples of great writing featuring fully characterized protagonists who just happen to be women.
I suspect that’s precisely the goal of any genuinely feminist writer (though I don’t presume to speak on their behalf)! But, gender politics aside:
As a collection, these short stories fit together nicely. While some might prefer more cohesion among the genres, I thought the mix of fantasy, speculative, dystopia, and/or SF worked rather well in this showcase. Both the publisher and the author should be happy with the results, and I look forward to future instalments in this series.
So do we, Lyndon, so do we! There are still copies of Conscientious Inconsistencies available in the PS Webstore, so grab one while you can:
- Conscientious Inconsistencies (hardcover) – [ £10 / $18.50 approx. ]
- Conscientious Inconsistencies (jacketed hardcover) – [ £25 / $46.25 approx. ]
World Fantasy Awards – woo-hoo!
Posted by Paul Raven on November 3rd, 2008 at 11:00
Wow! Hot on the tail of the International Horror Guild Awards announcements come the World Fantasy Awards, and we’re again very pleased (read as: “pretty damned ecstatic and incoherent”) to have had PS Publishing turn up in the winners list once again.
Best Novella went to Elizabeth Hand‘s haunting Illyria, against what can only be described as some of the toughest competition in the genre in the form of Lucius Shepard and Ian R MacLeod – both of whom PS has published at one time or another, incidentally!
Joe Sherry was reviewing the candidates for the award last month, and he’ll doubtless be pleased to see that the actual results concurred with his own choice; describing Illyria, he says:
… writing about Illyria is difficult. I could tell you that the story is about Madeline Tierney, a young woman in love with her cousin Rogan, a scion (Madeline) of a once famous theatre family which has since abandoned the theatre as if it were unclean. I could tell you that the story is about the relationship between Madeline and Rogan as they grow, about the influence of the their and Madeline’s Aunt Kate. I could tell you all this, and more, but it would not serve to get across the quiet grace of Illyria, the still-small voice that gets under the skin and whispers to the reader.
It obviously got under some other people’s skin, too! Congratulations, Elizabeth – and to all the other winners and nominees, also, including Edward Miller (Best Artist) who has done a great deal of work for PS in recent times.
And I’ll just wave a flag for the head honcho in his absence – Pete works damned hard to make PS the best publishing house he can, and I know he’ll be tremendously pleased to have had that recognised by his peers. Bravo, Mr Crowther; I’m proud to be a part of your team. :)
Living with the Dead cover art
Posted by Paul Raven on November 2nd, 2008 at 14:07
Just to sustain the Halloween vibe a little longer (it’s still the weekend, after all), here’s the completed jacket art for Darrell Schweitzer‘s forthcoming novella, Living With the Dead:
Here’s the synopsis copy to tempt you:
The dead come from the sea, at night. They merely arrive and are discovered in the morning on the wharves, lying in great heaps. It has been the immemorial custom for people to take them into their homes, to find places for them, to pattern their increasingly cluttered lives around the growing accumulation of corpses. No one knows why, although it is the irresistible decree of the Unseen Government that the order of things must be preserved, at all costs. Old and young must participate, and carry away the dead, on bicycles, in carts, on their backs if need be. It has always been so. It always will be so.
This isn’t Hell, or an Afterlife, just a place, a fog-shrouded, tradition-stifled town without a name, where the dead are accommodated at the expense of the living, where the established way of life has become a grotesque absurdity, and a few brave or foolish or deviant souls struggle to find some meaning, and perhaps unravel the mystery of the dead.
Though arguably best known for his prodigious output of critical writing in the manifold fields of genre, Schweitzer’s fiction has always received great acclaim, and we’re confident that Living With the Dead will sustain that tradition. So click through below to order yourself what is being described as “an improbable collaboration between Franz Kafka and Clive Barker”…
- Living With the Dead – jacketed hardcover [ £25 / $46.25 approx. ]
- Living With the Dead – hardcover [ £10 / $18.50 approx. ]
PS Publishing gets a few gongs at the International Horror Guild Awards
Posted by Paul Raven on November 1st, 2008 at 19:05
The results of the International Horror Guild Awards have been announced, and we’re very pleased to see some of them have gone to work that we published here at PS:
- Fiction Collection: Dagger Key and Other Stories by Lucius Shepard
- Mid-Length Fiction: “Closet Dreams” by Lisa Tuttle (in Postscripts #10)
- Periodical: Postscripts, Peter Crowther & Nick Gevers, editors
The full list – including all the short-list nominees – can be found at the IHG site. Congratulations are in order for all concerned, I think, especially the authors… after all, without them, we’d have nothing to publish and you’d have nothing to read!
Speaking of which, there are a last few copies of Dagger Key available in the PS Publishing webstore (jacketed hardcover and slipcased special).
Postscripts #10 is all sold out, but there’s plenty of other issues to try – and don’t forget that Postscripts the magazine is shortly to become Postscripts the periodical anthology, so consider getting yourself a subscription sorted!