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Archive for January, 2009
Wednesday reviews round-up for 28th January
Posted by Paul Raven on January 28th, 2009 at 10:42
Wednesday is reviews day here at the Newsroom, and by the sheer chance of it this week’s instalment has ended up as a Joe Hill special, with three reviews of Gunpowder and nothing else!
First up is Ziv Wities from The Fix Online, who I think we can safely say thought a great deal of the book:
Gunpowder is a superb novella. It’s gripping and eminently readable; this is one of those great stories that has you racing through it to see what comes next, and enjoying every moment. It’s also virtually flawless; not once did I run into something that distracted or annoyed me. For this reviewer, that’s a rare experience, and one to be appreciated. Perhaps the most helpful, indicative comment I can make is that this is an SF novella I can sincerely recommend to anyone.
John DeNardo of SF Signal was also fairly impressed:
Hill’s plotting may not be very complex here (I’m not entirely sure of the technology behind the psyforming, for example), but his writing does elicit feelings of sympathy and the turn of events is engrossing, if inevitable. It’s interesting how there is no clear antagonist in the story, merely victims of one form or another, and yet the author manages to create sizable dramatic tension nonetheless.
Despite the presence of an adult, it’s hard not to think of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Some of the same themes prevail and the story evokes the same emotions in the reader, making Gunpowder a contemplative story that dwells in your mind after you are done reading it.
And finally Lizzy (a.k.a. Disrepdog) also noticed the Lord of the Flies connection over on MySpace:
It flows really well, the characters work, especially Elaine and Charley. The interaction between the teenage boys, with the inevitable gang structure and ranking is believable and central to how the story unfolds. I guess it has a hint of Lord of the Flies about it.
The plot isn’t complicated but very engaging and ends leaving the possiblity for more. I really hope there is more to come from this world. Joe Hill is fast becoming one of my fav authors. He’s shown with Gunpowder that he can step out of horror and into sci fi with equally good results.
That’s three happy readers to add to the stack! If you want to join the gang of people who’ve loved reading Gunpowder, you’ll need to move quickly – only the standard hardcover has not yet sold out, and there’s very few of them left, too!
PS designer Robert Wexler is blogging
Posted by Paul Raven on January 27th, 2009 at 11:25
Some of you know our design man Robert Freeman Wexler from his not-so-secret identity as a crafter of strange fictions like his novella, In Springdale Town (which is still available, in jacketed hardback only). PS Publishing is happy to be publishing Robert’s new novel, The Painting and the City, later this year.
And now we can pull aside the curtain on his writerly side by pointing you toward his new blog, The Laconic Writer. We’re sure he’ll have some interesting things to say about his writing process, as well insights on his designs for PS.
Life imitates art: Mengele and Jack Dann’s The Economy of Light
Posted by Paul Raven on January 24th, 2009 at 14:19
They say the truth is stranger than fiction, though we genre fans know better – they’re about equal! And here’s an example, with a news story out of Brazil that sounds like another thread to Jack Dann‘s recent PS novella, The Economy of Light:
For years scientists have failed to discover why as many as one in five pregnancies in a small Brazilian town have resulted in twins – most of them blond haired and blue eyed.
But residents of Candido Godoi now claim that [Nazi concentration camp scientist, a.k.a. 'The Angel of Death', Josef] Mengele made repeated visits there in the early 1960s, posing at first as a vet but then offering medical treatment to the women of the town.
Shuttling between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, he managed to evade justice before his death in 1979, but his dreams of a Nazi master race appeared unfulfilled.
The Economy of Light stars one of Mengele’s victims, called in to investigate the discovery of Mengele’s body by Brazilian police, deep in the jungle; copies are still available in the PS Webstore in plain, jacketed or slipcased hardcover.
Speaking of The Economy of Light, it seems it lost out on its nomination for an Aurealis Award… but I’m sure Jack Dann will bear the blow with equanimity, seeing as he picked up the Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award for Excellence instead!
Bravo, Jack! And congratulations from the whole PS team to all the other winners – some well-deserved gongs in the list, there.
[Mengele news story via the excellent BLDGBLOG]
Wednesday reviews round-up for 21st January
Posted by Paul Raven on January 21st, 2009 at 11:23
Here’s a few reviews that dropped into my virtual mailbox over the last week!
Dead Reckonings #4 (a critical magazine from Hippocampus Press) has a review of Nicholas Royle‘s The Enigma of Departure:
The actual story is so straightforward as to be cliché (a man haunted by the memory of a lost lover goes on a journey to reconnect with her spirit), but it is told with exceptional subtlety and skill. Whether describing the pedestrian experience of sorting the morning mail or the ecstatic frenzy of sexual coupling, Royle’s elegantly simple prose and seemingly reliable narrator give events a feeling of solidity even as their collective certainty is steadily undermined. The spare supernatural manifestations and rare moments of gore are masterfully realized.
For a work that would seem to owe so much to so many others, Enigma stands out from its obvious influences as distinctly as crop circles inscribed in farmers’ fields.
Meanwhile, Mario Guslandi investigates Mark Samuels‘ Glyphotech at The Zone:
… when Samuels pays more attention to the story itself instead of simply luxuriating in his talent as a horror stylist, the results are quite remarkable. Fine examples are “Regina vs Zoskia”, an enjoyable atypical ‘legal thriller’ where a law firm is involved in an endless case, and “Ghorla”, an extremely creepy tale about a scholar who, while tracing the secretes of an obscure writer, is engulfed by a living nightmare.
Confirmed as the modern Kafka of horror fiction, and a true soul-mate of the late and alas, now forgotten Italian author Dino Buzzati, Samuels continues to produce extraordinary incubi apt to seduce and unsettle any reader.
And finally, Canadian science fiction force-of-nature Robert Sawyer plugs Douglas Smith as a potential Hugo nominee for his recent collection Impossibilia.
Click through on the cover images to go straight to the catalogue pages for the book in question… or just take a browse through the whole PS Publishing roster. We’ve got something for everyone!
Win £150 worth of books in our easy-to-enter competiton
Posted by Paul Raven on January 16th, 2009 at 9:00
This may be the simplest competition you enter this month…
Take 30 seconds to sign up to the PS Publishing mailing list and you’ll be in with the chance to win:
- A new three-book Ray Bradbury gift set, presented in decorative slipcase, worth £100
- A deluxe edition of Joe Hill’s Gunpowder, also in a slipcase, worth £50 (and now sold out)
Both are serious collector’s items as well as beautiful books and amazing stories in their own right. And this is your chance to win one of them.
How to be eligible to win
As I said, all you have to do is to sign up to the PS Publishing mailing list. If you’re already signed up, you’ve got it even easier – you’re already in the running, and don’t need to do a thing!
Relax – we hate spam too
That’s why we only send email to people who’ve asked us to, and why we keep it relevant and low-volume. Your email address will be safe with us, and only used to keep you up-to-date with all the good stuff from PS Publishing.
What happens if I don’t win?
If you don’t win this time, don’t worry. Once a month, we’ll let you know all about our latest releases and special offers — before anyone else. And when we do, we’ll randomly pick an address from our mailing list, and that lucky person will automatically win a prize.
That gives you 12 chances to win in 2009!
What’s in it for us?
Well, we get to tell you all about our latest books, of course!
See, we truly believe that we produce fantastic books for true genre bibliophiles, and we want you to know about them.
I know what you’re thinking: “Hey, I could just delete the emails and still have an equal chance of winning!” And guess what – you’d be right, and we accept that.
But we like to think you’ll take a peek anyway. Your favourite writer could appear in next month’s mailing, and you might miss the chance to snap up a collectible edition… or one of our periodical bargains and special offers.
One email a month, about new books by writers you like… what could be better?
What you need to do
It’s ridiculously easy – you click through to the PS Publishing Contact page, and fill in your name and email address in the little form half-way down before clicking ‘Subscribe to the List’.
We’ll then send you a confirmation email (to make sure no one signs you up without your permission); you click the link in the email, and you’re all done!
Sign up now to win free books!
This month’s newsletter will go out on or around January 30th – that means you have just two weeks to join the list and win one of these two exclusive prizes!
So what are you waiting for? Go and sign up – we’ve got great things to tell you!
The not-so-small print
- All persons signed up to the regular PS Publishing newsletter mailing list are eligible to win the giveaway each and every month for as long as PS Publishing decides to carry on with this promotion; addresses found only on the ‘Reviewers and Editors’ list for receiving review copies are not eligible, and will need to be added to both. Don’t worry, the software checks for duplicates, you’ll only ever get one of each email. And no spam, ever – we promise.
- To claim your prize, you will need to respond to an email from PS Publishing telling you that you are a winner, and provide us with your name and mailing address so we can send your prize. By doing so, you agree that we can publicly name you as the winner in the next newsletter (so everyone can see we’re really giving stuff away to real people). We won’t publicise your email address, or even your location if you don’t want us to. If we don’t hear from you within fourteen days of our email, we will pick a new winner.
- There is nothing to prevent you from winning more than once; if you’re on the mailing list, you’re eligible every time.
- The decisions of the random number generator and the PS Publishing staff are final; they will also be made with the honesty and straight dealing that we pride ourselves on as a company. That said, we reserve the right to cancel this promotion at any time, and likewise to alter the giveaway item without prior notice (though we sincerely hope never to have to do either).
Further Catastrophia acceptances
Posted by Paul Raven on January 15th, 2009 at 9:10
Here’s the latest update from Allen Ashley on the Catastrophia anthology:
I have accepted two more stories for Catastrophia.
They are both by US based authors and in the 6000 word region. The stories are: “Nanoamerica” by David John Baker and “Check” by Robert Guffey. That makes five definite acceptances so far plus there are a couple of stories which I am considering for minor rewrites. This means the book is somewhere between one third and half full.
For those writers still polishing their manuscripts: Please do not send any more stories with the following catastrophes – asteroids / meteors; people disappearing in unexplained circumstances; inexplicable barriers around famous cities. These are all fine themes but I have a surfeit of them at present.
Still leaves plenty of scope for dramatic disaster, doesn’t it? Be sure to check out the original guidelines for the Catastrophia anthology if you’re thinking of submitting.
Wednesday reviews round-up for 14th January
Posted by Paul Raven on January 14th, 2009 at 10:27
It’s been a slow week for fresh reviews – at least by comparison to last week’s bumper two-week rollover crop – but we’ve still got a trio of PS Publishing titles to talk about!
First of all Livejournaller Nick Cato read and enjoyed Joe Hill‘s Gunpowder:
… this brief scifi novella is a study of adoption, motherhood, siblings and how mankind’s own creations can sometimes be more human than themselves.
Joe Hill fans are sure to enjoy this, despite it being a departure from the ghost stories that put him on the map. PS Publishing–as usual–has done a beautiful job with slick wrap-around cover art by Vincent Chong and paper of the highest quality…
Next we have Kelly Jensen at SF Crowsnest reviewing Douglas Smith‘s Impossibilia:
The writing is superb. Douglas Smith is an artisan and his stories beautifully crafted. Perhaps this is the reason there are only three stories collected here, more would be overwhelming. In my search for the perfect short story, the three in this volume certainly qualify.
[...]
This small collection of short fiction has an afterword by Julie Czerneda which neatly sums up the writing of Douglas Smith, ‘With every new story, the more impressed I am with his subtlety and vision. I’ve yet to read a work of his that wasn’t beautifully written, but more than that, his stories resonate with a deep understanding of the human condition as well as a characteristic wry wonder…Stories you can’t forget, even years later.’
And finally we have Bibliophile Stalker Charles Tan on Paul Di Filippo‘s Harsh Oases:
I’ll get right to the point. Harsh Oases is like opening your vein to a direct shot of some psychedelic drug that takes you to exotic vistas. Paul Di Filippo’s strength is his flexibility and this becomes evident when you read the array of stories spanning more than a decade of his writing career.
The titular piece, “Harsh Oases”, is definitely the break-out story in this collection. It’s not only ambitious but manages to capture all of Di Filippo’s core strengths from characterization to fun science. This is best described as a miniature science fiction epic and succeeds in living up to that expectation.
So there we go – three slices of praise for three very different books. Click through on the cover images to jump straight to the catalogue page for that title… and don’t forget to let us know if you post a review of a PS Publishing book so we can mention it here!
Meet the boss: Pete Crowther interviewed at Concept Sci-fi
Posted by Paul Raven on January 13th, 2009 at 11:09
They say that if you want to know how an organisation really thinks, you need to go to the head honcho… well, here’s your opportunity! Sf webzine Concept Sci-fi winged a bunch of questions at PS Publishing’s very own Peter Crowther, and you can see the full interview online right now.
Just as a teaser, here’s Pete explaining how he thinks a writer can best get themselves noticed by agents and publishers:
I reckon the real way forward on this is, as I’ve already said, to write short stories. Get yourself noticed. Not only will you hone your craft but also, if the stories are good and you create a bit of a hoo-hah, then both agents and publishers will be sympathetic or even downright interested in looking at a longer work from you.
Wednesday reviews round-up for 7th January
Posted by Paul Raven on January 7th, 2009 at 11:28
Happy New Year from PS Publishing! We hope you had a good holiday, although we’re sure it felt too short, just like ours did… but we got some great reviews over the festive season, which always brings a smile to our faces!
First off, Michael Dirda of the Washington Post recommends PS Publishing among his eleven top publishers for ‘ghostly tales of today’…
As one who can never resist a bookish mystery, especially one with supernatural elements, I was deeply grateful when a friend sent me a copy of The Last Book, by Zoran Zivkovic (translated from the Serbian by Alice Copple-Tosic). Zivkovic is one of the most attractive new writers to enter fantasy recently, and he’s been mightily prolific, with much of his work brought out by PS, including his fat collection Impossible Stories. In general, the erudite Zivkovic may be likened to a more playful Borges, touched with a bit of Calvino and Kafka.
Pat of Fantasy Hotlist fame placed Ian Cameron Esslemont‘s Return of the Crimson Guard at #3 in his top ten books of 2008, while Paul Campbell reviewed Postscripts #15 for the British Fantasy Society‘s magazine, and was effusively full of praise:
… there is not a single piece of filler here: an all-star line up giving a top notch performance. If Postscripts wasn’t classified as a magazine, then issue 15 would win next year’s best anthology awards, hands down. Get it, read it and rejoice: SF is fun and Messrs. Gevers & Crowther show you why!
Still on the subject of Postscripts, Nader Elhefnawy took a look at #16 – the special Hallowe’en issue – for The Fix Online:
… as one might expect, there are plenty of ghosts (and some other paranormal beings) about in its ten stories. Those not particularly interested in horror fiction will find, however, that there is a fair amount of variety (and also quality) in the pieces gathered in this volume.
As usual at The Fix, you get a nice detailed run-through of the individual stories, though Elhefnawy is careful to avoid dropping any major spoilers.
Right up at the cutting edge of the Postscripts publication cycle, human reviewing-machine Charles Tan has roared his way through #17:
… Postscripts #17 was a respectable issue. I appreciated all the stories, not a bad one in this set, although as I mentioned before, around half the stories aren’t heavy-weights but rather selections that fit the festive mood. Definitely more Santa Claus than Cthulhu.
He’s also read Quentin S Crisp‘s Shrike:
… it is similar to many literary novels where the pacing is slow and characterization is the focus, with various images and events acting as metaphors for the hero’s true feelings. If you’re looking for action, this isn’t the book you need to be reading. Instead, the excitement stems from the discovery of the character and the details Crisp shares with us. What is the mysterious shrike and what is the meaning of the signs it leaves?
… an upbeat pace that’ll make sure this book will be consumed in no time and the ending reminds me of one of the better elements of space opera. It’s also not a stretch to imagine Gunpowder being expanded in the future, whether as a full-blown novel or via sequels.
And Planet of Mystery by Terry Bisson:
This is one of those pieces that could sell even to hard science fiction fans despite all the implausible events transpiring…
This was a terrific read. Get it now. Buy it for your significant other. I can’t stress how good this book is. It tugs at your emotions at all the right moments. I’m still recovering from the ending.
A little closer to home (for us at least!), Lee Harris of HUB Magazine rates Ramsey Campbell as 2008 Best Writer on the strength of The Grin of the Dark:
… The Grin of the Dark was a revelation to me – after many, many years of reading horror I had become somewhat immune to its effects. The Grin of the Dark disturbed me again, and made me watch at shadows, which is why Ramsey Campbell is this year’s recipient.
The crew of Dark Roasted Blend got to discussing Jeff VanderMeer‘s The Situation around the water-cooler, and were impressed indeed:
Suffice it to say that anybody who’s been slighted by the benefits-rich corporate culture, or has ever caught a whiff of something rotten emanating from the CEO’s office (the Chairmen of the Board abide in a sort of a metaphysical tower and seem to be of insectoid, slug, or worse nature) – anybody who felt the foreboding of CHANGE ready to percolate down the managerial chain… anybody who was strangled creatively or artistically in the name of Almighty Routine… these readers would really appreciate the bizarre Kafka-esque environment of The Situation, and may cherish it as a sort of confessional, akin to a conversation with a wise (if somewhat mischievous) priest at an altar.
And finally – on paper rather than on screen – Russell Letson enthuses for Template by Matthew Hughes in Locus Magazine:
… while Template does not venture far beyond the patterns laid down by the master, it does not feel like a mere imitation, partly because Hughes clearly gets Vance and the conceptual space he opens so well, and partly because he has the writerly chops to take on the challenge of echoing that supremely idiosyncratic style–not absolutely note-perfect, but close enough. I never forgot that I was reading a Vance homage, but Template is so well executed that I didn’t care.
That’s all for this time – you can click through on the cover images to be taken straight to the catalogue page for each book. And if you’ve read one of our books and reviewed it at your blog or magazine, be sure to let us know so we can include you in one of these round-ups!
Joe Hill giving away the first hit of Gunpowder
Posted by Paul Raven on January 2nd, 2009 at 11:04
If you’re hankering for a copy of Joe Hill’s latest novella Gunpowder, you’d best move fast – all the limited edition copies are long gone, and the hardcover editions are shifting steadily as well.
If you’re the sort who likes to try before you buy, you can pick up a little pinch of Gunpowder over at Joe Hill’s website, where the first page of the story eagerly awaits your eyeballs. In Joe’s own words:
Gunpowder is an old school science fiction story. Like, spaceships and people on faraway planets. You were warned.
Click through below to order your copy – once they’re gone, they’re gone!
- Gunpowder (hardcover) - [ £12 / $18 approx ]