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Category Archive: PS WWW Coverage
Excerpt from Ian R MacLeod’s Song of Time
Posted by Paul Raven on July 11th, 2008 at 7:32
The irrepressible Fantasy Book Spot is running an exclusive excerpt from Ian R MacLeod's forthcoming PS Publishing title Song of Time - so if you're hungering for the launch of the book, that should whet your appetite nicely.
Here's the opening few paragraphs:
Something white's lying on the shore as I cross the last ridge of shingle. Seagulls rise as I trudge towards it. I’d walk on if I could be sure that it was merely a salt-bleached log, but I can’t simply turn away. The ground slips and a bigger wave breaks over my knees. A hand flails, limbs unravel, bubbles glitter, and a human face stares up from the retreating sea, masked with weed.
I grab a hand, an arm. A sudden backwash almost claims us, then, in a heave, I and the body are free. I look around. Splinters of dawn light part the clouds, but there’s nothing else here along this shore but me, this man and the grey Atlantic. There are bruises, scratches, gouges, beneath the stripes of weeds which cover him, but otherwise he’s naked. And he’s obviously young, clearly male, and still alive — if barely. I struggle to turn him over and attempt to pump the water from his lungs, but already I’m exhausted. He struggles against me and blinks.
“Who are you?”
He blinks again.
“Where are you from?”
The blued lips shape to say something, then he vomits up the sea.
So, go read the whole thing already! Or alternatively you can trust that Song of Time will be just as good as MacLeod's other books - which is to say distinctive and excellent - and click through below to place your pre-order right away:
- Song of Time (slipcased hardcover) : £50 (US$100 approx.) - 200 copies only
- Song of Time (hardcover) : £20 (US$40 approx.) - 500 copies only
Peter Crowther interviewed by Gareth D Jones
Posted by Paul Raven on July 2nd, 2008 at 6:39
Short-story author Gareth D Jones has been running a series of posts on his blog wherein he talks to the editors of short fiction venues to get a feel for how they do their job ... and what they look for in a story!
Gareth had some questions for PS Publishing's very own Peter Crowther, and the results appeared yesterday. Here's Gareth asking Pete about whether Postscripts is an an attempt to compete against 'The Big Three':
GDJ: Do you think you could eventually compete with the big-selling professional mags, or would you even want to?
PC: I didn't and still don't set out to compete with anyone, either as a publisher or as a magazine. I set out to publish exactly what I wanted to publish. Let's not forget that we're small fry next to the likes of F&SF, Asimov's and Analog but yes, we'd like to build our reputation so that some of the readers of those fine titles decided to try our wares. But I don't want any success for us to result in a reduction in take-up for them -- we need more mags not fewer, and there's room for all of us. We need to get back to the halcyon days of many, many venues for the short-form.
On that point, I'm sure most Newsroom regulars can agree! If you feel the urge to support a bespoke short fiction market and acquire a highly collectable item in the process (not to mention a huge selection of quality science fiction stories), you could do far worse than pre-order a copy of Postscripts #15:
- Postscripts #15 (multi-autograph slipcased hardcover) - £75 (US$150 approx) - 100 copies only
- Postscripts #15 (signed hardcover) - £30 (US$60 approx) - 300 copies only
- Postscripts #15 (hardcover) - £15 (US$30 approx) - 600 copies only
Or take out a subscription, and receive four issues of Postscripts in a year plus the bonus end-of-year chapbook - a plan with no drawbacks!
Template extract at Fantasy Book Spot
Posted by Paul Raven on June 3rd, 2008 at 5:49
Still unsure whether or not to try your luck with Matthew Hughes' recent PS Publishing novel, Template?
Well, if yesterday's batch of reviews weren't enough to convince you, perhaps you're just the sort of person who likes to try before they buy. In which case, you're in luck - if you click your way over to Fantasy Book Spot, they've got a hefty exclusive extract from the beginning of Template for you to get your reading teeth into.
Then, when you're all done, head back here and click through below to secure your copy of Template before they all disappear:
- Template - slipcased hardcover - £50.00 ($100.00 approx.) 200 copies
- Template - hardcover - £20.00 ($40.00 approx.) 500 copies
Damien G Walter loves hardbacks
Posted by Paul Raven on April 22nd, 2008 at 8:30
Hello there, PS fans - this is my first post from the Newsroom hotseat, and I'm very proud to be here, too.
Which makes it all the nicer that I can point us to Damien G Walters' blog at Guardian Unlimited where, after receiving a care package from PS Publishing, he came out in support of boutique hardback editions:
"The part of me that loves books - that wants to own them, or lend them to friends, or give them as gifts - is far more satisfied by a quality hardback than a cheap paperback."
I'm with Damien on that one - hardbacks have the kudos of the precious for me, because I mostly read paperbacks in my youth. However, there's a vigorous (and occasionally snippy) debate in the comments thread that shows not everyone likes the reassuring weight and flash dust-jacket of a good hardback in their hand.
Which just leaves more of them for those of us that do, right? :)
Out Now: ‘The Luminous Depths’ by David Herter, plus PS acquires ‘One Who Disappeared’
Posted by Darren on March 18th, 2008 at 14:59
David Herter's new novella - The Luminous Depths, sequel to his 2006 PS debut On the Overgrown Path is now available and shipping to pre-order customers in two editions:
- Hardcover, £10.00 ($20.00 approx.)
- Signed, Jacketed Hardcover, £25.00 ($50.00 approx.)
The novella features as one of its main characters the Czech writer and 1936 Nobel Prize Nominee Karel Čapek. In a recent blog post, David has compiled a sampling of Čapek's work, and he also presents extracts from the selected pieces in further posts.
We're also delighted to announce that PS Publishing has acquired the final book in this superb trilogy. One Who Disappeared will be a novel rather than a novella and will be published in 2010. Full details will be added to the catalogue in due course.
Win a proof / ARC of ‘The Return of the Crimson Guard’ with Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist
Posted by Darren on March 16th, 2008 at 10:19
We've teamed up with top fantasy blogger Pat St Denis of the legendary Pat's Fantasy Hotlist to give away one ultra-rare proof / advanced reading copy of our forthcoming Ian Cameron Esslemont novel, The Return of the Crimson Guard, sequel to his debut Night of Knives.
Both Night of Knives and Return of the Crimson Guard are set in the same world made hugely popular by Steven Erikson's Malazan Books of the Fallen, which Esslemont and Erikson co-created.
Return of the Crimson Guard has such a huge page count that we're publishing our limited, true first edition in a two-volume slipcased edition, priced £75.00 (£150.00 approx.) and proof copies will be incredibly rare, so make sure you enter the competition sooner rather than later...
Download Jeff VanderMeer’s ‘The Situation’, FREE, from Wired.com
Posted by Darren on March 5th, 2008 at 9:39
Canadian journalist Brad Moon has interviewed Jeff and Ann VanderMeer for Wired.com's GeekDad blog and to mark the occasion, we've supplied a pdf copy of Jeff's forthcoming chapbook / novelette, The Situation and made it available as a free download from the blog.wired.com/geekdad article.
That's right folks, if you'd like to try before you buy, simply head on over and grab the pdf, then put the printer on or transfer the file to your e-reader of choice. Once you're done, high-tail it over to the PS Webstore to place your pre-order; the book should be back from the printers and shipping at the end of the third week in March.
Quick word to the wise: we're only printing 200 copies of the signed, numbered, jacketed hardcover edition and around a hundred of those are already accounted for by pre-order customers, so you may have to be quick to secure your copy.
‘Dandelion Wine’ is Lisa Tuttle’s Christmas Choice in The Times
Posted by Darren on December 13th, 2007 at 15:53
A great, big, Christmas "thank you!" to Lisa Tuttle, who picked our forthcoming (indeed, imminent!) 50th anniversary edition of Ray Bradbury's wonderful coming-of-age tale Dandelion Wine as her Christmas Choice in the London Times last Friday.
Lisa says (and quite rightly): "Reading [Dandelion Wine] is like sipping a glass of that beverage, golden and warm, an old-fashioned summer captured in a bottle."
We're publishing in three states:
- Hardcover (500 copies) at £20 ($40 approx.) unsigned.
- Slipcased Hardcover (200 copies) at £50 ($100 approx.) signed by Ray Bradbury.
- Deluxe, Two-Volume Hardcover (100 copies) at £375 ($750 approx.) signed by Ray Bradbury and introducer Stephen King, and featuring a second volume of Ray Bradbury's collected Greentown stories, Summer Morning, Summer Night.
Lisa says: "Boys and girls who have been especially good may want to ask Santa for the deluxe edition..." and who are we to argue with that? Although with the book not back from the printers quite yet, and Christmas last delivery dates being what they are, you might find Santa delivering sometime into the New Year... but the fat old elf will get there eventually!
Justice and Wilbanks’ ‘Dead Earth: The Green Dawn’ on Green Man Review
Posted by Darren on November 7th, 2007 at 17:09
Reviewer Craig Clarke admires the "straightforward, cinematic prose style" of Mark Justice and David T. Wilbanks' zombiepocalypse novella Dead Earth: The Green Dawn, saying:
"...the duo's writing is smooth and assured, not at all like the product of most relative beginners. The authors have created a paean to the old pulp-style adventures, only with dead instead of living foes."
You can read Craig's full review over at greenmanreview.com.
Kevin Stone reviews Eric Brown’s ‘Starship Summer’ for TTAPress.com
Posted by Darren on November 6th, 2007 at 15:35
Reviewer Kevin Stone had, among other things, the following to say about our recently-published Eric Brown novella, Starship Summer, in a piece published on the TTA Press website:
"Starship Summer sticks to the tradition of writing about people rather than delving too deeply into the technological aspects of the setting, being in essence a very traditional story about friendship, and how the bonds between mankind can elevate us beyond our wildest dreams."
You can read the full review over at www.TTAPress.com.
Peter Crowther interviewed by Jeff Vandermeer for SFSite.com
Posted by Darren on November 2nd, 2007 at 17:11
For his latest (October 2007) 'Dispatches from Smaragdine' column for SFSite.com, the one and only Jeff VanderMeer talked to our very own Peter Crowther about topics including writing, publishing, and the ongoing evolution of PS Publishing.
To give you a taster, when asked what he had learned from his years of running PS, Pete told Jeff: "I think that, primarily, I've learned that great quality in writing does not necessarily translate to great success in terms of sales. If it did, then Ramsey Campbell would be one of the wealthiest writers alive. Similarly, of course, I'm constantly reminded when I read the book-performance charts every week that sales success does not necessarily mean a work is particularly good."
Read the full interview over at www.sfsite.com.
Elizabeth Hand’s ‘Illyria’ covered by the Green Man Review
Posted by Darren on October 29th, 2007 at 18:05
Our man Robert Wexler sent me a link to a review of Elizabeth Hand's Illyria, published online on The Green Man Review (the piece isn't dated so we can't tell how recently the review was written, but it's always better now than never when it comes to a good mention, eh?)
The reviewer, Kestrell Rath, says: "Elizabeth Hand's ... Illyria follows in a long tradition of science fiction and fantasy stories which reference the works of Shakespeare ... and Hand's lyrical writing style is a wonderful fit for the dark romance she sets out to tell."
She then explores the themes of the piece, before insightfully concluding: "Elizabeth Hand demonstrates in Illyria what draws so many of us to the literature of the fantastic, and what connects it so strongly to Shakespeare: the fact that fantastic worlds - no matter how strange they appear in regard to place, time, or culture - throw into contrast what we find most recognizable, that experience we call 'being human'."
Read the full review at www.greenmanreview.com.
Joe Hill interviewed by SeaCoastOnline.com
Posted by Darren on October 9th, 2007 at 11:36
There's a good, mid-length interview with rising star Joe Hill over at www.seacoastonline.com, (The Source for Seacoast NH and Southeast ME).
The interviewer leads with some fairly predictable questions about the writer's 'secret' identity - which we here at PS did our very best to keep under wraps throughout the publication of Joe's debut collection 20th Century Ghosts - and then moves on to talk to Joe about the forthcoming US re-issue of 20th Century Ghosts, the Neil Jordan movie version of Joe's debut novel Heart-Shaped Box and Joe's current comics project:
"I'm writing Locke and Key ... It's a straight up comic book about three children who after tragedy move to a vast New England mansion. They discover there secret doors ... Eventually the first six issues will be collected into a trade paperback graphic novel."
Richard Horton tips ‘Julian’ for Hugo glory…
Posted by Darren on July 27th, 2007 at 17:35
Reviewer Richard Horton has posted his pick of the Hugo Award shortlisted novellas over at his Livejournal blog and Robert Charles Wilson's Julian: A Christmas Story is his pick of the crop from a very strong field indeed.
Richard calls it "a wholly satisfying novella" and says that he'd be glad to read a longer story if this novella is intended to be as an introductory scenario.
Peter Tennant reviews ‘Cinema Macabre’
Posted by Darren on July 9th, 2007 at 12:27
Over at T3A Space, the blog of fellow UK indie publisher TTA Press, Peter Tennant has posted a review of our Mark Morris-edited anthology of cinematographic essays, Cinema Macabre.
Peter has some very nice things to say about the book - which contains fifty essays on the subject of 'my favourite horror film' by some of the biggest names in the genre (as well as yours-truly) - such as: "The overall feeling is like sitting down with a group of fellow Horror aficionados and shooting the breeze about what makes the hairs on the back of your neck rise, the difference being that these aficionados are more articulate than most."
Cinema Macabre has also made the long-list for this year's British Fantasy Awards in the newly-inaugurated Best Non-Fiction category.
Chris Roberson: Pyr-o-Mania Profile, Yatterings.com interview
Posted by Darren on July 9th, 2007 at 7:46
Lou Anders has posted a comprehensive profile of author Chris Roberson's work-to-date on the Pyr-o-Mania blog, prompted by a recent interview with Chris carried out by Ian Emsley over at Yatterings.com.
Both pieces make mention of Chris's November 2006 PS novella The Voyage of Night Shining White. Lou's profile piece places it within the context of Chris's developing 'Celestial Empire' milieu, and in Iain's interview there's a glimpse into the origins of the novella, as well as plenty more on Chris's current and forthcoming projects.
Jonathan Strahan on Lucius Shepard’s ‘Dagger Key and Other Stories’
Posted by Darren on June 15th, 2007 at 6:39
Over at his Notes From Coode Street blog, Jonathan Strahan makes mention of the arrival of the latest batch of PS proof copies (you're welcome, Jonathan!) and singles out Lucius Shepard's Dagger Key and Other Stories for particular attention.
Jonathan says: "I hope that there might be a trade edition of the book. It’s long for a trade collection, I know, but I'd like to think that a book like this could come out in an edition of more than seven hundred copies."
As it happens, this exact subject was raised and discussed at a recent PS power lunch in Manchester. The general consensus (between Pete, myself, Michael Rowley of Waterstone's and George Mann of Solaris Books was that yes, there really should be a trade edition, or even a mass-market edition, of this title and many more.
But that alas, the conclusion was that PS probably wasn't of the required operational size and distribution clout to get that edition out into the marketplace effectively. Well, not quite yet, anyhow, but it's something we're working on. Watch this space.
In the meantime, don't forget to grab your copy of Dagger Key and Other Stories while we still have one of those 700 copies (500 jacketed hardcover and 200 slipcased) in stock...
Paul DiFilippo on Postscripts #10
Posted by Darren on June 2nd, 2007 at 9:58
Over on the Inferior 4+1 blog, author Paul Di Filippo had some very nice things to say about the latest, 10th issue of our Postscripts magazine.
Alas though, the version of Postscripts #10 that Paul singles out as being particularly worthy of praise - the $25.00 PPC semi-Hardcover edition - is actually completely sold out here at PS Towers.
You could always try to hunt down a dealer in collectable editions, or try to find a second-hand copy, but it might cost you a wrist and an ankle at the very least; we saw the PPC edition offered for £200 on eBay.co.uk recently... and that's not even the slipcased copy!
We do have plenty of copies of the extremely reasonable (nay, let's be honest, insanely good value-for-money) £12.00 PPC semi-Hardcover edition in stock, although those are selling fast...
Our suggested remedy for the missing-out-on-Postscripts blues would be to take out a Subscription, at the earliest opportunity!