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Author: John ONeill

A Healthy Dose of Old-fashioned Adventure: Kristen Britain’s Green Rider Series

A Healthy Dose of Old-fashioned Adventure: Kristen Britain’s Green Rider Series

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Kristen Britain Green Rider series

Successful fantasy novels evolve towards a series. That’s like the fourth law of Thermodynamics. An expression of the natural order of the universe. Readers demand it; publishers are more than happy to accommodate, and authors…. well, what author can refuse her public?

Kristen Britain’s debut novel Green Rider was very successful. It was only the second hardcover fantasy debut DAW ever published (the first was Tad Williams’s Tailchaser’s Song), and the extra effort paid off. I received a review copy while I was the editor at SF Site in 1998, and when I gave it to my niece Sabrina to get her opinion, her mother called to complain that she spent all her time in her room reading, and wouldn’t come down for dinner. I wasn’t at all surprised to see it become a New York Times bestseller, and kick off one of the first major fantasy series of the 21st Century.

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May Issue of The Dark Now on Sale

May Issue of The Dark Now on Sale

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The Dark Issue 25 May 2017-smallThe May issue of The Dark has new fiction by A.M. Muffaz and Eliza Victoria, plus reprints by Samantha Henderson and Damien Angelica Walters. Charles Payseur at Quick Sip Reviews thinks highly of the Muffaz.

This is a story of sinking horror, of death and the proximity of death, of abuse that everyone agrees to look away from. The piece focuses on Tentzin, a man who delivers supplies to a house where the dead are prepared to be fed to griffons as part of the culture’s death rituals. The keeper of the house and preparer of the dead, Nurgu, lives there with his son, Dolgo, and his new wife, Tashi. New wife because she was delivered like a sack of salt to Nurgu following the death of his previous wife… It’s a creepy story that does a great job building up the world in order to reveal the shadow living at its heart. The action isn’t fast but there is a deep power to it and an uncomfortable silence left in its wake. A great read!

The May cover is by Vincent Chong. Here’s the Table of Contents for issue #24, cover-dated May 2017.

“The Bone Beaters” by A.M. Muffaz
“The Lark Ascending” by Samantha Henderson (from Tomorrow’s Cthulhu, 2016)
“Queen Midnight” by Eliza Victoria
“When We Taste of Death” by Damien Angelica Walters (from Exigencies, 2015)

The Dark is co-edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Sean Wallace, with assistance by Jack Fisher. It is published online and in digital formats, and includes two original stories and two reprints each issue. You can read issues free online, or help support the magazine by buying the ebook editions, available for the Kindle and Nook in Mobi and ePub format. Issues are around 50 pages, and priced at $2.99 through Amazon, B&N.com, Apple, Kobo, and other fine outlets — or subscribe for just $1.99 per issue. If you enjoy the magazine you can contribute to their new Patreon account here. You can also support The Dark by buying their books, reviewing stories, or even just leaving comments.

Read the May issue here, and see their complete back issue catalog here. We last covered The Dark with the March issue. See our May Fantasy Magazine Rack here, and all of our recent Magazine coverage here.

The Top Black Gate Posts in April

The Top Black Gate Posts in April

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Traveller Core Rulebook Mongoose-back-small Traveller Core Rulebook Mongoose-small

The most popular topic at Black Gate last month was the new edition of the classic SF role playing game Traveller from Mongoose Publishing. And the most popular blogger was our roving games reporter M Harold Page, who covered the new edition in two posts that both made the Top Ten. Well done, Mr. Page! (However, we need to talk about those expense reports from that Altairian space bar. What exactly is a “Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster?”)

Meanwhile, back here on Earth, Ryan Harvey had the overall most popular post in April, with exciting news on the upcoming Godzilla sequel. Hot on his heels was David B. Coe, with an article on setting and the craft of worldbuilding. Next up was Sean McLachlan, our man in Egypt, who donned a worn fedora and penetrated deep into the early tombs of ancient Egypt, sending back a trove of photographic evidence (and two mummified spiders, which thrilled Goth Chick to no end.) Rounding out the Top Five was Robert Zoltan’s far-ranging discussion with BG Managing Editor Howard Andrew Jones, on the master of Sword & Sorcery himself, Robert E. Howard.

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Future Treasures: Raven Stratagem, Book 2 of Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee

Future Treasures: Raven Stratagem, Book 2 of Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee

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Yoon Ha Lee’s debut novel Ninefox Gambit was one of the most acclaimed SF novels of 2016, nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards, and its sequel, Raven Stratagem, is one of the most highly anticipated books of 2017. It arrives in paperback from Solaris next month,

Captain Kel Cheris is possessed by a long-dead traitor general. Together they must face the rivalries of the hexarchate and a potentially devastating invasion.

When the hexarchate’s gifted young captain Kel Cheris summoned the ghost of the long-dead General Shuos Jedao to help her put down a rebellion, she didn’t reckon on his breaking free of centuries of imprisonment – and possessing her.

Even worse, the enemy Hafn are invading, and Jedao takes over General Kel Khiruev’s fleet, which was tasked with stopping them. Only one of Khiruev’s subordinates, Lieutenant Colonel Kel Brezan, seems to be able to resist the influence of the brilliant but psychotic Jedao.

Jedao claims to be interested in defending the hexarchate, but can Khiruev or Brezan trust him? For that matter, will the hexarchate’s masters wipe out the entire fleet to destroy the rogue general?

Both novels are set in the world of the hexarchate, also the setting for over half a dozen of Lee’s short stories, most of which can be read online. Raven Stratagem will be published by Solaris on June 13, 2017. It is 400 pages, priced at $9.99 in paperback and $6.99 for the digital edition. The cover is by Chris Moore. Read an excerpt at Tor.com, and see all out coverage of the best upcoming SF & Fantasy here.

New Treasures: Myth of the Maker, Bruce R. Cordell’s Novel of The Strange

New Treasures: Myth of the Maker, Bruce R. Cordell’s Novel of The Strange

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The Strange RPG-small The Strange RPG-back-small Myth of the Maker Bruce R Cordell-small

The Strange, the RPG of dimension-hopping weirdness by Bruce R. Cordell and Monte Cook, was published by Monte Cook Games in 2014. We all know that all the coolest role playing games eventually spawn a fiction line, and thus it wasn’t too much of a surprise to see Bruce R. Cordell’s Myth of the Maker: A Novel of The Strange arrive from Angry Robot last month. It seems a fine intro to the powerful and mythic worldbuilding that’s gone into the vast cosmic canvas of The Strange. Check it out.

Carter Morrison didn’t want to kill his friends, or himself, but he had a good reason. It was them, or the end of all life on the planet.

Their sacrifice saved the world. Not that anyone knew it. Until Katherine Manners stumbled over a melting man in a computer room clutching a message of doom from another world.

Follow Carter Morrison, Catherine Manners, Elandine the Queen of Hazurrium, and Jason Cole — also known as the Betrayer — as they try to understand, survive, save, and in Jason’s case, break free of the fictional worlds that insulate Earth from the dangers of the Strange, where world-eating monstrosities called planetovores lurk.

This is by no means Cordell’s first foray into fiction… he’s authored at least half a dozen Forgotten Realms novels, including The Abolethic Sovereignty trilogy (2008-2010). Myth of the Maker was published by Angry Robot on April 4, 2017. It is 384 pages, priced at $9.99 in paperback and $6.99 for the digital edition. The cover is by Matt Stawicki.

Keep Up With the Latest Releases from Black Gate Authors

Keep Up With the Latest Releases from Black Gate Authors

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Soverign Silk ElizaBeth Gilligan-small Black Mask Spring 2017-small All Systems Red The Murderbot Diaries-small

One of the things readers frequently ask me for is updates on their favorite Black Gate authors. We published hundreds of writers in the decade-plus the magazine was alive, and at least as many in the 10 years that we’ve been running the blog… that’s a lot of talented authors to keep tabs on!

Nevertheless, we do our best. Here’s a quick snapshot of the current and upcoming releases from some of your favorite Black Gate writers.

ElizaBeth Gilligan (“Iron Joan,” BG 3) releases Sovereign Silk, the long-awaited third novel in her Silken Magic series, from DAW on June 6
Bob Byrne, our Monday morning blogger (and resident Sherlock expert), has a story in the Spring 2017 issue of the revived Black Mask magazine
Martha Wells (the Giliead and Ilias tales in BG) published All Systems Red, the first book in The Murderbot Diaries, through Tor.com on May 2
Ellen Klages (“A Taste of Summer,” BG3) had her second collection Wicked Wonders come out from Tachyon Publications on May 9
James Enge (the Morlock stories) released his latest Kindle volume Iris Descends on January 15.
Derek Kunsken’s debut SF novel The Quantum Magician (“Ocean’s Eleven meets Guardians of the Galaxy“) will be published by Solaris Books in October 2018
Howard Andrew Jones has a brand new Dabir & Asim tale, “The Black Lion,” in the latest issue of Skelos magazine

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Sound the Horns! Swords of Steel III Arrives Next Week

Sound the Horns! Swords of Steel III Arrives Next Week

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Swords-of-Steel-small Swords-of-Steel-II-small Swords-of-Steel III-small

In his review of Swords of Steel II, the second volume in D.M. Ritzlin’s ambitious Sword & Sorcery anthology series, Fletcher Vredenburgh expressed his enthusiastic support for the project.

Metal and S&S have been fist in glove for many a year now. They have the same penchant for extremes — the big gestures not the subtle, small ones. The idea that heavy metal musicians could turn their love for S&S into prose makes perfect sense.

And that’s exactly what D. M. Ritzlin has encouraged, starting with last year’s Swords of Steel, an anthology of heroic fantasy written by members of heavy metal bands. While I gave it a mixed review, I was utterly sold on the idea. The authors’ ardor was undeniable, even overwhelming weaknesses in some of the stories. Each story was illustrated with a work of hand-drawn lo-fi art that harks back to sketches on the backs of D&D character sheets and murals painted on the sides of vans. Flaws be damned, I enjoyed the book and was happy to learn that a second volume was being planned.

Needless to say, we were very pleased to hear that a third volume had been announced. Swords of Steel III, with brand new tales of Sword & Sorcery from eight musicians, new illustrations, and an epic intro from the legendary Mark Shelton (Manilla Road), arrives next week from DMR Books.

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Vintage Treasures: The Ace Novels of D.G. Compton

Vintage Treasures: The Ace Novels of D.G. Compton

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D.G. Compton Ace paperbacks-small

I don’t know nearly as much about D.G. Compton as I thought I did.

Yeah, I have a few of his novels, mostly because I collect early Ace editions. Synthajoy, Chronocules, The Silent Multitude, and his 1970 Nebula nominee The Steel Crocodile, sure. I thought that was about it, until I recently stumbled on a few others.

Curious, I did a quick ISFDB search, and discovered D.G. Compton produced no less than 20 SF novels between 1965 and 1996. Holy cats! Not only am I missing the vast majority of his work, I don’t even have half of his Ace novels. Just to rub salt into the wound, I found out he’s also had successful careers as a crime writer (under the name Guy Compton) and a writer of Gothic romances (under the name Frances Lynch).

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Beneath Ceaseless Skies 225 Now Available

Beneath Ceaseless Skies 225 Now Available

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Beneath-Ceaseless-Skies-225-smallOver on her website, Caroline M. Yoachim talks about her newest story in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

I have a new story out in issue #225 of Beneath Ceaseless Skies (May, 2017). “Carnival Nine” is a story that I am particularly proud of, and I’m so happy it found a good home. A short excerpt:

One night, when I was winding down to sleep, I asked Papa, “How come I don’t get the same number of turns every day?”

“Sometimes the maker turns your key more, and sometimes less, but you can never have more than your mainspring will hold. You’re lucky, Zee, you have a good mainspring.” He sounded a little wistful when he said it. He never got as many turns as I did, and he used most of them to do boring grown-up things.

Rocket Stack Rank gives the story four out of five stars… read their (spoilery) review here.

Here’s the complete Table of Contents for issue 225.

“Carnival Nine” by Caroline M. Yoachim

The train took us to the maker’s bench, and we laid out our son’s body, chest open. Tonight the maker would give him a mainspring and wind him for the very first time. “Should we name him now, or after we’ve gotten to know him?” My parents had waited to name me until my second day, because they wanted to be sure the name would fit.

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A Nostalgic Space Opera: The Psi-Tech Novels by Jacey Bedford

A Nostalgic Space Opera: The Psi-Tech Novels by Jacey Bedford

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Empire of Dust-small Crossways-small Jacey Bedford Nimbus-small

God bless DAW for being willing to experiment. They published Jacey Bedford’s debut space opera novel Empire of Dust in paperback in 2014, and it has done well enough to spawn two additional volumes: Crossways (2015) and the upcoming Nimbus. [Bedford has also launched the Rowankind fantasy series that currently stands at two novels: Winterwood (2016) and Silverwolf (2017).] I hope all their experiments work out so well for them.

Empire of Dust seems tailor-made to appeal to old-school SF fans. Liz Bourke at Tor.com called it Nostalgic Space Opera, saying:

When I consider how to describe it, the first word that comes to mind is “old-fashioned”: there is little to say this space opera novel could not have been published two decades ago, or even three… Bedford is not writing innovative space opera, but rather the space opera of nostalgia. There is, here, something that reminds me vaguely of James H. Schmitz: not just the psionics but a certain briskness of writing style and the appeal of the protagonists, and the way in which Bedford’s vision of the societies of a human future feels at least two steps behind where we are today. This is a vision of a very Western future, and one where it’s unremarkable for a married woman to bear her husband’s name; where the ecological ethics of colonising “empty” planets don’t rate a paragraph, and religious separatists can set out to found a colony on the tools of 19th century settlers: oxen and wagons, historic crafts and manly men whose wives will follow them on the next boat.

Read Liz’s complete review here.

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