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Author: John ONeill

Get a Free Copy of Mysterion: Rediscovering the Mysteries of the Christian Faith

Get a Free Copy of Mysterion: Rediscovering the Mysteries of the Christian Faith

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Mysterion-smallBlack Gate author Donald Crankshaw (“A Phoenix in Darkness“) and his wife Kristin Janz have produced a groundbreaking anthology of Christian fantasy, Mysterion: Rediscovering the Mysteries of the Christian Faith. It will be released in two weeks from Enigmatic Mirror Press, and contains original fiction from Beth Cato, Pauline J. Alama, Stephen Case, David Tallerman, and many others. Here’s the description:

The Christian faith is filled with mystery, from the Trinity and the Incarnation to the smaller mysteries found in some of the strange and unexplained passages of the Bible: Behemoth and Leviathan, nephilim and seraphim, heroes and giants and more. There is no reason for fiction engaging with Christianity to be more tidy and theologically precise than the faith itself.

Here you will find challenging fantasy, science fiction, and horror stories that wrestle with tough questions and refuse to provide easy answers or censored depictions of a broken world, characters whose deeds are as obscene as their words and people who meet bad ends — sometimes deserved and sometimes not. But there are also hope, grace, and redemption, though even they can burn like fire.

Join us as we rediscover the mysteries of the Christian faith.

Enigmatic Mirror Press is offering 25 free review copies in digital format to Black Gate readers, in return for honest reviews (e.g., at Amazon, Goodreads, etc.) If you’re willing to read the book and provide a review, just send an e-mail to john@blackgate.com with the subject “Mysterion,” and we’ll forward the first 25 we receive along to the publisher.

Mysterion: Rediscovering the Mysteries of the Christian Faith will be published by Enigmatic Mirror Press on August 31, 2016. It is 324 pages, priced at $9.99 in digital format. See the complete Table of Contents here.

New Treasures: The Interminables by Paige Orwin

New Treasures: The Interminables by Paige Orwin

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The Interminables-smallI find myself growing steadily more impressed with Angry Robot Books. I write only about the releases that interest me in my New Treasures columns, and in the last few months I’ve given more space to Angry Robot than any other publisher. Most intriguing of all, they’re willing to take a chance on new and emerging authors, which means in the last few years they’ve introduced me to more exciting new talent than any three other publishers combined. Just in the last few months we’ve covered the exciting and award-winning fiction they published by Peter McLean, Rod Duncan, Matt Hill, Ferrett Steinmetz, Ramez Naam, Matthew De Abaitua, Peter Tieryas, Alyc Helms, and Foz Meadows — virtually all of it in affordable mass market paperback format.

Last month they released Paige Orwin’s debut fantasy novel The Interminables, and it sounds like one of their most intriguing releases yet. Featuring two powerful agents of a wizard’s cabal in a drastically altered Earth on a mission that lands them in a very dark place, it sounds a lot like the beginning of an exciting new series. Here’s hoping.

It’s 2020, and a magical cataclysm has shattered reality as we know it. Now a wizard’s cabal is running the East Coast of the US, keeping a semblance of peace.

Their most powerful agents, Edmund and Istvan — the former a nearly immortal 1940s-era mystery man, the latter, well, a ghost — have been assigned to hunt down an arms smuggling ring that could blow up Massachusetts.

Turns out the mission’s more complicated than it seemed. They discover a shadow war that’s been waged since the world ended, and, even worse, they find out that their own friendship has always been more complicated than they thought. To get out of this alive, they’ll need to get over their feelings, their memories, and the threat of a monstrous foe who’s getting ready to commit mass murder…

The Interminables was published by Angry Robot on July 5, 2016. It is 416 pages, priced at $7.99 in paperback and $6.99 for the digital edition. The cover is by Will Staehle. Read the first chapter at B&N.

A Southern Tale of Spectral Revenge: Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell

A Southern Tale of Spectral Revenge: Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell

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Cold Moon Over Babylon Michael McDowell-1980-small Cold Moon Over Babylon Michael McDowell-1980-back-small Cold Moon Over Babylon Valancourt-small

Leave it to Valancourt Books to produce the first reprint of Michael McDowell’s spooky southern gothic Cold Moon Over Babylon. It was originally published in paperback by Avon in February 1980 (above left and middle, cover artist unknown).

Stephen King called McDowell “The finest writer of paperback originals in America.” McDowell’s other novels include the Blackwater series, The Amulet (1979), and Toplin (1985). I first discovered him with the Valancourt reprint of The Elementals (1981). I was standing in front of the Valancourt booth at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention, gazing in amazement at their incredible back catalog, and that was the book that forced me to open my wallet.

Last year Valancourt brought most of McDowell’s back catalog back into print as part of their 20th Century Classics line, starting with Cold Moon Over Babylon, now available in a handsome new trade paperback with a wonderfully spooky new cover by Mike Mignola.

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August 2016 Asimov’s Science Fiction Now on Sale

August 2016 Asimov’s Science Fiction Now on Sale

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Asimovs Science Fiction August 2016-smallTangent Online continues to provide very timely and thoughtful reviews of the latest SF magazines while they’re still on the stands. Here’s a fine example: Michelle Ristuccia’s insightful commentary on James Alan Gardner’s cover story in the August Asimov’s, “The Mutants Men Don’t See.”

Ellie Lee fears that her son will accidentally kill himself in an attempt to activate a mutant gene that he might not even have in “The Mutants Men Don’t See” by James Alan Gardner. Gardner’s engaging urban fantasy inverts a trope or two to focus on an often invisible segment of the population, menopausal women. The title is an homage to the James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Sheldon) novelette “The Women Men Don’t See” from the December 1973 issue of F&SF. Gardner’s story, because of its subject matter (menopause, and its being the end of the menstrual cycle), also recalls — though in a very different fashion — Connie Willis’s Hugo winning short story “Even the Queen” from the April 1992 issue of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, which dealt with menstruation in a future where one young woman opted not to have the procedure that would eliminate her cycle, as most others of her age and part of a feminist movement have. “Even the Queen” and “The Mutants Men Don’t See” make interesting bookends, for both address issues surrounding a woman’s child-bearing years, the former at the beginning, the latter at the end. All three stories, though wildly different, also deal with the empowerment of women.

Read Michelle’s complete review here.

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Future Treasures: Storm King’s Thunder

Future Treasures: Storm King’s Thunder

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Dungeons and Dragons Storm King's Thunder-smallIn 2013 I wrote an article about introducing my kids to the classic Dungeons and Dragons adventure modules of my childhood — including The Temple of Homlet, Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, and Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl. Last week we wrapped up the climatic Hall of the Fire Giant King with a white-knuckle battle, topping off three years of rousing adventure.

Being the old man that I am, I immediately began to grouse that they don’t make fast-paced, epic adventures like that any more. So I was surprised (and slightly mollified) to see that Wizards of the Coast is releasing a new giant-themed epic adventure for Fifth Edition D&D next month. Just in time for my young adventurers!

Take a stand against the giants in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game

Giants have emerged from their strongholds to threaten civilization as never before. Hill giants are stealing all the grain and livestock they can while stone giants have been scouring settlements that have been around forever. Fire giants are press-ganging the smallfolk into the desert, while frost giant longships have been pillaging along the Sword Coast. Even the elusive cloud giants have been witnessed, their wondrous floating cities appearing above Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate. Where is the storm giant King Hekaton, who is tasked with keeping order among the giants?

The humans, dwarves, elves, and other small folk of the Sword Coast will be crushed underfoot from the onslaught of these giant foes. The only chance at survival is for the small folk to work together to investigate this invasion and harness the power of rune magic, the giants’ weapon against their ancient enemy the dragons. The only way the people of Faerun can restore order is to use the giants’ own power against them.

To defeat giants, you need to be giant!

Storm King’s Thunder will be published by Wizards of the Coast on September 6, 2016. It is a 256-page adventure, suitable for characters level 1-11. It is priced at $49.95.

John DeNardo on the Best Books of August

John DeNardo on the Best Books of August

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The Hike by Drew Magary-small

Over at Kirkus Reviews, the tireless John DeNardo checks in with his regular monthly report on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Books You’ll Want to Read. This month’s list includes Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal, An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows, Behind the Throne by K. B. Wagers, Early Days: More Tales from the Pulp Era edited by Robert Silverberg, Spellbreaker by Blake Charlton — and the latest novel by Drew Magary, The Hike. Here’s John’s take on The Hike.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Ben, a suburban family man, sets out for a walk but finds himself on an impossible journey in a fantastical world populated by strange demons, man-eating giants, colossal insects and magic.

WHY YOU MIGHT LIKE IT: Magary’s surreal fantasy novel integrates folk tales and video games into something quirky and fun.

See the complete list here.

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The Groundbreaking SF Anthologies of Athena Andreadis

The Groundbreaking SF Anthologies of Athena Andreadis

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The Other Half of the Sky-small To Shape the Dark-small

It takes no small courage to break into this industry editing genre anthologies these days, but that’s exactly what Athena Andreadis has done. Her first book, The Other Half of the Sky — co-edited by Kay Holt — features tales of hard SF with female protagonists. It was released by Candlemark & Gleam in 2013, and proclaimed by Locus as “One of the best SF anthologies of the year.” It contains new fiction by Black Gate fan favorite Martha Wells, plus Aliette de Bodard, Ken Liu, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Melissa Scott, Nisi Shawl, Joan Slonczewski, Cat Rambo, Jack McDevitt, and many more.

Athena followed up with To Shape the Dark in May of this year, featuring 15 brand new tales of daring women scientists by BG author Constance Cooper (“The Wily Thing”), plus Aliette de Bodard, Shariann Lewitt, Vandana Singh, Melissa Scott, Jack McDevitt, Gwyneth Jones, and may others. Publishers Weekly calls it “Extraordinary… [these] imaginative stories feature diverse cultures, intriguing settings, and intelligent plots… will remind readers why they love science fiction.” And the flagship magazine of Hard SF, Analog, said, “Resurrected dinosaurs, philosophical cetaceans, alien invasion, parallel worlds. There’s not a bad story in this bunch… you can’t afford to miss this one.”

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Future Treasures: Waking Up Dead by Nigel Williams

Future Treasures: Waking Up Dead by Nigel Williams

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Waking Up Dead-small Waking Up Dead-back-small

Nigel Williams is the author of over sixteen novels, including the bestselling The Wimbledon Poisoner and its sequels. His latest novel is the tale of a ghost who hangs around, trying to unravel the suspicious circumstances of his death…. and in the process, learns a few surprising secrets about his family. The Saturday Times says ““This has the best opening chapter of the year, if not the decade…. This black comedy is Williams’s best since The Wimbledon Poisoner.” And Country Life magazines calls it “A very funny work… Under this master of suburban comedy we have a breathtakingly hilarious hybrid of Blithe Spirit, Noises Off and Miss Marple… will have you falling off your deckchair with mirth.”

Retired bank manager George Pearmain is, apparently, dead. According to the behavior of everyone around him, it would seem that he is no more. Not only that, but his mother has also passed away too — and on the eve of her 99th year, poor dear. Not only that, it could be that they were both murdered.

He feels fine otherwise.

As George’s family gather for the birthday-celebration-that-never-was, he hovers around the house, watching and listening, entirely unseen. As a result, he makes all sorts of discoveries about himself, his wife Esmeralda, and his supposedly happy family…

One of internationally bestselling author Nigel Williams’ best books to date, Waking Up Dead is both a screamingly funny cozy mystery and startlingly strange ghost story asking the question: What would you do if you could bear witness to your own demise?

Waking Up Dead will be published by Thomas Dunne Books on August 23, 2016. It is 332 pages, priced at $26.99 in hardcover, and $12.99 for the digital edition. The cover was designed by David Baldensingh Rotstein.

The August Fantasy Magazine Rack

The August Fantasy Magazine Rack

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Beneath-Ceaseless-Skies-203-rack La-beauté-sans-vertu-Genevieve-Valentine-smaller Lightspeed-July-2016-rack Locus-July-2016-rack
Heroic Fantasy Quarterly Q29-rack The-Lorelei-Signal-rack Weirdbook-32-rack Strange-Aeons-19-rack

August is the month to try new things — and that’s exactly what we did, by sampling two promising new magazines: The Lorelei Signal, edited by Carol Hightshoe, and Strange Aeons, edited by Rick Tillman. I do sometimes wonder if we’ll ever run out of new fantasy magazines to try… and so far, the answer has been no.

We also had a fascinating guest post from Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, editors of the World Fantasy Award-nominated Uncanny magazine, titled “Learning the Uncanny Arts: The Secrets of the Uncanny Magazine Covers.” And don’t fret, vintage magazine fans. Matthew Wuertz had you covered with the latest installment in his long-running project to re-read Galaxy magazine, starting with the first issue. This month Matthew took a look at the June 1953 issue, containing fiction by Philip K. Dick, Richard Wilson, Robert Sheckley, James H. Schmitz, and others.

Check out all the details on the magazines above by clicking on the each of the images. Our July Fantasy Magazine Rack is here.

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New Treasures: Ann and Jeff Vandermeer’s The Big Book of Science Fiction

New Treasures: Ann and Jeff Vandermeer’s The Big Book of Science Fiction

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The Big Book of Science Fiction-smallHow big is The Big Book of Science Fiction? An informal survey shows that it’s quite likely the biggest book every covered at Black Gate — bigger than Otto Penzler’s The Vampire Archives and The Big Book of Adventure Stories, and even bigger than Ann and Jeff Vandermeer’s previous record-holder, the 1152-page The Weird. It is 1,216 pages in two columns, weighing in at a staggering 750,000 words.

But as I keep telling Alice, size isn’t everything. The Big Book of Science Fiction has been receiving accolades since the day it was published, Here’s a snippet from one of my favorite reviews, from Brit Mandelo at Tor.com.

A stunning and satisfying retrospective… This is a complex and fantastic project — one I think they’ve succeeded admirably at to make an academically useful and pleasurably readable collection… Each piece in the collection is preceded by a brief write-up of the author, their life’s work, and their story in the context of the world and genre alike. While each introduction is short, the inclusion of them enhances the stories immensely…

There are classics here — for example, Leslie F. Stone’s “The Conquest of Gola” — that I’ve seen in most of these types of collections, but there are also new classics, stories that seem strikingly necessary to a rich understanding of the field but have not been previously collected or acknowledged as part of the canon. To balance those two urges is a high end goal, and to my eye, the VanderMeer duo have succeeded… I couldn’t ask for more, truly. It’s diverse, wide-ranging, engaging, and fun; the stories are introduced well, juxtaposed better, and the overall effect is one of dizzying complexity and depth.

The Big Book of Science Fiction was published by Vintage on July 12, 2016. It is 1,216 pages, priced at $25 in trade paperback and $12.99 for the digital edition. See the complete table of contents here.