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New Treasures: Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell

New Treasures: Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell

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Unhooked-smallLisa Maxwell is the author of Sweet Unrest and Gathering Deep. Her latest is an unusual retelling of Peter Pan…. or, if you prefer, an atmospheric fantasy novel about a kidnapped girl brought to an island inhabited by fairies, a roguish ship captain, and bloodthirsty beasts.

For as long as she can remember, Gwendolyn Allister has never had a place to call home. Her mother believes they are being hunted by brutal monsters, and those delusions have brought them to London, far from the life Gwen had finally started to build for herself. Gwen’s only saving grace is that her best friend, Olivia, is with her for the summer.

But shortly after their arrival, the girls are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and dragged to a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey. And Gwen begins to realize that maybe her mother isn’t so crazy after all…

Gwen discovers that this new world she inhabits is called Neverland, but it’s nothing like the Neverland you’ve heard about in stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through your fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and tries to find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the captivating pirate who promises to keep her safe.

Caught in the ultimate battle between good and evil, with time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to finally face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But can she save Neverland without losing herself?

Unhooked was published by Simon Pulse on February 2, 2016. It is 352 pages, priced at $17.99 in hardcover and $11.99 in digital format.

Vintage Treasures: Moons of Triopus by John Rankine

Vintage Treasures: Moons of Triopus by John Rankine

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One of the reasons I like to buy collections is that they frequently come with books I’m not looking for. Like this copy of John Rankine’s 1969 paperback Moons of Triopus, with its trippy Richard Powers cover.

I didn’t need to tell you I wasn’t looking for this book. No one on Earth is looking for this book. If there’s a forgotten novel in the canon of 20th Century science fiction, it’s John Rankine’s Moons of Triopus. No one is looking for John Rankine, either. He never existed. ISFDB tells me “John Rankine” was a pseudonym for David R. Mason, the British writer who wrote a zillion SF novels between 1966 and 2003. Has anyone out there read Moons of Triopus? Anyone other than Rich Horton, I mean.

Well, it doesn’t matter. The book is in my hands, so it’s my responsibility now. If Black Gate has a purpose, it’s to explore strange new worlds and seek out neglected SF and fantasy books. My duty is clear; I have to give it a try. The description on the back talks about newly found planets, constant danger, colonists, ominous answers, and “the fate of the galaxy!” Doesn’t sound too bad. Wish me luck.

Moons of Triopus was published by Paperback Library in November 1969. It is 157 pages, priced at 60 cents. The cover is by Richard Powers. It was out of print for 44 years, until it was released in digital format by Golden Apple in October 2013. I got my copy as part of a lot of 42 books I bought on eBay for $9.50. Turned out to be a good deal.

March 2016 Nightmare Magazine Now on Sale

March 2016 Nightmare Magazine Now on Sale

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Nightmare Magazine March 2016-smallThe contents of the March issue of online magazine Nightmare are now fully available at the magazine’s wesbite. This issue contains original short stories from John Skipp and Sandra McDonald, and reprints from Nancy Holder and Charles L. Grant.

Original Stories

“Bringing Out the Demons” by John Skipp
I pull up in front of Stanley’s four-story Los Feliz apartment building at 2:57 ayem Angie and Jack are already out front: Angie pacing, a furious smoke in her hand. Jack smiles thinly, salutes as I block the grade school playground driveway next door (the only available parking left), leaving enough room for the back doors of Jack’s van to load in if need be.

“The Modern Ladies’ Letter-Writer” by Sandra McDonald
Dear Susie: There are customary ways to begin a letter and end it, to address the envelope and set it to post. We have delivered to you (while you slept so prettily, your pale face a serene oval in the moonlight) this polite and improving manual of letters for the Fair Sex. We know you will be grateful. Do be aware that some correspondences may involve vows of fealty, freshly spilled blood, supernatural appeals to divine beings, and sacrifices of unusual scope. A modern lady avoids squeamishness about such matters.

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Deep Space Scavengers, Pirates, and a Space Witch: Rich Horton on Great Science Fiction Adventures

Deep Space Scavengers, Pirates, and a Space Witch: Rich Horton on Great Science Fiction Adventures

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Over at his personal blog Strange at Ecbatan, Rich Horton takes a look at the 1963 anthology Great Science Fiction Adventures, which collects three novellas and a novelette, all from the late-50s magazine Science Fiction Adventures. The stories are:

“The Starcombers” by Edmond Hamilton (December 1956, above left; cover by Emsh)
“Hunt the Space-Witch!” by Robert Silverberg (as Ivar Jorgenson; January 1958, above middle; cover by John Schoenherr)
“The Man from the Big Dark” by John Brunner (June 1958, above right; cover by Emsh)
“The World Otalmi Made” by Harry Harrison (June 1958, above right; cover by Emsh)

Coincidentally, the January 1958 issue also includes the novella “One Against Herculum,” by Jerry Sohl, which was eventually included in Ace Double #D-381 in 1959, paired with Secret of the Lost Race by Andre Norton (which we covered here.)

Not too surprisingly, of the stories in the anthology, Rich prefers the Brunner.

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Future Treasures: A Lovely Way to Burn by Louise Welsh

Future Treasures: A Lovely Way to Burn by Louise Welsh

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You know how we love to mix genres here at Black Gate. A Lovely Way to Burn, on sale in trade paperback next week from Quercus Books, looks like a fine example of one of my favorite modern concoctions: the apocalyptic mystery. As hospitals begin to fill with the dead and dying, Stevie Flint is convinced the sudden death of her boyfriend, Dr. Simon Sharkey, was not from natural causes. As the exits from London become choked with people fleeing a deadly new plague, Stevie’s search for answers take her in the opposite direction, into the very heart of the dying city.

Louise Welsh is also the author of The Bullet Trick, The Girl on the Stairs, and The Cutting Room. A Lovely Way to Burn is the opening novel in her Plague Tales trilogy. The second volume, Death is a Welcome Guest, arrives on May 3, and the third and final nstallment, No Dominion, will be published in January of next year.

Like this new genre of apocalyptic mysteries? You might also want to check out Lev AC Rosen’s Depth and Ben H. Winters’ The Last Policeman.

A Lovely Way to Burn will be published by Quercus on April 5, 2016. It is 318 pages, priced at $14.99 in trade paperback and $9.99 for the digital edition. The cover was designed by More Visual Limited.

The April Magazine Rack

The April Magazine Rack

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Analog-April-2016-rack Apex-Magazine-March-2016-rack Beneath-Ceaseless-Skies-195-rack Clarkesworld-114-rack
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Lots of great reading for fantasy lovers this month — including some terrific tales at Tor.com, new issues of Fantasy Scroll, Lightspeed, Apex, Clarkesworld, Analog, and many more.

For our vintage magazine readers, Rich Horton reviewed the March 1964 Amazing Stories, and Doug Ellis dug deep into his impressive collection to report on the Early Chicago SF Fan Club, and Otto Binder’s 1937 letter on John W. Campbell, and we introduced you to Gideon Marcus’ website Galactic Journey.

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

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Read Derek Künsken’s Story “Flight From the Ages” in the April/May Asimov’s SF

Read Derek Künsken’s Story “Flight From the Ages” in the April/May Asimov’s SF

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Asimov's Science Fiction April May 2016-smallI bought Derek Künsken’s story “The Gifts of Li Tzu-Ch’eng” for Black Gate 15; since then he’s had a very impressive career, publishing over a dozen short stories in Asimov’s, Analog, and other fine places. In 2013 he won the Asimov’s SF Readers’ Award for his story “The Way of the Needle,” and “Persephone Descending,” his cover story for the November 2014 Analog, placed #2 in the 2014 Analog Readers’ Award for Best Novelette.

His latest story, “Flight From the Ages,” appears in the April/May issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction, now on sale at fine bookstores everywhere. It’s the far-future tale of the artificial intelligence Ulixes-316, sole occupant of the customs and tariff ship The Derivatives Market. Here’s a taste.

Ulixes emerged into a sepulchral rubble of asteroids, hard planetesimals, and shriveled, radioactive gas giants. This was the wreck of the Tirhene system, seen half an AU from the streams of dark lithium and carbon in the highest clouds of the red dwarf. This wasteland of planetary debris had been left by the long-ago Kolkheti-Sauronati War…

Another customs and tariff ship in the Tirhene system signaled with an encrypted Bank code. Poluphemos-156. Ulixes acknowledged the signal and they proceeded sunward…

“You’re lit up with tachyons,” Ulixes transmitted.

“It’s new corporate tech,” Poluphemos replied. “I’m in direct contact with the bank headquarters.”

“What? Why wasn’t I told?”

“It’s need-to-know,” Poluphemos said. “Now you need to know.”

I like the subtle call-outs to the tale of Ulysses and Polyphemus. Derek is a regular Saturday blogger for Black Gate; his recent articles for us include his interview with Ken Liu, and “On Becoming a Full-Time Writer.”

We’ll cover the rest of this issue of Asimov’s as part of our regular magazine coverage. See all our latest magazine news here.

New Treasures: Transcendental and Transgalactic by James Gunn

New Treasures: Transcendental and Transgalactic by James Gunn

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Transcendental back-smallI’m always on the lookout for a good adventure SF series, and James Gunn’s pair of connected novels, Transcendental and Transgalactic, definitely look like they fit the bill. The books follow the adventures of Riley, a burned out war vet, and Asha, a woman on a pilgrimage to the Galactic Edge, as they investigate a mysterious alien prophet at the head of a new religious movement — and deal with the strange powers their investigation eventually gives them.

Transcendental was published by Tor in 2013, and is now available in trade paperback (see the back cover at right; click for bigger version.) Transgalactic was released in March in hardcover; here’s the description.

When Riley and Asha finally reached the planet Terminal and found the Transcendental Machine, a matter transmission device built by an ancient race, they chose to be “translated.” Now in possession of intellectual and physical powers that set them above human limitations, the machine has transported them to two, separate, unknown planets among a possibility of billions.

Riley and Asha know that together they can change the galaxy, so they attempt to do the impossible — find each other.

Transcendental was published by Tor on August 27, 2013. It is $25.99 in hardcover, $15.99 in trade paperback, and $9.99 for the digital edition. The cover is Stephan Martiniere.

Transgalactic was published by Tor on March 22, 2016. It is $26.99 in hardcover, and $12.99 for the digital edition. The cover is by Thom Tenery.

Vintage Treasures: The Robot Who Looked Like Me by Robert Sheckley

Vintage Treasures: The Robot Who Looked Like Me by Robert Sheckley

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Robert Sheckley wrote over two dozen novels before his death in 2005, but he’s best remembered today for his short fiction, gathered in some 20 collections between 1954 and 2014. He has a fine reputation for a sharp wit, idiosyncratic style, and offbeat sense of humor, and that’s kept some of his most famous collections in print for years — including The Robot Who Looked Like Me, originally published in the UK in 1978, reprinted by Bantam in the US in 1982, and still in print over three decades later.

The Robot Who Looked Like Me contains thirteen stories, including the title story, originally published in Cosmopolitan (!) in August 1973. It’s not at all the kind of story I’d expect to find in Cosmopolitan, but maybe things were different in the early 70s. Very, very different.

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Beneath Ceaseless Skies 195 Now Available

Beneath Ceaseless Skies 195 Now Available

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Beneath Ceaseless Skies 195-smallBeneath Ceaseless Skies 195 is the second issue to use Sung Choi’s cover art Research Lab. The next issue, #196 (published this week) changes up the artwork again. They’re moving so fast they’re hard to keep up with these days.

Issue #195 is another Science-Fantasy double-issue, featuring a bonus story and a bonus podcast. It contains original short fiction by Aliette de Bodard, Sarah Pinsker, and Jason Sanford, podcasts by Aliette de Bodard and Sarah Pinsker, a reprint by Chris Willrich, and an Audio Vault reprint by Aliette de Bodard.

“A Salvaging of Ghosts” by Aliette de Bodard
In the darkness at the hole in the ship’s hull, Thuy isn’t blind. Her suit lights up with warnings — temperature, pressure, distortions. That last is what will kill her: the layers of unreality utterly unsuited to human existence, getting stronger and stronger as the current carries her closer to the wreck, crushing her lungs and vital organs like crumpled paper when her suit finally fails. It’s what killed Kim Anh on her last dive.

“The Mountains His Crown” by Sarah Pinsker
The soldier shrugged. His look was almost sympathetic. They turned back toward the fields. I would have liked to tell them to take the road, to stop trampling our remaining crops, but I knew better than to rile them. The soldier’s horse dropped the chewed flower stalk as they disappeared back between the rows.

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