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New Treasures: Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

New Treasures: Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

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Kiss of Steel-smallYou know what’s missing from my recent book diet? Romance. Especially romance involving mystery, the supernatural, clockwork creatures, and black fishnet stockings.

I’m serious (especially about the fishnet stockings). I’m a sucker for a good romance. I think most readers are, regardless of gender, but a lot of male readers are suspicious of anything packaged as paranormal romance or romantic SF. I think it stems not from any true dislike of romance, but more a mistrust of the trappings of the genre. A lot of fantasy readers avoid anything packaged as romance because they’re unfamiliar with it, assume most of it is poor quality, and can’t be bothered to take the time to learn differently.

Fools. The finest novels in the English language are romances. If I were stranded on a desert island with a single book, I’d to be plenty annoyed if it weren’t a waterproof copy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (although I could make do with Emma in a pinch.)

Science fiction, epic fantasy, sword & sorcery… these speak to the nobler aspects of our nature, our need to explore and seek new experiences. But great romance strikes at the very core of the human spirit, our desire to truly connect. And especially to connect with someone who looks really great in fishnet stockings.

Which is why tonight I’ll be curling up with Bec McMaster’s debut novel Kiss of Steel, in which vampires, werewolves, and clockwork creatures roam the mist–shrouded streets of London…

Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria Todd, it’s the last safe haven. But at what price?

Blade is known as the master of the rookeries — no one dares cross him. It’s been said he faced down the Echelon’s army single-handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood-craving he’s been quicker, stronger, and almost immortal. When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She’s so… innocent. He doesn’t see her backbone of steel — or that she could be the very salvation he’s been seeking.

Kiss of Steel was published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on September 1, 2012. It is 439 pages, priced at $6.99 for both the digital and print versions. The sequel Heart of Iron, book 2 in what’s now being called The London Steampunk series, was released on May 7th. Learn more at Bec McMaster’s website.

Vintage Treasures: Fair Peril by Nancy Springer

Vintage Treasures: Fair Peril by Nancy Springer

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Fair PerilFantasy writer Nancy Springer has had an enviable career. In 1979, her first published novel, The White Hart, kicked off a successful five-volume series, The Book of the Isle. She followed it with more than 40 additional novels, including The Hex Witch of Seldom (1988), Not on a White Horse (1988), Apocalypse (1989), and the Tiptree Award-winning Larque on the Wing (1994).

She’s been nominated for all of the top awards in the field — including the World Fantasy Award, the Hugo, and the Nebula, all for her short story “The Boy Who Plaited Manes” (from the October 1986 issue of F&SF). Her last novel, The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye, the sixth of The Enola Holmes Mysteries, was published in 2010.

In 1996, Springer took a chance with a very different novel, a modern fairy tale featuring a talking frog, a rebellious teen girl, and a professional storyteller named Buffy. Fair Peril was the first Nancy Springer novel I ever purchased and it eventually led me to track down most of her other books.

The talking frog professional storyteller Buffy Murphy finds in a Pennsylvania pond is begging for a kiss. But the last thing newly divorced Buffy needs is yet another needy male passing himself off as an enchanted prince. Her rebellious teenage princess daughter, Emily, however, is too young to know where a kiss can lead – and soon it’s leading mother, daughter, and a hunky blond former amphibian named Prince Adamus to the mall. For there lies the realm of Fair Peril – where wishes become punishments, where everything is itself yet something other… and where it will take a dutiful mom’s considerable power of storytelling to salvage her child’s future, her daughter’s love.

The gorgeous cover by Mary GrandPré was the first thing that caught my eye — and I still love it today, nearly 20 years later.

Fair Peril was published by Avon Books in November 1996, and reprinted in paperback by AvoNova in July 1997. It is 246 pages in paperback, with an original cover price of $5.99. It has never been reprinted and is currently out of print. There is no digital edition.

See all of our recent Vintage Treasures here.

New Treasures: The Book of Cthulhu II, edited by Ross E. Lockheart

New Treasures: The Book of Cthulhu II, edited by Ross E. Lockheart

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The Book of Cthulhu II-smallAh, Cthulhu. What could possibly explain the timeless fascination you’ve exerted over countless horror writers for the past 83 years?  Could it be that you’re roughly the size of Manhattan and you eat ocean liners? I dunno, but I bet I’m on the right track.

Well, whatever it is, I’m glad Big Green keeps popping up. Last August, we celebrated Ross E. Lockheart’s successful anthology The Book of Cthulhu, a marvelous reprint volume collecting some of the most famous Cthulhu stories of all time. I mentioned at the time that a second volume was in the works. Now I finally have a copy in my hot little hands and I’m pleased to say it doesn’t disappoint.

The Book of Cthulhu II contains two dozen tales of cosmic horror inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft, including Karl Edward Wagner’s “Sticks,” Neil Gaiman’s “Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar,” William Browning Spencer’s “The Ocean and All its Devices,” and John R. Fultz’s “This is How the World Ends.”

This thick volume also contains reprints by Michael Chabon, Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, Fritz Leiber, Kim Newman, Jonathan Wood, and many others. There are also four original contributions, including the novella “Hand of Glory” by Laird Barron, which is currently on the World Fantasy Awards Ballot for best novella.

Ross E. Lockhart was the managing editor of Night Shade Books and the author of the rock-and-roll novel Chick Bassist. With the recent upheaval at Night Shade, culminating in the acquisition of the company by Skyhorse and Start Publishing, I don’t know if Lockhart remained with the firm. But I certainly hope so — these anthologies are some of my favorite titles to come out of Night Shade and I’d love to see them continue.

The Book of Cthulhu II was published September 2012 by Night Shade Books. It is 428 pages, priced at $15.99 for both the trade paperback and digital editions.

See all of our recent New Treasures here.

Black Gate Online Fiction: “So Go the Seasons” by Paul Abbamondi

Black Gate Online Fiction: “So Go the Seasons” by Paul Abbamondi

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Paul Abbamondi-smallTo men of greed go the riches. And the seasons.

“Seasons are all amuck,” Uncle Hobnor said. He turned, shielding his eyes as he looked down toward the inner city, its towers standing tall, reddish flags billowing about stone ledges. “Blasted season wrecker.”

“Why does he always keep it Dryburn, Uncle Hob-hob?”

“Why?” He snorted. “I’ll tell you, boy, it’s because of that damned sovereign’s heart.” In the distance, towering high above chipped marble houses, was Lord Banamp’s impervious demesne. “He cares only for this warm weather so his flowers can live forever.”

“I think I’m beginning to forget what snow’s actually like,” Perry said.

“Me too, boy,” his uncle said. “Which is why we’re going to get it back.”

Paul Abbamondi lives in the middle of the Pennsylvanian woods with his wife and two cats, reading, writing, and drawing. His short stories have appeared in Shimmer, Farrago’s Wainscot, Warrior Wisewoman 3, and Kaleidotrope, among other publications, and he enjoys all things weird.

The complete catalog of Black Gate Online Fiction, including stories by Vaughn Heppner, Mark Rigney, Aaron Bradford Starr, Jamie McEwan, Martha Wells, Mary Catelli, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, E.E. Knight, C.S.E. Cooney, Howard Andrew Jones, Harry Connolly, and many others, is here.

“So Go the Seasons” is a complete 1,300-word short story of adventure fantasy offered at no cost.

Read the complete story here.

The Exploding World of Castles and Crusades

The Exploding World of Castles and Crusades

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Codex CeltarumI was disappointed I wasn’t able to go to GenCon this week. Although I’ve been enjoying Howard Andrew Jones’s sporadic updates on Facebook, and looking forward to a detailed report when he gets back.

In the meantime, I’ve been consoling myself with memories of my last game convention, Gary Con V in March. I wrote up a detailed report on Gary Con IV last year, but just didn’t have time to do it justice with a full length write-up this year. But I sure enjoyed the few hours I was able to spend there. The highlight for me, as usual, was the Dealer’s Room, which gets bigger and more varied every year.

I was pleased to be able to say hello to Kelsey “Rose” Jones at the Games By Gamers booth, makers of the world’s best dice bags, and tell her how much I enjoyed her work. And buy a new bag for my daughter, who complained that the ones I brought home last year were “covered in skulls and icky stuff, and not pretty. At all.” She was right, and this time I got her a nice bag with a fall color print, which made her extremely happy.

I was also very pleased to finally meet Jeffrey Talanian and Ian Baggley — the writer and artist behind the terrific Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, which I reviewed last December — and buy a copy of the hot-of-the-press first issue of Gygax Magazine. I also met the friendly folks at Faster Monkey Games, and bought a copy of Castle Ravenloft from the Noble Knight Games booth, which was stocked with a wonderful assortment of new and collectible games in great condition — and at great prices.

But my most impressive stop was at Stephen Chenault’s Troll Lord booth, where I was astounded at the wide range of new Castles & Crusades titles. I had a nice talk with Stephen and left feeling very jazzed about the exciting things in store for Old School Renaissance fans.

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Step Into the Traveller Universe with Fate of the Kinunir

Step Into the Traveller Universe with Fate of the Kinunir

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Fate of the KinunirbyIf, like me, you have fond memories of mustering out after a few tours of duty and becoming a ship captain plying the Spinward Marches, guided only by a trio of slim black volumes with the Traveller logo, then you’ll be very pleased to hear that there’s a line of promising tie-in novels headed your way.

The first one, Robert E. Vardeman’s Fate of the Kinunir, was published in multiple e-book formats on August 1. Vardeman is the author of the Cenotaph Road series, as well as the Swords of Raemllyn books and the Demon Crown Trilogy, among many others.

The books are being packaged by Athans & Associates Creative Consulting, under license from Marc Miller’s Far Future Enterprises, who have overseen the Traveller product line for the last decade or so — including the superb First Edition reprints, and the entire 5th Edition line.

Personally, I’m very pleased to see some fiction set in the Traveller universe. I was never a very serious Traveller player; but for that brief period I did play, I had a great deal of fun running my little merchant ship between outlying systems, selling whatever I could find to trade. Traveller was the only role playing game I knew that had a complete little economic mini-game buried in its trading charts, and for years after we played, I still daydreamed about being a merchant in the stars.

According to Athans & Associates, Fate of the Kinunir will be followed by a new book every month for the next year, including novels by Tim Waggoner, Erik Scott de Bie, Martin J. Dougherty, Darrin Drader, and others. The fiction line will be managed by Philip Athans, the founding partner of Athans & Associates, who was the senior managing editor at Wizards of the Coast, overseeing the novel lines for the Dungeons & Dragons settings Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, and many others.

Fate of the Kinunir was published by Far Future Enterprises on August 1st. It is 212 pages, priced at $5.99 for the Kindle edition.

[Thanks to John DeNardo at SF Signal for the tip].

The 2013 ENnie Award Winners Announced at Gen Con

The 2013 ENnie Award Winners Announced at Gen Con

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Rise of the Runelords-smallThe Gen Con EN World RPG Awards were announced today.

The ENnies have proven very reliable at showcasing the best in innovation and excellence in role playing design and execution, and a fine predictor of long-term success — last year’s winners included some of the biggest products of the year, including Pelgrane Press’s Ashen Stars, Lords of Waterdeep from Wizards of the Coast, Savage Worlds Deluxe from Pinnacle, and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box from Paizo.

This year, the winner’s circle is just as impressive, and includes Sarah Newton’s Achtung! Cthulhu, Shadows of Esteren from Agate Editions, the NPC Codex from Paizo Publishing, Night’s Black Agents from Pelgrane Press, Dungeon World from Sage Kobold Productions, Night’s Watch from Green Ronin — and the adventure I found most impressive this year, Paizo’s Rise of the Runelords, a massive 420-page compilation of the 6-part Pathfinder adventure.

Here’s the complete list of winners.

Best Adventure

  • Achtung! Cthulhu – Three Kings (Chronicle City/Modiphius Entertainment) *Silver Winner*
  • Pathfinder: Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition (Paizo Publishing) *Gold Winner*

Best Aid/Accessory

  • Night’s Watch (Green Ronin) *Gold Winner*
  • The Unspeakable Oath (Arc Dream Publishing) *Silver Winner*

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Vintage Treasures: Adventure on the Final Frontier with Star Explorer

Vintage Treasures: Adventure on the Final Frontier with Star Explorer

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Star Explorer FGU-smallHow do you create a Star Trek game without a Star Trek license?

Turns out it’s not actually that hard — at least not if you follow the example of Star Explorer, the science fiction game of “Adventure on the Final Frontier” published in 1982 by Fantasy Games Unlimited.

Star Explorer was released three years after Star Fleet Battles, Steven V. Cole’s groundbreaking wargame from Task Force Games in 1979, and the same year as the first true Star Trek RPG, Star Trek: The Role Playing Game, published by FASA. Both competing titles were hits, with multiple editions over the next few decades.

In contrast, Star Explorer vanished pretty quickly, with virtually no supporting material at all. Which is a shame, because it had a lot of potential.

Star Explorer is an adventure game of exploration and encounter in deep space. It places you in the role of a starship captain who must command her ship on a variety of dangerous missions. Success depends on your ability to select the right crew for away missions and to tweak your ship design as required.

While it had some role playing aspects, it was really a board game, with a board and everything. Not a board that displayed tantalizing planets and star systems for you to explore, sadly. No, just a green, featureless tactical map used to resolve star combat. But you did get 240 colorful counters you could push around the map and imagine were exploring stuff.

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New Treasures: Shattered Pillars by Elizabeth Bear

New Treasures: Shattered Pillars by Elizabeth Bear

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Shattered Pillars-smallLast March, Elizabeth Bear visited to tell us a little about her new fantasy novel, Range of Ghosts. And it sure sounded terrific — especially if her inspirations were any indication.

But here’s Bear in her own words:

The influences on this work are myriad, and begin with the beloved books of my childhood: Conan, of course, but also Jessica Amanda Salmonson’s three-volume retelling of the life of Japan’s legendary female samurai Tomoe Gozen, which at one point I read until the covers fell off.

Leiber, but I wanted something with more scope than the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser tales — something with a sense of empire and history. Tolkien, but not just Tolkien, because while I wanted a heroic aspect — not the straight rejection of heroic narrative that comes with George R.R. Martin and his literary descendents, such as Joe Abercrombie. But I didn’t want an uninterrogated heroic narrative either…

Moorcock is of course an influence, but I didn’t want to write something that dark. Poul Anderson was probably closest to the mark I was aiming at — humane, accepting of the horrors of war, but also capable of acknowledging the potential for greatness of the human spirit — and its indomitable stubbornness, which is my favorite thing about Tolkien. His people just. Keep. Plugging. Away.

Conan, Salmonson, Leiber, Tolkien, Moorock, Poul Anderson… man, there’s no way this book won’t be great.

Of course, if you’re like me, you’re a little gun shy of starting a series until a few books are in print. Which is why I was delighted this spring when Elizabeth Bear’s Shattered Pillars, the second volume in the Eternal Sky series, hit the stands.

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When Aliens are Delicious: Murray Leinster’s “Proxima Centauri” and the Creepy Side of Pulp SF

When Aliens are Delicious: Murray Leinster’s “Proxima Centauri” and the Creepy Side of Pulp SF

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Astounding Stories March 1935What if the first aliens we encounter were made of chocolate? Crunchy, delicious, bite-sized chocolate. Imagine that during that all-important First Contact, you decided to take an experimental bite — because, one, chocolate aliens, and two, who would blame you? — and discovered they were so delicious they brought on raptures of ecstasy.

This is more or less the premise of Murray Leinster’s rip snortin’, force-ray filled space adventure “Proxima Centauri,” from the March 1935 issue of Astounding Stories. Except that the aliens are actually highly advanced carnivorous plants who have systematically hunted every form of animal life on their home planet to extinction, and the delicious, bite-sized aliens are us.

“Proxima Centauri” has been reprinted a few times, but I’d never read it. It came up in the comments on my June 20th article on The Best of Murray Leinster, the first of the Classics of Science Fiction series I’ve been exploring recently. A reader named Doug said:

The one story of Leinster’s that impressed me the most was “Proxima Centauri.” Even if the main drive of the plot is pure pulp, the way he describes human behavior during the long trip adds a realism that counter balances the more fantastic elements (i.e. Plant Men). It’s aged incredibly well when you consider that it was written “Before the Golden Age” (I read this first in the same-named Asimov edited anthology).

Fletcher Vredenburgh concurred:

I was eleven when my dad bought and read the Leinster collection. When I asked him about it he said he didn’t think I’d like it. Fortunately, that only encouraged me to give it a try. Glad I did. The gloriously pulpy “Proxima Centauri” still creeps me out.

Well, that was enough for me. I dug out my treasured copy of Before the Golden Age and settled in to enjoy a classic tale of space travel and creepy aliens from a pulp master.

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