Black Gate – Page 723 – Adventures in Fantasy Literature

The Books of David G. Hartwell: The Dark Descent and The World Treasury of Science Fiction

Thursday, January 28, 2016 John ONeill Comments 7 comments

The World Treasury of Science Fiction-small

We lost David Hartwell on January 20th. This is our second article in a series that looks back at one of the most productive careers in our industry.

Last time we looked at two of David’s earliest anthologies, Masterpieces of Fantasy and Enchantment and Masterpieces of Fantasy and Wonder, released in 1988 and 1989. Here I want examine two more monumental anthologies he produced in the late 80s, both seminal to the field: The Dark Descent (October 1987) and The World Treasury of Science Fiction (January 1989).

The Dark Descent, subtitled The Evolution of Horror, is one of the most important horror anthologies ever published. Weighing in at a massive 1104 pages, it’s one of the most detailed and insightful surveys of horror fiction we have. Showcasing 56 of the best horror stories ever written, it traces the development of modern horror from the classic work Edgar Allan Poe, M. R. James, Charles Dickens and H. P. Lovecraft, all the way to Shirley Jackson, Manly Wade Wellman, Fritz Leiber, Karl Edward Wagner, Philip K. Dick, Gene Wolfe, and Stephen King. The Dark Decent won the World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology.

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The Series Series: Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston

Thursday, January 28, 2016 Sarah Avery Comments 0 Comment

[This review may contain trace amounts of David Bowie.]

The jacket copy for Michael Livingtson’s Shards of Heaven sounded promising. I asked for the ARC immediately, and bounced with joy when I found it in my mailbox. Alas, the press release tucked into the book described it as Dan Brown meets Indiana Jones.

Who am I to say Dan Brown is unreadable? Clearly millions of people find him otherwise. To me, though, Brown’s sentences and paragraphs are so relentlessly clunky, ugly, and boring, I am unable to care what happens to any of Brown’s characters. My one attempt to read The Da Vinci Code found me fighting the urge to throw the book across the room, several times on every page.

So the press release made me fear for the well-being of Michael Livingston’s novel. I also feared for my own domestic tranquility: Now that I have children, my household’s penalty for throwing books is a five-minute time-out.

Which was I to believe? The blockbuster-bluster elevator pitch, or the cover copy?

[A]s civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict may truly shape the course of history: two sons of Caesar have set out on a ruthless quest to find and control the Shards of Heaven, legendary artifacts said to possess the very power of the gods — or of the one God. Caught up in these cataclysmic events, and the hunt for the Shards, are a pair of exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian of uncertain loyalties, assassins, spies, slaves . . . and the ten-year-old daughter of Cleopatra herself.

Shards of Heaven has so many of the things Black Gate readers love — epic sweep, battle and brawl, ancient secrets, women one underestimates at one’s peril, and world-shaking magic. Michael Livingston has some nice writing chops. The secret history clearly has a mountain of real historical research to give it depth. How can such a book go wrong?

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New Treasures: Kurt Vonnegut: Novels 1987-1997

Wednesday, January 27, 2016 John ONeill Comments 3 comments

The Library of America, a publisher with a fine reputation as a nonprofit cultural institution, has done three previous omnibus volumes of Kurt Vonnegut’s fiction, collecting a dozen novels and many stories published between 1950 and 1985. The fourth and final volume, published earlier this month, gathers his last three completed novels into one archival quality hardcover.

Here are the final three novels of the visionary master who defined a generation. Bluebeard (1987) is the colorful history of a phenomenally gifted realist painter who, in the 1950s, betrayed his artistic vision for commercial success. Now, at seventy-one, he writes his memoirs and plots his revenge on the worldly forces that conspired to corrupt his talent. In Hocus Pocus (1990), a freewheeling prison memoir by a Vietnam vet and disgraced academic, Vonnegut brings his indelible voice to a range of still-burning issues — free speech, racism, environmental calamity, deindustrialization, and globalization. Timequake (1997), the author’s last completed novel, is part science fiction yarn (starring perennial protagonist Kilgore Trout), part diary of the mid-1990s (starring the author himself). The result is a perfect fusion of Vonnegut’s two signature genres, the satirical fantasy and the personal essay, and a literary magician’s fond farewell to his readers and his craft. Rounded out with a selection of short nonfiction pieces intimately related to these three works, this volume presents the final word from the artist who the San Francisco Chronicle, reviewing Timequake, called an “old warrior who will not accept the dehumanizing of politics, the blunting of conscience, and the glibness of the late-twentieth-century Western world.”

Kurt Vonnegut: Novels 1987-1997 was published by Library of America on January 19, 2016. It is 754 pages, priced at $35 in hardcover. There is no digital edition. Our previous coverage of Library of America includes:

The Library of America Publishes Elmore Leonard
A Princess of Mars and Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
American Science Fiction: Nine Classic Novels of the 1950s, edited by Gary K. Wolfe
American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny, edited by Peter Straub

See all of our recent New Treasures here.

Art of the Genre: AotG releases The Folio: The Roslof Keep Campaign

Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Scott Taylor Comments 2 comments

Folio 1-6 once again available in print!

Today marks several large releases for Art of the Genre. The small press has recently restocked its The Folio: Roslof Keep Campaign books and now has them all available at their online store both individually, and in a package containing all 6 issues from 2015.

In a homage to TSR‘s Dungeon Magazine, The Folio combines incredible masterwork covers (featuring the likes of Jeff Dee, Jeff Laubenstein, Daniel Horne, Jim Holloway, Todd Lockwood, and David Martin thus far) that can be fully removed like the classic TSR modules of the 1970s & 1980s, along with detailed 3D maps, ‘Blue’ OSR maps, a fully formed campaign Gazetteer booklet and Dungeon booklet. Named for former TSR artist and art director Jim Roslof contribution to the cover of B2 The Keep on the Borderlands, this first campaign set takes characters from 1st thru 12th level in both 1E AD&D and 5E mechanics. If you’ve ever enjoyed campaigns the likes of Against the Giants, Bloodstone, or The Temple of Elemental Evil, then this is for you!

This series has been run exclusively on Kickstarter to this point so it is with great excitement that AotG now has the ability to offer these to all those who missed it. Copies can be purchased as a single unit or issue by issue, and remember all are in shrink wrap to keep them in mint condition. Interior adventures include: ROS1 Beneath Roslof Keep, ROS2 Tremors in the Machine, ROS3 Curse of the Violet Corruption, ROS4 Glade of the Burning Dead, ROS5 Deep Dive into Flooded Halls, and ROS6 Realms of Madness and Despair. The AotG website also includes digital bonus supplements for the campaign to help flesh out world and parties as they explore Mithelvarn’s Labyrinth and match wits against the Infernal Machine that drives it.

Coupled with the announcement of this release, AotG has also provided an incredible preview of two module trilogies for 2016 that can be pre-ordered with a Folio Subscription. Press releases for these promise the following.

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When Morocco Really Was Adventurous: Reading Lords of the Atlas

Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Sean McLachlan Comments 1 comment

9780330024365-uk-300 For people who have never been there, Morocco conjures up images of decadent ports, imposing casbahs, mysterious medinas, and mountains filled with bandits. It’s a mystique the tour companies like to perpetuate for this modern and rapidly changing country.

I feel like a bit of a cheat tagging my series of Morocco posts as “adventure travel,” but I’m a blogger and that tag brings in the hits. While Morocco is safe and easy to travel in, it wasn’t so long ago that the mystique was the reality. A classic study of this freebooting era is Gavin Maxwell’s Lords of the Atlas.

Researched in the 1950s, it looks at the twilight era of the old Morocco. The book opens with a slave unlocking the gate to an aging, all-but-abandoned Casbah in the remote Atlas Mountains. This man was one of the last retainers of the Glaoui family, which for two generations grew an empire in Morocco’s rugged mountains, became pashas of important cities, and even played kingmaker.

Maxwell has an eye for lurid detail, especially beheadings. You can feel the writer’s enthusiasm when he speaks of how, just a little over a century ago, the city gates of Morocco would be festooned with the heads of criminals and traitors. The heads had been preserved in salt, a job reserved for the Jews. The Jewish quarter even earned the name mellah, Arabic for “salt.” Even well salted, the heads would eventually rot and fall down into the crowd below, once almost hitting a delegation from England.

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Future Treasures: The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire by Rod Duncan

Wednesday, January 27, 2016 John ONeill Comments 0 Comment

I’m cheating a little bit here because, technically, the first two books in this series are already out and thus don’t count as “Future Treasures.” But since I’m the kind of guy who waits until an entire trilogy is published before digging into the first volume, the upcoming pub date for the final book in Rod Duncan’s The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire means the series is available to me for the first time. Cancel my appointments for the rest of the week, because this looks like a good one.

The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire opens with the 2014 Phillip K. Dick Award finalist The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter, the tale of Elizabeth Barnabus, who lives a double life as both herself and as her brother, a private detective, in the divided land of England. Caught up in the supernatural mystery of a disappearing aristocrat and a hoard of arcane machines, Elizabeth soon finds herself up against the all-powerful Patent Office. The Washington Post called it “All steampunk and circus wonder as we follow the adventures of Elizabeth Barnabas. The double crosses along the way keep the plot tight and fun, and the conclusion sets us up nicely for book two.”

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If Neil Clarke Didn’t Have a Day Job, He’d Win All the Awards

Tuesday, January 26, 2016 John ONeill Comments 0 Comment

Neil Clarke, the hardest working man in science fiction, has now also accepted the position of editor of the flagship magazine of The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, The Bulletin. SFWA President Cat Rambo made the announcement yesterday. Here’s part of the press release.

Neil has been acting as the interim editor for the SFWA Bulletin since John Klima’s departure this past summer. SFWA would also like to take this opportunity, to thank John for his work in the organization. SFWA President, Cat Rambo adds, “I was overwhelmed by the talented applicants that applied for the position, and I’m happy that Neil was one of them. His editorial talents are rock-solid, he’s a congenial perfectionist, and I’m looking forward to having him as a more permanent part of the internal team. I expect great things for The Bulletin in 2016 and 2017.” Members and non-members interested in writing for the Bulletin should send a short pitch on their proposed topic, along with a bio of relevant experience, to bulletin@sfwa.org. Our guidelines can be found here.

Neil continues with his other projects, including editing Clarkesworld and Forever magazines and The Best Science Fiction of the Year anthology series for Night Shade Books. But not sleep, apparently. His issued this statement on Facebook (though God knows where he found the time):

Just to clarify, my new job at the SFWA Bulletin doesn’t mean I get to quit the day job or that I’ll be doing less with Clarkesworld, Forever, or my anthologies. These side projects are all pieces of the puzzle that will eventually let me quit the day job. That day is one step closer.

Neil has been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Editor three times, and Clarkesworld has won three Hugos and one World Fantasy Award. It’s probably a good thing Neil still has a day job… if he didn’t, he win all the awards.

Writerly Lessons from Louis L’Amour’s The Walking Drum

Tuesday, January 26, 2016 Comments 4 comments

I read Louis L’Amour’s medieval adventure novel The Walking Drum so you don’t have to (link).

A thorough edit would fix the expository intrusions (L’Amour keeps taking out his research and waving it around). However, this would not have fixed the structural problem (there was no structure).

Even so, this literary failure is still a heroic one. The book not only displays the craft of a veteran adventure writer, it is also an object lesson in career strategy.

As an author I benefited from reading this book. Let me tell you why…

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Beneath Ceaseless Skies 191 Now Available

Tuesday, January 26, 2016 John ONeill Comments 0 Comment

The January 21st issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies, issue #191, has original short fiction from Chaz Brenchley and D.K. Thompson, a podcast, and a reprint by Dean Wells.

“In Skander, for a Boy” by Chaz Brenchley
I was sure this boy did know a back way to the kitchens. That was his Skander, and his experience: covert, insinuating, conditional. Not mine. “This is my way, my king’s way,” in through the front door to ask straightforwardly for what I wanted. They would see Rulf at my back, and all his ships behind him; they would not refuse me. In and out.

“Blessed are Those Who Have Seen and Do Not Believe” by D.K. Thompson
I chuckled, cracked open my pistol’s cylinder, and loaded it with the wooden ammunition. “Don’t worry, my dear,” I said, and tucked the gun in my waistband. “There’s plenty of time before sunrise.”

Audio Fiction Podcast:
“Blessed are Those Who Have Seen and Do Not Believe” by D.K. Thompson

From the Archives:
“To the Gods of Time and Engines, a Gift” by Dean Wells (from BCS #80, October 20, 2011)
The silent commands were with her all the time now, haunting and familiar.

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Win an Autographed Copy of Brandon Sanderson’s The Bands of Mourning

Tuesday, January 26, 2016 John ONeill Comments 2 comments

Brandon Sanderson’s The Bands of Mourning, the latest novel in the Mistborn series, was published today by Tor Books. To celebrate, Tor is making one autographed copy available to readers of Black Gate — and it could be yours.

How do you win? Just send an e-mail to john@blackgate.com with the subject “The Bands of Mourning,” and a one-sentence summary of why you’d like to read it, and we’ll enter you into the contest.

That’s it! That’s all it takes. One winner will be drawn at random from all entries, and we’ll announce the winner here.

No purchase necessary. Must be 12 or older. Not valid where prohibited by law, or anywhere postage for a hefty hardcover is more than, like, 10 bucks (practically, that means US and Canada).

The Bands of Mourning was published today by Tor Books. It is 448 pages, priced at $27.99 in hardcover, or $14.99 for the digital edition. The cover is by Chris McGrath.

Learn more about The Bands of Mourning, and the previous books in the Mistborn series, in our previous coverage here.