Tachyon - Saving the World One Good Book at a Time

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2010-04-28T12:16:00.001-07:00

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SF Chronicle Review of Darkness

2010-04-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

Michael Berry over at the San Francisco Chronicle has tipped his hat to Ellen Datlow's Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror.

"Darkness" promises to please both longtime fans and readers who have no clue what "splatterpunk" was supposed to mean.

The Best of Joe R. Lansdale Contest Winners

2010-04-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

First off, congratulations to Lansdale himself for getting some well-deserved recognition across the pond:

From The Guardian:

"Let this volume introduce you to his uncensored, unfiltered world. He is a writer deserving of a wide and appreciative audience."

Now, let's get to the contest winners!

Revolution Science Fiction issued a challenge: write a horror story in 67 words, and make it fun and weird. The winners will receive a free copy of The Best of Joe R. Lansdale.

Here are the winning stories:

Day 1 Winner:

Eyes smoldered red, vicious jaws opened far too wide, razor teeth anticipated flesh.

The little dog charged.

Suddenly, Top Hat & Cane was moving. His dark cloak swirled, a ball of silver became a streak.

The small animal mewled with pain then a midget lay dead in its place on the sidewalk.

“Goddamn Were-Pugs.”

Top Hat & Cane readjusted his cloak, brushed idly at a lapel. -- Thomas Mueller

Day 2 Winner:

"Tangled Hearts"

Battle ends, men scream. Night falls. Severed legs walk slowly to a pile, followed by crawling arms, which form a giant shape with multiple arms and dozens of legs, hundreds of fingers. A voice wails "never again," but a louder voice commands the arms to commence firing; the body disintegrates.

A mutilated head rolls out. "Told you to shoot that bastard in the mouth." -- Gay Fifer

Day 3 Winner:

Crash!

Marko’s front door tore away in a flurry of wood splinters. Beyond hovered a massive, phantasmagorical whale-like being, translucent and pale. Tentacles writhed around its mouth.

As one grabbed Marko about the middle and hauled him toward the cavernous mouth, Marko screamed, "Why?"

The whale boomed: "Your father only APPEARED human. He was really a ninth-dimensional plankton, and so are you."

Then it ate him. -- Allen Wise

Day 4 Winner:

"Bugs"

The secretary put the small brown box on the desk of Jack Watts, head of Warner Brothers’ animation department, and skittered away.

"Is it true?" Jack asked, absent-mindedly opening the box. "Has Bugs Bunny really joined Al-Qaeda?"

A nervous, sweaty underling adjusted his collar as Jack’s hand reached into the box and reappeared holding a bright red cylindrical object.

A lit stick of dynamite. -- Philip Burch

Day 5 Winner

"Grammar Nazi"

Terror screamed through her brain as demand for performance meant everything. All she could see was the large expanse of black: board, boots, uniform. The crop snapped across her back.

“Wrong! That is not a sentence. It’s a FRAGMENT. Take her to the shower chamber."

As she was marched away, she nearly wept. No one told her grammar would mean life, and now, death. -- Rhonda Eudaly

-
Congratulations to all the winners, and don't forget to click the links to read each day's awesomely weird runner's up.

SF in SF Special Events

2010-04-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Do you like Science Fiction? Do you like it in San Francisco? Well good! Because that's where we've got it.

First, it's not too late to RSVP to the special kid's movie event screening of How To Train Your Dragon. Suggested donation is 15$ for an adult with child, with additional adult, $5, additional child, $10. Film starts at noon, this Saturday, and you get FREE popcorn and candy!

Proceeds go to the Variety Children's Charity to help help buy pediatric wheelchairs.

Please RSVP by Thursday, April 22nd for this special event to sfinsfevents@gmail.com, and put “DRAGON” in your subject line.

Find out more at the SF in SF homepage.

Next, on Wednesday, April 28th come on down to the 2nd Annual Science Fiction and Fantasy art exhibit.

See local artist show off their amazing talent for strange landscapes, unknown creatures, and visual concepts that are definitely out of this world.

Wednesday, April 28 – 6:00PM – 9:00PM

Periscope Cellars

1410 62nd Street, Emeryville, CA

You don't want to miss this

Darkness Goes Down Choate Road

2010-04-16T10:57:00.001-07:00

Gregory Hall over at horror blog Choate Road has just reviewed Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror.

Another factor I enjoyed is getting to read established and decorated writers I haven’t had a chance to dive into yet. In some instances, their stories were the ones I enjoyed the most. Steve Rasnic Tem hit me hard with his story ‘Heat’. I loved Terry Dowling’s ‘Stitch’. I am sad to admit I haven’t read as much Dan Simmons or Poppy Z Brite as I should have. But after being sucked in by their stories here, I’m going to change that.
...DARKNESS is about as close to horror perfection as any fan could ask for in an anthology.

Awesome! Glad you love the book as much as we do, Gregory.

Read the compete review over at Choate Road

Shambling Towards the Hugos

2010-04-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Hugo Award nominations are out, and we are happy to announce that James Morrow's Shambling Toward Hiroshima has been nominated in the Best Novella category.

The Hugo Awards will be presented at Worldcon this September.

Announcing the Make-a-Genre Contest Winner!

2010-04-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

And the winner is...Andrew Fox!

Despite it being a total conflict of interest (he's the author of Tachyon title, The Good Humor Man), Andrew Fox is the winner of our first annual Make-a-Genre contest!

Here's his submission:

FURRYPUNK: THE ANTHOLOGY

Writers are encouraged to revisit the realm of classic American animation to appropriate any characters which have fallen into the Public Domain. Said characters, rescued from obscurity, will inhabit a new "shared universe" where the iconography, costuming, and speech patterns of the Jazz Age and Depression America have been grafted onto the U.S.A. of the Obama Era,
creating a rich mise-en-scene wherein anthropomorphic animals can act out their antisocial impulses, interact with bizarre new technologies, experiment with interspecies sex, and work on their abandonment issues.

--

Andrew, your book will be published as soon as we get your money for it (see contest rules from yesterday's post). We accept checks, paypal, Visa/Mastercard (NOT Discover, who do you think we are?) but of course, cash is preferred.

Andrew will be at RavenCon next weekend, stop by if you're in the area and let him know how much you're looking forward to FURRYPUNK: THE ANTHOLOGY.

Make-a-Genre Contest

2010-04-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, if Locus says it, it *must* be true. See below for contest submission information.

Tachyon Publications Announces First Annual Make-a-Genre Contest

by C.J. Klempest
-posted @ 4/01/2010 12:01:00 AM PT

Tachyon Publications publisher Jacob Weisman today announced a competition to invent a new subgenre of science fiction and fantasy. "Over the past few years we've published a series of books which group writers who have never heard of one another into tightly-knit literary movements," says Weisman. "Our slipstream, steampunk, post-cyberpunk, and new weird anthologies have done very well for us."

However, since Tachyon's stable of editors has so far failed to come up with any new titles for the 2010-11 publishing season, Weisman has decided to turn to the general public for ideas. "Ideally we'd like a book that has makes the case that Stephen King, Audrey Niffenegger, Michael Crichton, Diana Gabaldon, Robert Jordan, Garrison Keillor, Neil Gaiman, and Nora Roberts have worked in close concert over the years to push speculative fiction to the cutting edge. Of course, the list of contributors is negotiable, depending on the genre you decide to invent. Just hit us with your best shot."

The Make-A-Genre contest is open to all readers and writers over the age of twenty-one.... "A catchy name for your genre is a definite plus," adds Bernie Goodman, Tachyon's Vice President of Long Range Planning. First prize is publication in Tachyon's fall list. "We're hoping to debut this book at the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus," says Weisman, "and if we get the response we anticipate, we'll continue the contest on a yearly basis."

***

So email Make.a.Genre@tachyonpublications.com with your entry. The winner gets to bankroll their own Tachyon anthology - all you have to do is put up the money for the story acquisitions; cover and interior art and design; copyediting/proofreading; printing advance galleys and finished books; PR (Matt Staggs will do you proud), and distribution fees. Submissions must be in by April 1st, 11:59 p.m. P.S.T.

Perhaps you will be inspired by the planned sequel to today's brand-new Tachyon release, The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals. Yes, it's the next VanderMeer/Evil Monkey instant classic, The Goyim Guide to Tainted Meats. So very delectable, yet so not for the faint of stomach.

Praise for Kosher Guide and the VanderMeers

2010-03-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Rick Kleffel at The Agony Column believes that the amazing productivity of Ann and Jeff VanderMeer is thanks to an army of inter-dimensional clones working sweatshop hours to produce weird fiction for you, the people. We here at Tachyon can neither confirm or deny this, however we do urge you to enjoy the fruits of the VanderMeer labor force, and while you're at it, check out Agony Column's review of Kosher Guide.

Meanwhile, at the Barnes and Noble Review, Bill Tipper sits down with Ann and her Evil Monkey husband to talk Kosher Guide, Kosher Law, and the imaginary animal they'd most like to eat.

Last but not least, Rick Klaw from San Antonio Current is happy to see a Passover-season comedy.

What's coming from Tachyon

2010-03-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

At Tachyon, we actually have *two* slogans: "Saving the world, one good book at a time" and "Smart Science Fiction and Fantasy." Here some Tachyon titles that will smartly save the world in the months to come...

The Third Bear
Jeff VanderMeer
July 2010
Compared by critics to Borges, Nabokov, and Kafka, an inventive contemporary fantasist continues to amaze with this surreal, innovative, and absurdist gathering of award-winning short fiction. Exotic beasts and improbable travelers roam restlessly through Jeff Vandermeer's darkly diverting and finely-honed tales.

The Very Best of Charles de Lint
July 2010
The finest stories of this popular pioneer of urban fantasy and creator of the mythical city of Newford have been chosen by Charles de Lint — and his fans — and gathered in this extraordinary collection. These are retold fairy tales and new modern myths that redefine magic, whether it's found in a heroic, selfless act or sitting two tables away at your local café.

The Secret History of Fantasy
Peter S. Beagle, ed.
August 2010
In this exciting canonic volume, Peter S. Beagle introduces readers to the other side of fantasy fiction. As epic sword-and-sorcery fantasy became popular, gifted writers rediscovered older fantasy classics and redefined the genre in their own unique voices. Contributors include Gregory Maguire, Francesca Lia Block, Stephen King, Yann Martel, Patricia McKillip, and more.

The Search for Philip K. Dick
Anne R. Dick
September 2010
This highly-revealing biography and memoir reveals the inner workings of one of the twentieth century’s most important writers through his tumultuous relationship with his third wife. Even after their marriage collapsed, Philip K. Dick continued to haunt Ann Dick, appearing in her life at random intervals and then retreating again. Upon his tragic death, she spent many years researching his life, resulting in an unrepresented portrait of both the man and her life with him, for better and for worse.

Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded
Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds.
October 2010
Steampunk Reloaded takes up where the highly popular first Steampunk anthology left off. Herein you will find ample new evidence of the burgeoning Steampunk tradition, from the light and humorous to the decidedly more serious. Clockwork contraptions, outrageous dirigibles, and insane inventors hold court, lovingly collected in classic tales as well as original art, fiction, and nonfiction. Contributors include William Gibson, Jake Von Slatt, Cherie Priest, Gail Carriger, and many more.

Flaming Zeppelins
Joe R. Lansdale
November 2010
Join the disembodied head of Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, Sitting Bull, Frankenstein (a.k.a. The Creature), the Tin Man, Captain Nemo, the Flying Dutchman, and the inestimable Ned the Seal, as they embark upon a spectacular set of non-stop Steampunk adventures. For the first time, these two epic chronicles, partly-inscribed by a courageous young seal on his trusty notepad, are collected together in one volume.

Crucified Dreams
Joe R. Lansdale, ed.
February 2011
Crossing noir with the supernatural, this luridly visceral anthology attacks polite society and plunges into the unthinkable horrors lurking in its underbelly. These are savage tales of private dicks, serial killers, pitiless demons, recalling the wino in the gutter who was an opera singer before his throat was slit.

Sleight of Hand
Peter S. Beagle
March 2011
This extraordinary collection of new fiction reveals a magician at the height of his powers, a storyteller who is more mesmerizing with every tale. From the top of the Berlin Wall to the depths of the darkest seas, gods and monsters battle their enemies and innermost fears, yet mere mortals make the truly difficult choices. Whether melancholy, comedic, or deeply tragic, these tales are suffused with a luminous misdirection that reveals far more meets the eye.

***

Your future reading list just got a whole lot more interesting.

SF in SF: Book launch! Movies! Author readings! Get read for an awesome April

2010-03-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

First on Wednesday, April 14th SF in SF will host a very special book launch party/film night. Come join us for a double feature, free popcorn, and the ONLY NorCal event for the new anthology, The Bleeding Edge.

The Bleeding Edge anthology is edited by William F. Nolan and Jason V. Brock, and contains never before published work from Ray Bradbury, Joe R. Lansdale, Cody Goodfellow and many, MANY more.

At the launch party you'll get to see not one, not two, but FOUR fantastic authors: William F. Nolan, John Shirley, Frank Robinson, Jason Brock, and Cody Goodfellow. Feel free to bring books from home for signing! The launch party will be from 6 to 7pm in the Variety Preview room. Then stick around for the SF in SF film night!

Our films for the 14th are Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man. This is the Northern California premiere. If you've watched The Twilight Zone, you've seen his work: "The Howling Man", "No. 12 Looks Just Like You", "Printer's Devil", and more. No Twilight Zone fan will want to miss this. We'll follow the documentary with a special screening of Beaumont's The Circus of Dr. Lao.

Bar proceeds and tips will benefit the Variety Children's Charity of Northern California.

Then save the date for Saturday, April 17th when SF in SF presents authors Gail Carriger and Blake Charlton!

SF in SF--that's Science Fiction in San Francisco for those who haven't caught on--is proud to present authors Gail Carriger (Soulless) and Blake Charlton (Spellwright) as part of our author reading series.

The reading will be April 17th in the Variety Preview Room. The reception and cash bar will begin at 6pm and the readings will start at 7pm. As always, proceeds from the bar will benefit the Variety Children's Charity of Northen California.

The power of steam

2010-03-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

top to bottom: Steampunk shoppers, Rina Weisman and Howard Hendrix, Steampunk trilobyte

Folks who were lucky enough to attend this weekend's Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition would have found us in the dealer's room with our Steampunk anthology and a pile of other steam-powered reading materials (and free posters). We were alongside some spectacular costumery, jewelry, and items far too mysterious and strange to adequately describe.

The monster manual with Manischewitz

2010-03-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

My favorite review to date of The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals is up on io9. Chris Hsiang (a.k.a. Grey_Area) just *gets* us, calling the KG, "the ideal gift for anyone who has tried to make a saving throw vs. petrification using a dreidel."

Terry Bisson is not left behind

2010-03-11T10:16:00.001-08:00

Our own Terry Bisson, author of Greetings and Numbers Don’t Lie, has been busy. In addition to moderating the monthly SF in SF reading series, he is now editing Outspoken Authors, a line of elegant, edgy, political fiction for PM Press. The series has a great lineup, including The Lucky Strike by Kim Stanley Robinson, the forthcoming Mammoths of the Great Plains by Eleanor Arnason, and Terry’s own The Left Left Behind. Lucky Strike is Kim Stanley Robinson’s classic alternate-world story of the Enola Gay bombing. As with all PM reprint volumes, it comes with the author's new introduction and an interview. Eleanor Arnason and Terry Bisson have contributed original works. The Mammoths of the Great Plains involves genetic engineering, the American Indian Movement, and, you guessed it, mammoths. The Left Left Behind features Terry’s satiric take on the popular Christian movement/publishing phenomenon.

PM Press is putting out some of the most provocative, cutting-edge ficiton and nonfiction around. Check them out.

Darrell Award nomination for Andrew Fox

2010-03-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

Our very own Andrew Fox has been selected as a finalist for the 2010 Darrell Award for The Good Humor Man. The Darrells are an annual award given to authors who live in or have written about the Mid-South region of the U.S. The award's motto is "Promoting Literacy in the Mid-South by Recognizing the Best Published SF, Fantasy and Horror."

The Darrells will be presented at MidSouthCon on Saturday, March 13th. Congratulations Andy - and good luck!

The Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition Is This Weekend

2010-03-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

So be there!

This is the weekend to travel back in time to an alternative past of clockwork leviathans and difference engines. Strap on your corset, grab your goggles, and head out to Emeryville, California for Nova Albion!

The fun is from March 12th to the 14th. Come for a day or stay the whole weekend.

Tachyon will be there, bringing you the best in Steampunk literature (also, posters!) so don't forget to stop by our booth and say hello.

For more information about the Steampunk Exhibition, check out this io9 article, or go right to the Nova Albion website!

The Hotel...in Palo Alto

2010-03-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

In the "small world" category, I had the pleasure of meeting Terry Weyna *in person* today at the Joe Hill signing at M is for Mystery (more about that soon). Terry's a terrific reviewer and coincidentally, she had just posted her review of The Hotel Under the Sand in Reading the Leaves. I love this part: "The Hotel Under the Sand is the kind of book that you resolve to send to your nieces and nephews even before you have finished the first page." Exactly how I felt too.

Rain Taxi Interviews James Patrick Kelly & John Kessel

2010-03-03T15:11:00.000-08:00

Matthew Cheney at Rain Taxi Review of Books has just posted his interview with Tachyon editors James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel.

The focus is on the editing duo's series of anthologies, which spotlight the blurred line between science fiction and literature, particularly The Secret History of Science Fiction. The result is a fascinating interview that examines alternative viewpoints on genre and gives insight into Kelly and Kessel's editing process. Here's a preview:

MC: In some responses to the book from within the SF community, I've seen people working very hard to try to support what seems to me a fairly rigid interpretation of Samuel Delany's idea that science fiction is a language of its own that requires different reading protocols from other types of fiction. There seems to be an idea that people who are not regular SF readers cannot understand SF stories because there is something so inherently different in SF that you have to be a special breed to be able to make sense of it, and that stories such as those of Gene Wolfe can only be understood by people who are members of the sci-fi cult. But plenty of SF readers can't make any sense of Gene Wolfe stories and plenty of people who don't read SF regularly actually really love Gene Wolfe and have done wonderful close readings of his work. Have your ideas about readers and texts changed from putting the books together and seeing the reaction to them out in the world?

Kessel: I don't think Delany and others who have followed his reasoning are wrong about the different reading protocols of science fiction. But that definition of SF applies primarily to SF that takes the future for granted. The kind of immersive SF that Heinlein wrote and others followed.

But the argument we make is that 1) lots of SF isn't that sort, and 2), as you say, these protocols are learnable, and too much can be made of them. Historical, fiction, for instance, also involves immersion in a strange background whose understanding comes from picking up cues set by the author. Any fiction set in a culture alien to the reader (a novel set in Heian Japan, for instance, as read by someone from 21st-century Iowa) also presents difficulties of reading. Yet we don't hear many claims that historical fiction cannot be understood by non-historical fiction readers.

Read the rest of the interview here

SF in SF: join us for Chaz Brenchley, Malindo Lo & Steampunk films!

2010-03-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, March 13th SF in SF welcomes authors CHAZ BRENCHLEY (aka DANIEL FOX) and MALINDA LO.

6:00PM - Cash bar and reception opens
7:00PM - Author readings begin

CHAZ BRENCHLEY (aka DANIEL FOX) - Chaz
Brenchley has been making a living as a writer since he was eighteen. He is the author of nine thrillers, most recently Shelter, and two major fantasy series: The Books of Outremer, based on the world of the Crusades, and Selling Water by the River, set in an alternate Ottoman Istanbul.As Daniel Fox, he first went to Taiwan at the millennium and became obsessed, to the point of learning Mandarin and writing about the country in three different genres. The result: the books Dragon in Chains, and Jade Man's Skin. Daniel Fox weaves the ancient myths and legends of feudal China into a fantasy world of brutal war and brittle passion,
immortal gods and mystical creatures.

MALINDA LO - a local author with one of the
most astonishing and remarkable debut novels out there, Ash. A beautifullywritten and fully realized retelling of Cinderalla...with a twist. Ash is a starred selection of the ABA's Rainbow List, it is a nominee for the Andre Norton Award, was a finalist for the 2010 William C. Morris Award, and was a Kirkus Best Young Adult Novel of 2009. Formerly an entertainment reporter, Malina was awarded the 2006 Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for Excellence in LGBT Journalism by the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and has master's degrees from Harvard and Stanford universities.

Each author will read a selection of their work, followed by Q & A moderated
by author Terry Bisson. Booksigning and schmoozing in the lounge
afterwards.

Books for sale at event, courtesy of Borderlands Books

And don't forget, Wednesday March 10th is the STEAMPUNK FILM FESTIVAL

We will be showing:
The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (30 mins.)
Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog (40 mins.)
Perfect Creature (88 mins.)

The SF in SF Steampunk Film Festival is in conjunction with the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition being held in Emeryville, CA, March 12, 13, and 14. More about the convention can be found here: http://www.steampunkexhibition.com

Come in costume!

Absinthe cocktails at the bar, with an absinthe-flavored giveaway before the movies!!

$10 suggested donation at the door or bar benefits Steampunk Conventions (to help bring back Nova Albion in 2011)

Reception and cash bar opens at 6:00PM - bar proceeds benefit Variety Children's Charity

Movies begin at 7:00PM - FREE POPCORN!

Sterampunk Reloaded

2010-02-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

(working cover)
Jeff and Ann VanderMeer have announced the line-up for Steampunk Reloaded. With a zeppelin-load of original fiction, nonfiction, and art, this companion to our bestseller Steampunk will be a must-have for all Steampunk fans.

STEAMPUNK RELOADED: Steampunk 2
Edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
Interior design by John Coulthart, the genius behind The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases, et al.

This lavishly illustrated anthology edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer builds on the strengths of the World Fantasy Award nominated first volume, presenting 155,000 words of rich and varied Steampunk stories, nonfiction, and art that plays off the idea of Steampunk not just in the context of dirigibles and other antiquated technology but also as connected to the maker movement and other aspects of the Steampunk subculture that have begun to infiltrate the literature. It includes the William Gibson story that inspired the Steampunk offshoot of "Raygun Gothic."

Original Art by:
Winona Cookie
John Coulthart
Eric Orchard
Ivica Stevanovic

Original nonfiction by:
Gail Carriger, author of Soulless (fashion and fiction)
Jake Von Slatt of the Steampunk Workshop (maker movement)
Mike Perschon, the Steampunk Scholar (the future)

Original fiction by:

Ramsey Shehadeh, "The Unbecoming of Virgil Smythe" – A fast-paced, riveting tale of time slips and the perils of colonialism, featuring the enigmatic Dromedons, rebellion, and a very strange train ride.

Vilhelm Bergsoe, "Flying Fish (Prometheus)", translated by Dwight R. Decker – A novelette from 1869 previously unpublished in English, by a Danish writer. This progressive tale of the dirigible Flying Fish, written in the form of a letter from the future to the past, will dazzle you with its Steampunk stylings and its prescient knowledge of a genre that would not be named for more than another century!

"A Secret History of Steampunk" featuring further originals by:

Ekaterina Sedia, "Two Short Excerpts from the Russian Book of the Improbable" – Eclipses and lunar seas collide with robots and airships in these delightful Russian clockwork concoctions presented in their original context as pages from the heretical (and possibly theoretical) Russian Book of the Improbable.

Jeffrey Ford, "Dr. Lash Remembers" – A harrowing tale of Steampunk disease that will make you think twice about jumping into an airship. It was recently discovered by Dr. Ford in a trunk whilst cleaning out his attic, and most probably penned by one of his forebears. Its original context as an extended fold-out broadsheet from the 1800s will be represented by facsimile.

Matthew Cheney, "Confessions and Complaints of a True Man" – Incontrovertible evidence of Steampunk invention in the time of the American transcendentalists, including mechanized elephants.

As well as contributions by Fabio Fernandes, Brian Stableford, Jess Nevins, and the Steampunk heretic known only as "The Mecha-Ostrich."

Amazing Reprint Stories Culled from Broadsheets Far and Wide:

Daniel Abraham, "Balfour and Meriwether in the Adventure of the Emperor’s Vengeance"
Stephen Baxter, "The Unblinking Eye"
Winona Cookie, "The Unlikely Career of Portia Dreadnought," "Artemesia's Absinthe," and "Obadiah Theremin, MD"
G.D. Falksen, "The Strange Case of Mr. Salad Monday"
William Gibson, "The Gernsback Continuum"
Samantha Henderson, "Wild Copper"
Caitlín R. Kiernan "The Steam Dancer (1896)"
Andrew Knighton, "The Cast-Iron Kid"
Marc Laidlaw, "Great Breakthroughs in Darkness"
Margo Lanagan, "Machine Maid"
Lisa Mantchev & James Grant, "As Recorded on Brass Cylinders: Adagio for Two Dancers"
Shweta Narayan, "The Mechanical Aviary of Emperor Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar"
David Erik Nelson, "The Bold Explorer in the Place Beyond"
Cherie Priest, "Tanglefoot"
Chris Roberson, "O One"
Margaret Ronald, "A Serpent in the Gears"
Catherynne M. Valente, "The Anachronist’s Cookbook"

The Hitchhikers Guide to Extraterrestrial Animals

2010-02-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals is reviewed on Jewish Learning.com, which observes that it, "Aims to do for kosher food what Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials did for animal guides, and what The Hit chhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy did for…well, the galaxy.... And the thing is: it really does the job."

The Nebula Award Ballot is In

2010-02-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

...and Tachyon is on it! We're proud to announce that two Tachyon titles have been nominated for the Nebula Award this year: Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow in the Best Novella category, and The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker is up for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The Complete Ballot:

Short Story

“Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela,” Saladin Ahmed (Clockwork Phoenix 2, Norilana Press, Jul09)
“I Remember the Future,” Michael A. Burstein (I Remember the Future, Apex Publications, Nov08)
“Non-Zero Probabilities,” N. K. Jemisin (Clarkesworld, Nov09)
“Spar,” Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld, Oct09)
“Going Deep,” James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Jun09)
“Bridesicle,” Will McIntosh (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Jan09)

Novelette

“The Gambler,” Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2, Pyr Books, Oct08)
“Vinegar Peace, or the Wrong-Way Used-Adult Orphanage,” Michael Bishop (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Jul08)
“I Needs Must Part, The Policeman Said,” Richard Bowes (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Dec09)
“Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast,” Eugie Foster (Interzone, Feb09)
“Divining Light,” Ted Kosmatka (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Aug08)
“A Memory of Wind,” Rachel Swirsky (Tor.com, Nov09)

Novella

The Women of Nell Gwynne’s, Kage Baker (Subterranean Press, Jun09)
“Arkfall,” Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sep09)
“Act One,” Nancy Kress (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Mar09)
Shambling Towards Hiroshima, James Morrow (Tachyon, Feb09)
“Sublimation Angels,” Jason Sanford (Interzone, Oct09)
The God Engines, John Scalzi ( Subterranean Press, Dec09)

Novel

The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Nightshade, Sep09)
The Love We Share Without Knowing, Christopher Barzak (Bantam, Nov08)
Flesh and Fire, Laura Anne Gilman (Pocket, Oct09)
The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey, May09)
Boneshaker, Cherie Priest (Tor, Sep09)
Finch, Jeff VanderMeer (Underland Press, Oct09)

Bradbury Award

Star Trek, JJ Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Paramount, May09)
District 9, Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (Tri-Star, Aug09)
Avatar, James Cameron (Fox, Dec 09)
Moon, Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker (Sony, Jun09)
Up, Bob Peterson and Pete Docter (Disney/Pixar, May09)
Coraline, Henry Selick (Laika/Focus Feb09)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

Hotel Under the Sand, Kage Baker (Tachyon, Jul09)
Ice, Sarah Beth Durst (Simon and Schuster, Oct09)
Ash, Malinda Lo (Little, Brown and Company, Sep09)
Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev (Feiwel and Friends, Jul09)
Zoe’s Tale, John Scalzi (Tor Aug08)
When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, 2009)
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making, Catherynne M. Valente (Catherynne M. Valente, Jun09)
Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld (Simon, Oct09)

Reminder: SF in SF Movie Night, Coraline and UP!

2010-02-16T13:29:00.001-08:00

Don't forget, movie night is tomorrow!

Wednesday the 17th, SF in SF is showing a double feature of Pixar's UP and Neil Gaiman's Coraline at the Variety Preview Room.

Door and bar open at 6:00, first film starts at 6:30. There will be *free popcorn* and a chance to win TWO FREE PASSES to the Albion Steampunk Exhibition.

A 5$ suggested donation at the door or bar supports the Variety Children's Charity of Northern California.

No need to look for parking, the BART/MUNI Montgomery St. Station is steps from our door!

Starred Publishers Weekly review for Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror

2010-02-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

Publishers Weekly declares Darkness "an anthology to be cherished and an invaluable reference for horror aficionados":

STAR. This diverse 25-story anthology is a superb sampling of some of the most significant short horror works published between 1985 and 2005. Editor extraordinaire Datlow (Poe) includes classic stories from horror icons Clive Barker, Peter Straub, and Stephen King as well as SF and fantasy luminaries Gene Wolfe, Dan Simmons, Neil Gaiman, and Lucius Shepard. The full diversity of horror is on display: George R.R. Martin's “The Pear-Shaped Man,” about a creepy downstairs neighbor, and Straub's “The Juniper Tree,” which chronicles a drifter's sexual molestation of a young boy, exemplify horror's sublime psychological power, while Barker's “Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament” and Poppy Z. Brite's “Calcutta, Lord of Nerves” are audaciously gory masterworks. This is an anthology to be cherished and an invaluable reference for horror aficionados. (Apr.)
-Publishers Weekly

Lansdale, Animation, and SF in SF!

2010-02-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

Get your fix of Texas weirdness! The first-rate horror blog Dread Central posted an interview with mojo-storytelling king Joe R. Lansdale.

Read it! Read it now!

Also, just a reminder that the Science Fiction in San Francisco reading series continued tomorrow with Jedediah Berry and Laurie R. King. Reception and cash bar open at 6:00, reading starts at 7:00 PM at The Variety Preview Room, 582 Market St., San Francisco. Visit SF in SF's site for more details.

Wanna watch a movie? How about some top-notch, Academy Award nominated animation?

Don't sit home alone with Netflix. Just because you're a grownup doesn't mean you can't enjoy the latest SF in SF film night: a double feature of Pixar's UP and Neil Gaiman's Coraline!

Show is Wednesday, February 17th. Doors and bar open at 6, films begin at 6:30 PM at The Variety Preview Room, 582 Market St. And don't forget the free popcorn!