Archive for April 2009
Links and Things
Jeremiah Tolbert on “Getting Started Writing Science Fiction”
How to build a better literary panel
Profiles in science fiction history
Read Stefani Nellen’s short story “Tentacle Mind Report” online (Via Damien G. Walter)
New novel from Nick Cave “The Death of Bunny Munro”
New Robert E. Howard and J.R.R. Tolkien books on the horizon
Writer Steve Buchheit offers some needed perspective on the Swine flu scare
Links and Things
On requesting review copies: a guide for bloggers
Great book excerpt on “Literary teas”
Michael Andre-Driussi on Gene Wolfe’s New Sun books (Via BillWardWriter.com)
Cool photos from the 1957 London WorldCon
The Joy of Exclamation Points!
Review: “Nights of Villjamur” by Mark Charan Newton (warning, mild spoilers)
Download a free copy of Brandon Sanderson’s novel “Warbreaker”
US Department of Justice looks into Google Books deal
Small Beer Press selling some books for $1.00
Honor Moore combats the “Male Approval Desire” that is hobbling women authors
2001: A Space Odyssey/Papa Lazarou mashup (Video)
Andrea Peyser gets snippy about Jake Wizner’s YA novel “Castration Celebration”
Take the D&D 4th Edition Test Drive – free!
Are you a longtime gamer who has been away from the hobby for a long time? Have you never played a role-playing game at all? Or are you just curious about the latest edition of the best-known role-playing game in the world?
Well, you’re in luck! Wizards of the Coast, publishers of Dungeons & Dragons, has just launched a new program called the “D&D Test Drive”. Visit HERE to download all of the following for free:
- The popular Keep on the Shadowfell adventure, revised with the latest rules and updated, action-packed encounters
- A set of pre-generated characters for quickly jumping into the game (or create your own character using the Character Builder, free for levels 1-3)
- A downloadable set of Quick Start rules
Get over there, download the rules, grab some friends and get to playing!
Links and Things
Table of Contents: “Lovecraft Unbound”, antho, Ellen Datlow“The Hunt for Gollum” trailer now online
Check out the trailer for the new “Lord of the Rings” fan film “The Hunt for Gollum”. Pretty sharp. Maybe this will sate our appetites until Guillermo del Toro’s “The Hobbit” makes it to theaters.
Speaking of that, what do you think about del Toro taking over the project? I’m inclined to think that it will go over pretty well, but I’m a big fan of his work anyway. Were I to have chosen someone to replace Jackson he would have been my first choice anyway.
Concept artwork: film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”
Whatever you’re doing, stop now and go have a look at the beautiful but desolate concept artwork created for the movie adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”. I didn’t particularly enjoy the novel, but the movie will probably be another matter entirely, particularly if these images are in any way representative. Some of the watercolors remind me of the work of Oscar Kokoschka.
Links and Things
The Internet Medieval Sourcebook (great reference for writers)
Big list of book people on Twitter
Interview with David Moody (“Hater”)
Do novelists have a duty to write about more contemporary social dilemmas?
Copyright lobbyists target “Pirate Bay for Textbooks”
Great roundup of JG Ballard tribute links
Big conversation on litblogging
Is Flannery O’Connor a Catholic writer?
The future of newspapers and book coverage: a book reviewer roundtable
StarShip Sofa: Aural Delights 81 now available.
Episode 81 of Starship Sofa’s Aural Delights is now available for your consideration. This episode features:
Editorial: J G Ballard Remembered by Tony C Smith
Poetry: Black Holes Holed Their Breath by Mike Allen
Flash Fiction: Different by Julio Flávio Meirelles Marchini
Fact: Book Review by The English Assassin
Short Fiction: Not Fade Away by Spider Robinson
Fact: Graphic Novels Review by Stephen Aryan
Main Fiction: Flight Risk by Marc Laidlaw
New Titles: The Space Opera Collection
Promo: www.dunesteef.com
Narrators: Kate Baker Annette Bowman The Dunesteef Team
Quick note on Robert E. Howard’s “Almuric”
As part of a soon to be announced project, I recently read Robert E. Howard’s “Almuric”, his only work of planetary fiction. I’ve heard that Otis Adelbert Kline actually finished it after Howard’s death, and I’m inclined to believe it. There’s a part in the book where everything after it doesn’t sound like him at all.
Other rumors suggest that Kline wrote this book in its entirety in order to capitalize on Howard’s death.
I’ll go into this a little bit more when the time is right, but for now, if you’ve read the book I’d love to hear your thoughts.
H.P. Lovecraft expert on “Masterminds”
How well do you know your Cthulhu Mythos? Check out this graduate student on British quiz show “Masterminds”.
Thanks Tony!
(Via SFsignal)
