Attention Writers!

 

Attention Writers!  Seventh Star Press Proudly Announces Its Next Anthology Project, Perfect Flaw: Dystopian Stories, with Editor Robin Blankenship

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce its second anthology project, Perfect Flaw: Dystopian Stories, with editor Robin Blankenship

As with the first SSP anthology project, The End Was Not the End: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Tales (editor Joshua Leet) this anthology project will allow for short stories of up to 10,000 words.

The stories must be set within a society in a repressive and controlled state, which can be under the guise of a utopian society.  The genre of the stories can be anything from Horror to Science Fiction, Fantasy, Steampunk and other forms of speculative ficiton

This anthology is intended to be a book that is a exploration of society gone wrong. "Utopian" societies that mask the true, underlying controlled state. Stories of people fighting back against the repression in hopes of a better place for the average person. Groups forming to fight the fatal flaw that the people in charge strive to cover up to keep the masses in line.

Submissions must be in by Midnight of January 8, 2013. Please provide a cover letter and use standard manuscript format.  They can be emailed to: Robin at seventhstarpress.com

The anthology is being targeted for release in the late spring of 2013, in both print and eBook formats.

A freelance editor and book reviewer, Robin Blankenship has a background in teaching and is currently embarking on her Masters in Folk Studies.

For further information on Seventh Star Press and its titles and authors, please visit www.seventhstarpress.com 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

5 (Slightly) Underrated Sci-Fi Classics

A Guest Post.

With the recent passing of Ray Bradbury, safely canonized among America's literary legends regardless of his genre background, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the science fiction canon. How we determine which books are "great" is a central problem in all of literature, but in science fiction, marginalized by critics for so long but also the object of the most intense and jealous devotion among fans, it takes on a special difficulty. 

For years a fellow named James Wallace Harris has maintained a list online entitled "The Classics of Science Fiction" (http://classics.jameswallaceharris.com/), which is not a subjective selection but, rather, aggregates the major attempts of others to come up with a comprehensive list. This method has its virtues and its drawbacks. If the list has a bias, I'd say it's towards the old and hoary, which is typical for this kind of endeavor (critical opinion takes a while to sort out and is always a lagging indicator of success), but is especially problematic with a genre largely concerned with the future! But it's an excellent way to study the great tradition of science fiction. I've used it for years to help decide what book is worth reaching for next.

Here are five books I read from that list that blew me away. They are by no means "neglected," or they would never have made Harris's list, but they're not household names like the dearly departed Mr. Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and they ought to be, so I'm evangelizing for them here:

1.      Stand on Zanzibar (John Brunner, 1968, #6 on Harris list)

This book is absolutely brilliant, but it's also a giant doorstop, so I bet it's the least-read among Harris's top ten, but it's totally worth it. The structure is brilliantly effective (I was going to say "innovative," but it's largely stolen from John dos Passos's U.S.A. trilogy) with interlacing chapters that tell the story of this overpopulated future from different angles, almost as though you were channel-surfing.

2.      The Space Merchants (Frederick Pohl and Cyril Kornbluth, 1953, #12)

Speaking of TV, this could now be pitched as Mad Men in space. This amazingly un-dated satire depicts a future where businesses have assumed nearly all political power and people have become consumers rather than citizens. This future is also known as "the present." I think of the Chicken Little chapter every time I read an article about "pink slime."

3.      Lord of Light (Roger Zelazny, 1967, #44)

Zelazny is probably best known for the Amber fantasy series, but this might be his best book, in which Earthlings use advanced technology to imitate the Hindu gods (until a reformer patterned after the Buddha comes along). Gripping stuff that lives up to the raw mythic power of its inspiration.

4.      The Sirens of Titan (Kurt Vonnegut, 1959, #59)

The most unclassifiable and indispensable voice to cross over into "serious" literature from sci-fi, Vonnegut is most often acclaimed for his more genre-bending works like Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five, but this early novel is my favorite, and it has all his weirdness and emotional power while remaining proudly

5.      Double Star (Robert Heinlein, 1956, #87)

Admittedly minor Heinlein -- his Stranger in a Strange Land (#22), Starship Troopers (#58), and my personal favorite The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (#32) all rank higher on this list, and he probably wrote a dozen other more substantive books – I nevertheless have a soft spot for Double Star. Its title is, ahem, a double entendre, as the protagonist is an actor hired to "double" a kidnapped politician. This book won the first Hugo Award for Best Novel, so like I said, "underrated" is relative here, but don't quibble with it: just make sure you read these if you haven't (and reread them if you have)!

An experienced writer on all things related to higher education and business, Amanda Watson spends her days covering the latest stories on various topics such as web entrepreneurship, and social media marketing. You can contact Amanda at watsonamanda.48@gmail.com.

Thank you Amanda for your guest post.  I have read three out of your 5.    I do like Brunner and will have to track that one down.  For some reason I have never enjoyed Vonnegut.   There is a wealth of great reading out there and most of it is not on any NY Times best selling list.  Obscurity is not indicative of quality.  Each of us defines our own list of tops by our personal taste.   Thanks again for the thought provoking guest post.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Shadow March by Tad Williams

 Once again Tad Williams has crafted a new world.   The book chronicles the clash between Fae and Mortal as well as the machinations of a China like empire.   This book has a bit of the flavor of the last Williams book I read, The War of the Flowers.

The complexity of Williams world crafting is just amazing.   He provides detail and then he provides details on the detail.   Sometimes I bog down but mostly I revel in his carefully crafted characters and environment.

Williams writes with a gourmand attitude on his characters.   There is a wealth of personalities and foibles.   His characters are alive and become more real page by page.   They have flaws and faults and demonstrate both laudable and despicable behavior.

The sibling relationship between Barrick and Briony is a good example of how Williams brings his characters alive.  Their relationship has depth and flavor and mirrors reality in so many ways.    The tensions and frustrations with someone you love are clear and compelling.

There are almost too many wonderful characterizations,  the book is definitely a banquet not a lunch.   The settings are painted with a clarity that makes you shiver in the unnatural Fae fog.   

This is the first book in a new series and I will look forward to reading the final three.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of <a type="amzn"> Tad Williams </a>

Web site: http://www.tadwilliams.com/

Another Intricate, Compelling World

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The Storm by Flavia Conley

Flavia Conley's The Storm (Flavia illustrates some of my books.)

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

J.L. Mulvihill Comes to Seventh Star Press

For Immediate Release
June 8, 2012

Seventh Star Press Announces New Young Adult Steampunk Series with the Addition of J.L. Mulvihill to its Author Family

Seventh Star Press proudly announces the addition of J.L. Mulvihill to its author family with Steel Roots, an exciting new young adult steampunk series set in an alternate history with a dash of folklore.  The first title, The Box Car Baby, is slated for release in the 2nd quarter of 2013, with new titles following at the beginning of 2014 and 2015. Readers can look forward to meeting a host of enthralling, distinctive characters within a richly-developed landscape woven by the imagination of J.L. Mulvihill.

(Steel Roots illustration by Rachael Ward)

The Box Car Baby introduces the character of AB'Gale Steel who was born in a boxcar on a train bound for Georgia, according to what her papa told her.  Bishop Steel, a mechanical engineer for the Southern Railroad, found his adopted daughter snuggled in a basket of cotton on an otherwise empty boxcar in the train yard.  When no one came around to claim the baby, Bishop Steel, rather than relinquish the child to the State only to end up at the Workhouse someday, smuggled her home to raise as his own. The name on the boxcar he found her in read, A B Gale Logs, and so he named the baby AB'Gale.

But if the mystery of who her real parents are isn’t enough for fifteen-year -old AB'Gale, Papa Bishop goes missing. Worried for her family and afraid of having to spend her life at the Workhouse, AB'Gale goes into town to see if anyone’s seen her papa, only to find a deeper mystery.  At the train station no one seems to know who her papa is even though he’s worked for the Southern Railroad for thirty years.

An encounter with a strange Hobo-man, who claims to know her father, results in the acquisition of a leather eye-glass tube that he says belongs to her papa. Before AB'Gale can question him further the man runs away.  When she gets home, she finds the Crushers taking her grandma off to the Oldies-home, so she hides until they are gone.

AB'Gale finds that the leather tube contains a map of the United States, with markers made by various towns across the country.  By each marker is a word or a name written in her papa’s handwriting.

Alone, and with only the clues of the map to go by, AB'Gale has no choice but to set out on her own to find her papa.

"Seventh Star Press has a very vivacious group of people with an incredible amount of awesome novels and stories pouring out," J.L. commented on her addition to Seventh Star Press.  "I just thought that SSP might need a little more Teen-Steam, so I am very pleased they have asked me to come on board with my young adult steampunk series, Steel Roots."

Born in Hollywood and raised in San Diego, CA, J.L. Mulvihill has made Mississippi her home for the past fifteen years.  Her debut novel was the young adult title The Lost Daughter of Easa,  an engaing fantasy novel bordering on science-fiction with a dash of steampunk (Kerlak Publishing).  J.L. also has several short fiction pieces in publication, among them "Chilled Meat", a steampunk thriller found in the Dreams of Steam II-Of Bolts and Brass, anthology (Kerlak Publishing) and "The Leprechaun’s Story", a steampunk urban Fantasy found in the anthology, Clockwork, Spells, & Magical Bells  (Kerlak Publishing)

J.L. is very active with the writing community, and is the events coordinator for the Mississippi Chapter of Imagicopter known as the Magnolia-Tower.  She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA), The Mississippi Writers Guild (MWG), as well as the Arts Council of Clinton, and the Clinton Ink-Slingers Writing Group. 

"J.L. Mulvihill is a perfect fit for our family of authors, editors, and artists," fellow Seventh Star Press author Stephen Zimmer commented. "She is already well-loved on the convention circuit, and in addition to her great talent as a writer, she has a fantastic work ethic and approach to the realities of the publishing world today.  We are all so excited to have her with us."

The Steel Roots novels will be released in limited hardcover, softcover (trade paperback), and several eBook editions, including versions for Kindle, Nook, the iBookstore, and Sony-compatible devices.  The books will also include interior illustrations, in addition to cover art from Seventh Star Press' award-winning artists.

For further information on J.L Mulvihill and the upcoming releases, please visit www.seventhstarpress.com or the author's site at www.elsielind.com

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky that I like to publicize due to their support of new authors and bloggers. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Blue Magic by A. M. Dellamonica

This is a tale of a small town, Indigo Springs, and the residents who discover magic, deal with demented social guardians, a frightened government, and displaced native Americans.

This is the sequel to Indigo Springs.  I was not overly thrilled with Indigo Springs.   I didn’t find the characters likeable, not even those who might conceivably be called the “good guys”.   Astrid, the main protagonist, and Will, who occupies a somewhat distant co-star role, become more likeable in this book. 

In my mind, the premise that the status quo strongly resists change is the bedrock of the novel.  Analytically, both sides of the equation are bat dung nuts!  Overreaction seems to be a knee-jerk response throughout the book.   There was a lot more action and interesting developments in this sequel.   

I enjoyed the book.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The Game of Thrones Was a Book First?! A Guest Post

George R. R. Martin

For you hard core scifi/fantasy fans this guest post may seem surprising but I know that some may not be familiar with George R. R. Martin.  I know this is the 2nd guest post in a row but sometimes things just happen that way.  Not to worry, my own deft touch will continue to annoy those of you who regularly visit here.  

Bill 

A good friend of mine recently made the decision to go back to school. Currently, she is enrolled in a modern literature class, which is strictly online, and as part of their curriculum, the students have to discuss books they've recently read, genres in general and much more.

She told me about a classmate of hers who mentioned the recent "Game of Thrones" HBO series craze and how it all started with a simple series of books with the umbrella title—A Song of Ice and Fire. My interest piqued, I quickly found and finished a copy of the first book—A Game of Thrones, which was originally released over a decade ago.

For anyone who is a fan of the show or even those that have yet to discover it but "have heard things" this is a must-read, as long as you like long stories. The first in a series of what is rumored to eventually be seven novels by George R. R. Martin, it takes place in a fictional world that doesn't seem too different from medieval Europe—aside from the extremely harsh seasons that occur throughout the book(their winter make Canada in January look like a spring day).

Being between 700-800 pages long depending on your version and told from varying points of view, it is hard to accurately capture everything the book has to offer in such a brief synopsis. Possessing a lot of the elements of the classic fantasy story, it is also a very real tale that mirrors our own history quite well. At its core, it is about feuding families who are all vying to be the next in control of the mythical land of Westeros, which has seven separate kingdoms.

No stranger to the fantasy, horror and drama genres, George R.R. Martin has an impressive resume that includes time as a writer for The Twilight Zone.  Being such a detailed story, it is probably best suited for diehard fans of the show who crave more layers and backstory. It's easy to get lost in its many pages of betrayal, incest and lies.

So, if you find yourself feeling that the HBO series just isn’t enough, or if you just like reading well-written fiction that's hard to remember isn't actually real then pick up The Game of Thrones and dive in!

Lauren Bailey is an education writer and freelance blogger. She frequently writes about courses and welcomes comments and questions via email at blauren 99 @gmail.com.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.