Penguin Random House US is offering early retirement buyouts to “long-tenured” employees who’ve been with the company for more than 20 years, and who will be 60 years of age or older by the end of 2018. The deadline to take early retirement is October 8, 2018, and those who take the buyout will leave by December 31. Company spokesperson Claire von Schilling told Publisher’s Lunch that the “voluntary separation ...Read More
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Salvation, Peter F. Hamilton (Del Rey 978-0399178764, $30, 576pp, hardcover) September 2018
Peter Hamilton just keeps getting better and better with each book, more assured and more craftsmanly adroit, and more inventive. And to his credit, he wants to stretch and try different things, not just repeat himself. His newest–the first in a fresh cycle–is, to my eye, rather different than any of his previous books. I detect a ...Read More
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The 2019 Commonwealth Short Story Prize “for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words)” by authors from Commonwealth countries in Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific is open to submissions until November 1, 2018. For rules, including a list of eligible countries, see the official website.
Regional winners are awarded £2,500 and the overall winner receives £5,000. English language entries are eligible, as are ...Read More
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The Outsider, Stephen King (Scribner 978-1501180989 $30.00, 576pp, hc) May 2018.
According to Grady Hendrix, who spent a couple of years re-reading Stephen King’s published work for Tor.com (it’s a magnificent undertaking, and you should absolutely check it out) King has written 10 novels where the death of a child is central to the plot. With the release of The Outsider, that number can be increased by one. ...Read More
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Colson Whitehead was named the state author of New York in an announcement by Governor Andrew Cuomo on August 15, 2018. Whitehead is the 12th author so honored. The title is given every two years to celebrate reading, writing, and the arts. Whitehead will receive the New York State Edith Wharton Citation of Merit for Fiction Writers at an official inauguration ceremony to be held September 28, 2018 at the ...Read More
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The Launch Pad workshop was held May 28 – June 3, 2018 at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. The workshop, founded by SF writer and astronomer Mike Brotherton, focuses on teaching astronomy principles to SF writers.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to ...Read More
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All I Ever Dreamed, Michael Blumlein (Valancourt 978-1-943910-99-1, $22.99, 506pp, tp) May 2018
Thoreau’s Microscope, Michael Blumlein (PM Press 978-1-62963-516-3, $14.00, 118pp, tp) June 2018.
Michael Blumlein has long brought a sharply original perspective to his science fiction, and one possible reason he’s not gained wider recognition is that his most better-known earlier works, such as the now-classic story “The Brains of Rats” and novels such as X,Y ...Read More
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Dread Nation, Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray 978-0-06-257060-4, $17.99, 464pp, tp) April 2018.
Justina Ireland’s Dread Nation may have a zombie premise, but the read is far from standard pulp horror fare. Towards the end of the American Civil War, during the battle of Gettysburg, the dead rise, changing history in remarkable ways. With the abolition of slavery, Congress funds the Native and Negro Reeducation Act. Negroes are often ...Read More
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Winners of the seventh annual Niels Klim Award were announced September 23, 2018 during Fantasticon, the Danish fantastika convention. Best Novelette went to Ogel i Fare (Ogel in Danger) by Carolineskolens 4. klasse (Lurifaks) and Best Short Story went to “Verdens rigeste mand og hans tro tjener Boris” (The Richest Man in the World and his Faithful Servant Boris) by Chr. Winther (Smspress). There were no awards given in the ...Read More
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CanSMOF has announced the winners of three scholarships to attend SMOFcon 36, to be held November 30 – December 2, 2018 at the Flamingo Conference Resort and Spa in Santa Rosa CA.
Rebecca Downey of Montréal, Québec won the scholarship open “to a Canadian citizen or resident.” Marguerite Smith of Dublin, Ireland won the scholarship open to “a non-North American resident.” Kate Hatcher of Layton UT won the third, open ...Read More
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Finalists for the 2018 Kirkus Prize have been announced, including titles of genre interest:
Fiction
Children’s
“Books that earn the Kirkus Star with publication dates between ...Read More
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Shaun Tan’s Tales from the Inner City, Alice Hoffman & Lisa Hoffman’s Faerie Knitting: 14 Tales of Love and Magic, Sheldon Teitelbaum & Emmanuel Lottem’s Zion’s Fiction: A Treasury of Israeli Speculative Literature, and titles by Katherine Arden, Grace Draven, ...Read More
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Somewhere in the Central American jungle, Army Ranger sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) encounters a crashed Predator escape pod. He loots it and later mails the alien’s high-tech helmet and wrist gauntlet back to the US.
Scientist Casey Bracket (Olivia Munn) is taken to a secret government facility where the Predator from the crash (Brian Prince) is being held. The Predator breaks free and goes in search of its missing ...Read More
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Tananarive Due received the Octavia Butler/L.A. Banks Memorial Award from the United California African-American Bookclubs (UCAAB) during the 12th annual Fall Into Fiction conference, held September 21-22, 2018 at the Long Beach Mariott in Long Beach CA. The award includes a trophy in the shape of California and was presented to Due by Steven Barnes.
“UCAAB was created as a way for African-American book clubs in California to network, support, ...Read More
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Registration for the 2019 SFWA Nebula Awards Conference is now open. The event will take place at the Marriott Warner Center in Woodland Hills CA, May 16-19, 2018.
For registration, see the Eventbrite website.
For more information on the Nebula Awards, see the SFWA website.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the ...Read More
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The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) has announced the winners of the 2018 Elgin Awards, presented for the best poetry chapbook and the best full-length poetry book in the speculative genre. The Elgin Awards are named after the founder of SFPA, Suzette Haden Elgin.
The Sycamore Hill Workshop was held June 16-22, 2018 at the Wildacres retreat near Little Switzerland, NC.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and ...Read More
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Apart in the Dark: Novellas, Ania Ahlborn (Gallery 9781501187537 $16.00, 384pp, tp) January 2018.
For several years, Ania Ahlborn has been constructing narratives whose concern with aberrant psychology frequently intersects the supernatural. Apart in the Dark collects two novellas, “The Pretty Ones” and “I Call Upon Thee”, previously published electronically, which together offer a good introduction to her work. The book includes an introduction in which Ahlborn discusses her ...Read More
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Note that an error today on the Publishers Weekly website replaces the Children’s Frontlist Fiction list with a repeat of the Children’s Picture Books list; thus none of the YA titles that ranked on the PW list last week show up this week. ...Read More
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The Alpha workshop for young writers was held July 25 – August 5, 2018 in Greensburg PA.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and ...Read More
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The Gone Away Place, Christopher Barzak (Knopf Books for Young Readers 978-0399556098, $17.99, 304pp, hc) May 2018.
On May 31, 1985, a series of devastating tornadoes swept through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario, Canada. To this day it is the largest outbreak to hit the region, leaving 90 people dead, thousands injured, and amassing up to a billion dollars’ worth of damage. Christopher Barzak was ten years old ...Read More
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Victor LaValle’s The Changeling (Spiegel & Grau) is one of 15 winners of the 2018 American Book Award, to be presented October 28, 2018 in San Francisco CA. The awards are given by the Before Columbus Foundation for “outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s diverse literary community.”
For more information, see the Foundation’s website.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a ...Read More
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Clockwork Boys, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions 978-1614504160, $12.95, 262pp, tp) March 2018.
The Wonder Engine, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions 978-1614504177, $24.95, 318pp, hc) March 2018.
In case like me, you didn’t know: the Hugo and Nebula Award winning writer/artist/chicken wrangler Ursula Vernon reserves the name T. Kingfisher for her works that are better suited to an adult audience. Her Clocktaur War books are decidedly that – but not ...Read More
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FutureBook and The Pigeonhole reading app are launching a short story contest to be judged by FutureBook associate editor Molly Flatt, The Pigeonhole founder Anna Jean Huges, and Arthur C. Clarke award director Tom Hunter. The contest will focus on stories that “explore the future of reading, writing, publishing and bookselling.” The winning author receives a full set of novels from the 2018 Clarke Award shortlist and will be invited ...Read More
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The six-title shortlist for the Man Booker Prize includes all of the previous longlisted titles of genre interest: Everything Under by Daisy Johnson (Jonathan Cape), The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh (Hamish Hamilton), and The Overstory by Richard Powers (William Heinemann).
The award, which includes a £50,000 prize, is presented annually to the best original novel in the English language by a living author. This year’s judges are Kwame Anthony ...Read More
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Isabel Allende will receive the 2018 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation. The award, which “recognizes individuals who have made an exceptional impact on this country’s literary heritage,” includes $10,000 and a solid brass medal. “Nominations for the DCAL medal are made by former National Book Award Winners, Finalists, judges, and other writers and literary professionals from around the country. The final selection is ...Read More
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The Shared Worlds teen writing camp was held July 15-28, 2018 at Wofford College in Spartanburg SC.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and ...Read More
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Spectral Evidence, Gemma Files (Trepidatio 9781947654181 $15.95, 212pp, tp) February 2018.
Spectral Evidence, Gemma Files’s excellent new collection, is her first such book since 2004’s The Worm in Every Heart (2014 did bring We Will All Go Down Together, which assembled a number of shorter works, but it did so in the interest of fashioning them into a larger whole, a kind of hyper-novel, which is a ...Read More
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Elizabeth Hand won the Inkpot Award, given by Comic-Con International “to honor individuals for their contributions to the worlds of comics, science fiction/fantasy, film, television, animation, and fandom.”
For more information, see the Comic-Con website.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep ...Read More
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B. Catling, The Cloven (Vintage 7/18) The final volume in the dark historical fantasy Vorrh trilogy (after The Vorrh and The Erstwhile) brings this ambitious and unpredictable series to a moving conclusion. Afrikaner socialite Cyrena Lohr mourns the death of her cyclops lover Ishmael and has a dalliance with naturalist Eugène Marais, who gives her a gift that allows her visions of another world… while Nicholas the Erstwhile senses ...Read More
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