John Joseph Adams's Blog, page 18
April 1, 2015
REVIEW: Tangent Online on Operation Arcana
Tangent Online reviews Operation Arcana:
Operation Arcana, introduced and edited by John Joseph Adams, presents sixteen military fantasy stories. A few of these tales haunted me. Many of them entertained me. And all of them presented solid work. […] One of the best features here is the range of political outlooks on war. Another laudable thing is the inclusion of a couple of stories either told from the non-American side of a particular conflict or overtly critical of the United States. Such inclusion is an act of literary and political bravery. A third strength is the range of sub-genres: from steampunk to an homage to Tolkien to an updating of Peter Pan to golem stories. This is a very worthwhile anthology, with something for every fan of military and fantasy stories.
They go onto review each story in some detail as well. [read the review]
NEWS: I’m Going to Be a Judge for the National Book Award This Year!
Along with Teri Lesesne, Laura McNeal, G. Neri, and Eliot Schrefer, I’m going to be one of the judges for this year’s National Book Award, in the Young People’s Literature category. The press release is up on Publishers Weekly [PDF], and you can learn more about the National Book Award on its website, including how the National Book Awards work.
NEWS: New Anthology of Climate Fiction, LOOSED UPON THE WORLD, Announced (Saga, August 2015)
Over on the B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog (and on The Once & Future Podcast), we just announced one of my 2015 anthologies: An anthology of climate change fiction called Loosed Upon the World. It will be published August 25, 2015 by Simon & Schuster’s Saga Press imprint.
COVER COPY:
This is the definitive collection of climate fiction from John Joseph Adams, the acclaimed editor of The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy and Wastelands. These provocative stories explore our present and speculate about all of our tomorrows through terrifying struggle, and hope.
Join the bestselling authors Margaret Atwood, Paolo Bacigalupi, Nancy Kress, Kim Stanley Robinson, Jim Shepherd, and over twenty others as they presciently explore the greatest threat to our future.
This is a collection that will challenge readers to look at the world they live in as if for the first time.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Shooting the Apocalypse—Paolo Bacigalupi
The Myth of Rain—Seanan McGuire
Outer Rims—Toiya Kristen Finley
Kheldyu—Karl Schroeder
The Snows of Yesteryear—Jean-Louis Trudel
A Hundred Hundred Daisies—Nancy Kress
The Rainy Season—Tobias S. Buckell
The Netherlands Lives With Water—Jim Shepard
The Precedent—Sean McMullen
Hot Sky—Robert Silverberg
That Creeping Sensation—Alan Dean Foster
Truth or Consequences—Kim Stanley Robinson
Entanglement—Vandana Singh
Staying Afloat—Angela Penrose
Eighth Wonder—Chris Bachelder
Eagle—Gregory Benford
Outliers—Nicole Feldringer
Quiet Town—Jason Gurley
The Day It All Ended—Charlie Jane Anders
The Smog Society—Chen Qiufan (translated by Ken Liu & Carmen Yiling Yan)
Racing the Tide—Craig DeLancey
Mutant Stag at Horn Creek—Sarah Castle
Hot Rods—Cat Sparks
The Tamarisk Hunter—Paolo Bacigalupi
Mitigation—Tobias Buckell & Karl Schroeder
Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet—Margaret Atwood
AFTERWORD: Science Scarier Than Fiction—Ramez Naam
PRE-ORDER THE BOOK:
Amazon | Kindle
B&N | Nook
Other Retailers
March 31, 2015
INTERVIEW: JJA on The Once & Future Podcast
Anton Strout interviewed me for episode 78 of The Once & Future Podcast, which he describes thusly:
Wherein I talk with award winning editor/anthologist John Joseph Adams about a deep love of the post-apocalyptic, how we’d be the first ones dead, military fantasy, BREAKING ANTHOLOGY NEWS FROM SAGA PRESS, the neuroses of authors, Viking and folk metal, his Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast, and the 743 anthologies he has releasing this year.
It was a fun interview! Give it a listen.
March 28, 2015
NEWS: Myke Cole, Weston Ochse, and I Discuss OPERATION ARCANA on the Latest Episode of The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy
Myke Cole, Weston Ochse, and I discuss OPERATION ARCANA on the latest episode of The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy:
Fantasy books are full of epic battles like the Battle of Helm’s Deep from Lord of the Rings. And for most fans just reading about such battles is enough, but some fans go further, enlisting in the military in order to live out real-life adventures. One of them is Weston Ochse, a thirty-year military vet who still works with the military, traveling regularly to warzones in countries like Afghanistan. He traces his yearning for adventure back to reading The Hobbit as a child.
“That desire was definitely inculcated by the idea that one lone hobbit can make a difference,” Ochse says in Episode 143 of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast. “And if one lone hobbit can make a difference, then this poor guy from Tennessee can make a difference too. So absolutely it was inspirational.”
Read the article and/or listen to the whole episode over at Wired.com. [read | listen]
March 24, 2015
INTERVIEW: Ask Me Anything Interview on Reddit re: the Apocalypse & Humble Bundle
Along with Hugh Howey and Nancy Kress, I participated in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) interview about the apocalypse (and Humble Bundle) over on Reddit. [interview]
March 22, 2015
INTERVIEW: Baen Free Radio Hour
I was a guest, along with OPERATION ARCANA contributors Tanya Huff, Myke Cole, Weston Ochse, and Linda Nagata, on the Baen Free Radio Hour podcast. We discuss the anthology and the subgenre of military fantasy. [listen]
March 18, 2015
NEWS: Pay-What-You-Want for the Humble “Post-Apocalyptic” Book Bundle, including THE END IS NIGH!
I helped curate the latest Humble Bundle, which includes THE END IS NIGH, as well as a mini-bundle of Lightspeed issues that contain apocalyptic stories.
You can pay-what-you-want to get the bundle, which includes a great assortment of titles. Here’s more about the Bundle and how Humble Bundle works, from the press release:
Today Humble Bundle has launched its latest curated bundle featuring a mix of books, comics, magazines, an audiobook, plus a game, each with a post-apocalyptic bent to them. For this sci-fi themed bundle, Humble is partnering with some of the leading publishers from around the country such as Broad Reach Publishing, Open Road, Dark Horse, Tachyon, Drawn & Quarterly, iBooks, Trion Worlds, Penguin Random House UK, Diversion Books, Oni Press, Prime Books, and Lightspeed Magazine, many of which Humble has successfully partnered with before.
This Humble Book Bundle boasts works by some of the top writers, artists, and editors in literature and comics including Octavia Butler, Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, David Lapham, Hugh Howey, Brian Wood,Brian Ralph, Kim Stanley Robinson, Roger Zelazny, MK Wren, Antony Johnston, Cory Doctorow, John Joseph Adams, Walter Mosley, Fritz Leiber, George R. R. Martin, Lauren Beukes, Paolo Bacigalupi, Nancy Kress, and many more.
https://www.humblebundle.com/books
Customers can name their price for Lightspeed Magazine, July 2010;Lightspeed Magazine; March 2013; A Gift Upon the Shore; Wasteland Vol. 1: Cities In Dust; After the End: Recent Apocalypses; Gather, Darkness!; Wool – Omnibus Edition (Audiobook); and Defiance (Game).
Those who pay more than the average price will also receive Futureland;After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall; The Massive Vol. 1: Black Pacific; Daybreak; The Wild Shore; and Damnation Alley.
Customers who pay $15 or more will receive all of the above plus The End is Nigh; Parable of the Sower; and The Strain Vol. 1.
Additional titles will be unveiled mid-promotion on March 25.
“We are so excited about the launch of this mixed multi media bundle, our first ever to include books, graphic novels, magazines, an audiobook, and a game!” said Humble Bundle Director of Books Kelley Allen. “John Joseph Adams is very well read in this particular sub-genre and together we worked for months curating the list, searching for the best “post apoc” titles from beloved and popular authors. We also have titles from some very promising up-and-comers as well. A complete collection to tide you over after the End Days!”
As with all Humble Bundles, customers can choose how their purchase dollars are allocated, between the publisher and charity. The Humble Post Apocalyptic Book Bundle supports both Worldbuilders, whose mission is to unite the geek community in hopes of bringing about long lasting change in the world, and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America Emergency Medical and Legal Fund, established to assist eligible member writers who have unexpected medical expenses and to create loans for eligible member writers who have writing-related court costs and other related legal expenses.
The Humble Post-Apocalyptic Book Bundle runs from now until Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 11 a.m. Pacific time.
And here’s a bit about Humble Bundle: Humble Bundle organizes pay-what-you-want plus charity promotions for awesome digital content and puts the power directly in the hands of the consumers, offering them fully-featured titles at prices they set themselves. Consumers pay what they want and decide how to allocate their money between content creators, charity and a humble tip. Humble Bundle also offers the Humble Store, a digital storefront that features great games at great prices with a portion of sales going to select charities. Since the company’s launch in 2010, Humble Bundle has helped empower its community to allocate more than $54 million toward charity to date. For more information, please visit humblebundle.com.
March 17, 2015
INTERVIEW: SF Signal on Wastelands 2
SF Signal interviews me about Wastelands 2:
What do you especially enjoy about editing anthologies, and what kinds of special problems do anthologies present (i.e. choosing stories, contacting authors, winnowing, etc.)?
JJA: When I’m doing a reprint anthology like Wastelands 2, I enjoy being a curator, and it’s a responsibility I take very seriously. When you read one of my anthologies, I want it to be clear that much more went into it than just slapping the first X number of stories I found between two covers; when I do a reprint volume, I really try to search far and wide, and cast as wide a net as possible to ensure that I included all of the best material on the given topic that is available. I read everything you so you don’t have to; “Trust me,” I say, “I’ve conducted an extensive survey of the field, and these are all the stories on this particular theme that you need to read.”
Read the whole thing at SF Signal!
March 6, 2015
INTERVIEW: Interview with Me on The Geek Show’s Meandering Mic
There’s a new podcast interview with me up on The Geek Show’s Meandering Mic podcast. [listen]
