Helen Lowe's Blog, page 268
February 22, 2012
SF Signal Mind Meld: Favourite Villains in Fantasy & Science Fiction
It's fun all the way on SF Signal's current Mind Meld, with a list of authors being asked to name their favourite villains in Fantasy & Science Fiction.
The authors featured include Scott Lynch, Michael Burstein, Shaun Duke, Jen Zink, LB Gale, Helen Lowe (that's, er, me–yippee! 
), Paula Stiles, Howard Andrew Jones, Mark Chadbourn, Ian Sales, Gabrielle Gantz, MD Lachlan, Myke Cole, Jennifer Pelland and Michael Sullivan
Some of these names you'll recognise instantly, others you may have to...
February 21, 2012
Commemorating February 22nd 2011
Today is the first anniversary of the February 22nd earthquake that resulted in the deaths of 185 people here in Christchurch, as well as a great many physical injuries, a significant number of which were severe, and major infrastructure damage across the city.
I know there is a huge amount about it in the media right now as well as official memorial services being held—and I also know that I am finding the intense focus on 'reliving' that time harrowing, a feeling of being retraumatised. ...
February 20, 2012
Tuesday Poem: Commemorating February 22nd 2011—"This Will Be Us""
This will be us, one day —
faded photographs
for archivists and future
generations to pore over,
speculating on how
we must have felt, what
it must have been like …
… being lowered
from a high building
on ropes, or having one foot
amputated in situ
by a policeman to free
the rest of the body
from the rubble
of a collapsed building.
.
Or perhaps these historians
yet to come may stare
at footage of suburbs flooded
by silt and sewerage
after groundwater was forced
up by the shock waves
and mains burst
February 19, 2012
An Interview with John R Fultz—Author of "Seven Princes"
Introduction:As regular blog readers will know, I am not only an epic fantasy author myself, but also a genre reader of longstanding—and also occasionally post on epic fantasy topics, both here and on other sites such as SF-Signal. I first met John R Fultz through his comments on those posts and noticed immediately that he both shared my enthusiasm for epic fantasy and was clearly a widely read and knowledgable commentator. I was delighted to learn that he was a fellow Orbit author as well...
February 18, 2012
Less Than 6 Weeks To Go …
US cover
UK cover
Today it really came home to me that there are just on 6 weeks to go until The Gathering of the Lost is published! That is, just under 6 weeks in the USA & Canada, and just very slightly over in the UK/AUS/NZ.
I "knew it" intellectually, but for some reason it hasn't seemed quite real—possibly because there have been so many other things happening in the "here and now." But seeing an advance post on the wonderful Beatties Bookblog the other day stsrted the process of 'making ...
February 17, 2012
"Life Isn't …" A Great Quote From Alan Moore
I recently discovered this quote from Alan Moore—and loved it so much I 'just had' to share it here:
"Life isn't divided into genres. It's a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction, cowboy, detective novel."
Oh yeah! (Air punches!)
Enjoy your Saturday, gentle readers! 
February 16, 2012
Just Arrived: "Blue Remembered Earth" by Alastair Reynolds
Somewhat guiltily, I have to confess that this "just arrived' some time ago now—but I have only "just unwrapped" the packaging so does that count? I think it does and so moving right along …
Blue Remembered Earth (Gollancz) is straightout Science Fiction from UK author Alastair Reynolds And yup, it's Book One of a series, Poseidon's Children.
Here's the tagline: One Secret, Two People, An Infinity of Futures
And here's what the back cover says:
"The Mechanism knows everything. It knows where you...
February 15, 2012
The Gemmell Awards: Why I Feel Honoured To Be Nominated
On January 16 I posted the very exciting news, here, that The Heir of Night has been nominated for the Gemmell Awards in both the Morningstar (Best Fantasy Newcomer) and Legend (Best Fantasy Novel) categories.
The Gemmell Awards have been established to honour heroic fantasy author David Gemmell—and to celebrate excellence in the heroic/epic fantasy genre.
As epic/heroic fantasy is very much The Heir of Night—and The Wall of Night series—heartland territory, I thought I'd talk a little bit...
February 14, 2012
What's Coming Up — On The Blog & Otherwhere
An Interview with John R Fultz
First up, you may recall I did a "Just Arrived" post for John R Fultz's Seven Princes recently, here. Well now I am pleased to tell you that I have finally gotten my act together and sent John—a fellow epic fantasy enthusiast, writer and Orbit author—some questions for an interview: wOOt! I say 'wOOt' because I asked John ages ago if I could do an interview when his book came out and he has been Really Very Patient waiting for me to get my, um, stuff...
February 13, 2012
Tuesday Poem for Valentine's Day: "Whenas in Silks My Julia Goes" by Robert Herrick
WHENAS in Silks My Julia Goes
WHENAS in silks my Julia goes
Then, then (methinks) how sweetly flows
That liquefaction of her clothes.
Next when I cast mine eyes and see
That brave vibration each way free;
O how that glittering taketh me!
.
by Robert Herrick, 1591-1674
—
Today is Valentine's Day and I wanted to choose a poem that was both "romantic" in tone, but also light hearted. I also wanted to go with this one because of the very different content given to the word "liquefaction" compared with ...
