James Pyles's Blog, page 82
August 10, 2019
My Interview as Author of “The Recall” at Dark Fringe Radio
It’s here. I probably mentioned that I was interviewed by William Martinez at Dark Fringe Radio. We previously discussed my then unpublished short story “The Recall,” which is now featured in the Cloaked Press science fiction anthology Spring into SciFi: 2019 Edition. He said if my wee tale ever saw the light of day, he’d […]
August 8, 2019
Official Cover Art for “The Toilet Zone”
I just received cover art samples for the HellBound Books Publishing anthology “The Toilet Zone,” which features my short story Retired. It looks pretty fabulous in my opinion. Although I can’t find it yet on Amazon, “The Toilet Zone” will be published on August 16th. That’s in one week, friends. I’ll post links when they […]
August 7, 2019
Livesteam of the Authors of “Impossible Hope” on YouTube
A.M. Freeman and the other fine folks from Superversive Press who organized the Bonnie Oliver anthology Impossible Hope, written for the benefit of Bonnie who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, invited all of the contributing authors to a livestream last Sunday. I wasn’t able to make it for scheduling reasons, but each of the available writers […]
August 6, 2019
Review of “Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut” (1982)
Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut (1982) is the only version of this film I’ve seen, so I have no real idea what the original theatrical movie was like. On Amazon, I found this explanation: When Ridley Scott’s cut of Blade Runner was finally released in 1993, one had to wonder why the studio hadn’t […]
Review of Octavia E. Butler’s Novel “Parable of the Sower” (2000)
“THERE ISN’T A PAGE IN THIS VIVID AND FRIGHTENING STORY THAT FAILS TO GRIP THE READER”. — SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS GRIPPING…POIGNANT…SUCCEEDS ON MULTIPLE LEVELS — NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW This highly acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from award-winning author Octavia E. Butler “pairs well with 1984 or The Handmaid’s Tale” (John […]
August 4, 2019
Book Review: “SS-GB” (1978) by Len Deighton
Disclosure: I checked the hardback copy of this novel out from the public library. Just finished Len Deighton’s 1978 alternative history novel SS-GB: Nazi-Occupied Britain 1941. I recall reading it decades ago, but remembered almost none of the content. This isn’t actually science fiction, just a sort of “What if Nazi Germany won World War […]
August 2, 2019
Are the Science Fiction “Culture Wars” Still Alive and Well?
I’ve tried to steer this blog away from the more controversial and/or political topics I’ve covered in the past, but then I read Richard Paloinelli’s missive Wikipedia or WikiPravda?. Richard and I share some similar viewpoints, but I lack many of the wounds and scars he’s received in the past, such as those attributed to […]
What Not To Do When Submitting a Short Story
About five days ago, I submitted a short story to an anthology. The publisher (who shall remain nameless for now) has some pretty strict submission requirements and I thought I had them all covered when I pushed the “Send” button in Gmail, but a few hours later, I got this: Dear Mr. Pyles, Thank you […]
August 1, 2019
“The Deseret War” To Be Published In The Anthology “A Mighty Fortress: Mormon Steampunk Volume IV”
Remember (or maybe you don’t) when I said that so far this year, nine of my short stories have been accepted for publication, but I can only talk about eight? Well, I just got permission to talk about the ninth. It’s a very differently themed anthology put out by Immortal Works, a small publishing outfit […]
July 27, 2019
What the Heck is a “Neffy Award?”
Having (finally) successfully subscribed to Mike Glyer’s File 770 online SciFi fan newzine, I find that most of what this rather prolific blog puts out doesn’t catch much of my interest. Of course, with WorldCon Dublin coming up next month, a lot of the content is focused there. They also put out a tremendous number […]
