Nathan Barker's Blog, page 7

Game of Thrones renewed for Second Season after 1st episode

On the tail of the announcement that the first episode received 4.2 million viewers, HBO announced that they have renewed the series for a second season.



HBO has not yet announced where or when they will begin production on Season 2 but the Belfast Telegram reports that Northern Ireland Screen is campaigning diligently to get HBO to return to Northern Ireland for production of Season 2.  Reports indicate that filming of Season 1 injected over 20 million pounds into the local economy and created more than 800 local jobs.



Reviews of the series have been mixed - with the vast majority of geekdom absolutely loving it, a slightly smaller set absolutely loving it but a bit disturbed by the harsh sex, multiple beheadings, and overall massive amounts of violence and nudity in the first episode alone.  Those few reviewers (the NYT) that posted negative feelings about the first episode were harshly trounced on Twitter and the blogosphere shortly thereafter.

Game of Thrones renewed for Second Season after 1st episode

On the tail of the announcement that the first episode received 4.2 million viewers, HBO announced that they have renewed the series for a second season.

HBO has not yet announced where or when they will begin production on Season 2 but the Belfast Telegram reports that Northern Ireland Screen is campaigning diligently to get HBO to return to Northern Ireland for production of Season 2.  Reports indicate that filming of Season 1 injected over 20 million pounds into the local economy and created more than 800 local jobs.

Reviews of the series have been mixed - with the vast majority of geekdom absolutely loving it, a slightly smaller set absolutely loving it but a bit disturbed by the harsh sex, multiple beheadings, and overall massive amounts of violence and nudity in the first episode alone.  Those few reviewers (the NYT) that posted negative feelings about the first episode were harshly trounced on Twitter and the blogosphere shortly thereafter.

Doctor Who's Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) dies at age 63

[image error] From BBC News - Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith, the companion to the The Doctor from 1973 to 1976 and reprised the role in her own spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures from 2007-2011, has passed away at age 63 following a battle with cancer.

Orbit Launches Short Fiction ebooks

Orbit Short Fiction launched this week with novella-length ebooks available at all major ebook retailers at prices $2.99 or less. Titles include a new Jaz Parks adventure from Jennifer Rardin, fantasy from Brent Weeks, SF from Mira Grant and more..

04/19/11 - New Releases in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal & more..

It's a very light release list this week but we're headlining it with a (semi) exclusive Collector's Edition Pack for the new Amanda Quick novel.

Quicksilver by Amanda Quick - Includes Limited Edition collector's pack with Signed Arcane Society bookplate, card, Quicksilver mirror, and more.  Collector's Pack is available only from JAK-Friendly bookstores.

Virginia Dean wakes at midnight beside a dead body, with a bloody knife in her hand and no memory of the evening's events. Dark energy, emanating from the mirrors lining the room, overpowers her senses. With no apparent way in or out, she is rescued by a man she has met only once before, but won't soon forget.

Owen Sweetwater inherited his family's talent for hunting the psychical monsters who prey on London's women and children, and his investigation into the deaths of two glass-readers has led him here. The high-society types of the exclusive Arcane Society would consider Virginia an illusionist, a charlatan, even a criminal, but Owen knows better. Virginia's powers are real-and they just might be the key to solving this challenging case.

The River of Shadows by Robert V. S. Redick - In the gripping sequel to Robert V. S. Redick's acclaimed epic fantasy novels The Red Wolf Conspiracy and The Ruling Sea, the crew of the vast, ancient ship Chathrand have reached the shores of the legendary southern empire of Bali Adro. Many have died in the crossing, and the alliance of rebels, led by the tarboy Pazel Pathkendle and the warrior Thasha Isiq, has faced death, betrayal, and darkest magic. But nothing has prepared them for the radically altered face of humanity in the South.

They have little time to recover from the shock, however. For with landfall, the battle between the rebels and centuries-old sorcerer Arunis enters its final phase. At stake is control of the Nilstone, a cursed relic that promises unlimited power to whoever unlocks the secrets of its use—but death to those who fail. And no one is closer to mastering the Stone than Arunis.

Desperate to stop him, Pazel and Thasha must join forces with their enemies, including the depraved Captain Rose and the imperial assassin Sandor Ott. But when a suspicious young crewmember turns his attentions to Thasha, it is the young lovers themselves who are divided—most conveniently for Arunis. As the mage's triumph draws near, the allies face a terrible choice: to break their oaths and run for safety, or to hunt the world's most dangerous sorcerer through the strange and deadly dream kingdom known as the River of Shadows, and to face him a last time among the traps and horrors of his lair.

Brimming with high adventure, dark enchantment, and unforgettable characters, The River of Shadows deftly secures Redick's place in the ranks of epic fantasy's most original and enthralling storytellers.

Mercy Burns by Keri Arthur - Mercy Reynolds is a reporter in the San Francisco Bay area, but she's also more—and less—than human. Half woman, half air dragon, she's a "draman"—unable to shift shape but still able to unleash fiery energy. Now something will put her powers to the test.

Mercy's friend Rainey has enlisted her help to solve her sister's murder. Then a horrible accident claims Rainey's life, leaving Mercy only five days to find the killer: If Mercy fails, according to dragon law, Rainey's soul will be doomed to roam the earth for eternity. But how can Mercy help when she herself is a target? With nowhere else to turn, she must join forces with a sexy stranger—the mysterious man they call "Muerte," or death itself, who's as irresistible as he is treacherous. But can even Death keep Mercy alive for long enough to find her answers?

Defiance by Lili St. Crow - Now that sixteen-year-old Dru's worst fears have come true and Sergej has kidnapped her best friend Graves, she'll have to go on a suicidal rescue mission to bring him back in one piece.

That is, if she can put all of Christophe's training to good use, defeat her mother's traitor, Anna, once and for all, and manage to survive another day.

Eona: The Last Dragoneye by Alison Goodman - Once she was Eon, a girl disguised as a boy, risking her life for the chance to become a Dragoneye apprentice. Now she is Eona, the Mirror Dragoneye, her country's savior — but she has an even more dangerous secret.

She cannot control her power.

Each time she tries to bond with her Mirror Dragon, she becomes a conduit for the ten spirit dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered by Lord Ido. Their anguish floods through her, twisting her ability into a force that destroys the land and its people.

And another force of destruction is on her trail.

Along with Ryko and Lady Dela, Eona is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. Sethon has declared himself Emperor. In order to stop him, the renegades must find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power if he is to wrest back his throne.

Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama, thrilling fight scenes, sizzling tension — and many surprises — brings to a close an epic story.

Twelfth Grade Kills by Heather Brewer - As a teenage vampire, Vlad has spent the last four years trying to handle the pressures of school while sidestepping a slayer out for his blood. Now he's a senior, and in this final, action-packed book in the series, Vlad must confront the secrets of the past, unravel the mystery of who he really is, make decisions about his future, and face his greatest enemy. It's a senior year that totally bites.

Manga pioneer Tokyopop Closes US Division

Publisher's Weekly reports this morning that Tokyopop is closing their US publishing division.  Tokyopop is largely recognized as bringing Manga to the mainstream - particularly in the United States with titles like Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket, and .Hack.

Recent downturns in the publishing industry combined with disastrous effect of the Borders' bankruptcy filing (Borders owes Tokyopop a rather significant amount of money) caused extensive layoffs las month and, ultimately, the decision to close their US Operations.

2010 Shirley Jackson Awards Nominees Announced

Full details on the awards are available at the awards website

Congratulations to all those nominated!
NOVEL
Dark Matter, Michelle Paver (Orion)A Dark Matter, Peter Straub (Doubleday)Feed, Mira Grant (Orbit)Mr. Shivers, Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit)The Reapers Are the Angels, Alden Bell (Holt)The Silent Land, Graham Joyce (Gollancz)NOVELLA
The Broken Man, Michael Byers (PS Publishing)Chasing the Dragon, Nicholas Kaufmann, (Chizine Publications)"Mysterium Tremendum", Laird Barron (Occultation, Night Shade)One Bloody Thing After Another, Joey Comeau (ECW Press)Subtle Bodies, Peter Dubé (Lethe Press)The Thief of Broken Toys, Tim Lebbon (Chizine Publications)NOVELETTE
"--30--," Laird Barron (Occultation, Night Shade)"The Broadsword," Laird Barron, (Black Wings, PS Publishing)"Holderhaven," Richard Butner, (Crimewave 11: Ghosts)"The Redfield Girls," Laird Barron (Haunted Legends, Tor)"Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains," Neil Gaiman (Stories: All New Tales, William Morrow)SHORT STORY
"As Red as Red," by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Haunted Legends, Tor)"Booth's Ghost," Karen Joy Fowler (What I Didn't See, Small Beer Press)"The Foxes," Lily Hoang (Haunted Legends, Tor)"six six six," Laird Barron (Occultation, Night Shade)"The Things," Peter Watts (Clarkesworld, Issue 40)SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTION
Occultation, Laird Barron (Night Shade)The Ones That Got Away, Stephen Graham Jones (Prime Books)The Third Bear, Jeff Vandermeer (Tachyon)What I Didn't See, Karen Joy Fowler (Small Beer Press)What Will Come After, Scott Edelman (PS Publishing)EDITED ANTHOLOGY
Black Wings: Tales of Lovecraftian Horror, edited by S. T. Joshi (PS Publications)Haunted Legends, edited by Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas (Tor)My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales, edited by Kate Bernheimer (Penguin)Stories: All New Tales, edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio (William Morrow)Swords and Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery, edited by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders (Harper Voyager)

Newly arrived Signed/Rare SF, Horror, and Fantasy

We're offering a nice selection of rare and/or signed titles today:

Off Beat: Uncollected Stories by Richard Matheson, edited by William F. Nolan - Signed, limited edition; Signed by both Richard Matheson and William F. Nolan on the signature pages; front board is lightly warped. #701 of 750 printed; Out of Print.  Off Beat is cause for celebration -- a brand new Richard Matheson collection of fantasy, horror and shock tales that includes four never-before-published stories!

William F. Nolan has penned a very personal introduction, and selected the contents with Matheson's full cooperation, and the master himself has also contributed an "afterword/story notes" section. Stories include: Relics; Blunder Buss; And Now I'm Waiting; All and Only Silence; Phone Call From Across the Street; Maybe You Remember Him; Mirror, Mirror...; Two O'Clock Session; And in Sorrow; The Prisoner; Always Before Your Voice; That Was Yesterday.

Also includes a bibliographic checklist of Richard Matheson first editions; Hardcover 1st edition w/jacket;  VG+ condition; $99.00

Worlds of Weber: Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington and Other Stories by David Weber - slight edge wear to jacket, small edge tear at top-rear jacket flap; Out of Print.  Signed by David Weber on a bound-in signature page. Subterranean Press is proud to present a mammoth (over 250,000 words) career retrospective collection by New York Times Best-Selling Writer David Weber. Treecats, starships, dragons, alternate history, self-aware Bolo supertanks, wizards, sailing ships, ironclads....

For twenty years, David Weber has been taking readers to destinations strange and fantastical, from his best-selling Honor Harrington novels and short stories to the swords-and-sorcery of Norfressa and the shared universes of his own and other writers. If you haven't already read these stories, you should. Find out how Giles Habibula really joined Jack Williamson's Legion of Space. Visit 17th-century Magdeburg for the creation of the United States Navy a hundred and fifty years early, and go with John Paul Jones as he wins the Revolutionary War...for George III. Fight dragons and demons with U.S. Marines in a most unexpected campaign, find out how humans and treecats first met, share Honor Harrington's very first battle, and discover the true cost of self-awareness for war machines who learn to care. Open the door and peep inside, but be careful! Once you step into the worlds of Weber, you may not want to go home again. $99.00

Table of Contents:
Introduction
A Certain Talent
In the Navy
The Captain from Kirkbean
Sir George and the Dragon
Swordbrother
A Beautiful Friendship
Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington
Miles to Go
The Traitor

The Palace at Midnight: (The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Vol. 5) by Robert Silverberg - corners lightly bumped, front board is dinged at the edge; Somehow, for all my outward pretence of cold-eyed professionalism, all my insistence that writing is simply a job like any other, I've discovered to my surprise and chagrin that there's more than that going on around here, that I write as much out of karmic necessity and some inescapable inner need to rededicate my own skills constantly to my—what? My craft? My art? My profession? I wrote these stories because the only way of earning a living I have ever had has been by writing, but mainly, I have to admit, I wrote these stories because I couldn't not write them. Well, so be it. They involved me in a lot of hard work, but for me, at least, the results justify the toil. I'm glad I wrote them. Writing them, it turns out, was important for me, and even pleasurable, in a curiously complex after-the-fact kind of way. May they give you pleasure now too.

—Robert Silverberg, from his Introduction  $24.00

Full Table of Contents available here.

Journeys by Ian R. MacLeod - Signed, Limited edition, #286 of 750 printed copies, signed by Ian MacLeod on the bound-in signature page;  Journeys will take you to extraordinary places. From a changed Jerusalem to windmills which draw their own wind. From windswept British campsites to vast slave empires which have never been. MacLeod's breadth of vision in this collection is extraordinary, but what unites these stories is his abiding interest in humanity, and the way in which he combines the fantastically strange and with the memorably everyday. Expect widescreen wonder in Journeys, with many surprising truths, and some dazzling writing, along the way. Despite a distinguished record as a novelist, which has recently won him both the Arthur C Clarke and John W Campbell Awards for his novel Song Of Time, Ian R MacLeod is probably still most widely known as one of the great writers of shorter fiction. He says that it's still his own abiding love in the genre, and, after more than twenty years of writing, the area where he feels you can take the biggest risks, have the most fun, and make the biggest (and most entertaining) mistakes. $24.99

The Sky That Wraps by Jay Lake - Signed, Limited Edition, #172 of 1,000 copies printed;  corners bumped lightly;

This collection of short fiction from award winning-author Jay Lake represents his favorites of his own work, both current and classic. With an emphasis on recent publications since his last short fiction collection in 2007, The Sky That Wraps showcases his reach in fantasy, science fiction, and the ambiguous territory in between.

This volume includes two all-new stories, "Coming for Green" and "To Their Late Escape", as well as previously uncollected fan favorites "The American Dead" and "The Sky That Wraps The World Round, Past the Blue and Into the Black." Twenty other stories round out this wide-ranging survey of Lake's work.

Lesser Demons by Norman Partridge - Deluxe Hardcover Edition;  some shelf wear, light scuffing to jacket, corners lightly bumped;  Tales of hardboiled horror and Twilight Zone noir. Cross-genre blowtorches with bad guys and worse guys. Love stories both dark and bittersweet. A brand new novella and extensive story notes. You'll find this and more in the fifth collection from three-time Bram Stoker award-winner Norman Partridge, an author Locus calls "one of the most dependable, exciting, and entertaining practitioners of dark suspense and dark fantasy... emphasis on the dark."

In Lesser Demons, Partridge explores the kind of fiction that made him both a horror fan and a writer. Using the shotgun prose of a crime novel, the title story draws a deadly bead on H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. "The Iron Dead" introduces Chaney, a monster-hunting pulp hero with a mechanical hand built in hell. "Carrion" cuts a mean swath through Robert E. Howard territory, while "The Big Man" explores dark shadows of American life never imagined in the atom-age horror movies of the fifties.

Part celebration, part reinvention, Lesser Demons only serves to underscore RevolutionSF's verdict: "Norman Partridge is the finest writer of short horror fiction going." $18.00

A Pleasure to Burn: Fahrenheit 451 Stories by Ray Bradbury - some light scuffing to jacket, corners lightly bumped;  "A Pleasure to Burn" is the ideal companion to Bradbury's great novel "Fahrenheit 451." Edited by Bradbury authority Donn Albright, this generous volume gathers 16 vintage stories and novellas for a significant publishing event for scholars, aficionados, and casual readers. $19.99

The Ammonite Violin and Others by Caitlin R. Kiernan - In Caitlín R. Kiernan's The Ammonite Violin & Others, one of contemporary dark fantasy's most bewitching and distinctive voices is back with another banquet of the weird and unexpected. In his introduction, Jeff VanderMeer (City of Saints and Madmen, Finch) writes, "Kiernan creates her own light in this remarkable collection, and shines it on dark places. In doing so, she gives us gritty, lyrical, horrible, beautiful truths."

In The Ammonite Violin & Others, the author rises to meet the high expectations she set with such collections as Tales of Pain and Wonder, A is for Alien, and the World Fantasy Award-nominated To Charles Fort, With Love. Within these pages, you'll discover a dazzling suite of stories situated on the borderlands between the unspeakbale and the erotic, the grotesque and the sublime. Here are stories of dream and metamorphosis, strange lands and beings existing beyond the veil of death and beyond this earth. Here is a selkie who's lost her sealskin, a woman with a blackhole in her heart, a fairie girl fallen to the Queen of Decay, the descent of a modern-day Orpheus, and a killer who has fashioned the most exquisite musical instrument from the remains of one of his victims. Here are dreams, nightmares, and worse things yet.

The Ammonite Violin & Others is comprised of stories first published in the subscription only Sirenia Digest, run by Caitlin for her most devoted readers. $30.00

The Juniper Tree and Other Blue Rose Stories by Peter Straub - dust jacket is lightly scuffed;  Peter Straub's Blue Rose trilogy (Koko, Mystery, and The Throat) is one of the landmark accomplishments of modern popular fiction. Ranging from the Caribbean to Vietnam to the American Midwest and spanning decades of tumultuous history, these books are both unforgettable narratives and indelible portraits of people in extremis, struggling to survive in a world marked by grief, loss, pain, trauma, and homicidal madness. The four stories gathered here are offshoots of that larger fictional universe. Each one stands entirely on its own. Together, they shine a revelatory light on the mysteries and hidden corners of the novels that inspired them.

"Blue Rose" recounts a defining moment in the childhood of Koko's Harry Beevers, the moment when the ten-year-old Harry discovers his capacity for violence and brutality. "The Juniper Tree" describes, with almost unbearable clarity, a lonely young boy's encounter with adult betrayal, and with the darker aspects of human sexuality. "The Ghost Village" takes us to the phantasmagoric landscape of Vietnam, where the barriers between the living and the dead begin to dissolve, to mesmerizing effect. "Bunny is Good Bread" is arguably Straub's single most harrowing story. With relentless attention to detail, it anatomizes the creation of a human monster through abuse, cruelty, and neglect.

These disturbing, beautifully written stories have a moral weight and emotional resonance that only the finest fiction achieves. They are the clear product of a master storyteller at the very top of his game. No one who reads them is likely to forget them, or come away unchanged. $21.00

Strange Wonders: A Collection of Rare Fritz Leiber Works by Fritz Leiber - "In regards to Fritz Leiber, I believe that publication of such unpublished and uncollected works only strengthens his literary greatness. Through fragments, drafts and practice writings, we can clearly see the evolution from Leiber, the amateur, to Leiber, the professional. We are exposed to the clear way in which he dedicated his life to the written word and trained his abilities to produce the award-winning masterpieces that we read even today. While some may object to such a volume, I ask them this—is not the dream just as important as the empire that had been built from it? Are not the blueprints and sketches as impressive as the buildings and the artwork? We must place all this into perspective, and see that publishing such works is not a smear upon Leiber's legacy. Rather, it completes a full circle. If we are asked to be thorough in the biography of an individual, then we must also do so for their bibliography." — Benjamin Szumskyj, from his Introduction

Kingmaker by Tony Shillitoe - 385 pages;  spine creasing, light edge wear; Shillitoe's 2nd novel and the second book of the Andrakis trilogy.

An ancient prophesy predicts that one bearing the mark of the moon will rise and defeat the Dragon Lords, whose swarming armies have besieged the Kingdom of Thana.  The evil sorceror and Royal Adviser, A Ahmud Ki, schemes to use the prophesy to further his own quest for absolute power, but first the legendary sword of King Aian Abreotan must be found.

In this spellbinding sequel to Guardians, Andra, Kingdom Warrior and Guardian of the Vale, embarks on a perilous journey to recover the sword of Abreotan.

In the depths of the ancient castle of Cennedynss, Andra and his companions discover the true meaning of the prophesy, and the power of Abreotan's legacy... [mass market paperback] $40.00

Microsoft Internet Explorer - really?

I happened to notice on my stats page today that 37% of my readers are still using Microsoft's Internet Explorer as a web browser.  Given that there are several browser's out there with far greater capabilities, less resource use, and better web 2.0 support, I was somewhat disappointed to see a percentage that high.. though I guess it speaks well of my audience that the percentage wasn't higher.

For those of you still using IE, I recommend wholeheartedly that you switch browsers - and present to you my chosen alternatives in order of my personal preference:

1. Google Chrome - Google's browser is fast, very fast.   Almost universally compatible with every website I ever visit.. and did I mention fast?  It also uses far less RAM and processor resources than competitor's browsers - allowing your computer to run faster overall.  The one drawback - printing.  It prints just fine but I have, as yet, failed to find a way to remove the headers from the printed page... there is no 'page layout' in the preferences.

2. Firefox - Used to be my browser of choice.. but in the last few years has become more RAM intensive and slightly slower than it used to be.  Still - a very powerful and fast browser - with great theming and plug-in capabilities.  Best of all , it lets you remove the headers during the print process and is thus my back-up browser and the one I use when printing packing slips.

3. Opera - Fun and a little bit different - Opera was the first browser to support tabbed browsing and remote caching - a great boon to dial-up users.

4. Apple's Safari - Better on a Mac than windows systems.. and still not as compatible as it should be with all web standards.

Techno-Thriller writer Craig Thomas dies at age 68

Craig Thomas, most known for his 1977 novel Firefox, made into the movie starring Clint Eastwood, passed away on April 4th, 2011 following a bout of pneumonia.

Firefox was Thomas' second published novel and was a huge bestseller in the UK and United States.  The royalties from that novel allowed him to turn to writing full-time and over the next 20 years, he wrote 16 more novels, many of them bestsellers in their own right.

The Guardian published a full obituary yesterday - available here.