Jim Nelson's Blog, page 7
December 3, 2022
Will we finally see Neuromancer on the screen?
The Illuminerdi (via) reports Apple TV+ is tooling up to produce a streaming adaptation of William Gibson’s cyberpunk masterpiece Neuromancer. The big question Illuminerdi concerns itself with is which actor will play protagonist Case, a drug-abusing hacker hired to pull off a virtual heist in cyberspace.
The story buries the lede. The truly big news is that Neuromancer has a reasonable chance of being adapted to the screen. Apple TV+ may not be the leading force in streaming entertainm...
November 27, 2022
Sherlock Holmes: The enduring allure of history’s greatest detective
Mystery and Suspense Magazine has published my article “Sherlock Holmes: The enduring allure of history’s greatest detective” on their web site. In it, I explore the traditional reasons why critics and fans think the Baker Street detective remains popular—even immortal—to this day, and offer in return my own thoughts on the subject:
What is the enduring appeal of this shape-shifting character? Doyle gives no indication that Holmes is particularly attractive or magnetic in personality. ...
November 19, 2022
According to Cain: IF Comp 2022 results
Well, the results are in: My interactive fiction game According to Cain placed 6th in the 2022 Interactive Fiction Competition (IF Comp). This is my first IF Comp, and my first full-length interactive fiction, so I’m more than pleased to have placed in the top ten. (There were 71 entries total, and over 4,000 votes cast this year.)
Notably, According to Cain took 1st place in the Miss Congeniality contest. This is the award given to the game rated highest by the other game competition ...
November 5, 2022
Flight of the Big Blue Bird
I’ve been bird-watching. I’ve followed the events at Twitter this week with a morbid fascination: Elon Musk’s arrival at Twitter HQ bearing a sink; the outrage at a billionaire buying up a major cultural outlet (which overlooks all the other billionaires making similar purchases, and most of all, that Twitter itself help make founder Jack Dorsey one, but for some reason, this time is different); the questionable sagacity of predicting Twitter is doomed after a mere seven days of changing ha...
October 18, 2022
A Man Named Baskerville giveaway
In celebration of Halloween, I’m working with Goodreads to
To enter the contest, and apply to win. There’s no obligation. All you need is a Goodreads account to apply.
If you know any friends or family who may wish to enter, please feel free to share the link with them.
Read to learn more about my rewriting of the Sherlock Holmes classic. And if you’d like to start reading now, A Man Named Baskerville is availa...
October 1, 2022
According to Cain—a new interactive fiction game
I want to let you know about my latest endeavor, a new interactive fiction (sometimes known as a “text adventure”) called According to Cain.
In the game, you are tasked with solving one of the oldest recorded mysteries in Western literature: What is the Mark of Cain?
You are a medieval investigator sent back in time to learn the secrets behind mankind’s first murder. Using an alchemy system, observation, and your wits, you must discover the untold truth about Cain and Abel.
It’s mor...
July 7, 2022
I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere reviews “A Man Named Baskerville”
Another review rolls in for , this time from the podcast and web site :
While this tale is intended to be Stapleton’s counter to what Watson’s published version of the events would be, it rather exposes a horror within that cannot be saved by the loyalty of a good friend, the love of a woman or the faithfulness of a dog.
The full review is . More information on the book is , including links for reading sample chapters in your...
July 5, 2022
Kay’s Hidden Shelf reviews “A Man Named Baskerville”
Over the weekend, BookTuber Kayla of Kay’s Hidden Shelf offers a gracious and positive review of . It was a wonderful Fourth of July surprise for me!
If you’re a fan of science fiction, fantasy, and/or historical fiction, I highly recommend checking out her channel, where she offers patient and thoughtful views on a wide range of fiction. Thanks, Kayla!
Published 5 July 2022.
June 26, 2022
Why I Wrote “A Man Named Baskerville”
[Note: The following is adapted and compressed from the afterword to . It reveals some details from the book. It also contains spoilers to the book it was inspired by, Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles.]
Years ago, while traveling Japan via its Shinkansen bullet train, I found myself without a book to read. An ebook reader I’d installed on my phone came with a free sample to whet the reader’s appetite. That book was Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Advent...
May 1, 2022
A MAN NAMED BASKERVILLE reviewed at My Murmuring Bones
Viktorija over at My Murmuring Bones reviews as one of the last legs of the Escapist book tour. She offers an enthusiastic review of the book, and I’m more than grateful for it:
Nelson’s style is convincing and engaging, and places his novel firmly shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sherlock Holmes canon. The attention to detail and careful references to the established course of events are striking, and the character of Baskerville is portrayed with startling humanity...
