Jeff VanderMeer's Blog, page 134

Books and Book-Related: That What Follows You, That What Finds You, That Wot You Acquire

I am too tired to write about Shared Worlds–which is awesome, and Holly Black is awesome and Ann is awesome, and the students and teachers too, but more on that later–but did want to touch on those things that followed us to Wofford, those things we took with us, those things that awaited us, and those things we acquired along the way…

First off, what awaited us in the cottage: many books on the bookshelves, including the ones above, which you may note includes a book called The Finnish Political

Finch Cover, Tad Williams Quote

The cover for the finished version of Finch is just about complete–just futzing around with the blurbs and whatnot.

Speaking of which, this blurb just came in from the awesome Tad Williams:

"VanderMeer's FINCH is…well, it's FAREWELL MY LOVELY if Philip Marlowe worked for the pod-people while snacking on Alice's Wonderland mushrooms. It's NAME OF THE ROSE if Sean Connery's character was a conglomeration of self-aware spores instead of a medieval monk. It's THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD if all t

Shared Worlds Update…With Fantastical Beasts

(Franz Blei's description of Kafka, with accompanying illo by Shared Worlds' student Miranda Severance)

A long, long day of individual consults, a session on writing, editing, and publishing, and a fantastical beasts exercise that the students had a lot of fun with here at Shared Worlds. I've been posting photos on Facebook because it's easier to do that on the run from my phone, rather than blog, but I will post a true week's end report on Saturday or Sunday. (In the meantime, check me out on F

Heading Out to Shared Worlds: What Was the Best or Weirdest Summer Camp You Ever Went To?

(Me in the Chelsea Hotel, in the middle of a Hawk Alfredson painting slashed by a madman while it had been hanging on a wall. It's a painting inspired by Ambergris, I believe.)

So, Ann and I are headed off to to teach at the Shared Worlds teen writing camp in South Carolina tomorrow, and although I may be blogging next week I thought I'd share a last link–the latest Sofanauts, recorded by Tony Smith and featuring Amy Sturgis, Damien Walter, and moi. (Thanks btw to Jeremy Tolbert for many kindnes

TATTOO MACHINE IS AWESOME; And Recent Omnivoracious Features

Want a great nonfiction book that'll read like a thriller but with more humanity? Pick up Jeff Johnson's amazing Tattoo Machine, all about his experiences as a tattoo artist. It's blurbed by Katherine Dunn and Gus Van Sant for a reason: it's awesome. These anecdotes are note-perfect, paced to perfection, and contain amazing details. Johnson is also honest and personal in his approach. It's a truly compelling and humane and sometimes touching account. You've got to read it. (I'm also excited beca

Finch for a Thursday

We're into that space of time between which review copies go out for Finch, my new novel, and the actual publication of same on November 1st. There will definitely be a big book release party at World Fantasy in San Jose, which will kick off my six-week, two-coast tour (also behind Booklife).

Into this space enters the inevitable outliers, as those who have glimpsed an advance copy for various reasons blog about it.

- J.M. McDermott notes the layering in of the details of a failed state.

- David M

War of Beer Against Books: Stone Brewing's 13th Anniversary Ale, Muriel Barbery, Stephen Hunt, and More

While those poor genre-literary bastards continue to slug it out in an enclosed space downstream, Ann and I decided to ignore the goings-on there to conduct an experiment involving Stone Brewing Co.'s 13th anniversary ale, which they were kind enough to send us, and various books. The idea was to see which books went best with the beer, based on a sampling of both. The books were by Jesse Bullington, Marie Brennan, Stephen Hunt, Brooks Hansen, Emma Bull, Geoff Manaugh, Muriel Barbery, Warren Fah

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart (or, The Marvelous Tale of Brother Bullington)

I just got this in the mail yesterday. You need it. Yes, you do: Jesse Bullington's utterly outrageous, language-filthy The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart. (Some among you may remember that this blog had a small role in getting the word out about this novel pre-acceptance.)

What's it about?

Hegel and Manfried Grossbart may not consider themselves bad men–but death still stalks them through the dark woods of medieval Europe. The year is 1364, and the brothers Grossbart have embarked on a naïve

Micro Fiction Contest Now Open: Let Me Help Harvest Your Brain

Brain Harvest is now open to submissions for their fight-the-tropes/tropes-are-good microfiction contest, which includes a cash prize and, erm, a moustache. Yes, that's right–a moustache. Cannae grow one yourself? Now you can have your very own anyway. There is an entry fee, but one hundred percent of it goes back into Brain Harvest being able to pay pro rates to writers.

I have, tragically for you, agreed to be the final arbiter of the quality of yer darn words as the Ultimate Brain Harvest Judg

Eric Orchard's Open-Brain Bot

Eric Orchard has posted a couple of images of art he's done related to an upcoming project.