Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 211

Half-Price Me

For those of you who haven't yet purchased my new collection, The Green Leopard Plague, I'm pleased to announce that y0u can now purchase the hardback for half price.
Plus, Night Shade has a lot of other books on sale.

Taos Toolbox

It occurs to me that in the last year, three of my former Taos Toolbox students sold novels.  (In fact, one sale wasn't just a novel, it was a whole trilogy.)
While I can't guarantee that every Toolbox graduate will sell a novel, I think the data support the notion that it will increase your chance.
So if you're thinking of getting into this game, Toolbox can be a part of your strategy.
And there's still a financial incentive to apply by the end of the month!

Modest Little Stir-Fry

Tonight I made bami goreng— pork,  chicken, and prawns cooked with bok choy, scallions, celery, and garlic.  Served on noodles, with a cheerful little fried egg on top.
It's been decades (at least) since this district had an Indonesian restaurant— time for someone to open one!

Satan's Screen Time

We went to see The King's Speech, which was quite good even though there were no surprises, because I'd seem the same story dramatized in a television movie a couple years ago.  The story was the same, but the climactic scene was different: in the TV movie, the big scene was George VI's first speech as king; but in the screen version, the big speech was given on the first day of the Second World War.  I guess they decided that a speech amounting to "PS: I'm the new King-Emperor" was...

Coup

My 1985 novel Knight Moves, translated into French as Le Coup du Cavalier, is now available for your reading plaisir.It's also gathered an extremely flattering review, which (insofar as I can understand it at all) seems to suggest that the novel possessed the literary qualities of Robert Silverberg mingled with the dose d'humour of Iain Banks.  I am not in a position to disagree.The review also states that Hardwired is a foundation stone of the edifice of cyberpunk, which is pretty damned...

Bumping Bubbles

Via Sarah, news of the first observational evidence of the existence of other universes.  And they didn't find just one footprint, they found four.Nothing in physics prevents the possibilities of outside universes, but neither has it helped to constrain them, leaving scientists free to talk of branes and bubbles. Many of these ideas have been considered untestable, but a paper uploaded to arXiv last month considers the effects of two universes colliding and searches for fingerprints of...

Lo, I Am Quoted

It's a big sloppy New Year kiss for the whole world!
I am interviewed in Clarkesworld.

A Good Start

It has to be admitted that 2011 is starting out well, with the first review of Deep State showing up in my inbox.
I would quote at length, but it's full of spoilers, so let me just give you the last two paragraphs.
It's an exciting mix of spy thriller, adventure, and romance, and as is typical of Williams, it's all extremely well-done.

Highly recommended.

Santa Solo

I've noticed that in many European countries, St. Nicholas seems to have a helper.  Black Peter, Krampus, Knecht Ruprecht, Hanstrappe, Belzeniggl, Pere Fouettard . . . there are rather a lot of them all told.   In the Czech Republic, St. Nicholas has two assistants, Angel and Devil.St. Nicholas and his assistants have a fairly clear division of labor.  Nick rewards the good children, and the assistant punishes the baddies.  Exactly how the assistant does this varies depending on the...

Ready to Launch

So here I am on Christmas Day, just a few years ago, ready to launch myself into the future.
Wherever you are this holiday season, I hope you have a great takeoff and a trouble-free flight.
(And PS: Happy Birthday, Isaac Newton!)