Alastair Reynolds's Blog, page 13

Inhibitor Phase out in the world

"Reynolds tells meticulous tales in the hard-SF tradition that invariably pack an emotional punch. Inhibitor Phase, a novel about middle-age, loss and redemption, is a heart-thumping adventure to boot." - The Times.

Publication dates tend to be a little porous these days. Although Inhibitor Phase is not supposed to be out in the UK until the 26th, I'm informed that copies have been spotted in the wild, most notably in Waterstones.

I've signed a quantity of bookplates for said establishment, so whi...

Worth having

 

A simply gorgeous reissue.

https://www.georgeharrison.com/atmp50/

Interview with Forbidden Planet

 In the run-up to the publication of Inhibitor Phase, I did a video interview with Andrew Sumner and Forbidden Planet.

https://forbiddenplanet.com/posts/fptv-alistair-reynolds-introduces-inhibitor-phase/

There's also a short interview with me in the forthcoming issue of SFX, but I don't think that will be available online.

Current reading (just finished):

I thought Simenon was pretty good when I read him 20 years ago, but now he's off the scale. He hasn't changed; I have.

Fireflash

 The Fireflash atonic airliner appeared in the very first Thunderbirds episode "Trapped in the Sky", which is still one of the best, as well as one or two others.

One of Derek Meddings's usual striking designs, it's a fine looking machine with some unusual touches, such as the passenger lounges built into the wings, and the cockpit set way back in the tail. As always, there's something that needs to go wrong, so in the case of Fireflash it's an atomic reactor which needs servicing after every few...

Eagle Transporter

 Hot on the heels of the Zero X post, here's another Gerry Anderson-themed model. I've shown this one before but I thought it might be worth a post on its own, as it's such a iconic design.

I've loved the Eagle Transporter from the moment I saw it, way before Space:1999 itself actually aired in September 1975.

The series had been in development since 1973 and the marketing push was well underway by the start of 1975, and perhaps earlier. I remember seeing a cardboard advertisement for the forthcom...

I've delivered a new book

A couple of days ago I sent in Eversion, which if all goes well should appear in the latter part of next year.  I started thinking seriously about it late last summer, but didn't get really going on it until I'd completed the first round of edits on Inhibitor Phase.

It's a standalone, unrelated to anything else I've done. It's basically a novel about first contact with a "big dumb (or not so dumb) object" but it's a fair bit weirder than that summary might make you think, with (I hope) an unusual...

Online with Adrian Tchaikovsky

 A bump for tonight's event (see post below the previous one):

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/tchaikovsky-reynolds-jul2021/register

Zero X

Occasionally I post pictures of sci-fi modelling on this blog, which I presume to be of interest to at best one or two readers. If it's not your bag, please avert your eyes now.

Anyway, for those still with me, the Zero X!

This splendidly impractical spacecraft appeared in Thunderbirds Are Go, the 1966 film which was both the first Thunderbirds film and the first full-length feature from Gerry Anderson's studio. The film was a terrible flop, but it's fondly remembered by many, and I count myself i...

Another online event with Adrian

I'm very happy to be doing another online chat with Adrian Tchaikovsky. Come along and join us if you are able, and find out about our new books.
Register here:
https://www.crowdcast.io/e/tchaikovsky-reynolds-jul2021/register
 
 

Space tourism, Amazon entanglements and journeys with Justin

 I've been following recent developments in space tourism with a sort of guarded interest, impressed by the technical achievements (even sub-orbital flight is difficult) but less persuaded by the billionaire gold-rush behind it all. It's not the timeline I wanted to be on, but it's the one we've got. 

Of the three major commercial players, it's fairly obviously the case that Space X (which hasn't yet done any space tourism) is much further along in terms of offering reliable access to orbit, whic...