Alex C. Telander's Blog, page 35
February 18, 2015
Book News: Best Library Hotels, Franco Travels To 11/22/63, Pairing a Cup With A Tome & More!
Butcher News
Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden Files, will be publishing a new urban fantasy series in fall 2015.
11/22/63��James Franco has now been cast in the adaptation of Stephen King’s time-travel novel 11/22/63.
New Fantasy From Michael J. Sullivan
The self-published author of the Riyria Chronicles has just had his new fantasy series picked up by Del Rey with plans to publish the first book in the New Empires series, Rhune, in summer 2016.
February 12, 2015
GUEST POST: Looking Back on Arthur C. Clarke’s Predictions
Born almost 100 years ago, Arthur C. Clarke showed an interest in space travel and futuristic ideas from a very early age, which later manifested into predictions that captivated the general public. He began writing science fiction as a teenager, and his works became immensely popular as his career progressed, culminating with the 1964 screenplay 2001: A Space Odyssey, largely considered his most popular work. Throughout his career, Arthur C. Clarke made many futuristic predictions about life and technology, an astounding number of which have come true and are now considered essential to life in the 21st century.
In a 1964 BBC interview titled ���Horizon,��� Clarke admitted that it was difficult and virtually impossible to accurately predict the future, but that any prediction that did not seem astounding could not possibly be true. He went on to predict that, by the year 2000, communication satellites (what we now call satellite internet) would make it possible for people to communicate instantaneously, regardless of their distance or exact location. He believed telecommunication would make travel and commuting unnecessary for business, except for cases of pleasure, and might even allow a doctor in England to perform surgery on a patient in New Zealand.
Clarke also predicted that this global telecommunication would be highlighted by receiving and transmitting devices that would be so minute every person could carry one in their pocket and believed that one day everyone would be reachable anywhere in the world by simply dialing a sequence of numbers (sound familiar yet?). Clarke even predicted that with global positioning systems, no one would ever need to be lost again. He felt that one day all this information, and more, would be instantaneously available at anyone���s fingertips.
Clarke went on to predict the invention of the replicator, which would be able to produce a copy of anything almost instantaneously. This is especially chilling given the recent rise of 3D printing and how prominent it is becoming as a major technological breakthrough. Today, 3D printers are allowing people to download and print hundreds of thousands of items, ranging from very simple to extremely complex ��� like food.
Clarke believed that one day artificial intelligence would surpass biological intelligence. Although he believed that organic evolution may be nearing its end, inorganic evolution would rise thousands of times more rapidly than anything produced biologically. He predicted the invention of a machine that would directly record information to the brain, allowing users to learn languages overnight, become skilled laborers in an instant, or relive forgotten memories from long ago. Although this has not yet come to pass, many scientists now believe that the rise of artificial intelligence will be something humanity must deal with within the next generation.
With regard to space travel, Clarke believed that people could be cryogenically frozen in order to travel long distances in space. He was adamant that one day man would be capable of terraforming Mars, and eventually colonize new planets to the point that humans would no longer need need to live in isolated habitats.
Clarke admitted and emphasized the inability of anyone to make completely accurate predictions about the future, and many of his own predictions have not yet come to pass, including super chimpanzees or men colonizing the moon. However, given how many of his predictions have been true, one can only wonder how many of his ���failed��� predictions are simply on the edge of the horizon. The first human stepping foot on Mars could be only a few years away, and his predictions of terraforming may not be far behind. However viewed, his technological foresight is undeniable and the accuracy of his predictions can only be viewed in the light of the future.
Kate Voss
@kateevoss
You might also like these other guest posts from Kate Voss:
Top Five Novels That Make Great Holiday Gifts
February 10, 2015
Book News: Indie Bookstore Comeback, New Harper Lee, Rowling Gets HBO & More!
Amazon Radio Shacking��
With Radio Shack’s recent filing for bankruptcy, Amazon is looking at taking over some stores.
New Harper Lee��
HarperCollins will be publishing Harper Lee’s sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird on July 17. And here’s why that’s not such a good thing.
Great American Indie��
Another great article on why independent bookstores are making a comeback.
[read more . . .]
February 5, 2015
Writing Goals for 2015
So for 2015, here are the projects and goals I’m hoping to get started and/or completed.
Olague:��Complete some beginning writing with my novel��Olague. I’m still working on research, plotting and characterization, but my goal is to have some piece of writing to start off the novel completed by the end of the year, whether it’s the start of the first chapter, or the prologue, or something to kick off the novel. Ideally, I’d love to work on Olague��for Nanowrimo, but with how busy my life is these days with a taxing job and a toddler, that isn’t very likely. But I hope to have most of the planning side of the novel done and some writing begun by the time the year is out, and then to get stuck into some heavy writing come 2016.
Ostium:�� I’ve had this podcast series project that I’ve been kicking around for the last six months. The first draft of the first episode is written and needs to get finished up and polished and then I’d love to get the first episode recorded and released by the end of the year.
Write Stories:��My goal for the year is to get two short stories written. I got one started late last year that I want to get completed and maybe edited and start submitting by the end of the year. And then I’ve got another story idea I’ve been wanting to get down for the last couple of years and I feel 2015 is the year I’m actually going to write the sucker. Here’s hoping.
Submit Stories:��Continue submitting stories all around and lets see if we can get another one published somewhere.
Bookbanter:��It’s time the Bookbanter page had a bit of a face-lift and a new look. I’ve had the same theme on there since I started the WordPress page, so it’s time for a new look and to present access to my writing first and foremost, and then my reviews and interviewing, and make it all around more user friendly.
Facebook:��It’s time for a schism of sorts. I need to separate all the writing stuff from my actual personal Facebook page. So at some point I’ll be creating a professional page on Facebook for all my writing and Bookbanter stuff and then just have my personal Facebook account for, you know, personal stuff, like pics and videos of my kid; the usual.
Et. Al.:��Anything else I get done in relation to my writing is all pure bonus baby!
February 3, 2015
Book News: New DRAGON TATTOO, No New GAME OF THRONES, Reading a Book Series & More!
Publisher Confirms No New Game Of Thrones Book This Year
Furthermore, 2016 might not see author George RR Martin’s book, The Winds of Winter, published either.
New Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Book Set for 2015
Swedish author David Lagercrantz to write a fourth novel in the franchise, created by the late Stieg Larsson.
Oscar Bookish Breakdown
A look at the Oscar nominees and their book tie-ins.
January 29, 2015
Review of 2014 Writing Goals
Since we’re working our way steadily through 2015 now, with January approaching its end, it’s time to look at my writing goals for 2014 and see how I did. And then next week I’ll be putting up my writing goals for 2015. The goals from last year are listed below with commentary in blue.
1. A new edit/copyedit of��Kyra: The First Book of Enchantus.��The book is currently on Amazon, but CreateSpace has opened up further distribution channels, and before I make my book available through these new channels, I want to do another run through and catch any typos, etc. And the good news is I���ve already gotten a start on this.
This goal was achieved relatively early on in the year, much to my delight, and the new revised edition, the second edition essentially, is up and available on Amazon and through further distribution channels.
2. Self-publish Erotica story.��I have an erotica story I wrote that I want to get up on Amazon. It will be published under a pseudonym. At the moment I���m having a friend work on the cover.
This goal was also achieved in the first half of the year with a fantastic cover and it’s now up on Amazon and Smashwords. If you’re interested, shoot me an email at alex@bookbanter.net.
3. Edit ���The Innkeeper���s Wife.��� This is a short story I wrote last year, and I want to get it edited and finished through another draft or two and then start submitting it for publication.
This goal was completed and I was really happy with how the final edit turned out. I submitted it to the��New Yorker, because you always have to start at the top – right? – and haven’t heard anything back, so will be submitting it to other publications through 2015.
4. Submit stories.��Continue submitting stories for publication.
This I did do throughout the year and had one particular story get accepted which I will explain under goal #5. I also started a new story late in the year which I need to get back to soon.
5. Write stories.��I���ve get a couple of story ideas up my sleeve that I���d like to get written down this year.
Early on in the year I’d submitted an old vampire story I wrote to an anthology seeking vampire stories, which was rejected, so I’d decided to write another vampire story to submit to the anthology, which I managed to get written and edited through a couple of drafts and submitted before the deadline. Then later on in the year I was delighted to hear that the story had been accepted for the anthology,��These Vampires Still Don’t Sparkle, which was released in December and is now available in ebook and print and can be found here.��
6. Start the book.��By ���the book��� I mean the novel idea that jumped into my head last year and wouldn���t let go. I need to do some more research and work on it, but I���d like to get that close to completion and hopefully get some start on the book, even if it���s just the first line or first page.
This goal was not achieved, however I wasn’t too hopeful that it would be and that is mainly because just as in 2013 I had a big change in my life with the birth of my son, I started a new job midway through 2014 working for the United States Post Office as a letter carrier. It took a lot of time and energy learning the job and once the holiday season hit I had to basically shut down my writing as I was often working 12-hour days. Nevertheless, I did get some further research and plotting and planning done, as well as creating my map for my made-up town and filling in a lot of details, so in a way the goal was a completed.
Overall, I think this might be my most successful year yet for setting reasonable goals for 2014 and pretty much achieving them all. I think the key was knowing how much I could set myself to actually��achieve, and will need to apply the same rubric for my 2015 goals.
January 27, 2015
Book News: Print is Back, Book Vending Machines, Books Every Kid Should Own & More!
Real Books Rebound
2014 was a great year for print books, showing a significant rebound.
Riot Roundup
Book Riot gives their round up of the best books in December.
YA Fiction Roundup
And here’s Book Riot’s top picks for January.
January 22, 2015
Bookbanter’s Best Reads of 2014
.1.
The Slow Regard of Silent Things��by Patrick Rothfuss:��Rothfuss takes a short break from working on the the third��Kingkiller Chronicle to show readers and fans a unique and in depth look at one of his strongest characters, Auri.
.2.
Snowblind��by Christopher Golden: Golden brings you his best novel to date in this truly chilling horror story that uses a cold language and will have you yearning for hot tea or cocoa and trying not to be scared out of your skin.
.3.
Words of Radiance��by Brandon Sanderson: In the impatiently-awaited second installment of the��Stormlight Archive Sanderson does what��he does best, moving his characters along and opening up new plots and story lines that will just blow the reader’s mind.
.4.
Influx��by Daniel Suarez:��From the bestselling author of��Daemon comes a daunting tale of an impossible world we dread might exist, where technology is far more advanced than we ever could have imagined, and ideas that we consider science fiction are in fact in existence right now.
.5.
The Martian��by Andy Weir:��Another story about a trip to Mars gone wrong, only this one is so well-researched and detailed that each page is a nail-biting shocker, as you wrap your mind around the concept of what it’s like to be stranded on a distant planet.
.6.
Wayward Pines��Trilogy��by Blake Crouch:��A story about a town where everything isn’t as quaint and idyllic as it seems, but when the protagonist starts to unravel what’s behind the fake facade, it turns out to be far much worse and unbelievable.
.7.
Spectrum��by Alan Jacobson:��Karen Vail is back and this time she returns to her old haunts in New York to check out an old and unsolved case, and readers get to see how Vail became��the great agent she is today.
.8.
The Sixth Extinction��by Elizabeth Kolbert:��We are living in an unprecedented time where things just continue to get worse and worse;��The Sixth Extinction��shows what that catastrophic effect looks like and its ramifications.
.9.
Lock In��by John Scalzi:��In his new novel, Scalzi plays around with the idea about��those who are different and somewhat outcast by society and wish to be accepted and not have their disability “cured.”
.10.
Kronos Rising by Max Hawthorne: An ancient creature from the deeps arises and decides it likes the taste of human flesh and blood. What if��Jaws was in fact a much more terrifying giant marine dinosaur?
.11.
The Silkworm��by Robert Galbraith:��In the follow-up to the successful��Cuckoo’s Calling, Galbraith presents a picture of the British publishing world and when a well-known but not so beloved authors turns up in a horribly murdered, private detective Comoran Strike finds himself in some hot water.
.12.
Desert God by Wilbur Smith��:��Smith returns to ancient Egypt, a world he knows well, and his beloved character, Taita, who is now quite old but still possessed of great might and even greater intelligence, as he leads his people across a great land in a dangerous mission.
.13.
S.��by J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst: In a truly monumental undertaking,��S.��is a work of art that is a great book with magnificent props and details that will boggle the mind.
.14.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage��by Haruki Murakami (translated by Jay Rubin):��Murakami is back with another tale of some truly unusual characters who are close friends and then one of their members is ostracized and he knows not why and so, later in life, must begin his pilgrimage to answer this question.
.15.
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King:��King takes a turn to mystery and sleuthing with a retired cop, Bill Hodges, who may not be so retired and out of practice as he thought.
.16.
The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell: Cornwell continues his Saxon Tales series with this sixth installment featuring the tough pagan, Uhtred, looking to reclaim his stolen home, Bebbanburg.
Top Graphic Novels
.1.
Saga Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples:��In the third volume of this award-winning, terrific series, our main characters (as well as some enemies) take a trip to Quietus and meet an old friend.
.2.
The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks and Caanan White: The author of World War Z turns to a truly remarkable graphic novel story about��the African-American infantry regiment during World War I.
.3.
Climate Changed��by Philipe Squarzoni:��A sobering graphic novel tale about how far climate change has come and how we are at the point now where things can’t be suddenly changed and it will take centuries for the planet to return to the state it once was.
.4.
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang:��A story about a young gamer girl who learns about gold farmers and a whole world on the other side of the planet she never knew existed.
.5.
The Wake by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy:��An original story epic in scope about an invader that takes over the world and controls it for some time, but there are those few who still have hope that there is a way to stop them.
.6.
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh:����A collection of the popular online comic strip that goes beyond just being funny but has some important life lessons and advice for readers.
January 20, 2015
Book News: Oscar Book Titles, Zuckerberg’s Book Club, Common Names & More!
Riot Roundup��
Book Riot presents it’s best reads for December.
YA Spring Reads��
Check out the next new young adult releases for spring 2015.
Golden Globe Book Winners��
This year’s Golden Globes feature a number of book related winners.
January 15, 2015
Books Read in 2014
It’s a new year, 2015, which means it’s time to look at what I read in 2014. So here’s the complete roundup. Books read in 2013 and previous years can be found here.
1
Dangerous Women
George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois
Anthology
2
Innocent Blood
James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell
Mystery
3
Whispers Under Ground
Ben Aaronovich
Fantasy
Audiobook
4
Fables Vol. 19 Snow White
Bill Willingham
Graphic Novel
5
Aphrodite: Goddess of Love
George O���Connor
Graphic Novel
6
Hyperbole and a Half
Allie Brosh
Humor
7
The Pagan Lord
Bernard Cornwell
Historical Fiction
8
East of West #1
Jonathan Hickman
Graphic Novel
9
Fatale Vol. 1
Ed Brubaker
Graphic Novel
10
Nowhere Men Vol. 1
Eric Stephenson
Graphic Novel
11
The Manhattan Projects Vol. 1
Jonathan Hickman
Graphic Novel
12
The Manhattan Projects Vol. 2
Jonathan Hickman
Graphic Novel
13
Snowblind
Christopher Golden
Horror
14
Influx
Daniel Suarez
Science Fiction
15
Broken Homes
Ben Aaronovich
Fantasy
Audiobook
16
Words of Radiance
Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy
17
Saga Vol. 1
Brian K. Vaughan
Graphic Novel
18
Saga Vol. 2
Brian K. Vaughan
Graphic Novel
19
The Pretenders: Cemetery Girl
Christopher Golden
Graphic Novel
20
The Scientist in the Crib
Alison Gopnik
Parenting
21
The Martian
Andy Weir
Science Fiction
22
Locke & Key Volume 1
Joe Hill
Graphic Novel
23
Locke & Key Volume 2
Joe Hill
Graphic Novel
24
Where Nobody Knows Your Name
John Feinstein
Sports
25
V-S Day
Allen Steele
Science Fiction
26
Sailor Twain
Mark Siegel
Graphic Novel
27
Indexing
Seanan McGuire
Fantasy
28
Saga Vol. 3
Brian K. Vaughan
Graphic Novel
29
The Undertaking of Lily Chen
Danica Novgorodoff
Graphic Novel
30
The Troop
Nick Cutter
Horror
31
Red Mars
Kim Stanley Robinson
Science Fiction
Audiobook
32
Kronos Rising
Max Hawthorne
Fiction
Ebook
33
FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics Vol. 1
Simon Oliver
Graphic Novel
34
The Walking Dead Volume 20
Robert Kirkman
Graphic Novel
35
Hinterkind Volume 1
Ian Edginton
Graphic Novel
36
Harlem Hellfighters
Max Brooks
Graphic Novel
37
The River
Alessandro Sanna
Picture Book
38
S.
J. J. Abrams
Fiction
39
The Sixth Extinction
Elizabeth Kolbert
Science
40
Skin Game
Jim Butcher
Fantasy
41
Manifest Destiny Volume 1
Chris Dingess
Graphic Novel
42
Green Mars
Kim Stanley Robinson
Science Fiction
Audiobook
43
Blue Mars
Kim Stanley Robinson
Science Fiction
Audiobook
44
Mr. Mercedes
Stephen King
Horror
45
Sabriel
Garth Nix
Young Adult
Audiobook
46
Pretty Deadly Volume 1
Kelly Sue DeConnick
Graphic Novel
47
Shackleton: Antarctic Journey
Nick Bertozzi
Graphic Novel
48
Lirael
Garth Nix
Young Adult
Audiobook
49
Climate Changed
Phillippe Squarzoni
Graphic Novel
50
Abhorsen
Garth Nix
Young Adult
Audiobook
51
The Gunslinger
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
52
The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Neil Gaiman
Fiction
53
In Real Life
Cory Doctorow
Graphic Novel
54
The Drawing of the Three
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
55
Stay Up with Me
Tom Barbash
Fiction
Anthology
56
The Waste Lands
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
57
Wizard and Glass
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
58
The Sixth Extinction
James Rollins
Thriller
59
Wolves of the Calla
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
60
Lock in
John Scalzi
Science Fiction
61
Song of Susannah
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
62
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
Haruki Murakami
Fiction
63
Pines
Blake Crouch
Horror
64
The Dark Tower
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
65
The Silkworm
Robert Galbraith
Mystery
Audiobook
66
Wayward
Blake Crouch
Horror
67
Frozen Sky 2: Betrayed
Jeff Carlson
Science Fiction
Ebook
68
The Last Town
Blake Crouch
Horror
69
Spectrum
Alan Jacobson
Thriller
70
Salem���s Lot
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
71
The Dark Half
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
72
Random Targets
James Raven
Thriller
Ebook
73
Needful Things
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
74
The Tommyknockers
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
75
Firestarter
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
76
Desert God
Wilbur Smith
Historical Fiction
77
Tortured Souls
Clive Barker
Horror
78
Legion: Skin Deep
Brandon Sanderson
Thriller
79
Fables Volume 20: Camelot
Bill Willingham
Graphic Novel
80
Beowulf
Trans. J. R. R. Tolkien
Poetry
81
Pet Sematary
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
82
Dark Screams: Volume One
Brian James Freeman
Horror
Ebook
83
Cujo
Stephen King
Horror
Audiobook
84
The Slow Regard of Silent Things
Patrick Rothfuss
Fantasy
85
The Halloween Tree
Ray Bradbury
Children���s
86
Revival
Stephen King
Horror
87
The Wake
Scott Snyder
Graphic Novel
88
A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
Fiction
89
Hansel and Gretel
Neil Gaiman
Children���s
