Martha Wells's Blog, page 81
January 11, 2017
Murderbot Cover Reveal and Excerpt
The B&N SF blog has the cover of The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red and an excerpt: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/exclusive-cover-reveal-excerpt-systems-red-murderbot-diaries-martha-wells/
January 10, 2017
Stuff About Me
It's been a kind of rushed, busy December. I've been working on the editorial revision of The Harbors of the Sun, the last Raksura novel, which is coming out this July. There wasn't anything structural to do, just a few notes, but I'd written parts of it so fast and out of order that I found a lot of clean-up to do. Because of deadline scheduling, I ended up finishing the last read-through on Sunday, send it off to the editor Monday morning and starting immediately on the copy edit for The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red (coming out in May) and then getting it sent off so I could do a quick read of the edits for "Birthright," the short story I have in Mech: Age of Steel. Normally these things don't all happen at once.
But basically I got it all done. Now I need to get a Raksura Patreon story done for this week.
Yesterday seemed to be the day to get bad news about people we know, too. It's been a hugely stressful couple of months for a lot of people.
A couple of weeks before Christmas I started having pain in first one hand, then the other, which was getting continually worse and I was afraid it was arthritis. (Actually I was afraid it was anything from fibromyalgia to leprosy, I was hoping it was arthritis.) But I got sent to the orthopedist to get shots in my hands, which are painful and done with huge needles, but which really, really helped.
Oh, and we saw Hidden Figures on Friday and it was fabulous. I highly recommend it.
I did get to see the cover for The Murderbot Diaries this morning, which is awesome and I can't wait to show it to people. This is my first SF novella for Tor.com, and it'll be coming out in ebook and a tiny adorable paperback. (It's up for preorder in various places, but the paperback in cheapest on Barnes & Noble. The ebook is only $2.99 everywhere.)
Here's the description again: A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that blends HBO's Westworld with Iain M. Banks' Culture books.
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid -- a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
So that's what I've been doing in between anxiety attacks about politics, basically.
But basically I got it all done. Now I need to get a Raksura Patreon story done for this week.
Yesterday seemed to be the day to get bad news about people we know, too. It's been a hugely stressful couple of months for a lot of people.
A couple of weeks before Christmas I started having pain in first one hand, then the other, which was getting continually worse and I was afraid it was arthritis. (Actually I was afraid it was anything from fibromyalgia to leprosy, I was hoping it was arthritis.) But I got sent to the orthopedist to get shots in my hands, which are painful and done with huge needles, but which really, really helped.
Oh, and we saw Hidden Figures on Friday and it was fabulous. I highly recommend it.
I did get to see the cover for The Murderbot Diaries this morning, which is awesome and I can't wait to show it to people. This is my first SF novella for Tor.com, and it'll be coming out in ebook and a tiny adorable paperback. (It's up for preorder in various places, but the paperback in cheapest on Barnes & Noble. The ebook is only $2.99 everywhere.)
Here's the description again: A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that blends HBO's Westworld with Iain M. Banks' Culture books.
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid -- a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
So that's what I've been doing in between anxiety attacks about politics, basically.
January 3, 2017
New Book Tuesday
* Bear Daughter by Judith Berman
Until Cloud is twelve years old, she is a neglected bear cub wandering the town ruled by King Rumble. Cloud’s unexpected transformation into a human girl, with no memory of what came before, enrages Rumble, and she is forced to flee from his malevolent wizard. Her only hope of survival is a terrifying quest to free the spirits of her dead brothers.
* Novella: The Hills of Meat, The Forests of Bone by Michelle Muenzler
Eran has been walking the Labyrinth since she was a child, learning its secrets. The endless backwater universes and lost cities offer a never-ending array of adventures, but she's been a successful exotics trader for years, and is confident she can hold her own with whatever the Labyrinth throws at her. The Labyrinth took that as a challenge.
* Preorder Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
Captain Kel Cheris is possessed by a long-dead traitor general. Together they must face the rivalries of the hexarchate and a potentially devastating invasion. When the hexarchate's gifted young captain Kel Cheris summoned the ghost of the long-dead General Shuos Jedao to help her put down a rebellion, she didn't reckon on his breaking free of centuries of imprisonment – and possessing her. Sequel to Ninefox Gambit
* Upcoming Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor
Follow up to Akata Witch
* Out of this World by Catherine Lundoff
Eleven tales of the queer fantastic by award-winning author Catherine Lundoff. A bookstore clerk goes on a quest for the Norns while a couple of mercenaries wake up to some big surprises at their favorite inn. Shakespeare’s sister, Judith, forms an alliance with playwright Christopher Marlowe. A witch attempts the wrong love spell and a young prince meets an irresistible monster. Swordswomen, ghosts, the Queen of the Fay, the occasional gentleman of the evening and other unforgettable characters populate these stories rich and strange. Includes the Gaylactic Spectrum Award finalist “At the Roots of the World Tree” as well as several other stories not previously collected.
* The Voices of Martyrs by Maurice Broaddus
We are a collection of voices, the assembled history of the many voices that have spoken into our lives and shaped us. Voices of the past, voices of the present, and voices of the future. There is an African proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi,” which translates as “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” This is why we continue to remember the tales of struggle and tales of perseverance, even as we look to tales of hope. What a people choose to remember about its past, the stories they pass down, informs who they are and sets the boundaries of their identity. We remember the pain of our past to mourn, to heal, and to learn. Only in that way can we ensure the same mistakes are not repeated. The voices make up our stories. The stories make up who we are. A collected voice.
Until Cloud is twelve years old, she is a neglected bear cub wandering the town ruled by King Rumble. Cloud’s unexpected transformation into a human girl, with no memory of what came before, enrages Rumble, and she is forced to flee from his malevolent wizard. Her only hope of survival is a terrifying quest to free the spirits of her dead brothers.
* Novella: The Hills of Meat, The Forests of Bone by Michelle Muenzler
Eran has been walking the Labyrinth since she was a child, learning its secrets. The endless backwater universes and lost cities offer a never-ending array of adventures, but she's been a successful exotics trader for years, and is confident she can hold her own with whatever the Labyrinth throws at her. The Labyrinth took that as a challenge.
* Preorder Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
Captain Kel Cheris is possessed by a long-dead traitor general. Together they must face the rivalries of the hexarchate and a potentially devastating invasion. When the hexarchate's gifted young captain Kel Cheris summoned the ghost of the long-dead General Shuos Jedao to help her put down a rebellion, she didn't reckon on his breaking free of centuries of imprisonment – and possessing her. Sequel to Ninefox Gambit
* Upcoming Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor
Follow up to Akata Witch
* Out of this World by Catherine Lundoff
Eleven tales of the queer fantastic by award-winning author Catherine Lundoff. A bookstore clerk goes on a quest for the Norns while a couple of mercenaries wake up to some big surprises at their favorite inn. Shakespeare’s sister, Judith, forms an alliance with playwright Christopher Marlowe. A witch attempts the wrong love spell and a young prince meets an irresistible monster. Swordswomen, ghosts, the Queen of the Fay, the occasional gentleman of the evening and other unforgettable characters populate these stories rich and strange. Includes the Gaylactic Spectrum Award finalist “At the Roots of the World Tree” as well as several other stories not previously collected.
* The Voices of Martyrs by Maurice Broaddus
We are a collection of voices, the assembled history of the many voices that have spoken into our lives and shaped us. Voices of the past, voices of the present, and voices of the future. There is an African proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi,” which translates as “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” This is why we continue to remember the tales of struggle and tales of perseverance, even as we look to tales of hope. What a people choose to remember about its past, the stories they pass down, informs who they are and sets the boundaries of their identity. We remember the pain of our past to mourn, to heal, and to learn. Only in that way can we ensure the same mistakes are not repeated. The voices make up our stories. The stories make up who we are. A collected voice.
December 30, 2016
FYI
Just an update on me. Over the past two weeks or so, I started to have pain and stiffness in my right hand, which then increased rapidly and spread to my left hand, to the point that on the day after Christmas, I couldn't make a fist with either hand, it was hard to pick things up, etc. I've been to my doctor and he's tentatively diagnosed arthritis, maybe with a side order of mild carpal tunnel. I'm making appointments with specialists to try to figure out a treatment. The pain varies a lot throughout the day and night, but at this point I can still type. So. That's how I am, how are you?
December 14, 2016
New Book Wednesday!
New Book Wednesday is actually on Wednesday this time, go figure.
Books
* The Nature of a Pirate by A.M. Dellamonica
The Nature of a Pirate is the third book in acclaimed author, A.M. Dellmonica’s high seas, Stormwrack series. The Lambda Award nominated series begins with Child of a Hidden Sea. Marine videographer and biologist Sophie Hansa has spent the past few months putting her knowledge of science to use on the strange world of Stormwrack, solving seemingly impossible cases where no solution had been found before.
* New Worlds, Old Ways edited by Karen Lord
"The Caribbean has a powerful, modern tradition of fantastic literature that’s on full display in this anthology of original fiction by writers from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Bermuda . . . None of these writers is likely to be familiar to American audiences, but all are worth getting to know. Readers who love the writing of Nalo Hopkinson, Tobias S. Buckell, and Lord herself will savor this volume."
— Publisher's Weekly, Starred review
* Dreams of the Eaten by Arianne Tex Thompson
The stunning conclusion of this extraordinary trilogy. After trials by fire and thirst, Appaloosa Elim's quest to bring home the body of the crow prince is finally nearing its end. But the coffin is missing, the funeral party is hopelessly scattered, and the fishmen are hell-bent on revenge...
* Oathbreaker by J. Kathleen Cheney
From the world of Dreaming Death, we follow Amal, Lady Horn as she and her guards try to preserve one of the great secrets of Larossa: an abandoned Fortress. Amal, the chief of the Oathbreakers, is one of only a handful of people aware of the true dangers the abandoned Fortress of Salonen presents. The Cince Empire wants its secrets, and will do anything to get someone inside. Now the Horn Family must decide whether to wake the sleeping Fortress so it can defend itself against the Cince…or kill it forever.
* Free short story: The Evaluators: To Trade With Aliens, You Must Adapt by N.K. Jemisin
* and I highly recommend Will Do Magic For Small Change by Andrea Hairston, which I just finished reading and loved.
***
My Books
New: The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red a new novella from Tor.com, is up for preorder in ebook, and will be released in ebook and paperback on May 2, 2017.
Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, iBooks, Amazon Kindle, Kindle UK, Kindle Canada, and all other international Kindles.
(ETA: So it looks like the paperback is also up for preorder! It's cheaper on Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-systems-red-martha-wells/1125315290?ean=9780765397539 & https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765397536/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481743844&sr=8-1)
* The Harbors of the Sun, the last Raksura novel, is up for preorder in hardcover and ebook.
* The Edge of Worlds is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook, and up for preorder in paperback.
Books
* The Nature of a Pirate by A.M. Dellamonica
The Nature of a Pirate is the third book in acclaimed author, A.M. Dellmonica’s high seas, Stormwrack series. The Lambda Award nominated series begins with Child of a Hidden Sea. Marine videographer and biologist Sophie Hansa has spent the past few months putting her knowledge of science to use on the strange world of Stormwrack, solving seemingly impossible cases where no solution had been found before.
* New Worlds, Old Ways edited by Karen Lord
"The Caribbean has a powerful, modern tradition of fantastic literature that’s on full display in this anthology of original fiction by writers from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Bermuda . . . None of these writers is likely to be familiar to American audiences, but all are worth getting to know. Readers who love the writing of Nalo Hopkinson, Tobias S. Buckell, and Lord herself will savor this volume."
— Publisher's Weekly, Starred review
* Dreams of the Eaten by Arianne Tex Thompson
The stunning conclusion of this extraordinary trilogy. After trials by fire and thirst, Appaloosa Elim's quest to bring home the body of the crow prince is finally nearing its end. But the coffin is missing, the funeral party is hopelessly scattered, and the fishmen are hell-bent on revenge...
* Oathbreaker by J. Kathleen Cheney
From the world of Dreaming Death, we follow Amal, Lady Horn as she and her guards try to preserve one of the great secrets of Larossa: an abandoned Fortress. Amal, the chief of the Oathbreakers, is one of only a handful of people aware of the true dangers the abandoned Fortress of Salonen presents. The Cince Empire wants its secrets, and will do anything to get someone inside. Now the Horn Family must decide whether to wake the sleeping Fortress so it can defend itself against the Cince…or kill it forever.
* Free short story: The Evaluators: To Trade With Aliens, You Must Adapt by N.K. Jemisin
* and I highly recommend Will Do Magic For Small Change by Andrea Hairston, which I just finished reading and loved.
***
My Books
New: The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red a new novella from Tor.com, is up for preorder in ebook, and will be released in ebook and paperback on May 2, 2017.
Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, iBooks, Amazon Kindle, Kindle UK, Kindle Canada, and all other international Kindles.
(ETA: So it looks like the paperback is also up for preorder! It's cheaper on Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-systems-red-martha-wells/1125315290?ean=9780765397539 & https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765397536/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481743844&sr=8-1)
* The Harbors of the Sun, the last Raksura novel, is up for preorder in hardcover and ebook.
* The Edge of Worlds is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook, and up for preorder in paperback.
December 13, 2016
The Murderbot Diaries
http://publishing.tor.com/allsystemsred-mart…/9780765397522/
A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that blends HBO's Westworld with Iain M. Banks' Culture books.
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
It looks like you can preorder the "The Murderbot Diaries" novella soon, as soon as the various retail outlets update. It'll be out on May 2, with the sequel to follow in January 2018
A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that blends HBO's Westworld with Iain M. Banks' Culture books.
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
It looks like you can preorder the "The Murderbot Diaries" novella soon, as soon as the various retail outlets update. It'll be out on May 2, with the sequel to follow in January 2018
December 10, 2016
Washington Post: Secret CIA assessment says Russia was tr...
Washington Post: Secret CIA assessment says Russia was trying to help Trump win White House
According to several officials, McConnell raised doubts about the underlying intelligence and made clear to the administration that he would consider any effort by the White House to challenge the Russians publicly an act of partisan politics.
…
McConnell’s office did not respond to a request for comment. After the election, Trump chose McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, as his nominee for transportation secretary.
According to several officials, McConnell raised doubts about the underlying intelligence and made clear to the administration that he would consider any effort by the White House to challenge the Russians publicly an act of partisan politics.
…
McConnell’s office did not respond to a request for comment. After the election, Trump chose McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, as his nominee for transportation secretary.
December 7, 2016
The BTHOHate Protest
Last night, me, my husband, and a couple friends went to a protest against the Nazi Richard Spencer who was speaking on the TAMU campus. An outside group rented the room for him to speak in, and there were several counter protests plus an Aggie Unity event in Kyle Field with speakers and music starting at the same time. (BTHO means "Beat the hell out of" and is usually directed at rival football teams.) We posted some film on my facebook timeline, too.
Here's the local news on it:
http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/thousands-protest-white-supremacist-s-appearance-at-texas-a-m/article_550d2f6a-cf80-5d0d-98ec-dd173b801c65.html
http://www.kbtx.com/content/news/Arrests-made-during-large-mostly-peaceful-protest-on-Texas-AM-campus-405156326.html
Here's the local news on it:
http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/thousands-protest-white-supremacist-s-appearance-at-texas-a-m/article_550d2f6a-cf80-5d0d-98ec-dd173b801c65.html
http://www.kbtx.com/content/news/Arrests-made-during-large-mostly-peaceful-protest-on-Texas-AM-campus-405156326.html
December 6, 2016
B&N and Links
There was a problem with the hardcover preorder link at Barnes & Noble for The Harbors of the Sun, but it's fixed now http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-harbors-of-the-sun-martha-wells/1124243929?ean=9781597808910 The preorder for Nook is available now too.
* Here's info about Liberation Library Liberation Library provides books to youth in prison to encourage imagination, self-determination and connection to the outside worlds of their choosing. We believe access to books is a right, not a privilege. We believe books and relationships empower young people to change the criminal justice system.
You can donate books directly from their Amazon wishlist, send money, etc.
* And here's a helpful post from Captain Awkward: #917: "How to set boundaries with people who think boundaries and hurt are manipulative? AKA Help implementing boundary advice?"
December 5, 2016
Year End Round Up
Well, it's been a fucking horrible year. But here's a round-up of stuff I wrote and read:
Things Published
December 2015
"The Dark Gates" The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft, Journalstone Press.
Reja and her companions Fletcher and Tamith solve a mysterious disappearance.
"The Potter's Daughter" audio reprint at Episode 86 of the podcast Far-Fetched Fables, read by Diane Sieverson.
Kade Carrion before the events of The Element of Fire
January 2016
"Night at the Opera" audio reprint at Podcastle.
A noble Rienish family asks Reynard Morane to thwart a sorcerous blackmailer, and he recruits a reluctant Nicholas Valiarde to help.
April 2016
The Edge of Worlds Night Shade Books, ISBN 9781597808439. Hardcover, ebook, audiobook
Reviewed by the New York Times:
"The venerated pulp spirit in science fiction and fantasy has dwindled since the golden age of the 1920s to '50s. Yet an atavistic craving for adventure remains, and it is this need that Wells's books in general and the Raksura books in particular satisfy. The stories are straightforward adventure, but what makes Wells's "new pulp" feel fresh is its refusal to take the easier storytelling routes of its forebears. Rather than thinly veil an existing human society as alien others, for example, Wells - a master world builder - creates a multicultural world of humanized monsters...The result is breathtakingly surprising and fun. So for readers who missed earlier entry points to this delightful series, now is the time to get on board."
- New York Times
Forthcoming in 2017
January 2017
"Birthright" Mech: Age of Steel, Ragnarok Publications, ISBN 978-1941987858.
April 2017
The Edge of Worlds Night Shade Books, Paperback edition.
July 2017
The Harbors of the Sun Night Shade Books, ISBN 978-1597808910.
The last book in the Books of the Raksura series.
Also forthcoming: The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red, a novella from Tor.com in ebook and paperback and the sequel.
Words written in 2016: about 163832
Some of My Favorite Books:
Dreaming Death by J. Kathleen Cheney
The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
A Useful Woman by Darcie Wilde
Court of Fives and The Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
Unquiet Land by Sharon Shinn
A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson
Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Sacrifice by Cindy Pon
Things Published
December 2015
"The Dark Gates" The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft, Journalstone Press.
Reja and her companions Fletcher and Tamith solve a mysterious disappearance.
"The Potter's Daughter" audio reprint at Episode 86 of the podcast Far-Fetched Fables, read by Diane Sieverson.
Kade Carrion before the events of The Element of Fire
January 2016
"Night at the Opera" audio reprint at Podcastle.
A noble Rienish family asks Reynard Morane to thwart a sorcerous blackmailer, and he recruits a reluctant Nicholas Valiarde to help.
April 2016
The Edge of Worlds Night Shade Books, ISBN 9781597808439. Hardcover, ebook, audiobook
Reviewed by the New York Times:
"The venerated pulp spirit in science fiction and fantasy has dwindled since the golden age of the 1920s to '50s. Yet an atavistic craving for adventure remains, and it is this need that Wells's books in general and the Raksura books in particular satisfy. The stories are straightforward adventure, but what makes Wells's "new pulp" feel fresh is its refusal to take the easier storytelling routes of its forebears. Rather than thinly veil an existing human society as alien others, for example, Wells - a master world builder - creates a multicultural world of humanized monsters...The result is breathtakingly surprising and fun. So for readers who missed earlier entry points to this delightful series, now is the time to get on board."
- New York Times
Forthcoming in 2017
January 2017
"Birthright" Mech: Age of Steel, Ragnarok Publications, ISBN 978-1941987858.
April 2017
The Edge of Worlds Night Shade Books, Paperback edition.
July 2017
The Harbors of the Sun Night Shade Books, ISBN 978-1597808910.
The last book in the Books of the Raksura series.
Also forthcoming: The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red, a novella from Tor.com in ebook and paperback and the sequel.
Words written in 2016: about 163832
Some of My Favorite Books:
Dreaming Death by J. Kathleen Cheney
The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
A Useful Woman by Darcie Wilde
Court of Fives and The Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
Unquiet Land by Sharon Shinn
A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson
Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Sacrifice by Cindy Pon
