Author Archives: montsamu

Newsletter 2023.2: Nathan Ballingrud’s The Strange, T. Kingfisher’s A House With Good Bones, FantaSci 2023 with Richard A. Knaak and Howard Andrew Jones, and more

Vol 11 No 2. Wednesday, March 22, 2023: New events, new books, awards news, let’s get right to it! New events since the last newsletter first, since the first of these is literally tonight: Asheville’s Nathan Ballingrud (North American Lake … Continue reading

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Newsletter 2023.1: Leigh Bardugo, Grady Hendrix, new and returning conventions, new books, and more

Vol 11 No 1. Wednesday, January 11, 2023: OK, so, the past three years have been… something. (Understatement much?) As we navigate how to have in-person events again, there’s a few of note this month, along with a year of … Continue reading

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Review: Queen of None by Natania Barron

In which a publisher sends an advance review copy of Chapel Hill author Natania Barron’s forthcoming novel to me, but my wife claims it as her own: When Anna Pendragon was born, Merlin prophesied: “Through all the ages, and in … Continue reading

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Newsletter 2020.1: Voices Rising, Kwame Mbalia, Scott Reintgen, Kim Stanley Robinson, Madeline Miller, and more

Vol 10 No 1. Friday, January 10, 2020: Well. It’s been a while, eh? It’s a good thing absolutely nothing happened since May of last year, or else this newsletter would get quite unwieldy! Seriously though, there will needs be … Continue reading

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May Newsletter: Zeno Alexander, Valerie Nieman, Lewis Shiner, Free Comic Book Day, Star Wars Day, and more

Vol 9 No 2. Saturday, May 4, 2019: May the 4th be with you. (And also with you.) It’s Star Wars day, it’s Free Comic Book Day, it’s book release party day for “secretive” Durham author Zeno Alexander’s The Library … Continue reading

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January Newsletter: Robin Kirk, Holly Black, illogiCon with Annalee Newitz, and more

Vol 9 No 1. Sunday, January 6, 2019: Happy New Year and welcome to 2019! From upcoming events both this month and next, new local and regional conventions, some long-omitted news, and even a few new books, here’s what’s happening … Continue reading

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February Newsletter: Colson Whitehead, John Darnielle, John Kessel, the Playthrough Gaming Convention, and more

Vol 8 No 1. Tuesday, February 6, 2018: It really has taken this long to emerge from my illogiCon-induced contemplations. So many news books and authors that I had to retroactively add back in to The year in NC science fiction and … Continue reading

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The year in NC science fiction and fantasy, part 3 of 3: Beyond the Triangle

Picking up as promised from part 2, which was a deeper dive covering new books from the greater Raleigh-Durham area, let’s take a look at the incredible variety (and volume!) of speculative fiction published last year from across North Carolina, … Continue reading

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The year in NC science fiction and fantasy, part 2 of 3: The Rest of What’s Best from the Triangle

Wait, what’s this? New non-newsletter content at bullspec.com?! Yes, indeed! But, you say, part 2? Where’s part 1? I’m glad you asked! I was very pleased indeed that Indy Week editor Brian Howe invited me to contribute another “local books in review” … Continue reading

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November newsletter: NC Comicon Bull City, Leigh Statham, Michele Tracy Berger and Nicole Givens Kurtz, Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower: The Opera, and more

Vol 7 No 7. Friday, November 10, 2017: Well, this one’s coming a bit later in the month than I’d like, but what else is new, eh? Hopefully not too many of you missed the Zine Machine Printed Matter Festival or the Fall Steampunk … Continue reading

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