Bull Spec

Posted on 2013-04-18 at 14:41 by montsamu

I’m sneaking the “Friday Quick Updates” in a day early to get the word out about a fascinating-looking symposium at Duke University which starts today, “Community & Emergent Order in non-state spaces”, which features some interesting persons (Kim Stanley Robinson, David Friedman, Paul Cantor) and topics (“Vinge, Heinlein, the Sagas, and Me”, “The Future Is My State”). All talks are free and open to the public, for more info check the events listing below the pictures. This isn’t the only symposium, as NCSU is hosting another which starts tomorrow. There’s also events this weekend (Comics Fest at the Durham County Library, again see below) but of course I want to ask you to stop what you are doing and invite all your friends to the NC Speculative Fiction Night / Bull Spec #8 Launch Party event on Tuesday — just FIVE days away! OK, you’re back? On to the listings, which feature a few of the “NEW-NEW” recently announced events that I’ve added to the newsletter. I haven’t had a chance to update the handout flyer, or put together a good display flyer for the launch party, but, hey. That’s what the midnight hour is for, right?

political theory spring symposium

APRIL 2013

18 (Thursday) 7:30 pm — Science and Speculative Fiction Book Club at the NC Museum of Natural Science’s Nature Research Center, held every 3rd Thursday each month. The April book is Holy Fire by Bruce Sterling. More info: http://bit.ly/161TWtK

NEW-NEW: 18-19 (Thu-Fri) Duke University hosts a symposium entitled “Community and Emergent Order in Non-State Spaces” with talks from Kim Stanley Robinson, David Friedman, and Paul Cantor, among others. More info: http://english.duke.edu/news-events/archive/2013/04/15/symposium

NEW: 19-20 (Fri-Sat) — The CRDM program at NC State is hosting a research symposium on April 19-20 titled “Emerging Genres, Forms, Narratives—In New Media Environments.” More info: http://crdm.chass.ncsu.edu/sites/symposium/schedule

19-21 (Fri-Sun) — DeepSouthCon at JordanCon in Roswell, Georgia with guests Seanan McGuire, Eugie Foster, and Michael Whelan, along with the Phoenix and Rebel Awards.

NEW-NEW: 20 (Saturday) 10 am to 5:30 pm — Durham County Library presents its third annual Comics Fest with guests, prizes and activities for children, teens and adults at the Southwest Regional Library, 3605 Shannon Road. “This year’s guest cartoonists include Eisner winner Raina Telgemeier (Drama, Smile), Hugo winner Ursula Vernon (Digger, Dragonbreath), Harvey winner Scott Hampton (The Books of Magic, Batman), Eisner nominee Ben Towle (Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean) and Jan Burger (Uitke and the Magic Penny). Workshops and presentations will cover cartooning basics, visual storytelling and the comic art process from sketch to sales floor.” For details and a complete schedule, visit durhamcountylibrary.org/comicsfest or call 919-560-8590.

NEW: 23 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Durham’s Atomic Empire (formerly Sci-Fi Genre Comics and Games) hosts a World Book Night / NC Speculative Fiction Night / Bull Spec #8 Launch Party event. More info: /2013/03/21/announcement-world-book-night-nc-speculative-fiction-night-bull-spec-8-launch-party/

24-25 (Wed-Thu) — East Coast Game Conference at the Raleigh Convention Center. More info: http://www.ecgconf.com/

25 (Thursday) — Star Trek TNG episodes on the big screen continue on April 25th, with “Best of Both Worlds” parts 1 and 2. More info: http://trekmovie.com/2013/02/04/star-trek-tng-s3-best-of-both-worlds-film-single-discs-coming-april-30th-tng-theater-screening-april-25th/

NEW-NEW: 26 (Saturday) — Last day for the art exhibition Farfetched: Mad Science, Fringe Architecture & Visionary Engineering at NCSU’s Gregg Museum of Art & Design. More info: http://www.ncsu.edu/gregg/exhibitions.html

NEW: 26 (Saturday) 9 pm — Davenport & Winkleperry hosts THE CLOCKWORK BALL: A Steampunk Party: “Attention Pilots of Airships and their Crews, Mad Scientists, Explorers of the Unknown, Admirers of Verbosity, Respecters of the Strange, Those Lost in the Throes of Opium or Absinthe, Teetotalers, Scallywags, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dandies, Fops, and Urchins… Hosted by that darling duo, Emmett Davenport & Lady Nikolai Attercop. They will be spinning Jazz, Blues, Swing, Dark Cabaret, Gypsy Punk, & Dance music from times gone by or times that never were.”

MAY 2013

4 (Saturday) — Free Comic Book Day, including events and of course free comics at all participating shops. Ultimate Comics will be hosting a very large party/gathering/thing in and around their store, including two free Jeremy Whitley comic books, one a split issue featuring Princeless and Jamal Igle’s new title “Molly Danger” and the other an NFL RushZone book. Stay tuned for lineups and plans from other local stores!

6 (Monday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Daniel Wallace, new novel The Kings and Queens of Roam Book Launch!

NEW-NEW: 6 (Monday) 7:30 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts RHONDA RILEY for The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope. “This first-time novelist’s exquisite language draws the reader into this improbable, beautifully rendered, somewhat biblical love story with a wildly imaginative premise that is irresistible, tender, and provocative.”

7 (Tuesday) — Quail Ridge Books hosts DANIEL WALLACE – With The Kings & Queens Of Roam at 7:30 pm.

NEW-NEW: 10 (Friday) 7:30 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Hugo Award winner MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL for Without a Summer. “The magical book that might result if Jane Austen’s Emma were set against the Luddite uprising in the Year Without a Summer.”

Posted in Uncategorized

April Newsletter: Tony Daniel and David Drake, and NC Speculative Fiction Night with Bull Spec #8 Launch

Posted on 2013-04-04 at 19:09 by montsamu

Vol 3. No 4. April 4, 2013:

There is a lot to get to in this newsletter, from announcements, to local author publication notes, to new events, so: right to it, then!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

April 23 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Durham’s Atomic Empire (formerly Sci-Fi Genre Comics and Games) hosts a World Book Night / NC Speculative Fiction Night / Bull Spec #8 Launch Party event. Special Guests Rich Dansky, Steve Long, Justin Achilli, and Matthew Ross. Bull Spec Magazine Contributors Gwendolyn Clare, Rich Matrunick, Brenda Kalt, Peter Wood and Paul Celmer, and Alice Holleman. More info: /2013/03/21/announcement-world-book-night-nc-speculative-fiction-night-bull-spec-8-launch-party/
August 3 (Saturday) 7 to 9 pm -- Quail Ridge Books hosts the annual Bull Spec summer speculative fiction event. This year it is an absolutely fantastic lineup with Karen Lord, Nathan Ballingrud, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, and Will Hindmarch all coming up from the Shared Worlds Teen Writing Camp at Wofford College, being joined locally by Durham author Mur Lafferty. We had a blast hosting Ann and Jeff back in 2011 and it’s sure to be another great evening. More info: /2013/03/29/announcement-the-third-annual-bull-spec-summer-speculative-fiction-event/

PUBLICATION NOTES:

I thought I would pass along to you that my short story “The Breath Thief” will be appearing in Volume 9, Issue 3 of the Tales of The Talisman, which will be the winter 2013/14 issue. -- Karissa B. Sluss, Garner, NC
Big Pulp is running my story "A Question of Storage" as the cover for the March issue and copies have just hit the stands and ebookstores [Kobo link here]. -- John Bowker, Carrboro, NC
Crowded Magazine's debut issue (which includes my short story "Athlete's Foot") got reviewed in Tangent Online. "...The story is lighthearted and an entertaining read and I love the way Ferris caught the mindset of [protagonist] Tyler as an athlete desperately trying to stay in the sport he loves; the character is a major strength of the story." -- Bill Ferris, Chapel Hill, NC
Congratulations to Durham author Mur Lafferty on (again!) being nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer!
Congrats to Bull Spec poetry editor Dan Campbell, whose short story "All the Distances" has been shortlisted for the 2013 James White Award: http://www.jameswhiteaward.com/archives/795 -- additionally, Campbell has a story forthcoming in Something Wicked Volume Two

OTHER HIGHLIGHTED NEW EVENTS:

April 6 (Saturday) 7 pm — Bull Spec art director Gabriel Dunston is launching his new illustrated children’s book “The Castle on the Crag” at All Fun N Games in Cary, Saturday April 6th from 7pm-9pm (or later): http://www.firelightsmedia.com/2013/03/20/new-book-castle-on-the-crag/
April 19-20 (Fri-Sat) -- The CRDM program at NC State is hosting a research symposium on April 19-20 titled "Emerging Genres, Forms, Narratives—In New Media Environments." More info: http://crdm.chass.ncsu.edu/sites/symposium/schedule
May 18 (Saturday) 10 am -- Hillsborough author James Maxey will be teaching a class at the Orange County Library in Hillsboroug from 10 til noon called "Behind Every Great Book is a Great Rewrite." From Maxey: "It's going to start from the assumption that you've managed to write the first draft of a story or novel, and focus on the things that you should look to fix in later draft"
June 1 (Saturday) 7 to 9 pm -- Chapel Hill Comics hosts a launch party for Durham author Mur Lafferty's The Shambling Guide to New York City, forthcoming in late May from Orbit.

Whew! And amidst all this, I hope people enjoyed getting out and about in March, and now I need to get back to those final touches on the next Bull Spec -- for if it doesn't finally finally FINALLY go to the printers REAL SOON NOW, well, I'll be in a lot of trouble. So... I'll need to lean on you guys a bit for spreading the word about the launch party on April 23, and about the summer event on August 3, and... well, a lot of things. Thanks for your continued support and interest, and I can't want to start putting another issue into as many of your hands as possible.

-Sam

[PDF: handout-2013-04-04]

EVENT CALENDAR:

APRIL 2013

5-21 — NC Science Festival with events statewide. More info: http://www.ncsciencefestival.org/

NEW: 6 (Saturday) 7 pm — Bull Spec art director Gabriel Dunston is launching his new illustrated children’s book “The Castle on the Crag” at All Fun N Games in Cary, Saturday April 6th from 7pm-9pm (or later): http://www.firelightsmedia.com/2013/03/20/new-book-castle-on-the-crag/

9 (Tuesday) 7 pm — B&N of Cary hosts Tony Daniel and David Drake for The Heretic. More info: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/78969

13-14 (Saturday-Sunday) — Durham Arts Council’s Spring Art Walk. More info: http://durhamartwalk.com/

16 (Tuesday) 7 pm — RTSFS Hugo Book Club at the Barnes & Noble at The Streets at Southpoint, held every 3rd Tuesday each month. ~~The April book is the 2003 winner, Robert J. Sawyer’s Hominids.~~

19-21 (Fri-Sun) — DeepSouthCon at JordanCon in Roswell, Georgia with guests Seanan McGuire, Eugie Foster, and Michael Whelan, along with the Phoenix and Rebel Awards.

24-25 (Wed-Thu) — East Coast Game Conference at the Raleigh Convention Center. More info: http://www.ecgconf.com/

MAY 2013

6 (Monday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Daniel Wallace, new novel The Kings and Queens of Roam Book Launch!

7 (Tuesday) — Quail Ridge Books hosts DANIEL WALLACE – With The Kings & Queens Of Roam at 7:30 pm.

NEW: 18 (Saturday) 10 am — Hillsborough author James Maxey will be teaching a class at the Orange County Library in Hillsboroug from 10 til noon called “Behind Every Great Book is a Great Rewrite.” From Maxey: “It’s going to start from the assumption that you’ve managed to write the first draft of a story or novel, and focus on the things that you should look to fix in later draft”

29 (Wednesday) — Quail Ridge Books hosts JOHN SCALZI – Hugo Winner With The Human Division at 7:30 pm.

NEW-NEW: 30 (Thursday) 7 pm — The Regulator Bookshop hosts Ian Baucom for Through the Skylight: “two tantalizing tales magically intertwine, crossing cultures and spanning centuries as three kids set out to save the lives of three others—who just happen to live in the Middle Ages! A stone lion roars…A sleek black cat speaks…A faun leaps from the canvas of a painting…When Jared, Shireen, and Miranda are each given one glittering gift from an old Venetian shopkeeper, they never fathom the powers they are now able to unleash; they never expect that their very reality is about to be utterly upended. Danger, it seems, has a way of spanning centuries.”

JUNE 2013

May 31 – June 2 (Friday to Sunday) — ConCarolinas in Charlotte, with writer guest of honor Timothy Zahn. More info: http://www.concarolinas.org/

NEW: 1 (Saturday) 7 to 9 pm — Chapel Hill Comics hosts a launch party for Durham author Mur Lafferty’s The Shambling Guide to New York City, forthcoming in late May from Orbit.

NEW-NEW: 2 (Sunday) 3:00 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts SUSANNA KEARSLEY, The Firebird. “With a simple touch, she can see an object’s past. All who have wanted it. All who have owned it. All who have stolen it.”

5 (Wednesday) 7:30 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts mystery author WALTER MOSLEY – With Little Green.

NEW-NEW: 7 (Friday) 8 pm — The NC Symphony hosts “Video Games Live” presenting symphonic performances of video game themes. More info: http://www.ncsymphony.org/events/index.cfm?view=details&viewref=calendar&detailid=1063&eid=1850

NEW-NEW: 14 (Friday) 7:00 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts “Fierce Reads Tour” as “Five fantasy and sci-fi authors join us with their new books! ANNA BANKS, Of Poseidon and Of Triton; LEIGH BARDUGO, Shadow & Bone and Siege & Storm; JESSICA BRODY, Unremembered; EMMY LAYBOURNE, Monument 14 and Monument 14:Sky on Fire; and GENNIFER ALBIN,Crewel.” For ages 12+.

15 (Saturday) — Quail Ridge Books hosts fiction author KHALED HOSSEINI – With And The Mountains Echoed.

27 (Thursday) — A sf-themed even from the NC Symphony: ‘Join George Takei, “Mr. Sulu” of Star Trek fame, as he guides you through the galaxy accompanied by music from E.T., Star Wars, Close Encounters, and,of course, Star Trek.’ Go to http://ncsymphony.org/events/index.cfm?view=details&viewref=calendar&detailid=1019&eid=1752&sdate=6%2F1%2F2013 for tickets.

27-30 (Thursday to Sunday) — ConTemporal 2013 at the North Raleigh Hilton, beginning with the Thursday evening guest of honor dinner and continuing all weekend, as this Steampunk-themed convention is back for a second year. Guest of honor Ursula Vernon, along with Lee Martindale, Tom Smith, toastmaster Sal Sanfratello, and more. More info: http://contemporal.org/

JULY 2013

NEW-NEW: 10 (Wednesday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Alex Bledsoe for Wisp of a Thing, book two after The Hum and the Shiver in his new contemporary fantasy series.

NEW-NEW: 11 (Thursday) 7:30 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts STEPHEN KIERNAN for The Curiosity. “The Time Traveler’s Wife meets Michael Crichton in a powerful debut novel about a man frozen in ice for more than a century, who reawakens in the present day.”

28 (Sunday) — The annual NC Browncoats “Can’t Stop the Serenity” charity screening of Serenity at the Raleighwood Cinema Grill. Note that this is a ticketed event and tends to sell out completely in advance. More info: http://www.ncbrowncoats.com/2013/01/blog-post.html

AUGUST 2013

NEW: 3 (Saturday) 7 to 9 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts the annual Bull Spec summer speculative fiction event. This year it is an absolutely fantastic lineup with Karen Lord, Nathan Ballingrud, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, and Will Hindmarch all coming up from the Shared Worlds Teen Writing Camp at Wofford College, being joined locally by Durham author Mur Lafferty. We had a blast hosting Ann and Jeff back in 2011 and it’s sure to be another great evening. More info: /2013/03/29/announcement-the-third-annual-bull-spec-summer-speculative-fiction-event/

NEW-NEW: 27 (Tuesday) 7 pm — The Regulator Bookshop hosts NCSU professor Wilton Barnhardt for his forthcoming historical fiction satire novel Lookaway, Lookaway (St. Martin’s and Macmillan Audio, August 20).

OCTOBER 2013

4-6 (Friday to Sunday) — Second Escapist Expo at the Durham Convention Center. More info: http://www.escapistexpo.com/

NOVEMBER 2013

9-10 (Saturday and Sunday) — NC Comicon will be returning to the Durham Convention Center. “Twice the space, four times the fun. It’s exponential.”

JANUARY 2014

10-12 (Friday to Sunday) — illogiCon iii: The Search for Schrödington’s Gold at the Embassy Suites Raleigh-Durham/Research Triangle, with author guests of honor Mary Robinette Kowal and Lawrence M. Shoen. More info: http://www.illogicon.com/

JUNE 2014

(May 30) to June 1 (Friday to Sunday) — ConCarolinas in Charlotte, with guest of honor George R.R. Martin.

— END —

Posted in newsletter

The Exploding Spaceship Reviews The Heretic by Tony Daniel and David Drake

Posted on 2013-04-02 at 18:19 by angelablackwell

Review of The Heretic by Tony Daniel and David Drake

The Heretic (Baen, April 2, 2013) is the newest volume in the General series. In previous volumes, Raj Whitehall had been selected by the sentient battle computer Center to be the father of the future in a revived Federation. Then Raj and Center had succeeded on planet Belleview so they were copied into thousands of probes and sent into space. This volume tells of how they adopt a young local on planet Duisberg to start the cycle again.

The problem on Duisberg is that there is already a computer named Zentrum running the planet and the locals view it as a god. There are priest which worship it, follow its orders and do things to keep innovation from changing the technology level.

The volume is really a coming-of-age story for the young boy, Abel Dashian. At age six, while his father is meeting with the district priest, Abel opens a storehouse door and discovers a trove of forbidden holy objects called nishterlaub (things made of advanced metals and plastics). The probe which brought Center and Raj to Duisberg is among this trove. When Abel enters the storehouse, Raj and Center start talking to him and decide he is possibly the one they need. They enter his mind and adjust things so he can understand references to more modern technology and take him on a virtual experience of flying to show him his world.

Abel is so stubborn that he bashes himself on the head with a rock to get the voices out of his head, but all that does is make Center need to perform some brain-repair on him. While that is going on, Abel’s thoughts are sent inside Center where he can see a visual of Raj. The story follows Abel as he attends school and becomes a military cadet. He is sent out on patrol with the Scouts for the first time when he is twelve. The volume follows his progress to adulthood and higher rank in the military. Raj and Center need him to be in a position that he can change things when Zentrum decides to make a deal with barbarians in order to keep the technology level down.

It is not necessary to have read previous volumes to like and understand this one. It is very plot-oriented and stays focused on Abel with the AIs only occasionally intruding into his thoughts. This volume shares some concepts with previous ones, mainly the Raj and Center influence, the drive to change the society to make it ready for contact and the military battles. Abel is sort of like Raj in the early books, in that his tactics look at a bigger picture than most of the other officers. He usually comes out ahead and sometimes does something totally unexpected by the enemy (Redlanders on this world) because he thinks differently due to the influence of the AIs.

Abel is very likable, interesting and you really care that he is trying to survive in a world where the powers that be are manipulated by a control-freak AI. The supporting characters, particularly the priests who befriend Abel, are also well-rounded and interesting. There are some “becoming-a-man” scenes in a pleasure house which are amusing, and reveal something of the crazy culture on Duisberg as well, so watch for those as you read.

If you like your military SF to have an individual perspective, if you like land battles, or you just like well-written heroic adventures then this book is for you.

Posted in The Exploding Spaceship

Announcement: The third annual Bull Spec summer speculative fiction event!

Posted on 2013-03-29 at 19:26 by montsamu

March 29, 2013, DURHAM, NC — Bull Spec is delighted to announce its third annual summer speculative fiction event, to be held Saturday August 3, 2013 at Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh, NC from 7 to 9 pm. The event series once again hosts a selection of Wofford College’s Shared Worlds Teen Writing Summer Camp visiting writers, headlined by Mythopoeic and William L. Crawford Award-winning author Karen Lord — who is traveling from Barbados — and including Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, Will Hindmarch, Robert V.S. Redick, and Asheville’s Nathan Ballingrud, for an evening of readings, remarks, discussion, and a book signing. Additionally, joining the visiting authors will be Durham author Mur Lafferty. Ann and Jeff VanderMeer headlined the inaugural event in the series in 2011 with their anthology The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities and Jeff VanderMeer’s (along with S.J. Chambers) The Steampunk Bible, at Durham’s Fullsteam Brewery in partnership with The Regulator Bookshop, while this marks the first local readings for Lord, Hindmarch, and Ballingrud. Following the reading, from 9 pm to 11 pm, The Raleigh Review is hosting a reception (also free and open to the public) at their Writers’ Loft.

The Night of the Swarm (The Chathrand Voyage, #4) The Shambling Guide to New York City

ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS:

Karen Lord has been a physics teacher, a diplomat, a part-time soldier and an academic at various times and in various countries. She is now a writer and research consultant in Barbados. Her debut novel Redemption in Indigo won the 2008 Frank Collymore Literary Award, the 2010 Carl Brandon Parallax Award, the 2011 William L. Crawford Award, the 2011 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature, and the 2012 The Kitcshies Golden Tentacle Award for Best Debut Novel. It was also longlisted for the 2011 Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature and nominated for the 2011 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Her latest novel The Best of All Possible Worlds won the 2009 Frank Collymore Literary Award, and was just published worldwide by Jo Fletcher Books.

Will Hindmarch is a Chicago-based freelance writer and designer with numerous professional credits as author, developer, and graphic designer on games, books, and magazines. He previously worked with Green Ronin Publishing as developer of the likes of the Dragon Age RPG. Will’s writing has appeared in The Escapist, Atlanta magazine, Geek Monthly, Everywhere and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. He was a judge for the MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning competition in 2007, 2010, and 2011.

Robert V.S. Redick is the author of The Chathrand Voyage Quartet, recently completed with book 4, The Night of the Swarm, in February. Redick studied literature and Russian at the University of Virginia, tropical conservation and development at the University of Florida, and fiction writing in the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC. He has worked as the editor for the Spanish and French websites of the antipoverty organization Oxfam America, and as an instructor in the International Development, Community & Environment (IDCE) Department at Clark University in Worcester, MA.

Nathan Ballingrud won the Shirley Jackson Award for “The Monsters of Heaven.” His stories have appeared in Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy, Lovecraft Unbound, Teeth: Vampire Tales, and Inferno: New Tales of Terror, among other places, and have been reprinted in Year’s Best anthologies several times. His first book, North American Lake Monsters: Stories, will have just been published by Small Beer Press prior to the event.

Ann VanderMeer currently serves as an acquiring short fiction editor for Tor.com, Cheeky Frawg Books, and Weirdfictionreview.com. She was the editor-in-chief for Weird Tales for five years, during which time she was nominated three times for the Hugo Award, winning one. Along with nominations for the Shirley Jackson Award, she also has won a World Fantasy Award and a British Fantasy Award for co-editing The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories. Other projects have included Best American Fantasy, two Steampunk anthologies, and a humor book, The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals. Her latest anthologies include Steampunk III: Steampunk Revolution, The Time Traveler’s Almanac, and an as-yet anthology of feminist speculative fiction.

Jeff VanderMeer has been published in over twenty countries. He recently signed a three-book, six-figure deal with Farrar, Straus & Giroux. His novels have made the year’s best lists of the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle, and he is the recipient of both an NEA-funded Florida Individual Writers’ Fellowship and Travel Grant. VanderMeer is a three-time winner of the World Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Nebula, Hugo, Philip K. Dick, and Shirley Jackson Awards, among others. He also regularly reviews books for the New York Times Book Review, the Guardian, Los Angeles Times Book Review, and the Washington Post. He has lectured at MIT, the Library of Congress, and many other institutions. He has a forthcoming writing book: WonderBook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction, and his Southern Reach trilogy, forthcoming from Farrar, Straus & Giroux in early 2014, has been optioned by Paramount Pictures.

Mur Lafferty is the author of Playing For Keeps, The Afterlife Series, and Marco and the Red Granny. She recently stepped down as the editor of Escape Pod magazine and is a pioneer podcaster behind the shows I Should Be Writing and the Angry Robot Books Podcast. Her novel The Shambling Guide to New York City will be published by Orbit in late May.

ABOUT THE EVENT SERIES:

2011: At Fullsteam Brewery in conjunction with The Regulator Bookshop, with Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, S.J. Chambers, Ekaterina Sedia, Scott Eagle, Mur Lafferty, Jeremy L.C. Jones, Nadine Wilson, and Dale Mettam, featuring The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, The Steampunk Bible, and Bull Spec #6.
2012: At Flyleaf Books, with T.C. McCarthy and Michael J. Sullivan, featuring Chimera, The Heir of Novron, and Bull Spec #7.

ABOUT SHARED WORLDS:

Shared Worlds is a two-week residential summer camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, based on a “shared world” theme. A shared world is a growing trend in fiction that centers around a complete, fictional world designed by a group. During Wofford’s Shared World program, students will design fantasy worlds with other young, creative writers and share those worlds through fiction, art, and game design.

ABOUT BULL SPEC:

Bull Spec was founded by publisher Samuel Montgomery-Blinn (Durham, NC) in 2009 to give a voice and vehicle to the area’s writers, artists, and critics of science fiction and fantasy. The eighth issue of the print magazine is forthcoming, to be launched on World Book Night, Tuesday, April 23 at Durham’s Atomic Empire at 7 pm.

ABOUT THE RALEIGH REVIEW:

The Raleigh Review is a literary and arts magazine founded in 2010, supported by United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, with funds from the United Arts campaign as well as the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. Their Writers’ Loft is located in Raleigh’s Sunset Hills Neighborhood at 3039 Medlin Drive.

[Facebook Event]

RELATED EVENTS

Sunday August 4: The Orange County Library hosts Karen Lord for a "meet the author" event at its Main Library in Hillsborough, starting at 4 pm.

Monday August 5: The Chapel Hill Library hosts Karen Lord for a "meet the author tea". Refreshments start at 3:30 with the program starting at 4 pm.

Monday August 5: Flyleaf Books hosts Karen Lord for a reading and signing of The Best of All Possible Worlds. From 7 to 8 pm.

Posted in Uncategorized

Friday Quick Updates: Ursula Vernon tonight! Then: ConTemporal at UNC-TV, Jeaniene Frost, and Richard Case

Posted on 2013-03-22 at 19:37 by montsamu

Before I get to the imminently forthcoming events, I have to take a quick moment to thank Jaym Gates again for putting the April 23 World Book Night / NC Speculative Fiction Night / Bull Spec Launch Party extravaganza together. It’s going to be a great lineup of game designers and writers, authors, translators, and a huge crew of Bull Spec #8 contributors, and I hope a whole lot of you (and your friends and random strangers!) help make it a great night. (And it will be good to see Jaym again after far too long as well!) OK, that’s done, so on to the upcoming events!

Dragonbreath #8: Nightmare of the Iguana Jeaniene Frost

MARCH 2013

22 (Friday) 7 pm — B&N of Cary hosts Hugo Award winning Pittsboro graphic novelist Ursula Vernon for book #8 in her Danny Dragonbreath series of graphic novels for young readers, “Nightmare of the Iguana”. More info: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/4231658

23 (Saturday) 6:15 pm to 11:30 pm — ConTemporal 2013 will be promoted live on UNC-TV as part of taking phone calls for a UNC-TV pledge drive. “We will be taking pledges live on TV from UNC TV viewers. Please come dressed to show off your best Steampunk costuming! Costuming is not required but strongly encouraged. Why: UNC TV will be promoting ConTemporal 2013 live on air as part of this event. We must have a minimum of 20 volunteers to qualify for promotion. Please invite your friends, family and anyone interested in Steampunk and ConTemporal.” Training for volunteers begins promptly at 6:30, at 10 T.W. Alexander Drive in Durham.More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/533874939997393/?ref=3

28 (Thursday) 7 pm — B&N of Cary hosts Jeaniene Frost for Twice Tempted. More info: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/79120

29 (Friday) 6-9 pm — Hillsborough’s Skylight Gallery hosts local artist Richard Case for an evening of art and music. From Case: “Some of my recent work with Jeff Mcfadyen… Hope to see some locals come out to Hillsborough to see some art, hear some music and hobnob in a general sort of way.” More info: http://www.skylightgallerync.com/jem/Welcome.html

29-31 (Friday to Sunday) — Durham’s Atomic Empire (formerly Sci-Fi Genre Comics and Games) hosts a 3-day Magic: Vintage tournament. More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/251182025017359/

APRIL 2013

5-21 — NC Science Festival with events statewide. More info: http://www.ncsciencefestival.org/

6 (Saturday) 7 pm — Bull Spec art director Gabriel Dunston is launching his new illustrated children’s book “The Castle on the Crag” at All Fun N Games in Cary, Saturday April 6th from 7pm-9pm (or later): http://www.firelightsmedia.com/2013/03/20/new-book-castle-on-the-crag/

9 (Tuesday) 7 pm — B&N of Cary hosts Tony Daniel and David Drake for The Heretic. More info: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/78969

Posted in Uncategorized

Announcement: World Book Night / NC Speculative Fiction Night / Bull Spec #8 Launch Party!

Posted on 2013-03-22 at 02:14 by montsamu

North Carolina Speculative Fiction Night

Presented by Bull Spec Magazine

Hosted by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn and Jaym Gates

Celebrating World Book Night, North Carolina Authors, and Bull Spec Magazine

Atomic Empire, 7pm, Tuesday, April 23, 2013

3400 Westgate Drive, Suite 14B

Durham, NC 27707

Special Guests

Rich Dansky, Steve Long, Justin Achilli, Matthew Ross

Bull Spec Magazine Contributors

Gwendolyn Clare, Rich Matrunick, Brenda Kalt, Peter Wood and Paul Celmer, Alice Holleman

Join fellow writers, artists, critics, readers, and fans of science fiction and fantasy to celebrate World Book Night with a panel of local and regional creators. Guests will read, discuss, and sign their work, ranging from the Monster Hunters International game by Steve Long to a new short story collection, Snowbird Gothic, by Richard Dansky to a new English translation of best-selling French fantasy novel, Six Heirs: The Secret of Ji by Matthew Ross, to the launch of the latest issue of Bull Spec Magazine.

Snowbird Gothic Six Heirs (The Secret of Ji, #1)

Atomic Empire, formerly Sci-Fi Genre Comics & Games, is Durham's premiere home for board, trading card, roleplaying games, and miniatures, comics and graphic novels, and, as it happens, a great selection of draft and bottled beer. It also boasts a "local authors" book section and a huge area of tables for open gaming and tournaments.

Bull Spec was founded in 2009 to give a voice and vehicle to the area's writers, artists, and critics of science fiction and fantasy.

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[Facebook Event] [Goodreads Event]

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COLOR PDF: launch-party-8

GRAYSCALE PDF: launch-party-8-bw

Posted in Uncategorized

The Exploding Spaceship Middle Grades Family Reading Edition: Review of Mirage by Jenn Reese

Posted on 2013-03-20 at 04:22 by angelablackwell

Review of Mirage by Jenn Reese (Candlewick Press, March 5, 2013).

Mirage is the second volume of the Above World middle grades science fiction series by Jenn Reese.

Most middle grades books in the science fiction and fantasy area are fantasy; an actual science fiction adventure without fantasy elements is rare. This series is science fiction set on an Earth where groups of humans were adapted for different extreme environments because of planet-wide ecological issues. Different groups of people live under the ocean, in the high mountains, and in the desert. The main character of the series is Aluna, a girl from an isolationist undersea community. She decides that the elders will never solve the community’s problems so she must do it. In the first volume she is too young to have a tail instead of legs, but when she reaches 13 and can swallow the seed which will change her legs into a tail, her lack of respect for authority gets her kicked out of the coming-of-age ceremony. She simply takes her seed with her and runs away to the surface. As the second book opens, she and her friends are traveling in the desert after having defeated the evil clone man who was restricting the power to the underwater cities of Aluna’s people.

They go to warn the desert Equians of the evil clones who are trying to take control of the various cities. Things don’t go as planned since the clone is already there and entrenched with the leadership. The group picks up some new friends and has another trip through the desert to another desert city but it is inhabited by Serpenti. Dash had made friends with one when the Equians captured a couple of Serpenti, so they are given refuge and healed rather than killed. There is a big gathering of Equians where the leader of all the tribes will be determined, so all the young people and their friends attend and take part. Will the evil clone be revealed as the dishonorable woman she is or will the High Khan be fooled?

This book is an exciting science fiction adventure with horses, martial arts, geeks who repair technology, and young teen characters who bond together and make their own family. Also Aluna and Dash seem to have a bit of love interest starting up. The cover art on both volumes would never have led us to pick them up as the designs in no way depict science fiction, but because Reese’s name was known to us from a previous adult book with a martial arts heroine that we really liked (Jade Tiger, published by Juno in 2007), we saw her announcement on Facebook and went in search of them. You should, too.

The female lead is strong and an independent thinker who realizes that the adults are wrong to not seek help from other groups. All the adults seem to be bound by honor and they nearly let honor cause them to kill young teens who disagree with them. The martial arts training Aluna does as she moves around between groups is well done and realistic. The psychology of Aluna in regards to her training was particularly well done, and rang completely true with Your Humble Reviewers, who have some years of martial arts experience themselves. The science is not dealt with in-depth because of the age level, but given the far future time period and that everything was done by gene modification, nothing jumped out as being implausible.

A science fiction adventure with a martial arts heroine who rides an intelligent horse and has a boyfriend who wields a big sword? What young person wouldn’t love it? Aluna’s two techie best friends are also a couple, one a winged girl from the mountain area and the other a younger boy from Aluna’s village who has followed her across the world. All four are strong and interesting characters that have formed sibling-like bonds as they have traveled, fought, and rescued each other.

Posted in The Exploding Spaceship

The Exploding Spaceship Reviews The Golden Age of Death by Amber Benson

Posted on 2013-03-18 at 04:02 by angelablackwell

Review of The Golden Age of Death by Amber Benson (Ace Feb 26, 2013)

This is the fifth volume of Amber Benson’s stories about Calliope Reaper-Jones (Callie), the daughter of the Grim Reaper. The Reaper himself is deceased, making Callie the CEO of his company Death, Inc. Callie is like many 20-somethings, with worries about her job and its future, her family and her boyfriend.

However, her job is now to be Death and to survive the attacks of the ender of Death who killed her father. When the situation in the afterlife is so bad that the ender of death wants to ally with Death, then the whole universe must be on the verge of self-destruction.

Her family and her boyfriend want to help, but they can’t cooperate, so instead of heeding the advice of Jarvis the butler they all do their own thing, causing an even more complicated situation that results in more deaths.

Callie is starting to get the hang of being the boss so she gives her family a proper earful but still has a blind spot about her boyfriend Daniel. She does hear the truth about him from a friend but still doesn’t believe it. Seeing the good side of everyone may not be a survival trait for Death.

Callie and her supporting cast are well developed characters who will draw you in to their crazy funny world. The afterlife run as a company? Death living in Newport, Rhode Island with a hell hound puppy who talks? Benson has created a profoundly insane world, but it is immensely entertaining, with hot characters of both sexes and many strange couples of several persuasions.

It is very tightly plotted and is written as a mystery with no one knowing all the pieces until the end. Without the tight plotting all the groups of characters running around in this volume would be confusing, but Benson manages to run the groups into each other and separate characters off in ways which keep things moving.

As the title of this volume implies, Callie reaches an agreement which will end some of the fighting, but of course different enemies will appear in the future. Both her mom and her sister appear to have found boyfriends so the family drama will now have additional characters. Hopefully we will see more from crazy Calliope in the near future.

Posted in The Exploding Spaceship

Friday quick updates: Big event announcements, The Court of Air, book groups, ConTemporal visits UNC-TV, and more

Posted on 2013-03-15 at 17:04 by montsamu

First, two major event announcements, in brief as we’re still working on the full write-ups for both. But, since beans are spilling left and right:

Tuesday, April 23, 7 to 9 pm: Durham's Atomic Empire (formerly Sci-Fi Genre Comics & Games) hosts a World Book Night / NC Speculative Fiction Night / Bull Spec #8 Launch Party! Confirmed participants include Richard Dansky, Steve Long, Justin Achilli, Jaym Gates, Matthew Ross, and Bull Spec #8 contributors Gwendolyn Clare, Rich Matrunick, Brenda Kalt, Alice Holleman, and Peter Wood and Paul Celmer.
Saturday, August 3, 7 to 9 pm: Raleigh's Quail Ridge Books hosts the third annual Bull Spec summer speculative fiction reading, welcoming a selection of Wofford College's Shared Worlds visiting writers to the area including Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, Karen Lord, Will Hindmarch, and Asheville’s Nathan Ballingrud, for an evening of readings, remarks, discussion, and a book signing.

Yeah! Look for bigger/splashier posts about these events very, very soon. Meanwhile, speaking of very soon, this weekend's and other upcoming events, including a call for volunteers to help promote ConTemporal during an on-air UNC-TV fundraiser:

March 15 (Friday) 6 pm — Wake Forest’s Story Teller Book Store hosts “A Gathering of Authors” including paranormal fantasy author Steve Stone. More info: http://www.storystorewf.com/index.php/Events.html

March 16 (Saturday) 9 pm — Historic downtown Pittsboro’s Davenport & Winkleperry hosts THE COURT OF AIR: A Steampunk Fairy Tale Ball: “Lovers of Fantasy and Faerie come and escape to a land far, far away… Featuring an early performance by THUNDER & SPICE.”

March 17 (Sunday) 5 to 8 pm — Triangle Barcraft hosts a viewing party for Major League Gaming’s Winter Championships, at Blinco’s Sports Restaurant and Bar in Raleigh. More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/226967414114684/

March 19 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts A. J. HARTLEY – With Children’s Fantasy Darwen Arkwright & The Insidious Bleck.

March 19 (Tuesday) 7 pm to 9 pm — RTSFS book group at the Barnes & Noble at the Streets of Southpoint in Durham, discussing Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. More info for RTSFS Facebook Group members: https://www.facebook.com/events/233813673429260/

March 21 (Thursday) 7:30 pm — Interest meeting for a new monthly sf reading and discussion group, run by Kate Maddalena at Raleigh’s NC Museum of Science, to be held every third Thursday. PDF flier with more info: http://bit.ly/161TWtK

March 22 (Friday) 7 pm — B&N of Cary hosts Hugo Award winning Pittsboro graphic novelist Ursula Vernon for book #8 in her Danny Dragonbreath series of graphic novels for young readers, “Nightmare of the Iguana”. More info: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/4231658

March 23 (Saturday) 6:15 pm to 11:30 pm — ConTemporal 2013 will be promoted live on UNC-TV as part of taking phone calls for a UNC-TV pledge drive. “We will be taking pledges live on TV from UNC TV viewers. Please come dressed to show off your best Steampunk costuming! Costuming is not required but strongly encouraged. Why: UNC TV will be promoting ConTemporal 2013 live on air as part of this event. We must have a minimum of 20 volunteers to qualify for promotion. Please invite your friends, family and anyone interested in Steampunk and ConTemporal.” Training for volunteers begins promptly at 6:30, at 10 T.W. Alexander Drive in Durham.More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/533874939997393/?ref=3

March 28 (Thursday) 7 pm — B&N of Cary hosts Jeaniene Frost for Twice Tempted. More info: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/79120

March 29-31 (Friday to Sunday) — Durham’s Atomic Empire (formerly Sci-Fi Genre Comics and Games) hosts a 3-day Magic: Vintage tournament. More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/251182025017359/

Posted in Uncategorized

The Exploding Spaceship Teen Family Reading Edition: Review of The Cadet of Tildor

Posted on 2013-03-15 at 03:26 by angelablackwell

Review of The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell

The Cadet of Tildor is a new Penguin teen fantasy book which came out January 10, 2013.

This is a teen coming-of-age tale featuring a female military academy cadet named Renee de Winter. She is a nobleman’s daughter who wants to prove her place is with the elite soldiers, she tries her hardest to survive to graduation even when downgraded on her fighting skills. Will she be one of the two cadets cut at the end of the term?

Renee is a small, quick female warrior who at the beginning of the story tries to use strength and power to overcome opponents, as she did when she and the male cadets were younger and closer to the same size. Now that they are all almost to adulthood, this tactic does not work. A new instructor makes her see she must adjust to the new size differences with a change in tactics, although at first even though she can execute the moves, she does not see it as a proper way to win because she misunderstands the purpose of the student battles: it is not about physical power but about using your head to win. It takes some time and some maturity gained through some actual combat to get the concept through Renee’s head. Her relationship with the new instructor is a complex one, and there are hints that, perhaps when there is no longer a student/teacher taboo, things might take a romantic turn.

The fight sequences are detailed enough to make them believable without appearing over-researched. The different fighters use styles which strongly reflect their personalities, and Renee is shown to be able to read them all well enough to guess her opponent’s tactics in most cases. This should be the case with fighters who have trained frequently for several years together, but many books don’t contain this idea, so kudos to Lidell for well-done training group relationships.

The universe Lidell has depicted has tight constraints on magic because mages are born not made and untrained ones are rather wild and destructive until they can contain their magic. The requirement that all mages register by the age of thirteen is, however, a point of contention in Tildor and finding unregistered mages who do not fit the destructive image portrayed by the government puts her in a moral quandary. Should she turn unregistered mages in if they are helping the community, pose no danger and are trying to train others to not be dangerous either?

Lidell used her horseback riding and first aid knowledge to good effect without too much detail to distract readers, but enough that the horses have their own personalities in some cases and that the very injured act appropriately.

For lovers of a good warrior’s tale this is a good read for adults or teens. Some of the physical and ethical dilemmas faced by the characters would certainly make this book an interesting one for group or family discussions. This is an excellent first novel and hopefully we will see more from Alex Lidell.

Content note for parents: This teen book has slavery, torture and fight scenes which might upset a sensitive reader.

Posted in The Exploding Spaceship

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