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Month: January 2017

Goth Chick News: Game Over Man, Game Over

Goth Chick News: Game Over Man, Game Over

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Having been exceptionally good this year, relatively speaking, Santa brought me the second-most-wished-for item on my list.  I sort of understand why it really wasn’t in Santa’s power to bring my most-wished-for “Men of Black Gate” calendar, but the second item was almost as awesome – a Virtual Reality (VR) headset.

If you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing one of these such as the Oculus Rift, then you know how next-level-amazing it is for total immersion into movies and gaming; so much so that the units come riddled with all manner of warnings about motion sickness and disorientation.

Now, imagine the possibilities when considering using it within the horror genre.

Specifically something like the Aliens franchise.

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Writing Life: The Arrow Storm

Writing Life: The Arrow Storm

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We call it the arrow storm

We — well a mate and I  — call it the Arrow Storm. It’s like Seth Godin’s Dip, but different. The experience looms large in the lives of professional creatives, but it’s not unique to us. Let me explain.

Imagine you’re a knight. Your enemies are a bunch of  peasants on top of a hill. Once you get amongst them with your sword, they are almost literally mincemeat:

[The peasants] shouted out, and cried, “Put him to death.” When he heard this, he let his horse go; and drawing a handsome Bordeaux sword, he began to skirmish, and soon cleared the crowd from about him, that it was a pleasure to see.

Some [peasants] attempted to close with him; but with each stroke he gave, he cut off heads, arms, feet or legs. There were no so bold but were afraid; and Sir Robert [Salle] performed that day marvellous feats of arms. These wretches were upwards of forty thousand… he killed twelve of them, besides many whom he wounded. (source)

Whee! And that’s just one (doomed) knight without any armour or backup. In this scenario, you are advancing with your comrades and you have you armour.

Unfortunately, these peasants are armed with longbows.

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Andrew Liptak Selects the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of 2016

Andrew Liptak Selects the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of 2016

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Andrew Liptak, the weekend editor at The Verge, has produced his own list of The 11 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of 2016, and it’s a very fine list indeed — solidifying the consensus around some of the strongest titles of 2016 (Charlie Jane Anders’ All the Birds in the Sky, N.K. Jemisin’s The Obelisk Gate, sequel to her Hugo Award winning The Fifth Season), and adding several overlooked titles to the discussion (Ken Liu’s The Wall of Storms, Ben H. Winters’ Underground Airlines, and one that’s not even a novel — Ann and Jeff Vandermeer’s Big Book of Science Fiction, one of my favorite books of the year).

Andrew’s list also makes fine reading for those, like me, who delight in the subtle art of the plot summary. Here he is on Malka Older’s Infomocracy (Tor.com, June).

In a year with a contentious election, it would seem that reading a book about a futuristic election might be a bit much. That’s not the case with Malka Older’s Infomocracy. Set in the indeterminate future, the world is divided into small districts, and the party that controls the most districts controls policy for the entire planet. Infomocracy is a intellectually stimulating thriller that follows a handful of characters who work for various political parties and election systems. The story hinges on how a voting public receives and interprets information — and how parties manipulate that perception. It’s a book that’s all too relevant in 2016.

Here’s his summary for Allen Steele’s Arkwright (Tor Books, March).

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Visiting the Two Towers in Bologna

Visiting the Two Towers in Bologna

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The Garisenda Tower on the left measures 48 meters high.
The Asinelli Tower soars to 97.2 meters. Both now stand at a slight tilt

Happy 2017 everybody! I spent the last few days of 2016 with my family in Bologna, exploring a part of Italy I had never visited. The most prominent landmarks in the city are a series of tall medieval towers, the tallest of which you can climb to get a beautiful vista of Bologna and the surrounding countryside.

Rich families in Bologna began to build towers in the 12th century, both for defense and to show off their wealth and power. Bologna wasn’t the only city where people did this — Rome had some lovely examples — but Bologna may have had the most towers. Historians estimate that by the 13th century, there may have been as many as 180 of them. Others make a more modest estimate of “only” 80-100.

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Beneath Ceaseless Skies 215 Now Available

Beneath Ceaseless Skies 215 Now Available

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beneath-ceaseless-skies-215-smallIssue #215 of Beneath Ceaseless Skies is now available, completely free on their website. It is dated December 22 and features fiction by Linden A. Lewis and Jordan Kurella, and a reprint by Erin Cashier.

Charles Payseur at Quick Sip Reviews was enthusiastic about both new stories. Here’s the intro to his review of “The True and Otherworldly Origins of the Name ‘Calamity Jane'” by Jordan Kurella.

This story makes me want to know more about history. So mission accomplished on that! It also gets my blood pumping, as it’s an action-packed fantasy Western with a fast pace and a fun (slightly creepy) aesthetic. Seriously, this piece takes a fantastical look back at the Old West to look at Jane, a woman who’s tried to get out of the fairy-hunting game ever since Earl, her partner, disappeared. Of course, with fairies and deals and trying to get out of the game, there’s always something that pulls a person back in. So it is with Jane when a pair of fairies steals an entire town’s worth of people in an attempt to draw Jane into a bad deal…

Read Charles’s complete review here.

Here’s the complete Table of Contents for issue 215.

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Generation Ships and Martian Rebels: Rich Horton on 200 Years to Christmas by J. T. McIntosh and Rebels of the Red Planet by Charles L. Fontenay

Generation Ships and Martian Rebels: Rich Horton on 200 Years to Christmas by J. T. McIntosh and Rebels of the Red Planet by Charles L. Fontenay

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In its 26-year history (1952-1978) the Ace Double series published over 520 SF novels and collections, including original work by some of the greatest SF writers of the 20th Century, such as Philip K. Dick, Jack Vance, Poul Anderson, Robert Silverberg, Samuel R. Delany, Fritz Leiber, Clifford D. Simak, John Brunner, Brian Aldiss, and many others.

Of course, it also published writers who aren’t nearly as well remembered today, like Margaret St. Clair, Kenneth Bulmer, Robert Moore Williams, Charles de Vet, William F. Temple, Robert Lowndes, Jack Sharkey, Jerry Sohl, and others. As you probably suspect, not all of those books are winners, but there’s plenty of interesting stuff buried in the dusty nooks and crannies of the Ace library.

And Rich Horton is the guy to find it. He has an ongoing series of reviews of Ace Doubles at his website, Strange at Ecbatan. Recently he talked about a forgotten Ace Double from 1961 by two writers I’m unfamiliar with: the generation-ship tale 200 Years to Christmas by J. T. McIntosh, and a novel of forbidden genetic experiments and rebellion on Mars, Rebels of the Red Planet by Charles L. Fontenay.

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Future Treasures: Crossroads of Canopy by Thoraiya Dyer

Future Treasures: Crossroads of Canopy by Thoraiya Dyer

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Thoraiya Dyer is an Australian writer who has published short fiction in Clarkesworld, Apex, Cosmos, Analog, and multiple anthologies. Crossroads of Canopy, her debut novel, is set in a giant mythical rainforest controlled by living gods. It will be published in hardcover at the end of this month by Tor Books. Want to get in on the ground floor on a fast-rising career? Now’s your chance.

At the highest level of a giant forest, thirteen kingdoms fit seamlessly together to form the great city of Canopy. Thirteen goddesses and gods rule this realm and are continuously reincarnated into human bodies. Canopy’s position in the sun, however, is not without its dark side. The nation’s opulence comes from the labor of slaves, and below its fruitful boughs are two other realms: Understorey and Floor, whose deprived citizens yearn for Canopy’s splendor.

Unar, a determined but destitute young woman, escapes her parents’ plot to sell her into slavery by being selected to serve in the Garden under the goddess Audblayin, ruler of growth and fertility. As a Gardener, she wishes to become Audblayin’s next Bodyguard while also growing sympathetic towards Canopy’s slaves.

When Audblayin dies, Unar sees her opportunity for glory – at the risk of descending into the unknown dangers of Understorey to look for a newborn god. In its depths, she discovers new forms of magic, lost family connections, and murmurs of a revolution that could cost Unar her chance… or grant it by destroying the home she loves.

Crossroads of Canopy is Book One in the Titan’s Forest Trilogy. It will be published by Tor Books on January 31, 2017. It is 333 pages, priced at $25.99 in hardcover and $12.99 for the digital edition. The cover art is by Marc Simonetti. Read an excerpt at Tor.com.

Get The Complete Roslof Keep Campaign from Art of the Genre for 20% Off

Get The Complete Roslof Keep Campaign from Art of the Genre for 20% Off

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BG Contributing Editor R. Scott Taylor is a true jack-of-all-trades — writer, editor, publisher, novelist, art director, and one of the most consistently popular bloggers at Black Gate. Through his own publishing house, Art of the Genre, he’s produced two acclaimed anthologies, Tales of the Emerald Serpent and A Knight in the Silk Purse, and seven novels.

His most recent project is The Folio, a series of Kickstarter-funded old school adventure modules. The Complete Roslof Keep Campaign compiles Folios 1-6, as well as six supplemental mini-adventures and the Nameless Realms Races supplement, into a giant 134-page mega-adventure. This deluxe hardcover has been designed to fit on your shelves next to the classic 1980s ‘Orange Spine’ hardcover series by TSR — it even has an original cover by iconic artist Jeff Easley. The book comes packed with 2D & 3D color maps, iconic characters, character sheets, and much more. Here’s Scott with the deets.

I’ve spent the bulk of my adult life trying to go back in time to the incredible gaming days of my youth in the 1980s. With Roslof, I got to fulfill many aspects of that dream, including producing a replica ‘Orange Spine’ hardcover with an Jeff Easley original on the front. Getting to represent the old AD&D traditions and mechanics, while also using mechanics for the latest D&D 5E, I think I’ve done a great job of mixing old and new to create something unique in the gaming marketplace.

Scott is offering the hardcover at 20% off until January 8th (by using the coupon code NEWYEARSALE) at his website. Check out the details and order your copy here.

GeekDad Selects the Best Tabletop Games of 2016

GeekDad Selects the Best Tabletop Games of 2016

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2016 wasn’t all about novels, anthologies, and collections. No no no no. There were also some terrific board games released last year, many of which are worth celebrating.

How do we know? Because game blog GeekDad tells us so! Especially in their year-end wrap-up on the Best Tabletop Games of 2016. Dave Banks kicks it off with his thoughts on the new steampunk release Scythe, which he selects as his Best Game of 2016.

When you open the box, there’s a lot there. A big rulebook and lots and lots of bits and boards and… it’s a little overwhelming. But then you get a turn or two into Scythe and realize it’s elegantly simple. Yes, there are a lot of choices to make and many paths to victory, but Scythe delivers on all the hype that surrounded the game. And it has incredibly amazing artwork that shows a steampunk-edged alternative universe that is, literally, jaw droppingly gorgeous. But the gameplay is just as wonderful. And clever. And fun, which makes Scythe my game of the year.

Scythe was released by Stonemaier Games; it’s a Kickstarter-funded project that raised $1.3 million on a $33,000 goal.

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December Short Story Roundup

December Short Story Roundup

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oie_353335828o37jb-4I hope everybody had a pleasant holiday and is off to a good New Year. For my inaugaral post 0f 2017, I’ve got a bag full of short stories for you from Grimdark Magazine and 2016’s standout newcomer, Cirsova.

I’ve often dismissed grimdark as a marketing device. First, there’s always been cynical and gritty fantasy, and second, a lot of what’s billed as grimdark is not all that dark and grim. Leave it to Grimdark Magazine editor Adrian Collins to find one of the grimmest, most throughly miserable and unpleasant stories imaginable with which to open Issue #9.

“A Length of Cherrywood,” by Peter Orullian, is like a poisoned crossbow bolt to the brain. Jastail J’Vache is a slaver of women and has a serious mother issue. Following his loss at game played for unique stakes — bets are made with items connected to horrible personal deeds — J’Vache decides he must face the fount of darkness in his soul. Maybe I’m a wuss, but I can’t say I liked this one. The story does a stellar job of creating a vile protagonist and exploring his mutilated soul. The game played between J’Vache and several other equally twisted characters is blackly brilliant. Still, “Cherrywood” isn’t something I enjoyed reading. Let me warn you, it’s not for the meek. While there’s some violence, the real grimdarkness lies in the ways the characters treat each other. The story was previously published in Blackguards, edited by J.M Martin, in 2015.

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