A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

...An Age Undreamed Of...


“Hither came Cthulhu, the Vhoorlian, be-tentacled, swollen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer and a dreamer, with cyclopean melancholies and gargantuan girth, to tread the jeweled thrones of Earth under his slimy pseudopodous feet.”

H. P. Lovecraft, The Squamous Sword of Cthulhu (unpublished), 1933.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Mapping Barsoom...Some Handy Articles at the ERBzine site

Burroughs’ Barsoom and Lowell’s Mars:
A Map for the Interpretation of Barsoomian Geography
by Leathem Mehaffey
http://www.erbzine.com/mag14/1438.html

Seven Wonders of Barsoom
by Woodrow Edgar Nichols, Jr.
I: The Pumping Stations (http://www.erbzine.com/mag33/3308.html)
II: The Twin Cities of Helium (http://www.erbzine.com/mag33/3307.html)
III: The Hot House Cities of Okar (http://www.erbzine.com/mag33/3306.html)
IV: Kamtol in the Valley of the First-born (http://www.erbzine.com/mag33/3305.html)
V: The Hidden Cities in the Forest of Lost Men (http://www.erbzine.com/mag33/3304.html)
VI: The Field of Jetan at Manator (http://www.erbzine.com/mag33/3303.html)
VII: The Temple of the Sun (http://www.erbzine.com/mag33/3302.html)

There are more than 14 additional alternate and runner-up Wonders of Barsoom detailed in a follow-up series of articles listed at: http://www.johncarterofmars.ca/articles.html

This is great stuff, especially if you're at all curious about Barsoom's topography, or would like to build a usable map of Barsoom for gaming or even a bit of fiction...like for the forthcoming Heroes of Mars project...from Pulp Empire...

Monday, September 26, 2011

Stories in the Ether (Vol.1 Available)

From the folks at Nevermet Press:
Stories in the Ether, Issue 1 is now available from Amazon Kindle, the Apple iBookstore, RPGNowDriveThruStuff, and Lulufor $4.99. The journal is available electronically as an ePUB from all our retail channels, as well as a beautifully presented PDF exclusively from RPGNow and its sister sites. We will continue publishing new stories, for free, weekly on our blog - but this new format will allow you to enjoy three months worth of amazing fiction and art from the convenience of your favorite eReader. The ePUB on sale at Lulu is fully compatible with all major eReaders including iBooks on iPad and iPhones, as well as Barnes & Nobles' NOOK. Kindle, and Kindle DX, owners should visit Amazon's Kindle Store for Stories in the Ether. 
The first issue of Stories in the Ether includes 13 short stories of steampunk, science fiction, and fantasy by authors Therese Arkenberg, David Bell, Charlie Britten, Matt Delman, Tim Kane, KA Masters, David Perlmutter, Gary Phillips, Michael Morrison, Jason Rolfe, Dawn Vogel, David Wright, and Lee Clarke Zumpe. The amazing cover artwork comes from J Lonnee and the interior features art by Rob Torno and Matt Lichtenwalner.
Looking for print? Well, the first four issues of Stories in the Ether will be rolled into a single, large print anthology in 2012 and sold through our distributor to retail bookstores and game shops. For a preview of the look and feel of the printed book, take a peak at the PDF version of the eBook at RPGNow.com.
I want to thank everyone who has sent in their feedback regarding this new project and the current direction of Nevermet Press. We're very excited about Stories in the Ether and we're happy to see that the excitement is catching! 
Writers & Artists Wanted
Nevermet Press is always on the look out for new writers and artists looking to show off their talent. If you are interested in contributing stories or art to Stories in the Ether, or in writing for our RPG blog, drop us a line at submissions@nevermetpress.com. We'd love to hear from you. Also, please share this with your friends and have them stop by and take a look too.

Four Bullets for Dillon now available


Four Bullets for Dillon is now available!

From Dillon's own blog:
"A lost city in the Cambodian jungles run by a pint-sized tyrant wearing a gem-encrusted belt buckle; Beautiful women who lure Dillon and his rival, rock musician Sly Gantlet, into a clash of alpha males and a deadly set-up; a deceitful queen and a backstabbing friend; a quest for an evil artifact linked to the betrayer of Christ. Four Bullets for Dillon includes four hard to find and never before seen stories ripped from the life of global adventurer and instigator, Dillon."
Four Bullets for Dillon  includes the story, Dead Beat in La Esca, that was co-written by Derrick Ferguson and Joel Jenkins and features Dillon's first encounter with Sly Gantlet. It is a hilarious cross-over not to be missed!

And remember that with proof of purchase of Four Bullets for Dillon you'll also get the 10 page illustrated "Dillon And The Escape From Tosegio." Details can be found here.

Get it at Amazon.com
or 
Get it via Pulpwork Press.


If you are a fan of the old pulps or are curious about the New Pulps, this is a great book to get you started.

Check out the Pulp Magnet column on Dillon (http://www.newpulpfiction.com/2011/09/dillon.html ) and watch the New Pulp Fiction site for our up-coming interview with Dillon's creator Derrick Ferguson!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Atlas Unified...Let's Hope It Works...

This Recent Article over at The Scoop makes the new Atlas Unified cross-over mini-series sound really interesting...
http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/public/default.asp?t=1&m=1&c=34&s=265&ai=113290

So far, I've been very disappointed with the slow pacing, clunky dialogue and sense of never really getting anywhere that has dogged the new Atlas titles...but I still hold out hope that things will start to pick up as people find their rhythm, the characters re-find their voices, and things develop some momentum. This crossover might be just what they need to get it all to start really working...

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Two Tables of Terror

First the Editor-Texan posted a deceptively innocent looking Random Table based on cliche' and Seventies' module-marketing acumen which you can find here. Then the inimitable illuminatus of immolation himself posted an alternate Random Table that can be found here (at his proudly and loudly NSFW blog).

Two Random Tables. Two relatively simple exercises in the randomization of grammatical constructions derived from the accumulated and distilled remnants of old, obscure texts as viewed through an empty beer glass darkly...

The horror.

The sheer unmitigated horror.

But the Howard-esque melancholy of the Editor-Texan would not let him leave well enough alone.

No.

Having written the unspeakable and codified the writhing chaos of eldritch forms of deprecated grammar best left in the fetid depths of the hoary mildewed regions of dimness, he flung forth a challenge into the empty and uncaring universe. A hoarse shout across the digital aethyrs that called forth numberless legions of abominations and things best left to the imaginations of the dead.

The Tables are to be Used.

They would unleash untold alliterative terrors upon an unsuspecting world.

And we might just answer that call...

If you dare, you can learn more here.

But be warned.

This may look like 'just' another contest, but mark you well that the wild ass is sacred unto Set...and not all is as it may seem...

You can see the revised results of our efforts at the Hereticwerks blog.

Artweaver: New Version in Beta-Test.

Artweaver is an amazing program for digital painting and more. You can still get the free version or upgrade to the ArtweaverPlus version really cheaply.  This is a very good digital art software package that just keeps on getting better. If you are on a tight budget, or want an alternative to the Big Name software, take a look at this software, give a try and see for yourself. We still use it a lot, and it plays nicely with Photoshop.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Comics from beyond the grave...

I think we'll need to order this as it doesn't ever appear at our local shops...

Unspeakable...yet cute

It's Kid-thulhu.

The stars must be right, or something...

Link: http://www.tummelvision.com/

SF Gateway (Press Release)


SF Gateway Press Release

Gollancz, the SF and Fantasy imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, announces the launch of the world’s largest digital SFF library, the SF Gateway, which will make thousands of out-of-print titles by classic genre authors available as eBooks.

Building on the remarkable success of Gollancz’s Masterworks series, the SF Gateway will launch this Autumn with more than a thousand titles by close to a hundred authors. It will build to 3,000 titles by the end of 2012, and 5,000 or more by 2014. Gollancz’s Digital Publisher Darren Nash, who joined the company in September 2010 to spearhead the project said, “The Masterworks series has been extraordinarily successful in republishing one or two key titles by a wide range of authors, but most of those authors had long careers in which they wrote dozens of novels which had fallen out of print. It seemed to us that eBooks would offer the ideal way to make them available again. This realization was the starting point for the SF Gateway.” Wherever possible, the SF Gateway will offer the complete backlist of the authors included.

The SF Gateway will be closely integrated with the recently announced new online edition of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, which provides an independent and definitive reference source of information on the authors and books included. Direct links between the Encyclopedia and the Gateway will provide easy access to eBook editions, for sale through all major online retailers.

The Gateway site will also act as a major community hub and social network for SF readers across the world, allowing them to interact with each other and recommend titles and authors. The site is planned to include forums, blogs, regular promotions, and is envisaged to become the natural home on the net for anyone with an interest in classic SFF.

Authors featured in the launch include such names as Marion Zimmer Bradley, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Frank Herbert, Alice B. Sheldon (James Tiptree, Jr), Robert Silverberg, Kate Wilhelm and Connie Willis. A full list of authors so far under contract is appended to this announcement; negotiations are in an advanced state for many more.

The SF Gateway was conceived by Orion Deputy CEO and Publisher Malcolm Edwards, who commented: “It’s clear that publishers need to show that they can respond to the challenges and opportunities of the digital revolution imaginatively, particularly when it comes to backlist. The SF Gateway is just such a response, creating what we hope will become a destination website which will promote the books and authors it features in an active way. We hope it will not only be a success in its own right, but that it will provide a model for future developments in backlist publishing.”

Built to the latest standards of HTML5 and CSS3, the SF Gateway site will use responsive web design to ensure a rewarding user experience across a range of mobile and desktop platforms and operating systems. Both the SF Gateway and the previously announced Encyclopedia of Science Fiction are being developed by STEEL, a London-based full service digital agency with over 15 years experience, whose clients include
AOL, BBC Worldwide, Debenhams, FT.com, Greggs and TalkTalk.

The project has been praised by authors for connecting new generations of readers with classic stories they may not, until now, have been able to enjoy.

British Science Fiction Award-winner Alastair Reynolds said: “When I first started reading SF seriously, as a teenager growing up in Wales, one of the first walls I hit was the realisation that many classic and influential works of the field were either out of print or so hard to obtain that they may as well have been. SF is a forward-looking genre but its past has always been as fascinating as its future, and for that reason the SF Gateway is an exciting and groundbreaking venture, which should prove an enormous asset to the
field.”

Double Arthur C. Clarke Award-winner Pat Cadigan added: “This is exactly what I've been hoping for now that the digital book is becoming more widespread. I have always said that the eBook will not be the death of the physical book – the eBook will save so many wonderful books from being lost. We have to remember that what we read is the book – what we read it on, whether ink and paper or pixels on a screen, is just the interface. I'm honestly thrilled about this new project and delighted to be on the list.” The SF Gateway will be officially launched by Gollancz in September as part of the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of its SF list. For more information, please go to www.sfgateway.com, where updates on the project will also appear.

SF Gateway is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SFGateway and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/SF-Gateway/171262786268228
Please direct enquiries in the first instance to Jonathan Weir on 020 7520 4314 or jonathan.weir@orionbooks.co.uk

SF GATEWAY AUTHORS
as at 20th July 2011
Poul Anderson
Barrington J. Bayley
Gregory Benford
Michael Bishop
James P. Blaylock
James Blish
Marion Zimmer Bradley
John Brosnan
Fredric Brown
John Brunner
Algis Budrys
Kenneth Bulmer
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Pat Cadigan
John W. Campbell, Jr
Terry Carr
Arthur C. Clarke
Hal Clement
D.G. Compton
Michael G. Coney
Edmund Cooper
Richard Cowper
John Crowley
L. Sprague de Camp
Samuel R. Delany
Philip K. Dick
Gordon R. Dickson
Christopher Evans
Philip Jose Farmer
John Russell Fearn
Alan Dean Foster
Mary Gentle
Mark S. Geston
Joseph L. Green
Colin Greenland
Nicola Griffith
Joe Haldeman
Harry Harrison
Frank Herbert
Philip E. High
Robert Holdstock
Cecelia Holland
Robert E. Howard
Raymond F. Jones
Leigh Kennedy
Garry Kilworth
Damon Knight
Henry Kuttner
Tanith Lee
Murray Leinster
H.P. Lovecraft
Katherine MacLean
Barry N. Malzberg
Phillip Mann
David I. Masson
C.L. Moore
Ward Moore
Edgar Pangborn
Frederik Pohl
Rachel Pollack
Tim Powers
Mack Reynolds
Keith Roberts
Eric Frank Russell
Josephine Saxton
Bob Shaw
Robert Silverberg
Clifford D. Simak
Dan Simmons
John Sladek
Cordwainer Smith
E.E. ‘Doc’ Smith
Norman Spinrad
Olaf Stapledon
Theodore Sturgeon
William Tenn
Sheri S. Tepper
James Tiptree, Jr
E.C. Tubb
George Turner
Harry Turtledove
Jack Vance
Ian Watson
Ted White
Kate Wilhelm
Connie Willis
Robert Charles Wilson
Gene Wolfe

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Free Online Comic at Pulp Machine

Pro Se Productions has released a blast from the past by making available a ten-page comic from Tommy Hancock's personal vaults. Tom Morrow and His Three Days is a comic originally assembled ten years ago as part of a project that unfortunately evaporated before it could come to fruition. It was written by Tommy Hancock and illustrated by Stephen Holcomb. This Tom Morrow story only recently re-surfaced and the folks at Pro Se Productions decided to share it with their readers for free.

http://pulpmachine.blogspot.com/2011/09/free-online-comic-from-pro-se-press.html
So go check out this free online comic and give the Pro Se Productions crew some feed-back. Should the story of Tom Morrow and His Three Days be continued? Go see what you think and let them know!