Miscellaneous Archive

  • I’ve already written about the Fantasy Con at Brighton…which also featured many book launches, including an amazing-looking book by Kim Lakin-Smith called Cyber Circus. I got to know Kim when...

    SFF Song of the Week: Kim Lakin-Smith

    I’ve already written about the Fantasy Con at Brighton…which also featured many book launches, including an amazing-looking book by Kim Lakin-Smith called Cyber Circus. I got to know Kim when...

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  • This blog takes no sides in the growing furore over the British Fantasy Con Awards – a controversy that  threatens to tarnish my enjoyment of that delightful event. If you’ve...

    Fantasy Con Furore

    This blog takes no sides in the growing furore over the British Fantasy Con Awards – a controversy that  threatens to tarnish my enjoyment of that delightful event. If you’ve...

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  • Last weekend I attended my first ever Fantasy Con….I felt like an interloper, a science fiction writer sneaking into the land of dragons and  men with beards and big swords....

    Fantasy Con 2011

    Last weekend I attended my first ever Fantasy Con….I felt like an interloper, a science fiction writer sneaking into the land of dragons and  men with beards and big swords....

    Continue Reading...

  • What is it with vampires? That’s the question that prompted me to start exploring the many mythological beasties other than Count Dracula and his kin who might or indeed have...

    B is for Beelzebub

    What is it with vampires? That’s the question that prompted me to start exploring the many mythological beasties other than Count Dracula and his kin who might or indeed have...

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  •   Here’s a truly awesome book trailer for Brent Weeks’ new book The Black Prism, courtesy of our very own Orbit Books: Now all us other Orbit writers are going...

    Awesome Trailer

      Here’s a truly awesome book trailer for Brent Weeks’ new book The Black Prism, courtesy of our very own Orbit Books: Now all us other Orbit writers are going...

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  • I’ve just been looking at the schedule for the forthcoming Fantasy Con in Brighton which I’ll be attending (September 30th – October 2nd).   Guest speakers include  Christopher Paolini, Gwyneth...

    Fantasy Con 2011

    I’ve just been looking at the schedule for the forthcoming Fantasy Con in Brighton which I’ll be attending (September 30th – October 2nd).   Guest speakers include  Christopher Paolini, Gwyneth...

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  • I recently asked, What is it with vampires? In other words, why don’t horror and fantasy writers make more use of all the other weird mythological monsters that exist in...

    G is for Golem

    I recently asked, What is it with vampires? In other words, why don’t horror and fantasy writers make more use of all the other weird mythological monsters that exist in...

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  • Mike Carey recently and very kindly sent me a copy of  his  X-Men series, The Age of X; I did a swapsies and sent him a copy of Hell Ship....

    The Age of X

    Mike Carey recently and very kindly sent me a copy of  his  X-Men series, The Age of X; I did a swapsies and sent him a copy of Hell Ship....

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  •   A huge envelope arrived through my door this week, and inside were Sharrock, Jak and Sai-ias – the three protagonists of my novel Hell Ship. This was the audio...

    Hell Ship Speaks

      A huge envelope arrived through my door this week, and inside were Sharrock, Jak and Sai-ias – the three protagonists of my novel Hell Ship. This was the audio...

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  • The riots are over for now.  Some people have lost their businesses;  four people have died; and those of us who were lucky enough not to be directly involved are...

    A Glimpse of Dystopia

    The riots are over for now.  Some people have lost their businesses;  four people have died; and those of us who were lucky enough not to be directly involved are...

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  • A little while back I read a fascinating series of articles on SF Signal (Part One here, Part Two here) about the Death of Science Fiction – which, like the...

    Fantastic Fiction: SF Rebranded

    A little while back I read a fascinating series of articles on SF Signal (Part One here, Part Two here) about the Death of Science Fiction – which, like the...

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  • I truly can’t wait for the spectacle and silliness of the new Conan the Barbarian Movie…I love Robert E. Howard’s stories and understated stories, and always loved the Arnie version....

    Conan: Coming Soon

    I truly can’t wait for the spectacle and silliness of the new Conan the Barbarian Movie…I love Robert E. Howard’s stories and understated stories, and always loved the Arnie version....

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  • I’ve just been proof-reading ARTEMIS, which is my fifth novel for Orbit Books, and is published later this year. And I had a bit of a ‘wow’ moment. Wow! Four...

    A-Z of the Palmerverses

    I’ve just been proof-reading ARTEMIS, which is my fifth novel for Orbit Books, and is published later this year. And I had a bit of a ‘wow’ moment. Wow! Four...

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  • For some time now I’ve been running a feature on my website  called SFF Song of the Week.  Like a bar which sells books and also serves chocolate, this has...

    SFF Song of the Week: My Top 10

    For some time now I’ve been running a feature on my website  called SFF Song of the Week.  Like a bar which sells books and also serves chocolate, this has...

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  • Yesterday I spent the afternoon signing books at Forbidden Planet…as jobs go, this was a bit like being forced to eat  chocolate in a chocolate factory.  This is the Shaftesbury Avenue...

    Book Signing Weekend

    Yesterday I spent the afternoon signing books at Forbidden Planet…as jobs go, this was a bit like being forced to eat  chocolate in a chocolate factory.  This is the Shaftesbury Avenue...

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  • This week’s blogjay is Peter F. Hamilton, who in my view is one of the greatest writers of space opera around – master of widescreen storytelling but able to create...

    SFF Song of the Week: Peter F. Hamilton

    This week’s blogjay is Peter F. Hamilton, who in my view is one of the greatest writers of space opera around – master of widescreen storytelling but able to create...

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  • I’m pleased to say that I’ll be signing copies of HELL SHIP at Forbidden Planet on the 30th July, at a mass signing with fellow orbit authors Simon Morden, Nicole...

    Orbit Summer Signing

    I’m pleased to say that I’ll be signing copies of HELL SHIP at Forbidden Planet on the 30th July, at a mass signing with fellow orbit authors Simon Morden, Nicole...

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  • Yesterday I played a brief excerpt from the audio book of Hell Ship, featuring Sharrock, one of the book’s three narrators.  Today, meet Jak. Jak is an alien from a...

    Jak Speaks

    Yesterday I played a brief excerpt from the audio book of Hell Ship, featuring Sharrock, one of the book’s three narrators.  Today, meet Jak. Jak is an alien from a...

    Continue Reading...

  • Today is the UK publication date of HELL SHIP.  And I thought I’d celebrate by introducing you to Sharrock, one of the three main characters in the story. Sharrock has...

    Sharrock Speaks

    Today is the UK publication date of HELL SHIP.  And I thought I’d celebrate by introducing you to Sharrock, one of the three main characters in the story. Sharrock has...

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  •   Charlie Stross has a new book out and he’s written a fascinating piece about its themes over at the Orbit site, including the technology of near-future policing, which you...

    The Near Future

      Charlie Stross has a new book out and he’s written a fascinating piece about its themes over at the Orbit site, including the technology of near-future policing, which you...

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