Today’s covers all come from books we reviewed in April 2013. Once you identify a book cover, in the comment section list:
1. The number of the cover (1-12)
2. The author
3. The book title

Abbot and Costello. Woodward and Bernstein. Ben and Jerry. Siskel and Ebert (a moment of silence). Bert and Ernie. Thelma and Louise. Holmes and Watson.

The world is rife with famous duos (the Dynamic Duo). But what about the fantasy/science fiction worlds? Who are our famous duos? Our favorites? When you think of paired characters, whom do you think of? Frodo and Sam? Merry and Pippin? The City and the Stars? Rendezvous and Rama? Oh, wait...

Well, you get the idea. Tell us who your favorite SFF duo is and why we should all agree. Or at least, nod our heads and go “Oh, yeah. Them too . . .”

One commenter wins a book from our stacks! Read More

Freda Warrington is the author of numerous books, most recently the AETHERIAL TALES series: Elfland, Midsummer Night, and the newly released Grail of the Summer Stars (see my review here). These three books have been among my favorites of the last few years. Ms. Warrington has kindly taken some time to answer a few questions, and I’m thrilled to welcome her to FanLit. We’re also giving away a copy of Grail of the Summer Stars to a reader in the US or Canada.

Kelly Lasiter: In an earlier novel, The Court of the Midnight King (which I've been meaning to read for a few years now), you deal with the history of Richard III, a plot that gets a little cameo in Grail. I was just thinking recently that the discovery of Richard's burial si... Read More

It's the first Thursday of the month, which means it's time to report!

What is the best book you read in April 2013 and why did you love it? It doesn't have to be a newly published book, or even SFF. We just want to share some great reading material. Feel free to post a full review of the book here, or a link to the review on your blog, or just write a few sentences about why you thought it was awesome.

(And don't forget that we always have plenty more reading recommendations on our Fanlit Faves page and our 5-Star SFF page.)

As always, one commenter will choose a book from our stacks. Read More

I loved Paul Cornell's new book, London Falling which is a terrific mash-up of urban fantasy and police procedural (here's my review). I had a few questions for Paul and he was kind enough to spare some time for me. I'll send one commenter a shiny new copy of London Falling (US and Canadian addresses, only, please). 

Terry Weyna: Paul, London Falling is terrific fun to read! Please tell me we’re going to be reading more about Quill, Costain, Sefton and Ross — will there be a sequel? Will Lofthouse be more involved in the next investigation?

Paul Cornell: The sequel, The Severed Streets, is out in December in the UK, but I don't know a US release day yet. The ho... Read More

As I was watching the trailers lately for Star Trek, Thor II, World War Z, and a few others, and thinking of what’s coming down the pipeline (The Hobbit II, Snow Crash, Ender’s Game, and others), as well as reading all the talk lately about the Star Wars franchise and what’s happening there, I was thinking it’s a pretty good time to be alive for those of us who enjoy good science fiction-fantasy films (or enjoy making fun of bad science fiction-fantasy films).

Clearly, one large reason for the explosion in such films’ popularity is the relatively recent ability to simply film the kinds of scenes we expect to see. It wasn’t too long ago, for instance, that conventional wisdom thought that the Lord of the Rings, for instance, was unfilmable: “A thousand page story with giant, talking trees and a disembodied villain? Yeah, good luck with that on-screen.” The same was true of Cloud Atlas, albeit f... Read More

Today’s covers all come from books we reviewed in March 2013. Once you identify a book cover, in the comment section list:
1. The number of the cover (1-16)
2. The author
3. The book title

It's that time of year when humans are planning their summer vacations. Your task this week is to create a vacation brochure for any destination found in speculative fiction. The one I like best earns its creator a free book from our stacks. You may submit as many brochures as you like. You can't upload images here, but if you want to use images, you could create your brochure elsewhere (e.g. Google docs) and submit a link. Here's my vacation brochure for Arrakis, which I think would be a great place to take a Honeymoon:

Visit Arrakis!
Looking for a change of pace from frantic tropical vacations, with all that hang-gliding, drink-sipping, body-surfing, massage-getting madness? Considering a quiet, exclusive getaway where you and your true love can focus on each other, without unnecessary distractions? Where you can grow even closer? Visit Arrakis!

[caption id="a... Read More

It's the first Thursday of the month, which means it's time to report!

What is the best book you read in March 2013 and why did you love it? It doesn't have to be a newly published book, or even SFF. We just want to share some great reading material. Feel free to post a full review of the book here, or a link to the review on your blog, or just write a few sentences about why you thought it was awesome.

(And don't forget that we always have plenty more reading recommendations on our Fanlit Faves page and our 5-Star SFF page.)

As always, one commenter will choose a book from our stacks. Read More

I’m happy to temporarily come out of FanLit retirement to spend some time with my favorite author, Guy Gavriel Kay. Kay’s newest novel, River of Stars, was released today and it’s as wonderful as I’d hoped (here’s my review). Bill and Kelly loved it, too. Trust us: you don’t want to miss River of Stars!

We’re giving away a copy of River of Stars to one random commenter with a U.S.A. address.

Robert Rhodes: I have in hand a beautiful edition of your new novel, River of Stars. Your previous work, Under Heaven, appeared three years ago, in April of 2010 — April's no longer the cruelest month, is i... Read More

Now, you know we love Jack Vance -- he's one of our favorite speculative fiction authors -- but some of the covers on his books are truly atrocious.

This one here, in fact...

We think the title Space Opera is just too generic for this striking cover. Can you help us rename it?

Here's the description, if it helps:
Space Opera — (1965) A society matron underwrites the interstellar tour of an Earth opera company, performing Beethoven, Mozart and Rossini for bewildered human and alien audiences on a kaleidoscopic range of planets. But intrigue and secret agendas complicate what was already a doubtful enterprise, and the matron’s feckless nephew finds that the simple country girl he plans to marry is far more mysterious than she seems. This is Jack Vance at his funniest, rolling out a rollicking picaresque tale where the belly laughs play... Read More

Today’s covers all come from books we reviewed in February 2013. Once you identify a book cover, in the comment section list:
1. The number of the cover (1-12)
2. The author
3. The book title

David Walton is the author of Quintessence (which I highly recommend) and Terminal Mind, which won the 2008 Philip K. Dick Award for best paperback science-fiction novel that year. David recently took some time out to answer some of my questions and to let us know what he is currently working on. More information can also be found at his website. One commenter will win a hardback copy of Quintessence.

Bill Capossere: Why did you set Quintessence in the sixteenth century? What about the time period attracted you or made you think it fertile ground for a fantasy novel?

David Walton: The sixteenth century was a remarkable time. It was the age of exploration, when European sailors were taking dangerous voyages to discover new lands and people, as well as the ver... Read More

Today we welcome Laura Bickle, author of Embers, Sparks, and the YA novel The Hallowed Ones. The Outside, a sequel to The Hallowed Ones, will be released later this year. Laura also writes the DARK ORACLE series under the name Alayna Williams. Her question for you today is: Where do you want to be when the apocalypse hits? One commenter wins a copy of The Hallowed Ones.

One of the great things about writing is getting to ask those “what-if” questions. When I was writing The Hallowed Ones, I knew that I wanted to unleash a plague of bloodthirsty vampires on humanity. But I wanted to also explore the idea of survival, and I gave some thought into who might be best-equipped to surv... Read More

It's the first Thursday of the month, which means it's time to report!

What is the best book you read in February 2013 and why did you love it? It doesn't have to be a newly published book, or even SFF. We just want to share some great reading material. Feel free to post a full review of the book here, or a link to the review on your blog, or just write a few sentences about why you thought it was awesome.

(And don't forget that we always have plenty more reading recommendations on our Fanlit Faves page and our 5-Star SFF page.)

As always, one commenter will choose a book from our stacks. Read More