The hardback and paperback editions of my new book, The Last Reef arrived in the post from the publisher this morning - and they look great!
There are more pictures and details of the book launch on my Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gareth-L-Powell/15852124165
As you know, the launch event for my short story collection THE LAST REEF will take place from 2pm until 6pm at the Citte of Yorke pub, 22 High Holborn, London (nearest tube stations being Charing Cross or Holborn) on Saturday 9th August.
The event has been organised by the publisher, Elastic Press and also sees the launch of THE TURING TEST by Chris Beckett, which features cover art by Eran Cantrell, the artist who is providing the cover for THE LAST REEF.
I will be signing books and performing a ten minute reading at the event, and hope to see as many people there as possible.
Facebook users can now find additional information by following the links below:
If you're on Facebook, you can view the details of the book launch here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=14007393925
The launch event for my short story collection, THE LAST REEF, will take place from 2pm until 6pm at the Citte of Yorke pub, 22 High Holborn, London (nearest tube stations being Charing Cross or Holborn) on Saturday 9th August.
This event has been organised by the publisher, Elastic Press and also sees the launch of THE TURING TEST by Chris Beckett, which features cover art by Eran Cantrell, the artist providing the cover for THE LAST REEF.
I will be doing a short reading from THE LAST REEF and signing copies, so please come along, say hello, and buy a book!
The Friday Flash Fiction Anthology, Illuminations, has been reviewed by The Fix, in an epic article by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro that manages to comment on every one of the sixty-six stories included in the book. And considering that the book was conceived, edited, designed and published in a ridiculously short period of time, I think it stands up pretty well. His comments on my nine contributions are quoted below, along with links to the online versions of the stories, for your reading pleasure:
William observes a “Snowball” from a dome on the surface of the Moon. The pacing in this very short flash piece is effective, the setting works, and, most importantly, the revelation of the last line is entirely consistent with what we know (and don’t know). This poignant, speculative outing is as fresh as snow.On the whole, a pretty good review, I thought. You can read the whole thing here: http://thefix-online.com/reviews/illuminations/
Contemplating “The Point Furthest from the Sun” may lead one to inaction, even as a loved one is having a rough time. I missed the significance of the title, which, based on the skill of the writing, I’m sure was chosen with care. I found it intriguing. The repetition contained in the last two sentences certainly emphasizes the importance of what we’ve learned, but I’m not sure it heightened the experience for me.
The narrator of this tale learns of the horrors inflicted on some “Fresh Meat.” The attention to detail in this very compressed narrative, in conjunction with the sparse, polished sentences and strong rhythm, worked to make it a chilling experience.
A simple misunderstanding at an Amsterdam “Coffee House” informs this quiet, observational piece. It vividly captures a moment in the interaction between two characters and, through implication, portrays the characters and setting more vividly than might appear at first glance. Perfect coffee house reading.
Ed, on his way to take pictures of a crash site, stops at a roadside café and sparks up some conversation with the waitress, “Natalie.” There is an almost Ballardian sense of fragmentation and despair in this well-written tale, which artfully utilizes technological imagery to build tension in the setting and refract the character’s inner selves. An impressive feat given the space, this riveting piece transcends “flash” and approaches a less formalized version of the Ballardian “compressed novel,” in the best possible manner.
An unplanned hyperspace return to Earth provides Diego and Carla with a direct glimpse of cosmic “Lost Toys.” Powell again manages to imagine an intriguing situation and justify it with a rationale that is not only dramatically plausible but also thought-provoking. Some descriptive details, in particular, stand out. A tale to be found and enjoyed.
The revelation that ensues the narrator’s “Thai Curry” dinner with Nina is conveyed with elegance and emotion in this charged, biting, sad tale. With skill aplenty, Powell artfully builds not only a situation, but a mood, and places it in a broader context. More bittersweet than curry, but just as delectable.
In “The Red King’s Nursery,” Lawrence is vastly outnumbered and hopelessly outgunned by an enemy which, in the form of a talking remote, seems overly chatty and casual to be truly menacing. The whys and wherefores become revealed by the tale’s end. Though there were some clever moments and engaging writing, I didn’t find myself caring enough for the character to make this piece work on the psychological front, and I couldn’t ignore the weakness of the ending enough to make it work on a plot level either.
On his six-month watch aboard a starship forty years from its destination, with the remainder of the crew asleep in their pods, Kurt finds himself on “The Long Walk Aft” and the terrible fate to which it leads. The un-subtle situation is described in the no-frills manner in which its protagonist experiences it, and the detachment and realism only serve to strengthen the inevitability of its ending. It brought to mind Tom Godwin’s “The Cold Equations.” I enjoyed the image of a book being recycled for food; that seems somehow appropriate, under the circumstances.
The Elastic Press website has now been updated with details of my forthcoming short story collection, "The Last Reef", including the cover art, some blurb, and an extract from the title story:
http://www.elasticpress.com/lastreef.htm
From the back cover:
"Gareth L Powell’s first collection of short stories is stuffed with mind-bending ideas and unforgettable characters. Ranging from the day after tomorrow to the far-flung future, these fifteen stories are perfect for anyone with a craving for intelligent and thought-provoking adventure."
Regular readers will know that my debut novel - "Silversands" - is going to be published next year by Pendragon Press, with a cover by the award-winning SF artist Vincent Chong. Pendragon supremo Christopher Teague has already described the book as: "a damn thrilling tale of planetary politics, espionage and subtefuge" - and today he sends word that he intends to launch the book in time for next year's Eastercon, which takes place on 10th -13th April in Bradford.
In addition, the launch event for my short story collection - "The Last Reef" - will almost definitely be 9th August this year, at a venue in London - exact time and place to be confirmed nearer the time.
I've been sent the typeset version of my short story collection, The Last Reef, to look at and check over for errors - and it looks great! The book is due from Elastic Press in August, and contains fifteen short stories written by me between 2003 and 2008 - a total of around 60,000 words of fiction - plus an introduction from Interzone co-editor Jetse de Vries.
I discovered today that Illuminations is now available to order online via both WH Smiths and Blackwells:
Odd Two Out press has announced the release of Illuminations - a new anthology showcasing original, cutting edge short fiction from eight up-and-coming young writers, including yours truly.
Illuminations collects together the best Friday Flash Fiction posted by myself and the other Friday Flash Fictioneers.
Edited by Paul Graham Raven (of Interzone and Futurismic fame), the sixty-eight pieces in Illuminations range from mainstream literature to far-out speculation; from horror to humour; from outright fantasy to straight-faced space opera. And being flash fiction, they are all less than 1,000 words long, making the book perfect for dipping into.
The collection is available in paperback from Odd Two Out Press for £6.99 including postage and packing, and can be ordered directly via: http://www.oddtwoout.co.uk/buybooks.html.
From the web site:
"Friday Flash Fiction started out as a writing exercise on the blog of fast-rising sf author Gareth L Powell but quickly became a bona fide web phenomenon with writers from across the world taking up the challenge. Illuminations presents some of the best Friday Flash Fiction, collected in print for the first time."The featured writers are: Dan Pawley, Gareth D Jones, Gareth L Powell, Justin Pickard, Martin McGrath, Neil Beynon, Paul Graham Raven, and Shaun C Green. We come from diverse walks of life – musicians, office workers, freelance journalists, students, magazine editors – and this new anthology collects together the best of our weekly output, along with introductions from myself and Paul.
"Join the Friday Flash Fictioneers as they take you on a whistle-stop tour featuring the best of their stories from the last twelve months. From bright dawn on new worlds to the darkest shores of our own planet, from heartbreak to laughter - nowhere is off limits as long as it can be told in a flash. Spellbinding, unpredictable and entertaining. These small flashes – these illuminations – showcase the powerful art of very short fiction and reveal a group of writers for whom the sheer joy of storytelling shines through every word."Place your order(s) at: http://www.oddtwoout.co.uk/buybooks.html
Bang, Bang: Cover Art by ~pyxelated on deviantART
"The Last Reef" - my first short story collection - can now be pre-ordered from Amazon, or ordered direct from the publisher, Elastic Press.
The provisional date for the launch event for my short story collection is Saturday 9th August.
Andrew Hook of Elastic Press is planning a launch event for my short story collection "The Last Reef". The event will take place in London in August and will be a joint launch with Chris Beckett's new collection "The Turing Test".
Last night I submitted my short story collection to Andrew Hook at Elastic Press for editing, proofreading and typesetting. The collection is due out in August under the title: "The Last Reef ".
I also submitted ten short fiction pieces and the introduction for another book... one I can't talk about right now, but there will be an announcement shortly.
I received an email from Elastic Press today, looking forward to the books they will publish in 2008:
"In August there’s another blast of SF with collections "The Last Reef" by Gareth L Powell and "The Turing Test" by Chris Beckett. More information on these will follow, but I’m sure you’re already drooling in anticipation."
Well, now it's offical. Today, I signed a paper contract with Elastic Press for publication of my short story collection, The Last Reef and Other Stories.
Hard on the heels of the announcement that my first short story collection will be published next year, comes news that my novel 'Silversands' has been accepted by Christopher Teague of Pendragon Press, and is scheduled for publication in 2009.
As you know, my first short story collection will be published by Elastic Press in August next year. I received this piece of good news by email back in January but couldn't tell anyone about it as Andrew Hook had sworn me to secrecy. However, since Andrew himself let the cat out of the bag at Eastercon, I'd now like to quote part of that email:
"I was planning to read your stories today... The big surprise was that I hadn't quite expected to finish them so soon! Truth be told, I had to read from one to another because I enjoyed them so much. 'The Redoubt' is fantastic, a truly heartrending story; but whilst it was easily my favourite story here, all the others were chomping at the bit to be as good. What I liked about them, as well as the many diverse, original, and fully-realised themes, were the characters and the human touches that made connections with today's world whilst also nodding to the future. Great stuff."
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