Reviews

I’m back from WFC—loved it—and will soon post a detail account of the convention with photos, I promise. But first, here are the reviews that came in while I was gone.


“Night Shade Books has a reputation for producing fine works of speculative fiction, including reprints of genre masters, and they don’t let their readers down with The Princes of the Golden Cage.”—Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest
Read More.

“Nathalie Mallet’s debut novel, The Princes of the Golden Cage, hits the ground with both feet and takes off running. From the very first page the action is heart-pounding, the intrigue mysterious, and the story creative.”—Grasping for the Wind
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“Like Scheherazade, Mallet gives us a world of sand, roses and tulips, flowing silks in the richest colors, jewels and riches in a treasury worthy of Ali Baba’s cave, and sumptuous captivity for scores of young men all yearning for a single throne.”—Reading the Leaves
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“I started reading it this morning, for a break after breakfast and writing, and I couldn't put it down until I was finished. It was fun, fresh, and fast-paced. An impressive book, not just a great debut.”—Charles Coleman Finlay, author of The Prodigal Troll and Wild Things
For more details read The prodigal blog.

Busy packing

I’m leaving for the World Fantasy Convention later today. I’ve never been in Saratoga before, so I’m really looking forward to seeing the city. Now if only I can manage to stuff all I need for this trip into one suitcase, I’ll be happy. Wish me luck.

Promo

Sci-fi author Alison Sinclair sent me this great article on the subject of internet promotion. It is really interesting. Check it out!

VCON

I was at VCon this weekend. It was my first visit to the Vancouver's SF & Fantasy Convention and I loved it. Here are some of the highlights.


A well-attended panel about the state of Canadian SF & Fantasy. From left to right: Lynda Williams, Lisa Smedman, Matthew Hughes, Robert J. Sawyer and Eileen Kernaghan.

Jean-Louis Trudel talked about the difficulty of translations…in French.

Matthew Hughes launched his latest book, The Commons. Matt and I are stable mates at Night Shade Books, which, by the way, has just released, The Spiral Labyrinth, the follow-up to Majestrum, and the second book in the trilogy featuring Henghis Hapthorn.

Random pictures of the banquet held just before the Aurora Awards ceremony.

Guest of Honour Matthew Hughes delivered a great speech.

Karl Johanson, editor of NeoOpsis Science Fiction Magazine, receiving his Award for best work in English (Other).

Robert J. Sawyer won best short-form work in English for Biding Time.

Peter S. Beagle presented the award for the best long-form work in English.

Winner on the Aurora for the best long-form work in English: Dave Duncan for Children of Chaos.

Karl Johanson posing proudly with his Aurora.

From left to right: Martin Springett, Christian Sauvé, Jean-Louis Trudel, Dave Duncan, Robert J. Sawyer and Karl and Stephanie Johanson.

Here's the announcement list of this year's Aurora Awards winners:

Best Long-Form Work in English:* Children of Chaos, Dave Duncan (Tor Books)

Best Long-Form Work in French:* Reine de Memoire 4. La Princesse de Vengeance,Elisabeth Vonarburg (Alire)

Best Short-Form Work in English:* "Biding Time," Robert J. Sawyer (Slipstreams edited by Martin H. Greenberg and John Helfers, DAW [and also in The Penguin Book of Crime Stories, edited by Peter Robinson])

Best Short-Form Work in French:* "Le regard du trilobite," Mario Tessier (Solaris 159)

Best Work in English (Other):* Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine, Karl Johanson, editor.

Best Work in French (Other):* Aux origines des petits hommes verts, Jean-Louis Trudel (Solaris 160)

Artistic Achievement :* Martin Springett (MartinSpringett.com)

Fan Achievement (Publication):* Brins d'Iterniti, rid. Guillaume Voisine(alegracia.com/brins/faq/faq.php)

Fan Achievement (Organizational):* Cathy Palmer-Lister (Con*Cept)

Fan Achievement (Other):* Fractale-Framboise, Eric Gauthier, Christian Sauve, Laurine Spehner (blogue/blog)

Logical Misanthropy Review

Read what Ty Johnston says about my book at Logical Misanthropy. While there, browse through his blog. It has some very interesting articles and reviews. Check it out!

New Author

Alex Bledsoe is the author of The Sword-Edged Blonde. He’s a great guy, a talented writer and also a stable mate of mine at Night Shade Books. You can learn more about Alex and his book here.

The Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin’ Book Review Interview

I recently had the pleasure of doing an interview with reviewer Theresa Lucas of The Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin’ Book Review. You can read the entire interview right here.

New reviews of The Princes of the Golden Cage

Blue Gargantua wrote: “If I had to describe The Princes of the Golden Cage by Nathalie Mallet in some Hollywood pitchman style, I would say: ‘Think Name of the Rose meets The Arabian Nights.’ ”Read more.


Here’s an excerpt from Book Fetish: “Very much a fantasy oriented whodunnit…an original ending, several unexpected plot twists, complete with cross-dressing sultanas-to-be and a quasi-cliffhanger at the end.”Read more.