News and Notes from SF Fandom
SF&F Literati Discuss Robert Asprin's Dragons Wild
SF&F Literati meet every fourth Monday of the month at the Barnes & Nobles Booksellers at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park.
Overview from the Barnes & Nobles website:
"First in a brand new series from the New York Times bestselling creator of the Myth and Phule novels:
"A low-stakes con artist and killer poker player, Griffen "Grifter" McCandles graduated college fully expecting his wealthy family to have a job waiting for him. Instead, his mysterious uncle reveals a strange family secret: Griffen and his sister, Valerie, are actually dragons.
"Unwilling to let Uncle Mal take him under his wing, so to speak, Griffen heads to New Orleans with Valerie to make a living the only way he knows how. And even the criminal underworld of the French Quarter will heat up when Griffen lands in town."
There will be no meeting in December, because the fourth Monday falls on December 26, and complications seem inevitable. This should give everyone plenty of time to read the selection for January 23, 2012. It is The Unincorporated Man, by Dani and Eytan Kollin.
New AboutSF Volunteer Coordinator
KaCSFFS Member Ben Cartwright announced a while back that there is a new Volunteer Coordinator for the KU-based educational outreach project, AboutSF. He wrote:
"I hope that everyone in KaCSFFS will join me in welcoming Isaac Bell as the new volunteer coordinator for AboutSF! Isaac is a first-year Master’s student in the Composition and Rhetoric track in the department of English at the University of Kansas. He is an alumnus of both the 2011 Science Fiction Writers Workshop and the Intensive English Institute on the Teaching of Science Fiction provided by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction.
"Isaac has worked as a Digital Executive Producer at KMBC Channel 9, and as a Senior Web Producer at the Lawrence Journal-World. Isaac’s creative work includes stories in both volumes of the Crimson Pact anthology.
"I feel that Isaac’s skills and experience make him a perfect fit for the AboutSF coordinator position.
"I want to personally thank all of the individuals and organizations (including KaCSFFS folks) I’ve had the opportunity to work with while being the AboutSF coordinator. I will continue to help produce the AboutSF podcasts as a volunteer, and I look forward to all of Isaac’s exciting plans for AboutSF.
New Books Announced
The blog has received a couple of new-book announcements recently, from friends of KaCSFFS.
My Troubles with Time
Benson Grayson has a new e-book, My Troubles with Time. It is available for $1.99 in the e-version for Kindle from Amazon. Here is his description:
"The story concerns a friendless physics professor who goes back to December 1941 in a time machine he has invented, seeking to become famous by destroying the Japanese fleet which attacked Pearl Harbor. Against all odds he succeeds. Rather than being hailed as a hero, he is arrested and sentenced to death by a U.S. Navy Court Martial for mistakenly sinking the Japanese vessels prior to their launching their attack.”
The author has previously published seven books on history and international affairs, but this is his first fiction project.
The Worker Prince
Bryan Thomas Schmidt's new book, The Worker Prince, is the first book in a trilogy. It is available from his website in paperback, for $14.95, or as an e-book for $3.99. Here is his description:
"What if everything you thought you knew about yourself and the world turned out to be wrong?
"For Davi Rhii, Prince of the Boralian people, that nightmare has become a reality. Freshly graduated from the prestigious Borali Military Academy, now he’s discovered he was secretly adopted and born a worker. Ancient enemies of the Boralians, enslaved now for generations, the workers of Vertullis live lives harder than Davi had ever imagined.
"To make matters worse, Davi’s discovered that the High Lord Councillor of the Alliance, his uncle Xalivar, is responsible for years of abuse and suppression against the workers Davi now knows as his own people.
"His quest to rediscover himself brings him into conflict with Xalivar and his friends and family, calling into question his cultural values and assumptions, and putting in jeopardy all he’s worked for his whole life. Davi’s never felt more confused and alone. Will he stand and watch the workers face continued mistreatment, or turn his back on his loved ones and fight for what’s right? Whatever he decides is sure to change his life forever."
If either of these titles intrigues you, please follow the links and check them out!
IMAGE CREDITS:
Many thanks (again) to Barnes & Noble Booksellers for the cover illustration of Dragons Wild. The cover for My Troubles with Time is courtesy of Benson Grayson. The cover for The Worker Prince is from Bryan Thomas Schmidt's website.
SF&F Literati Discuss Robert Asprin's Dragons Wild
 |
| November's featured book is Robert Asprin's Dragons Wild. |
Overview from the Barnes & Nobles website:
"First in a brand new series from the New York Times bestselling creator of the Myth and Phule novels:
"A low-stakes con artist and killer poker player, Griffen "Grifter" McCandles graduated college fully expecting his wealthy family to have a job waiting for him. Instead, his mysterious uncle reveals a strange family secret: Griffen and his sister, Valerie, are actually dragons.
"Unwilling to let Uncle Mal take him under his wing, so to speak, Griffen heads to New Orleans with Valerie to make a living the only way he knows how. And even the criminal underworld of the French Quarter will heat up when Griffen lands in town."
There will be no meeting in December, because the fourth Monday falls on December 26, and complications seem inevitable. This should give everyone plenty of time to read the selection for January 23, 2012. It is The Unincorporated Man, by Dani and Eytan Kollin.
New AboutSF Volunteer Coordinator
KaCSFFS Member Ben Cartwright announced a while back that there is a new Volunteer Coordinator for the KU-based educational outreach project, AboutSF. He wrote:
"I hope that everyone in KaCSFFS will join me in welcoming Isaac Bell as the new volunteer coordinator for AboutSF! Isaac is a first-year Master’s student in the Composition and Rhetoric track in the department of English at the University of Kansas. He is an alumnus of both the 2011 Science Fiction Writers Workshop and the Intensive English Institute on the Teaching of Science Fiction provided by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction.
"Isaac has worked as a Digital Executive Producer at KMBC Channel 9, and as a Senior Web Producer at the Lawrence Journal-World. Isaac’s creative work includes stories in both volumes of the Crimson Pact anthology.
"I feel that Isaac’s skills and experience make him a perfect fit for the AboutSF coordinator position.
"I want to personally thank all of the individuals and organizations (including KaCSFFS folks) I’ve had the opportunity to work with while being the AboutSF coordinator. I will continue to help produce the AboutSF podcasts as a volunteer, and I look forward to all of Isaac’s exciting plans for AboutSF.
New Books Announced
The blog has received a couple of new-book announcements recently, from friends of KaCSFFS.
"The story concerns a friendless physics professor who goes back to December 1941 in a time machine he has invented, seeking to become famous by destroying the Japanese fleet which attacked Pearl Harbor. Against all odds he succeeds. Rather than being hailed as a hero, he is arrested and sentenced to death by a U.S. Navy Court Martial for mistakenly sinking the Japanese vessels prior to their launching their attack.”
The author has previously published seven books on history and international affairs, but this is his first fiction project.
Bryan Thomas Schmidt's new book, The Worker Prince, is the first book in a trilogy. It is available from his website in paperback, for $14.95, or as an e-book for $3.99. Here is his description:
"What if everything you thought you knew about yourself and the world turned out to be wrong?
"For Davi Rhii, Prince of the Boralian people, that nightmare has become a reality. Freshly graduated from the prestigious Borali Military Academy, now he’s discovered he was secretly adopted and born a worker. Ancient enemies of the Boralians, enslaved now for generations, the workers of Vertullis live lives harder than Davi had ever imagined.
"To make matters worse, Davi’s discovered that the High Lord Councillor of the Alliance, his uncle Xalivar, is responsible for years of abuse and suppression against the workers Davi now knows as his own people.
"His quest to rediscover himself brings him into conflict with Xalivar and his friends and family, calling into question his cultural values and assumptions, and putting in jeopardy all he’s worked for his whole life. Davi’s never felt more confused and alone. Will he stand and watch the workers face continued mistreatment, or turn his back on his loved ones and fight for what’s right? Whatever he decides is sure to change his life forever."
If either of these titles intrigues you, please follow the links and check them out!
IMAGE CREDITS:
Many thanks (again) to Barnes & Noble Booksellers for the cover illustration of Dragons Wild. The cover for My Troubles with Time is courtesy of Benson Grayson. The cover for The Worker Prince is from Bryan Thomas Schmidt's website.
