A chance for Manchester’s SF magazine starved millions to get their hands on the hard stuff.

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We have organised a lunchtime reading by Interzone alumni Tony Ballantyne at the Central Library (St Peter’s Square) in the 2nd floor Reception Roomon Wednesday 11 June 1-2pm.
Roy will be selling Interzone and Black Static and a few books in the room before and after the event and will try to be set up there by 12:30. Entry is free but the books and magazines aren’t, though prices tend to be less than cover.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Manchester Central Library • Reading • Recursion • Tony Ballantyne

Thanks once again to Martin McGrath for running the poll, collating the results and collecting the comments. Thanks to everyone who voted – Martin says we received more votes than ever – and sent in letters of comment. Full results and comments are presented in IZ216 (out now), and continued discussion on the forum is welcomed!

So, many congratulations to Gareth and Kenn, and to the runners up in both categories. Special mention for Grace whose story had the same aggregate score as Gareth’s but one or two fewer positive votes; and for Aliette who had two stories voted into the top ten. Those top ten stories and the top seven artworks, as voted by IZ readers, are listed after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: INTERZONE

All being well IZ216 will be on its to subscribers and contributors, and in shops on the 8th May. It’s the special Mundane-SF issue with fiction selected by guest editors and Mundanistas Geoff Ryman, Julian Todd and Trent Walters. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Alastair Reynolds • Anil Menon • Billie Aul • Chelsea Quinn Yarbro • Chris Beckett • Christopher Nurse • David Langford • Elisabeth Vonarburg • Geoff Ryman • Greg Egan • INTERZONE • Lavie Tidhar • Mundane-SF • Nick Lowe • Paul McAuley • R.R. Angell • Tony Lee

No links are clickable in a printed magazine, as yet, so, as a service to readers and advertisers, here is BS4’s one link ready for clicking.
Advertisements are an important component of TTA’s finances and we’d like to sell more. If live links here improve responses maybe we will, so here is the link from the advertisement in Black Static 4

Abaddon Books
Tomes of The Dead: I, Zombieby Al Ewing

If you are interested in advertising e mail is roy (at) ttapress (dot) demon (dot) co (dot) uk
So far it’s not making a difference, yet.

Tags: Abaddon • Advertisements

Geoff Ryman will be talking about Interzone 216, the mundane sf issue, on Radio 4 tonight (Friday 2 May) at 7:30, Front Row, I assume, and you should be able to listen again using the BBC website if you miss it.

Damien G Walter has a brilliant article in the Guardian Unlimited/Guardian On line.
Here is a quote

“The Mundane manifesto was perfectly pitched to infuriate the SF community. On the one hand it aimed a casual insult at SF readers who enjoyed the powerful myths it criticised. On the other it alienated the science-obsessed “Hard SF” faction who felt directly attacked by the Mundanistas. The attitudes of both sides hardened around a series of wonderfully arrogant statements issuing from the Mundanista camp, claiming ….â€�

Tags: Damien G Walter • Geoff Ryman • Guardian • Mundane-SF • Radio 4

IZ216 has now gone to press. It’s the special Mundane-SF issue with fiction guest edited by Geoff Ryman, Julian Todd and Trent Walters. Introduction by Geoff Ryman. Stories by Lavie Tidhar, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Bille Aul, R.R. Angell, Anil Menon, Élisabeth Vonarbug and Geoff Ryman.

Cover art and all illustrations by featured artist Christopher Nurse. Greg Egan and Alastair Reynolds are interviewed. We have the results of the 2007 Readers’ Poll. And the usual columns and reviews including David Langford’s Ansible Link, Nick Lowe’s Mutant Popcorn and Tony Lee’s Laser Fodder.

IZ216 is out on the 8th May. Subscribe now!

Tags: Alastair Reynolds • Anil Menon • Billie Aul • Chelsea Quinn Yarbro • Elisabeth Vonarburg • Geoff Ryman • Greg Egan • INTERZONE • Lavie Tidhar • Mundane-SF • R.R. Angell

Issue 4 of Black Static: Transmissions From Beyond is out now, with new stories by Nicholas Royle, Conrad Williams, Cody Goodfellow and others. Contents and graphics after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Black Static • Cody Goodfellow • Conrad Williams • Nicholas Royle

TTA Press will be there

with Interzone, Black Static, Alison, Success…, Crimewave etc.

Tags: alt Fiction 2008 • Derby • TTA

NIETZSCHE’S KISSES by LANCE OLSEN
(FC2 paperback, 244pp, $15.95)

This short novel chronicles the last hours of the great German philosopher’s life when, after many years’ illness, he had retreated into a solipsistic fantasy world and his literary heritage was in the hands of his fascist sister Elizabeth. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Black Static • Book Reviews • Lance Olsen • Nietzsche • Peter Tennant

…and Gothic fantasies within a Gothic fantasy.

Horace Walpole’s 1764 novel “The Castle of Otrantoâ€� is claimed to be the first Gothic novel and may well be the first horror novel. Walpole’s home, Strawberry Hill House, (Waldegrave Road, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, London) was in his possession at the time of its writing. Walpole directed the major changes between 1747 and 1792 transforming it into ‘a little Gothic castle’ and, possibly, his dream of Castle Otranto. Later Strawberry Hill Station was built nearby because the political luminaries of the 1870’s were regular visitors to the house. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Anne Sudworth • Art • Castle Otranto • Gothic horror