For years now fans of my epic fantasy series A Song of Ice & Fire have been writing and emailing me to suggest... ask... beg for the books to be made into a videogame. I'm thrilled to be able to announce that, at long last, those requests are being answered. Cyanide Studios, an independent videogame developer based in Nanterre, France, has acquired an exclusive option to develop Ice & Fire as both an RTS (Real Time Strategy) and RPG videogame for next generation consoles and PC.

Cyanide will begin development immediately, with an eye toward rolling out the games for release in the summer of 2011. "We are all huge fans of 'A Song of Ice and Fire', so it is a true honour for our teams to be entrusted with creating the first video games inspired by this masterpiece" said Patrick Pligersdorffer, Managing Director of Cyanide. "The twists and turns of the plot will allow us to deliver an experience which can be enjoyed by both long-time fans as well as gamers new to the series. Its rich web of characters, set in a universe where nothing is just black and white, make it an ideal background for both an RTS and an RPG."

Cyanide first approached me about videogame rights five years ago. No agreement was reached at that time, but Patrick and his colleague Joe Ryan have maintained their interest in the series over the years, impressing me with their doggedness and determination. Since that first contact, Cyanide has opened a studio in Montreal and more than doubled its headcount, and now have the resources to produce both RTS and RPG games that will, we hope, satisfy all my fans and readers, and gamers unfamiliar with the books as well. I am pleased to be in business with the Cyanide, and look forward to working with them on the games.

Cyanide was founded in 2000, and has developed and produced games in numerous genres, including sports management, real time strategy, fantasy, and action RPGs. More information is available through the company website : cyanide-studio.com.

WILD CARDS is headed back to its roots.

The early volumes in our long-running shared-world anthology series largely centered around Manhattan, especially the parts of the Bowery and Lower East Side that became known as Jokertown. More recent entries, however, have been wider in scope, often international. But I've signed the contracts for another brand new, all-original Wild Cards mosaic novel, and I'm pleased to announce that with FORT FREAK the series is coming home again.

Manhattan's 5th precinct has seen it all. Its historic precinct house on Elizabeth Street is the oldest in the New York City, and the cops and detectives based there are charged with keeping the peace in Chinatown, Little Italy, the Bowery, and parts of the Lower East Side.

In our alternate universe, the jokers—deformed, twisted vicctims of the alien virus known as the wild card—began moving into tenementss of the Bowery and Lower East Side in the late 40s and early 50s, driving out the "nats" (naturals) and transforming the area into a colorful, dangerous, and often surreal slum district that soon became known as Jokertown. The 5th precinct became the Jokertown precinct. It did not take long before the city's police began calling the precinct house "Fort Freak."

Fort Freak and its cops and detectives have figured in many of our older Wild Cards stories, albeit usually in the background. But with this new volume, we're finally going to tell the stories of the brave men and women who walk the mean streets and strange alleys of Jokertown, and the unique and dangerous challenges that face.

FORT FREAK is the title, and Tor will once again be our publisher. The lineup of contributors for this one includes Cherie Priest, Melinda M. Snodgrass, David Anthony Durham, Stephen Leigh, Paul Cornell, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Victor Milan, and John Jos. Miller. The featured characters will be a mix of old favorite and new creations.

This will be the twenty-first volume in the Wild Cards series, first launched in 1987.

Look for FORT FREAK in your favorite bookstore in late 2010 or early 2011. We've just started work on this one.

Subterranean Press has announced that they've sent the Jack Vance tribute anthology (co-edited by me and Gardner Dozois), SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH to the printers.

This is the illustrated edition, with gorgeous interior artwork by Tom Kidd. The lettered and numbered states are sold out, but copies of the trade remain available at the SubPress website.

Here's the lineup:
- Thank You, Mr. Vance, Dean Koontz
- Preface, Jack Vance
- THE TRUE VINTAGE OF ERZINE THALE, Robert Silverberg
- GROLION OF ALMERY, Matthew Hughes
- THE COPSY DOOR, Terry Dowling
- CAULK THE WITCH-CHASER, Liz Williams
- INESCAPABLE, Mike Resnick
- ABRIZONDE, Walter Jon Williams
- THE TRADITIONS OF KARZH, Paula Volsky
- THE FINAL QUEST OF THE WIZARD SARNOD, Jeff VanderMeer
- THE GREEN BIRD, Kage Baker
- THE LAST GOLDEN THREAD, Phyllis Eisenstein
- AN INCIDENT IN USKVESK, Elizabeth Moon
- SYLGARMO'S PROCLAMATION, Lucius Shepard
- THE LAMENTABLY COMICAL TRAGEDY (OR THE LAUGHABLY TRAGIC COMEDY) OF LIVAL LAQAVEE, Tad Williams
- GUYAL THE CURATOR, John C. Wright
- THE GOOD MAGICIAN, Glen Cook
- RETURN OF THE FIRE WITCH, Elizabeth Hand
- THE COLLEGEUM OF MAUGE, by Byron Tetrick
- EVILLO THE UNCUNNING, Tanith Lee
- THE GUIDING NOSE OF ULFANT BANDEROZ, Dan Simmons
- FROGSKIN CAP, Howard Waldrop
- A NIGHT AT THE TARN HOUSE, George R.R. Martin
- AN INVOCATION OF INCURIOSITY, Neil Gaiman

It's going to be a real Jack Vance extravaganza over at Subterranean, since they are also rolling to press with his autobiography, IT'S ME, JACK VANCE, and the collection WILD THYME, GREEN MAGIC. You might want to pick up copies of those two as well... and hey, my own "Ace Double" book, STARLADY and FAST- FRIEND, remains available as well.

The good folks at Green Ronin Games have been busy of late, with two new releases that should be of interest to my readers.

For all the Wild Cards fanatics out there, they have just released Wild Cards: All-In, A Mutants & Masterminds Adventure Anthology, with four all new ready-to-play adventures in the world of aces, jokers, and aliens. All-In should be on sale now at your favorite gaming store, and is also available as a PDF, direct from Green Ronin. Bill Bodden, Dwayne Butchino, Steve Kenson, John Polojac, and Mark Santillo were the authors. Here's your chance to have your own characters join the exalted ranks of Dr. Tachyon, Modular Man, the Great and Powerful Turtle, and other Wild Card favorites.

Ah, but that's just the appetizer. For the main course, Green Ronin has rolled out its long-awaited and much- anticipated Song of Ice & Fire Role- Playing Game! The hardcover of the core book is now on sale at game stores all over the country, and a PDF is also available from Green Ronin's website.

"Based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy epic, A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying gives you everything you need to play and run games in the Seven Kingdoms using an all new and easy to learn game system specifically designed to evoke the atmosphere of these best-selling novels," Green Ronin declares in their news release. "You and your fellow players take on the roles of key members of a noble house. Opportunities abound under the new king and as old loyalties die and new ones are born, your house is poised to claim its place alongside the Great Houses of Westeros. Should you succeed in your efforts, you might find yourself among the Starks and Lannisters, gaining the favor of the king, and securing your place in history. Should you fail, your rivals will destroy you on their own desperate climb to greatness. Seize your birthright in Green Ronin's A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying!"

For more information on both the Wild Cards and Song of Ice and Fire games, check out Green Ronin's own website. And happy adventuring.