Tor.com has posted another excerpt from DANGEROUS WOMEN, this one from Jim Butcher's story "Bombshells," set in his Harry Dresden series.
You can check it out here:
http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/07/dangerous-women-jim-butcher-excerpt
Read. Enjoy. Pre-order.
Current Mood: 
null
Tor.com has just posted another teaser from our forthcoming DANGEROUS WOMEN anthology, this one an except from Diana Gabaldon's story, "Virgins."
You can check it out here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/07/dangerous-women-diana-gabaldon-excerpt
And yes, this story is part of Diana's bestselling and award-winning OUTLANDER sequence.
DANGEROUS WOMEN will be published on December 3, but is available for advance purchase now from your favorite online bookseller.
The full table of contents:
INTRODUCTION, by Gardner Dozois
SOME DESPERADO, by Joe Abercrombie
MY HEART IS EITHER BROKEN, by Megan Abbott
NORA’S SONG, by Cecelia Holland
THE HANDS THAT ARE NOT THERE, by Melinda Snodgrass
BOMBSHELLS, by Jim Butcher
RAISA STEPANOVA, by Carrie Vaughn
WRESTLING JESUS, by Joe R. Lansdale
NEIGHBORS, by Megan Lindholm
I KNOW HOW TO PICK ‘EM, by Lawrence Block
SHADOWS FOR SILENCE IN THE FORESTS OF HELL, by Brandon Sanderson
A QUEEN IN EXILE, by Sharon Kay Penman
THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR, by Lev Grossman
SECOND ARABESQUE, VERY SLOWLY, by Nancy Kress
CITY LAZARUS, by Diana Rowland
VIRGINS, by Diana Gabaldon
HELL HATH NO FURY, by Sherilynn Kenyon
PRONOUNCING DOOM, by S.M. Stirling
NAME THE BEAST, by Sam Sykes
CARETAKERS, by Pat Cadigan
LIES MY MOTHER TOLD ME, by Caroline Spector
THE PRINCESS AND THE QUEEN, by George R.R. Martin
Current Mood: null
For those of you who were not able to come to San Diego for Comicon… or get into Hall H for the GAME OF THRONES panel… here's the video that kicked off the proceedings, a tribute to all those we have loved (or not) and lost during the first three seasons of the show.
<lj-embed id=”354″ />
Seen all together like that, it does make me seem rather a bloody bastard, doesn't it?
In my own (feeble) defense, however, let me point out that Irri, Rakharo, the Thirteen of Qarth, Xaro Xhoan Daxos, Mago (not seen in the video), and Pyat Pree are all still alive and well (more or less) in the books as of the end of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. Like the guys in Spinal Tap, David and Dan do like to turn things up to 11.
Robb's wife is alive in the novels too, but Jeyne Westerling is an entirely different person than Talisa Maegyr with an entirely different fate. Ros does not exist in the books, but of the characters she replaced, Kyra is dead, but Chataya and Alayaya are still around.
As to where we go from here… season four is coming, and no one is safe on GAME OF THRONES.
Not even those who you think might be safe for another book or two, from reading my novels.
Current Mood: null
DANGEROUS WOMEN, the latest huge crossgenre anthology from Gardner Dozois and me, is scheduled for hardcover release on December 3. But you can get an early taste of danger…
Tor.com is going to be running a series of short excerpts from some of the stories in DW. The first of them just went up. It's a teaser from Brandon Sanderson's novella, "Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell," and you can find it here:
http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/07/dangerous-women-brandon-sanderson-excerpt
Current Mood: null
A couple of last minute additions to my schedule for San Diego Comicon.
Avatar Press will be bringing out the first issue of their SKIN TRADE comic at the con, based on my werewolf novella "The Skin Trade," which won the World Fantasy Award back, oh… before some of you were born.
Daniel Abraham did the adaptation and wrote the script. Mike Wolfer did the art (and what a perfect name for this particular story). An asthmatic lycanthrope, a sexy female PI, a gloomy gothic rustbelt city…
Daniel, Mike, and I will be signing copies of SKING TRADE #1 at the Avatar booth (2701) on Saturday afternoon, 12:30 to 1:30. This will be a TICKETED signing, limited to 125 people. Fans can stop by the Avatar booth any time to ask about tickets. So get there EARLY.
Then, on Sunday, Mike Wolfer, William Christensen, and I will be doing a SKIN TRADE panel in the convention center. That's 12:00 noon, in room 25ABC. (Daniel won't be able to join us, he'll be off elsewhere being half of James S.A. Corey).
For those of you who can't be at San Diego, SKIN TRADE #1 will go on sale at your local comic shop tomorrow… well, I see it's past midnight, so make that today. Wednesday, July 17.
SKIN TRADE #2 will follow next month.
But speaking of San Diego, I had better go pack. See you all at Comicon!
Current Mood: null
The next convention on my calendar is the San Diego Comicon.
My dance card is already almost full. Yes, there will be a GAME OF THRONES panel, and I'll be on it. It is scheduled for Friday, July 19, 2:50 to 3:45, in Hall H To be followed by an autographing at the WB booth. Of course, I'll be joined on the panel by half a dozen cast members (no, don't know which ones yet) and David and Dan.
I will also be doing a signing on Saturday, July 20, from 11:00am to noon, in the official autograph area. That one is for Bantam.
Working on two more signings: one for Avatar Comics, which will be launching their new comic of THE SKIN TRADE (based on my novella, scripted by Daniel Abraham) at the con, and one with the marvelous Gary Gianni, the artist for the 2014 ICE & FIRE calendar, which will debut in San Diego. Details on those when I have 'em.
I am not on any panels besides the one for GAME OF THRONES, nor will I be doing any readings (come to worldcon for that), but there should be plenty of chances for anyone who wants me to deface their books, maps, games, videotapes, or body parts with my illegible scrawl. But PLEASE, if you want my autograph, come to one of these four signings. Don't stop me in the hotel lobby or on the street or in a restaurant when I am trying to have dinner.
ADDENDUM: SIGNING DETAILS
I now have the details on another of my signings, so I thought I would add them here.
On Thursday, 2:00 – 3:00 pm, I will be signing copies of the 2014 ICE & FIRE CALENDAR, together with the amazing Gary Gianni, the artist. The signing will take place at Gary's booth, Booth #4902/ 4904 on the convention floor. First come first served, as usual… Gary has only 150 copies of the calendar, and I can only be there for an hour. Though this is a signing for the CALENDAR, not my books, I will autograph ONE (1) book for anyone who buys a copy of the calendar. As in other recent events, I will be doing only signatures, no inscriptions. Sorry, I'd love to, but time does not allow. Gary may or may not be doing inscriptions, don't know, that's his call.
Current Mood: null
Big news in the world of comic books today!
The graphic novels of the first two Dunk & Egg adventures, THE HEDGE KNIGHT and THE SWORN SWORD, have been unavailable for several years, ever since the Marvel Comics editions went out of print. During that time, the prices for those books have steadily risen in the collector’s market, and I’ve received numerous emails from readers begging me to get them back in print.
Their wish is about to be granted.
Today, in Seattle, Amazon Publishing formally announced the launch of JET CITY COMICS, a new publishing imprint focused on producing comics and graphic novels in both electronic and paper formats. Jet City will be launching with titles from Hugh Howey (bestselling author of WOOL), Hugo-award winning novelist Neal Stephenson… and me.
First up (from me) will be MEATHOUSE MAN, the graphic novel, based on the most twisted and disturbing story I ever wrote, wonderfully adapted, penciled, inked, and colored by the amazing Raya Golden. That’s scheduled for release in October
Dunk and Egg will follow. Jet City will be putting both THE HEDGE KNIGHT and THE SWORN SWORD back into print. . . and releasing ebook versions for the Kindle, making both titles available electronically for the first time.
New Jet City issues will publish on Kindle as standalone comics, as serialized comics released over multiple episodes, and as bundled graphic novels, with print editions available at amazon.com and other comics retailers.
According to Amazon’s official press release, Jet City will publish the following comics in 2013:
• An original comic adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s story “Meathouse Man,” illustrated by Raya Golden, and a re-release of “The Hedge Knight” by Ben Avery and Mike S. Miller, a prequel set in the universe of Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy series (the inspiration for the hit HBO program Game of Thrones). “Meathouse Man” will be released as a single issue comic in digital format in October 2013; “The Hedge Knight” will be released as a collected graphic novel in print and digital formats in November 2013; and its sequel, “The Sworn Sword,” will follow in early 2014.
• An adaptation of Hugh Howey’s bestselling dystopian novel Wool by comics veterans Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and illustrator Jimmy Broxton, where the remnants of humanity live in a massive silo hundreds of stories below the surface of the ruined and toxic landscape of Earth. Wool was a #1 bestseller in the Kindle store and is one of the most-reviewed science fiction novels on Amazon, with almost 6,000 customer reviews. It will be released as a Kindle Serial, as six individual comics issues starting in October 2013, followed by a collected graphic novel in 2014.
• Six original comics from The Foreworld Saga, the bestselling alternate history series that began with The Mongoliad (a serialized novel collaboratively written by a team of authors led by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, and Mark Teppo). The first Foreworld comic, “Symposium #1” by author Christian Cameron and Illustrator Dmitry Bondarenko, details the origins of the Shield-Brethren in Ancient Greece in the days following Athens crushing defeat to Sparta in 394 BC. It goes on-sale today, with new installments releasing monthly before being collected in a series of graphic novels in 2014.
In the official press release, Alex Carr, Senior Editor at Jet City, says, “It’s a dream to work with superstar authors like George, Hugh and Neal on the launch of a new imprint. Millions of fans have read and loved their novels, and with Jet City we look forward to opening up these iconic worlds to new audiences. We’re working with an incredible, hand-picked team of comics professionals, writers, artists, and translators, who have done an amazing job developing and expanding these inventive stories. I’m looking forward to the response from comics readers and fans.”
“Comics and graphic novels, especially in digital format, represent a unique area for innovation,” said Jeff Belle, Vice President of Amazon Publishing. “Our focus will be on adapting great books for this medium as a means of expanding the audience for our authors, pushing boundaries with new ideas that combine visual and narrative storytelling, and creating compelling new experiences for readers.”
I’m excited to be published by Jet City, and delighted that they will be putting THE HEDGE KNIGHT and THE SWORN SWORD back into print, for all those fans who have been asking for them.
“Ah, but what about THE MYSTERY KNIGHT? “ I hear you asking. The third Dunk and Egg novella, originally published in my anthology WARRIORS, has not yet been adapted to comics.
But that’s about to change. I’m delighted to say we’ve put the old gang back together. Dunk and Egg are returning to comics. Ben Avery will be scripting, and Mike S. Miller will once again be doing the art. This time it will be Random House, the publisher of the SONG OF ICE & FIRE novels and the on-going GAME OF THRONES graphic novel adaptations, doing the book.
With Jet City and Random House behind them, Dunk and Egg could not be in better hands.
Current Mood: null
Yes, I know, that title is a bit of an oxymoron.
There is no real Iron Throne. It doesn't exist. I made it up. I said it was made of melted swords, but really, it was made of words, like all such fictional constructs.
Ah, but it's real to me. That's part of what it means to be a writer. If you don't know what I'm getting at there, go read my old short story, "Portraits of His Children." When I write about the Iron Throne, I SEE it in my head… and I try to describe it as best I can. Not being a blacksmith or an ironmonger, however, I hammer it together with words, striving to make all of you, my readers, see what I see.
Most of the time that works… though, as the recent brouhaha about the Red Viper shows, the picture in the reader's head and the picture in the writer's head do not always line up perfectly. With the Iron Throne, however, the process has been particularly frustrating. A dozen different artists have done versions of the Iron Throne over the years. Some have been very striking, some less so, but none of them have ever been quite RIGHT. Their versions never quite matched what I saw in my mind's eye.
Then came the show, and HBO's version of the Iron Throne.
I'm a realist about these things, and I know perfectly well that for millions of television viewers worldwide, the HBO Iron Throne is THE Iron Throne, and always will be. It turns up everywhere, on book covers, on magazines, in places that have no connection to the show. Say "GAME OF THRONES," and people think of the HBO Iron Throne.
And, hell, in some ways the HBO throne is more real than mine could ever be. They've actually MADE theirs (though it is not actually made of iron). There's the one that sits on the set in Belfast's Paint Hall, and at least six others that travel about the country making promotional appearances at conventions, screenings, exhibits, and the like. They turn up in train stations and parks. Thousands of people have had their pictures taken sitting on the Iron Throne, including many celebrities. And me as well, many times. Over in the UK, Sky Atlantic has their own Iron Throne, that also travels about to help promote the show. Canal + has one too, in Spain. The Spanish and British thrones are variants, somewhat different from the HBO throne, yet similar in most important respects. I've been seated on both of those at well.
The HBO throne has become iconic. And well it might. It's a terrific design, and it has served the show very well. There are replicas and paperweights of it in three different sizes. Everyone knows it. I love it. I have all those replicas right here, sitting on my shelves.
And yet, and yet… it's still not right. It's not the Iron Throne I see when I'm working on THE WINDS OF WINTER. It's not the Iron Throne I want my readers to see. The way the throne is described in the books… HUGE, hulking, black and twisted, with the steep iron stairs in front, the high seat from which the king looks DOWN on everyone in the court… my throne is a hunched beast looming over the throne room, ugly and assymetric…
The HBO throne is none of those things. It's big, yes, but not nearly as big as the one described in the novels. And for good reason. We have a huge throne room set in Belfast, but not nearly huge enough to hold the Iron Throne as I painted it. For that we'd need something much bigger, more like the interior of St. Paul's Cathedral or Westminster Abbey, and no set has that much room. The Book Version of the Iron Throne would not even fit through the doors of the Paint Hall.
So what does the Real Iron Throne look like, you ask? Glad you asked. It looks kind of like this:
That's the Iron Throne as painted by the amazing Marc Simonetti (and if you haven't gotten his 2013 Ice & Fire calendar, better hurry, the year's half over) for the upcoming concordance, THE WORLD OF ICE & FIRE. It's a rough, not a final version, so what you see in the book will be more polished. But Marc has come closer here to capturing the Iron Throne as I picture it than any other artist to tackle it. From now on, THIS will be the reference I give to every other artist tackling a throne room scene. This Iron Throne is massive. Ugly. Assymetric. It's a throne made by blacksmiths hammering together half-melted, broken, twisted swords, wrenched from the hands of dead men or yielded up by defeated foes… a symbol of conquest… it has the steps I describe, and the height. From on top, the king dominates the throne room. And there are thousands of swords in it, not just a few.
This Iron Throne is scary. And not at all a comfortable seat, just as Aegon intended.
Look on his works, ye mighty, and despair.
Current Mood: null
What's that, you ask? Dany and the Dragons? A forgotten rock group of the doo-wop era?
NO! It's a special variant cover for issue #15 of the GAME OF THRONES comic, available only (or so we are told) at the San Diego Comicon, as a comicon exclusive.
This special alternate cover was requested and commissioned by our friends at Mile High Comics, in cooperation with Dynamite Comics. It is my understanding that it will be available only at the Mile High booth. (Though of course the same issue, with the regular cover, will be available from numerous dealers at the con).
The artist is Fritz Casa.
((Before you all start posting messages and sending emails… yes, we're well aware that the scene depicted does not actually occur in this issue. In fact, Dany's dragons have not even hatched yet in the comics, that's a good ten issues in the future. And even when they do hatch, the dragons won't be that big until, oh, STORM OF SWORDS or so. [A couple of other things here are also bigger than I'd envisioned]. No need to point all this out. My editors and I pointed it all out already to Dynamite and Mile High, but this is the cover they wanted. Artistic License, and all. The Mike S. Miller cover, with a completely different scene, will also continue to be available.))
I am told that Dynamite printed 1500 copies of these for Mile High… but with 150,000 fans at comicon, there's no telling how long they will last. So if you want to snag one, I'd advise you to hit the Mile High booth early.
(Yes, that's Froggy. No, there's no casting clue in this post. I just missed the lil' guy. Hiya, kids, hiya, hiya.
Current Mood: null
This blog is the only place for official communication from George R.R. Martin. For press inquiries, please contact David Moench
