Forthcoming selections

At our previous meeting (and shame on you for not being there), we determined our selections for the first three months of 2010.

• January 13 The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
• February 10 Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory
• March 10 Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

For our December 9 meeting, we're discussing Jeff VanderMeer's Finch.


We meet at Flight Path at 7 PM and we'd love to see ya there. Check out our home page for more details about the Dark Forces Book Group.

My review of Finch

My review of Jeff VanderMeer's latest novel Finch appeared in today's San Antonio Current.

The first two volumes of The Ambergris Cycle, City of Saints & Madmen and Shriek: An Afterword, introduced a fascinating story sequence centered on the city-state Ambergris and its unusual inhabitants and happenings. Typifying the uniqueness of VanderMeer’s world, fungoid creatures of unknown origin, dubbed the gray caps, occupy the city’s extensive underworld catacombs and drive many of the stories. Finch, the third and climactic volume, returns to VanderMeer’s singular creation some 100 years after the events recounted in Shriek.

Finch’s weeklong investigation unveils a seedy underworld littered with revolutionaries, hustlers, femme fatales, and characters from his own questionable past. Cataloging this novel’s strata, twists, and feints will occupy fans and critics for years. All aspects of the story interact with elements of the prior Ambergris adventures, though Finch stands entirely on its own merits; the three books of the cycle can be enjoyed in any order.

As with all of VanderMeer’s works, this layered tale ultimately satisfies as it barrels to a momentous conclusion. If Finch is indeed the final Ambergris story, and I have my doubts that it is, VanderMeer left his creation with an extraordinary novel — one of the finest of his young career — and completed a cycle that encapsulates the very best of the New Weird.

Check out my Baker's Dozen interview with Jeff Vandermeer and the remainder of this review.

Forthcoming selections

At our previous meeting (and shame on you for not being there), we determined our selections for the remainder of the year.

• Oct 14 Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
• Nov 11 The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes
• Dec 9 Finch by Jeff VanderMeer

We meet at Flight Path at 7 PM and we'd love to see ya there. Check out our home page for more details about the Dark Forces Book Group.

Top real-life fantasy and/or science fiction cities

At the creative writing program Shared Worlds students create fantasy and science fiction worlds that as the name implies are to be shared with others.

As a precursor to the forthcoming class (July 19-August 1 @ Wofford College), Jeff VanderMeer, Shared Worlds Assistant Director and Instructor, asked Elizabeth Hand, Nalo Hopkinson, Ursula K. LeGuin, China Miéville, and Michael Moorcock the following question: "What's your pick for the top real-life fantasy or science fiction city?"



Given this group, the answers not surprisingly encompassed a wide range of the Western world's cities-- from Reykavik to Kingston to Marrakesh and points inbetween. Some more views from the Eastern world would have been nice.

Having not traveled all that extensively (never out of North America), my pick would be Montreal with it's clash of cultures and languages. And hell, it's got a biosphere! Don't get much more sf geeky than that.



What would be your top real-life fantasy and/or science fiction city?

Forthcoming books

At last night's meeting (and shame on you for not being there), we determined our books for August and September.

Our schedule for the next three months:

• July 9 Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff Vandermeer
• August 13 Ancient Fire: Danger Boy Episode #1: by Mark London Williams (The author will be in attendance.)
• September 10 Elric: The Stealer of Souls by Michael Moorcock

As always, we meet at 7 PM at the Flightpath. Visit the Dark Forces home page for more details.

Forthcoming books

We have decided the selections for the next three months.

• May 14 The Terror by Dan Simmons

• June 11 Snake Agent by Liz Williams

• July 9 Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff VanderMeer

As always, we meet at 7 PM at the Flightpath. Visit the Dark Forces home page for more details.

Conversations with the Bookless: Paul O. Miles

A part of my guest blogging duties for Jeff Vandermeer's Ecstatic Days blog was to produce three new interviews for his Conversations with the Bookless series. The subjects are all published short stories writers who do not have a book. My first two, Scott A. Cupp and Chris Nakashima-Brown, are well know to our little clique, but not near as well as our own regular contributor Paul O. Miles. As expected, Paul is witty with an interesting tale or two to share. (Any of our book group regulars should not be shocked by this.)

My Ecstasy Days

On October 27, I began my guest blogging stint for Jeff Vandermeer on his very popular Ecstatic Days. My tenure started with a reprint of my rarely seen 2003 Hellnotes self-interview complete with commentary and updates. My guest stint extends through November 11. I'm planning on continuing my presence here as well.

Steampunk: The Anthology

On his blog, Jeff Vandermeer released a rough of the cover to his (co-edited with his wife Ann) forthcoming anthology Steampunk. Contributors include Michael Moorcock, Joe R. Lansdale, Neal Stephenson, Michael Chabon, Mary Gentle, and others. Actually one of the others happens to me. I've contributed an essay about pop culture and steampunk.

Table of contents:

• “Preface,” Jeff and Ann VanderMeer

• “Introduction: The Nineteenth Century Roots of Steampunk,” Jess Nevins

• “Steampunk in Pop Culture,” Rick Klaw

• “Steampunk in the Comics,” Bill Baker

• “Benediction: Warlord of the Air” excerpt, Michael Moorcock

• “Lord Kelvin’s Machine,” James Blaylock

• “The Giving Mouth,” Ian MacLeod

• “A Sun in the Attic,” Mary Gentle

• “The God-Clown Is Near,” Jay Lake

• “The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down,” Joe Lansdale

• “The Selene Gardening Society,” Molly Brown

• “Seventy-Two Letters,” Ted Chiang

• “The Martian Agent: An Interplanetary Romance,” Michael Chabon

• “Victoria,” Paul Di Filippo

• “Reflected Light,” Rachel E. Pollack

• “Minutes of the Last Meeting,” Stepan Chapman

• “Excerpt from the Third and Last Volume of the Tribes of the Pacific Coast,” Neal Stephenson

I'm jazzed about this book. Especially after seeing the cover and the people that are in the anthology. The piece I most look forward to is Jess Nevin's "The Nineteenth Century Roots of Steampunk." For the uninitiated, Jess produced the two amazing League of Extraordinary Gentleman companions (Heroes and Monsters and A Blazing World) plus the incredible The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana. Needless to say, Jess knows his stuff.

Look for the book in May, 2008.

Shameless Plug

My latest Austin Chronicle review, Best American Fantasy, is in today's issue.

Editors Ann and Jeff VanderMeer offer a wide range of tales, most of which do not appear in other "best of" collections, from publications as different as Alaska Quarterly Review, Fantasy & Science Fiction, The Georgia Review, Harrington Gay Men's Literary Quarterly, McSweeney's, New England Review, The New Yorker, Oxford American, The Paris Review, and Zoetrope: All-Story. The VanderMeers chose their selections wisely.
Continued...

Jeff Vandermeer's Pop Culture Report #1

The first in a new series of single-take review videos from the tireless Jeff Vandermeer.

In this installment, Jeff reviews Shaun Tan’s The Arrival, Brian Talbot’s Alice in Sunderland, Nicola Griffith’s And Now We Are Going to Have a Party (from the amazing Payseur & Schmidt), and the Star Wars Pop-Up Book.

So when does Jeff sleep?

Happy Anniversary

September marked the 7th anniversary of the Dark Forces Book Group. From the very humble beginnings when Peggy and I were the only ones there to Regina being our first new member to the present where we are going strong with our very own blog, this group shows no sign of ending any time soon.

For the curious our first book selection was Tim Powers' Anubis Gates.

The most popular authors:

• Joe R. Lansdale 4 selections (The Bottoms, Bumper Crop, High Cotton, Lost Echoes)
• Alan Moore 4 selections (From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2, V For Vendetta)
• Neil Gaiman 3 selections (American Gods, Good Omens, Sandman: Doll's House)
• Philip Pullman 3 selections (The Amber Spyglass, The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife)
• Jeff Vandermeer 3 selections (City of Saints & Madmen, The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases, Veniss Underground)

Next month's Stir of Echoes makes the third Richard Matheson selection (Hell House, I Am Legend)

Of the 84 selections, we've read nine graphic novels, nine 19th century publications, and two anthologies.

Thanks to everyone who has participated over the past seven years. It's been a blast and I look forward to our next anniversary.

Hoegbotton & Sons Book Sale

Long time Dark Forces favorite Jeff Vandermeer (City of Saints & Madmen, Veniss Underground, and The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases) and his wife Ann are hosting a mammoth book sale from their own private collection. The sale actually started yesterday, but plenty of great things are still available.