Jun 9, 2016
that spicy blunt kiss
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Russia
seen from Netherlands
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Japan
seen from Germany
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from France
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
that spicy blunt kiss
Read an interview with Chasing the Phoenix author Michael Swanwick on SF Signal.
Book diary: “Chasing the Phoenix” by Michael Swanwick
A super fun mixture of classical Chinese-esque military adventure, fairy tale, hard SF, buddy con-man swindling and counter-swindling, and pure Swanwickery. Everything goes together so well: the Chinese stories this draws on (Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Heroes of the Marsh (or however you want to translate it)) include lots of military stratagems, which viewed in a different light are very similar to a con-man’s ruses, and the fact that battles are bloody but these conmen avoid hurting people adds a great tension. Hard SF meets fairy tale because the story is post-Utopian, and all the leftover bits of technology seem like and might as well be magic: tutelary liqueurs and cheroots for learning whatever subject you like, talking dogs, vengeful and desperate AIs, thermonuclear devices...
That being said, it’s the Swanwickery that really holds everything together. His early books tend towards the more depressing (though I really like them) but I think he’s gotten jollier over the years. These days he’s one of the most purely delightful authors out there. The beginning of each chapter is headed with an excerpt from an imaginary book; a lot come from “The Sayings of The Perfect Strategist,” (which is the pseudonym taken on by one of the con-men), and are things like, “The trust to be placed in the powers of heaven is boundless; all others must reconcile their debts with gold and silver.”
(This is the second novel about Darger and Surplus, and there were four or so short stories before that. Looking forward to the next.)
Happy Release Day! Here's what went on sale today.
Michael Swanwick gives us a brief history of the notorious tricksters Darger and Surplus in the Tor Newsletter!
Looking for what to read next? Check out Kirkus Reviews' list of must-reads for August.
Please enjoy this excerpt from Michael Swanwick's upcoming novel, Chasing the Phoenix.
In the distant future, Surplus arrives in China dressed as a Mongolian shaman, leading a yak which carries the corpse of his friend, Darger. The old high-tech world has long since collapsed, and the artificial intelligences that ran it are outlawed and destroyed. Or so it seems.
Duck and Covers: This Just In
Duck and Covers: This Just In
Jo Walton is one of those writers who commands some readers to read everything she writes on blind faith. I’m not necessarily one of those people, but I recognize her appeal. Her newest project, due out in early 2014 is titled The Just City. It’s the story of time-traveling Pallas Athene and a social experiment. The result is a school with thousands of a children, teaching mortals to surpass the…
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