Posted on March 12, 2015 Posted by John Scalzi 37 Comments
Today’s stack of new books and ARCs has one book that is sadly all-too-appropriate today. Let me know what else in this stack you have an interest in, in the comments.
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Endymion and A Blink of the Screen.
The top two are on my neverending ToRead list.
I need to run over to the bookstore, but then again, I really don’t….
Besides Blink of the Screen? Aurora, clearly.
Kim Stanley Robinson! Woot!
Blink of the Screen, Jacaranda, and Aurora
I’m always up for Priest. Hadn’t heard about Jacaranda, though. Sounds like part of C.S. Lewis’s solar system…
I highly recommend A Circus of Brass and Bone. I reviewed it for Cannonball Read
Kind of sad to see Sir Terry on there and realize it may be the last one ever (unless something is in the publishing process)
One of the new articles stated that he completed a Discwold Novel in Summer of 2014.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/03/12/uk-britain-pratchett-idUKKBN0M81XB20150312
The book he finished is almost certainly The Shepherd’s Crown which was announced a while back as being due to be published in the fall of 2015, and is the fifth (and, alas, last) Tiffany Aching book
Aurora seems interesting.
What’s up with the new hardcover edition of Endymion? I just finished reading that a couple months ago.
It’s a limited edition from Subterranean Press.
When I saw the title of “A World Just Right” and that it was by an author named Brooks, I shuddered to think that it was another pontifcathon by David Brooks about how the world would be so much better if we only did as he wants us to (you have to admit that the title sure sounds like something DB might publish). And then I thought, “My god, he’s shipping ARCs to Scalzi now. Wow, I didn’t realize Whatever had that much throw weight! Cool.”
Imagine my relief (both for you and us) when I realized it wasn’t David Brooks at all, but what looks to be an interesting-looking YA book instead. It’s on hold at the library now.
The Lost Boys Symphony, Tin Men
JACARANDA is already residing on my to-be-read bookcase. My lovely wife is the primary purchaser of Pratchett in the household and will no doubt acquire A BLINK OF THE SCREEN at some point. I can swipe it and blame the cats…
I’m so incredibly excited to see IN A WORLD JUST RIGHT in your pile. It’s written by a good friend of mine and it’s her debut novel. I can’t wait to see how this has changed since I beta read it a few years ago! Jen Brooks is one of the sweetest people I know.
I enjoyed JACARANDA.
Had a bit of a sniffle when I saw Terry Pratchett’s work there. I, too, have Jacaranda sitting patiently on my shelf.
A Kim Stanley Robinson I’ve not YET heard of! I must know more. I’ve been pretending to have read “Endymion” so long, I’m almost afraid to actually read it and break an unbroken streak…
Weavers sounds interesting.
Jacaranda is on my to-read stack. Lots of nostalgia at seeing Endymion on your stack. Dan Simmons has a way of… writing completely awesome but also completely convoluted and confusing works that are nonetheless still awesome.
Hyperion is still my favorite of his, it was such a great retelling of the Canterbury Tales in the far future.
I’ve read A Blink of the Screen, it’s very good. The last quarter or so is about death, so having read it I felt just a little bit forewarned …
Otherwise, Aurora.
So looking forward to In a World Just Right. Great premise!
Just finished Jacaranda — it’s a nice coda to the Clockwork Century.
Also, Subterranean Press makes excellent books!
Sigh. I meant ‘A Slip of the Keyboard’ which is not in that stack. Typing without checking …. ‘A Blink of the Screen’ is very good though, of course.
What’s limited about Endymion?
Blink of the Screen and Jacaranda.
Hans:
Uh, there are only a few copies of this edition, and they won’t make anymore?
In a World Just Right looked interesting. I’m intrigued by the idea of what would happen if you could create the exact world you could imagine. Also, I’m always looking for new books for my students to read.
I’ve seen this type of request for a long while, but still am not sure what is going on. What is an “ARC?” Why do you want to know what I have an interest in? Are you planning on sending us free books? 8-)
The first three on top (‘circus’, ‘lost boys’, and ‘depth’). Jacaranda I will be reading soon (another e-book I got from that bundle).
Walt: An ARC is an Advance Reading Copy, an advertising copy sent out to reviewers and suchlike people before the book is actually available, in order to get reviews and/or buzz. Often it hasn’t had its final proofreading yet, and sometimes won’t have any cover art, and minimal formatting. (They used to be basically just bound galley proofs; I own a few like that.) And while I wish he sent us copies of the books, what he actually does is give the non-ARCs to his local public library for their shelves and/or their Friends of the Library sale. (Oh, to be close enough to check out their FotL sales!)
As to why he asks us what we think, it’s an interesting conversation starter. I like that he posts pictures of all those books and ARCs, because I don’t always pay attention to publishing schedules, and about every third or fourth stack has at least one book that makes me go, “Oooh, THAT’S out???” And other people doing the same thing inspires me to check out books by authors I’d never heard of before. Which is, of course, exactly what the publicists want, and why they keep sending him books…
I think the question is, is there anything particularly interesting or exciting about this edition of “Endymion” beyond its limited-ness?
Seeing a blink of the screen made me gasp. Odd how it still hurts a little bit, even a few days later.
Uh, yeah, what Standback said about Endymion.
I would like to formally apologize for the confusion caused by the the ill thought out phrasing of my previous request. I hope that I’ve not caused inconvenience to any parties involved.
That said, is there anything particularly interesting or exciting about the Subterranean Press printing of the novel Endymion?
Thank you for your consideration, and I anxiously await your reply.
Hans