Upcoming: Fan Expo 2012 and TIFF 2012!

First up, this weekend (beginning actually on Thursday night) Chris and I will be attending (for all 4 days) Toronto’s FAN EXPO (comic, sci-fi, anime, gaming, horror convention). This will be the first year we are attending it for the entire time. In previous years (ex. Yours truly has been attending since the late 1990’s) we have stuck to going on the biggest day (Saturday) and jamming absolutely everything we wanted to do into those 5 or 6 hours. This usually resulted in us missing a lot of the things on offer for the admission price (Q&A’s with guests, sketch-duels, preview screenings, TV and Film panels ect.) since we’d never have time for it all, plus our regular round of signings, purchasing and wandering. So this year we’ve gone all out. 4 days and we’ve already mapped out the majority of what we are going to do, see, attend, ect.

The plan then, for you folks, is that we will be tweeting live on the proceedings, what we saw and did, and should we have the energy we may be recording short little ten minute podcasts each day and posting them immediately after recording them. Things to look forward to: The premiere Canadian screening of ABC’s new post-apocalyptic show REVOLUTION, a few sketch duels from some heavy-weight artists, the Warner Brother’s trailer set (I assume for 2013 and beyond), and meeting the likes of John Barrowman, Norman Reedus, and Christopher Lloyd.

So stay tuned, and watch our respective twitter feeds for updates throughout the day. And in all likelihood we will make a long post-Con roundup.

Further down the pipe, beginning on Sept. 6th and running until the 15th is TIFF! That’s The Toronto International Film Festival for the uninitiated. Chris reported on his viewings last year, but this year is unable to attend…and seeing as I’ve not properly Fest-ed (what? It’s a word!) in a couple of years, it would appear as if it is my turn. I’ve taken some vacation time and have a 10-ticket pass, so I will be seeing ten films, plus I will probably get a Back 5 (which I can use to pick up five more films after the initial choice lottery happens), so 15 films in 10 days. Bring. It. On.

So I’ll be posting regularly, probably updating twitter as I stand in line and probably about what stars are wandering round Toronto. Seriously, if you’ve not been to TIFF, you literally see stars everywhere.

I’ve already made my 20 picks (10 1st choice films, and 10 alternates in case I don’t get all my 1st choice ones), and there are some DOOZY’S that I cannot wait to see! Just to tease them out, a few on my list are: DREDD, CLOUD ATLAS, BYZANTIUM, ANNA KARENINA, THE IMPOSSIBLE, CAUGHT IN THE WEB, OUTRAGE BEYOND and JOHN DIES AT THE END. Now I won’t get all 20 picks, but I’ll touch base with the full list once the choices have been announced late next week.

So that’s what’s on the schedule for the next little while. Two big events that will also have a big presence here on the blog. For entertainment’s sake don’tcha know.

Ah lastly, but certainly not leastly… the DOCTOR WHO Series 7 premiere episode ASYLUM OF THE DALEKS has been given the airdate of Sept. 8th on BBC America, but the rumour is that it will air a week earlier on Sept. 1st in the UK. Now if we can use history as an example that would mean that Space (the Canadian station that airs it) will air it on the 1st as well. We can hope!

Scott: Anticipation 2011!

2011 is shaping up to be a huge banner year for book releases. In late 2009 I made a post on my old personal blog about titles I looked forward to in 2010, and I certainly got to read them all, with Brandon Sanderson’s THE WAY OF KINGS stealing the gold medal for my favourite book this year. I am not going to speculate who will take the prize in 2011, but from the looks of the 2011 list the contenders have doubled since last year. In that same vein, please stay tuned over the Christmas Holiday’s as we will be posting a list of Awards for Iceberg Ink for the best of 2010.

So, without further ado, in completely random order, I give you:

ANTICIPATION 2011!

LEVIATHAN WAKES (1st book in Expanse series) - James S.A. Corey (pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck)

I’ve not read Daniel Abraham’s The Long Price Quartet, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. That said, the prospect of his foray into Space Opera Sci-Fi has me excited.

THE CRIPPLED GOD (10th Tale Of The Malazan Book Of The Fallen) – Steven Erikson

This is a no-brainer. The final book in Erikson’s epic fantasy series will certainly clock in at over 10,000 pages total when done and will stand as one of the most respected and complex fantasy stories ever told.

THE HEROES – Joe Abercrombie

Still utilizing and fleshing out the world he created for his First Law Trilogy, Abercrombie brings us another standalone volume, this time concerning a bunch of characters that are likely not (considering the man’s style of storytelling) heroes at all. But therein lies my excitement!

THE WISE MAN’S FEAR (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day 2) – Patrick Rothfuss

Delayed, but not as much as other books (*wink wink*) have been, the second volume in Rothfuss’ much lauded Kingkiller series about Kvothe is finally set to drop next spring and personally I can’t wait as the first book (THE NAME OF THE WIND) was one of my faves for 2007.

REPUBLIC OF THIEVES (3rd book in the Gentlemen Bastard Sequence) – Scott Lynch

Oh how delicious the first two books in this series are. Like Ocean’s 11 in a fantasy setting, Lynch’s very realized world of Camorr is both wondrous and dirty. I absolutely fell in love with the first book (THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA), and have been patiently awaiting this volume (delayed due to the passing of the author’s father), so I pleased to see it will be dropping in the spring as well.

BLUE REMEMBERED EARTH (1st book in Poseidon’s Children trilogy) – Alastair Reynolds

Reynolds is one of those Gollancz authors that I came to late, as my sci-fi taste is small compared to fantasy, but his Revelation Space books are some of the best space opera’s I’ve read ever, so I am very excited about this new series and where Reynolds plans to take us next.

FUZZY NATION – John Scalzi

Another new sci-fi guy whose work I discovered this year and devoured. His Old Man’s War series is currently kicking my butt with awesome when I read them, and the thought of him doing a revamp of a previous book has potential to be very fun!

HIS FATHER’S FIST (4th book in The Acts Of Caine series) – Matthew Stover

I can’t say much, cause every other word would be the “f” word, but sufficed to say, this 4th book about foul-mouthed, kickass Caine/Hari is one that will totally be an EFFING pre-order. Nuff Said.

IRON JACKAL (3rd Tales Of The Ketty Jay book) – Chris Wooding

Steampunky airships? Check. Pirates? Check. Rip-roaring, swashbuckling tales of adventure? Check. Chris Wooding’s third Ketty Jay Book. Check!

THE MEASURE OF MAGIC (2nd in The Legends of Shannara duology) – Terry Brooks

The second in a duology about the pre-history of Shannara. I liked the first one well enough, and look forward to see where we go with the second. I am also a bigger fan of his new stuff than I am his old stuff.

SNUFF (39th Discworld novel) – Terry Pratchett

Okay. This guy is a machine, and probably one of the most respected authors in the genre. He also has early onset Alzheimers and continues to push out books (simply amazing man). Add to this the fact that this new 39th Discworld book will be a Night Watch book about Vimes & Co…oh my god, my excitement knows no bounds. This is probably in my top 3 picks I am looking forwards to reading, no question.


THE DRAGON’S PATH (1st in The Dagger & The Coin series) - Daniel Abraham

A new Abraham Fantasy series, which he has gone on record as saying will be more “classically fantasy-like” than his previous series. Definitely one to look out for.

PERCEPLIQUIS (6th book in the Ryria Revelations series) – Michael J. Sullivan

I was privileged enough to have discovered this author’s books this year and haven’t been disappointed by one of them yet, so it is with great impatience that I await the final book in this series, cause I wanna know where it all ends up! Very excited.

THE ALLOY OF LAW (New Mistborn novel) &
THE RITHMATIST (New series for YA) - Brandon Sanderson

Fantasy It-Boy Sanderson can do me no wrong recently and with the recent announcement of not only a new Mistborn novel (with Guns?! Awesome!!), but a new YA series about magic users battling chalk creatures I am even more excited! Can't wait for late 2011 for these.

GHOST STORY (13th book in The Dresden Files series) – Jim Butcher

Last, but certainly not least, ever…If you asked the impartial version of me which book I was looking to most next year, the answer is easy. The twelfth book in this series which came out last year, CHANGES, was such a cliffhanger that you will be hard-pressed not to find me with my nose against the glass of the doors to the bookstore the day this drops in the spring. One of my fave series, and my favourite author ever…yep. This is gonna be good!

Upcoming: Who is Deborah Harkness?!

When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer.
For witches are not the only otherworldly creatures living alongside humans. There are also creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires who become interested in the witch’s discovery. They believe that the manuscript contains important clues about the past and the future, and want to know how Diana Bishop has been able to get her hands on the elusive volume.

Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well.

Deborah Harkness made her debut in-person on the panel at the New York Comic-Con that Del-Ray set up to discuss fantasy novels. She sat among GIANTS of the current fantasy stage, Jim Butcher, Joe Abercrombie and Brandon Sanderson to name but a few.

You were probably wondering, like me, "Who the heck is that woman? What is she doing on a panel with my favourite authors? Should I know who she is?"

Well, wonder no longer. I have some info about her first book titled A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, and the website that goes along with it. It appears that Del-Ray wanted to debut this new author to the genre by shrewdly dropping her into a panel with tried and true crowd/fan pleasers. Placing her into that standing-room only, packed to the rafters hall at NYCC has as good as guaranteed a concentrated audience who will, at the very least, go home and look her up. Let alone the fact that video from the panel has been posted online and has been making the rounds of fantasy blogs and message boards, including this one, causing likely the same desire to look her up.

What a recipe! If her book is as good as all that, then this will go a long way to market her debut and give it the teeth it will need to bust into the fantasy genre as a winner. As we fantasy/sci-fi fans are a fickle lot, it might be tough so let's hope she's up to the challenge. the book sounds promising and I am always willing to try out new authors.

Who knows, maybe she'll be the "IT" fantasy author of 2011, like Abercrombie, Rothfuss and Lynch were before her. My only issue may be the story once again of someone falling for a vampire....but at least this time it is a witch. I'll hold judgment on that front until I read it.

I kind of want to give a slow clap to Del-Ray on this one. Though entirely transparent as such, it was still a pretty savvy marketing move.

Upcoming: The Wolf Age - James Enge

"Spear-age, sword-age:
shields are shattered.
Wind-age, wolf-age:
before the world founders
no man will show mercy to another."

Wuruyaaria: city of werewolves, whose raiders range over the dying northlands, capturing human beings for slaves or meat. Wuruyaaria: where a lone immortal maker wages a secret war against the Strange Gods of the Coranians. Wuruyaaria: a democracy where some are more equal than others, and a faction of outcast werewolves is determined to change the balance of power in a long, bloody election year.

Their plans are laid; the challenges known; the risks accepted. But all schemes will shatter in the clash between two threats few had foreseen and none had fully understood: a monster from the north on a mission to poison the world, and a stranger from the south named Morlock Ambrosius.

My first experience with James Enge (and subsequently, his Morlock Ambrosius character) was actually with the Swords and Dark Magic anthology that recently came out, and I was actually VERY pleasantly surprised. So, it is with a certain amount of excitement that I look forward to the release of the third book in his Ambrosius series THE WOLF AGE. Here is the cover and synopsis. If you like your fantasy heroes to be hard drinking, heroic jerkwads, Enge`s Morlock is for you. Similar to Abercrombie, there is shades of grey that are often fun to read about in this character.