“While reading this book, I came to think of it not as military science fiction, but science fiction about war — and I think that there’s a real distinction that can be made between the two. Frequently, I was surprised at the topics the stories cover, and the fact that they often cover much more than just the battlefields in space. We see stories that cover relationships between soldiers and civilians, the politicians who instigate war, veterans who return home in pieces, and scientists who study their enemies.”

Read the full review here! 

“The latest edition of this annual anthology brings together stewards of the dark fantasy and horror scene including Stephen King, Kelley Armstrong, Joel R. Lansdale, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Naomi Novik, Charles de Lint, Glen Hirshberg, and Gene Wolfe. A trade paperback original worth keeping.”

Read more here! 

“The most haunting stories reveal the alien and strange beneath the normal: life forms under the Antarctic ice in “Cold Water Survival,” the troubled writer of “Queen of the Butterfly Kingdom” whose muse offers another reality beyond the unkind real world, and the murky, potentially dangerous line between imagination and illusion in “Castle Rock.” Phillips’s crisp, dense writing draws readers into intimate, seductive worlds of shadow and emotion.”

Read more here! 

“In this sterling collection of twenty-one fantastic tales, Sedia demonstrates the talents that have earned her a place on the Tiptree Honor List and a World Fantasy Award.”

Read more here! 

Look for the Prime Books table in the dealers room, otherwise here’s my schedule:

Friday July 13
11:00 AM ME The Year in Short Fiction. Ellen Datlow (leader), Paula Guran, Richard Bowes. We will discuss the speculative short fiction published since last Readercon.

1:00 PM CL Kaffeeklatsch.

4:00 PM F Wet Dreams and Nightmares. Samuel R. Delany, Gemma Files, Paula Guran (leader), Caitlín R. Kiernan, Sonya Taaffe. Writers such as Caitlín R. Kiernan, M. Christian, Cecilia Tan, and Paula Guran are well known in both speculative fiction and erotic fiction circles for creating what Kiernan calls “weird and transgressive” erotica. How does this subgenre use the tools and tropes of horror and dark fantasy to explore taboo aspects of sexuality and gender? How has it changed over the decades as sexual culture has evolved? And as the romance genre becomes more welcoming of both the erotic and the undead, how will weird erotica maintain its identity as something separate from paranormal porn?