Not A Blog

More Wild Cards Goodness

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:36:22 GMT

Here's a fanfare for all of you Wild Cards fans out there.

There's a brand new, never-before-published Wild Cards story just up on Tor.Com.

This one was penned by Cherie Priest. It's called "The Button Man and the Murder Tree."

The 'cover art' by the amazing John Picacio.

This one is a sort of 'origin story' for Cherie's Button Man character, last seen in FORT FREAK.

You can read it here:
http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/05/the-button-man-and-the-murder-tree

More Wild Cards coming on Tor.com... and of course on the shelves of your local bookshop.

The Great Gatsby

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:42:39 GMT

Went to see the new Baz Luhrmann version of THE GREAT GATSBY last night.

The film is doing good business, but getting decidedly mixed reviews from the critics. Some love it, some are cool, a few are tearing it to pieces. And the sides don't necessarily line up with those who liked or didn't like the source material, the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Count me with those who loved it. I think this is a great film. AND a great and faithful adaptation of the novel, which is not necessarily the same thing. I've never seen the two oldest versions of GATSBY, but the Luhrmann films stands head and shoulders above the beautiful but curiously empty Robert Redford/ Mia Farrow version.

Visually, this GATSBY is just amazing, something even its harshest critics have been forced to allow. (Though some of them do not like that). I don't think it would be correct to say that it brings 1920s New York to life, since I doubt that 1920s NYC was ever so saturated with color, life, sound. This is a dreamscape, everything bigger, brighter, noisier, drenched in life and color... but that's perfectly appropriate here, since the entire narrative is couched as Nick Carraway looking back on a formative time in his life, and dreams are always more intense than reality. Golden ages are never as golden as we remember them.

I'm a word guy first and foremost, though, and it is the words that sing for me here. There are a lot of Fitzgerald's own words in this GATSBY, in the dialogue, in the voiceovers, in the frame, and that's more than okay with me. There's never been a more lyrical writer than F. Scott and that lyricism is captured here.

The performances were also terrific. Carrie Mulligan's Daisy made me understand Gatsby's obsessions in a way that the Mia Farrow's Daisy never did; I would be have been obsessed as well. I will confess, I had my doubts about Leonardo diCaprio going on. The central flaw with the Robert Redford GATSBY is Redford himself. A fine actor, certainly, but far too handsome, graceful, self-assured, and in command of every scene to be convincing as Jay Gatsby. Robert Redford is one of the golden people, and Jay Gatsby is desperately TRYING to be one of the golden people, to aspire to everything that comes naturally to Redford, and that distinction is crucial... and ultimately as one of the things that sank the Redford film. I was afraid the Luhrmann version would suffer the same way. I've liked Leonardo diCaprio ever since I first saw him in THE QUICK AND THE DEAD (a guilty favorite) as The Kid, but in that, in TITANIC, and in all his major roles, he's comes across as cocky, brash, self-assured, handsome, with a swagger to him that suggests that he knows who he is and is unafflicted by doubts or fears... all of which is the antithesis of Gatsby.

He wasn't here. This is a new, mature Leonardo, as I have never seen himself before, and he does a great turn here. The Kid and Jack and all of those vanish, and there's only Gatsby... trying so hard, dreaming so fiercely.

I loved it.

And at the end, it broke my heart, the way the novel always does ever time I reread it, the way it did the first time I read it, back in the early 70s.

Now I will admit, I am prejudiced. This is one of my favorite books. This is a book that has vast personal meaning to me, one that has affected me deeply. The romantic in me identifies strongly with Jay Gatsby (and sometimes with Nick Carraway). I know what it is to chase after that green light. So I will not pretend to be disinterested.

But I love the book, I love the story, and I loved this movie. Go see it.

"... And as I sat there, brooding on the old unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning — So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

The ROGUES Are Coming

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:32:08 GMT

Gardner Dozois and I have just delivered the completed manuscript (well, e-manuscript, it being 2013 and all) for our latest big cross-genre anthologies, ROGUES, to our editor at Bantam Spectra.

Once again, we've got a really kickass lineup of contributors, and some terrific stories.

The table of contents:

George R.R. Martin “Everybody Loves a Rogue” (Introduction)
Joe Abercrombie “Tough Times All Over”
Gillian Flynn “What Do You Do?”
Matthew Hughes “The Inn of the Seven Blessings”
Joe R. Lansdale “Bent Twig”
Michael Swanwick “Tawny Petticoats”
David Ball “Provenance”
Carrie Vaughn “The Roaring Twenties”
Scott Lynch “A Year and a Day in Old Theradane”
Bradley Denton “Bad Brass”
Cherie Priest “Heavy Metal”
Daniel Abraham “The Meaning of Love”
Paul Cornell “A Better Way to Die”
Steven Saylor “Ill Seen in Tyre”
Garth Nix “A Cargo of Ivories”
Walter Jon Williams “Diamonds From Tequila”
Phyllis Eisenstein “The Caravan to Nowhere”
Lisa Tuttle “The Curious Affair of the Dead Wives”
Neil Gaiman “How the Marquis Got His Coat Back”
Connie Willis “Now Showing”
Patrick Rothfuss “The Lightning Tree”

This one was an enormous amount of fun. We're got something for everyone in ROGUES -- SF, mystery, historical fiction, epic fantasy, sword and sorcery, comedy, tragedy, crime stories, mainstream. And rogues, cads, scalawags, con men, thieves, and scoundrels of all descriptions. If you love Harry Flashman and Cugel the Clever, as I do, this is the book for you.

If there's any bloody justice, some of these stories will contend for awards.

(And it's one more monkey off my back, hurrah, hurrah)

GOT Takes BAFTA

Sun, 12 May 2013 20:11:34 GMT

Hot damn.

GAME OF THRONES has just won the Radio Times BAFTA Award:

http://bafta-television.tumblr.com/post/50282069146/bafta-television-radio-times-audience-award-winner

The BAFTAs, for those unfamiliar with them, are the British Emmys. Despite the fact that we shoot in Belfast, Northern Ireland (and Morocco, Iceland, Croatia, and Malta) and that half of our cast is British (most of the rest being Irish, with here and there a Dane, a Norwegian, a German, and even a token American), we are considered to be an American show, I guess because HBO is an American company, and therefore ineligible for the BAFTAs.

However, this one category, the Radio Times award, is for the best international show, and unlike the other BAFTAs, it is chosen by popular vote.

Which I guess just proves that a lot of Brits are watching, even if we are an "American" show.

Congrats to all!!

Aces Take Russia

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:35:51 GMT

The first three volumes of the Wild Cards series were published in Russia back in 2005-2006. . . but that was as far as the series went, no doubt to the frustration of our Russian readers.

But after a long hiatus, the aces and jokers are returning once more to Russia, I am delighted to report. The first three volumes have already been reissued, with nifty new eye-catching covers featuring the artwork of D. Borozdina. And our Russian publisher is about to release volume four, ACES ABROAD.

That's another Borozdina cover, this one featuring Fortunato. Who has never looked more kickass.

Even if you don't speak Russian, this one's worth getting for the cover alone.

Russian editions of volumes five, six, and seven are scheduled to follow. After that, well, it all depends on sales... but then, what doesn't?

Buying a Cinema

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:50:33 GMT

For those of you interested in following my Adventures in the Screen Trade, the SANTA FE REPORTER has uploaded a short clip from the press conference wherein I announced my purchase of "Santa Fe's most beloved movie theatre," the Jean Cocteau.

FYI, there was a lot more to the press conference than that. Most notably, I announced the hiring of Jon Bowman, the founder and former director of the Santa Fe Film Festival, who will be managing the Cocteau. Jon is already hard at work. We hope to reopen the theatre this summer. Besides an eclectic menu of films both old and new, we also plan to have midnight movies and children's matinees, and some very special events, including music, comedy, and author readings.

Breaking Records

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:38:24 GMT

HBO's GAME OF THRONES continues to build.

Sunday's episode recorded our strongest ratings to date, breaking the record set the previous week, which broke the record set the week before that, which...

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-game-thrones-momentum-516711

Let us hope the trend continues this Sunday with my own episode, AUTUMN STORMS... er, CHAINS... no, THE BEAR AND THE MAIDEN FAIR. Yeah, that's the ticket!

ASCENT Ascending

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:14:38 GMT

For you Facebookers out there...

HBO and Disruptor Beam have entered into a partnership with Zynga to distribute and promote the new GAME OF THRONES social media game, ASCENT.

Details can be found at

http://blog.zynga.com/2013/04/30/zynga-partners-with-hbo-and-disruptor-beam-to-bring-game-of-thrones-ascent-to-zynga-players/

Go ye forth and play.

MEATHOUSE MAN Is Coming

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:38:01 GMT

Nowadays they call 'em graphic novels. Which is a fancy way of saying "big thick trade paperback or hardcover comic books sold in bookstores instead of comic shops," really. When I was a kid we called them "funny books," but I don't think anyone but me and Howard Waldrop still remembers that. Never mind. I ramble.

The point is, I have all sorts of cool news on the funny book/ comic book/ graphic novel front. Which I am not going to spill here all at once, because, well, it's more fun to torment you guys with one announcement at the time.

Here's the first: MEATHOUSE MAN, the graphic novel.

Those of you who know me only from A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE may be wondering, what the hell is MEATHOUSE MAN?? The short answer is, "one of my old SF short stories." (Actually, a novelette).

The long answer is, "the darkest, bleakest, sickest, most twisted thing I ever wrote."

I wrote it back in the late 1970s, in response to an invitation from Harlan Ellison, who wanted something of mine for THE LAST DANGEROUS VISIONS. Most of my own visions, back then, were more romantic and melancholy than dangerous, but I wanted in that book, so I took up the challenge, opened a vein, and with my very own blood (no, not really) wrote this disturbing tale of zombie necrophilia, and... well, it was a painful story to write, and painful to read as well. When I sent it to Harlan, he rejected it... but Damon Knight bought it, and it was published in ORBIT 18. I've reprinted it a few times since. I really cannot say I "like" the story (it is not the sort of story that lends itself to liking), but it is a powerful piece.

And now it is going to be a funny book... er... graphic novel.

For that, blame must go to Raya Golden, my talented (and somewhat twisted) Second Minion, a terrific young artist. Raya wanted to adapt something of mine as a comic, so when I offered her the choice of all the stuff in DREAMSONGS not already under option, she surprised the seven hells out of me by choosing "Meathouse Man." (And she seems so sane and happy). Then she took the ball and ran with it.

Raya broke down the story, adapted it to comic form, wrote the script, did the pencils, the inks, the coloring, the covers. This is her MEATHOUSE MAN as much as it is mine.

Amazon's publishing arm 47 North will be bringing it out in October... as an e-book for Kindle for sure. Raya and the gang at Amazon have done some interesting and innovative stuff to marry the medium to the format; this whole e-comic thing is a brave new world. (E-funny books? Who woulda thunk it?) A print edition is also possible, but not definite, waiting on final word on that.

So that's the first of my funny books making its way toward you. Raya's done an an amazing job on it, I think... I hope you'll check it out, and... well, "enjoy" may not be the word, the story is kind of a punch in the gut, but...

That's MEATHOUSE MAN. Coming this October to a Kindle near you.

NFL Draft, Day 3

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:07:59 GMT

The Giants draft is looking very strong. No spectacular moves, but solid players who will make solid contributions. Grabbing Nassib in round four to back up Eli and groom as his successor was a great move.

The Jets draft... two defensive players in round one look okay, but considering how high they were taken, you had to hope for more. Neither one looks like a game-changer. And taking Geno Smith will set back the club years. Sanchez is likely to be released now, which means we are starting all over, and with a much iffier prospect than Mark was when he was first drafted,

NFL Draft

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:36:56 GMT

Round two of the NFL Draft kicks off in about an hour. Rumors are flying on the sports sites that the Jets are trying to trade up from the seventh slot to draft a QB. Boy, I sure hope not. None of the QBs available this year impress me as being much of an upgrade over Sanchez and Garrard. Maybe if one fell into their laps in, say, the third round... but in the second? When the team desperately needs help at so many positions? And trading UP to get him, which means giving up a lower round pick? That would be as foolish as trading away Revis.

The Jets flourished when Rex could run a ground-and-pound O. They have lost Shonn Greene, their starting RB. They should stay where they are and take the RB out of Alabama if he's still there at seven.

And don't get me started on the first round picks. All the mock drafts had the Jets getting Mingo and Austin at #9 and #13 in the first round. Wrong and wrong. The Browns took Mingo, and the the Rams traded up into the #8 slot ahead of the Jets to get Tavon. Once more, another team drank our milkshake.

Let us not compound the problems by chasing any of these QBs. Not one of them is a sure thing. Give me Eddie Lacy instead, and bring back the ground-and-pound. Sanchez plays best with play action, and that requires a strong ground game.

Coming Next February

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:17:01 GMT

For all you Wild Cards fans, past, present, and future...

The next release in Tor's ongoing series of Wild Cards reissues has been scheduled for February 2014 in trade paperback.

This time it is JOKERS WILD, volume three in the overall series, and the concluding volume of our first triad. Here's the cover, another stunning piece of work by Michael Komarck (who really should have been on the Hugo ballot again this year, he wuz robbed), featured Wraith, John Jos. Miller's glamorous librarian/ jewel thief:

JOKERS WILD is one I am especially proud of; it was first of what we call our "full mosaics," a completely interwoven mosaic novel with no separate stories, but rather seven intertwining storylines taking place simultaneously, written by seven different writers, and woven together by yours truly. No one had ever done anything like this before, and no other anthologist has even attempted it since (although we've used the same format again in Wild Cards, every third book or so... it takes a TREMENDOUS amount of work, so we can't do it every book).

JOKERS WILD takes place in New York City on Septemner 15, 1986, the fortieth anniversary of the very first Wild Cards Day in 1946. The participating writers (and their viewpoint characteres) are Lewis Shiner (Fortunato), Melinda Snodgrass (Roulette), John Jos. Miller (Wraith), Walton Simons (Demise), Edward Bryant (Sewer Jack), Leanne C. Harper (Bagabond), and yours truly (Hiram Worchester). Other featured characters include Yeoman, Dr. Tachyon, Popinjay, the Astonomer and his merry band of Egyptian Masons, Kid Dinosaur, and Fidel Castro and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

If you're new to the series, though, you should probably read WILD CARDS and ACES HIGH before you get to this one. But you'll be glad you did. It's the strongest of the first three, most would agree.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:46:40 GMT

The Seven Kingdoms as baseball teams...

http://extramustard.si.com/2013/03/29/a-song-of-ice-and-fire-and-baseball/

As a long-suffering Mets fan, the one about them made me winch

Baseball in Westeros is, of course, much different. The ball is a severed head.

Jets Crash Again

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:14:23 GMT

It is hard to be a fan of the New York Jets.

They have hardly done anything right since Joe Willie Namath won SuperBowl III, and every time you think maybe they are finally turning the corner, they find some new way to screw things up.

Today the Jets traded Darrelle Revis, the best cornerback in the NFL and far and away the best player on the team. It is never a good idea to trade the best player on your team. The Jets desperately need a shut-down corner, since they do not have a real pass-rush threat, and the only way they ever get any pressure on the opponent's QB is by shutting down his receivers long enough for the rushers to get there. Revis was a huge part of the reason why Rex Ryan's defense has been so good (ups and downs, sure, but still one of the better defenses in the league). So they get rid of him Right.

Only the Jets. They have a pretty good defense and a godawful offense, so what's their big offseason move? "Hey, let's get rid of our best player, bring the D down to the same level as the O."

Now, maybe, MAYBE, you can make a case for trading Revis if you get a "Herschel Walker" deal. That is, a deal as rich as the one where the Dallas Cowboys traded RB Herschel Walker to the Vikings, and got so many players and draft choices that it won them three SuperBowls. And it is worth noting that Herschel Walker, while a damn good player, was neither the best player on the Cowboys nor the best running back in the NFL at that time.

But the Jets did not get a Herschel Walker deal. Revis is going to Tampa Bay. In return, the Jets get Tampa's first round draft choice this year (#13 overall, not even a top ten pick) and a conditional fourth round pick next year. Yeah, NEXT YEAR. Yeah, I said FOURTH round. Maybe it becomes a third. Whoop-de-doo.

The Jets, in short, got rooked. Congrats, Tampa Bay GM, you drank our milkshake.

And what about the new Jets GM? Fire his ass now. Bring back Mike Tannenbaum. Bring back the guy before Mike Tannenbaum. Hell, bring back Harry Wismer.

The best theory about this trade is that the Jets want the #1 pick overall in the 2014 draft. Cause this next season is going to be bloody painful. After which our new whizz-bang "let's give away our best player for a bag of old jockstraps" GM is going to fire Rex Ryan because, after all, that 2 - 14 record is clearly Rex's fault.

The year after that is likely to be even worse, even with that swell fourth-round-maybe-it-becomes-a-third we'll be getting from Tampa Bay. That is, assuming Kal-El Son of Jor-El isn't coming out in next year's draft. And even if he was, the Jets wouldn't take him. All that green would remind him too much of kryptonite.

Sigh.

Excuse me, while I go weep into my beer.

(It is not all bad. I will always have Paris. And Parris. And the Giants)

Jean Cocteau and Me

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 02:16:26 GMT

I had not intended to mention this until somewhat further down the line, when my plans were a bit more advanced, but the Santa Fe NEW MEXICAN got wind of a recent real estate transaction of mine and ran the story this morning, so the cat is now out of the bag. (The cat in this case perhaps being Jean Cocteau's original Beast? No, not really, but it's an amusing coincidence, considering my years on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST).

Anyway, I don't intend to say much here, since there is as yet not much to say... but I will fess up to basics, since I see the story is already out on the internet and I would rather not be bombarded with hundreds of "is it true?" emails.

Yes, it's true. I've bought a movie theatre.

Here it is:

The Jean Cocteau is a small Santa Fe art house, with a single screen and 127 seats. It was built in the early 70s as the Collective Fantasy, became the Cocteau later in that decade, went through several local owners who ran it well, and finally became part of the Trans-Lux chain. They closed it in April, 2006, when they shut down their entire chain of theaters. After that it supposedly became the site of the New Mexico Film Museum, but the museum was never funded and never had any exhibits, so that was more in theory than in practice. Aside from a few special showings for the state film commission, which used to have its offices upstairs, the theater has been dark since 2006.

Before that, however, it was one of the city's nicest film venues. It offered coffee and pastries, and had the best popcorn in town, fresh-popped with real butter and parmesan cheese. I saw a lot of movies at the Cocteau between 1979, when I moved to Santa Fe, and 2006, when it closed. I like the idea of bringing it back, better than ever.

I will not be doing it myself, of course. So please, readers, fans, don't get nuts. I am a novelist and a screenwriter, not a theatre manager, it won't be me standing at the concession stand asking if you want butter on your popcorn. My job remains the same as before: editing anthologies, creating and producing television and writing the occasional script, and... first, foremost, always... completing A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE. This does not change that.

I love movies and old movie theatres, and it broke my heart to drive past the Jean Cocteau for these past seven years and see it sitting there, dark and decaying. Bringing this beloved theatre back to life is my small gesture at giving something back to Santa Fe, the community that has been my home since 1979. Might be that I will lose my shirt... but, hey, I've been very lucky, I have other shirts.

For those of you who want to read the story that broke the news, the link is here:

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/article_11f41778-724e-5d42-9fbe-40e5b56ae400.html

We're having a press conference on Tuesday to detail our plans for the Cocteau to the local media, FYI. If anyone reading this is local media, you're welcome to attend.

More than that, I cannot say at this time.

Email Fixed

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 01:50:35 GMT

My email woes are over, at least for now. I managed to get Thunderbird working again, and everything is now fine... well, aside from the fact that I am about three thousand emails behind, but that's the usual state of affairs.

Thanks to everyone who commented or emailed or otherwise offered help. I appreciate all your suggestions.

I will be taking steps next week to make certain the problem does not recur.

Email Woes

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:05:56 GMT

My e-mail is down again. Happened last week for most a day, then somehow fixed itself. Now it's happening again, and does not seem inclined to get better.

I get my email through Mozilla Thunderbird. When I log onto Thunderbird, I can see that I have lots and lots of new mails, but whenever I try to open one... or scroll down, or do anything else... Thunderbird freezes and goes non-responsive. It has happened over and over again. Nor will the damn thing unfreeze unless I turn off the computer and reboot. A real pain. I've rebooted a dozen times, run half a different virus checks, and nothing. Tried booting up Thunderbird in safe mode, no help.

And of course this happens when Ty if off. Ty is my in-house computer guru. The computer always breaks down when he's away, never when he's here. And he won't be here again till Monday.

So if you've sent me an email, don't hold your breath waiting for an answer. You won't get one. Not till Monday, best guess. Unless a miracle occurs.

I hate this damn machine. And Windows. And Thunderbird.

If only I could send email with DOS. DOS never fails me.

FIXED. For now, at least. Thanks to Stephen, the Gandalf of Computer Wizards, from Oz.

LOWBALL Done & Delivered

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:23:41 GMT

Another monkey off my back...

This time it is a hideous mutant joker monkey. LOWBALL, the twenty-second volume in the ongoing Wild Cards series of shared world anthologies and mosaic novels, is finally complete, and has been delivered to our editors at Tor.

The lineup this time:
“The Big Bleed,” by Michael Cassutt, starring STUNTMAN,
“Those About to Die,” by David Anthony Durham, starring INFAMOUS BLACK TONGUE,
“Galahad in Blue” by Melinda Snodgrass, starring FRANCIS XAVIER BLACK of the NYPD,
“Ties That Bind” by Mary Anne Mohanraj, starring MICHAEL STEVENS of the NYPD,
“Cry Wolf” by David D. Levine, introducing THE CARTOONIST,
“Road Kill” by Walter Jon Williams, starring GORDON THE GHOUL,
“Once More, for Old Time’s Sake” by Carrie Vaughn, starring EARTH WITCH, CURVBALL, DRUMMER BOY, and JOHN FORTUNE,
“No Parking… “ by Ian Tregillis, starring RUSTBELT.

Special thanks this time around to Melinda Snodgrass, who stepped in heroically to help with the editing on this one when I was being crushed beneath the weight of other deadlines. I could not have pulled this puppy together without her.

LOWBALL will likely be released by Tor in hardcover in summer, 2014. More details when I have 'em. Our main man, Michael Komarck, is already hard at work on another spectacular cover.

Golden Boy Comes to Brazil

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 04:08:48 GMT

My Brazilian publisher LeYa is moving like lightning in their plans to bring the entire Wild Cards saga to my fans in Brazil (and Roger Zelazny's fans and Howard Waldrop's fans and Carrie Vaughn's fans and Daniel Abraham's fans and Walter Jon Williams's fans and the fans of the other thirty-odd writers who have been and continue to be a part of Wild Cards).

LeYa has hired the amazing Marc Simonetti to paint the covers for their editions. Marc's work is well known to my Ice & Fire readers, of course, since he did this year's official Ice & Fire calendar.

Here's the cover of the first volume of the Brazilian WILD CARDS, featuring Jack Braun, aka Golden Boy, the strongest man in the Wild Cards universe.

I've seen Marc's roughs for the covers of ACES HIGH and JOKERS WILD, and those are pretty cool as well.

Here's a fun addendum. Marc has uploaded of video of the process of bringing Golden Boy to life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeWdRyXXf18

RIP Roger Ebert

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:15:08 GMT

I was very saddened today to hear of the death of Roger Ebert.

Roger (somehow I think of him as 'Roger,' not 'Ebert,' though I never met him in the flesh, and spoke to him only once, by telephone, in the early 1970s when both of us were young and dinosaurs roamed the earth) has been my favorite film critic since forever. I did not always agree with him, but I always found him insightful and fun to read. He was not just a terrific critic, he was a terrific WRITER. His shows with Gene Siskel, SNEAK PREVIEWS and SISKEL AND EBERT AT THE MOVIES, were must-see TV for me. A hundred other teams have tried to recapture their magic, but none came close.

He was One of Us too. A fan, and an SF fan at that. In his youth, he wrote for fanzines, and he even published a few short SF stories in Ted White's AMAZING and FANTASTIC along about the same time I was publishing in those selfsame magazines. If he had not gone on to be the world's best film critic, he might well have been a successful SF writer.

A brilliant man, a good life. I give him two thumbs up.

Dark Sword Strikes Again

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:39:34 GMT

My friends at Dark Sword Miniatures in Minnesota have released some terrific new figures in their range of Ice & Fire miniatures.

Here's Strong Belwas, sculpted by the incomparable Tom Meier and painted by the amazing Jen Haley.

And here's his travelling companion, Arstan Whitebeard, who may be more than he seems. Another Tom Meier sculpt, another Jen Haley paintjob.

The latest batch of "GRRM Masterworks" also includes Ser Jorah Mormont, Lady Margaery Tyrell, two new ladies of the court, and a battling brother of the Night's Watch, all by Tom Meier, and Balon Greyjoy of Pyke, sculpted by Jeff Grace. To see them all, and lots of other cool minis besides, visit Dark Sword's own website at http://darkswordminiatures.com/

Lone Star GRRM

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:05:22 GMT

For those of you who couldn't make it to Texas for Aggiecon and Deeper Than Swords last month, the good folks at Texas A&M and the Cushing Memorial Library have thoughtfully videotaped my speech and uploaded it to YouTube.

So if you'd like to hear more about how a Jersey boy came to deposit his papers and manuscripts in College Station, you can hear all about my strange connection to Texas here:

Enjoy.

Season Four!!!

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:09:59 GMT

HBO has officially renewed GAME OF THRONES for a fourth season. (And I'm almost finished with the first draft of my script. No, sorry, not going to tell you which one it is).

http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article/HBO-Renews-GAME-OF-THRONES-for-Fourth-Season-20130402

Record ratings for our season three premiere, "Valar Dohaeris."

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/04/01/game-of-thrones-premiere-ratings-3/

Also (sigh) record levels of piracy.

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/column-post/game-thrones-premiere-breaks-piracy-record-83526

On other topics... no, no, Peter Dinklage is NOT being replaced by Warwick Davis in the role of Tyrion. That was just HBO's little April Fools joke. (I was so busy I forgot to make my own April Fools joke). So calm down, boys and girls. Peter is still with us.

Season Three !!!

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 17:50:23 GMT

Tonight's the night!

The wait is over.

Season Three is at hand.

Be sure to tune in. Even those of you who "don't have HBO." HBO is doing a big promotion this weekend, so it's free on many cable systems and satellite services right now.

I have seen episode one three times now, at various premieres, and I think it kicks ass. I hope you all agree. Season Three bids fair to be the strongest to date.

For those new to the Not A Blog, let me add my annual disclaimer. I hope you watch the show, and I hope you talk about, all the things you liked and hated... but not here. This is not the place for critiques, discussions, theories, whatever. There are dozens of other places on the internet better suited for that, so post your thoughts on Westeros, Tower of the Hand, Winter Is Coming, Television Without Pity, or any one of the myriad other sites that welcome such.

Time to buy the beer and order that pizza for the premiere.

Wildfire v. The Doctor

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 21:51:28 GMT

GAME OF THRONES will be taking on The Doctor this year in the Hugos... and FRINGE as well.

LoneStarCon 3 just announced this year's Hugo nominations. "Blackwater," the ninth episode of the second season, has been nominated in Best Dramatic Presentation - Short Form. That was the episode with the wildfire and the big battle, I am sure you all recall, written by yours truly (with considerable help from showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who added one of the shows's best original scenes) and directed by Neil Marshall. We'll be up against an episode of FRINGE, and no less than three episodes of DOCTOR WHO, which has owned the Short Form category for most of the past decade.

The full list of nominees can be found at:

http://www.lonestarcon3.org/hugo-awards/index.shtml

The Short Form finalists:
Doctor Who:"The Angels Take Manhattan" Written by Steven Moffat, Directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who:"Asylum of the Daleks" Written by Steven Moffat; Directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who:"The Snowmen" Written by Steven Moffat, Directed by Saul Metzstein (BBC Wales)
Fringe:"Letters of Transit" Written by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Akiva Goldsman, J.H.Wyman, Jeff Pinkner. Directed by Joe Chappelle (Fox)
Game of Thrones:"Blackwater" Written by George R.R. Martin, Directed by Neil Marshall. Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (HBO)

Thanks to all those who sent in nominations, whether you nominated us, or someone else. As I have said time and time again, the nominations are in many ways the most crucial part of the process.

Should be an interesting contest. I haven't seen any of the last season of DR. WHO, so I don't know which of those episodes is the strongest contender... but the Whofans are many and formidable, so I figure we are rather a long shot to upset the Doctor's applecart. I know even less about FRINGE. But hey, you pays your money and you takes your pick, and the Hugos fall where they may.

Congratulations to all the other nominees, and my thanks to David, Dan, Bryan, Neil, and all the rest of the great cast and crew who make HBO's GAME OF THRONES the hit it is.