Diamond Dogs goes live, general service update etc

The stage version of Diamond Dogs, which I've mentioned on and off during its development phase, is now playing at the House Theatre of Chicago. The run - which has already begun - continues until the 5th of March.

The play is adapted from my original novella set in the Revelation Space universe, and deals with the psychological allure of a lethal but tantalising alien artefact floating just above the surface of the alien planet Golgotha. Drawn to this trap-cum-puzzle is a small but determined team of explorers and chances, intent on getting to the top of the Spire.

Directed by Nathan Allen, the play is an adaptation by Althos Low , a pen name for Shanghai Low Theatricals, a group dedicated to bring challenging works to the stage. Frankly you couldn't get much more challenging than a piece of space-operatic dark SF, involving interstellar travel, cyborg prosthetics and a monstrous alien structure - but suitably undaunted, Shanghai Low (with chief adaptor Steve Pickering) have put together what is by all accounts a very striking and inventive production, involving hi-tech stage design, imaginative costume work, and the resourceful and skilled puppetry of Mary Robinette Kowal, already greatly respected within SF circles as a fine writer. The script, which I read some months ago, is clever and involving, and very true to the beats of the original story. This is the first adaptation of any of the Revelation Space stories into another medium, and I can't wait to see it.

Assuming there is still such a thing as the United States a month from now, I'll do my best to be in Chicago in the latter part of February and catch at least one or two performances. Chicago is absolutely one of my favorite cities anywhere in the world, so it will be far from a hardship to pay a return visit. But first, a book must be finished, among other commitments which prevent me getting over sooner.

Here's a link to the House Theatre:

http://thehousetheatre.com/

If you're within reach of Chicago, and you like my stuff, why not give it a go?

Link to a larger version of the poster

In other news ... not much to share, in all honesty. I'm late with the aforementioned book, so it's been head down for several months trying to wrestle that particular python. In publishing news, the US print edition of Revenger will appear soon, as will the UK edition of my novella Slow Bullets, but I'll do proper blog posts nearer the time for those two events. And, rather abruptly, perhaps, I decided to leave Twitter and deactivate my account. One or two people were kind enough to ask if all was well, and indeed it was, but I'd been tweeting less and less as we went into the latter half of 2016, and it seemed as good a time as any to knock it on the head. Rather than risk temptation, I decided that the safest option was to close the account. Good thing too, as there've been a number of occasions when I felt the urge to tweet something, and I doubt I'd have had the self-control not to go back onto it full-time.

So anyway, here we are - 2017. Best wishes to you all, and onward.

Al