tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post318113131434616236..comments2024-03-24T14:47:00.370-07:00Comments on Approaching Pavonis Mons by balloon: UpdateAl Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01517967406876572177noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-74193192248431598582021-05-12T15:07:58.936-07:002021-05-12T15:07:58.936-07:00Hey Al, just finished Chasm City, great work! look...Hey Al, just finished Chasm City, great work! looking forward to inhibitor phase!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10200900464214937282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-81974086221109496132021-04-19T11:15:47.628-07:002021-04-19T11:15:47.628-07:00Subterranean Press just announced the new short st...Subterranean Press just announced the new short story collection for October 2021. Beautiful cover and art, I preordered my copy. The new novelette Plague Music is also listed as part of the collection. Looking forward to this !Norayr Gurnagulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17293143507101959644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-34188132009416496622021-03-13T04:51:35.908-08:002021-03-13T04:51:35.908-08:00Hello. Nothing in the pipeline right now. I'm ...Hello. Nothing in the pipeline right now. I'm glad you enjoyed BTAR...Al Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517967406876572177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-53612984998176996642021-03-12T02:46:39.724-08:002021-03-12T02:46:39.724-08:00Hi there! I'm greatly enjoying your short fict...Hi there! I'm greatly enjoying your short fiction and i wanted to ask you are there plans for your fiction to be adapted for tv? Beyond the Aquila Rift is amazing, both story and episode.mihaipersinaruhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10144804256892865732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-33752287459297331422021-03-09T09:24:58.270-08:002021-03-09T09:24:58.270-08:00Thanks!Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00528692200238476610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-9702486048694816432021-03-09T09:00:43.163-08:002021-03-09T09:00:43.163-08:00Thanks Joel. Something may happen one day, who kno...Thanks Joel. Something may happen one day, who knows. Not me!Al Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517967406876572177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-2028280090888780152021-03-09T08:58:50.681-08:002021-03-09T08:58:50.681-08:00Hi Mac - no, I'm not up to speed on video game...Hi Mac - no, I'm not up to speed on video games and I wasn't aware of Echo. Hard to say from the description you give me - it could be that they're just drawing on the same themes and tropes that feed into my work. I get this a lot of with Mass Effect (which I've never played or seen) where people say it's "obviously" inspired by RS but I prefer to take the charitable view that there are a lot of shared influences out there.<br /><br />I play a few flight simulators and motor racing games but that's about it for me.Al Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517967406876572177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-70663343867863018892021-03-09T08:53:57.663-08:002021-03-09T08:53:57.663-08:00Hi there. Yes it is accurate. I haven't mentio...Hi there. Yes it is accurate. I haven't mentioned it until mow as I wanted to make sure I wasn't pre-empting an official announcement by Sub Press. There's no news of a UK edition yet.Al Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517967406876572177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-29405836716097263912021-03-09T08:02:17.821-08:002021-03-09T08:02:17.821-08:00Slightly off topic - i don't know if you have ...Slightly off topic - i don't know if you have any interest in video games, but i have recently picked a small 2017 indie game caled "Echo" on steam sale - and i was suprised to see that the narrative themes, style and background seem to be heavily inspired by your works. I mean apart from the whole "planet-sized megstructure with interior modelled after baroque palace, managed by ancient, possibly malfunctioning AI, with legends told that it tests its visitors, granting them rewards if they are worthy" , there are dozens of minor details that make you feel the whole story would not be out of place in "House of suns" or revspace. <br /><br />Also the narrative does not spoon-fed you with the background and answers, you have to decipher it from bits and pieces of enviroment and dialogue. Which is refrshing compared to typical video game stories. And some of the visuals are really, really nice. <br /><br />Not a masterpiece by any means, it can be unpolished and janky at times, but pretty unique and entertaining piece of entertainment most people haven't ever heard about.<br /><br />https://store.steampowered.com/app/551770/ECHO/ <br />Macnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-15742805301394350542021-03-09T07:49:15.146-08:002021-03-09T07:49:15.146-08:00I was just reading the new Locus forthcoming books...I was just reading the new Locus forthcoming books and I saw a listing for a Subterranean Press collection, "Belladonna Nights and Other Stories", dated October 2021. It was a nice surprise: are you able to confirm whether it's accurate? I hope there will be a UK edition too.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00528692200238476610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-30776358001818742792021-03-09T06:54:52.302-08:002021-03-09T06:54:52.302-08:00Thanks! Nothing of mine has ever been a Nebula fin...Thanks! Nothing of mine has ever been a Nebula finalist, though. They have a system where anyone in the SFWA can "nominate" a story but that's not the sense that it's usually applied in other awards, where to be nominated means a formal shortlisting.<br /><br />There was a kerfuffle around this a few years ago when one or two writers started saying they were "Nebula-nominated" as if that had the same cachet as a Clarke or Hugo nom.<br /><br />Al Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01517967406876572177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-69415156304582124782021-03-08T15:50:05.734-08:002021-03-08T15:50:05.734-08:00This is not related to your post but I just finish...This is not related to your post but I just finished reading your story “A Murmuration” in the Years Best Science Fiction Volume 1 edited by Neil Clarke and was blown away. As a former research scientist (recently retired) I could relate to the madness involved in publishing papers in refereed journals. I had somehow missed this story and was elated to know that it was nominated for a Nebula award. Norayr Gurnagulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17293143507101959644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-87829041027959003232021-03-07T15:15:05.482-08:002021-03-07T15:15:05.482-08:00Ars Technica did an article about what books they ...Ars Technica did an article about what books they would like seen turned into movies, so I went into to the comment section to make sure some of your works are recommended. Turns out there were multiple people recommending several of your books. I recommended the Prefect Dreyfus Emergencies because hard sci-fi space opera isn't the most accessible genre, but the Prefect Dreyfus books are basically police procedurals in a hard sci-fi world, which I feel would be easier for the average person to get into.<br /><br />There's definitely a desire out there to see some of your books turned into TV series or movies. It's not just a tiny group of nerds.Joelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00645976477825024937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-74854232465970661852021-03-05T06:59:54.624-08:002021-03-05T06:59:54.624-08:00Family events like this just make you re-assess do...Family events like this just make you re-assess don't they? Not necessarily a bad thing<br /><br />Spookily I just finished reading Rendezvous with Rama. I was surprised at how much it had dated for a book published in just 1973, not exactly the dark mists of time!<br /><br />The sci-fi ideas presented are still relevant, interesting and thought provoking but the language used, even the character names and some of the social comment didn't age so well. I guess I'm just spoiled by modern-day sci-fi authors<br /><br />Much luck with your upcoming projects too btw.Mike Webbhttp://www.mjwebb.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-65963125857489287982021-03-02T09:22:06.423-08:002021-03-02T09:22:06.423-08:00Always look forward to new material from you! Your...Always look forward to new material from you! Your new book sounds a bit like Rendezvous with Rama? Currently reading your Revenger series and really enjoying it!Vamsihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09139498741547012473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-13984153211765815362021-03-01T12:26:11.306-08:002021-03-01T12:26:11.306-08:00Very eager for Inhibitor Phase, Al, and while I...Very eager for Inhibitor Phase, Al, and while I'm disappointed about the wait, I'm sure it will be worth it. I'm also very excited to see that you've got a Big Dumb Object book in the works, my favorite sci-fi sub-genre.<br />Miloszhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04205921484442014530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-30838333320375874282021-02-26T01:04:43.537-08:002021-02-26T01:04:43.537-08:00Hello Alastair, hope you and your loved ones are w...Hello Alastair, hope you and your loved ones are well in this difficult time.<br /><br />Really very excited about the new book - as prep I'm going to treat myself and reread Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap in the spring. The Inhibitors were a terrifying invention and I've never forgotten them!<br /><br />Unforgotten is absolutely top notch - you won't be disappointed - it has a dark authenticity to it that sticks with you long after. You should have a look at the first two series though as they were very good.<br /><br />We used to converse a bit on Twitter a few years ago but I got rid of that app when Brexit seemed to pollute the entire world - I've never been too convinced of social media anyway and only reluctantly keep Facefriend to contact relatives on the other side of the planet.<br /><br />A first contact book you say? Now that sounds intriguing... Seymour Quilterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16177513595673916515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143440998478479157.post-80418900187400872572021-02-25T07:17:56.663-08:002021-02-25T07:17:56.663-08:00Thanks for the update Alastair, looking forward to...Thanks for the update Alastair, looking forward to your upcoming novels and short stories. I love first contact novels, brings me back to one of the first SF books I read in the late seventies by A.C. Clarke (Rendezvous with Rama).Norayr Gurnagulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17293143507101959644noreply@blogger.com