‘The Doors of Stone’ Update
This is almost a non-update on the release date for Patrick Rothfuss’ The Doors of Stone, but in the latest interview conducted with the author by Triangulation, Rothfuss discusses the pressure that deadlines place on writers and why it has kept him from penciling in a date. He especially highlights the pressure he felt when he started working on the second book and shifted from what he calls a story hobbyist to a professional writer. For this reason, Rothfuss says that he is hesitant to set a release date for The Doors of Stone and can only say that it is forthcoming and will be good. However, when asked if 2014 or 2015 was the more likely release year, 2014 seemed to win out in his mind (If you’re interested, discussion about the release takes place around the 12:00 and 68:00 minute marks in the interview).
While this sort of update certainly won’t satiate the rabid fans, if anything, it does remind them that he is hard at work on the story and doesn’t want to rush things and have the trilogy suffer as a result. So, all we can do for now is wait patiently and wish him the best of luck on the endeavor. He will certainly have his hands full this year with revisions on the third Kingkiller Chronicle book, his Worldbuilders charity and story development on the new game Torment: Tides of Numenera.
Star Trek’s Epicness Knows No Bounds
It just looks so epic. Presale Imax tickets should be on sale now at a theater near you. Don’t sleep on this one, reviews are already coming in for this mid-May release and so far so good!
Also, proof Snowpiercer is actually being filmed. Sweet.
‘Catching Fire’ Trailer
RIP Roger Ebert
It was really sad to hear that Roger Ebert passed away last week. I was always a big fan of his reviews and his thoughts on cinema as a whole. I especially loved his Great Movies books, which were thoroughly enjoyable essays on some of his favorite movies. Each entry was a portal into seeing just what Ebert loved about movies and why he did what he did for a living. I think some critics, curbed by their only cynicism, only exist to slam and negatively dissect material. But, Ebert, he truly knew how to celebrate movies he liked, whether it be in his Sun Times column or on some of the select DVD commentaries he did (Dark City was an especially good one). His presence will certainly be missed. RIP, Roger.
Links:
- Fans and Friends Gather At The Chicago Theater To Remember Roger Ebert (suntimes)
- Ebert on Death (salon)
- Ebert Reviews Your Favorite Movies (ign)
- What Did Roger Ebert Think of Your Favorite Movies? (ign)
- Ebert’s ‘Great Movies’ Review Archive (rogerebert)
- Movies That Roger Ebert Really Hated (canoe)
- Ebert Reviews Dark City (rogerebert)
Elysium Trailer
Finally, a trailer for Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium. The class war and super weapon elements don’t seem like extreme departures from District 9, but we’ll see what is in store for us in August when the movie drops.
Stand on Zanzibar: The Sci-fi Novel That Predicted The Future
Well, predicted it to an extent. The Millions recently posted an article about John Brunner’s ‘Stand on Zanzibar,’ the 1969 science fiction novel set in 2010 that has more than a few accurate and eerie prognostications of what the future would hold. This includes predicting the relative ballpark for inflation, the rash of shootings that plague our schools and even citing a future president named Obomi. While some are depicting ‘Zanzibar’ as a sort of off the beaten path novel, it isn’t quite as obscure as they make it out to be. It did win the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1969. Either way, be sure to check out the article on the Millions’ site. Cool stuff.
This Week’s Writing Links: BBC’s ‘Neverwhere’ Radio Show
This week’s writing links feature Lev Grossman talking about the ‘Magicians’ trilogy, a free download of the first part of the BBC’s radio show adaption of Neil Gaiman’s ‘Neverwhere’, the debut novel of Owen King (Joe Hill’s brother and Stephen King’s youngest son), a teaser for the upcoming ‘Riddick’ movie and a Bioshock Infinite Video Review, just cause.
There are a slew of writing and sci-fi links this week, but I’d like to take note of Owen King’s debut novel ‘Double Feature.’ With the release of his novel (which received a solid ‘B’ review from the AV Club), King is officially marking his entry into the family trade. Owen, in a similar but not as extreme measure as his brother Joe, chose not to publicize his family heritage on the press release for novel. Although I have yet to get around to reading Joe Hill or Owen King’s books, I think it is admirable that they are trying to forge their own paths without riding on the coattails of their father’s accomplishments. By all accounts, Joe Hill’s books have been really solid so far and it sounds like Owen is off to a good start too. I wish them the best of luck.
Also, as seen in the photo above, the BBC has put together a radio show adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s ‘Neverwhere‘ featuring voice work from Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class) and Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones). The first entry will be available to download for free up until March 29, which will mark the release of the second part of the radio show, so make sure to grab it now while it is up. I quite enjoyed the first part. It is topnotch.
Links:
- Lev Grossman Speaks About The Magicians Trilogy (flavorwire)
- AV Club Reviews Owen King’s ‘Double Feature’ (avclub)
- Download The First Episode of The BBC’s ‘Neverwhere’ Radio Show (io9)
- Brian K. Vaughan’s ‘The Private Eye’: A Bold Move For Digital Comics (avclub)
- Max Sebald’s Writing Tips (weebly)
- Is There A Part For The Rock In The New Star Wars Universe? (comingsoon)
- William Callahan of Waxman Leavell Literary Seeks New Clients (writersdigest)
- How I Got My Agent Julie Kibler (guidetoliteraryagents)
- Sci-fi, Fantasy and Horror News For The Week (sfsignal)
- Hugh Howey’s Wool Omnibus Review (timothycward)
- Famous Authors As Teenagers (flavorwire)
- How To Develop Any Idea Into A Great Story (writersdigest)
- ‘Riddick’ Teaser Debuts (comingsoon)
- Adam Sessler’s ‘Bioshock’ Infinite Video Review (youtube)
Sci-fi Trailer Roundup
Just to keep people appraised of the sci-fi movies that will be hitting theaters this year, I’ve assembled some of the trailers for the genre’s most anticipated films. There are a few high profile films left out of this roundup, including Snowpiercer, Riddick, Ender’s Game, Gravity and Elysium, but that’s because they don’t have trailers at the moment and there’s nothing I can do about that short of sweding the trailers for them. So, for now, these are the trailers for the heavy hitters of sci-fi in 2013.
This Week’s Writing Links
This Week’s Writing links feature Stephen King’s sequel to ‘The Shining’, 10 must reads for March, a matchbook version of Fahrenheit 451 and a list of Sci-fi writers who were awesome inventors too.
After 30 years, Stephen King is finally returning to the universe of ‘The Shining’ with his new novel ‘Doctor Sleep’. Read more about the release over on Sf Signal’s page, but for now, here is what we know about it from the posted synopsis:
On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”
Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.
Make sure to keep an eye out for ‘Doctor Sleep’ when it releases September 2013. Until then, here are some links!
Links:
- Stephen King’s Shining Sequel ‘Doctor Sleep’ Coming in September 2013 (sfsignal)
- Matchbook Version of Fahrenheit 451 (imgur)
- 5 Sci-fi Writers Who Were Awesome Inventors Too (inktank)
- 10 Must Reads For March (flavorwire)
- 7 Things I’ve Learned So Far By Douglas Brunt (writersdigest)
- AV Club Reviews Karen Lord’s ‘The Best of All Possible Worlds’ (avclub)
- Joe Wright To Direct Adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Ocean at The End of the Lane’? (avclub)
- The Best Places To Be If You Love Books (buzzfeed)