Monday, July 9, 2012

Weekly Update #62

Editor's Note

Okay, lets get this out of the way:

DEADLINE FOR THE WRITING CONTEST IS JULY 18TH, WITH THE WINNING ENTRY TO BE POSTED THE FOLLOWING DAY.

Sorry about making the deadline so soon, but I just got a submission that I really liked.  Don't let that discourage you, however, from entering the competition.  I look forward to reading all the works submitted to the contest and you just might never know what will amuse me.

This week we will have new editions of the Art of Steampunk and New Releases.  I also promise to post about the new book on my reading list and the review of The Houdini Specter by Daniel Stashower.  I have to apologize again in this post for not publishing those posts last week.  The 4th of July holiday really screwed up my week.

We just reached 50 Google followers.  Awesome!  This blog has grown by leaps and bounds and I look forward to seeing where it takes me next year.

O, one more thing.  I have entered Weekly Update in the Underground Book Reviews' Battle of the Book Review Blogs. Voting will begin on Friday, August 3rd and close Monday, September 3rd.  I will announce when voting begins so you do not forget.  Just remember to vote early (and often).

And now the news...

Things to do

Trying a new timeline format for this segment:

7/2-8/1: See Shakespeare's Tempest done by Festival 56 with a steampunk twist in Princeton, IL.

7/5-10/27: Check out the production of The Pirates of Penzance, a whimsical steampunk play currently playing in Detroit, MI.

7/14: Author Terry Bisson will be reading his 60's radical alternative history Any Day Now at the Dimond Branch of the Oakland Public Library.

7/30-8/5: Sherlock Holmes Week!  Check out the official website for local events and while you are at it, enter the Steampunk Holmes competition.

10/5-10/7: OctopodiCon 2012 is a steampunk convention with an academic bent to be held in Oklahoma City, OK.  Those interested in going can also check out their Kickstarter campaign.

Have fun!

Sierra Zulu

What if there was one last Soviet republic that refused to fold after the fall of the USSR?  That is the story of the upcoming "dark political sci-fi action comedy" film Sierra Zulu.  Here is the description from their Kickstarter page:
A ragtag UN peacekeeping force operates a small camp guarding the no-man’s-land between Austria and the tiny agrarian microstate Soviet Unterzoegersdorf, the last existing bastion of the defunct Soviet Union. When an explosion occurs deep inside Soviet territory, the team is dragged into a bizarre conspiracy of industrial espionage, media madness and political intrigue. The knowledge economy? It’s about to get blown sky high...
An interesting story with a Catch-22 feel.  Here is hoping they get the funds necessary to maker their film

Update: Chris Nuttall

Friend of the blog Chris Nuttall announced that fans could read a prequel short story to his upcoming Elsewhen Press title The Royal Sorceress called "Letter from America".  Go check it out and while you are waiting for his next work to be published, subscribe to his blog and see what other ideas he has rattling around in his brain.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

Steampunk drives new science fiction genre by Casey Phillips at Times Free Press.

Books

Dutch native's alternate-history book brings him to Chillicothe time and again by David Berman at Chillicothe Gazette.

Review of 1632 by Eric Flint done by C.A. Jacobs.

Review of Dark North by Paul Finch at Thinking About Books.

Review of The Janus Affair by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris by Elfy at Travels Through Iest.

Stephen Carter’s ‘Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln’: Mystery and alternate history by Ron Charles at The Washington Post.

Top 10 Steampunk Books Of 2011 by Steampunk at Buzz Feed.

Films

Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter done by Gloria Oliver at Unveiling the Fantastic.

Skyship Chronicles: St. Pete Gets Steampunked by Joe Castagna at I Love the 'Burg.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a volunteer editor for Alt Hist and a contributor to Just Below the Law. His fiction can be found at Echelon PressJake's Monthly and his own writing blog. When not writing he works as an attorney and enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana.

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