Weekly Update #101

Editor's Note

So I wasted an hour yesterday trying to make a video for you guys, but the webcam feature YouTube provided kept failing and deleting everything I made. I tried using the generic recorder my computer came with but the quality was so bad I gave up. I need to do some more research into making videos for YouTube before I try this again.

I am doing a batch of posts for Amazing Stories on steampunk. It starts with a quick overview of the genre so check it out if you are interested. Tomorrow's post is a review on The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. My next topic is going to be music in SF literature for those wondering. I also been talking with Twilight Histories host Jordan Harbour. You will see my interview with him later this week and perhaps an in-depth discussion about the genre on his podcast sometime in the future.

And now the news...

Update: The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway

I don't want to forget about time travel, so now is a good time to bring it up with some info on this book that caught my attention last week: The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway. Here is the description from Goodreads:

In Bee Ridgway’s wonderfully imaginative debut novel, a man and a woman travel through time in a quest to bring down a secret society that controls the past and, thus, the future. 

“You are now a member of the Guild. There is no return.” Two hundred years after he was about to die on a Napoleonic battlefield, Nick Falcott, soldier and aristocrat, wakes up in a hospital bed in modern London. The Guild, an entity that controls time travel, showers him with life's advantages. But Nick yearns for home and for one brown-eyed girl, lost now down the centuries. Then the Guild asks him to break its own rule. It needs Nick to go back to 1815 to fight the Guild’s enemies and to find something called the Talisman. 

In 1815, Julia Percy mourns the death of her beloved grandfather, an earl who could play with time. On his deathbed he whispers in her ear: “Pretend!” Pretend what? When Nick returns home as if from the dead, older than he should be and battle scarred, Julia begins to suspect that her very life depends upon the secrets Grandfather never told her. Soon enough Julia and Nick are caught up in an adventure that stretches up and down the river of time. As their knowledge of the Guild and their feelings for each other grow, the fate of the future itself is hanging in the balance.

Sounds interesting, doesn't it? And it has a 4.22/5 on Goodreads as I write this post. Turns out, however "Bee Ridgway" is just a pen name. The author's real name is Bethany Schneider. You can catch her interview over at The Qwillery and read her article on writing time travel novels over at Psychology Tomorrow.

Update: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Found a couple more reviews on Gail Carriger's new novel Etiquette & Espionage, book one of the Finishing School series. First, here is the description from Amazon:

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School. 

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. 

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education. 

Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail's legions of fans have come to adore. 

Flipping the Page described the novel as "a unique book" and "a keeper!", but the review did say you can get lost in the background information. Sarah Bruch at SFcrowsnest also gave a good review for the book and concluded "[t]his is another series for lovers of Carriger filled with her dry wit, fabulous characters and her own take on the steampunk world, definitely one to put on the to be read pile."

Now generally I do not read YA books, but for the younger readers of this blog who like a little steam in their alternate history, this might be a series for you.

Update: After Earth

The upcoming SF, alternate history film After Earth (the POD being a space ship crash landing on Earth in 1908) is premerieng this summer on June 7. A new trailer for the film came out last week, let's watch it below:

Rob Bricken of io9 wasn't particularly impressed by the trailer, pointing out that 1000 years is too short of a time for evolution to change Earth's wildlife so drastically. Personally I am less than thrilled about this film by M. Night Shyamalan, but Charlie Jane Anders of io9 seems hopeful that "legendary control freak Will Smith" can keep the plot from spiraling out of control. We shall see, but I think I won't see until I can watch it free on Netflix.

NBC Renews Revolution

NBC announced it has ordered a new season for the sci-fi drama Revolution from Eric Kripke and J.J. Abrams for the 2013-2014 season. Alternate historians were less than impressed when the show first aired, but it has grown in popularity with the rest of fandom. Paul Levinson in his review of episode 14 called Revolution "one of J. J. Abrams' best franchises." To tell you the truth I still haven't watched the show, but do you agree?

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods and Europa Universalis IV

A new trailer for Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods (out on May 28) has been released. The latest trailer for The Old Gods is the first trailer to show gameplay from the expansion:

The Old Gods is the fourth full expansion for Crusader Kings II, Paradox’s strategy/RPG of medieval scheming, dynastic fortunes and crusades against the unbeliever. The Old Gods expansion lets the player start two hundred years earlier than the Crusader Kings II base game, at the height of Viking power and when Christianity had yet to penetrate many of the dark forests of the continent, and the power of Islam was still on the rise. You can read the developer diaries to get more information on this upcoming expansion.

Next on the agenda, Paradox is preparing to once again provide the global conquest gamers have hungrily desired with their upcoming empire-building game, Europa Universalis IV. The award-winning series that has sold over a million copies and redefined grand strategy gaming is returning in Q3 2013. Now, Paradox is sending out a Call to Arms to their greatest fans, and asking for their help to win the world’s hearts and minds for the Europa Universalis army in an epic community-building campaign. Europa Universalis fans all over the world can recruit their friends and receive exclusive rewards.

The Call to Arms Rewards for loyal fans include bonus in-game DLC, a Developers Strategy Guide, Compendium Universalis, the e-books The Art of War and The Prince, and a copy of Europa Universalis III Chronicles. The “World Conqueror” rewards for the most loyal fans include exclusive beta access to Europa Universalis IV, a mention in the game credits, and a trip to Stockholm to play multiplayer with the developers.

“Over the years, you have all helped us build one of the most dedicated game communities available. We wouldn’t have come this far if not for the loyalty of our strategy fans everywhere, and we want you to know that,” said Thomas Johansson, project lead for Europa Universalis IV at Paradox Development Studio. 

“As we prepare to launch our empire-building game Europa Universalis IV, we want to bring even more strategy fans into our community. We want you all to experience the drama that only the grand stage of history can provide. So if you want to support Europa Universalis IV, please spread the word and invite your friends – if you believe that they long to conquer the world. Strategy Gamers of the World – this is our Call to Arms.”

Calender

May 1-Oct 31: Strange Chemistry open for unagented submissions.

May 30: Deadline for submissions of It Came From the North, a Finnish speculative fiction anthology.

June 15: Steampunk inspired exhibit at The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Fairfield County, Connecticut ends.

You also might be interested in checking out the current list of guests for 2013 Dragoncon and the list of upcoming summer conventions made by the good folks at io9.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

5 Ridiculous Myths Everyone Believes About the Wild West by J. Wisniewski at Cracked.
Alternate Geology by S-Sherman at Other Times.
Cover & Synopsis: “Luminous Chaos” by Jean-Christophe Valtat at SF Signal.
Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life – New Revised Deluxe Hardcover Edition at Meteor House.
Duck and Covers: Can you believe I’m not going to rip one of these? by Justin at Staffer's Book Review.
The Great Man of History … An Implied Counterfactual by Brooks D. Simpson at Crossroads.
How to have a successful blogtour by Alison Morton.
I Prefer My Steam Punked by Jared Axelrod at Steamed!
If media covered America the way we cover foreign cultures by Jahanzeb Hussain at Keeping Sane.
Imagine by Kassy Tayler at Steamed!
Lavie Tidhar’s Top 5 Five Weird Trips to Mars at SF Signal.
Paul Levinson on the The Tricky Business of Time Travel at SF Signal.
Speculative Fiction's Love Affair with Sherlock Holmes-It's not a Mystery (Part 2) by John DeNardo at SF Signal.
That time Polish partisans stole a Nazi V2 rocket by George Dvorsky at io9.
US tries new aerial tools in Caribbean drug fight by Ben Fox at Yahoo!
What if the Tsarnaevs Had Been the "Boston Shooters"? by John Cassidy at The New Yorker.
Woman Time Travels Into Iconic Scenes at Yahoo! Shine.
Zero-Magic Fantasy by Felicity Savage at Amazing Stories.

Book Reviews

The Alteration by Kingsley Amis at Tor.com.
The Mine by John A. Heidt at Tonight's Reading.
Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist.
Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka at io9.

Comics

Review: ‘Amala’s Blade’ #1 at Bloody Disgusting.

Films

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED - An Awesome Time Travel Sci-Fi Romance at The Galaxy Express.
Steampunk kung-fu epic Tai Chi Hero: the Cure for Boring Action Movies at io9.

Games

Counterfactual History in a New Video Game (BioShock Infinite) by Robert Whitaker at Not Even Past.
The Most Atmospheric Steampunk Video Games by Gergo Vas at Kotaku.
Snail Games bringing fantasy, steampunk together in 'Black Gold' at E3 this year by Pamela Blalock at Examiner.com.

Podcasts

AH Inquirer Podcast Ep.3: The Comintern.
GSN PODCAST: Dissecting Worlds Series 7 Episode 2: Robin Hood, Robin Hood!
SFBRP #186 – Harry Turtledove – Worldwar – In The Balance.
SF Squeecast Episode 23: A Squishy Little Shield (with special guest Cherie Priest).

Interview

James Blaylock at SF Signal.
Clay & Susan Griffith at Literary Escapism.
Scott Westerfeld on The ABC.

Television

Bruce Boxleitner & Trevor Crafts: a new 'Lantern City' cast member is announced by John Collins at Examiner.com.
Steampunk Partners Announce the Launch of the TINKER Web Series Kickstarter at SBWire.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and The Were-Traveler. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

New Releases 2/5/13

Hardcover

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Description from Amazon.

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail's legions of fans have come to adore.

The Queen Is Dead by Kate Locke

Description from Amazon.

When her brother Val gets in over his head in an investigation of Half-Blood disappearances and goes missing himself, it's up to Xandra, newly crowned Goblin Queen, to get him back and bring the atrocities to light. Xandra must frequent the seediest parts of London, while also coping with what she is, the political factions vying for her favor, and the all too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who wants her head. Add this to a being a suspect in a murder investigation, a werewolf boyfriend with demands of his own, and a mother hell bent on destroying the monarchy, and Xandra barely knows which way is up. One thing she does know is that she's already lost one sibling, she's not about to lose another.

Xandra Varden is the newly crowned Goblin Queen of England. But her complicated life is by no means over.

There are the political factions vying for her favor, and the all too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who for some reason wants her head. Not to mention her werewolf boyfriend with demands of his own, and a mother hell bent on destroying the monarchy. Now she's the suspect in a murder investigation --- and Xandra barely knows which way is up.

What she does know is that nothing lasts forever---and immortality isn't all its cracked up to be.

Paperback

The Damnation Affair by Lilith Saintcrow

Description from Amazon.

The West is a wild place, where the poison wind blows and the dead walk. But there is gold, and whiskey, and enough room for a man to forget what he once was--until he no longer can.

Jack Gabriel's been the sheriff in Damnation almost since the town grew out of the dust and the mud. He keeps the peace--sort of--and rides the circuit every dawn and dusk with the chartermage, making sure the wilderness doesn't seep into their fragile attempt at civilization. Away from the cities clinging to the New World's eastern rim, he doesn't remember what he was. At least, not much.

But Damnation is growing, and along comes a schoolmarm. Catherine Barrowe is a right proper Boston miss, and it's a mystery why she would choose this town where everything scandalous and dangerous is probably too much for a quality lady like her. Sometimes the sheriff wonders why she came out West--because everyone who does is running from something. He doesn't realize Cat may be prickly, delicate, and proper, but she is also determined. She's in Damnation to find her wayward older brother Robbie, whose letters were full of dark hints about gold, trouble...and something about a claim.

In a West where charm and charter live alongside clockwork and cold steel, where hot lead kills your enemy but it takes a blessing to make his corpse stay down, Cat will keep digging until she finds her brother. If Jack knew what she was after, he could solve the mystery--because he was the one who killed Robbie.

The thing is, Cat's brother just won't stay dead, and the undead are rising with him...

The Royal Sorceress by Chris Nuttall

Description from Amazon.

It's 1830, in an alternate Britain where the 'scientific' principles of magic were discovered sixty years previously, allowing the British to win the American War of Independence. Although Britain is now supreme among the Great Powers, the gulf between rich and poor in the Empire has widened and unrest is growing every day. Master Thomas, the King's Royal Sorcerer, is ageing and must find a successor to lead the Royal Sorcerers Corps. Most magicians can possess only one of the panoply of known magical powers, but Thomas needs to find a new Master of all the powers. There is only one candidate, one person who has displayed such a talent from an early age, but has been neither trained nor officially acknowledged. A perfect candidate to be Master Thomas' apprentice in all ways but one: the Royal College of Sorcerers has never admitted a girl before. But even before Lady Gwendolyn Crichton can begin her training, London is plunged into chaos by a campaign of terrorist attacks co-ordinated by Jack, a powerful and rebellious magician. The Royal Sorceress will certainly appeal to all fans of steampunk, alternate history, and fantasy. As well as the fun of the 'what-ifs' delivered by the rewriting of our past, it delights with an Empire empowered by magic - all the better for being one we can recognise. The scheming and intrigue of Jack and his rebels, the roof-top chases and the thrilling battles of magic are played out against the dark and unforgiving backdrop of life in the sordid slums and dangerous factories of London. Many of the rebels are drawn from a seedy and grimy underworld, while their Establishment targets prey on the weak and defenceless. The price for destroying the social imbalance and sexual inequality that underpin society may be more than anyone can imagine.

E-books

Stalemate - The Biographies by Colin Gee

Description from Amazon.

This is not a stand-alone book, but a support volume to the book itself. It should not be purchased by itself.

The third in the 'Red Gambit' series, Stalemate deals with the events of the Third World War, up to 25th October 1945. Relating the experiences from both sides of the divide, and from all levels. 'Stalemate' deals with the man in the trench, through the pilot in his fighter, through to the Generals who direct the war from their command centres. 'Stalemate' brings the first stages of WW3 to a climax on the Alsatian plain, a sleepy town in Holland, and an insignificant town in Germany, whose name is now synonymous with death on a grand scale.

[The ‘Red Gambit Series’ novels are works of fiction, and deal with fictional events. Most of the characters therein are a figment of the author’s imagination. Without exception, those characters that are historical figures of fact or based upon historical figures of fact are used fictitiously, and their actions, demeanour, conversations, and characters are similarly all figments of the author’s imagination.]

To fans, authors and publishers...

Do you want to see your work given a shout out on our New Releases segment? Contact Mitro at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.  We are looking for works of alternate history, counterfactual history, steampunk, historical fantasy, time travel or anything that warps history beyond our understanding.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and The Were-Traveler. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

Weekly Update #90

Editor's Note

The streak is over...for now. The Update, I am sad to admit, did not break its monthly page view record in January. Our final count was 14,947, roughly 600 page views less than last month's record of 15,515. I am actually disappointed, since we have managed to break our monthly record 8 times in a row. Still I am not surprised. Last month with my new job and my writing responsibilities over at Amazing Stories, I have not exactly been prolific over here at The Update. In fact last month had the third least amount of content in the blog's existence. I think, however, that will all change this month. I have established a new routine and I have found more time for writing. Hopefully you will all enjoy the result.

Speaking of Amazing Stories, I have some great news to report from that front, if you can all be patient for some shameless self-promotion. My essay on DBWIs entitled Dissecting Our Present: How SF Can Highlight Our Historical Bias has been a huge success. Not only did it get linked to on the Hugo-award winning SF Signal, it also was the second most viewed article on Amazing Stories last week. The one downside to this great news is that it hasn't equaled increased page views for The Update as I hoped, but for anyone who discovered this blog through Amazing Stories I bid you welcome.

Don't forget everyone, this month we are requesting original fiction, essays and reviews dealing with the Balkanize Me trope of alternate history. There is still time to send in your submissions for this contest and the recently announced steampunk writing contest in March. I look forward to reading your submissions.

And now the news...

Update: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Tomorrow Gail Carriger's new novel Etiquette & Espionage comes out, the first book of her new Finishing School. According to SF Signal, it is tied to her Parasol Protectorate series, which began with her award-winning novel Soulless. If you can't wait until tomorrow to read the book, you can read an excerpt from the novel over at Tor.com or watch the book trailer below:

Meanwhile, if you would like to peek at the gears inside Gail's head, read her answer to the questions: "What genre novels would benefit from a re-branding as Young Adult?" and "Which YA novels should not be branded as such?"

Bioshock Infinite Trailers

Two new Bioshock Infinite trailers were released last week. The first is made to look like a fake documentary:

Critical Failure likens the trailer to the "crappy old eight millimeter movies you had to watch in school", but questions how this alternate history could somehow miss a floating sky city that intervenes in foreign events. Still people seem excited about the game as Geek O System said, as long as "gameplay can keep pace with what looks to be a pretty cool premise replete with all the headscrewing detail and grey area morality" it should be a good game.

And finally the last trailer. Sorry no commentary, just watch:

War of the Roses Separates the Royals from the Rabble in New “Kingmaker” Edition

Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and a seeker of the throne, and Fatshark, valiant knights trapped in the modern era, today announced War of the Roses: Kingmaker, a gold edition of the game which allows aspiring knights a clear path to the throne by including all the top-notch weapons, armor, and perks that have been released since the title’s inception in October 2012. The new edition will be available in late Q1 2013.

In War of the Roses: Kingmaker, loyalists to the house of York or Lancaster will now have access to the content available since release, including the previously exclusive armor sets for both the red and white rose. Kingmaker will also introduce two new game modes—Assault and Assault Castle—where knights will face new attack and defense scenarios that aim to truly test their skill as a team.

A free trial version of War of the Roses is also planned for release February 6, which will allow anyone to download and play the game without cost. The trial version will include access to all online battles, enabling aspiring warriors to fight alongside all existing players – paid or trial. The trial version will limit players by disallowing any unlocks, giving access only to the game’s base classes and weapons, giving trial players a chance to live true knighthood.

In addition, Paradox will soon release a new premium DLC for War of the Roses, starring famously boisterous British actor Brian Blessed as a new narrator for the game. Blessed’s booming voice will inspire knights by announcing in-game events and warnings, giving new meaning to the iconic command to “Kill the enemy!”

On top of all of these new editions, all versions of War of the Roses are scheduled to receive new content in the form of the new “Outside the Law” update, which will add an all new deep forest map to the game’s selection, along with armor pieces Robin of Loxley would be proud of.

Things to do

Big list of upcoming events to check out. First off, go to Tor if you want to see the list of steampunk-themed events you can attend (there are too many, I'm not going to list them all out here). For some events, however, that might not be on Tor's, there is the steampunk/dark comedy LoveSick playing at the LOFT Ensemble in Los Angeles, CA on Feb 24th and WarmStreets of Lynchburg, VA is putting on Steampunk/SF art show in April (and they are still looking for submissions) for charity.

In other news, the Historical Novel Society has released their schedule for their 2013 conference in St. Petersburg, Florida (June 21-23).

Have fun!

Submitting a Novel to Tor UK

Probably the biggest news story for aspiring authors is the announcement that Tor UKwill be accepting unsolicited e-submissions. So if you have a SF, fantasy or horror manuscript 95,000 to 150,000 words in length you can send it to TorUKSubmissions at macmillan dot com. More information about sending submissions can be found at the Tor UK blog.

Good luck...and if your alternate history story gets published by them, why not send it our way for a review?

Links to the Multiverse

Article

Airships, Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies: The Devil's Harvest by @ScottWhitmore at The Masquerade Crew.

BVC Announces His Majesty’s Elephant by Judith Tarr at Book View Cafe.

Cover & Synopsis: “The Mad Goblin” by Philip José Farmer at SF Signal.

Dr. Quincy Erasmus Quartermain is entered into the Steampunk Museum.

Gareth L. Powell to sequelize Ack-Ack Macaque for Solaris at SF Scope.

High-tech cargo airship being built in California by Raquel Maria Dillon at Yahoo.

Is Steampunk Really Going to Become More Popular, or Has It Already Peaked? by Austin Sirkin at Steampunk R&D.

New Trilogy from Charles Stross Coming Soon! at Tor.com.

Steampunk and Retro-Futurism: Three Anthologies and Three Approaches by Larry Nolen at The OF Blog.

Vanished Kingdoms: Rusyn, Erie, Tsernagora and CCCP by Oldcat at Kilobooks.

A World Without Alex Rodriguez: The Retconning of the New York Yankees by Mike Bates at SB Nation.

Book Reviews

The Aylesford Skull by James P. Baylock at The Geek Syndicate.

Dead Iron by Devon Monk at Steampunk Scholar.

Ever After by Kim Harrison at SF Signal.

Ha’Penny and Half a Crown by Jo Walton at Things Mean A Lot.

The Merchant of Dreams by Anne Lyle at Travels Through Iest.

Space Eldritch at Amazing Stories.

Comics

Behind the Scenes of Nick Abadzis’ LAIKA by Mark Siegel at First Second.

Films

What if The Hobbit had not become a cult book? by PJ Hammans at The Hobbit Movie.

Game

Cryamore, Steampunk ARPG Successfully Funded On Kickstarter by  William Usher at Gaming Blend.

Interview

Paul Levison at Patrick Satters.

Harry Turtledove at The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination.

Television

Review of Elementary: Season 1, Episode 13 at Thinking about books.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and The Were-Traveler. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

Weekly Update #87

Editor's Note

So the Washington Academy of Sciences has developed a seal of approval for SF novels that conform to scientific fact. This seems like a great idea since I love hard SF books, but I doubt many AH books are going to cross their path. Knowing history is not exactly a requisite to being a scientist. Maybe someone should come up with a seal of approval for how plausible an AH book is...

Sorry about not posting a review for Django Unchained last Friday. I worked some overtime that day so I couldn't put the finishing touches on it for publication. Don't worry, I should have it up next Friday. Meanwhile I have two more entries to post for the No Americans contest (still accepting submissions), plus you can also send submissions for the Balkanize Me contest and voting continues for the month of March (Steampunk is winning). More importantly, Amazing Stories has some big news to announce this week. Stay tuned.

And now the news...

Update: Cherie Priest

You can't talk about steampunk these days without mentioning Cherie Priest. Although Paul Goat Allen at Barnes & Noble's site questions whether the glory days of steampunk days are over with the slew of cliched works recently published, he still holds out hope "as long as Cherie Priest continues writing her Clockwork Century novels." No pressure, Cherie.

Speaking of the Clockwork Century, Priest's novel Ganymede is being released in the UK and you can check out an extract and praise for the novel over Tor UK. Those who want to read an example of Priest's short fiction can read "Addison Howell and the Clockroach" at Lightspeed Magazine and also check out an interview with Priest over there as well where she talks about her short story, writing in the Pacific Northwest and her future plans.

Update: Gail Carriger

Fans of Gail Carriger, author of the Parasol Protectorate series, have a lot to celebrate. Her novel Soulless  is being discussed at the io9 Book Club this month, so check it out and put in your two cents.

Speaking of io9, TONIGHT you can go over there and ask her anything from 6 pm to 7pm CST. Meanwhile, if you live in California want to learn more about Gail is doing, check out her recent journal post. She is going to be touring California to promote her new novel, Etiquette & Espionage (BTW, the first 3 chapters are available for free on Amazon), and even if you do not live in Cali, you still might get a chance to participate in an online video chat.

What is Rococopunk?

Okay it is safe to say I am a nerd, but I like to keep my fandom based on what I consume for entertainment. I am not judging those who like to cosplay, it is just not my cup of tea. I lack the patience or the finances necessary to really get the look like. Although steampunk is a literary movement, you cannot deny how important the aesthetic movement has become. Still the steampunk fanatics might have some competition from rococopunk.

The premise of rococopunk is that the rococo movement never ended. You can read more about it over at Steampunk R&D and see more pictures like the one above. The movement has been making some waves and was featured on io9. Do you think it will replace steampunk?

Things to do

Bored with this reality? The Multiverse Transit Authority has a chronomatic raring and ready to take you to adventure:

May 24-26: Up in the Aether Steampunk Convention in Detroit, Michigan.

August 23-25: The stars are right for the HP Lovecraft NecronomiCon in Providence, Rhode Island.

Finally end your temporal adventure with a quick bite at the steampunk themed restaurant Boulton & Watt in NYC.

Submissions Wanted

Really quick announcement...or two. Xchyler Publishing will be accepting submissions for their Spring Steampunk Anthology until January 31st. Meanwhile Dark Fiction Magazine is open for SF, fantasy and horror short story (1k-7k words) submissions until February 28.That is all.

New Releases

E-books

Monster Earth by various authors
Welcome to a world where the Cold War was fought not with the threat of nuclear destruction, but with Giant Monsters.

Off With Their Heads! by K.A. Merikan
It’s 1907, twenty years after the outbreak of a zombie Plague. For a young student of medicine like Clint, the undead bodies provide an opportunity to study human physiology in the working. He is a good young man: tidy, well-mannered and hard working. Focused on his goal to become an excellent surgeon, Clint has a bright future ahead of him. If it weren’t for a shameful secret he’s forced to keep, his life would have been perfect.

The Report by Timothy Digg
2013, the 60th Anniversary of Great Britain joining the Greater Reich and the Coronation of King Edward 11th. This is the background to a puzzling murder at the highest levels of the National Socialist Party of Great Britain. Detective General George Hayes is given the dubious job of finding who did it. But the reader knows exactly who did it, but not why and follows George Hayes in his quest to find out.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

5 Insane 'What If' Scenarios That Almost Changed Everything by Jacopo della Quercia at Cracked.

Never Bet Against Theodore Roosevelt in a Knife Fight by Donald R. McClarey at DFW Catholic.

Vanished Kingdoms – Etruria at Kilobooks.

Books

Don’t Cross the Streams by Steve DeWinter at Steamed!

Guest Post by Paul Levinson: The Plot to Save Socrates at Kathleen Valentine's Parlez Moi Blog.

Top 20 Best Speculative Fiction Novels of 2012 by Stephan at The Ranting Dragon.

What's going on with our Time Travel Anthology? at The Masquerade Crew.

Book Reviews

The Cassandra Project by Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick at Thinking about books.

Farthing by Jo Walton at Things mean a lot.

Imperium by Keith Laumer at Amazing Stories.

Comics

Kieron Gillen Explores The World Of Nazi Superhumans At Avatar by Wesley Messer at Comics Crux.

Film

Christopher Nolan to Direct New Sci-Fi Film Interstellar? by Jonathan Hatfull at SciFiNow.

Steampunk Fantasy Short Film- The Wheel at Neatorama.

Interview

Con Men: Interview with the Co-Creator of Ultrasylvania at Project Million Entertainment.

John Birmingham at SFFWorld.

Paul Di Filippo at Ideas Captured.

Felix Gilman at Fantasy Literature.

Valjeanne Jeffers at The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman.

S. M. Stirling at Eating Authors.

Television

Brett Ratner to direct a time-travel show for ABC, present a vision of a Ratnerized tomorrow by Sean O'Neal at AV Club.

The Multiverse Presents Batman and Robin Parody ‘Knighthood and Decoy’ at Geek Syndicate.

Review of Elementary: Season 1, Episode 12 at Thinking about books.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and The Were-Traveler. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.