Showing posts with label El Dorado. Show all posts
Showing posts with label El Dorado. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

New Releases 3/3/15

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Hardcovers

Old Venus edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

Sixteen all-new stories by science fiction’s top talents, collected by bestselling author George R. R. Martin and multiple-award-winning editor Gardner Dozois

From pulp adventures such as Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Carson of Venus to classic short stories such as Ray Bradbury’s “The Long Rain” to visionary novels such as C. S. Lewis’s Perelandra, the planet Venus has loomed almost as large in the imaginations of science fiction writers as Earth’s next-nearest neighbor, Mars. But while the Red Planet conjured up in Golden Age science fiction stories was a place of vast deserts and ruined cities, bright blue Venus was its polar opposite: a steamy, swampy jungle world with strange creatures lurking amidst the dripping vegetation. Alas, just as the last century’s space probes exploded our dreams of Mars, so, too, did they shatter our romantic visions of Venus, revealing, instead of a lush paradise, a hellish world inimical to all life.

But don’t despair! This new anthology of sixteen original stories by some of science fiction’s best writers—edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin and award-winning editor Gardner Dozois—turns back the clock to that more innocent time, before the hard-won knowledge of science vanquished the infinite possibilities of the imagination.

Join our cast of award-winning contributors—including Elizabeth Bear, David Brin, Joe Haldeman, Gwyneth Jones, Mike Resnick, Eleanor Arnason, Allen M. Steele, and more—as we travel back in time to a planet that never was but should have been: a young, rain-drenched world of fabulous monsters and seductive mysteries.

Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier

The notoriously bloody history of a mob-run Sydney, Australia neighborhood is fertile ground for this historical thriller with a paranormal twist: two girls' ability to see the many ghosts haunting Razorhurst.

Sydney’s deadly Razorhurst neighborhood, 1932. Gloriana Nelson and Mr. Davidson, two ruthless mob bosses, have reached a fragile peace—one maintained by “razor men.” Kelpie, orphaned and homeless, is blessed (and cursed) with the ability to see Razorhurst’s many ghosts. They tell her secrets the living can’t know about the cracks already forming in the mobs’ truce.

Then Kelpie meets Dymphna Campbell, a legendary beauty and prized moll of Gloriana Nelson. She’s earned the nickname “Angel of Death” because none of her beaus has ever survived knowing her. Unbeknownst to Kelpie, Dymphna can see ghosts, too, and she knows that Gloriana’s hold is crumbling one henchman at a time. As loyalties shift and betrayal threatens the two girls at every turn, Dymphna is determined not only to survive, but to rise to the top with Kelpie at her side.

The Suicide Exhibition by Justin Richards

The threat is not new. The aliens have been here before.

The German war machine has woken an ancient threat - the alien Vril and their Ubermensch have returned. With this new power, ultimate Victory in the war for Europe is now within the Nazis' grasp.Obsessed with the Occult, Hitler and other senior Nazis believed they were destined to inherit the Earth. To this end, they are determined to recover 'their' ancient artifacts -- the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Spear of Destiny. When Dunkirk veteran and Foreign Office trouble-shooter Major Guy Pentecross stumbles across a seemingly unbelievable conspiracy, he, together with pilot and American spy Sarah Diamond and SOE operative Leo Davenport, enter the shadow world of Section Z. All three have major roles to play as they uncover the Nazis' insidious plot to use the Vril's technology to win the war... at any cost.

Justin Richards has an extremely credible grasp of WWII history and has transformed it into a groundbreaking alternate reality thriller in The Suicide Exhibition.

Paperbacks

End Day (Deathlands) by James Axler

TIME WARPED

Ryan Cawdor and his six companions struggle to survive postnuclear America, a grim new world where hope for the  future is lost amid the devastation.

APOCALYPSE REDUX

In pursuit of a hardened enemy—Magus—Ryan and the companions find themselves in a land more foreign than any they've encountered. After unwittingly slipping through a time hole, the group lands in twentieth-century New York City, getting their first glimpse of predark civilization. And they're not sure they like it. Only Mildred and Doc can appreciate this strange metropolis, but Armageddon is just seventy-two hours away, and Magus will stop at nothing to make sure Ryan and his team are destroyed on Nuke Day…

Jack Cloudie (Jackelian World) by Stephen Hunt

Jack Cloudie is a tale of high adventure and derring-do set in the same Victorian-style steampunk world as Stephen Hunt's acclaimed The Court of the Air and The Secrets of the Fire Sea.

Thanks to his father's gambling debts, young Jack Keats finds himself on the streets and trying to survive as a pickpocket. Following a daring bank robbery gone badly awry, Jack narrowly escapes the scaffold, only to be pressed into the Royal Aerostatical Navy. Assigned to the most useless airship in the fleet, serving under a captain who is most probably mad, Jack seems to be bound for almost certain death in the faraway deserts of Cassarabia.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the slave Omar ibn Barir finds his life turned upside down when his master's religious sect is banned. Unexpectedly freed, he joins the Caliph's military forces--just as war is brewing.

Two very similar young men prepare to face each other across a field of battle. But is Omar the enemy, or is Jack's true nemesis the sickness at the heart of the Caliph's court?

E-Books

Kursed by Lindsay Smith

This thrilling prequel to Lindsay Smith’s SEKRET tells the story of how Yulia’s parents met while fighting Nazis in World War II.

Antonina never meant to become a cog in the Soviet machine. She only wanted an opportunity to conduct her research on genetic mutations and psychic ability. But now her research is being used to find other psychics to carry out Stalin’s demands. And together they are being sent deep into Nazi Germany to steal secrets. Antonina fears there is no escape from her life of lies and subterfuge, until she meets Andrei, who gives her hope that she is gifted, not KURSED.

DVDs

Outlander: Season One - Volume One: Collector's Edition

Diana Gabaldon's best-selling book series is stunningly realized by Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore in Season One's first eight episodes. Follow Claire's epic journey through time with this limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray which includes:
  • A collectible lenticular
  • A 32-page book with photographs, excerpts from the scripts, and an introduction from Diana Gabaldon
  • A placeholder for Volume 2; remove later and complete your Season 1 Collection!
Computer Games

Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado by Paradox
El Dorado is the fifth expansion to Europa Universalis IV and brings to life the conquests, creeds and discoveries synonymous with the Age of Exploration. The centerpiece of the latest addition is the Nation Designer, which allows the customization of a starting nation in a campaign and further enhances EU4’s already near infinite replayability. This expansion’s focus on Central America and South America introduces new religions whilst impactful theaters of exploration will challenge you with new decisions worthy of a king or conqueror. As the Aztecs, subject the Mexican plain to your rule but be sure to have enough vassal kings to sacrifice to your angry gods. As the Europeans, push deeper into the jungles of the Amazon, following rumors of lost cities and magical fountains. Whatever path you choose, El Dorado is sure to be a golden addition to your Europa Universalis IV playing experience.

To fans, authors and publishers...

Is your story going to be published in time for the next New Releases? Contact us 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.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. Check out his short fiction. 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.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Weekly Update #177

Editor's Note

I was so happy to get one of my two big announcements out of the when I revealed my Capricon 35 schedule. I plan to make the second this week, so stay tuned for some more big news.

Not sure if I talked about this yet, but I am going to be doing something different for the rest of the year. Occasionally I have experimented with "theme" months, but this year I am going to put a little more effort into it. You will learn more about what I am planning later either at the end of the week or next Monday.

And now the news...

What do the critics think of Agent Carter?

I know The Man in the High Castle is still on all of your minds and trust me I didn't forget about it. In fact I made another special link dump for it below under the Links to the Multiverse section. We still don't know when we are going to get a new episode, so if you need your alternate history television fix, why don't you check out Agent Carter?

According to WikipediaIn 1946, Peggy Carter must balance the routine office work she does for the Strategic Scientific Reserve (S.S.R) while secretly assisting Howard Stark, who finds himself framed for supplying deadly weapons to the top bidder. Carter is assisted by Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis, to find those responsible and dispose of the weapons.

Now I have always held that the Captain America films and their spin-offs, like Agent Carter, blur the lines of comic book universe and alternate history. Even if it is not a true alternate history, there is no denying it has a dieselpunk aesthetic to it (and if you want some unexpected dieselpunk, go watch The Grand Budapest Hotel). But is it any good?

Well so far the reviews I have seen have been positive. Liz Bourke of Tor said she is in love with the show, but she may be predisposed to liking to show because of her "pro-ladies-hitting-people-with-snappy-dialogue" personality. Meanwhile Vix from Geek Syndicate gave episode three a 4 out of 5 star review and praised the show for being a trailblazer in bringing more female leads to the Marvel universe.

Have you watched Agent Carter yet? Tell us what you think in the comments.

“El Dorado” Expansion for Europa Universalis IV Lets You Go For Gold

Yeah I didn't come up with that title, but I thought it was amusing. Anywho, Paradox Development is bringing the genocide adventure and politics of the Spanish conquest to life with the "El Dorado" expansion for Europa Universalis IV.

This expansion’s historical focus will be on the Central American and South American theaters. According to the press release, you can play "[a]s the Aztecs, [and[ subject the Mexican plain to your rule but make sure you have enough vassal kings to sacrifice to your angry gods. As the Europeans, push deeper into the jungles of the Amazon, following rumors of lost cities and magical fountains. Defer to the Pope as he intervenes to divide the New World among squabbling empires."

The centerpiece mechanic of "El Dorado" is the Nation Designer, a tool that let’s you customize your starting nation in a campaign. You choose your starting capital and neighboring provinces, modify your starting culture and leader and then play as this nation in the game. Sounds like a useful tool when crafting an alternate history scenario.

Learn more by watching the trailer:

Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado will be available on major digital delivery platforms for Windows, Mac and Linux next month.

Videos for Alternate Historians

Its time for some more YouTube videos that bend the borders of reality. We begin with Game Theory's look at the Pokemon multiverse:
Next up, author Gareth L. Powell is interviewed on the Abaddon Solaris channel and man are those some amazing British accents:
By the way, you can also read this text interview with Gareth on Rising Shadow. Speaking of sweet British accents, here is the new trailer for PlayStation's The Order: 1886:
Learn more about the game's plot here and see how violent the game is here. And finally, we end by asking is time travel possible with some of the most seductive British accents Doctor Who can provide:

Links to the Multiverse

Amazon's The Man in the High Castle

Amazon 2015 Pilot Season: THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE Stands Out at TwitchFilm.
Amazon Launches New Pilots at Blastr Magazine.
Amazon's New TV Pilots: 7 Reviews, From Sci-Fi to the Civil War at Yahoo!
Bingeworthy: Amazon Prime wants you to find the next 'Transparent' at The Cap Times.
First Impressions: The Man in the High Castle at Ramblings of the Easily Distracted.
The future of television is here and now at Stuff.co.nz.
The Man in the High Castle: The Amazon pilot all sci-fi fans should watch at The Independent.
‘The Man in the High Castle’ Depicts America Under the Nazis at Medium.
The Man in the High Castle never lets us believe its alternate-history nightmare at The Verge.
The Man in the High Castle on Amazon: Outstanding at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.
The Man in the High Castle Recap: Pilot at Movie News Guide.
The Man in the High Castle S1.01 - Pilot Review at GamesRadar.
The Man in the High Castle Shines in Amazon’s Pilot Season at Geek Dad.
The Man in the High Castle: When a Nazi-Run World Isn't So Dystopian at The Atlantic.
Review: Amazon’s new pilot season offers the good, the bad, and one train wreck at GeekWire.
'Salem Rogers,' 'The Man in the High Castle' are the best of Amazon's 2015 pilot season at zap2it.
Two dystopian TV shows to die for at Your Tech Weblog.
Why The Man in the High Castle Is Essential Science Fiction at Den of Geek.

Books and Short Fiction

8 Books From the Last Decade that Made Me Excited About SF  and Fantasy by Jo Walton at Tor.
The 100 best novels: No 70 – Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949) at The Guardian.
100 Science Fiction and Fantasy and Horror Books to Look Forward to in 2015 (Part 2) at Kirkus.
Adam Rowe on The Most Ridiculous Moon Landings in Science Fiction History at SF Signal.
Book Trailer: The Eterna Files by Leanna Renee Hieber at Tor/Forge Blog.
Brian Staveley, Author of Providence of Fire, on Fictional History and True Stories at SF Signal.
A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab (Excerpt) at Tor.
Eight steps to building a fictional world that works by Alison Morton at Writers' Village.
Flashing Steel, Flashing Fire Is Now On Kindle Unlimited at The World According to Quinn.
Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King at The County Line.
Review: The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter by Rod Duncan at My Bookish Ways.
Review: The Just City by Jo Walton at SF Signal.
Review: Pacific Fire by Greg van Eekhout at Tor.
Review: A Thousand Perfect Things by Kay Kenyon at SF Signal.

Counterfactuals, History and News

Creating a Jewish State in the United States instead of Israel at The Counterfactual History Review.
If It Happened There: The State of the Union by Joshua Keating at Slate.
Oregon Was Founded As a Racist Utopia by Matt Novak at Gizmodo.
Two Years After Apocalyptic Predictions Related To An Obama Presidency, Life Goes On at SPLC.
Why Are the Middle Ages Often Characterized as Dark or Less Civilized? at Slate.
The Winds of Change (Predictions for the 1960s) at Galactic Journey.

Film and Television

9 Reasons you should watch Marco Polo at Hodderscape.
Ascension and alternative histories of the future at Future Fictions.
Discover the Truth Behind Sons of Liberty Series at Journal of the American Revolution.
George Lucas On ‘Star Wars': Disney Didn’t Use My Ideas For New Movies at Deadline.
A History of … The Mummy at Geek Syndicate.
Japan’s Atomic Bomb at Far Future Horizons.
Marco Polo: Netflix's Critical Flop That Dared to Be Diverse by Lenika Cruz at The Atlantic.
Oakwell Hall to appear in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell at The Huddersfield Daily Examiner.
Review: 12 Monkeys at Amazing Stories.
Review: 12 Monkeys 1.2 and 1.3 at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.
Review: Elementary 3.11 at Sherlock Peoria.
Review: Space 1999 at The Little Red Reviewer.
Tulsa History Buffs Not Required For 'Drunk History' Casting Call at NewsOn6.com.

Games

Crossing the Streams: Batman and Tarzan at Panels.

Graphic Novels and Comics

Original ‘hit list’ reveals a very different ‘Infinite Crisis’ at Comic Book Resources.

Interviews

Elizabeth Bear at SF Signal.
Cherie Priest at Reddit.
Adam Roberts at Tor.
Thom Trulove at Buzzy Mag.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. Check out his short fiction. 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.