« Free-Speech Jackassery Built Right Here in the US! | Main | NASA Becomes Marginally Less Stupid »
February 07, 2006
Crystal Rain is Out!
Congratulations to Tobias Buckell, whose debut science fiction tome Crystal Rain is officially out today. The inside is as groovy as the cover art (look! Parrots!), but you don't have to take my word for it, as Toby's got the first third of the book up for you to check out for yourself.
Toby's been writing short science fiction for some time now -- indeed, he co-wrote a piece I'm publishing in the Spring 2006 edition of Subterranean magazine -- but as most authors will tell you, the day your first book or novel comes out is like your birthday come early. Enjoy it, Toby.
Also, Toby, some of us will be 'round about 7pm to pick you up for your "published novelist" initation ceremony. Now, I know you told us that you bruise easily, but we have ways to keep from leaving marks. Well, mostly. There's not much you can do hide the branding, I suppose. But then, that's why we brand you... well, where we do. And you can certainly handle sleeping standing up for a week or two, right? Right. And you have memorized that list of Brazilian state capitols? Excellent. And you've practiced your hand grip on that goat we lent you? Perfect. I need that goat back, by the way.
So, anyway, 7 o'clock! Be sure to wear something we can hose down afterward.
Posted by john at February 7, 2006 01:45 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.scalzi.com/mt2/mt-tb.cgi/3609
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Crystal Rain is Out!:
» Bring Back Amateur Night from Uncertain Principles
I'm a bad basketball fan. Duke played North Carolina last night, and I didn't watch. The Blue Devils are the #2 ranked team in the nation, the Tar Heels are the defending national champions, it was a back-and-forth game that... [Read More]
Tracked on February 8, 2006 08:00 AM
Comments
John Scalzi | February 7, 2006 02:17 PM
Oh, cool! I like Paul quite a bit, so I'm happy the book works for you. Having a philosophy degree, I am weel nigh bound to pick up the book.
Anne C. | February 7, 2006 02:28 PM
I think this cover is a perfect example of the seductive nature of good cover art. I've never read Toby's work before, but in a bookstore, I'd definitely pick it up and read at least the back cover.
Then you get to the other half of the one-two punch, good back cover text that doesn't give everything away. Preferably a unique and interesting sounding storyline too, not one of these "Prince so-and-so, exchanged at birth with his evil twin, must ride forth to save his kingdom in peril and prove his worthiness to rule..." or the sci-fi equivalent.
Congratulations, Toby, and may your future books have the same cover artist!
tobias Buckell | February 7, 2006 02:57 PM
John, thanks for the link props, much appreciated!
Anne: I got so lucky on the cover it's bewildering. My private joke with others is that the book may well just do well not because of anything I wrote between its covers, but because of the cover ;-)
The good news is that yes, we do have the cover artist back for book 2.
Dean | February 8, 2006 08:11 AM
You mean that writing fiction eventually leads the goat-lending? Funny, my copy of Fiction Writing for Dummies doesn't mention that part.
Columbine | February 8, 2006 11:02 AM
Who IS that cover artist? Went up and down the sites looking for a name or at least a larger image - it has a Charles Vess/Michael Kaluta look to it (or Kent Williams imitating either one) and I'm very curious.
Columbine | February 8, 2006 11:07 AM
Ah, never mind. Found it (had to go waaaaay back on the book's site to find it). Todd Lockwood.
Evan | February 9, 2006 04:03 PM
Hey, you and Tobias both got two Magic: The Gathering alums for your cover art.
Led the nerd-dom continue:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mc25
Tim Morris | February 10, 2006 08:41 AM
Also in the just out February/March newsletter-catalog of the Science Fiction Book Club.
I also note that The Ghost Brigades appears on the SFBC website, but can't be ordered yet.
Post a comment.
Comments are moderated to stop spam; if your comment goes into moderation, it may take a couple of hours to be released. Please read this for my comment moderation policies.Preview will not show paragraph breaks. Trust me, they're there.
The proprietor generally responds to commenters in kind. If you're polite, he'll be polite. If you're a jackass, he'll be a jackass. If you are ignorant, he may correct you.
When in doubt, read the comment thread rules.
Martin Wagner | February 7, 2006 02:09 PM
Actually CR has been on the shelf at my local Borders since last week. I've been running behind, but I anticipate posting the review tomorrow night. In the meantime, you might want to give a shoutout to another Tor stablemate of yours, Paul Levinson, and his fiendishly clever The Plot to Save Socrates.