My novel The Recollection is now officially listed on the Solaris Books website, for release in September 2011.

Here’s the blurb:

In modern-day London, failed artist Ed Emery is secretly in love with his brother’s wife, Alice. When his brother disappears on a London Underground escalator, Ed and Alice have to put aside their personal feelings in order to find him. Their quest reveals to them terrifying glimpses of alien worlds and the far future.

Meanwhile, 400 years in the future, Katherine Abdulov must travel to a remote planet in order to regain the trust of her influential family. The only person standing in her way is her former lover, Victor Luciano, the ruthless employee of a rival trading firm. And in the unforgiving depths of space, an ancient evil stirs…

Gareth L. Powell’s epic new science-fiction novel reveals a story of galaxy-spanning scope by a writer of astounding vision.

Click here for link.

“Science fiction is a big muscular horny creature, with a mass of bristling antennae and proprioceptors on its skull. It has a small sister, a gentle creature with red lips and a dash of stardust in her hair. Her name is Space Opera.”

So, I was chatting with someone and mentioned that I wrote science fiction, and they asked what kind of science fiction it was. Was it hard science fiction or soft? Was it cyberpunk or post cyberpunk? Was it Mundane or Space Opera?

The trouble was, I didn’t have a ready answer for them. I just did what I usually do in such situations – wave my hands around and mention “Bladerunner” a few times. But it got me thinking: on the one hand, these sub classifications are generally pretty meaningless to anyone outside the genre, but on the other, they can be useful descriptive shortcuts when talking to fans, agents or editors.

So, here’s my question: if you’ve read my book or some of my short stories, how would YOU describe them? Do they fall into a recognised category?

Over at Black Gate, Richard Horton lists three “Best of 2007″ anthologies, including one focusing on “space opera”. Although he says the book has been cancelled, the full contents would have been:

• David Moles, “Finisterra” (F&SF, December)
• John Scalzi, “Pluto Tells All” (Subterranean, Spring)
• Richard A. Lovett, “The Sands of Titan”, (Analog, June)
• Ken MacLeod, “Who’s Afraid of Wolf 359?” (The New Space Opera)
• Charles Stross, “Trunk and Disorderly” (Asimov’s, January)
• Gareth L. Powell, “Six Lights Off Green Scar” (Infinity Plus)
• Jayme Lynn Blaschke, “The Final Voyage of La Riaza” (Interzone, June)
• C. W. Johnson, “Icarus Beach” (Analog, December)
• Robert Reed, “The Caldera of Good Fortune” (Asimov’s, Oct/Nov)
• Jay Lake, “The Fly and Die Ticket”, (Subterranean, Fall)
• Dan Simmons, “Muse of Fire” (The New Space Opera)

There are some good names (and good stories) on that list, and it would have been an honour to have been included, if the anthology had made it to print.

On the Asmiov’s forum, editor Rich Horton has posted the proposed table of contents for a new “Best Space Opera of the Year” anthology, including my short story “Six Lights Off Green Scar“.

Unfortunately, he also says the book has been cancelled…