On the Innsmouth Free Press website, Paula R Stiles reviews the Future Bristol anthology:

“If you’re familiar with the style of Hub Magazine or Irish ‘zine Albedo One, you’ll have a pretty good idea what to expect. Lots of snark, off-the-wall weirdness you won’t normally see in North American specfic (the publisher is from Texas), and considerable attention to world-building… The stories themselves are lovely (being an editor of a ‘zine, I am one picky bitch, so that’s saying a lot); the editing is nice and clean; I love the cover (okay, I really love the cover); the whole thing is as professionally-done as any big publisher puts out; and it’s great to see so many female writers and protags. When Silvia and I say that we wish we could see X type of specfic more often, we mean this type of stuff.”

While in the latest issue of Vector, the critical journal of the British Science Fiction Association, Ben Jeapes writes:

“Future Bristol is a collection of love stories for the city of Bristol… The whole collection is a good read by a good set of authors.

Here’s a snippet of an interview I gave yesterday to Ann Wilkes at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys:

“I grew up at a time when the Cold War seemed likely to turn hot at any moment. We were shown “Protect and Survive” films at school, and I remember that the local doctor’s surgery had leaflets about nuclear fallout and guidelines for the disposal of relatives who’d succumbed to radiation sickness. As a teenager, it was a scary time. It was hard enough dealing with all the emotional stuff teenagers have to go through normally, without the added worry that the world was about to end. I guess a lot of that fear worked its way into my psyche. Part of me still expects society to fall apart at any given moment, and so those stories are to a certain extent an exploration and exorcism of that fear – a way of confronting my personal demons.”

You can read the full interview here: Interview with Gareth L Powell

The Future Bristol anthology is now available to download as an e-book from the Fictionwise site.

“A bargain at $3.49, the book contains nine short stories by leading (local) British authors including BSFA and Philip K. Dick Award-nominee Liz Williams, Interzone Poll-winner Gareth L Powell, novelist and editor Colin Harvey, Stephanie Burgis, Jim Mortimore, Joanne Hall, Nick Walters, John Hawkes-Reed and Christina Lake.”

http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook87221.htm?cache

“Incredibly ambitious… the quality of the writing and the ideas presented, and that they are irrevocably connected with Bristol is why these stories work so well. Spectacular.”

Link to Future Bristol on Amazon.

The Future Bristol anthology is now available to order from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. It contains the following stories:

1. Liz Williams ~ Isambard’s Kingdom
2. John Hawkes-Reed ~ The Guerilla Infrastructure HOWTO
3. Stephanie Burgis ~ After The Change
4. Joanne Hall ~ Pirates of the Cumberland Basin
5. Nick Walters ~ Trespassers
6. Christina Lake ~ A Tale of Two Cities
7. Colin Harvey ~ Thermoclines
8. Gareth L Powell ~ What Would Nicolas Cage Have Done?
9. Jim Mortimore ~ The Sun In The Bone House

See here for a review of the book: Link to The Fix

The first review of the Future Bristol anthology has appeared online at The Fix. In it, Lyndon Perry writes:

Through a wonderfully accessible selection of stories and genres—from steampunk to biotech suspense to superhero fiction—this anthology is entertaining, compelling, and thought-provoking. As for the writing itself, the craftsmanship of each story is superb. Editor Colin Harvey did a fine job of compiling a diverse yet complimentary collection of short fiction that celebrates, in his words, “the city that we moan about but also love. A city that, like British SF, believes in itself again.” Well, if the authors of Future Bristol continue to write at this high a level, then the future of British speculative fiction—and Bristol itself—is secure. This volume is a delight for science fiction fans of all stripes.

Continue reading “Future Bristol reviewed in The Fix”

In April, Swimming Kangaroo Books release their latest anthology, Future Bristol.

The book contains nine stories imagining what the future holds for the South West’s largest city, including contributions from nine leading British authors: Liz Williams; John Hawkes-Reed; Stephanie Burgis; Joanne Hall; Nick Walters; Christina Lake; Colin Harvey; Gareth L Powell; and Jim Mortimore.

It will be released in April 2009 with a cover by award-winning artist Andy Bigwood, and its launch will be marked with two launch events:

• The first takes place at 2pm on Sunday 12 April as part of the Eastercon event at The Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford. Andy, Christina, Colin, Gareth, Liz, Stephanie will be present to read extracts of their stories and sign copies.
• The second event tales place at 1pm on Saturday 25th April at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in Bristol, and Andy, Colin, Gareth, Jim, Jo, Liz, Nick will be in attendance.

UPDATE 31/03/2009: Forbidden Planet event has been postponed by the store. I don’t know the full details but will post updated date and time when available.

Continue reading “Future Bristol Launch Event Details”

Editor Colin Harvey has created a new website for his “Future Bristol” anthology, where you can read extracts from the stories, including the opening section of my 5,100 word short: What Would Nicolas Cage Have Done?

Click here to visit the site: Future Bristol

From the blurb:

Nine short stories by leading (local) British authors including BSFA and Philip K. Dick Award-nominee Liz Williams, Interzone Poll-winner Gareth L Powell, Stephanie Burgis, Jim Mortimore, Joanne Hall, Nick Walters and Christina Lake. All wrapped in a gorgeous cover by BSFA Award winning artist Andy Bigwood.