Today, I was told by the manager of the Forbidden Planet store in Bristol that my short story collection reads like “JG Ballard on Prozac”. He meant this as a compliment, and it’s made me determined to read more of Ballard’s work, as this is the second time we’ve been compared.

Yesterday’s email brought with it the first royalty statement from Elastic Press for my short story collection, The Last Reef and Other Stories. Going through the figures, I’m pleased to see that over the past 12 months, the book’s sold out in hardback, and almost sold out in paperback, with only a few copies of the paperback left in the publisher’s warehouse.

My only regret is that Elastic Press have ceased trading, which means there won’t be a second printing.

It’s exactly twelve months since Elastic Press published my collection The Last Reef And Other Stories in hardback and paperback – and so I’m launching a little competition to mark its first birthday.

I have a copy of the book sitting on my desk next to the keyboard as I type, and I’m still incredibly proud of it. Seeing it in print for the first time was the realisation of a lifelong ambition, and the fifteen stories it contains represent the highlights of my journey from unknown writer to Interzone regular, and include some of the best writing I’ve ever done.

I’ll be autographing copies of The Last Reef And Other Stories at Bristolcon in September.  If you haven’t already got a copy, this could be one of your last chances to buy one, as it’s almost sold out.

There are a few copies of the paperback in the distributor’s warehouse, so it will be still be available on Amazon for a while – but once those last few copies are gone, that’s it. Elastic Press is closing down, so there won’t be a reprint.

The book will still be available as an eBook from Fictionwise and as an audio book from www.audible.co.uk – but if you want to buy a paper copy, you’d better be quick!

Last year, Eran Cantrell provided the cover art to my short story collection, The Last Reef and Other Stories – which then became the masthead of this website. Now she’s gone one better and illustrated an entire book – this time, the perennial favourite by Lewis Carol. I’ve seen some pages online and they look magnificent.

Writing on Facebook, Eran says:

“I can’t tell you how exciting it is to publish a book for the first time. After several months of working in the margins of my busy school and work schedule, it’s finally available on lulu.com for $9.95. I’m still trying to earn enough money for my final year’s tuition in college, so any revenue is greatly appreciated! I hope you all enjoy how it’s turned out.“

Eran’s full length comic of The Jabberwocky can be found on lulu.com here: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-jabberwocky/7290052

THE LAST REEF
By Gareth L Powell, Elastic Press £5.99
Reviewed by Nicholas Thorburn

Neatly collected for the first time, Gareth L Powell’s short stories quickly invoke a different kind of science fiction, one that is far removed from the likes of Arthur C. Clarke or other “hard sci-fi” contemporaries.

Replacing the cold vacuum of space with dusty vistas, seedy bars, and realities closely resembling our own, Powell instead rallies around his skill at succinctly developing detailed and believable characters.

In this respect the anthology is equally a treatise on both characterization and its exploration of the bizarre. Certainly, The Last Reef is a triumph of identifiable, realistic protagonists. There is of course the typical tech-noir genre fare: weather-beaten archaeologists, cyber-upgraded hackers, homicidal ex-cops et al but each remains accessible and believable.

Structurally centred around several sign-posted stories (concerning the titular Last Reef) involving the odd reoccurring character, Powell’s stories run the gamut from far-flung space adventures (Six Lights off Green Scar) to near-future takes on internet viral-culture (Ack Ack Macaque). The writing is imbued with a faint longing melancholy yet varied in narrative style and arrangement, supporting each new world as it comes whilst keeping things fresh, tangible and fascinating.

Reasonably priced at just over a fiver, I can’t recommend it enough.

This review appears in the latest issue of the British Fantasy Society magazine Prism. Thanks to Andrew Hook for drawing my attention to it.

Click below to hear my short story The Last Reef as it appeared in Transmissions from Beyond, the podcast from TTA Press.

Elastic Press are currently running a limited time offer: order a paperback copy of my short story collection The Last Reef & Other Stories and you’ll also receive paperbacks of Another Santana Morning by Mike Dolan and Extended Play edited by Gary Couzens (UK orders only).

Contact Elastic Press for further details: www.elasticpress.com

According to Andrew Hook, Elastic Press have only around thirty paperback copies of my short story collection left in stock. If you want to get hold of one, you’d better act now. Once these last few copies are gone, that’s it. Elastic Press are closing down, so there won’t be a reprint.

You can order direct from Elastic Press or via Amazon.

Morpheus Tales is a printed magazine of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Its fourth issue will be published on 1st April and will contain, in addition to some short stories and articles, an interview with me.

The topics I discuss in the interview include:

• Breaking into the short story market
• Finding inspiration
• Turning ideas into stories
• Finding time to write

The interview came about after the magazine reviewed my short story collection back in November last year, calling it: “… one of the finest collections of SF short stories I have had the privilege of reading.”

Copies of Morpheus Tales IV can be ordered online via the magazine’s website: www.morpheustales.com

You can now download my short story collection, The Last Reef, as an audio book. To find out more, click on the link or the picture:

http://tinyurl.com/cfm38w

“Powell and Elastic Press have managed to pull together one of the finest collections of SF short stories I have had the privilege of reading.” - Morpheus Tales