This week’s news is full of FanLit favorites. I had fun scouring the net this week. It’s definitely award season, and it is great to see so many people getting the recognition they deserve. I hope you enjoy this week’s column, and feel free to comment with some of your recent favorites that might not have made the awards lists. Also, if you find something interesting you think everyone should read, drop me a line via the contact form and let me know, or just post it in the comments below. Let’s get started:

fantasy and science fiction book reviews1)John Picacio nominated for 2011 Hugo Award: A Fanlit and personal favorite artist, John Picacio gets his 7th consecutive nod for a Hugo. I think it’s well past time that he wins it. Good luck, John!

2) 2011 Hugo Award Nominations Announced: Here are the rest of the Hugo nominations. A couple of my favorites are listed. N.K. Jemsin for Novel and Pyr Books Editing Director, Lou Anders for long form editing. Pyr in general is making quite a splash in the award nominations.

3) Have a conversation with Guy Gavriel Kay: Guy is using new software from Pollstream to interact with fans. The event takes place on May 3rd from 2pm-3pm. This is definitely something to attend.

fantasy and science fiction book reviews

4) Self-Publishing: An Interview with Scott Nicholson: Jim C. Hines talks with Scott Nicholson about his experiences in self-publishing. Scott has managed to make it work. I have to admit that Scott makes some interesting points.

5) 10 Greatest Handguns in all of SFF: The only one I would add to the this list would be the Speaking Gun in Simon R. Green‘s The Nightside books.

6) Michael Chabon essay about The Phantom Tollbooth: Norton Juster’s classic was a major influence on me as a child. It taught me to look at words in a completely different way. The book is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and it is still the book I recommended most for young readers.

Author Chum

fantasy and science fiction book reviews

In this section I’ll post bits and pieces of news from various fantasy authors:

  • Neil Gaiman: A little about his episode of Doctor Who
  • Nate Simpson: An interview with the creator of a rather beautiful comic
  • Brent Weeks: An ebook-only release from Orion
  • Patrick Rothfuss: Pat extends the deadline for his photo contest
  • Lou Anders: Our favorite editor from Pyr blogs about Norwescon

Author

  • Justin Blazier

    JUSTIN BLAZIER (on FanLit's staff since September 2009) is a Cyber-Security Analyst/Network Engineer located in Northern Kentucky. Like many fantasy enthusiasts, Justin cut his teeth on authors like Tolkien, Anthony, and Lewis. Due to lack of space, his small public library would often give him their donated SFF books. When he is not reading books he is likely playing board games or Tabletop RPGs. Justin lives in a quiet neighborhood with his wife, their daughter, and Norman the dog.

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