Adam Whitehead from The Wertzone sends along the following interesting note.
Corvus have released their new catalogue. AN INCH OF ASHES has a release date of 4 July whilst THE BROKEN WHEEL is dated for 7 November. Looks like they may be downsizing to three books a year rather that four.
See for yourself on the recently released Atlantic Books catalog.
Not too much in terms of news lately in the world of Chung Kuo, until today, that is! Book 5: The Art of War is out today! If you haven’t already, buy it now at amazon.co.uk! Also, I hear that Barnes and Noble in the US will have limited runs of the UK editions in their brick-and-mortar stores. So, fellow Yankees, head out to your local B&N and check it out.
Also going on today is this: the cover art for Book 6: An Inch of Ashes, featuring… Fei Yen. Click for full size.
I know what you’re thinking… wasn’t Fei Yen on the cover for The Middle Kingdom? That’s what I thought too. Evidently, that’s Lin Yua, Li Yuan and Li Han Ch’in’s mother who died in childbirth (that’s not really a spoiler if you’ve read the first five pages of TMK). That makes the official cover line-up:
This could clear up any remaining confusion about that, at least until #8 comes along…
Last bit of news is that today is also publication day in France for Lever du jour sur la montagne de fer. That’s French for “Book 2,” I think. 😉
More news at it comes in.
The Wertzone’s review of Ice and Fire has been recently published, detailing everything we should come to expect by now:
…well-written, fast-paced and page-turning read […] another solid instalment in what is turning out to be an impressive SF epic.
Go read the full review, and while you’re there, check out Adam’s other posts, which are definitely worth reading to any sci-fi/fantasy fan.
Sources indicate the publication date for Book 5: The Art of War has been solidified for February 1, 2013. Or 1 Februrary 2013 for you European types. So mark it on your calendars and take the day off work. You’ve got some reading to do! (Ice and Fire, Book 4, will be available Dec. 1, of course).
From Time Magazine:
On Nov. 15 in the heart of Beijing, just a short walk from the Forbidden City, a line of seven men—all with neatly coiffed, dyed black hair—emerged from behind a giant screen adorned with red-crowned cranes. Thus at shortly before noon was the world introduced to a powerful clique, headed by Xi Jinping, that will rule China. The new Politburo Standing Committee, as the clutch of seven is called, was unveiled at the Communist-era Great Hall of the People, nearly an hour later than was initially expected. First to stride the crimson-carpeted stage was Xi, the new General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and longtime presumed heir of outgoing leader Hu Jintao. But even if Xi walked out first, he is only the first among equals in a country that has traded the personality cult of the Chairman Mao days for a collective-leadership style. In China, there is not just one wizard, but seven.
David’s October 24th predictions were correct. He sends word that in a week or so, he’ll be starting a new short story, entitled “A Day Like This,” set in 2043, and involving… the seven members of the CCP politburo.
Scary how life imitates art sometimes.
Here’s an interview from the French television program Etonnants Voyageurs, in which David was part of an interview panel in 2009. David’s the first one interviewed, and if you don’t speak French, don’t fret. David speaks in English during his segments. You also get to catch a glimpse of the very different cover of Zhongguo: la montagne blanche, the French version of the original series The White Mountain. The worthwhile parts in the video are at 1:00 and 32:00.
Pierre BORDAGE, David WINGROVE, Serge BRAMLY : Inclassables? from Étonnants Voyageurs on Vimeo.
Adam Whitehead over at the Wertzone has just published his review of The Middle Kingdom, giving it 4 1/2 starts. Go check it out! And since I’m assuming most of you have already finished Book 4, what are your own thoughts? I’m particularly interested in the thoughts of anyone who just started the series from Son of Heaven, if any of you are out there. Either way, leave some comments!
The cover art for Book 5: The Art of War has been floating out there for some time, but here it is with front and back covers, as well as the spine, in hi-res. Yes, it’s DeVore on the front.
Warning: Spoilers on the back cover!
Click for full size.
The Middle Kingdom (Kindle edition) is currently on sale on both Amazon.com ($9.79, originally $14.57). That’s about 30% off, so get it while the gettin’s good. No discount on Amazon.co.uk, from what I’m seeing. Apple’s iBooks store is currently listing it at $13.99 in the U.S., if you’re anti-Kindle.
Thanks to Gary for the tip. More as it comes in.
Clarification: For you ink-and-paper types, The Middle Kingdom will be released on October 18th, currently at $19.26/£10.49.
Goonda has sent along word of another review of The Middle Kingdom, this one by sffworld.com. From their review:
…it should be obvious that this is a complex and lengthy scenario where the reader is expected to be in for the long game and therefore and not everything is resolved here in The Middle Kingdom. What keeps the reader’s interest is the juxtaposition between all these disparate and often conflicting elements […] In the hands of a lesser writer, the different perspectives… would degenerate into stereotypes […] I’m pleased to type that it is as good as I remembered it […] somebody, somewhere will label it as ‘SF’s equivalent of A Game of Thrones’, though Chung Kuo was first published seven years before […] supremely effective. It’s engaging, it’s exciting and it’s great to be back in the Chung Kuo world. I envy anyone yet to read this for the first time.
Agreed, sffworld.com. Agreed.
In other news, David reports that he has just finished a draft of The Finding, which ended up larger than expected and will be a novella rather than the planned short story. Next up for David will be Filial Piety and The Dragon in the Earth, the latter of which is planned to be a 70,000 short novel. You can read these over in the Expanded Universe article. Lastly, David has signed all of the special editions of Ice and Fire, and the trade paperback of the same books looks great. He’s also planning on sending over a blog post on the nine new Politburo members, which hopefully we’ll see soon.
That’s all for now.
