Thanks also to those of you who have offered to help out - small press doesn't happen without volunteers willing to give of their time, money and muscles and I would like to thank all those out there who helped pack up and unpack small press books last year and let us stash our boxes overnight in their hotel rooms, including guests of honour. Without you and your chatting and laughs at 8am and 6pm I think I really would have cried. And also a big thank you to all those who support small press and buy our books at cons - each book that we can sell directly to a reader means 40% more cashflow per sale to small press budgets. Which means funding for the next book. It was really awesome to read the survey results and see how many people specifically come looking to buy small press books at cons.
There will be biscuits - so come find us at Swancon!
And now a review!!! Rich Horton has been summing up 2008, and Angel Rising gets a mention in his post on Chapbooks: I also quite enjoyed Dirk Flinthart's "Angel Rising", neat spyish adventure in the New Ceres shared world.
On the anthology, Farr says:
Overall there is dark, despairing tone to the anthology: few if any writers are predicting a positive, promising future. Perhaps this represents the hangover of 11-plus years of John Howard, and 8 years of Dubya, and an anthology published in 2009 looking forward to 2013 may have a different focus.
Probably we'd include economic meltdown :-)
On the Press, he says:
There is a real joy in seeing a number of Australia’s most experienced writers contributing stories to the first anthology of a fledgling press. This can only bode well for the future success of Twelfth Planet Press. Should the publishers survive to 2012, I hope the world is a brighter place than this anthology suggests.
And another review of Angel Rising over at Not Free SF Reader, where the novella gains a 4.5 out of 5, Blue Tyson says:
The anachronistic setting is a feature in these stories, and given that, I call it a planetary romance of sorts.
...
Gordon is an adventurer, a bon vivant, but not a complete rogue, as on New Ceres he has an official role as a Proctor. Which, basically means working for the woman in charge of the place (The Lady Governor) as a troubleshooter, to sort out whatever problems might occur and protect the stability and sovereignity of the realm, if you like.
...
Flinthart is a writer who clearly has a respect and love for adventure stories.
...
I look forward to more from this bloke.
And of the Press, he says:
Well done to Twelfth Planet Press for giving some novellas a shot, too.
2012 is on of Simon Petrie's top 3 books read for 2008. He says, I'd rate this offering, by Australian indie Twelfth Planet Press, as one of the year's strongest local offerings ... If you're seeking to convince someone that home-grown SF can be world-class, this is as good a place as any to start.
And Felicity Dowker reviews Angel Rising by Dirk Flinthart, saying Really, anyone who enjoys good science fiction, fantasy, adventure and even the samurai, ninja and battle tales of old will get a kick out of Flinthart’s novella. You’ll want to hunt down Flinthart’s other works when you finish Angel Rising – and I doubt you’ll be disappointed by your findings. Read the rest of the review here.
Two awesome reviews from The Fix in one week! Here they review Dirk Flinthart's novella Angel Rising.New Ceres is a shared-world universe developed by Gillian Polack and Alisa Krasnostein, and later expanded by authors Cat Sparks, Dirk Flinthart, Jay Lake, and several others. It is a place where steampunk meets space opera and cyberpunk, a colony whose leaders are dedicated to preserve the social structure of 18th-century Earth.
-- snip --
Flinthart’s prose is rich in historical details of clothing, mores, and weaponry, bringing the samurais of ancient Japan alive. The story is a seamless blend of the steampunk setting of the mainlanders and the samurais of the island, who lean toward cyber technology. Flinthart also delivers superb fight scenes. Populated by three-dimensional characters, Angel Rising is an adventure that explores the concept of duty and the narrow line between right and wrong. I recommend this novella to anyone who likes speculative fiction.
Grab a copy from The Twelfth Planet Press website
| The rugged little ship scudded past the seawall into Shusaeki Harbour. In the bow, George Gordon stood spraddle-legged, the breeze toying with his curling hair, his face turned to the sun. His manservant Stilton waited nearby, guarding Gordon’s bulky trunks as impassively as a human Stonehenge. Behind the shelter of the seawall, the confused breeze brought scents of the waterfront to Gordon’s nose. His lip curled. ‘Fish,’ he growled. ‘Wet, stinking fish.’ He clambered down to the crowded deck, and rubbed the shiny black surface of his largest trunk with a linen kerchief before seating himself on it. ‘That’s all they eat here, you know Stilton. Bloody fish. And not a piece of cheese to be had on the whole devildamned archipelago.’ He hawked wetly, and spat into the water. ‘Exile. That’s the only word for it. Bloody exile. Damn the Lady Governor and her damnable secrets. The Sunrise Isles are Michio’s patch. I’ve got no business here, even if Michio has managed to get his knickers in a bunch over a blasted meteoroid.’ ‘The Lady Governor seemed most insistent, sir,’ said Stilton. ‘She appeared to believe your presence here is important.’ ‘Hell with her, Stilton,’ Gordon replied. ‘She’s angry with me because I spitted that wretched Oxenbould man. And then, when I showed her the proof he was literally selling political refugees offworld, she started that song and dance about my drinking. |
Available now in print for $10 and electronically for $3.95.
| The rugged little ship scudded past the seawall into Shusaeki Harbour. In the bow, George Gordon stood spraddle-legged, the breeze toying with his curling hair, his face turned to the sun. His manservant Stilton waited nearby, guarding Gordon’s bulky trunks as impassively as a human Stonehenge. Behind the shelter of the seawall, the confused breeze brought scents of the waterfront to Gordon’s nose. His lip curled. ‘Fish,’ he growled. ‘Wet, stinking fish.’ He clambered down to the crowded deck, and rubbed the shiny black surface of his largest trunk with a linen kerchief before seating himself on it. ‘That’s all they eat here, you know Stilton. Bloody fish. And not a piece of cheese to be had on the whole devildamned archipelago.’ He hawked wetly, and spat into the water. ‘Exile. That’s the only word for it. Bloody exile. Damn the Lady Governor and her damnable secrets. The Sunrise Isles are Michio’s patch. I’ve got no business here, even if Michio has managed to get his knickers in a bunch over a blasted meteoroid.’ ‘The Lady Governor seemed most insistent, sir,’ said Stilton. ‘She appeared to believe your presence here is important.’ ‘Hell with her, Stilton,’ Gordon replied. ‘She’s angry with me because I spitted that wretched Oxenbould man. And then, when I showed her the proof he was literally selling political refugees offworld, she started that song and dance about my drinking. |
Available now in print for $10 and electronically for $3.95.
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flinthart is a lovely article (here), or bit of one anyway, that reminds us of a certain suave male New Ceresian resident:Artificial electric eel cells could be implanted in the human body to generate power for medical implants and other small devices. That's according to new research by American scientists, which suggests it's possible to build artificial cells replicating the electrical behaviour of electric eel cells.
Don't miss the Twelfth Planet Press Book launch for Angel Rising by Dirk Flinthart at 11:30 am on Saturday. There will be cupcakes.
Then I am on two panels on Saturday Afternoon:
Small Press Explosion! at 13:30 and Women in Small Press at 15:30
And then on Sunday I shall be sipping coffee and nibbling on delicious pastries (or just muffins) at Editors Coffee Klatch at 13:30. I understand that you need to register for the Coffee Klatch during the con and the places are limited.
And the rest of the program looks pretty darn smashing, I think. So if you are dithering, commit and come down to Wastelands II this weekend!
George Gordon, mad, bad and dangerous to know, is back and hot on the trail of a Fallen Angel in the Sunset Isles of New Ceres. Teeming with samurai and ninjas, Flinthart plays up against the New Ceres backdrop for another rollicking adventure.
Rising Angel will be launched at 5.15pm on 18th of October 2008, at Wastelands II: Age of Iron.
We expect to publish one to two novellas a year in this ongoing series. More information will soon be available on the upcoming new Twelfth Planet Press website.
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