Here we have a stonking good piece of artwork from Jon Sullivan. The man certainly reads the books because there is no doubt that this is Vrell:
Tag: Books
Who Reads My Books? Matthew Reece Ford
A while ago I chatted to a guy called Matthew Reece Ford via either Face Book, this blog, or somewhere else. He is fan of my books and noting I live near Chelmsford wondered if I’d be on for a beer the next time he came down to visit his brother. I pointed out that though Chelmsford is in my postal address I don’t actually live there, but in a village some 13 miles away. Turns out that village is precisely where his brother lives. I couldn’t see him last year, when this conversation took place, but since he was down here this Christmas I said why not, and met him in the local for a pint. “So what do you do?” I asked. “I’m a scientist,” he replied.
It’s this meeting, and others like it (many in the virtual world) that’s led me to a little idea for a few posts here. I’m fascinated to know who reads my books, and in this case quite tickled when it turns out that whilst I dream about the future there are those who read my books who are actually making it.
I have been an avid reader for over 3 decades. Favourite newer authors: David Gunn, Tony Ballantyne, Neal Asher, Alastair Reynolds, Peter F Hamilton, Greg Egan, Robert Reed, Richard Morgan, Charles Stross, Robert A Metzger, Chris Moriarty. Favourite classic authors: Clarke, Asimov, Brin, Baxter, Stapleton, Silverburg, Wyndham
BSc Biochemistry (with sandwich year, worked at Celltech in Slough for a full year) at Canterbury 1990-1994. PhD Biochemistry at Canterbury and Leicester (1994-1998).
Employed 1999 to present at Cobra BioManufacturing, as a senior scientist.
Employed 1999 to present at Cobra BioManufacturing, as a senior scientist.
At Cobra I have worked on viruses (adenovirus, lentivirus, reovirius), proteins (for treatment of a variety of disorders, such as anti-transplant rejection proteins and monoclonal antibodies) and plasmid DNA (for vaccines) at large scale. All inside our clean rooms for phase I and II clinical trials.
Now, to continue this, I’d like to hear from other readers. I’d like you to tell me about yourselves for posts like this one. Don’t be intimidated by the qualifications of the guy above, and remember that until 2001 I was still cutting grass and hedges and strimming dogshit!
And here’s Matt’s book collection:
D & E are for Dickson & Eddings
SAMUEL DELANY | BABEL-17 |
GORDON R DICKSON | TIME STORM ANCIENT MY ENEMY MASTERS OF EVERON |
PHILIP K DICK | SOLAR LOTTERY |
THOMAS M DISCH | UNDER COMPULSION |
STEPHEN DONALDSON | LORD FOUL’S BANE THE ILLEARTH WAR THE POWER THAT PRESERVES GILDEN-FIRE THE WOUNDED LAND THE ONE TREE THE WHITE GOLD WIELDER |
DAVE DUNCAN | A ROSE RED CITY SHADOW THE RELUCTANT SWORDSMAN THE COMING OF WISDOM THE DESTINY OF THE SWORD |
DAVID EDDINGS | PAWN OF PROPHECY QUEEN OF SORCERY MAGICIAN’S GAMBIT CASTLE OF WIZARDRY ENCHANTER’S ENDGAME |
Video Clip Questions
Book Shelves
Here are some more book shelves. The first shelf comes from James Devine after a tidy up for which his wife is grateful. The second is from Andreas Stahlbock, who tells me, “It’s now about ten and a half years since I bought that yellow paperback on the left by one more or less unknown author “Neal L. Asher”. I’m glad I did.” I’m glad he did too. Incidentally, there are books here I know some would kill for: The Parasite, Mindgames: Fool’s Mate…
Book Sale
Here’s a list of the books I have for sale, so it’s the price you see below plus postage and packing. To the USA that’s usually the price of the books again. In Britain postage and packing for a first class packet for one large hardback is about £3.50. I can be contacted at ndotasheratvirgindotnet. And, of course, I’ll sign these and inscribe anything you want in them!
13 Gridlinked MMP 1st American £5.00
5 Gridlinked HB 1st American £17.00
6 Gridlinked HB 1st Book/Club £15.00
3 The Skinner TPB 2nd English
1 The Skinner HB 1st American £17.00
2 The Skinner HB 1st Book/Club £15.00
2 The Line of Polity MMP 1st English £7.99
18 Cowl MMP 1st English £7.99
9 Cowl MMP 1st American £5.00
12 Cowl TPB 1st American £9.50
9 Sable Keech MMP 1st English £7.99
5 Brass Man MMP 1st English £6.99
1 Brass Man TPB 1st English £12.99
17 Brass Man HB 1st Book/Club £15.00
6 Brass Man TPB 1st Tor £9.50
9 Polity Agent MMP 1st English £7.99
3 Hilldiggers MMP 1st English £7.99
12 Hilldiggers MMP 2nd English £7.99
8 Hilldiggers HB 1st English £17.99
11 Line War MMP 1st English £7.99
5 Shadow of the Scorpion TPB 1st English £11.99
12 Prador Moon MMP 1st English £6.99
6 Prador Moon HB 1st English £14.99
24 Prador Moon TPB 1st Nightshade £9.50
ART COMPETITION 2010
Right, I have been procrastinating about this but Robert A. McGregor (whose picture here of a gabbleduck took one of the runners up prizes) has shoved me into motion by providing a forum to which the artwork can be posted, and where it can also be discussed. Quite appropriately, I think, he’s called it Subminds.
So what’s this competition about? I want to see pictures of scenes and characters from my books – characters including all the weird and wonderful life-forms, the drones, AIs, Golem, whatever takes your fancy.
What do you win? Jon Sullivan, who is the excellent artist presently producing my covers for Macmillan, has suggested signed prints of those same covers, and there’ll be signed copies of the latest book pubilshed by Macmillan too. Sorry to be vague about this, but we’ve yet to sort out precisely what will be on offer, and maybe we’ll be able to sort out some more goodies. Also, you get your art out there – you get to advertise your skill. Mr Sullivan will also be the judge of this competition, so take a look at his website to get some idea of who will be judging you.
The duration of the competition will be one year – the winner and runners-up selected by January 2011.
Get drawing and painting!
Orbus Stuff.
Thank you ‘Walker of Worlds’!
Definitely the best space opera released this year and a superb finale to the Spatterjay series. Neal brings all his usual flair and unique aliens to the mix in what can only be described as one of his finest novels to date.
Update:
Also The Gabble is in the top ten on Next Read…
I’ve decided this is my ideal form of a short story collection. Like A Touch of Dead (but in a completely differently league) This collects together stories set in the Polity universe. I found it a wonderful introduction to both Neal Asher and the Polity. I am now a firm fan of Gabbleducks and think that you should be too.
Books books books
Just done a massive sort-out of my own books up in the loft. All sorts of things coming to light: trade paperback Night Shade editions of Cowl; Book Club (USA) editions of Brass Man, Gridlinked, The Skinner; plenty of 1st edition mass-market paperbacks of all my latest books, a quantity of 1st editionn hardbacks (USA) of Gridlinked & The Skinner… I’ve also noticed odd things, like I never received my copies of the mass-market paperback of The Gabble from Macmillan.
Very shortly I’ll be putting a list of those books up here, so if anyone wants copies of them, signed, they can get in contact. It’ll be cover price plus postage.
Don Hasmat Suit and Jump in!
I’ve been sampling around the Internet from articles, essays and rants on the subject of the ‘death of SF’ and ‘relevant issues’. Some interesting points raised but, good grief. Apparently SF must do something, it must re-invent itself, update itself and, wait for it, it must become more socially relevant. Apparently it is conservative, racist and sexist, runs away from present science and pitches itself into the far future to escape that (?), it’s behind the curve, only highlights present ‘issues’ by visualising dystopian crashes resulting from them … on and on.
Bollocks. Science fiction is updating itself continuously. Neuromancer is a case in point (as de Vries pointed out), bringing things up to date and thereafter incorporated. Nanotech is in the fold, so is biotechnology, quantum mechanics, brane theory … in fact point at any present day science or technology and an avid SF reader will be able to point at a book in which it is included or extrapolated. Science fiction isn’t running away from present day science (hard) but leaping to a future where that science isn’t the territory of a few experts, some learned journals or struggling from the laboratory, but out in the real (or unreal) world.
There’s also the danger here of chucking out the baby with the bathwater. To be more relevant should SF, as some seem to think, discard its own history? Why should old ideas become less relevant? Arthur C Clarke wrote a paper once about satellite communications, but that’s so old, let’s get rid of it and start polishing up the new shiny thing. We should dump the lasers too, and someone needs to tell Boeing to stop shooting UAVs out of the sky with them. Spaceships, they gotta go, are you listening Branson?
But the rest, outside of real science in my terms but in the territory of ‘soft’ science in others is that ‘social relevance’. Nothing new then. Just another New Wave slopping on the beach to deposit its flotsam of liberal guilt, its need to shove away real science and get deep into humanities man. Having an interest in hard science, a preference for sensawunda and a stonking good story is conservative, apparently. Telling a story without sufficient sexual or racial diversity is sexist or racist, except, if your main character is a black woman and you’re a white male writer, you’ll get pilloried for that too. (Oh, and apparently SF awards need more positive discrimination. Call me old fashioned, but I always thought awards should be given on the basis of the product, not the colour or sex of the producer. To positively discriminate is hugely patronising and is sexist and racist in itself.)
Damn, every single point in all these debates (just like the death of SF itself) has been bludgeoned into insensibility over forty or fifty years. Do they serve any purpose, do they help to inject new life? Usually each essay, article or rant is just the vehicle of the prejudices of the writer concerned (like here) but, applying Sturgeon’s Law, something of interest or use can be found, you just need to put on your hasmat suit to go and find it.