Romantic SF & Fantasy Novels

It looks like director Peter Jackson will be making Naomi Novik’s TEMERAIRE into a movie or three. Awesome. Here’s an excerpt from The Guardian web site:

“Téméraire is a terrific meld of two genres that I particularly love – fantasy and historical epic,” Jackson told The Hollywood Reporter. “I can’t wait to see Napoleonic battles fought with a squadron of dragons. That’s what I go to the movies for.” Jackson is also planning to turn Téméraire into a computer game franchise. “As I was reading these books,” adds the New Zealander director, “I could see them coming to life in my mind’s eye. These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart.”

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• See our thoughts on TEMERAIRE (published as HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON in the US
• Purchase TEMERAIRE at Amazon.com

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While I wasn’t paying attention, many worthy books were either nominated or won some nice awards. Here’re highlights from most of the awards to which we generally pay attention. Visit their sites to see full lists of nominees and winners.

2006 Compton Crook Award (from the Baltimore Science Fiction Society)

• POISON STUDY • Maria V. Snyder •

2006 Rita Award (from the Romance Writers of America)

Best Paranormal Romance
• GABRIEL’S GHOST • Linnea Sinclair • Bantam Books

2006 Prism Award (from RWA’s Futuristic, Fantasy, and Paranormal Chapter)

Fantasy
• 1st • DAUGHTER OF ANCIENTS • Carol Berg • Roc Books
• 2nd • THE COMPASS ROSE • Gail Dayton • Luna Books

Novella
• 1st • “The City of Cries” in DOWN THESE DARK SPACEWAYS • Catherine Asaro • Science Fiction Book Club
• 2nd • “The Shadowed Heart” in THE JOURNEY HOME • Catherine Asaro • ImaJinn Books

Best of the Best
• “The City of Cries” in DOWN THESE DARK SPACEWAYS • Catherine Asaro • Science Fiction Book Club

2006 Mythopoeic Award Winners (from Mythopoeic Society)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature
• ANANSI BOYS • Neil Gaiman

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature
• “The Bartimaeus Trilogy” (THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND, THE GOLEM’S EYE, and PTOLEMY’S GATE) • Jonathan Stroud

Upon review, I’ve only read one thing above. Would any of you care to vouch for the stories on these lists?

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Emma Bull posted on her LiveJournal recently that she’d just submitted the manuscript of her new book TERRITORY to her publisher, Tor. Googling around found me an old excerpt of the (then) first two chapters, and the information that it’s “historical fantasy set in southeast Arizona in 1881.”

No other details yet, or any estimated release date, but given the fact that she’s written so many of my favourite books, I’m thrilled!–Danielle

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Cool news. This book has been on the forthcoming books page’s “not yet scheduled” section for many years now.–Preeti   

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• FREEDOM & NECESSITY review page
• WAR FOR THE OAKS review page

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The August 2006 Locus looks to have the usual complement of interesting features and reviews, including appreciations of the recently-deceased publisher Jim Baen, but my immediate destination is always the People & Publishing section. Some news from said section:

• Tanya Huff’s VALOR’S TRIAL, fourth in her Confederation military series, went to Sheila Gilbert at DAW via Joshua Blimes
• Cherie Priest sold urban fantasy FATHOM and “trashy noir vampire novel” AWAKE INTO DARKNESS to Liz Gorinsky at Tor via Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Agency
• Lily Archer’s THE POISON APPLES, about three teenaged girls battling “the Evilest Stepmother in the Cosmos,” went to Jean Feiwel at Feiwel & Friends via Melissa Flashman of Trident Media Group
• Sarah Beth Durst’s YA fantasy RAPUNZEL’S DAUGHTER went to Liesa Abrams at Razorbill via Andrew Somberg*
• Justine Musk’s supernatural teen novel STRANGER went to Jennifer Heddle for MTV Books via Andrea Somberg*
• Lyda Morehouse writing as “Tate Hallaway,” delivered DEAD SEXY, sequel to TALL DARK AND DEAD, to Anne Sowards for Berkley
• A film version of Philip Pullman‘s THE GOLDEN COMPASS has been greenlighted by New Line Cinema, with a budget of around $150 million. The film will begin shooting in the UK in September 2006

*Is that a husband and wife literary agent team or a typo in the mag?

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