Thursday, September 03, 2009
Tennis Playing Cyber Monkeys!
Bugger, despite my promise I've failed to write in here as often as I should. I have failed, for example, to mention the Guardian article in which I'm included as one of the 'New British Space Opera' crowd with a great line in tennis playing cyber monkeys (I forget the exact wording). So what's impelled me to write in here now? For the first time with any of my books I'm in an Amazon number one spot -- new releases/science fiction. Every damned time before I've been in second place to Banks, Pratchet (who shouldn't be in SF) or some Dr Who tie-in. This time Orbus has done it for me, so celebration time!
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Hmmm . . . tennis playing cyber monkeys eh? Fancy including some of them in your next work? It'd be a challenge I'm sure.
I'm just about to finish 'Sable Keech' again after a third reading and 'Orbus' will dovetail in just nicely.
Welcome back!
Congrats on the number 1 spot and even more so as the book isn't due for release until tomorrow, 4th Sept isn't it?
I was fortunate enough to get a limited edition proof copy via The British Fantasy Society in exchange for being their resident 'Asher Reviewer' The review of it was sent in but don't think they've posted it on their website yet.
BTW, how have you managed to get Brown's permission to use his chapter introductions:
How it is by Gordon and did you have to pay him?
Any chance to read the Guardian article online somewhere?
Ah, I guess I already found it:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jul/13/british-science-fiction-writers
Hi Neal, gosh its funny being able to send messages to a brilliant living SF writer.This is a Brave New World to someone born in the fifties.Came across your work recently in Waterstones and have now read Skinner, Prador Moon and halfway through Brass Man. Really like your take on AI as benevolent if a bit weird and the Prador are like the horrible aliens of old but quite believable within their own culture. Don't know how you manage to blog and do everything else!
And a well deserved number one spot it is too!
Congrats!
Just finished Orbus and it rightly deserves to be at No. 1. Congratulations, I raised a glass or 2 in your honour last night as I read it.
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it, your best yet.
WTF do I read now?
Wow, cngrats, Neal. All this just spurs me on to read the other Spatterjay books quicker. I'm a new reader, see.
Neal,
Since you are now a no.1 author, can I assume the drinks are on you, next time we meet.
Though saying that, you are always more than happy to pay your way.
Neil
PS - I still haven't forgiven you for moving pub on the last booksigning.
Quick look and it looks like you have 5 in the top 25. 9 in the top 58. You own that particular pop chart.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/books/279293/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_b_1_4_last
err, you are #5 in Sci-fi now, barely beating "A dance with Dragons"...an unreleased book i might add :)
but as all sappy fans say...you're always our #1. Skinner & The Voyage of Sable Keech are the first two book of yours that i've read...and i intend to read everything else now!
Hmmm . . . spider thralls and chimpanzees? Yeah, I can see that working.
The number one spot is well deserved - I read Orbus last week on holiday and I think it's your best one yet, displacing "Cowl" from my list of favourites. Congratulations!
Congrats Neil, I look forward to reading it myself..
well i got through Orbus in about 6 1/2 hours last sunday, neal and i loved it. perhaps not as much as some of the more in-polity books, but the view into the prador and the jain was very very cool - congrats! :-)
When will ORBUS be available as an eBook?
Hi Neal. My wife asked me what I wanted for my birthday next week and I said, "Orbus please, darling". She told me I already had too many books. Sigh. I have decided to ignore her cynicism and go ahead and buy it anyway. Daring, eh? (Will have to hide book).
Pills4menerves
Well deserved! Only 2/3rds the way through Orbus but i've been bringing it into work and finding it hard to not disappear off to the library and read it instead of doing what I should be!
Well done Neal! Just got my copy of Orbus & am looking forward to reading it asap.
Well done with the number one,
I am a fan of Sci-fi, Banks, Hamilton, Reynolds ETC.
I have only disovered your books three weeks ago.
I don't really do Sci-fi websites and such, I just like to find stuff by accident.
I have now read your spatterjay books and I'm reading the comac books now.
Bloody amazing, you have gone to the front of the queue just on the spatterjay books alone.
Love sniper and his drones and the whole ecology and inhabitants of Spatterjay.
Just finished reading Orbus and loved it, Please return to Spatterjay at some point.
I thought no one could top the sheer scale and complexity of Banks (Culture)well I was very, very wrong. The polity is an awesome concept.
Keep doing what your doing and I will hopefully see you at some book signing.
Keith (Next door in Hackney)
Inchy, I'm sure someone's already done them, mine will be playing GTA with head implants.
Bob, I always have to pay Gordon, and far too fucking much.
Martin, you got it.
Taggart, thanks for that. I guess today's tech is the reason I can produce so much, none of that real cutting & pasting and other tools to handle big books without getting RSI.
Mark, Owen & Bascule, thanks!
Michael, not just the Spatterjay ones I hope...
Sorry Skar.
Bascule, all sorts of places in all sorts of Amazon charts. But I just stick with the fact that this time is the first time one of mine has hit no.1 in that chart, and Amazon has been getting bigger.
Q, see above...
Don't give me ideas Inchy.
Better than Cowl, Ian? Um, tell it to the PKD Award guys.
Thanks Jebel U-cap Krong.
Anthony, I don't know about the e-books, but Macmillan certainly are going there. Best to check with them.
pills4menerves secret addiction.
Peter & Alex, thanks.
Thanks Barley (Keith). No Spatterjay planned but that doesn't mean I won't return there. I'll keep writing them as long as someone keeps publishing them,
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