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Praise for the
Milkweed Triptych
"A major talent... I can't wait to see more."
—George R. R. Martin
"Mad English warlocks battling twisted Nazi psychics? Yes please, thank you. Tregillis's debut has a white-knuckle plot, beautiful descriptions, and complex characters-- an unstoppable Vickers of a novel."
—Cory Doctorow on Bitter Seeds
"Ian Tregillis triumphantly concludes his astonishing, brilliant, pulse-pounding debut trilogy, The Milkweed Triptych."
—Cory Doctorow on Necessary Evil
"Tregillis' conclusion of the Milkweed Triptych is the pièce de résistance of the series. Necessary Evil is a perfect marriage of science fiction, fantasy and alternate history."
—RT Book Reviews (4.5 stars, Top Pick) on Necessary Evil
"Darkly fascinating…A thoroughly fascinating conclusion to an imaginative tour de force."
—Kirkus on Necessary Evil
"A cross between the devious, character-driven spy fiction of early John le Carré and the mad science fantasy of the X-Men... Despite the jaw-dropping backdrop and oblique plotting, the narrative is driven by character and personal circumstance...
Grim indeed, yet eloquent and utterly compelling."
—Kirkus on The Coldest War
"The characters come alive via [Tregillis's] imaginative dialogue and his storyline will keep readers spellbound and on the edge of their seats with an intense sci-fi/alternate history thriller plot."
—RT Book Reviews (4.5 stars, Top Pick) on The Coldest War
"Well-drawn characters and a feel for time and place make this an excellent journey into an alternate Britain."
—Library Journal on Bitter Seeds
"Engrossing... Tregillis ably mixes cold war paranoia with his mythology."
—Publishers Weekly on The Coldest War
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New Milkweed Story on Tor.com!
Recent Blog Entries:

The End: NECESSARY EVIL Is Out! - 5/1/2013, 10:29 AM Because I Haven't Posted About tDCS In A While - 4/8/2013, 04:07 PM Announcing the NECESSARY EVIL Signing Tour - 4/5/2013, 05:15 PM Nuclear Deterrence in a Blood Magic World - 2/22/2013, 09:41 AM Guest Post #2 at Charlie Stross's Blog - 2/17/2013, 04:41 PM Guest Post at Charlie Stross's Blog - 2/15/2013, 09:17 PM A Conversation with Charlie Stross - 2/8/2013, 11:06 AM NOW OUT in the UK: THE COLDEST WAR - 2/7/2013, 12:22 AM Clarion Is Accepting Applications for the Class of 2013 - 1/27/2013, 06:38 PM Holy Smokes! Cover Art for Something More Than Night - 1/23/2013, 09:44 PM

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Tuesday, June 8 2010, 09:26 AM

Now up on Tor.com:  a standalone story set in the Milkweed universe of Bitter Seeds!

"What Doctor Gottlieb Saw" takes place roughly 18 months before the events in Chapter 1 of Bitter Seeds.  (So it takes place maybe 17 years after the prologue, which you can read for free here.)  I wrote it entirely as a standalone, so it doesn't require any foreknowledge of Bitter Seeds.

For people who have read the book, the story might shed a little more light on the relationship between a certain flying man, and a certain perfectly innocent girl who likes to pick flowers and who just happens, maybe, to see the future. 

(More thoughts on the story, below the cut.)

The central incident that drives this story forward has been in my mind for a long time, as a central piece of Reichsbehörde mythology.  It's referred to, very quickly and in passing, near the end of Bitter Seeds.

There are so many stories I'd like to write in the Milkweed universe-- so many bits and pieces of the world that I'd love to explore in short form.  What happened that night at the Bodleian?  Who discovered Enochian? 

The story I'm really dying to write is a companion piece to "Dr. Gottlieb", which takes place between Bitter Seeds and The Coldest War.   But I'll refrain from saying more about that, as a courtesy to folks who haven't read the book. 

(If you are interested in more backstory from the Milkweed universe, remember that our Chronicle of Sorrows contest is still in effect!  Check the blog archives for several postings about this.)

Anyway, you can read "What Doctor Gottlieb Saw" here.  There is also an audio recording of the story, read by the author, which should be up at Tor.com in coming days.

Update:  I'm told by a reliable source that Tor.com accidentally published the story a few days early.  So folks are scrambling to get an author-bio-squib up, along with some information about the relationship between "Doctor Gottlieb" and Bitter Seeds.  But really, for real, it is part of the same universe. And they do intend to advertise this fact... I hope.

Update 2:  The audio version of Doctor Gottlieb is now available, as a link on the left of the main story.

 

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Comments (1)
Very Cool - Melinda, Thursday, June 10 2010, 01:18 PM
It is a terrific story and very creepy. But then it's Gretel so what did I expect. Glad to see it up, and folks seem to really like your reading.

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Interviews
Interview with SFX Magazine
Unwalkers interview [English | French ]
Interview with Speculate! Podcast Interview with Adventures in SciFi Publishing
Ian Tregillis on the Sword and Laser Podcast
Ian Tregillis on John Scalzi's The Big Idea
Interview with Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
Interview with SFRevu
Interview with Mad Hatter Book Review
Interview with Apex Books

Interview at Literary Musings Interview with Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
An interview with the authors of Busted Flush at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
Interview with Travis Heermann at The Write Line
9-way interview with the contributors to the Wild Cards novel Inside Straight at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
Interview in the February, 2008 newsletter of the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
An extended interview with Ian Tregillis by Ty Franck, on www.wildcardsbooks.com.