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Blog Archive
Wednesday, May 1 2013, 10:29 AM Monday, April 8 2013, 04:07 PM Friday, April 5 2013, 05:15 PM Friday, February 22 2013, 09:41 AM Sunday, February 17 2013, 04:41 PM Friday, February 15 2013, 09:17 PM Friday, February 8 2013, 11:06 AM Thursday, February 7 2013, 12:22 AM Sunday, January 27 2013, 06:38 PM Wednesday, January 23 2013, 09:44 PM
Blog Archive
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."
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
Close
Nuclear Deterrence in a Blood Magic World
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
Show all 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
Show all blog entries
Friday, February 22 2013, 09:41 AM
Man, I am going crazy with the guest blogging this week. The irony is not lost on me, by the way, that I'm seemingly unable to keep my own blog up to date. Somehow if somebody invites me to write for a different site, suddenly I'm all over that. But when I remind myself to update my own blog I often tell myself to go jump in a lake. Whatever.
Anyway, today's guest post is over at the Orbit Books blog. It's a follow-up rumination on some of the topics that arose—too briefly—during my recent conversation with Charlie Stross about the Laundry novels.
Speaking of Stross, I had a particularly disturbing dream last night, partially inspired by reading a Laundry novel right before going to sleep last night.
I dreamed of a creepy feral child playing an accursed violin by strumming the bow across iron shackles containing the bloody severed hands of her parents.
(This image brought to you courtesy of Mo's violin.)
Close PermalinkComments (6)
Perchance to dream -
Mike, Friday, February 22 2013, 10:54 AM
Which was the terrifying bit?
A creepy feral child playing an accursed violin by strumming the bow across iron shackles containing the bloody severed hands of her parents (got to love the detail there), or the creepy feral child's playing *of* the violin.
Personally, there is little else on Earth more horrible than a child practicing the violin. Although the recorder comes a close second. Mime is right up there too.
Which was the terrifying bit?
A creepy feral child playing an accursed violin by strumming the bow across iron shackles containing the bloody severed hands of her parents (got to love the detail there), or the creepy feral child's playing *of* the violin.
Personally, there is little else on Earth more horrible than a child practicing the violin. Although the recorder comes a close second. Mime is right up there too.
untitled -
Alex, Saturday, February 23 2013, 11:26 AM
I now fully expect a short story about an evil child violinist. Get to it, mister. It's not like you have anything else to do with your time.
I now fully expect a short story about an evil child violinist. Get to it, mister. It's not like you have anything else to do with your time.
Re: Perchance to dream; untitled; Feral -
Ian, Monday, February 25 2013, 02:40 PM
The dream was actually even weirder than that. It was a semi-lucid dream where I was in the dream, but also aware, in a meta sense, of the way in which the dreamstory was unfolding and how it was orchestrated.
So the part of me that was IN the dream kept hearing the same violin chord played over and over again, like a little blip of a horror-movie sound track on an endless loop. But IN the dream it wasn't soundtrack but a realtime environmental sound coming from the violin.
But meanwhile, another part of me recognized how the scene was constructed like something from a horror movie. So after the third or fourth time the same "surprise!" chord played on the "soundtrack", the semi-lucid part of me said -- and this is a quote directly from the dream -- "Oh, just do the reveal, for God's sake."
At which point the non-meta-observer Ian peeked under the bed and discovered the feral child with violin, shackles, and severed hands.
BECAUSE THAT'S HOW MY SUBCONSCIOUS ROLLS.
My girlfriend gave me a very weird and concerned look when I told her about this dream. Who's a silver-tongued charmer? I AM.
The dream was actually even weirder than that. It was a semi-lucid dream where I was in the dream, but also aware, in a meta sense, of the way in which the dreamstory was unfolding and how it was orchestrated.
So the part of me that was IN the dream kept hearing the same violin chord played over and over again, like a little blip of a horror-movie sound track on an endless loop. But IN the dream it wasn't soundtrack but a realtime environmental sound coming from the violin.
But meanwhile, another part of me recognized how the scene was constructed like something from a horror movie. So after the third or fourth time the same "surprise!" chord played on the "soundtrack", the semi-lucid part of me said -- and this is a quote directly from the dream -- "Oh, just do the reveal, for God's sake."
At which point the non-meta-observer Ian peeked under the bed and discovered the feral child with violin, shackles, and severed hands.
BECAUSE THAT'S HOW MY SUBCONSCIOUS ROLLS.
My girlfriend gave me a very weird and concerned look when I told her about this dream. Who's a silver-tongued charmer? I AM.
untitled -
Joe, Friday, March 15 2013, 03:16 AM
Just thought you might like to know. I ordered a copy of the new book this week, from my favourite SF bookshop. The paperback, though. I have the first two in hardcover, but the first one is the first edition of the HC. I'm going to have a series where none of the volumes match each other! If you write a fourth Milkweed book, you're going to have to do something different again, coverwise or formatwise.
Just thought you might like to know. I ordered a copy of the new book this week, from my favourite SF bookshop. The paperback, though. I have the first two in hardcover, but the first one is the first edition of the HC. I'm going to have a series where none of the volumes match each other! If you write a fourth Milkweed book, you're going to have to do something different again, coverwise or formatwise.
Re: untitled -
Ian, Saturday, April 6 2013, 10:33 AM
Hi, Joe. Please accept my apology for the weeks your comment spent in moderation purgatory. There's a glitch in the notification system, so if I don't remember to manually look for new comments now and then (and I never do), things tend to get stuck in limbo.
Anyway-- thank you for preordering the forthcoming Milkweed book. I am grateful!
It is sort of strange that the U.S. editions of the Milkweed series will end up being a motley collection. I'm not sure if this was finalized, but it's possible that the U.S. paperback of The Coldest War will be trade paper rather than mass market, meaning it will be a different size from the Bitter Seeds pb. We do this just to be contrary.
Hi, Joe. Please accept my apology for the weeks your comment spent in moderation purgatory. There's a glitch in the notification system, so if I don't remember to manually look for new comments now and then (and I never do), things tend to get stuck in limbo.
Anyway-- thank you for preordering the forthcoming Milkweed book. I am grateful!
It is sort of strange that the U.S. editions of the Milkweed series will end up being a motley collection. I'm not sure if this was finalized, but it's possible that the U.S. paperback of The Coldest War will be trade paper rather than mass market, meaning it will be a different size from the Bitter Seeds pb. We do this just to be contrary.
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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.