Ladies and Gentlemen – you may now download, if you wish, pre-release advance copies of Siege of Stars, the first volume of The Sigil, for US$15. If you do that, I am assured that you’ll be entitled to download the final version for free. And, following the excellent example of Dr S. C. of Omaha, you can not only read the book, you can get the T-shirt.
While I’m here, I’d like to thank all of you out there in readerland for putting up with the variously long and sometimes painful gestations of this book, including, not exclusively and in no particular order, Karl, Jenny, RPG, Bob, Frank, Heather, David Doughan, Tony Kerstein, David Hartwell, Vonda McIntyre, Ian Watson, Peter Watts, Jack Cohen, Brian Clegg, Bruce Goatly – and most of all Andrew Burt for keeping the faith, and notwithstanding inasmuch as which Professor Trellis of North Wales. In the Town Hall if wet. Restrictions may apply. (Closed Wednesdays.)
Henry, what a *fabulous* cover! Absolutely beautiful. I am so happy for you and it’s such a great feeling to see this in proper print at last. Well done.
xxx
And thank YOU for the very thoughtful comments you made on that somewhat shy and immature draft all that time ago. I’m so glad you like the cover – which wasn’t by me – which has that classic old-skool SF look.
It’s a very strange feeling, isn’t it, seeing someone else’s interpretation of your writing? Not unpleasant either. Crox Minor and I wondered how weird/flattering/cool/amazing it would be if we went to a SF convention and we saw people dressed up as my non-human hominid characters. Sand Druids would look quite scary, we thought.
Yes, I love the cover.
Has the book changed much from the previous version? I’m obviously wondering if I should be a cheapskate and not buy the new version.
It has changed quite a lot. The scenes have been reordered and there has been a great deal of rewriting in order to bring out some themes and connections that weren’t apparent last time. Some of the material (particularly the oldest stuff) has been jettisoned, and there are two or three brand new scenes. But the whole thing has been polished. Quite extensively.
This is great news, Henry. Very pleased for you.
Henry, stupendous I’ll buy it.
You know that I found the book I was looking for: “Life Before Man” by Spinar & Burian Including with dust jacket (Thames and Hudson).
Thank you Alejandro. ‘Life Before Man’ is a truly magnificent book. Many of the reconstructions, of course, are very likely wrong, but the paintings are so beautiful and the creatures look so much more alive than in any other reconstructions I have ever seen.
I agree with you really the illustrations are magnificent. Is probably than Burian it was transported to the past in a time machine!
Even after all these years it’s probably my favourite palaeontology art book.
Congratulations, Henry!
Will there be a dead-tree version, too?
yes, there will.
Also excellent. We have only one e-book reader in this household, and I’m never going to get even the slightest sniff at it.
Mightn’t you get yourself a Kindle? They aren’t that expensive any more, and are certainly a lot cheaper than iPads.
Very cool, and congrats. And read in early form by *that* Vonda McIntyre… (assuming there aren’t any others, I guess) (!).
And I see from the ReAnimus website that volumes 2 and 3 are just-about available also! Excellent. Few things bug me more than reading volume 1 of something, only to have to wait several years for volume 2, etc.
yes to all! Vonda McIntyre was lovely and offered lots of help and encouragement. And yes, vols 2 and 3 will be published within a few weeks or even days of vol 1.