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Downloads

I've made my first novel, Ventus, available as a free download, as well as excerpts from two of the Virga books.  I am looking forward to putting up a number of short stories in the near future.

Complete novel:  Ventus

 

To celebrate the August, 2007 publication of Queen of Candesce, I decided to re-release my first novel as an eBook. You can download it from this page. Ventus was first published by Tor Books in 2000, and and you can still buy it; to everyone who would just like to sample my work, I hope you enjoy this version.

I've released this book under a Creative Commons license, which means you can read it and distribute it freely, but not make derivative works or sell it.

Book Excerpts:  Sun of Suns and Pirate Sun

I've made large tracts of these two Virga books available.  If you want to find out what the Virga universe is all about, you can check it out here:

Major Foresight Project:  Crisis in Zefra

In spring 2005, the Directorate of Land Strategic Concepts of National Defense Canada (that is to say, the army) hired me to write a dramatized future military scenario.  The book-length work, Crisis in Zefra, was set in a mythical African city-state, about 20 years in the future, and concerned a group of Canadian peacekeepers who are trying to ready the city for its first democratic vote while fighting an insurgency.  The project ran to 27,000 words and was published by the army as a bound paperback book.

If you'd like to read Crisis in Zefra, you can download it in PDF form.

Personal tools

award nominations

Apr 14, 2009

Sun of Suns nominated for a Seiun award!

Japan's top SF award gives me the nod

Here's the complete list under the Best Foreign Novel category.  As you can see, I'm in the best possible company this year; in fact, since these books are distilled from years of English-language SF rather than the Hugo's one-year pool, I'd venture to say that winning a Seiun is probably a lot harder than winning a Hugo.  Just look at this collection of titles!

  • Spin, Robert Charles Wilson
  • The Ghost Brigades, John Scalzi
  • Redemption Ark, Alastair Reynolds
  • Light, M. John Harrison
  • The Urth of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
  • Sun of Suns, Karl Schroeder
  • Seeker, Jack McDevitt

Note that the complete list of nominations doesn't seem to have been translated yet.  You can find ongoing updates on that here.

My thanks go out to Hayakawa Publishing for their excellent edition of Sun of Suns; and of course, a deep bow to Naoya Nakahara, whose translation is really what is being nominated here.

Mar 20, 2009

Metatropolis nominated for Hugo award

We're up against the Dark Knight, Iron Man, Hellboy II and Wall-E. But I remain optimistic.

Here's the complete nomination results--and congratulations to all my friends who were nominated in other categories!  The awards will be handed out at Anticipation in Montreal, which happens August 6-10, 2009.

 Nominated works

 Metatropolis

Best Novel
(639 Ballots / Bulletins)

Best Novella
(337 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • “The Erdmann Nexus” by Nancy Kress (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)
  • “The Political Prisoner” by Charles Coleman Finlay (F&SF Aug 2008) – Read Online
  • “The Tear” by Ian McDonald (Galactic Empires)
  • “True Names” by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2) — Free download
  • “Truth” by Robert Reed (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)

Best Novelette
(373 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • “Alastair Baffle’s Emporium of Wonders” by Mike Resnick (Asimov’s Jan 2008) — Read Online
  • “The Gambler” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2) — Read Online
  • “Pride and Prometheus” by John Kessel (F&SF Jan 2008)
  • “The Ray-Gun: A Love Story” by James Alan Gardner (Asimov’s Feb 2008) — Read Online
  • “Shoggoths in Bloom” by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s Mar 2008) — Read Online

Best Short Story
(448 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • “26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss” by Kij Johnson (Asimov’s Jul 2008) — Read Online
  • “Article of Faith” by Mike Resnick (Baen’s Universe Oct 2008)
  • “Evil Robot Monkey” by Mary Robinette Kowal (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Volume Two)
  • “Exhalation” by Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
  • “From Babel’s Fall’n Glory We Fled” by Michael Swanwick (Asimov’s Feb 2008)

Best Related Book
(263 Ballots / Bulletins)

Best Graphic Story
(212 Ballots / Bulletins)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
(436 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • The Dark Knight Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer, story; Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, screenplay; based on characters created by Bob Kane; Christopher Nolan, director (Warner Brothers)
  • Hellboy II: The Golden Army Guillermo del Toro & Mike Mignola, story; Guillermo del Toro, screenplay; based on the comic by Mike Mignola; Guillermo del Toro, director (Dark Horse, Universal)
  • Iron Man Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway, screenplay; based on characters created by Stan Lee & Don Heck & Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby; Jon Favreau, director (Paramount, Marvel Studios)
  • METAtropolis by John Scalzi, ed. Written by: Elizabeth Bear, Jay Lake, Tobias Buckell and Karl Schroeder (Audible Inc)
  • WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director (Pixar/Walt Disney)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
(336 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • “The Constant” (Lost) Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof, writers; Jack Bender, director (Bad Robot, ABC studios)
  • Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen , writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)
  • “Revelations” (Battlestar Galactica) Bradley Thompson & David Weddle, writers; Michael Rymer, director (NBC Universal)
  • “Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead” (Doctor Who) Steven Moffat, writer; Euros Lyn, director (BBC Wales)
  • “Turn Left” (Doctor Who) Russell T. Davies, writer; Graeme Harper, director (BBC Wales)

Best Editor, Short Form
(377 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • Ellen Datlow
  • Stanley Schmidt
  • Jonathan Strahan
  • Gordon Van Gelder
  • Sheila Williams

Best Editor, Long Form
(273 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • Lou Anders
  • Ginjer Buchanan
  • David G. Hartwell
  • Beth Meacham
  • Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Best Professional Artist
(334 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • Daniel Dos Santos
  • Bob Eggleton
  • Donato Giancola
  • John Picacio
  • Shaun Tan

Best Semiprozine
(283 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • Clarkesworld Magazine edited by Neil Clarke, Nick Mamatas & Sean Wallace
  • Interzone edited by Andy Cox
  • Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Groen Trombi
  • The New York Review of Science Fiction edited by Kathryn Cramer, Kris Dikeman, David G. Hartwell, & Kevin J. Maroney
  • Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal

Best Fanzine
(257 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • Argentus edited by Steven H Silver
  • Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
  • Challenger edited by Guy H. Lillian III
  • The Drink Tank edited by Chris Garcia
  • Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima
  • File 770 edited by Mike Glyer

Best Fan Writer
(291 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • Chris Garcia
  • John Hertz
  • Dave Langford
  • Cheryl Morgan
  • Steven H Silver

Best Fan Artist
(187 Ballots / Bulletins)

  • Alan F. Beck
  • Brad W. Foster
  • Sue Mason
  • Taral Wayne
  • Frank Wu

The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
(288 Ballots / Bulletins)

*(Second year of eligibility)

Feb 10, 2009

METAtropolis up for Audie Award

We're up for the Original Work Audie

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) has announced nominations for the 2009 Audies competition. Winners will be announced at The Audies gala on May 29, 2009 at the New-York Historical Society in New York City. The Audie is the only awards program in the United States devoted entirely to honoring spoken word entertainment.  There were a record 1,000 entries from audio publishers this year.

Here's the complete list of works up for the Original Work award:

ORIGINAL WORK

Brainstorm, by Mariette DiChristina, Narrated by William Dufris, Macmillan Audio

Louis Vuitton Soundwalk, China: Beijing, by Stephan Crasneanscki, Narrated by Gong Li, Soundwalk

Many Things Invisible, by Carrington MacDuffie, Narrated by Carrington MacDuffie, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Metatropolis, by John Scalzi, Elizabeth Bear, Jay Lake, Tobias Buckell and Karl Schroeder, Narrated by Michael Hogan, Alessandro Juliani, Kandyse McClure, Scott Brick and Stefan Rudnicki, Audible, Inc.

The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, by Various Writers, Narrated by Stacy Keach, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Sugar Pop Thoughts, by Shayna Lance, Narrated by Shayna Lance, CoolBeat Audiobooks

Feb 09, 2009

Hugo nomination form now online

Support the community by nominating for SF's biggest award

The annual Hugo awards will be held in Montreal this year, at Anticipation, the 2009 Worldcon.  If you've been thinking of attending, the window for doing so and also nominating for the award is closing rapidly.  In fact, you have until February 28th to nominate.  You need a Hugo PIN number to do it, which you can only get by having a Worldcon membership; the problem is that PIN numbers have been trickling out rather slowly, so if you don't have a membership and want to nominate, you'd better hurry!

The online Hugo nomination form is on the Anticipation website, as is a registration page.  If you can't attend the convention but would like to nominate for the Hugo, you can buy a supporting membership for US$50 or CAN$55.

Montreal's a fun city, and I hope to see you there this year.

 

UPDATE:  Apparently you had to buy your membership by January 31st to be eligible to nominate.  My bad.

Jan 12, 2009

Fast Forward 2 nominated for P.K. Dick award

Great going, Lou!

Here's the official word:

The judges of the 2008 Philip K. Dick Award and the Philadelphia SF Society, along with the Philip K. Dick Trust, are pleased to announce six nominated works that comprise the final ballot for the award:

  • EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD by Adam-Troy Castro (Eos Books)
  •  ENDGAME by Kristine Smith (Eos Books)
  • FAST FORWARD 2 edited by Lou Anders (Pyr)
  • JUDGE by Karen Traviss (Eos Books)
  • TERMINAL MIND by David Walton (Meadowhawk Press)
  • TIME MACHINES REPAIRED WHILE-U-WAIT by K. A. Bedford (EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing)

First prize and any special citations will be announced on Friday, April 10, 2009 at Norwescon 32 at the Doubletree Seattle Airport Hotel, SeaTac, Washington.

Jan 09, 2009

Hugo/Aurora-eligible work from 2008

Filed Under:

...Otherwise known as the annual "awards pimpage" post

I did a bunch of stuff that I'm proud of last year, including finishing a Virga novel and midwifing the production of another one.  I'm also back writing short fiction, because there seems to be an insatiable demand for my short work lately; so it would be hard for me to pick a favourite from the past year.  Luckily, other people have jumped in to rate my work and have been particularly kind to "To Hie from Far Cilenia" and "The Hero" (the latter was recently chosen by Gardner Dozois for his Year's Best Science Fiction, 26th Annual Edition).  

So here's a list of my work from 2008 that's eligible for the Hugo and (Canadian) Aurora awards.  Bear in mind that this really is nomination season--if you don't have your Worldcon membership already you'd better hurry if you want to nominate.  Also, remember that works regularly get nominated for the Hugo by as few as 35 people, so in this case, your vote really does count!

Novel

  • Pirate Sun, Tor Books.

Novella

  • "To Hie from Far Cilenia", published in METAtropolis, Audible Books, John Scalzi, editor.

Short Stories

  • "Book, Theatre, and Wheel", Solaris Book of New SF #2, George Mann, editor, Solaris.
  • "Mitigation", written with Tobias Buckell, Fast Forward #2, Lou Anders, editor, Pyr Books.
  • "The Hero", Eclipse Two, Jonathon Strahan, editor, Night Shade Books.

Dramatic Presentation, Long form

  • METAtropolis (audio book (iTunes link)), written by Tobias Buckell, Elizabeth Bear, Jay Lake, John Scalzi and Karl Schroeder; read by Scott Brick, Michael Hogan, Alessandro Juliani, Kandyse McClure and Stefan Rudnicki),  John Scalzi, editor, Audible Books.

 

Apr 10, 2008

Queen of Candesce up for Locus Award

Anyone can vote, but the deadline is April 15

I just found out that Book II of my Virga series, Queen of Candesce, is on the preliminary ballot for the 2008 Locus Award!  (I should have known this--aren't all the Locus Recommended Reading titles on the ballot?)  In any case, I'm quite proud of the company this puts Queen in, next to books by Brian Aldiss, William Gibson, Joe Haldeman, and Charlie Stross.  The downside to being on such a prestigious list is that my chances of winning are miniscule, but the ballot is of the Australian Rules type, where you can choose your top five works in order of preference.  (The ballots hold a kind of run-off election against each other that allows a candidate who's nobody's first choice, but everybody's second choice, to win.)  So, who knows, maybe Queen will be everybody's second-favourite book of last year!  (Venera would fall to the ground and gnash her teeth at that thought.)

One oddity of the ballot is that the web page makes it look like you have to be a Locus subscriber to vote.  You don't.  Anybody can vote, you just have to include some identifying contact information, which Locus will keep confidential.

There are a lot of categories for this award, including short story, novelette, best art book etc.  So zip on over and vote; it's painless and at the very least will let you settle in your own mind what your favourite works were last year.

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About Me

I'm a member of the Association of Professional Futurists with my own consultancy, and am also currently Chair of the Canadian node of the Millennium Project, a private/public foresight consultancy active in 50 nations. As well, I am an award-winning author with ten published novels translated into as many languages. I write, give talks, and conduct workshops on numerous topics related to the future, including:

  • Future of government
  • Bitcoin and digital currencies
  • The workplace in 2030
  • The Internet of Things
  • Augmented cognition

For a complete bio, go here. To contact me, email karl at kschroeder dot com

Example: The Future of Governance

I use Science Fiction to communicate the results of actual futures studies. Some of my recent research relates to how we'll govern ourselves in the future. I've worked with a few clients on this and published some results.

Here are two examples--and you can read the first for free:

The Canadian army commissioned me to write Crisis in Urlia, a fictionalized study of the future of military command-and-control. You can download a PDF of the book here:


Crisis in Urlia

For the "optimistic Science Fiction" anthology Hieroglyph, I wrote "Degrees of Freedom," set in Haida Gwaii. "Degrees of Freedom" is about an attempt to develop new governing systems by Canadian First Nations people.


I'm continuing to research this exciting area and would be happy to share my findings.

 
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    Coming on June 18, 2019

    "Science fiction at its best."

    --Kim Stanley Robinson

    A Young Adult Scifi Saga

    "Lean and hugely engaging ... and highly recommended."

    --Open Letters Monthly, an Arts and Literature Review

    Sheer Fun: The Virga Series

    (Sun of Suns and Queen of Candesce are combined in Cities of the Air)


     “An adventure-filled tale of sword fights and naval battles... the real fun of this coming-of-age tale includes a pirate treasure hunt and grand scale naval invasions set in the cold, far reaches of space. ”
    Kirkus Reviews (listed in top 10 SF novels for 2006)

    "With Queen of Candesce, [Schroeder] has achieved a clockwork balance of deftly paced adventure and humour, set against an intriguing and unique vision of humanity's far future.
    --The Globe and Mail

    "[Pirate Sun] is fun in the same league as the best SF ever has had to offer, fully as exciting and full of cool science as work from the golden age of SF, but with characterization and plot layering equal to the scrutiny of critical appraisers."
    --SFRevu.com


    "...A rollicking good read... fun, bookish, and full of insane air battles"
    --io9.com


    "A grand flying-pirate-ship-chases-and-escapes-and-meetings-with-monsters adventure, and it ends not with a debate or a seminar but with a gigantic zero-gee battle around Candesce, a climactic unmasking and showdown, just desserts, and other satisfying stuff."
    --Locus