Posts Tagged ‘Mirror Universe’

Vote for Rise Like Lions at Unreality-SF.net

First, I would like to thank all of my readers who participated in last week’s effort to nominate my Star Trek Mirror Universe novel Rise Like Lions for the Unreality-SF.net “Story of the Year” award, which allows fans from around the world to write in nominations for their favorite media tie-in story in a number of media and formats (novels, short fiction, books, comic-books, audio drama).

I’m pleased to report that Rise Like Lions has made the final ballot, along with nine other superb and equally deserving works.

The nominees, in alphabetical order, are:

Borrowed Time by Naomi Alderman
(a Doctor Who novel – BBC Books, June 2011)

Children of the Storm by Kirsten Beyer
(a Star Trek novel – Pocket Books, June 2011)

Choices of One by Timothy Zahn
(a Star Wars novel – Del Rey, July 2011)

The Cold Equations by Simon Guerrier
(a Doctor Who audio drama – Big Finish, June 2011)

Darth Plagueis by James Luceno
(a Star Wars novel – Del Rey, January 2012)

The First Wave by Simon Guerrier
(a Doctor Who audio drama – Big Finish, November 2011)

The House of the Dead by James Goss
(a Torchwood radio play – BBC Radio 4, July 2011)

Rise Like Lions by David Mack
(a Star Trek novel – Pocket Books, November 2011)

To the Death by Nicholas Briggs
(a Doctor Who audio drama – Big Finish, March 2011)

Watching the Clock by Christopher L. Bennett
(a Star Trek novel – Pocket Books, May 2011)

The poll is now open and awaiting your votes.

Obviously, I hope you’ll vote for my novel, but with competition such as Christopher L. Bennett‘s Watching the Clock, Kirsten Beyer‘s Children of the Storm, and James Luceno‘s runaway bestseller Darth Plagueis, I’m not exactly holding my breath in anticipation of a win.

Now go forth and VOTE!

UPDATE: I’m told the Unreality-SF site had a technical error earlier today. If, immediately after you voted, you did not see a “Thank You” confirmation screen, your vote wasn’t counted, and you’ll need to cast it again. Sorry for the inconvenience. If you’re just now casting your vote, no worries — I’m told the error has been corrected.

In case you care…

The fine folks at Unreality-SF.net are celebrating their fourth anniversary of reviewing SF/F on the Intertubes by accepting nominations for their latest annual awards extravaganza, the Media Tie-in SF/F Story of the Year trophy.

(It’s kind of like the Scribe Award, except it’s voted on by fans, making it the Tie-in Hugo to the IAMTW‘s Tie-in Nebula. Which is significant, since tie-ins are perennially snubbed by the voters of both those awards.)

The nominating period starts today, March 19, and continues through March 26, 2012. Here are the rules, in their own words:

Starting today, you can nominate three stories. At the end of the week, we’ll count up the suggestions to find the ten that are most popular.

Next Monday, we’ll post that final shortlist and give you seven days to pick one absolute favourite.

And then the authors of the first- and second-placed stories each get a block of glass with their name engraved in it.

Plus, one lucky participant in this process will win a free Amazon.com voucher. Hey, it beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, at least.

For a story to be eligible, it must: 1) be an officially licensed literary (prose or comic) tie-in to an existing SF/F property in another medium (TV, film, game, etc.); 2) have been published between March 1, 2011, and February 29, 2012; and, 3) be an individual story, not multiple related works (such as a trilogy or a multi-issue comic-book series).

Why am I telling you this? Could it be that I have published works that are eligible for your consideration? Mayyyyybe.

Seriously, if you want to throw my work into the mix, my two eligible stories are my novel Star Trek Mirror Universe: Rise Like Lions and my novella in Star Trek Vanguard: Declassified, “The Stars Look Down”.

Do with that information what you will.

Rise Like Lions — someone’s buying it…

I am pleased to learn that my most recently published novel, Star Trek Mirror Universe: Rise Like Lions, has landed at #4 on the Locus Magazine bestseller list for media-related fiction.

Not too shabby. <grin>

Here’s hoping my next new title to hit store shelves, Star Trek Vanguard: Storming Heaven, does as well as Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore’s last Vanguard outing, What Judgments Come, which was #1 on the Locus list last month.

Reviews for Rise Like Lions

In case you’ve been on the fence about picking up a copy of my most recently released novel, Star Trek Mirror Universe: Rise Like Lions, have a gander at what some reviewers have been saying about the book:

A veritable feast of Star Trek storytelling that effortlessly draws together the wide array of the Next Generation and beyond…”

 

“David Mack has spun a nicely-crafted tale that leaves nothing hanging.”

“The pace is good. The action is written well, in a way that I had no trouble following what was going on at any given point in the battle sequences. And there’s just enough humor mixed in to keep everything real.”

“Buy it. You’ll like it.”

 

“With this novel, David Mack has cemented the legitimacy of a new series focusing on “the other side”. This isn’t just Spock with a beard or Kira in leather anymore. This novel has built a foundation for new stories and new perspectives on characters new and old.”

“Best Trek novel of the year? Without a doubt. The cliffhanger alone is worth the price of admission, but the whole novel is a fantastic experience.”

 

“If you’re going to publish a Star Trek book that features a major resolution to an ongoing storyline spanning centuries, from the first ever Mirror Universe TV episode up to recent novels set in this troubled alternate, then you need the right author to tell the story — and David Mack delivers, in spades.”

“This is a fabulous, no-holds-barred action adventure, combining many disparate plot threads into one coherent enjoyable whole — with a few surprise twists and cliffhangers for more stories included, to boot. Glorious!”

— John Freeman, Star Trek Magazine

If that doesn’t make you just want to run right out and buy a copy … well, then you’re like most people. But if you’re a Star Trek fan who’s itching for some epic adventure in the “mirror” version of Gene Roddenberry’s universe, you might give this book a try.

Hear me blather on “The G&T Show”

Head on over to the website of The G&T Show and check out Episode 15 to hear me talk with hosts Nick Minecci and Terilynn Shull about my work, ranging from the bestselling Star Trek Destiny trilogy to my upcoming novels Star Trek Mirror Universe: Rise Like Lions and Star Trek Vanguard: Storming Heaven, as well as the soon-to-be-released nonfiction memoir No Turning Back, which I co-wrote with Iraq War veteran Bryan Anderson.

The interview can be heard as streaming audio from the episode’s page on their website, or it can be downloaded as an MP3 for playback on the portable playback device of your choice. So go forth and listen!

New Book Cover Day!

I’ve just finished a big update over on my official website, adding cover images for three of my upcoming books. Here they are, in publication order:

 

NO TURNING BACK

(November 1, 2011)


STAR TREK MIRROR UNIVERSE: RISE LIKE LIONS

(November 29, 2011)

 

STAR TREK VANGUARD: STORMING HEAVEN

(March 27, 2012)

Is that sweet or what? CGI master Doug Drexler has outdone himself again, and I’m in his debt. Want to be even more impressed? I’m told this might not even be the final cover. That’s right; the final cover might be even more awesome than this.

Boo-yah. That’s why Doug Drexler is The Man.

Scribe nominees interview

What could be more compelling (aside from careful observation growing grass or drying paint) than an interview with six Scribe Award-nominated authors about their nominated works and their views on media tie-in writing? Nothing, that’s what! Click on over to Jonathan Maberry’s Big, Scary Blog to read his interview with the nominees in the IAMTW‘s most hotly contested award category, Best Speculative Original Novel.

My tome Star Trek Mirror Universe: The Sorrows of Empire is on that list of nominated works, and I join fellow nominees Keith R.A. DeCandido (Supernatural: Heart of the Dragon), Matt Forbeck & Jeff Grubb (Guild Wars: Ghosts of Ascalon), Sean Williams (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II), and Nathan Long (Warhammer: Bloodborn: Ulrika the Vampire) for a virtual roundtable discussion.

A sample of my loquacious genius in action:

BIG SCARY BLOG: What makes a really good media tie-in book?

DAVID MACK: Other than good writing and storytelling? A passion for the universe and characters is essential, in my opinion. More than that, I think it’s important to have respect for the source material one is working from. I won’t name the franchises, but I have on a few occasions turned down offers to write novels because I just couldn’t get excited about the core property, and I was concerned that my lack of enthusiasm for the material might come through in my writing. Licensors, publishers, and fans all deserve better than that for their money, in my opinion.

And there’s more where that came from. Go check it out and leave a comment so Jonathan will know you were there.