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SF Signal

A science fiction blog featuring science fiction book reviews and with frequent ramblings on fantasy, computers and the web.

Free Online Book: The Somnambulist by Jonathan BarnesToday

To promote the release of The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes, Eos is making Barnes' well-received first book, The Somnambulist, available for free reading online.

Here's the book description to whet your appetite:

Once the toast of good society in Victoria's England, the extraordinary conjurer Edward Moon no longer commands the respect that he did in earlier times. Still, each night he returns to the stage of his theater to amaze his devoted, albeit dwindling, audience, aided by his partner, the Somnambulist--a silent, hairless, hulking giant who, when stabbed, does not bleed. But these are strange, strange times in England, with the oddest of sorts prowling London's dank underbelly. And the very bizarre death of a disreputable actor has compelled a baffled police constabulary to turn once again to Edward Moon for help--inevitably setting in motion events that will shatter his increasingly tenuous grasp on reality.

You can also read a sample of

New Japanese Watchmen TrailerToday

This time we head out to the land of the rising sun to see more Watchmen goodness. The good news is that not only is most of the trailer in English (only the voiceover is in Japanese), there are several new scenes we haven't seen before. Feast your eyes:

Every new trailer makes me really want to see this movie and I really like the music in this one, it fits perfectly, especially the choral part at the beginning. And did anyone else get a 'Dr. Strangelove' vibe from the Doomsday Clock scene? I'm guessing Watchmen won't be funny though.

Hopefully this thing will see the light of day sooner rather than later, pending final litigation.

SF Tidbits for 1/8/09Today

• Free Fiction [courtesy of QuasarDragon]
  • Chris Roberson has posted his story "Death on the Crosstime Express", originally published in Sideways in Crime edited by Lou Anders.
  • Chiaroscuro has a new issue out with Dark fiction and poetry by Kurt Dinan, Shira Lipkin, Daniel A. Rabuzzi, Jonathan Wood, M. Frost, Maurice Oliver, and Jacqueline West.
  • @Weird Tales: "The Last Great Clown Hunt" by Chris Furst.
  • @Planet Magazine: "The Tears of Lakshmi" by Ian James.
  • @St. Martin's Griffin: "Countdown" by Jonathan Maberry (Patient Zero) available in PDF download, but a signup is required.
  • @MindFlights: "

Tube Bits for 01/08/2008Today

• Running a show as a serialized drama is a double edged sword. Too heavily serialized and new viewers won't know whats going on while being standalone oriented may not suit the show. Just ask the people behind The Sarah Connor Chronicles, as their experiment in being more standalone is being canned and they are going back to more serialized episodes. Of course, all of that is for naught if the writing is substandard or uninteresting. Should I go back to TSCC?

Advertising and TV go hand in hand like PB&J so it's rare that something different comes along. In February, the day after the Super Bowl, NBC will be airing a 3-D episode of Chuck (hater John need not apply). You'll be able to obtain the glasses (I'm guessing the red/green/headache inducing ones) by purchasing cans of SoBe drinks before the Super Bowl. As a bonus, you'll be able to watch a 3-D trailer of the new Monsters vs. Aliens movie. I've never had SoBe and 3-D usually annoys me, especially as I already wear glasses so I'm not too keen on this promotion.

Laura Tindel of The McGill Tribune wonders why science fiction TV shows appear to be immune to the 'non-appeal' appeal of other unconventional genres (for example, the sensitive killer shows). I'd say it's not just SF on TV, it's all science fiction. Sad, but true.

LOST is returning on Jan. 21st, and the LOST parody, LOST, What Happens Next? returns on the 19th. It'

SF Signal Welcomes Lisa Paitz SpindlerYesterday

SF Signal welcomes Lisa Paitz Spindler to the ranks of "SF Signal Irregulars", a title that I am sure she will wear with a little bit of pride and a whole lot of regret. She's already posted her first review, for John Scalzi's Agent to the Stars.

We coerced Lisa to talk about herself in the third person...here's what she came up with:

Lisa subsists on steady infusions of cafe mochas and science blogs, while constantly trying to beat her Free Rice high score of 45. Occasionally she writes science fiction and designs web sites. She also hosts the

Danger Gal blog.Welcome aboard, Lisa!