#CoolArt: 'A Princess Of Mars' by Gregory Manchess

'A Princess Of Mars' by Gregory Manchess.

6" x 6" Oil on masonite, in a 1/1 original edition for $600.

On sale now through Every Day Original.

Book Review: 'The Mongolian Wizard #9: The New Prometheus' by Michael Swanwick

Cover art by Gregory Manchess

I really like Michael Swanwick's 'The Mongolian Wizard' series of short stories from Tor.com, and 'The New Prometheus' is another great addition to that list.

This time, Ritter and his wolf Freki are hot on the trail of an homunculus - an artificial man created by the Mongolian Wizard - in the frozen Arctic wastes. But when they catch up to him, they find that he's every bit as intelligent and cultured as Ritter himself, and proceeds to tell him his side of the story.

If this sounds all a bit familiar, that's because it is. Chances are you have read Mary Shelley's classic 'Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus'. Swanwick's story pays direct homage (the clue is in the title of this story after all), in particular to one of the best sequences in Shelley's tale, where the monster recounts his story to his creator, Frankenstein.

It's a classy retelling, with the creature having actually fled out of harm's way of his creator's evil ways, and over the course of a civil conversation, Ritter, having been sent by Sir Toby, must decide whether the creature is an abomination and be eliminated or if he doesn't represent a risk and to leave him alone in frozen north.

'The New Prometheus' is a fantastic read that grips you from the beginning of Ritter and the creature's conversation, wondering which way Ritter will decide by the end. Swanwick gives his homage his own twist that instantly feels a part of his series. A great read!

Available to read for free, as are the rest of the series, from the Tor Fiction website.

Book Review: 'The Mongolian Wizard #8: Murder In The Spook House' by Michael Swanwick

Cover art by Gregory Manchess

Another instalment in Michael Swanwick's excellent 'The Mongolian Wizard' short story series from Tor.com.

'Murder In The Spook House' sees Ritter and Freki called to investigate the murder of Sir Toby. But as is the case with this alt-history series, all is not what it seems.

I really enjoyed this. It's a fun and engaging quick read in the style of a Sherlock Holmes whodunit as Ritter sleuths in an effort to solve the mystery of Sir Toby's murder. I also liked the idea of the altering of timelines with the use of scrying into the future to bring back schematics and designs of future tech before their time to help with the war effort.

As this is #8 in the series, I'd also recommend reading through the previous short stories first before diving in with this one, as each of the stories expand on the world building, although really only hinting at things in the wider world, it could be a bit confusing wondering who's who and what's actually going on in the Mongolian Wizard universe.

Would love to see more stories set in this world, maybe even a full length novel. 'Murder In The Spook House' is another worthy addition to the series.

Available to read for free, as are the rest of the series, from the Tor Fiction website.

2018 Chesley Awards Winners Announced

The winners of the 2018 Chesley Awards were announced at a special presentation during the 76th World Science Fiction Convention in San Jose, California, on August 16-20 2018.

The Chesley Awards were established by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA) to recognize individual artistic works and achievements in the field of science fiction and fantasy. Nominated and decided upon by the members of the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, the Chesley Awards have long been internationally acclaimed as the most prestigious awards in the field of fantastic arts.

Best Cover Illustration: Hardcover
Marc Simonetti
'The Sword of Shannara' by Terry Brooks (Grim Oak Press, August 2017)

Best Cover Illustration: Paperback or eBook
Jaime Jones
'The Tiger’s Daughter' by K Arsenault Rivera (Tor, October 2017)

Best Magazine Illustration
Ingrid Kallick
Cricket Magazine (January 2017)

Best Interior Illustration
Gregory Manchess
'Above the Timberline' by Gregory Manchess (Saga Press, October 2017)

Best Gaming Related Illustration
Melissa Gay
'Offering Sagaborn' RPG Core Rule Book (Lone Wanderer Entertainment, August 2017)

Best Product Illustration
Annie Stegg Gerard
'Stormy Serenade', DragonCon T-shirt art 2017

Best Colour Work: Unpublished
Charles Urbach
'Not All Treasure is Gold' (Coloured Pencil)

Best Monochrome: Unpublished
Ruth Sanderson
'Dragon Drum' (Ink)

Best Three Dimensional Art
Forest Rogers
'Octopoid Descending' (Kato polyclay)

Best Art Director
Neil Clarke
Clarkesworld Magazine

Lifetime Achievement Award
Alan Lee

#CoolArt: 'Hard Case Crime' Cover Art Prints

A selection of cover art from the 'Hard Case Crime' series of pulp paperback reprints are now available as poster prints through Suntup Editions, with art by Glen Orbik, Gregory Manchess and Robert E McGinnis.

16.5" x 24" giclee prints on acid-free art paper for $65 each.

Go here to buy.

by Glen Orbik

Artist Spotlight: The Art Of . . . Gregory Manchess

I've previously showcased a few of my favourite pop culture and vintage pulp artists, and each weekend I showcase art from more of my favourite artists.

The art of Gregory Manchess.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'A Princess Of Mars' by Gregory Manchess

'A Princess Of Mars' by Gregory Manchess

Cool Art: 'Dejah Thoris' by Gregory Manchess

'Dejah Thoris' by Gregory Manchess, will debut in Paris this October 17, at an art exhibition at Galerie Daniel Maghen. The art show will exhibit Gregory's adventure paintings from literature, science fiction, fantasy, and historical subjects, as well as new narratives.

Go here to look at some of the sketch concepts of the painting.

Cool Art: 'Hard Case Crime' Illustrated Pulp Art Covers

I love the art of the old pulp magazines and novels. It's where the work of such legendary artists like Robert McGinnis, Glen Orbik, Ron Lesser, Robert Maguire, Roy Krenkel Jr, J Allen St John and many more first caught my eye.

With some of the pulp heroes making a comeback in the world of comics, 'Hard Case Crime' is bringing back the pulp crime novels, complete with illustrated covers too!

Hard Case Crime is an American imprint of hardboiled crime novels founded in 2004 by Charles Ardai and Max Phillips, and is dedicated to reviving the vigor and excitement, the suspense and thrills—the sheer entertainment—of the golden age of paperback crime novels, both by bringing back into print the best work of the pulp era and by introducing readers to new work by some of today’s most powerful writers and artists. Determined detectives and dangerous women… fortune hunters and vengeance seekers… ingenious criminals and men on the run… Hard Case Crime novels offer everything you want from a great story, all in handsome and affordable editions.

Check out a selection of the covers below, and go here for lots more.

Movie Poster Art: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Continuing my look at movie posters and fan art, with the first of George Lucas' Star Wars prequels - 'The Phantom Menace'.