Game Geeks reviews of The Spiraling Worm

I thought I might post a link to an old review from Game Geeks by Kurt Wiegel, who normally reviews Call of Cthulhu gaming material, He gave The Spiraling Worm a great review online on YouTube.com.

"I cannot recommend this enough... I flew through this, it is great!"

Robert Neilson's "Don't Judge Me Because I write Science Fiction"

Albedo One editor Robert Neilson has written a very interesting article "Don't judge me because I write science fiction" online at Essentialwriters.com. Well worth a look if you are a writer intending to submit a story to Albedo One and want to get an idea of what the editors are looking for. Also great for bypassing some common mistakes starting out authors make when writing science fiction. See the article here.

Inception

I saw Inception the other night. Absolutely brilliant movie, like the Matrix mixed with the Jason Bourne movies. I'll review it soon for Albedo One for their new online movie reviews content.

Cthulhu's Dark Cults Reviews Keep Coming: Scary Minds

Scary Minds, a website run by Jeff Ritchie and devoted to reviewing all things Aussie/New Zealand and horrorific (films, books, comics, etc) has just posted a very nice review of Cthulhu's Dark Cults. My favorite bit of the review follows, particularly the last sentence. Thanks Jeff.

The writers in the collection have really captured the true nature of the Cthulhu Mythos and have managed to twist that nature in a new direction. It's quite the achievement and the collection really does become a must have for lovers of the horror genre. I'm calling this the best Mythos collection since Brian Lumley's seminal Titus Crow works.

Jeff's favorite stories were from John Sunseri, David Witteveen, Shane Jiraiya Cummings and my own.

"Black Water" online at Albedo One's New Website

Albedo One has a new website, with new features and more online content. More content will go up in the coming weeks, and there were be regular features including reviews, interviews and short fiction from both the print version of Albedo One, the Aeon Award, and elsewhere.

I'm very pleased to announce one of my favorite of my own stories, "Black Water" which was shortlisted for the both the 2006-2007 Aeon Award and the 2010 Ditmar Award, is now available online on Albedo One's website. It is the first story in Albedo One's Fiction Highlights series.

"Black Water" was originally published in Jupiter '#24, edited by Ian Redman in 2009. Now it can be read here.

"Black Water" is up for a Ditmar Award. Voting for the Ditmar Award is conducted in accordance with these rules, and is open to membersof Dudcon III (including supporting members) and to members of Conjecture who were eligible to vote in the 2009 Award. Voting in allaward categories is by the optional preferential system, and each eligible individual may vote only once. All ballots (including emailed ballots) should include the name and address of the voter. If you havequestions regarding the ballot or voting procedure, please email ditmars@sf.org.au.

Matt Carpenter Amazon.com Review of Cthulhu's Dark Cults

Matthew T. Carpenter has given Cthulhu's Dark Cults a five star review over at Amazon.com. Matt's well known in Cthulhu Mythos circles as the man who reads and reviews everything in the genre. Here is what he said about the book:

On the whole I really enjoyed Cthulhu's Dark Cults and thought it was well worth the money; most of the stories were very good and I did not dislike anything ... While Goodrich, Witteveen, Conyers and Worthy particularly shine, pride of place has to go to The Whisper of Ancient Secrets by Penelope Love. I hope she writes more Cthulhu stories for us soon.

Here is what he said about my story, "Sister of the Sands":

I really like David Conyers; writing. Impossible Object, published in several places, is a brilliant little piece. Sister of the Sands is just great. An Australian intelligence officer based in Cairo assists a woman lost in the desert and becomes mixed up with the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. This was a bang up way to close a successful anthology.

The same review appears at alt.horror.cthulhu. Thanks to Jeff Edwards for the heads up.

Two New Reviews of Cthulhu's Dark Cults

Two new reviews of Cthulhu's Dark Cults have been posted on HorrorWorld.org and Amazon.co.uk. The first by Brian M. Sammons at HorrorWorld.org who said this about the book:

"Credit for this anthology must first and foremost go to David Conyers who pulls double duty as not only this collection’s editor, but also as an author of one of the best stories in this book. I have come to expect great things from Mr. Conyers as I’ve become increasingly familiar with his work, and with, “Sisters of the Sands” he has once again impressed me greatly."

He also made special mention of Steve Gilbert's cover art and the stories by Oscar Rios, Penelope Love and David Witteveen. David also received special mention on this review on Amazon.co.uk by J.P. Hunt, who had to say about the book:

"This get's a very good 9/10 marks from me. This is definitely one for a HPL fan or someone that just likes dark sci-fi / horror fiction."

"Black Water" shortlisted for a Ditmar

For three of the last four years I've had a Ditmar nomination in the Novella category. 2007 it was for "Aftermath", 2009 for "Soft Viscosity" and now 2010 with "Black Water", which incidentallly was short-listed for an Aeon Award. That's five Ditmar nominations now, the other two for Best New Talent two years running. Exciting stuff! "Black Water" originally appeared in Jupiter #24.

Glad to see the mix of talented authors nominated this year, including Jason Fischer, Peter M. Ball, Marty Young, and many others.

I was hoping to see Grant's Pass in the Best Collected Works category edited by Amanda Pillar and Jennifer Brozek, because that was a fantastic anthology.

Anyone who eligible to vote in this year's Ditmars who wants to read "Black Water", please email me at david (at) davidconyers (dot) com and I'll email you the story.

Macabre: Available for Pre-Order

Macabre: A Journey through Australia's Darkest Fears (edited by Angela Challis and Dr Marty Young and featuring my collaboration with David Witteveen, "Sweet as Decay") can now be ordered through Brimstone Press. The anthology retails for $44.95 and will be available in stores in October/November, but Brimstone Press are offering Macabre for sale at $30 + postage. The anthology will be shipped from Brimstone in September.

Macabre is a snapshot of the fears that have gripped Australians for over 200 years: the isolation of the bush, monstrous fauna, supernatural terrors, violence, war, terrorism, alienation, cannibalism, and murder. From the very earliest colonial ghost stories through to grim tales of modern life, Macabre will take you on a journey through the terrifying heart of Australian horror.

Macabre includes a detailed essay on the history of Australian horror, an Australian horror fiction timeline, and 38 stories from three eras (classics, modern masters, and new era originals) – at a massive 672 pages.

Contributors in the Classics and Modern Masters sections include Henry Lawson, Marcus Clarke, Mary Fortune, Barbara Baynton, A. Bertram Chandler, Kaaron Warren, Terry Dowling, Robert Hood, Stephen Dedman, Rick Kennett, and Sean Williams.

The largest section, the New Era, includes original stories from Will Elliott, Stephen M. Irwin, Kirstyn McDermott, Richard Harland, Martin Livings, Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Kyla Ward, Paul Haines, David Conyers, and Bob Franklin (and many more!).

Macabre will be launched at Aussiecon 4, the World Science Fiction Convention, in Melbourne on the weekend of September 4-5 (exact details of the launch will be publicised when they become available). The editors and many of the contributors will be in attendance to sign copies at the launch (David Witteveen will be there, alas I cannot make it).

Midnight Echo #6: The Science Fiction Horror Special

It's official, the guidelines for Midnight Echo #6 are now out, the science fiction horror special, and submissions are being accepted from September 1. I'll be editing this issue with Jason Fischer and David Kernot.

Here is a recap of what we are looking for:

"We are looking for stories that blend the science fiction and horror genres. We are especially looking for stories set on worlds other than Earth, or in deep space, and especially, stories in the future. Themes might include contact with alien species that defie explanation, plagues or viruses destined to wipe out humanity, enslavement by an alien race, nanoplagues gone wrong, alien artifacts that are death traps, future totalitarian governments, gothic alien worlds, or enslaving technology are just some ideas. Films like Alien and 28 Days Later are obvious influences. Alternatively imagine what Iain M. Banks, Charles Stross, or Alastair Reynolds might write if they got really dark - that’s what we are looking for.

"We are not looking for fantasy stories. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demons, and zombies are unlikely to impress us unless you can deliver something outstanding within these guidelines. We will consider Lovecraftian/Cthulhu Mythos tales provided they meet the theme, and then, we are likely only to select one such tale in this style at most. Remember, the key ingredient to getting your story picked up is to write a science fiction tale with horror elements, not a horror tale dressed up with science fiction references."