Isn’t it beautiful? This is the cover of Usurpation, the third novel in the Semiosis trilogy. It will be published on October 29 (and you can pre-order it now from your favorite bookseller).

You might be thinking that the picture looks a lot like a Venus flytrap. Yes, it does. That small plant originated in the eastern wetlands of North and South Carolina, and it grows in poor, wet soil. It kills and eats ants, spiders, and other small animals to get necessary nutrients. The toothy “jaws” on the ends of its leaves are waiting to close around prey.

But you’ll learn when you read the novel that carnivory is not the worst thing a plant can do.

This weekend, I’ll be at Capricon, a four-day science fiction convention held annually in the Chicago area since 1981. This is a fan-run convention created entirely by volunteers. Attendance might reach 1000 people — the right size for friendship and fun.

It will be held at the Sheraton Grand Chicago in downtown Chicago, 301 E. North Water Street. You can attend for the whole weekend or come for just a day. More information about registration is here: https://capricon.org/registration/

This year’s theme is The Endurance of Stars: “No matter where they’re from, what media/genre they appear in, or where their journey takes them, protagonists of our favorite stories often look up to the night sky, just as we do ourselves. The stars provide hope, guidance, and a sense of continuity, for all that they wheel and spin around us and constellations slowly creep into new configurations. Stars give an anchor to orbits, provide essential guides to navigators, and bring light and life to the universe.”

If you can come, say hi. I’ll be on some panels:

How to Moderate Panels – Bridgeport, Friday, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Great moderation can make the a difference between a mediocre panel and a fantastic one. Come learn tips from our panel of experienced moderators. Moderator: Janice Gelb; Alessandra Kelley, Jerry Gilio, Sue Burke, and Dina Krause.

When SF Goes Literary – Sheraton II, Friday, 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. If you’ve ever seen a work of SF called “literary,” you might wonder what that even means. Is “literary SF” something easily described? Or is it another of those “I know it when I see it” situations? And what are the implications of defining some SF works in this way? Our panelists discuss the meaning of “literary” in the SF world and explore the impact and influence of so-called “literary SF” works. Moderator: Sue Burke; Gary K Wolfe, James Bacon, and K.V. Peck.

SLF’s Mini Deep Dish Reading – Sheraton I Salon, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. The Speculative Literature Foundation is a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting literary quality in speculative fiction. In this mini-version of their Deep Dish reading series, you’ll hear from a variety of local authors giving short readings. Moderator, Angeli Primlani; Shaun Duke, Jim Cherry, Sue Burke, and Darius Vinesar.

Self-Editing for Writers – Columbus, Saturday, 4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. For many writers, editing is a daunting task. How are you supposed to sit down and make meaningful changes to your own work when you’ve spent days, weeks, months, or even a year writing it? Our panelists share their tips and tricks for self-editing to demystify the editing process. Moderator: Sue Burke; Clif Flynt, Steven H Silver, K.V. Peck, and JM Guilfoyle.

Random Panel Topic – Sheraton II, Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. What happens to the panel ideas that get rejected? They are reborn here as random panel topics. Our panelists will choose topics (at random, of course) and speak expertly on them for five minutes each. You’ll be rolling on the floor with laughter. Moderator: Sue Burke; Brian Sebby, Ariela Housman, and Will Saddler.

B&N.com will have a pre-order promotion from January 24 to 26 for its Rewards and Premium members. Rewards and Premium Rewards members will get 25% off pre-orders, including ebook and audio, while Premium members get an additional 10%.

During that promotion, you can pre-order the trade paperback edition of Dual Memory, coming April 16, and the hardcover edition of Usurpation, coming October 29. Usurpation is the third book in the Semiosis trilogy.

If you’re not a B&N special member, you can still pre-order those books at your favorite bookseller, although probably not at promotional prices. As I learn of any sales, I’ll announce them here.

I’ll be participating in a free, virtual panel at TBRCon2024, “How to Write Great Endings,” on Monday, January 22, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST — but don’t worry, if you’re busy, you can watch it later on YouTube. Also on the panel are Lucy Holland, Sebastien de Castell, Mark Lawrence, and Bryan Wilson, plus a moderator from FanFiAddict, David Walters (Lord David). We’re already planning ways to make this as helpful as we can, and we’ll be answering questions from the audience. We’ll also recommend books with great endings.

TBRCon2024 is an all-virtual sci-fi/fantasy/horror convention, January 21 to 28, with 26 livestream panels, 5 live podcasts and 2 RPG sessions on genre, writing craft, publishing, marketing, and more. Watch the livestream on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, or re-watch on YouTube at your convenience. It’s all free! You can find the links, schedule, and more information here.

This is the fourth edition of TBRCon, run by FanFiAddict, and it’s won a Stabby Award for Best Virtual Convention. Panels that I want to watch include: “Why Are Dragons so Beloved in Fantasy?” “Developing Alien Races,” “Psychology of Villains in Fiction,” and “The Rise of Novellas” — but there’s a lot more for beginning and experienced writers, indie writers, gamers, and readers.

I hope there’s something for you. I always need to learn more and want to find more great books to read, although my TBR (To Be Read) pile is already a soaring tower.

(2024 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, so the love for dragons might not be a hypothetical question.)

Life Beyond Us: An Original Anthology of SF Stories and Science Essays by Julie Nováková
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Highly recommended. What if we met life on another planet, in space, or in another ecology? Twenty-seven top-notch science fiction writers wrote short stories to explore the question, followed by essays by scientists explaining what is and isn’t possible in that particular story, such as “The Habitability of Water Worlds” or “Space Agriculture.”
Like any good anthology, the stories vary widely in style and substance. Not every one was to my taste, although they were all high quality, and you and I might have different opinions about which ones are the best. The essays explain the ideas clearly but don’t talk down to the reader.
If you’re a fan of hard science fiction (by “hard” I mean more or less anchored in reality) or if you’re a science fiction writer looking for a better understanding of what we know about space and life science, I wholeheartedly recommend this book, likely to be one of the best anthologies of 2023. There’s a lot to enjoy: the paperback version runs more than 500 pages.

View all my reviews