So an anthology of big writer's early works? Could be interesting...I'd like to hear more about which big writers. Thanks for finding this, Yoda.
I suspect we'll be making a formal announcement about Before They Were Giants before too long, but the basic hook of the anthology is that I managed to get fifteen of the most important science fiction and fantasy authors alive to give me their first published stories (including some extreme rarities that you've probably never seen anywhere else), along with interviews in which they talk about what they know now that they wish they knew then, their advice for beginning writers, etc. My hope is that it'll be both a teaching book and a look at the roots of many of our favorite authors, and I was really astonished at the level of interest among the authors I contacted. The final author list is:
Ben Bova
Charles Stross
China Mieville
Cory Doctorow
David Brin
Greg Bear
Joe Haldeman
Kim Stanley Robinson
Larry Niven
Michael Swanwick
Nicola Griffith
Piers Anthony
R. A. Salvatore
Spider Robinson
William Gibson
Needless to say, I'm excited!
I'm am really glad to see that anthologies are going to continue to be a part of the PS line, especially with the demise of some great old annual anthologies. But dangit, I still need to get hold of the first one.
Robert A. Heinlien is not on the list? WHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
~sniffs~ OTOH, that is a good list.
WHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Robert A. Heinlien is not on the list? WHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
~sniffs~ OTOH, that is a good list.
WHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Heinlein, not so much with the aliveness.
Heinlein, not so much with the aliveness.Robert A. Heinlien is not on the list? WHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
~sniffs~ OTOH, that is a good list.
WHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
~sniff, sniff~ Oh. I missed that. ~sniff, sniff~ That would explain it.
Director of Brand Strategy
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~sniff, sniff~ Oh. I missed that. ~sniff, sniff~ That would explain it.Heinlein, not so much with the aliveness.Robert A. Heinlien is not on the list? WHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
~sniffs~ OTOH, that is a good list.
WHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Maybe we could try to get Sci-Fi/Fantasy from Beyond the Grave for next year's anthology. Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Dick, Lovecraft, Tolkein ... and just about everyone who has otherwise been featured in the Planet Stories line. Get out yer Ouija Board, we're interviewing Kuttner!
Wow, that sounds pretty cool, and that is quite a list.
im really looking forwerd to this i dig anthologies and thats a great list of authers
Hmm. Looks like for Niven it is going to be "The Coldest Place". I wasn't sure if that or "Becalmed in Hell" (same cast) was earlier, but both are up there for stories I have in the most collections :)
Yeah, "The Coldest Place" was the first for Niven. And while you're right that some of these have seen print in anthologies, quite a few of them have never been collected before and were exceedingly hard to find (see: hunting down expensive, 20-year-old fanzines on used book sites), and one author gave me a story so rare that I couldn't find mention of it anywhere on the internet... I'm excited to see what people think!
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Yeah, "The Coldest Place" was the first for Niven. And while you're right that some of these have seen print in anthologies, quite a few of them have never been collected before and were exceedingly hard to find (see: hunting down expensive, 20-year-old fanzines on used book sites), and one author gave me a story so rare that I couldn't find mention of it anywhere on the internet... I'm excited to see what people think!
Oh, certainly. Wouldn't be surprised if the Niven is the only one I've read in the book! He just happens to be an author I collect heavily :) Looking forward in particular to how Haldeman and Brin got started.
I'm happy to see a second anthology from Planet Stories, and I like the continued attention on the history of the writers. Short stories are one of my favorite formats, and I have a preference for a mixture of authors as opposed to just one. Not that I haven't enjoyed the single author collections as well.