Another one for ParSec has arrived. (Editor Ian Whates is keeping me busy.)

The book is The Phoenix Keeper by S A MacLean. The author is another who is new to me.

According to the publisher’s accompanying blurb it’s “The Romantasy debut everyone’s talking about.” (Are they? I wasn’t. )

Then comes the line “an irresistible queer romantasy standalone set in a magical zoo.” (Irresistible? Don’t tempt me. I will make up my own mind, thank you.)

It also tells me MacLean is a fantasy romance author from sunny Southern California.

The Cruel Stars by John Birmingham – see also my side-bar under ‘Currently Reading’ – is the latest book I’m reviewing for online SF mag ParSec. It’s the first of a trilogy.

It’s a bit of a bonus since it was published nearly ten months ago now. I had expresed an interest in the second in the series, The Shattered Skies, before I knew it was part of a trilogy and kind Mr Whates, the editor at ParSec, suggested I could read and review both books.

I mentioned the new online SF magazine ParSec here.

Editor Ian Whates is keeping me busy. Two more books have arrived from him for review, This Fragile Earth by Susannah Wise published by Gollancz and The First Sister by Linden Lewis from Hodder.

Well it is actually my fault. I did ask for them from the list of review books he sent out.

At the weekend I was away again, this time in Glasgow for the Satellite 5 Science Fiction Convention.

I met up with a few old friends from the Scottish SF scene, was a member of a panel on the subject of Writing Space – How do SF writers an­d artist­s make their fu­tur­istic tech­nology be­liev­able? And does it really mat­ter i­f they don’t? (I don’t think I made an idiot of myself.)

I was also introduced briefly to the editor of Shoreline of Infinity, a new SF magazine/ezine and a potential home for stories.

Not to mention buying a copy of Neil Williamson’s latest story collection Secret Language published by NewCon Press, so hot off the presses it hasn’t been officially released yet.

And that nice man Ian Whates, publisher at NewCon, gave me a copy of his Pelquin’s Comet as his thank you for doing the proof-reading on it.

On one of our two nights in Cambridge I had agreed to meet up with Eric Brown who lives nearby.

He arranged for other SF writers from the area to join us. They were Chris Beckett, Una McCormack, Philip Vine, BSFA chairman Ian Whates and Rebecca Payne, most of whom I had not met before. The six of them have semi-regular meetings in the Pickerel Inn in Cambridge.

The good lady and I had a meal in the Pickerel before everyone else arrived. Our plates groaned. So many peas were heaped on them we must have been served about half a kilogram between us.

I had meant to take some pictures of the gathering but such a good time was had by all that I forgot.

(No. I wasn’t drunk. I had to drive back to the hotel.)