by | May 16, 2012

The In/Human Element: The Mysteries of the Magi

by Jessica Nelson

This month’s issue of Apex Magazine was something of a special treat for me. In Blood on Vellum, Apex Editor-in-Chief Lynne M. Thomas said, “In this issue, things fall apart: Relationships, societies, religious systems. Dreams and hopes, bodies and minds all pay the price for the choices we make to try to get ahead.” Boy, do they ever. The commonalities don’t stop there, though. Taken together, Rachel Swirsky’s Decomposition, Rahul Kanakia’s Tomorrow’s Dictator, Nnedi Okorafor’s  The Chaos Magician’s Mega Chemistry Set, and Tim Akers’ nonfiction piece Faith in the Fantastic hint at something even larger. Like Tim, I have a strange fascination with religion, so the combination of the treatise on religion in SF/F/H and the prominence of magic in all three stories seems to be a bit of an elephant in the room to me.

Like science, religion is mankind’s way of exploring and understanding the universe and our place in it. For all our vast stores of information, there is still so much we don’t know. General thought today holds that priests and scientists are as far removed from one another as they could possibly be; both approaching the great unknown, but from opposite viewpoints. That wasn’t always the case. Once upon a time, the healers of a community, with their strange chants and herbal concoctions, were thought to hold some magical powers or some divine connection the rest of the society lacked. Today, healing is done by doctors, their knowledge explained by sound scientific principles, and religious incantation is reserved for clergy. Continue reading →

Leave a Comment

Filed under Blog, Genre Matters

Tagged as , , , ,

by | May 15, 2012

Meet our new Blog Editor!

A new blog editor has been chosen. All hail Sarah E. Olson!

Sarah will join the ranks of our posse of other Sarah-named blog editors (Sarah Peduzzi and Sarah Brandel). While having the name of Sarah was not a requirement of the job, it certainly didn’t hurt (or help, to be fair).

Sarah Olson has been working as a submissions editor for Apex Magazine the past two years.  She is a software developer by trade, who also happens to know a lot about WordPress and line editing while maintaining impeccable organization skills. I am delighted to have her step into the position of blog editor and look forward to the new editorial direction she takes us!

Please feel free to send Sarah a hearty congratulations at her new email address: saraholson@apexbookcompany.com.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the candidates. Every single candidate had an amazing amount of skills and smarts. It made the final decision quite difficult… I felt like a kid in a candy shop. This will probably come of as a bit weird (but so be it)… but I felt… honored that so many highly skilled and qualified individuals applied for the position. It is when things like that happens when I feel like I must be doing something right. :)

But this isn’t about me. This is about Sarah Olson.

Go here to learn more about Sarah. There are pictures of her wearing a funny hat, another photo of her giving the ol’ Palpatine shock treatment to her child, and yet another where she’s dressed as a creepy old woman scaring a kid.

Oh yes, the new Madame Blog Editor will fit in well around these parts…

6 Comments

Filed under Apex News, Blog

Tagged as , ,

by | May 14, 2012

The huge events in an otherwise boring life

Most of time, life is pretty boring. We go through our lives, through our day-to-day procedures, and very little changes. Sure, each day and each week have their little ups and downs. After all, I did just eat a Snickers bar and stub my toe, at nearly the same time. But for the most part, life normally lies on a somewhat predictable path.

Creating art works the same way. As an artist, I have procedures to work on the book covers I do for publishers, or the ink art pieces I like to do, and even with my larger paintings. I gather all of the many ideas I have for art, and generally try to produce things in a consistent manner each week.

Sometimes though, a big event comes along that can really shake up the things that you do.

Now, this can be anything, any sort of big change. Maybe you are going to have a child, or get married. Maybe you are moving, from one house to another or even across country. In my case, I have a massive art show and convention (the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live show later this week) that I have a booth at, something that can change much of how I do art and survive as an artist (and as a breadwinner). Continue reading →

Leave a Comment

Filed under Artist Musings, Blog

Tagged as , ,

by | May 9, 2012

Cain’s Legacy: Man’s Inner Evil 1980-1989

Ah, the 80′s–that middle child between the 70′s and 90′s, one sibling heady with it’s own glamour and the other pregnant with import and technology.

The 80′s: all gangly limbs, awkward special effects, and desperate for a sense of identity.

Which brings us to the summer of 1982 and a movie sequel that had the fates of millions riding on it.

The first movie had fared so poorly, the creator was kicked off the sequel. The new creative team went back to ‘their’ roots–which began in the 60′s.

The creative team, looking to the past, found an inroad to success in an exiled character.

Grip the edge of your chair now, turn your body sideways, and grit out his name with me:

“Kahn!”

Khan Noonien Singh’s hatred catapulted an entire Star Trek kingdom. Continue reading →

Leave a Comment

Filed under Artist Musings, Blog

Tagged as ,

by | May 8, 2012

The Great Tag Line Competition: Win a year of Apex books

Apex is in need of a catchy tag line that succinctly describes our unique brand of books while also piquing the interest of potential new readers.

I’ve never been a Johnny-on-the-spot type of guy. Corner me at a convention and ask me the type of books that Apex publishes, I’m more than likely will give you a mumbling, lengthy response. The sad thing is that I know exactly the type of book Apex likes. I’m the guy who buys and publishes them, after all. Apex titles are often edgy. They are books that use the playing field of genre to create challenging and memorable reads. Thus you get books like Machine, Dark Faith, The Apex Book of World SF, Disintegration Visions, Let’s Play White, Unwelcome Bodies, Secret Thoughts, and Orgy of Souls.

So I cornered new senior editor Janet Harriett for tag lines. Under duress, she came up with some solid ones, but nothing that hit the sweet spot. We decided then and there to turn to our readers and challenge them (you!) to send us a tag line. If we decide to make it ours, then you will have every book we publish over the next twelve months delivered to you for free (and this includes a digital subscription to Apex Magazine and any books released under TZF).

To enter, simply leave your tag line entry (more than one is okay) in a comment below. A winner will be chosen next Friday. By entering, you are agreeing to let Apex use your tag line without restriction or reservation, and that your entry is wholly original and does not impede on anyone’s copyright.

Hit us with your best shots. We look forward to your entries!

62 Comments

Filed under Blog, Words from the Publisher

Tagged as

by | May 3, 2012

Apex Publishing seeks blog editor

It is with a heavy heart I announce that our blog editor, Sarah Peduzzi, has decided to move on. Sarah is yet another in a line of outstanding Apex blog editors that includes MG Ellington and Sarah Brandel. I am grateful and so very pleased by the job she has done. Thank you, Sarah!

Fortunately, Sarah isn’t leaving Apex, just scaling back a bit. In truth, I simply couldn’t part with her! She’s taken a position as a part-time marketing editor and will play an important role in some HUGE things happening this year.

Unfortunately, that means I need to find a new blog editor. A few things up front about the job… this is a non-currency position, meaning there is no money to be made. But you do get amazing intangibles like a free Apex shirt, merchandise when we have it, and you get for free some of the most valuable items in the world (to me, at least)–free Apex books!

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Blog, Book Review

Tagged as ,

by | May 2, 2012

The Apex Books Gateway Guide: An Occupation of Angels by Lavie Tidhar

An Occupation of Angels begins with the assassination of Raphael and drops the reader into the middle of a page-turning spy thriller narrated by an operative of a black-budget espionage agency, who trickles out information to the reader on a need-to-know basis. At the outset, archangels have been living among humanity for more than 25 years, since the waning days of World War II. What they’re doing there and why someone — other than the narrator who opens with her account of shooting Raphael in the wings — wants to kill them provides the central mystery of the novella.

Lavie Tidhar’s style is evident in the language, with complex sentence structure that sometimes plays fast and loose with the rules of English. The syntax is always serving the story, though, and every deviation from standard English is engineered for a specific effect. It’s an excellent example of how “know the rules before you break them” works in writing.

With the quick pace of the prose, the 131 pages of the book fly by. It’s a quick read, but stands up well to rereading.

Recommendation

An Occupation of Angels could be described as a paranormal spy thriller. The story centers around Cold War spy for a super-secret British agency and spins through several nations with impressive landscapes, and readers who like James Bond stories for the intrigue and settings will find those elements aplenty here.

While the language is still meticulously crafted, the action is more front-and-center in this book. An Occupation of Angels is a good entry point for readers seeking more entertainment than catharsis in their selection.

2 Comments

Filed under Blog, Book Review

Tagged as , , ,

by | May 1, 2012

Apex Magazine issue 36 released

Apex Magazine Issue 36Apex has released issue 36 of Apex Magazine.  That means we’ve been producing pro-level fiction content for three years… time flies when you’re having fun! :)

This issue we have fiction from Rachel Swirsky, Rahul Kanakia, and Nnedi Okorafor. There is an interesting nonfiction work called “Faith in the Fantastic” by Tim Akers. Maggie Slater interviews featured author Rachel Swirky.The cover art comes from Naoto Hattori.

Apex Magazine is free for all to read at http://apex-magazine.com. The current issue headlines the front page, but you can hit our archive for all past content.

For those who like to read us on their Kindle, Nook, Sony eBook (or you want to support what we’re doing with a show of financial support), whatever, we offer each issue for $2.99. Subscriptions for twelve issues can be bought for $19.95 from Apex or our friends at Weightless Books. Those with a Kindle can subscribe via Amazon for $1.99 a month.

Enjoy the issue, and we look forward to another great three years!

Leave a Comment

Filed under Apex News, Blog

Tagged as , , , , ,