• Fantasy Book Critic presents a 2008 review & 2009 preview from Kevin J. Anderson.
• Over at his Neth Space blog, Ken takes a look at R. Scott Bakker‘s forthcoming fantasy opus The Judging Eye and declares Bakker’s writing to be “nothing short of excellence”.
• Marie Brennan explores the fantasy genre’s fascination with monarchy in her latest column for SFNovelists.com. And RobotsAndVamps.com has posted a quick review of Midnight Never Come.
• SFFWorld.com has posted Rob Bedford’s review of Orphan’s Alliance by Robert Buettner and Robert reveals the cover and publication date for the fifth book in the Jason Wander series, Orphan’s Triumph.
• Blogger Graeme Flory re-traces his steps to re-visit Fool Moon, the second book in Jim Butcher‘s Dresden Files series, for his Graeme’s Fantasy Book Reviews blog, whilst Gav at NextRead posts a round-up review of the next three books.
• Mike Carey has written a Best of 2008 piece for the Forbidden Planet International blog.
• Reviewer Mark Chitty was highly impressed by Michael Cobley‘s forthcoming science fiction novel, Seeds of Earth.
• David Farland (Dave Wolverton) has some advice for writers on weathering a recession: write it out.
• Pamela Freeman‘s Blood Ties is critiqued by Aidan Moher of A Dribble of Ink and then discussed by Aidan, Pamela and others in the comments.
• Ian Graham is interviewed over at Speculative Horizons, talking about the prequel to Monument.
• Charlie Huston‘s Book of All Future Names project reaches volume IX: Shadding and Necrotic.
• Christopher Moore has contributed a 17-syllable Poetry of the Living Dead piece to the Zombie Haiku project.
• The Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin’ blog is giving away a copy of Orcs by Stan Nicholls.
• GreenManReview.com takes a look at forthcoming comic fantasy The Accidental Sorcerer by K.E. Mills.
• Philip Palmer asks: is the Keanu Reeves re-make of The Day The Earth Stood Still actually helping to save the Earth from alien invasion?
• Gary Reynolds has posted a chunk of Dark Space by Marianne de Pierres at his Concept SciFi blog and Fantasy Book Critic has a review of the sequel, Chaos Space.
• Jennifer Rardin talks to Reading With a Bite about her Jaz Parks series.
• Brian Ruckley has posted another selection of recommended books that pre-date the Internet.
• Brandon Sanderson re-visits an interview from this time last year to see how things have changed over twelve months of work on the final Wheel of Time instalment.
• Jeff Somers shares a random musing or two on the subject of Battlestar Galactica and romance in sci-fi.
• John Ottinger has posted a review of the first part of Scott Westerfeld‘s Risen Empire over at Grasping for the Wind.
• Australian Dark Fiction blog HorrorScope.com has posted a review of Earth Ascendant by Sean Williams.

• Marie Brennan posts a selection of first lines from as-yet unwritten short stories.
• Sotheby’s are auctioning an incredibly rare manuscript by the late, great Arthur C Clarke in New York on December 11th.
• David Farland has been interviewed over at Suvudu.com where they ask him about writing, being published and what he’s got coming up on the horizon.
• Charlie Huston points the way to a free download of his crime novel Six Bad Things and subsequently sings the praises of giving away free e-books for promotional purposes.
• Ken MacLeod reveals that he has “a (commissioned and expert-advised) short story about what it might be like to be a space tourist in 2103 in the January 2009 issue of Focus, the BBC’s glossy magazine of science, technology and the future.”
• There’s an extensive and detailed interview with Karen Miller online at swbooks.co.uk, all about her experience of writing for the Star Wars universe.
• Hagelrat has posted a quick review of Christopher Moore‘s The Stupidest Angel on Un:Bound.
• Matt Staggs takes a quick look at Orcs by Stan Nicholls, over at Enter the Octopus.
• Free fiction from Jennifer Rardin this week as she unveils Jaz’s Roots and begins to tell the tale of the Daemon Wars, with Parts I and II.
• Brian Ruckley displays the cover of his next novel, Fall of Thanes “in all its beardy and mail-clad glory”.
• One from the archives, as Chris from Geek Monkey reviews Glasshouse by Charles Stross over at Un:Bound. And via Sci-Fi-London we learn that Charles will be signing books at Waterstone’s West End in Edinburgh on December 11th at 6.00 p.m.
• Sean Williams has posted a round-up of recent online coverage, including a set of extracts from all three Astropolis novels posted at ConceptSciFi. There’s also a new interview with Sean, talking about his Star Wars: The Force Unleashed novelisation, over at Tor.com.

• Blogger Graeme Flory gave R. Scott Bakker‘s The Judging Eye a whopping 9.75/10 in his glowing review and Larry at OF Blog of the Fallen has posted his initial thoughts on the book as well.
• Marie Brennan‘s latest post at SFNovelists.com poses the question of fellow writers: do you ‘practice’ writing? Marie is also asking for suggestions as to stylistic comparisons of her writing. And you can now hear a flash-fic short story by Marie via the Podcastle podcast.
• Simon Appleby at BookGeeks.co.uk has good things to say about Blood Ties by Pamela Freeman.
• Karen Miller has posted details of a couple of recent interview pieces now available online.
• Philip Palmer shares a few holiday reading recommendations (and it’s pretty dark stuff, for the most part…)
• Kimberley Saunders, writing at TheBookBag.co.uk thoroughly enjoyed Chaos Space by Marianne de Pierres.
• Brian Ruckley’s Bloodheir has been enthusiastically reviewed over at Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews.
• Charles Stross answers the age-old question: Where do you get your ideas?
• Looks like some lucky Brent Weeks fans have discovered that some retailers are already shipping Beyond the Shadows in advance of the official publication date…
• Brent Weeks is also on the spot at BookSpotCentral.com this week.
• The latest (third) issue of the ConceptSciFi.com ezine (pdf, free to download) includes a reprinted short story by Sean Williams.

• Jennifer Rardin has a zombie (!) story up at The League of Reluctant Adults.
• Marie Brennan shares a midnight revelation on the importance of blood, love and rhetoric in fiction (with a hat-tip to Tom Stoppard).
• And Marie Brennan‘s Midnight Never Come continues to attract reviewers’ attention, months after publication: NextRead.co.uk is the latest blog to label it “highly recommended”.
• Reviewer Kelly Malcher has good things to say about Orphanage, the first book in Robert Buettner‘s Jason Wander series, over at Fandomania.com.
• The latest edition of pdf e-zine Falcata Times (warning: cover art somewhat NSFW) includes an interview with Jacqueline Carey.
• New-author-on-the-Orbit-block Michael Cobley seems rather pleased with the Steve Stone cover artwork for his new novel The Seeds of Earth.
• Kate Elliott answers readers’ questions: on developing themes and on outlining her novels.
• Pamela Freeman has re-posted Stuart Mayne’s review of her latest Orbit novel, Deep Water.
• Charlie Huston‘s US Publisher, Random House, is giving away pdf copies of his three ‘Hank Thompson’ crime novels, in conjunctions with MonstersAndCritics.com.
• Meanwhile Charlie Huston has posted reader Anne Kimbol’s Joe Pitt primer – warning: spoilers! – as well as part VIII of his ongoing Book of All Future Names project.
• Glenda Larke says fantasy writers shouldn’t be afraid of using fantasy tropes, memes and clichés, as long as they use them well.
• Ken MacLeod has taken part in Spiked Online’s Enlightening the Future debate [via Futurismic.com]
• John C. Snider takes a look at Ken MacLeod‘s The Night Sessions in his SfiFiDimensions.com review.
• Two more reviews of K. J. Parker‘s new stand-alone fantasy novel The Company: Highlander’s Book Reviews calls it a novel that goes “beyond the boundaries and norms of the fantasy genre” and Fantasy Book News and Reviews uses the recent Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist review as a springboard for a discussion of the book’s central premise.
• Marianne de Pierres reveals the title of the fourth book in her Sentients of Orion series, and that our very own ‘Big Ed‘ was instrumental in the process…
• Lilith Saintcrow explains why writers do what they do and explores the myth of the destructive artist.
• Charles Stross explores that strange feeling of having just finished a novel.
• Brent Weeks is winning over even more fans out in the blogosphere with his debut series The Night Angel Trilogy: BloodOfTheMuse.com has posted Paul Stotts’ reviews of The Way of Shadows and Shadow’s Edge, Liviu C Suciu’s review of The Way of Shadows is live at FantasyBookCritic.blogspot.com and BookSpotCentral.com has run another extremely favourable review of The Way of Shadows. Don’t worry, folks – not too long now until Beyond the Shadows reveals all…
• Orbit authors Sean Williams and Allen Steele have taken part in a mind-meld on the future of Science Fiction, over at www.SFSignal.com.

And finally…

• A Hallowe’en audio-treat from our housemates at Little, Brown: a free-to-download reading of Charlotte Bronte‘s ghostly tale ‘Napoleon and the Spectre’: Part One & Part Two.

• Over at Grasping for the Wind, John is calling K.J Parker’s The Company a ‘must read’.
• Pat from Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist is a fan as well, and says The Company ‘an original and well-crafted tale’.
• Interested Brent Weeks’ debut The Way of Shadows? You can win a free set of the trilogy over at Neth Space now.
• In other giveaway news, you can win Dark Space and the brand new Chaos Space by Marianne de Pierres over at Walker of Worlds.
• Newest Orbit author Marjorie M. Liu is guest blogging over at her agent’s blog about whether their are limits to the imagination when writing fantasy.
• SFRevu’s taken a look at Kelley Armstrong’s latest Otherworld novel, Living with the Dead, and finds it ‘a mix of romance, action, adventure, edge of the seat danger, and some thoughtful comments on the world and the nature of people’. Living with the Dead is out next month.

• Robert Buettner applies the Page 99 Test to his next book, Orphan’s Alliance, which we’re publishing early next year.
• Simon over at the BookGeeks reviews Sean Williams’ Saturn Returns and calls it ‘intriguing and promising’.
• As well as rocketing up the bestseller charts, Karen Traviss’ Star Wars: Order 66 has gotten a great review over at SFRevu this week.
• Charlie Huston has been interviewed by Rick Kleffel for the Agony Column podcast and gets more love from Matt Staggs as well.
• Tia over at Fantasy Debut has finished Jennifer Rardin’s Once Bitten, Twice Shy and is impressed with the outcome!
• Andy Remic has narrated and recorded an audio version of his novel Spiral – full details on his blog at andyremic.blogspot.com.
• Following on from his interview last week, Graeme over at Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review showcases the UK cover art for Every Last Drop by Charlie Huston.

• Marie Brennan offers an insight into the full-time writerly life.
• Suvudu.com hails Terry Brooks – best known for his truly epic Shannara saga – as an overlooked star of the extremely popular urban fantasy sub-genre.
• A quick one from the archives: Mike Carey‘s first Orbit novel, The Devil You Know is reviewed over at Urban Fantasy Land.
• Charlie Huston talks to Blood of the Muse and Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review about his latest Joe Pitt novel, Every Last Drop, which we’ll be publishing in the UK in March next year.
• IO9.com editor Annalee Newitz reviews Ken MacLeod’s The Night Sessions, asking Do Protestant Terrorist Robots Have Souls? in the process.
• Over at Civilian Reader, reviewer Emma Newrick has very good things indeed to say about The Riven Kingdom by Karen Miller.
• Meanwhile, Karen Miller reports on an excellent time had by all at Conflux last weekend.
• Over at ConceptSciFi.com, blogger Gary Reynolds has posted his review of Debatable Space by Philip Palmer.
• Lilith Saintcrow hasposted the final part of her online serial novel, Selene, so you can now read the whole book, absolutely free.
• Halting State by Charles Stross has been reviewed by Vicky Williamson for socialistreview.org.uk.
• Orbit debutant Brent Weeks, who has been enjoying a fair amount of online buzz recently (see our Way of Shadows review round-up), has also been interviewed over at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist.

• Kelley Armstrong is writing a new ‘Otherworld’ story for the mini-anthology A Fantasy Medley, which was recently announced by US indie press Subterranean.
• Blogger Liz thoroughly enjoyed Marie Brennan‘s Midnight Never Come and says so over at myfavouritebooks.blogspot.com.
• Robert Buettner has been interviewed for the Fandomania Podcast.
• Michael Cobley is pleased as punch with the Steve Stone artwork we’re putting on his new novel The Seeds of Earth when we publish next March.
• Jennifer Fallon has been reading some odd stuff in the name of “food-based research” – readers with a delicate constitution may want to look away now…
• David Farland will be teaching two writing workshops in Saint George, Utah next April.
• Jo Graham presents an introduction to her next novel, Hand of Isis, which will be published in the US and UK by Orbit in March 2009.
• Charlie Huston presents The Book of All Future Names, part the VIIth.
• And speaking of Charlie Huston: reviewer Paul Stotts was greatly impressed with Every Last Drop (due from Orbit UK in Feb 2009), whilst Matt Staggs presents an enthusiastic overview of the Joe Pitt series to-date.
• Empire Online presents its essential guide to Twilight, The Movie, which is of course based on Stephenie Meyer’s debut novel.
• Karen Miller offers writing advice on the topic of finding the moments.
• Over at BookGeeks.co.uk, reviewer Simon Appleby says good things about K.J. Parker‘s new novel, The Company.
• Jennifer Rardin has posted parts I – III of When Vayl Met Jaz. Coming next week: When Jaz Met Vayl.
• Lilith Saintcrow offers some sage advice on the subject of how to get an agent.
• Jeff Somers muses on including modern technology in fiction and thereby running the risk that it subsequently loses its modernity.
• Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist is running an email sweepstake to win one of four copies of The Way of Shadows, part one of the brand new Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks.

• BookSpotCentral has posted a review of Daniel Abrahams’ A Shadow in Summer, the first part of The Long Price.
• StrangeHorizons.com reviewer R.J. Burgess overcomes an assumed dislike of novels inspired by RPGs to discover that there’s a lot to like in Marie Brennan‘s Midnight Never Come.
• Marie Brennan is also answering readers’ questions over at her Livejournal: round one, round two and round three so far.
• Over at Grasping for the Wind, John has posted his notes on a lecture given by Terry Brooks last year.
• Green Man Review has good things to say about Robert Buettner‘s latest Jason Wander book, in their review of Orphan’s Journey.
• Orbit author-to-be N.K. Jemisin guest-blogs her choice of Ten Epic Fantasy Themes We Don’t See Enough Of.
• The Book Swede posts a review of Jennifer Fallon‘s Wolfblade.
• Reviewer Graeme Flory enjoyed the fourth book in Charlie Huston‘s Joe Pitt series and says so in his review.
• Ken MacLeod‘s The Night Sessions comes under Nic Clarke’s critical spotlight in an in-depth review over at StrangeHorizons.com.
• Karen Miller has posted details of the research reading list that was one result of her recent trip to the UK.
• Philip Palmer‘s BBC radio-play adaptation of Tayeb Salih’s The Season of Migration to the North is due to be broadcast this Sunday.
• Jennifer Rardin presents: When Vayl Met Jaz, Part One.
• Brent Weeks, author of the soon-to-be-released Night Angel trilogy has been interviewed for the Fantasy Book Reviewer blog.