While I was waiting for the edits for The Thief to come back, I dashed out a new short story! I can't tell you much about it right now, except that (a) it is a prequel of sorts to the third Cosmic Shores novel (the title of which you will discover at the end of The Thief), while also being a completely stand-alone story, (b) I LOVE it, and (c) you'll be able to read it this fall.
Space Opera
I love this characterization of space opera. What about you?
Note: the statement is attributed to Iain Banks here, but, as is so often the case with eloquent quotes, I can't find confirmation that he said it.
Soaring Above the Earth
New watch face! The planet spins, creating the impression you're flying above it. I am such a nerd.
Several people asked where to get it for themselves, so here’s the link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.thema.wear.watch.spacetraveler
A Classic Eren Moment
In honor of Eren's impending (irresistible) adventure, I give you a classic Eren moment from RELATIVITY.
How fun is he to write? All the fun is the answer.
10th Anniversary Celebration
Mr. Jennsen took me out to a lovely dinner this weekend to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Starshine's publication and the start of this crazy book journey. (You can read all about that HERE, if you missed it in the newsletter).
The many wonderful thoughts you all shared about my books and the ways they've impacted you absolutely bowled me over - my heart is full. I truly have the best readers in the multiverse. Thank you all so much!
And So It Begins (Again)
Season 1 of Babylon 5 has held up remarkably well,* and far better than I expected! The last time I rewatched - quite a few years ago - I remember thinking it looked and felt horribly dated, so I believe the remaster has made a ton of subtle improvements that create a much more watchable experience from a visual perspective.
These recent remasters (Farscape and The Abyss, along with B5) don't make the product look like a "new" show, but they do enough so that (except when heavy special effects are in use) you don't notice that it's an "old" show. Then, it's all about the story and characters.
And my goodness, this story. JMS really did know where he was going from the very beginning; that wasn't just PR puffed up after the fact to make the show seem more important.
Now, onward to Season 2, where shit gets real - but it's okay, because "Captain Sunshine" is on the job! (#MrJennsen's nickname for Sheridan.)
*It held up far better than Farscape Season 1, I'm afraid, which took 3/4 of the season for the script and the actors to get their feet under them and figure out what they were making here. Mind you, once they did, it quickly became a wonderful, delightfully weird and unexpectedly heartfelt show. Ben Browder and Claudia Black are even more amazing than I remembered, and...but this is a B5 post, not a Farscape one!
Update on The Thief
Hey, you all remember that next book I'm writing? The one with Eren in it and...that's all that really matters, right? Well, it hit its word count this week!
Where are we? Late in the first big editing pass. Is this book taking too long to write? Yes! It's not Eren's fault (how could it be). Sometimes RealLife™ is a bully. But I've got the book on the run now.
Sunlit
Story time!
I finished "The Sunlit Man" by Brandon Sanderson yesterday. After reading a short story of his in the "Galactic Empires" anthology and enjoying it, I decided it was time at last to read one of Sanderson's books. I chose "The Sunlit Man" because it has sci-fi elements mixed in with the usual helping of fantasy.
It was good! Not 5 stars, but an entertaining read. So last night, #MrJennsen and I are chatting about it, as two book lovers do.
Me: "It's ostensibly a stand-alone novel set in his Cosmere universe, but for a while I was doubting that assertion, as the MC kept referencing previous events in the universe.
"When I got to the Author's Note, I learned that the MC was a minor character in one or more other Cosmere books, and this was a one-off tale featuring him. I guess all the references were Easter Eggs for fans of his series. So basically, it's a stand-alone novel the way Medusa Falling is a stand-alone novel."
Mr Jennsen: *nods sagely*
Then I start talking about the plot of the book.
Me: "The MC arrives on this strange, unfamiliar planet. He's only planning on staying there for a hot minute, but events conspire to trap him on the planet. He falls in with a ragtag group of rebels, and of necessity starts to help them with their cause as a way for him to get off the planet.
"But over time, he comes to care for these people and realizes their cause is a just one, so he ends up throwing all in with them in a risky plan they hope will win freedom for themselves and others."
Mr. Jennsen: *stares sagely*
Me: "What?"
Mr. Jennsen: ...
Mr. Jennsen: "...So it's Medusa Falling."
Me: ...
Me: "...Yes."
***
PS: Not really, for every detail is different. The moral of this tale? Something all writers have to internalize eventually if they want to write fearlessly: every story has already been told; it's all in how you tell it.
A Sensible 74
I regret nothing.
I mean...we love them all, don't we? (Except the ones we love to hate.) Amaranthe just wouldn't be the same without all 74 of them, right?
SciFi in 2024
Hey, it's a new year! What are you excited about in the world of science fiction this year? The theatrical release of Dune: Part Two is the 800-lb gorilla, of course (and I'm excited), but it's hardly the only game in town.
How about the 3 Body Problem show on Netflix, or new seasons of the growing number of quality scifi shows on Apple+ (For All Mankind, Foundation, Silo, Invasion and more)?
Or books (we love those)! On tap is the first book in a brand-new series from James S. A. Corey ("The Mercy of Gods"), as well as at least two new novels from Adrian Tchaikovsky (the man is prolific AF) and a new Bobiverse novel, to name just a few.
So what do you have your eye on?
Happy Book Birthday to Duality
Happy 1st Book Birthday to DUALITY, the book that, among many other feats, changed our perception of the 18 books that came before it. (If you know, you know. On that note, armed with this capital-K Knowledge, have you started your reread yet?)
Were you all as exhausted as I was after finishing the epic saga that was Riven Worlds? My goodness! This is one reason why we're taking a fun little diversion with the Cosmic Shores stand-alones - everyone (you, me, the characters) needs a little break to catch their breath, lol.
Underrated
What a cool surprise: STARSHINE made The Review Geek’s list of “10 Great Books from Underrated Authors”! The list covers all genres, and Starshine is the only scifi novel.
The site looks to offer awesome coverage of all things geek entertainment, so after you peruse the list, check out the rest of their content.
Gifts that Keep On Giving
The Christmas gifts that will keep on giving! First The Abyss, now these beauties, both remastered for BluRay at long last. Mr. Jennsen and I are going to spend the next several months re-experiencing some of the best scifi TV has ever offered up.
P.S.: Remastering is not a magic bullet that transforms the content into "just like new" visuals. We've started with Farscape and, like The Abyss, the core cinematography - interior shots focused on the characters - looks excellent. The colors are vibrant and the visuals are sharp. What it doesn't do that much for are the special effects (also true for The Abyss); I suspect modernizing those would be a much larger project. However, I imagine that if I were to go back and watch the original DVDs, I would be blown away at how much better these look.
P.P.S: Yes, the Farscape box includes The Peacekeeper Wars (and new special features)! But make sure you get the 25th Anniversary Edition, as there are several collections out there that do not.
The Abyss Remastered
Mr. Jennsen and I had a date night Wednesday! One of my favorite movies has FINALLY been remastered in 4K, and they released it to selected theaters for one night only. Don’t fret if you didn’t know - the new version will be available to stream later this month, and a BluRay will be released in March 2024.
It looked gorgeous! Yes, at times the special effects heavy scenes showed their age, but the rest of the cinematography looked incredible - they definitely did far more than just slap a new label on it.
Christmas Gifts?
Fancy gifting your favorite Amaranthe fan with a personalized, signed paperback for Christmas? Get your orders in early, before the postal service totally melts down!
https://www.gsjennsen.com/paperback-store?category=Signed+Paperbacks
P.S.: It's 100% okay if your favorite Amaranthe fan is yourself.
P.P.S.: I have paperbacks of Medusa Falling and the Short Stories Collection as well - I just don't have handy pics of them.
Spotify Audiobooks
Do you have a Spotify subscription? Well, as of today, you can use it to listen to audiobooks, including mine. Spotify Premium now comes with 15 hours a month of audiobook listening for no additional cost (you can also buy audiobooks a la carte). See all my audiobooks here: https://open.spotify.com/search/g.%20s.%20jennsen/audiobooks.
Noted: the Spotify interface for finding and browsing audiobooks is still really, really basic (you can't click an author or narrator name to see all their work, or sort by order in the series, for instance). It will improve, but until then, if you need a reminder, you can see my recommended reading/listening order here: https://www.gsjennsen.com/amaranthe-universe.
Does it seem like there's a lot of news about audiobooks lately? That's because there is! It's the hottest segment in the business, and the industry is undergoing rapid innovation (and a bit of turmoil). May you listen in interesting times.
New Interview
Anyone want to take a deep-dive into my weird brain? I'm thrilled to have been interviewed by awesome fantasy author C. Borden on her blog. We talk about the Amaranthe universe, Medusa Falling, Marlee as a character, sci-fi inspirations, what being a lawyer taught me about writing, doing conventions as an introvert, and much, much more.
https://authorcborden.com/2023/10/06/author-spotlight-g-s-jennsen/
Dragon Con Booth
Me at Dragon Con last week, doing Dragon Con things. All the thanks to Carole for the tremendous help setting up the booth, James Hunter and the guys at Shadow Alley Press for absolutely pwning a metric f*ckton of book boxes with brutal efficiency, Claire for holding down the fort like a pro when I had to act like a writer on panels, and of course Katie Cross for being a rockstar of a boothmate. It was a fantastic (and exhausting) four days of talking on panels, hanging out with author friends, and meeting so many awesome readers.
Podcast Interview
I had a great time chatting with fellow sci-fi author JR Handley on the Blasters and Blades Podcast this week! We talked about taking SF worldbuilding to 11 (or 12...), cooking in space, spaceships, how weird alien species can get, what's next for Amaranthe, and so, so much more.
You can listen to the podcast at multiple places:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/5db7_8Di9Nw
BitChute: https://www.bitchute.com/video/5db7_8Di9Nw/
Rumble: https://rumble.com/v387i13-episode-278-gs-jennsen-starship-captain.html
Amaranthe Novels In Hardback
A year and a half after I started the project, I'm thrilled (and relieved) to announce that all 20 Amaranthe novels are now available in hardback!
You can get them from Amazon, Barnes & Noble's website, Waterstones and many more online retailers. To celebrate, I've also added the ability to special order signed hardbacks from my website. What does "special order" mean? Well, it's still not practical (or cost effective) for me to maintain hardback stock at my home. If you buy a signed hardback, I'll order one from the printer; when it arrives, I'll inscribe it and send it to you! This means it'll take several weeks for you to get your book - but chances are you've already read it, so.
https://www.gsjennsen.com/paperback-store?category=Signed+Hardbacks
Of course, you can still order signed paperbacks from me and get them in a couple of days!
