Exciting news this week with the launch of Pan Macmillan’s digital-only publishing arm, Momentum.

Momentum plans to release 22 new titles this year at reasonable prices available on a range of digital platforms. Currently they have some digital versions of existing print novels available. But there’s also Book One in The Valkeryn Chronicles, a new YA  series by Greig Beck, whose Alex Hunter novels we have long enjoyed.

We’re also hanging out for the release of The Chimera Vector by Nathan Farrugia, a kick-ass, smart sci-fi/ adventure novel.

Anyway, welcome Momentum! Long may you digitise good Aussie fiction.

And then this early Christmas present landed…

Thanks to blastr and cabletv.com check out the awesomeness of this Dr Who infographic, which – in our honest opinion – may even teach diehard Dr Who fans a thing or two about the good Doctor.

Click on the image to go to this baby in its full and complete glory.

It’s that time of year again, when credit gets tight and belts get loosened.

From all of us here at coeur de lion publishing, enjoy a safe and happy holiday.

Here’s to the future!

Here at coeur de lion we’re devout lovers of classic science fiction and fantasy. One reason for this is that we’re old enough to have read some of it (not all of it, thank you very much) first time around. So with the boon of epublishing, we’re delighted to see that Gollancz, one of the biggest publishers of speculative fiction in the world, is making a lot of out of print or hard to find spec fic available to everyone through its SF Gateway ebook project.

Scores of titles are already available and being added to regularly. Authors represented so far include:

Poul Anderson, Gregory Benford, David Bischoff, Michael Bishop, James Blish, Marion Zimmer Bradley, David Brin, John Brunner, Algis Budrys, Pat Cadigan, John W. Campbell, Terry Carr, Arthur C. Clarke, Hal Clement, Edmund Cooper, Richard Cowper, Samuel R. Delany, Gordon R. Dickson, L. Sprague de Camp , Gordon Eklund, Joe Haldeman, Harry Harrison, Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert, Philip E. High, Garry Kilworth, Damon Knight, Mercedes Lackey, Gentry Lee, Barry N. Malzberg, Julian May, Andre Norton, Tim Powers, Bob Shaw, Robert Silverberg, Clifford D. Simak, John Sladek, Cordwainer Smith, E.E. ‘Doc’ Smith, Norman Spinrad, Theodore Sturgeon, Sheri S. Tepper, E.C. Tubb, Harry Turtledove, Jack Vance, Ian Watson, Ted White, Kate Wilhelm, and Gene Wolfe.

Phew! So get over to SF Gateway and start buying. Isn’t the future wonderful?!

Very unexpected news from the maestro Stephen King arrived in our inbox today. No, not directly – we’re not THAT well connected…

Dear Constant Readers,

At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard and Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the beginning of Wolves of the Calla)?

There was a storm, I decided. One of sudden and vicious intensity. The kind to which billy-bumblers like Oy are particularly susceptible. Little by little, a story began to take shape. I saw a line of riders, one of them Roland’s old mate, Jamie DeCurry, emerging from clouds of alkali dust thrown by a high wind. I saw a severed head on a fencepost. I saw a swamp full of dangers and terrors. I saw just enough to want to see the rest. Long story short, I went back to visit an-tet with my friends for awhile. The result is a novel called The Wind Through the Keyhole. It’s finished, and I expect it will be published next year.

It won’t tell you much that’s new about Roland and his friends, but there’s a lot none of us knew about Mid-World, both past and present. The novel is shorter than DT 2-7, but quite a bit longer than the first volume—call this one DT-4.5. It’s not going to change anybody’s life, but God, I had fun.

– Steve King

Well, you know we love the Dark Tower. So we’re on board for Volume 4.5. And since the mooted tv series and movies appear to be in development hell, no doubt this new installment will be on the bookshelves well before the other version is on our screens.