Nonstop Press

MUSINGS and MEDITATIONS: Reflections On Science Fiction, Science, And Other Matters

Trade paper; 344 pages; $18.95

… there are not many people you can talk to who remember what he remembers, and fewer who remember it with such acuity, charm, and a graceful even-handedness that sometimes borders on detachment, but just as often reveals glimpses of the primordial passion that attracted Silverberg to SF in the first place … ” – Read full Locus review here.

“This delightful collection reflects Silverberg’s wide-ranging interests, wit, and mastery of the craft.” – Read full Publishers Weekly starred review here.

“Writers, science fiction fans, and readers who enjoy insightful, even controversial writing will find this collection invaluable.” – Library Journal

PRESENTING essays from one of contemporary science fiction’s most acclaimed and imaginative wordsmiths, this collection shows that Robert Silverberg’s nonfiction is as witty and original as his fiction and full of acute observations and matter-of-fact insights. Whether he is discussing science fiction, history, cultural effects, science, or the nuts and bolts of writing, Silverberg is always exploring new territories. As in his fiction, no cultural icon escapes his scrutiny, including fellow writers such as Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, H. P. Lovecraft, and Isaac Asimov. Herein you will find delightfully wicked commentaries on the concepts of thought-crimes, space exploration, the ancient Antikythera Computer, and the universal translator in science fiction.

From the Foreword “Reflections Of An Opinion-Monger” by Robert Silverberg:

“This is the second collection of the essays I’ve done in … thirty-plus years. The first, Reflections and Refractions, was published in 1997 by Underwood Books, and its 425 pages included most — not all — of my magazine pieces written between 1973 and 1996. This new volume picks up the thread from there and collects much of my 1996-2010 work (and one from 1995).

Many of the essays collected in this book, and in its predecessor, are personal ones. I don’t just mean that they represent my own opinions — that should go without saying — but that a good many of them deal with my own books and stories, with my own life, with my own experience of being a science fiction writer. That should cause no surprise, and I offer no apologies.”

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EXCLUSIVE. Now available for the first time a limited  edition print (100 print-run) by Jack Gaughan. This piece of art was done for the novelette “Death and Birth of the Angakok” by Hayden Howard. The story appeared in the April 1965 issue of Galaxy Magazine. These prints are from a  linocut created in early 1965 by Gaughan and printed now for the first time by his wife, and artist in her own right, Phoebe Gaughan, in a very limited edition. This print is sold together with a signed first edition of OUTERMOST: THE ART + LIFE OF JACK GAUGHAN for $150, plus shipping. A great deal. Place your order now before these are sold out.

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“… [Gaughan's] work articulated a postpulp sensibility that spoke to the realities as well as fantasies of the dawning space age. Ortiz does the same meticulous job he did in his previous books on artists Ed Emshwiller and Lee Brown Coye…” – www.publishersweekly.com

“Ortiz is a master at assembling rock-solid facts, elucidating informed critical appraisals, and welding the two streams of discourse into a very readable narrative with the allure of a novel.” – Asimov’s Science Fiction

“It’s a beautiful job, a wonderful portrait of a career and life.” – Robert Silverberg

Out-of-this-world imagery, explosive color, and occasionally creepy creations merge together in this elaborate collection of the work of artist Jack Gaughan. Extremely prolific and popular, Gaughan ruled genre book and magazine cover art from the 1960s through the 1980s. This chronicle is the first to detail the art and life of this master of fantastic art. Overflowing with samples of work from the artist’s personal archives and exploring his working method, this definitive volume provides an inside look into this multi-award winning artist’s life and work. Over 400 images in full color and b&w.

“These tales have the pulpy goodness steampunk fans adore and a literary veneer of contemporary realism….” – Publishers Weekly

“ … an exercise in terrific storytelling and a time-spanning parallel of creative sensibilities, proving the genre not only has a bright future, but a brilliant past.” – Sacramento Book Review

Discover original steampunk tales in this anthology of stories written before there were actual rocketships, atomic power, digital computers, or readily available electricity. The modern day steampunk genre is a reinvention of the past through the eyes of its inventors and adventurers, but this collection is from real Victorians and Edwardians who saw the future potential of science and all its daring possibilities for progress and disasters. Edited by Mike Ashey, with a foreword by Paul di Fillipo and 16 New illustrations by Luis Ortiz.

NEW – Kindle/Mobi DRM-free ebook now available.