Daniel Abraham's second thread

[Maltaran]

There was one gripe I had about the book, and that was (spoilers for Cibola Burn):

Amos should have stayed dead. The fake-out death was annoying and it severely diminished the impact of the whole affair on Holden. There was a lot of death all around, but somehow all of the characters you ended up caring for in the story survive and the bad guy (Murtry) gets vanquished. That just felt a bit too unlikely given how cataclysmic the events in the story are (and how effective the book is at conveying the danger the characters are in).

ST

I agree, that was a cop-out. Murtry seemed overly cartoonish as well

[Spockydog]

There was one gripe I had about the book, and that was (spoilers for Cibola Burn):

Amos should have stayed dead. The fake-out death was annoying and it severely diminished the impact of the whole affair on Holden. There was a lot of death all around, but somehow all of the characters you ended up caring for in the story survive and the bad guy (Murtry) gets vanquished. That just felt a bit too unlikely given how cataclysmic the events in the story are (and how effective the book is at conveying the danger the characters are in).

ST

Yeah, totally agree.

Everything tied up far too neatly. Regarding Amos, I'm glad he lived, 'cos he's a great fucking character. But to leave him lying, half-dead, at the mercy of stone-cold-killer Murty, with only a drip of a scientist to protect him, before cutting to him pottering around First Landing, growing his new fingers... Well, it felt kinda cheap. Maybe it would have worked better had there been another chapter showing the events directly following Elvi's heroics in shutting down the defence grid. Maybe if Holden had found Amos, apparently dead, then it would have had more of a dramatic impact. I dunno...

And as far as Elvi was concerned, I was convinced she was toast. While reading that scene, I kept thinking about Bull in Abaddon's Gate, how he'd sacrificed himself like a boss to save everyone else. I don't think anything in Cibola Burn had the same emotional weight.

Still loved the book though.

ETA: Anyone else picture this guy when reading about Murty?

[Rhom]

Dunno, but I always think of Dennis Haysbert when I read about Fred Johnson.

[Spockydog]

Dunno, but I always think of Dennis Haysbert when I read about Fred Johnson.

Yeah, he'd be awesome as Johnson in the TV show. I guess it won't be too long before we're hearing some casting news.

[Rhom]

Yeah, he'd be awesome as Johnson in the TV show. I guess it won't be too long before we're hearing some casting news.

Yeah, but I'm guessing Syfy won't be dropping that kind of money. But getting a "name" like Haysbert to play a relatively minor (in terms of screen time) character would really lend weight to the show. Kinda like casting Sean Bean as Ned.

[Spockydog]

Yeah, but I'm guessing Syfy won't be dropping that kind of money. But getting a "name" like Haysbert to play a relatively minor (in terms of screen time) character would really lend weight to the show. Kinda like casting Sean Bean as Ned.

I dunno. I do know that top of Ty and Daniel's list to play Amos is Kevin Durand. He'd be perfect for the role, and I don't think he's any less attainable than Haysbert.

Shortly after the deal was announced, Abraham had this to say:

"I think when the details of the Syfy/Expanse deal start getting out, folks are going to be pleasantly surprised."

Now, whether this means the budget is going to be bigger than anything Syfy has done before, we'll just have to wait and see. Apparently there was something of a bidding war, and an announcement was promised on the 1st of May. Nothing official's been said yet, but we live and hope.

[WrathOfTinyKittens]

Shit, the SyFy channel sucks. They've been trying recently with edgier shows, and GOT proves there's a market for the stuff (even if the myriad other spec fic shows hadn't already), but they are so far entrenched in th crappy movie market that I have a hard time believing they can pull off a serious, high-quality series.

[Darth Richard II]

Yeah what WotK said. I was excited about it til i saw SyFy. Have they done anything remotely decent lately? Maybe we're due.

[Rhom]

Even if it is good... Will enough casual fans even consider watching it? Or will they just assume its Sharknado in space?

[Spockydog]

Shit, the SyFy channel sucks. They've been trying recently with edgier shows, and GOT proves there's a market for the stuff (even if the myriad other spec fic shows hadn't already), but they are so far entrenched in th crappy movie market that I have a hard time believing they can pull off a serious, high-quality series.

You're right. The channel currently sucks. But I've read a lot recently about their plans to move away from the shitty B-movies, and return to their sci-fi roots.

Syfy's Plan: More Space Operas, Less 'Sharknado'

Syfy's new executive vp original content, Bill McGoldrick, who joined in November from corporate sibling USA following the exit of Mark Stern, has two mandates: greenlight a space opera a la Battlestar and usher the network back into the golden age of high-profile, big-budget miniseries now duplicated by so many of its competitors.

Yeah what WotK said. I was excited about it til i saw SyFy. Have they done anything remotely decent lately? Maybe we're due.

Well, Continuum's not too shabby. On the other hand, Helix was touted as one of Syfy's steps towards their stated goal of more high quality drama, but it was a bit of a shambles.

Even if it is good... Will enough casual fans even consider watching it? Or will they just assume its Sharknado in space?

Good point. Syfy's not exactly the byword for quality. But if they get the casting right, as well as the vfx and marketing, there's no reason to assume it will fail. The source material is pretty fucking good, and as long as they don't butcher the books, I think it will be a success.

Daniel or Ty, if you're reading this, any chance you can give us a hint as to when we might get details on casting and budget etc...

[red snow]

Maybe Syfy want to try and recreate the Battlestar phenomena they had several years ago. The station is crying out for a good sci-fi show and tbh whatever they made would be one of the best sci-fi show's on air because there isn't anything at all. It's like the genre is crying out for this generations star trek/B5/SG1/BSG. I can only think of Defiance that is a space based (and it's actually more an earth based show but with aliens).

I think syfy have at least shown some sense in giving the expanse a shot. It makes a lot of sense - GOT is massive because it treats the genre a bit more seriously and I think expanse does the same. Another parallel is that both series are more "believable" and the expanse having colonised the solar system feels plausible - something that might draw in casual viewers,

Hopefully when there's more developments we can start a thread in entertainment for it (although there may be one already).

the TV show has renewed my interest in the series. That and the fact my plan of waiting for a cheap kindle version isn't going to happen with the ongoing orbit dispute. So will probably pick up book 3 and 4. Hope Daniel and Ty are in the UK someday for a signing.

That said I'm still most excited for the next Dagger and Coin book.

[Rhom]

There is a thread about the announcement of the show being optioned in Entertainment. Its where I was spoiled a bit about the fate of Eros. :crying:

Not a lot of discussion there yet either since there isn't much to discuss.

But yes, I'm looking forward to Widow's House quite a bit. Really intrigued to see where that is heading.

[red snow]

There is a thread about the announcement of the show being optioned in Entertainment. Its where I was spoiled a bit about the fate of Eros. :crying:

Not a lot of discussion there yet either since there isn't much to discuss.

But yes, I'm looking forward to Widow's House quite a bit. Really intrigued to see where that is heading.

I should probably avoid if there's spoilers there at the moment (although I think i commented earlier in that thread).

The ending of Tyrant's law

Dragon turning up

definitely has my intrigued on how that development changes the narrative,

[YellowDogJen]

Cibola Burn's not shown as being available on Kindle! Dammit! I'm still waiting for Ace of Skulls to be available on Kindle (Chris Wooding :bowdown: ) but I can kinda, a little bit, get that since Chris is a Brit, but dammitall...Daniel and Ty are AMERICAN! :bang:

[RedEyedGhost]

Cibola Burn's not shown as being available on Kindle! Dammit! I'm still waiting for Ace of Skulls to be available on Kindle (Chris Wooding :bowdown: ) but I can kinda, a little bit, get that since Chris is a Brit, but dammitall...Daniel and Ty are AMERICAN! :bang:

That's because of the Hatchet/Amazon dispute. It should be available for order on the day of release, just not for pre-order.

[red snow]

Cibola Burn's not shown as being available on Kindle! Dammit! I'm still waiting for Ace of Skulls to be available on Kindle (Chris Wooding :bowdown: ) but I can kinda, a little bit, get that since Chris is a Brit, but dammitall...Daniel and Ty are AMERICAN! :bang:

yet weirdly it is available in the UK - just minus any discounts that are usually associated with a kindle release. Same goes for the physical copy.

Good news for non-amazon owned booksellers though as that's where I'm getting my copies.

[Maltaran]

yet weirdly it is available in the UK - just minus any discounts that are usually associated with a kindle release. Same goes for the physical copy.

Good news for non-amazon owned booksellers though as that's where I'm getting my copies.

The UK publication date was 2 weeks ahead of the US date, so it's out here already.

[YellowDogJen]

That's because of the Hatchet/Amazon dispute. It should be available for order on the day of release, just not for pre-order.

Thanks. Yeah, after reading back through the thread, I see that now.

[RedEyedGhost]

I went to a book signing in Denver tonight with both guys. It was fantastic, if a little sparsely attended. Neither seemed bummed about the attendance, and had the same thought that myself and the guy I was talking to before it started did - this will be their last tour with any intimate events like this. So, if you can definitely hit up the events in your area.

WRT the television show:

1. They've spent the last six weeks in LA working with the showrunners on developing the show. Does that ever happen in Hollywood?
   
2. No.
   
3. So why did it happen in this instance? Because of SyFy desire to make this a high quality show, not just for the show's sake, but to also help get them back into the quality sci-fi programming business and to recapture the BSG viewership.
   
4. They talked a bit about the new network leadership (which I talked about in the thread in entertainment), and their dedication to turning things around.
   
5. Because of this new direction at the network, Dan and Ty chose SyFy. SyFy was not the only network that wanted to adapt it, and they made SyFy work to get it.
   
6. If that doesn't give you hope for the series, then fuck you.
   
7. No casting info was given, nor did anybody ask.
   
8. When asked if it would be one book per season, Dan cryptically replied that "Leviathan Wakes is a long, dense book, and they gave us a ten hour (episode) order."
   
9. The show will be called The Expanse.
   

I got all of my first edition Long Price Quartet books signed, expect to see them up on ebay shortly. j/k that's never going to happen.

They were both psyched at how well the book did yesterday at independent book stores and B&N, and amazon even though they were trying to hamstring them by not allowing pre-orders.

He pronounces Geder with a hard g, but Geder doesn't care how you say his name.

In the Expanse Universe, they try to stick to actual physics as much as possible, but will break things in cases where the general public won't notice - this is their "smell test" or "wikipedia test." Where LW was a noir mystery novel in a sci-fi setting, and CW was a political thriller, and AG was a ghost story, CB is their take on a western. The fifth book is tentatively titled Nemesis ...., shit, I can't believe I forgot the second word. In the book everybody gets what coming to them, and they've been looking forward to writing that one "for the past 3 or 4 books." When they have enough material in the short stories and novellas they will put them out as a collection.

And in case you haven't heard - The Expanse has been signed up for three additional books for a total of nine.

Pulled from the MLN Hanover thread:

I asked him about the series tonight at a book signing in Denver, and it sounds like MLN Hanover is dead. He was given a two book contract to start the series, then another two book contract, and then just a one book contract, and as the series progressed there wasn't any sales bump for the earlier books in the series and the majority of sales for the final book occurred within the first week of release. He did say that there are other stories he could have told if it had done well enough to warrant further books, but as it was with that one book contract he went ahead and crammed in all of those secrets and mysteries that he wanted to slow release over five additional books.

That's all I've got for right now, if you have any specific questions ask them, and I'll answer if they came up.

[red snow]

Great summary there REG :)

A total of 9 books - this should keep syfy busy for many a season if they deliver what appears to be promised.

Also think it's great that fans and authors enjoyed the fact they had time to have a proper chat. Like you said it could be one of the last chances we all get. It's a lot harder to do that when there's a queue of several hundred.