I get a ton of emails still and most of them don’t get to the read phase but anytime Kelly Link is dropping new work it definitely is worth a look.
As the year draws to an end I guess we naturally gravitate to what’s new about the next, what are going to be doing kick it off, and how it might set the tone for the year. I don’t truly know if any of that is logical or even honest but I will be grabbing Link’s new collection White Cat, Black Dog.
I’ve been waiting for the Kelly Link novel that will change the world – or at least give me pleasure for a day or two – to drop for a long time, even before since I chatted with her, but Kelly is on the buy anything she publishes list.
It’s a short list. A little Ishiguro, a little Inio Asano, some Tillie Walden among others.
The email I got suggests digital review copies have made the rounds but I will indulge in March of next year when a physical copy drops. I prefer proper hardcovers with dust jackets I can throw away that hopefully reveal consideration and craft on the actual cover underneath it.
Speaking of which the solicit says this will be illustrated by Shaun Tan. Tan has been around for a long time and has his own very well regarded work that has garnered him enough awards that I’m sure he’s tired of them by now, but to me he was this artist that for a period of several years I’d see random images on the net, maybe a Clarkesworld cover or random image at Tor or something, and be like wow that’s striking, who did that? And it was always Tan.