Publisher's Weekly Starred Review

Found out that THE LAST MORTAL MAN got a starred review in PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY the main newspaper of the book biz. Apparently a starred review is a good thing, means "this is a book to watch." What a great compliment. The review follows:

The Last Mortal Man
Syne Mitchell. Roc, $6.99 (448p) ISBN 0-451-46094-4

This enthralling science fiction thriller focuses on advances in nanotechnology that have irrevocably transformed every aspect of the not-so-distant future, remaking entire cities and eradicating death and disease for those with sufficient wealth. In Elysium, a nanotech-built island fortress, Jack, the great-great grandson of nanotech trillionaire Lucius Sterling, finds himself shut out of immortality because of a deathly allergy to the nanobiology that converts mortal men to Deathless. After 10 years of quarantine, Jack escapes to one of the few places on Earth untouched by the advances: a Mennonite enclave in Montana. His peaceful life there is disrupted when Lucius calls him back to Elysium in desperation: a mysterious cloud of particles capable of destroying any nanotech person, place or thing they come in contact with-a "dissembler"-threatens to destroy the fabric of the modern world, and Jack may be the only person who can stop it. Mitchell establishes a realistic future evolved logically from our present, giving her themes-mankind's "right" to immortality, capitalist control of scientific advancements, the slippery nature of progress-the weight of believability. Her characters are exceptionally well-drawn, and her philosophizing is skillfully balanced against the unfolding action. This book is the first in a series that should prove fascinating. (June)

Norwescon Report

Got back from Norwescon last night and had a blast. It was wonderful meeting people, especially at the autographing where there's a bit more time to chat than at the end of panels. The image to the right is from the Saturday autographing. That's Kai, my son, helping me out. He got into the act by deciding to sign his own autographs (mommy and daddy sign autographs, so why shouldn't he?) Two very kind fans got special, limited-edition, autographs by letting Kai sign their program books next to his picture. (Thank you, BTW)

Another highlight of the convention was Talebones Live. If you haven't been, it's a reading series sponsered by Talebones, a small-press magazine. They invite a rag-tag bunch of their alumni and invite them to read their punchiest 5-10 minute short story. There are prizes, bad jokes, celebrations of new authors, and much laughter. I read "Oscar Night 2054" a short-short that ties into my forthcoming novel, The Last Mortal Man, and got a great response (a relief as the reading required much theatricality and a number of silly voices.) Folks laughed in all the right places--yay! If you have a subscription to the journal Nature, you can read the story online, it's in the Futures section.

Next up is a booksigning at the University Bookstore in Seattle in either late June or early July (details still being worked out.)

There's still time to enter the contest of a uncorrected proof of The Last Mortal Man. Just send me an email with your mailing address to syne@synemitchell.com. Everyone who enters will receive an autographed postcard for the new book, so in a sense, everyone wins. Your contact info will be kept confidential and only used to promote my new books (ie: a postcard every year or so.)

Hope the spring finds you happy and well,

--Syne

Norwescon 29: April 13-16, 2006; Seatac, WA

I’ll be appearing at the Norwescon science-fiction convention in Seatac, WA over the weekend of April 13-16. For more information about the convention check out their Web site: http://www.norwescon.org/

Following are a list of panels I’ll be on that weekend. Hope to see you there!

TITLE	DESCRIPTION	DAY	ROOM	TIME	PANELISTS
Autograph Session 1	Signings	Saturday	Evergreen 1 & 2	11:00 AM	Syne Mitchell
Hard Science Fiction: What’s Next?	With technology moving faster than most people can keep up, how will the fiction of hard science stay ahead? Which of today’s hard science fiction writers are keeping ahead of the wave?	Sunday	Cascade 12	12:00 PM	Greg Bear Syne Mitchell Derryl Murphy Stoney Compton (M)
Unintended Consequences	Indoor plumbing led to polio epidemics. Lead in paint and gas poisoned people. To what extent is modern science and technology responsible for figuring out whether or not something, that seems good, is also going to cause serious problems?	Saturday	Cascade 7	7:00 PM	Burt Webb Carlton Rhoades Syne Mitchell Tammy Tripp (M)
Talebones Live	Come listen to Talebones alumni read from their latest works. Win fabulous prizes!	Saturday	Cascade 11	9:00 PM	Various