Paul Cornell's Friday Newsletter

Of Shadows, Stars and Sabers is Out Now

I have a new short story in a new original anthology, Of Shadows, Stars and Sabers, edited by Jendia Gammon and Gareth L. Powell, and I’m alongside a stellar group of authors, including Adrian Tchaikovsky, David Quantick, Stark Holborn and Lizbeth Myles! The book is out now and is available for pre-order from all these different vendors!

There’s also an in-store event featuring many of the authors at San Diego’s Mysterious Galaxy bookstore on February 22nd at 2pm!

L.A. Strong

I have a strip, with art from the great Dennis Calero, in L.A. Strong, a charity comics anthology in support of the victims of the L.A. fires, out from Mad Cave on March 19th. The line up of comicker talent is extraordinary, as you can see below. You can order a copy, and read all about it, here.

And if you’re in the UK, you can order a copy from Forbidden Planet mail order here. 

Ace Jacket

I’ve contributed a short story to this anthology in aid of autism charities, edited by Sophie Aldred and Shawn J. Levy. It’s out on June 17th. You can read all about it and pre-order a copy here.

Award Longlisting for ‘The English Astronaut’!

My three-part comics serial for 2000AD with artist Laura Helsby, ‘The English Astronaut’ has been longlisted for in the category of Best Shorter Fiction in the British Science Fiction Association Awards! You can see the full listings here, and, if you’re a BSFA member, vote!

Gnomes of Lychford

On 9th September, Tor.com Publishing is releasing the sixth book in my Lychford series of rural fantasy novellas, Gnomes of Lychford. It’s a re-editing of the serial I ran on this newsletter, and I’ve taken the opportunity to sort out a couple of little plot problems.

I think it’s my best Lychford book, and, weirdly, it’s a great jumping-on point, because everything about the series is explained at the start.

You can read all about it here.

“An unlikely group of supernatural creatures terrorizes the sleepy village of Lychford. Okay, they're gnomes. That's not a spoiler: you worked it out it from the title. When an ancient prophecy clashes with an unfortunate modern design aesthetic, the people of Lychford must band together to put out fires (both literal and metaphorical) to save their town before the king of the Gnomes (King Greg, and it's dangerous to laugh at a gnome) calls in the terms of an old promise.

Trouble is: no one knows what the promise is, nor how to fulfil it.

It's going to be a long night.”

Telefantasy Time Jump (February Episode Out Now!)

The new podcast from me and Lizbeth Myles has just released its first Patrons-only episode. We’re covering the history of SFF on TV, from 1953 onward, with our regular episodes (on the 14th of every month) covering a show released that year in the UK, and the Patron Bonus episodes (on the 28th) covering a show from the rest of the world. This month’s shows, from 1954, are Nineteen Eighty-Four and the French/German Flash Gordon.

The main episode is available free wherever you get your podcasts. To get the bonus episode, you need to follow us on Patreon at £3/$3 or above. (And you get access to seven years of Hammer House of Podcast bonus episodes!)

You can find all the info here.

For Your Awards Consideration (Hugo Awards Now Open!)

The project I’ve had out in 2024 that I’d like to put forward for any award nominations you might be considering this year is The Complete(d) Saucer Country by myself and artist Ryan Kelly, published by Image. (It’s weird not to have put out anything that would qualify for the Scribe Awards, but having had a Hugo Awards Best Graphic Story or Comic run last year I might have a shot there.) Thanks very much for considering it.

My Ko-fi and eBay Stores Re-Stocked!

I’ve re-stocked my Ko-fi store, where you can buy my books and comics, signed and personalised, for shipping worldwide.

Similarly, I’ve now re-stocked my ebay store, full of Bronze Age Marvel comics at bargain prices.

Find my Books at Bookshop.Org and Help Out Indie Booksellers!

Bookshop.org is a collective selling tool that sets up a marketplace for all indie bookstores in the UK, functioning exactly like Amazon, except you’re supporting your local bookshop. You can find a selection of my books here, and I get a little cut of the proceeds too if you order from here!

My Linktree

You can now find all my social media links, my website/blog and links to where you can buy my books, in one place here, thanks to Linktree!

The Work of Friends

My friend the SFF novelist Geoff Ryman has a new novel coming out, his first venture into horror. It looks amazing.

“ANIMALS tells the chilling tale of a family caught at the heart of a terrifying and transformative epidemic, in an astonishing fusion of beautiful writing and pure horror at its finest. Teddy has always been a special child. Frightened by other children, described as ‘imaginative’ by teachers, home-schooled by his mother. His closest friend was his father, until he left them for another man. Now, his closest friends are the family pets: the greyhounds his mother used to breed for racing; the three-hundred-pound family pig Charity and her best friend, a duck; and the stray cat he slowly befriended: Little One. His life has never been idyllic, but it was his, until he and his mother are struck down with an inexplicable fever. Over the course of the hot drought-stricken Oxfordshire summer, all of their animals fall sick. Whatever the mystery illness is, it’s targeting animals… and it’s not long before the animals start to target them…”

You can read more and pre-order the book here.

My friend the SFF/crime novelist Antony Johnston is also venturing into a new field with Can You Solve the Murder? It’s an interactive crime novel!

“In this interactive crime novel, step into the shoes of a detective and investigate the most mysterious crime of your career. There’s been a murder at Elysium, a wellness retreat set in an English country manor. You arrive to find the body of a local businessman on the lawn – with a rose placed in his mouth. It appears he was stabbed with a gardening fork and fell to his death from the balcony above. But that balcony can only be accessed through a locked door, the key is missing, and everyone in Elysium is now a suspect Gather the evidence and examine the clues. Choose who to interview next, and who to accuse as your prime suspect. But remember that every decision you make has consequences – and some of them will prove fatal… Do you have what it takes? Can YOU solve the murder?”

You can read more and pre-order the book (out on 5th June) here.

My friend the astronomer and science writer Brother Guy Consolmagno has a new book coming out! A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars is a gorgeous illustrated volume from this popular media figure and regular at SF conventions who also happens to be ‘the Pope’s astronomer’.

“Journey through the awe-inspiring cosmos with celebrated Jesuit astronomer Br. Guy Consolmagno in his masterful exploration of the universe and our place in it. To turn each page of A Jesuit's Guide to the Stars is to appreciate anew the graceful alignment of God and science. Br. Guy leads the way as we discover the unbroken connection between Scripture, tradition, and humankind’s quest to see God in all things—even, or maybe especially, in the stars. Brought to life with more than 70 stunning images of the cosmos, Br. Guy seamlessly integrates his studies and knowledge as a scientist with his personal journey as a man of faith. His uniquely inspiring story connects the heavens to the earth, the past to the present, and faith to science. ​ Whether you are a curious stargazer, an amateur astronomer, or someone seeking meaning in a universe that can seem impersonal, A Jesuit's Guide to the Stars will show you that the cosmos is a beautiful subject to contemplate and a joyful way to find God.”

You can read more and order the book here.

Finally, my friend the novelist Aliette de Bodard is going through some very difficult times right now, which I’ve been asked not to go into more detail about, so a bunch of her friends got together to create a GoFundMe to help. If you have a little to spare, please consider giving it to Aliette. (Or buy one of her books!)

My Week

I had a very interesting catch-up with an old friend of mine in TV last Friday, and as a result I’m actually working on a new TV pitch. This is somewhat of a diversion from the fantasy novel, and feels a bit like I’m slacking, because writing plot is a matter of pacing and putting little bits together, and it doesn’t feel like real work as much as word count does. (So I am managing to do a bit of word count on the side.) Yesterday night my notes (and they were very nice ones) came back on the non-fiction project, so that’s another diversion. But it’s good to have so much work, so I shouldn’t really complain. (Next week is Half Term Holiday, so that’s going to make it even harder to find the time to get anything done.)

Thomas’ drumming lessons are going amazingly. I took him along to the latest one, after school last Monday, and he learned the four different rhythms of Bastille’s track ‘Pompeii’ and then played them in order to the track, in half an hour. Basically, he could now play that. His teacher continues to be amazed at how quickly he learns and recalls. On the way home I told him I couldn’t do that, that I was sure I wasn’t capable of learning a track that quickly, or possibly at all. He just said one of his usual phrases of agreement like ‘oh, amazing’, but I think it’s clear he’s enjoying himself.

On Tuesday, Caroline and I went to Thomas’ Annual Review, where we talk to his teacher (and usually various other professionals, though with him now being at a specialist school, that seemed not to be a thing this time) about his progress as an autistic child. His teacher clearly likes him, and mentioned some cute things he’d done, and how he was always very polite. She also said that when a video had had one of his favourite musical tracks on it, he’d got tearful because that piece of music was meant to be a ‘home’ thing, something under his control on his iPad. She did talk, however, about how, having been given a narrowed curriculum at his primary school, he was now behind on some areas, but they were aiming to catch up. (He’s still doing great at maths and science.) Overall, I liked how well the school seemed to understand Tom, and how great a place it is in terms of allowing him to flourish. However, the calm voice of someone who’d seen lots of children like him did put things into perspective with a little chill. He might never catch up with his mainstream peers in certain areas. And whether or not he’ll be able to have an indpendent life of his own as an adult still feels in the balance.

At the end of the session, Thomas came in, and was asked what he enjoyed. He spoke at greater length than we’re used to hearing him do at home, which was heartening. He was asked if he’d like to play the drums at school too, and he noticeably perked up.

Whatever life awaits Thomas in the future, I think from now on he’ll always have ‘Pompeii’ to fall back on.

To Be Continued

If you’re at Gallifrey One, hello! Sorry I can’t be there. I’m missing it terribly.

And I hope to see you all here again next week!