Over at The Agony Column, Rick Kleffel has some utterly kind things to say about our short forthcoming anthology, The Book of Dreams, ably edited by Nick Gevers: “It’s not billed as a series, yet, but I hope it becomes one. The Book of Dreams (Subterranean Press ; January 2010 ; $20) edited by Nick Gevers is a slim, 117-page collection of short stories by Robert Silverberg, Lucius Shepard, Jay Lake, Kage Baker and Jeffrey Ford, with a knockout cover and interior illustrations by J. K. Potter. And this is one of those collections that is a great book you can hand someone and say, ‘This is why I read science fiction.’ “

More kudos for Ray Bradbury’s massive (784 pages) mystery omnibus, Where Everything Ends, this time from Green Man Review: “Where Everything Ends is a trio of fine detective novels (together with the short story that provided the starting point) from Bradbury in his inimitable style. He plays with the conventions, but since he so obviously loves the genre, this is easily forgiven — embraced, even — because the end results are, simply put, fine additions to the canon. This series is also dear to fans because it is likely the closest thing to an autobiography we will receive from this man who has brought so much joy to so many people for so many years.”

We’re more than a bit pleased to announce that we’ve reached agreement to publish the limited editions of Connie Willis’s next two books, which tell a looong time travel tale set against the backdrop of London’s Blitz. We’ve read Blackout, and it’s a stunner, and expect to see the manuscript for All Clear in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, here’s the description for the first novel in the set:

Blackout is the opening movement of a vast, absorbing two-volume novel that may well prove to be Connie Willis’s masterpiece. Like her multi-award winning The Doomsday Book, this marvelous new work marries the intricate mechanics of time travel to the gritty – and dangerous – realities of actual human history.

The narrative opens in Oxford, England in 2060, where a trio of time traveling scholars prepares to depart for various corners of the Second World War. Their mission: to observe, from a “safe” vantage point, the day-to-day nature of life during a critical historical moment, As the action ranges from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the manor houses of rural England to the quotidian horrors of London during the Blitz, the objective nature of their roles gradually changes. Cut off from the safety net of the future and caught up in the “chaotic system” that is history, they are forced to participate, in unexpected ways, in the defining events of the era.

Blackout is an ingeniously constructed time travel novel and a grand entertainment. More than that, it is a moving, exquisitely detailed portrait of a world under siege, a world dominated by chaos, uncertainty, and the threat of imminent extinction. It is the rare sort of book that transcends the limits of genre, offering pleasure, insight, and illumination on virtually every page.

Connie Willis Fans Note: You can order matching numbers of the two volume set for a special price at the Blackout page.

Publishers Weekly has seen fit to grace Lewis Shiner’s mammoth (nearly 500 pages) gathering of tales, Collected Stories, with a Starred Review, and we couldn’t be happier for the author. Here’s the opening and closing of the review: “These 41 powerful stories cover Shiner’s career across three decades and multiple genres, showcasing hard-edged, often political genre genre fiction at its finest…Shiner never fails to astound, and this collection highlights everything that makes him one of today’s best storytellers.”

Shiner’s fans will be happy to note that we’ll soon begin a program to re-release his backlist titles (including such classic novels as Deserted Cities of the Heart and Glimpses) in affordable trade paperback editions.

We’ve spotted the first review of Robert McCammon’s Mister Slaughter, in the wild. Over at Horror Drive-in, it appears the new novel, as well as previous Matthew Corbett historical thrillers, is a hit: “But there’s more. Far more. McCammon provides numerous subplots and the criminal conspiracy Corbett encountered in The Queen of Bedlam is still afoot. There’s also a sinister bloody fingerprint on a playing card that still holds a dire portent for the young detective. Matthew’s relationship with young Berry is further explored and numerous other colorful characters that readers became acquainted with in The Queen of Bedlam are featured in Mister Slaughter.

“To sum up this long, rambling piece short, Robert McCammon is back with a new book, a new publisher and the future looks good for him. As well as his readers. Don’t pass up Mister Slaughter and if you haven’t read Speaks the Nightbird and The Queen of Bedlam, you’d better start reading. Fiction doesn’t get any better than these books.”