We’re more than pleased to announce the longest work yet in Ted Chiang’s astonishing career. You may remember that his novelette, The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate, an elegant two color production, sold out very quickly. We expect no less from his novella, The Lifecycle of Software Objects, due this Summer.

As to Lifecycle’s subject, here’s the promo copy:

What’s the best way to create artificial intelligence? In 1950, Alan Turing wrote, “Many people think that a very abstract activity, like the playing of chess, would be best. It can also be maintained that it is best to provide the machine with the best sense organs that money can buy, and then teach it to understand and speak English. This process could follow the normal teaching of a child. Things would be pointed out and named, etc. Again I do not know what the right answer is, but I think both approaches should be tried.”

The first approach has been tried many times in both science fiction and reality. In this new novella, at over 30,000 words, his longest work to date, Ted Chiang offers a detailed imagining of how the second approach might work within the contemporary landscape of startup companies, massively-multiplayer online gaming, and open-source software. It’s a story of two people and the artificial intelligences they helped create, following them for more than a decade as they deal with the upgrades and obsolescence that are inevitable in the world of software. At the same time, it’s an examination of the difference between processing power and intelligence, and of what it means to have a real relationship with an artificial entity.

We’re currently shipping Peter Straub’s The Skylark, the longer version of what eventually became his acclaimed new novel, A Dark Matter. According to Stefan Dziemianowicz in Locus magazine, “As regards the differences between the two versions of the novel, The Skylark provides a more detailed linear account of events leading up to the event in the agronomy meadow, and fuller backstory for the characters… The publication of the two together constitutes a major event in horror publishing this early in the 21st century.”

At the same time, we’re sending out copies of the gorgeous Morrow Signed Limited Edition of Neil Gaiman’s novel, Neverwhere.

All copies of the Signed Limited Editon of Robert McCammon’s Mister Slaughter are en route to customers.

We’re happy to report that Peter V. Brett’s The Great Bazaar and other stories is now out of print. If you want a copy, we suggest ordering from a secondary source promptly, as we have no plans to reprint this novella length collection, and with publication of Peter’s new novel, The Desert Spear, imminent, demand for Bazaar is sure to spike.

Finally, early warning that we have enough orders to put the trade hardcover of Elizabeth Bear’s Bone and Jewel Creatures out of print on publication. If you’re of a mind, snag a copy now, before we start shipping.

A number of titles slated for release soon are already near selling out, including Mirror Kingdoms (Peter S. Beagle); Bone and Jewel Creatures (Elizabeth Bear); The Taborin Scale (Lucius Shepard); as well as The New Dead (edited by Christopher Golden) which is already out of print.

Here’s a first look at Maurizio Manzieri’s gorgeous dust jacket for Peter S. Beagle’s over 20,000 word novella, Return, which shares the setting of his 1991 classic novel, The Inkeeper’s Song. In the coming weeks we’ll share a couple of the four black-and-white interior illustrations. We’ve updated the book’s page with new copy as well, so have a look.

Elizabeth Bear’s Bone and Jewel Creatures is the turning into the little steam-powered novella that could. We have another review to share with you, this time from Fantasy Literature: “There’s quite a lot more material packed into this short novella than you’d initially expect — and as with all the best novellas, you’ll be satisfied with the ending while at the same time hoping for future stories set in the same world… The story is told in gorgeous prose, frequently very lyrical and on a few occasions even surprisingly funny.”

Some of the demons in Norman’s Partridge’s new collection may not be of the major variety, but, as Booklist notes, there’s nothing minor about Lesser Demons: “In the afterword to this collection, Partridge credits his lifelong love of fantasy and horror for a versatile writing style that has garnered three Bram Stoker awards. Before that remark, 10 finely calibrated, genrebending tales display his broad range, from dark detective fiction to equally dark western yarns…his gift for twisting genre conventions in surprising new ways is unsurpassed.”

The time’s come to unleash Robert McCammon’s Mister Slaughter on the world again — this time, the limited edition. Our driver is picking up copies today, and we’re bringing in extra help to start sending copies out later this week.

We just did a tally, and we’re down to the last 25 copies. The book and slipcase are both leatherbound, with the case sporting foil stamping on both the spine and one side, making it a nifty, if bloody, addition to anyone’s collection of limited editions.

Copies of the limited edition of Gene Wolfe’s newest dark fantasy, The Sorcerer’s House, have just landed in the SubPress warehouse, and are in the shipping queue. We expect to be sending them along to customers in the next couple of weeks, and will post when they start going out. While we haven’t yet received the traycased edition, we do have a handful of copies of that version not yet reserved.

The last Gene Wolfe limited edition PS Publishing Released (The Very Best of Gene Wolfe) was sold out on publication. We suspect this one may be close, so please get your order in if you’re interested.

Blood of the Muse showers Peter V. Brett’s new collection with an embarrassment of riches. We’d love to quote the entire review, which rated the collection 9.25 out of 10, but here’s enough to give you a taste of their enthusiasm: “If The Painted Man was a Director’s Cut DVD, The Great Bazaar and Other Stories would be the second disc filled with all the Extras. More story, deleted scenes, a ward grimoire; it’s all here. Even Brett offering context and insight into the scenes. Love The Painted Man? Then you’re going to love this collection, since it features more of what made that book so great… The majority of the collection is devoted to the short story ‘The Great Bazaar’, a fantastic piece that works incredibly well as a standalone… Fans of The Painted Man will love The Great Bazaar and Other Stories. People not familiar with Brett’s work will find this a great introduction.”

Update: We just received a large batch of retail/wholesale orders, and have fewer than 75 copies of the trade hardcover in stock.

Library Journal is first in line with a review of Caitlin R. Kiernan’s The Ammonite Violin & Others, which pulls together 20 stories previously published in her subscription-only Sirenia Digest, and they’re quite complimentary: “From a hauntingly gruesome tale of a secret cave near a New England lighthouse (”Madonna Littoralis”) to the bittersweet account a woman born to minister to ghosts (”The Madam of the Narrow Houses”), these 20 stories, written between 2005 and 2007…reveal the author’s remarkable storytelling talent and her ability to conjure nightmarishly beautiful visions.”

Remember, the signed limited edition is bound in leather, with a brand new chapbook short story, “Sanderlings”, available nowhere else. Copies are pre-selling quite well.