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Praise for the
Milkweed Triptych
"A major talent... I can't wait to see more."
—George R. R. Martin
"Mad English warlocks battling twisted Nazi psychics? Yes please, thank you. Tregillis's debut has a white-knuckle plot, beautiful descriptions, and complex characters-- an unstoppable Vickers of a novel."
—Cory Doctorow on Bitter Seeds
"Ian Tregillis triumphantly concludes his astonishing, brilliant, pulse-pounding debut trilogy, The Milkweed Triptych."
—Cory Doctorow on Necessary Evil
"Tregillis' conclusion of the Milkweed Triptych is the pièce de résistance of the series. Necessary Evil is a perfect marriage of science fiction, fantasy and alternate history."
—RT Book Reviews (4.5 stars, Top Pick) on Necessary Evil
"Darkly fascinating…A thoroughly fascinating conclusion to an imaginative tour de force."
—Kirkus on Necessary Evil
"A cross between the devious, character-driven spy fiction of early John le Carré and the mad science fantasy of the X-Men... Despite the jaw-dropping backdrop and oblique plotting, the narrative is driven by character and personal circumstance...
Grim indeed, yet eloquent and utterly compelling."
Grim indeed, yet eloquent and utterly compelling."
—Kirkus on The Coldest War
"The characters come alive via [Tregillis's] imaginative dialogue and his storyline will keep readers spellbound and on the edge of their seats with an intense sci-fi/alternate history thriller plot."
—RT Book Reviews (4.5 stars, Top Pick) on The Coldest War
"Well-drawn characters and a feel for time and place make this an excellent journey into an alternate Britain."
—Library Journal on Bitter Seeds
"Engrossing... Tregillis ably mixes cold war paranoia with his mythology."
—Publishers Weekly on The Coldest War
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I Used Tools, Yet Still Have 10 Fingers
Recent Blog Entries:
The End: NECESSARY EVIL Is Out! - 5/1/2013, 10:29 AM Because I Haven't Posted About tDCS In A While - 4/8/2013, 04:07 PM Announcing the NECESSARY EVIL Signing Tour - 4/5/2013, 05:15 PM Nuclear Deterrence in a Blood Magic World - 2/22/2013, 09:41 AM Guest Post #2 at Charlie Stross's Blog - 2/17/2013, 04:41 PM Guest Post at Charlie Stross's Blog - 2/15/2013, 09:17 PM A Conversation with Charlie Stross - 2/8/2013, 11:06 AM NOW OUT in the UK: THE COLDEST WAR - 2/7/2013, 12:22 AM Clarion Is Accepting Applications for the Class of 2013 - 1/27/2013, 06:38 PM Holy Smokes! Cover Art for Something More Than Night - 1/23/2013, 09:44 PM
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The End: NECESSARY EVIL Is Out! - 5/1/2013, 10:29 AM Because I Haven't Posted About tDCS In A While - 4/8/2013, 04:07 PM Announcing the NECESSARY EVIL Signing Tour - 4/5/2013, 05:15 PM Nuclear Deterrence in a Blood Magic World - 2/22/2013, 09:41 AM Guest Post #2 at Charlie Stross's Blog - 2/17/2013, 04:41 PM Guest Post at Charlie Stross's Blog - 2/15/2013, 09:17 PM A Conversation with Charlie Stross - 2/8/2013, 11:06 AM NOW OUT in the UK: THE COLDEST WAR - 2/7/2013, 12:22 AM Clarion Is Accepting Applications for the Class of 2013 - 1/27/2013, 06:38 PM Holy Smokes! Cover Art for Something More Than Night - 1/23/2013, 09:44 PM
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Friday, July 1 2011, 09:27 PM
Today I took advantage of my enforced vacation and decided to fix one of my house's screen doors.
Fix as in "use tools in an intelligent and productive manner".
Well, it was a good idea. Noble, even.
I wouldn't say the venture was a failure. I did, in fact, fix the damage that I had set out to fix. The screen no longer has a hole in it. So that's pretty nice.
It's possible that the rest of the door, the part that needed no alterations, might be a tiny bit different than it was when I started. Not a lot. Just a wee bit less... nice. Not destroyed, mind you. Just different. You might say that I managed to move the damage around. Sort of like one of those sliding-tile jigsaw puzzles. It used to be a picture of a door with a torn screen; now it's a picture of a door with a pristine screen and slightly less pristine moulding around the screen.
The good news is that this was a trial run for fixing the other door. Now I know where I'm likely to go wrong. So that's a win, right?
There's a reason I became a theorist. I have no practical skills whatsoever.
Close PermalinkComments (12)
untitled -
DMS, Saturday, July 2 2011, 08:06 AM
Power tool or just tools? I've gotten quite good at not taking out an eye with a screwdriver, but I still fear the undercut saw.
Power tool or just tools? I've gotten quite good at not taking out an eye with a screwdriver, but I still fear the undercut saw.
Re: untitled -
Ian, Saturday, July 2 2011, 11:30 AM
Just regular unpowered tools. I did use an electric drill the other day, and managed to do so without a bout of accidental self-trepanation. But it was a very close thing.
Just regular unpowered tools. I did use an electric drill the other day, and managed to do so without a bout of accidental self-trepanation. But it was a very close thing.
Re: accidental self-trepanation -
Ian, Saturday, July 2 2011, 12:06 PM
Only if I can be a roadie for the band.
Only if I can be a roadie for the band.
Holy Borehole, Batman! -
Scott Denning, Saturday, July 2 2011, 02:10 PM
Google "Joseph Mellen" and meet the leading prophet of the band ACCIDENTAL SELF-TREPANATION (Tonight at the Victory Theater!) And through him the Patron Saint of Trepanation, Dr. Bart Huges.
Huges' premise was that the adoption of upright stance by humans caused a reduction of bloodflow to the brain, against gravity. He also premised that the "soft spot" in the skull of children allows greater oxygenation in the brain, and provides a flexible rebound for the pulse of blood and an expansion of the brain.
Mellen took this ball and ran with it -- after several attempts, he managed to remove a disk of bone from his skull. In his book "Bore Hole" he describes the process, and the results. He claims it was an exaltative experience, with the result of a return to the imagination state of a child.
Braincase too small? Stuck in a creative rut? Who needs expensive microchip implants -- just grab a Bosch Brainer 3000 and buzz away! Open that Third Eye right up -- Instant Enlightenment! You'll feel years younger! And what a great come-on line at parties: "Hey, baby -- want to stroke my brain? Maybe you can make it pulse..."
Google "Joseph Mellen" and meet the leading prophet of the band ACCIDENTAL SELF-TREPANATION (Tonight at the Victory Theater!) And through him the Patron Saint of Trepanation, Dr. Bart Huges.
Huges' premise was that the adoption of upright stance by humans caused a reduction of bloodflow to the brain, against gravity. He also premised that the "soft spot" in the skull of children allows greater oxygenation in the brain, and provides a flexible rebound for the pulse of blood and an expansion of the brain.
Mellen took this ball and ran with it -- after several attempts, he managed to remove a disk of bone from his skull. In his book "Bore Hole" he describes the process, and the results. He claims it was an exaltative experience, with the result of a return to the imagination state of a child.
Braincase too small? Stuck in a creative rut? Who needs expensive microchip implants -- just grab a Bosch Brainer 3000 and buzz away! Open that Third Eye right up -- Instant Enlightenment! You'll feel years younger! And what a great come-on line at parties: "Hey, baby -- want to stroke my brain? Maybe you can make it pulse..."
untitled -
DMS, Saturday, July 2 2011, 05:38 PM
You think that's a good career move given the origin of the band name?
You think that's a good career move given the origin of the band name?
Re: untitled -
Ian, Saturday, July 2 2011, 09:31 PM
I'm not even sure what a roadie does, to be honest. All I know is that I once heard an interview on the radio with a guy who used to be a roadie for the Rolling Stones. He said that he decided to go to school and start a career after Keith Richards told him to get his life together, so he went off and became a large animal vet.
Which is another job I'd probably be terrible at, come to think of it.
I'm not even sure what a roadie does, to be honest. All I know is that I once heard an interview on the radio with a guy who used to be a roadie for the Rolling Stones. He said that he decided to go to school and start a career after Keith Richards told him to get his life together, so he went off and became a large animal vet.
Which is another job I'd probably be terrible at, come to think of it.
Re: Holy Borehole, Batman! -
Ian, Saturday, July 2 2011, 09:42 PM
You won't be surprised to know that in college I had, for a brief period of time, a mild fascination with the adventures of one Mr. Mellen and Ms. Feilding. (Not so deep a fascination that I went to the trouble of firing up the drill. And my friends did look at me askance when I explained how, apparently, you need two people to do a decent trepanation job.)
That's the measure of both true love and/or true hatred: taking a power drill to another person's skull.
You won't be surprised to know that in college I had, for a brief period of time, a mild fascination with the adventures of one Mr. Mellen and Ms. Feilding. (Not so deep a fascination that I went to the trouble of firing up the drill. And my friends did look at me askance when I explained how, apparently, you need two people to do a decent trepanation job.)
That's the measure of both true love and/or true hatred: taking a power drill to another person's skull.
untitled -
DMS, Sunday, July 3 2011, 01:21 PM
I should not have boasted about my prowess with a screwdriver as that is clearly an exception to my mechanical "skills." I managed to injure myself today with a sous vide. Not by scalding a finger. No, I managed to cut myself. I think I'll avoid things with actual sharp edges for the rest of the day.
I should not have boasted about my prowess with a screwdriver as that is clearly an exception to my mechanical "skills." I managed to injure myself today with a sous vide. Not by scalding a finger. No, I managed to cut myself. I think I'll avoid things with actual sharp edges for the rest of the day.
Re: untitled -
Ian, Sunday, July 3 2011, 04:25 PM
I didn't even know what a sous-vide was until I looked it up just now. That is way, WAY fancier than any cooking I've ever done. That counts as using power tools.
I didn't even know what a sous-vide was until I looked it up just now. That is way, WAY fancier than any cooking I've ever done. That counts as using power tools.
untitled -
Victor Milan, Sunday, July 3 2011, 11:57 PM
Your title seems to beg for the postscript, " ... just not necessarily all in the same places."
Also, how screwed up exactly do you have to be to have KEITH RICHARDS tell you to get your life together?
Finally, you should get Joe to give you a tour of one of the machine shops up at the Lab. Then you could have an entirely new *level* of tool to dread.
Your title seems to beg for the postscript, " ... just not necessarily all in the same places."
Also, how screwed up exactly do you have to be to have KEITH RICHARDS tell you to get your life together?
Finally, you should get Joe to give you a tour of one of the machine shops up at the Lab. Then you could have an entirely new *level* of tool to dread.
Re: untitled -
Ian, Monday, July 4 2011, 11:29 AM
Also, how screwed up exactly do you have to be to have KEITH RICHARDS tell you to get your life together?
I know, right? That's the thing I loved most about that interview. I mean, of all the people in the world who might come along and espouse the virtues of personal responsibility... Keith Richards?!?
Then you could have an entirely new *level* of tool to dread.
I was actually thinking about Joe when I wrote this post! Here I am, barely able to use a simple drill. What kind of catastrophe would ensue if I had to use a computer controlled lathe? In a specially controlled environment chamber?
Also, how screwed up exactly do you have to be to have KEITH RICHARDS tell you to get your life together?
I know, right? That's the thing I loved most about that interview. I mean, of all the people in the world who might come along and espouse the virtues of personal responsibility... Keith Richards?!?
Then you could have an entirely new *level* of tool to dread.
I was actually thinking about Joe when I wrote this post! Here I am, barely able to use a simple drill. What kind of catastrophe would ensue if I had to use a computer controlled lathe? In a specially controlled environment chamber?
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Unwalkers interview [English | French ]
Interview with Speculate! Podcast Interview with Adventures in SciFi Publishing
Ian Tregillis on the Sword and Laser Podcast
Ian Tregillis on John Scalzi's The Big Idea
Interview with Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
Interview with SFRevu
Interview with Mad Hatter Book Review
Interview with Apex Books
Interview at Literary Musings Interview with Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
An interview with the authors of Busted Flush at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
Interview with Travis Heermann at The Write Line
9-way interview with the contributors to the Wild Cards novel Inside Straight at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
Interview in the February, 2008 newsletter of the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
An extended interview with Ian Tregillis by Ty Franck, on www.wildcardsbooks.com.