Kindle Deal on Far Thoughts and Pale Gods
10/14/2024 - 10/20/2024
Far Thoughts and Pale Gods is on sale for Kindle from October 14-20 for just $1.99! (Amazon US and Canada only)
[Click here to shop Amazon]
Vitals - Ebook Special
10/13/2024
Our friends at The Portalist are offering Vitals at a special price of $1.99 on October 13 through your favorite US ebook retailer!
[Sign up for The Portalist's Newsletter so that you don't miss any future deals!]
Canadian Ebook Specials
10/11/2024 - 10/18/2024
The Forge of God - October Kindle Deal
10/01/2024 - 10/31/2024
The Forge of God is on sale for Kindle during the month of October for only $0.99! (Amazon US only)
[Click here to shop Amazon]
Check out this excellect selection of books!
07/25/2024
2023 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award
03/01/2023
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has awarded a Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award to Greg Bear for significant contributions to the science fiction, fantasy, and related genres community.
[Read the Complete Article]
Rest In Peace
11/19/2022
Greg passed away peacefully yesterday, his hand held by his wife, Astrid. He will be greatly missed by those who were fortunate enough to know him personally, as well as by countless readers around the world.
Greg Bear
8/20/1951–11/19/2022
[Obituaries and Tributes]
HERV
01/25/2022
An alarming convergence on the topics of virus and retrovirus! Reminds me of early days researching DARWIN’S RADIO… Back when hardly anybody knew what HERV were or what they might do. The alarm is now getting more intense. - Greg
[Sars-CoV-2 spike protein activates human endogenous retroviruses in blood cells]
Jane Hawkins
01/09/2022
Here's to the passing of Jane E. Hawkins, one of our esteemed Clarion West students from the class of '88. We have also lost from this class Mary Rosenblum and Kathy Ann Goonan. As a teacher of that class, I fondly remember them all. It's especially hard for a teacher to lose students, but this class was also taught for a week by Gardner Dozois, and he is gone from us as well. [Continue Reading...]
A Conversation with Greg Bear
11/25/2021
Greg's interview on the Tales From The Bridge podcast is now available! Check it out and then listen to their other sci-fi episodes at:
[Tales From The Bridge]
Foundation
09/20/2021
Good piece on the new BBC Foundation series!
Foundation: The 'unfilmable' sci-fi epic now on our screens
B Cubed Press: The Collectors
09/11/2021
In case you missed it: the recording of the online panel discussion on collecting SF and Fantasy art with Greg Bear, Joe Siclari, and Edie Stern, and moderated by Bob Brown of B Cubed Press is now available.
[Watch Now]
Bill Nolan
07/21/2021
Sorry to hear of the death of Bill Nolan, but congratulations to all -- to Bill for an extraordinary life with extraordinary friendships, and to Jason and Sunni Brock for bring such extraordinary friends.
Will miss Bill and his stories, and his connections to history. Happy indeed to have known him!
Here are a few pictures from fine times spent in Bill's company. (Click each to view full size.)
The COMIC-CON BEGINS Podcast
06/08/2021
The trailer for the forthcoming COMIC-CON BEGINS six-part oral history podcast is now live!
[Listen to Trailer]
The full series begins airing June 22 (for six weeks + bonus episodes later). Subscribing to the series is free!
New Seattle Times article
02/18/2021
Thank you to The Seattle Times for today's new article, "Lynnwood’s Greg Bear, stalwart of modern science fiction, starts writing his life story."
[Read it here]
Publication Day!
02/15/2021
8 Mind-Bending Biopunk Books
02/12/2021
The Unfinished Land
01/22/2021
Discussion Board Update
01/11/2021
Note from webmaster: Due to the discussion board being attacked and taken down several times, we have decided to use the discussion options on the Facebook page for the time being and see how that works out. When you go to the page, click on More > Community and you will be able to see and respond to other reader posts.
If you are not a Facebook user, you can also contact him by email at gregbear@gregbear.com.
As always, Greg loves to hear from his readers and does his best to respond to all questions!
COMIC-CON BEGINS
11/21/2020
COMIC-CON BEGINS is a six-part podcast series chronicling the triumphant tale of the planet's mightiest pop culture extravaganza, the San Diego Comic-Con, and the generative fandom community that bubbled up in its wake.
[Listen & Subscribe]
10 Exciting Cyberpunk Books Filled With High Tech and Low Life
09/24/2020
The Portalist has selected Slant for their article highlighting cyberpunk.
[See Entire List]
The Big Book of Modern Fantasy
07/20/2020
Science Fiction Book Club Interview
07/14/2020
The Middletown (PA) Public Library's Science Fiction Book Club interviewed Greg - [Read Full Interview]
F.X. Feeney
06/30/2020
We (David and Diane Clark, Astrid Bear, and Greg Bear) got together with F.X. Feeney in 2010 in Seattle at the San Diego Comic-Con to celebrate Ray Bradbury and talk movies. Ray couldn't be there for our dinner, but we had a fine time with F.X. Fond memories of one of our finest film historians and critics. F.X. passed in February of 2020.
Message from Greg
06/01/2020
I think it's important for all of us to speak out and support the aggrieved communities in their pain, and to emphasize their right to protest without fear of tyrannical intervention.
We're in a very dangerous time. I've never seen a moment in my history so fraught with fundamental political peril. President Pennywise, his voice rising with a mechanical twang from the gutter, has done his best to make things even more awful than they are. It is to weep, what I’m seeing now.
But even in these dark times, we must keep faith in America and hope to God that Pennywise will pass, and we can become a civilized nation again.
Remember George Floyd. Remember all the victims of racism, from before Tulsa to today.
And work this next election to cage the clown.
Prepare to welcome our robot overlords
05/28/2020
From The Portalist:
In 1993, sci-fi author Vernor Vinge predicted that by 2030, civilization would face what he termed 'the singularity' - a point of no return in which artificial intelligence develops the ability to eternally improve itself.
Vinge cautioned this tech explosion could lead to the end of human civilization as we know it, and scientists like Stephen Hawking have agreed. From tales of micro-computers run amok to romances between man and machine, these ten books about the robot revolution can prepare you for an A.I. uprising, whatever it may look like:
10 Books About the Robot Revolution to Read Before the Singularity
What Are You Afraid Of
05/03/2020
Greg is interviewed in two new episodes of the "What Are You Afraid Of?" podcast by horror writers T. Fox Dunham & Phil Thomas. They cover a wide range of topics from the common mistakes authors make to the evolution of artificial intelligence. Subscribe to the podcast through your favorite podcast app or download directly through these links:
[Episode 139: Greg Bear, Darwin's Author]
[Episode 140: Greg Ber & Bear's Ghost]
Naked Sun
04/06/2020
Isaac Asimov's novel The Naked Sun is an interesting premonition of our present situation of social distancing in viral times. Asimov created the planet Solaria, populated by only 20,000 people, all served on their great estates by robots—and separated from each other in all circumstances except mating. They rarely interact. And to a great extent that's where we are now. Asimov's robot mysteries are among my favorites, and this is an excellent one - a fine variation on the locked-room mystery - but I never imagined I would experience it personally! Our robots, alas, are not in humanoid servant form, but are spread between our homes and cities as vast networks supplying news and entertainment to mostly sessile audiences waiting for an all-clear. Our best wishes to all of you sacrificing society and companionship for the safety of our country—and here's to that time when we'll meet again! Soon, we hope.
Meantime, you might take a look at The Naked Sun, and remember when such things were just speculation!
Greg
REBOOTED
04/05/2020
A sweet and beautiful tale of life in special effects, and a real tribute to some of our favorite people!
[Watch Short Film]
Freeman Dyson
02/27/2020
Very sad to hear about the death of Freeman Dyson. It was always a delight to run into him at various events, including VikingCon, where he frequently came to visit his son, George, and grand-daughter. One of the great minds of our time! Our heartfelt condolences to all of his family and friends.
[NYT: Freeman Dyson, Visionary Technologist]
Blood Music Art
01/14/2020
Syd Mead
12/31/2019
It was a delight to meet Syd Mead at both San Diego Comic-Con and the Academy Art University board gatherings. His partner, Roger Servick, was a constant companion to Syd, and we wish Roger all the best in a hard time. Syd Mead, of course, was a major influence on me and on science fiction film. It was looking at his wonderful painting of "Disaster at Syntron" that gave me one of the key ideas for EON. And of his work on film... superlatives are insufficient. He was a master, a man who rendered the future in such style that the future seemed right on our doorstep. Here is Mr. Mead striding the streets of San Francisco, on a fine, sunny day.
Anvil of Stars - Kindle Deal of the Month for January
12/29/2019
Anvil of Stars is being featured as a Kindle Monthly Deal! You can buy it at a special price of $1.99 from January 1-31 on Amazon (US only) for Kindle.
[Shop Amazon Now]
D. C. Fontana
12/05/2019
Sad indeed to hear about the passing of one of the most influential screen writers of the 20th century, D. C. Fontana.
Dorothy was an amazing talent. We were privileged to meet with her and share our enthusiasms on the committees of various San Diego conventions.
And I fondly recall her commiserating with a pair of forlorn fans who had missed out on a giveaway of the first big Star Trek history/paperback at BayCon in 1968.
I strongly suspect Dorothy was in large part responsible for the influx of women fans in the late 1960s, since she helped shape Spock's nature and character.
Kevin Mack Art
11/12/2019
Kevin Mack is putting together a fascinating experiment in CGI and evolution, creating strangely beautiful and friendly creatures that operate in a world of their own! Here's a good entry point on his web site. The creatures are independent and can speak to you and each other, so to speak, and have no explicit needs, so this is a kind of heaven!
[Visit Kevin's Site]
Meeting Epstein
07/09/2019
You can't wash this shit off by taking a shower.
In late 2011, at the behest of Marvin Minsky, a number of prominent folks were invited to attend a trial conference in the U.S. Virgin islands sponsored by billionaire and so-called entrepreneur Jeffrey Epstein, all expenses paid -- basically a free vacation in the Caribbean. Minsky’s participation was major, as is his reputation to this day -- though he passed in early 2016.
Having heard some suspicious tales about Epstein, I asked a long-time friend about him and his character. This friend told me, through email, "The man who did the things the press reported is not the person I've experienced."
Whatever he had done, it seemed he had spent some time in prison, and perhaps he had emerged a chastened and better person.
The trip and arrangements were being made with the coordination of the wife of the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cecile de Jongh, whom we never actually met.
And so, we agreed to go. Astrid and I had a lovely time, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with friends, colleagues, and new acquaintances, and returned from the conferences on St. John bathed in sun and good conversation.
On a couple of occasions, we had face time with Epstein, who seemed, to me, an eccentric and possibly brilliant financier with weird ideas about economics--but hell, he was paying all the bills, so we were polite. One of our observations about his entourage was they consisted mostly of attractive young women in their twenties or early thirties, at most, brought over from his private island near St. John, where it seemed they staffed his house. We had been dangled the possibility of being taken out to that island to see the sights, but most of us did not get that opportunity.
The women, by my instincts, were of a uniform and somewhat inaccessible temper, and I got the impression that Epstein was their lord and master, and they did not range far in their daily lives. But they were all adults.
At one point during the conference, with Epstein in the room, some imp of perverse in me made an analogy (I cannot remember my exact point, or the reason for the analogy) to Dracula coming down out of his castle to ravage the young women of the village. That put an end -- though not abruptly -- to our face time with Epstein, and the conference ended on schedule. We had a great time with Marvin and his wife, Gloria, loved the islands and towns, and never heard from Epstein or his people again. No further conferences were arranged, at least with me involved.
I wondered if I had screwed up royally by alluding, in metaphor at least, to Epstein's behavior.
Now, it just seems I was being protected or warned by a guardian angel.
In 2017, Hurricane Irma ravaged the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with much of the Caribbean, and nearly destroyed the Westin Hotel where we stayed during the conference. Looking at videos of the damage, we could not identify many of the places we visited.
And now, Epstein is in jail, awaiting trial on the same charges he should have faced back in 2005, not having substantially altered his behavior or having learned any lessons -- unredeemed, and facing long prison time in less-than-fancy rooms where one’s neighbors have a phrase for what you are -- Short eyes.
Trump, an avowed friend of Epstein at least until he booted him out of Mar a Lago, observed Epstein had a taste for younger women.
You can't wash this shit off by taking a shower. But at least we better understand now how a rich sonofabitch can be protected by money, influence, local politicians -- and career prosecutors who would be better employed shining muddy shoes in airports, which at least is an honorable profession.
Yoshio
06/16/2019
"Very sorry indeed to hear about the death of Yoshio Kobayashi. Yoshio was a fine translator and a major part of Japanese and world SF. He was my translator, and an excellent guide to Japan. He will be missed in so many ways." - Greg
10 Enchanting Fairy Books That Will Spirit You Away
06/09/2019
Greg Bear's The Infinity Concerto has been featured on The Portalist's list of '10 Enchanting Fairy Books That Will Spirit You Away.'
[See the complete list]
Happy World Oceans Day
06/06/2019
Celebrate #WorldOceansDay by taking a deep dive into how some of today's most promising innovations might positively impact our ocean in the future. @XPRIZE introduces Current Futures: A Sci-fi Ocean Anthology: xprize.org/oceanstories
18 Must-Read Nebula Award-Winning Books
05/22/2019
Greg Bear's Moving Mars has been featured on The Portalist's list of 18 Must-Read Nebula Award-Winning Books!
Dennis Neal Smith
05/19/2019
Fond farewell to Dennis Neal Smith, famous for many things, and scholar of many things, who inspired Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," with his richly textured illustrations, and who illustrated my first story collection for Arkham House, as well as Joanna Russ' collection. Last saw him at a Comic Fest where he was contributing to our panel (along with David Clark) on H.P. Lovecraft and Arkham House illustrations, where he demonstrated an astonishing expertise.
Vonda
04/01/2019
Junocam Image Processing
02/24/2019
Michael Ravine, Advanced Projects Manager at Malin Space Science Systems, Inc., has kindly agreed to share this fascinating post about how he and his team translate black and white images from JunoCam on the Juno Jupiter Orbiter into color images.
Anne Adams
02/17/2019
Betty Ballantine
02/13/2019
"Very sad to hear of the passing of Betty Ballantine. She and husband Ian were major players not just in paperback publishing, but in promoting science fiction and fantasy into the mainstream. They also published and promoted books of science fiction and fantasy art. We shall not see their like--or their times!--again." - Greg
[Betty Ballantine, NY Times]
Insight
11/25/2018
Boy, do we need a joyful moment like that provided by NASA and the Insight probe! Congratulations and appreciation to all the engineers and team participants for putting us back on Mars. Very much looking forward to learning a lot more about the Red Planet!
Greg Bear
John Rogers
11/11/2018
Very sad to hear. It was an honor to meet John Rogers on his home turf, the offices of San Diego Comic-Con, at the invitation of Mark Yturralde. John and his team were key in elevating a small fan convention to a major force in art and literature. As the fiftieth anniversary approaches, it’s certainly time to remember all they’ve done, and how San Diego Comic-Con International and the cultures it celebrates will endure.
[Read More]
Soyuz Followup
10/16/2018
"What it's like to fall 31 miles to Earth after your rocket fails" - NASA astronaut Nick Hague recounts his experience during last week’s harrowing Soyuz flight. Article by Loren Grush for The Verge
Paul Allen
10/14/2018
We're very sorry to hear of the passing of Paul Allen. It was our pleasure to work with him on the Science Fiction Museum phase of MoPop, and to enjoy his other contributions to culture and technology in the Pacific Northwest—including his financing of visionary space ventures, medical research, and so much more. His art collection was phenomenal, the Flying Heritage Museum was one of our favorites, and he was beyond doubt a multi-faceted., multi-dimensional man.
Soyuz Booster
10/10/2018
We're all very glad to hear of the safe return of astronaut/cosmonaut Nick Hague and Alexei Ovchinin after the abort of their Soyuz booster early this morning. The video footage looked quite alarming, even without an immediately up-to-date commentary—crew jerking and shaking suddenly, and very concerning scraps falling away from the ascending vehicle. Their landing was much rougher than anticipated, but both seem to have no injuries. This could have major implications of course for the space station and the crew already there. We sincerely hope this gets resolved soon.
I may have missed a story on the major U.S networks, but there seems nearly nothing.
Good coverage at CBC, where they also interviewed Chris Hadfield. [Read CBC Coverage]
Harlan Ellison
06/28/2018
Years ago, when Alan Brennert and I visited Harlan Ellison's amazing house (and brought him a Cuban sandwich as an illicit coin of entry) I asked Harlan what he thought his greatest work was. He said, "My marriage to Susan. I finally found a woman who would put up with me."
In addition, there are books, scripts, comics, movies, TV shows, games... But my memories of Harlan extend well beyond these excellent and explosive productions. (Don’t try taking an Ellison collection through an airport!) Harlan was one of our favorite presences, a man who did not suffer fools, or many smart people, and who often exceeded the Rickles line by a considerable margin. He was an energizing presence at conventions, a guaranteed promoter of controversy, and—for me and Astrid—a lively and pleasant companion. To those who worked with him, he was a bracing challenge and an often brilliant contributor. I described him, to his face, as the flip side of Ray Bradbury, and he smiled. He understood, as did Ray, how much they were like two sides of the same coin.
And he was Susan's husband. Susan reported he died in his sleep.
Wow. Harlan went gentle into that good night. In the end, that's primal wisdom.
Greg Bear
Biblical Quote for the Month
06/19/2018
In honor of Jeff Sessions, here's my biblical quote for the month—
"The stink of Hell will rise from all who bring pain upon the mothers and their children, and who follow the Father of Lies."
Gospel of Mary 1:1
RESTORE AMERICA NOW
06/18/2018
I am furious and heartbroken over the plight of children being separated from their parents on America's border. Donald Trump and his agents should be indicted in the Hague for crimes against humanity. Anyone who remains in the Trump administration, or who votes Republican, is about to reap the whirlwind blowing around this monstrous man and his enablers. MARCH! MARCH AND VOTE!
RESTORE AMERICA NOW.
Greg Bear
Halo Precursors Sketch
05/19/2018
Tidying up the office today, I came across this preliminary sketch I did of the Precursors, for the Halo books. - Greg
(click for larger image)
The Poul and Karen Anderson Memorial International Travel Fund for Clarion West
04/10/2018
From Astrid: "Greg and I are very pleased to be able to make this commitment to Clarion West in honor of my parents, Poul and Karen Anderson. The SF/F field is getting to be more international every year, and the Clarion West students reflect this. By making funds available to help one student from outside of North America each year to get to Seattle to attend the workshop, we hope to add our support to the transformative power of diversity in SF/F literature."
[This year's recipient: Ted Mahsun from Ipoh, Malaysia]
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Kids
02/21/2018
"The powerful, motivated students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida are truly amazing. Once again I am proud to be an American. Republican legislators and NRA administrators should see this passion, this strength in youth soon to vote, as a real sign from God that they have to change their ways—or become extinct." - Greg
Twentieth Anniversary
02/17/2018
"Celebrating twenty years (or so) of this Web Site! Many thanks to Terran Joy McCanna for designing it, and then keeping it fit and alive! And thanks to all who have contributed over those two decades. We couldn't do it without you!" - Greg Bear
SpaceX Falcon Heavy
02/06/2018
"A huge hurrah for SpaceX and the flawless launch of its Falcon Heavy! Elon's Tesla roadster will no doubt be intercepted by an alien intelligence, and who knows where that will lead?" - Greg Bear
12 Portal Fiction Books That Will Transport You
01/27/2018
Thank you to The Portalist for including The Infinity Concerto in this list of wonderful books:
[See Complete List]
The Portalist - How Much Revolutionary Technology is Too Much
01/22/2018
In Greg Bear’s technothriller Dead Lines, a man’s life is forever changed when he starts seeing the ghost of his murdered daughter...
[Continue Reading]
Ursula K Le Guin
01/22/2018
Ursula K. Le Guin is one of our truly great writers, wielding great imagination to spin wonderfully human (and feline) tales. It was my pleasure to once have edited one of those tales, and to have been selected for one of her own anthologies. No higher honors. Her stories possessed a mythic resonance that takes us deep into both dream and hope. She will be greatly missed.
Brain Cells Share Information With Virus-Like Capsules
01/16/2018
This amazing article capsulizes—pun intended—a grander view of life so vaguely hinted at in DARWIN’S RADIO. Utterly amazing!
[Read Full Article in The Atlantic]