Welcome to the first volume of the Aether Age Codex, which we have labeled Helios. Discover tales of a humanity given a single prime to the pump of progress as they stare into a sky that in a blink of History has burgeoned into life and mystery. Given the antecedents, it is any wonder that they take flight in airships, balloons, as winged hoplites, and aboard wooden rockets, even as Athenian philosophers argued over the very laws of nature?
- Editors' note, Aether Age: Helios (Hadley Rille Books, 2010)
Let's say I have the audacity to assume you've been following the progress of my writing career. You'd know by now, of all my writing projects, nothing has excited me more than Aether Age. Granted, it's a small-press publication. Granted, unless I step up to the Customer Service counters of local bookshops (I'm looking at you, Kinokuniya!), this anthology may never make it to Malaysian bookstore shelves. Granted, even with two stories in it, I may never rise from obscurity.
Assumptions, assumptions. Too many variables in the equation.
Anyway, when Hadley Rille Books released the paperback version on November 29, 2010, I thought I would get my hands on my contributor's copy (or copies? 1 for each story, if I'm not mistaken) within 2 to 3 weeks. So I waited. And waited.
And waited.
Then I read the blog-posts of other contributors when they received their copies. Well, since I live in Malaysia, shipping may take some time. On December 26, however, frustrated I couldn't find Jason Mraz's A Thousand Things and COSMOS Magazine in Singapore, I decided to try Amazon.com. Tried buying books there before, but they didn't ship to Malaysia. But luckily, they did deliver A Thousand Things to Malaysia. I chose priority shipping because I wanted the book in my hands the latest by December 31 (Kasha's birthday--the book was her birthday gift).
Somehow, having grown tired of waiting, I looked for Aether Age: Helios at Amazon.com. The hardcover was available, as well as shipping to Malaysia. Win! Ordered 3 copies--1 for safekeeping, 1 for reading, and 1 signed copy for Tita--and I also picked priority shipping. I don't even want to remember the total cost. Thank you HSBC Gold Visa!
I had fun tracking the deliveries through Amazon.com. Since A Thousand Things was already available, they shipped it first. Aether Age had been originally scheduled to arrive sometime mid-January. Print-on-demand, I guess. Much to my surprise, two days later, Amazon.com mailed to inform me that they bumped the schedule to January 4. Win!
Okay. A Thousand Things arrived early December 31. Right on schedule. Unfortunately (or should I say fortunately), the Malaysian soccer squad won and the Prime Minister declared that Friday a public holiday. Bummer for me, because DHL doesn't deliver during public holidays unless specified. I couldn't give the book on my sister's birthday, then. Aether Age arrived the next day, but since January 1 was also a public holiday, I wasn't getting my books that weekend. Argh! Since no one would be home on Monday, I called DHL to change the delivery address to my office (technically, my boss's office. I don't have one).
I barely contained my excitement and anticipation that weekend. I didn't want my 2-week holiday to end, but at the same time I couldn't wait for Monday to come. Imagine my dilemma.
Finally, Monday, January 3, 2011 arrived. Due to the global iPhone disaster with sudden alarm clock dysfunction on January 1, 2011, my alarm didn't go off, and Kasha woke me up at 07:45. On my first day back at work! WTF? Anyway, I rushed about, and since I was already late, sent Kasha to her office, too.
So when am I going to finally talk about Aether Age: Helios?
I'm coming to it. Patience, grasshopper.
Arrived almost 09:00, and much to my chagrin, Image Parking had terminated their contract with HKL and took away all their booths and bars. Our already-limited staff parking was open to public! WTF?!
Once that mini-drama was over, I headed straight for NeuroICU. Cheers and greeting ensued. What can I say, people love and miss me.
*All of a sudden, hundreds of fish and a thousand birds dropped dead. Now we know why.*
After reviewing patients at GICU, I walked back to my department block, and noticed a DHL motorcycle exiting the block. My DHL motorcycle! I rushed to my boss's office and there they were, on the counter, my Amazon.com boxes.
So here it is, my report in pictures:
Okay, maybe I should have snapped a picture before opening the box. What can I say, I was overwhelmed with excitement. Amazon.com really package their items snugly, which is good.
A treasure trove of three Aether Age: Helios books, hardcover. Win!
Did I mention the anthology is available in hardcover?
Fast forward to page 26. Yep, that's my name right there. Flight of the Ibis, with the title image by the great MS Corley.
Fast forward again, this time to page 276. Yes. It's a thick book. The Shadow of Phrixos was originally two stories (The Shadow of Phrixos by Jaym Gates, and The Return by Fadzlishah Johanabas), which Chris and Brandon decided to merge into one. And an excellent decision it was. Somehow both stories seem interconnected, and all the more richer for it.
Just between us, I think Jaym and I are the luckiest lof the lot because MS Corley designed the title-cover for our stories (she also has 2 stories in the anthology). Here are clearer images, which I extracted from MS Corley's blog.
I haven't read all the stories, and obviously I'm going to recommend my own, but the stories range from hard science fiction to mystical speculative fiction that cannot be defined as science fiction at all (Flight of the Ibis, heheheh). So far all the stories are a good read, and I am proud to be a part of this project.
Thank you, Chris Fletcher and Brandon Bell, for the opportunity to be included in such a great undertaking.
And thank you, readers, for suspending your reality as you travel into my worlds.
Do buy this book, either directly from Hadley Rille or from Amazon.com. Support small press, and support literature.
Woohoo! This one I might have to order.
If only Malaysia wasn't so far, far away from me, I'd ship it to you and have you sign it so I could boast, in later years, "ah yes, I knew him when..."
Felicitations. :)
Posted by: Breanna | Monday, January 10, 2011 at 06:48 AM
Well done. I've just purchased a copy. =)
Posted by: John Ling | Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 11:12 AM
Awesome. Thanks, John!
Posted by: Fadzlishah Johanabas | Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 02:47 PM