Around the Net (6/10/2015): Swarms of Rats and a Happy Ending? It’s Uncanny!

Here at Sci-Fi Bloggers, we run a lot of individual pieces on the site, each of them revolving around and focusing on a specific topic. Sometimes, however, we like to crank it up a notch and take a look at a few things at once. With that said, we invite you to follow us as we take a look at what’s happening…AROUND THE NET!

Forging His Own Happy Ending

Writing a book can be a very tough ordeal but once its finished the battle is only half over. The other half is getting people to both read you’re work and enjoy it, which could determine if you write another.

Geraldo Serrano R. is a Mexican sci-fi author whose first book, Ultimo Eden, was published in 2010. The story was written as a satire about modern life and our dependency on the internet and technology, and how these technologies can strip us of our humanity and individuality and lead to possible genocide. However, there wasn’t a very big market for sci-fi in Mexico and the book was not a commercial success. Serrano then decided to market his second novel, Happy Ending, in America because it would have a bigger audience.

Sometimes books are published before their time and don’t manage to find the right audience. I find that to be a shame because great writers can end up having their voices go unheard. Writers who fail to create a fanbase because people dislike their work is one thing but every writer’s worst nightmare is for people to never get the chance to read their stories. Writers like Serrano deserve to have their works published where they have a better chance of finding an audience.

Serrano has begun a campaign on Indiegogo to gather the funds needed to publish Happy Ending in America. There are several added incentives for those who pledge certain amounts, for instance anyone who pledges $7 will get an e-book copy of Happy Ending. People who pledge $250 will receive e-books and signed printed copies of Serrano’s books for life, and acknowledgments in his books for helping realize his dream.

If you would like to donate to Serrano’s campaign you can do so by clicking here.

The Swarms Are Sapient

Apes have always been a deadly threat in science fiction, overtaking our world time and again. Sapient, the latest novel by author Jerry Kaczmarowski, shows us that apes aren’t the only animals that can become super intelligent.

Jane Dixon has been struggling to raise her autistic son after her husband abandoned them and works tirelessly to find a cure. She hopes her work with animal intelligence holds the key to a cure and is shocked when a lab rat, aptly named Einstein, learns to read and write. However, the government soon learns of her experiments and the army wants to harness her research because of its military potential. The CDC wants to shut the program down because the virus that gave Einstein his intelligence proved to be highly contagious. Determined to save her son, Jane steals the virus and goes on the run.

Contagious viruses that wipe out humanity and animals that become super smart are two of my favorite sci-fi plotlines. Sapient has the potential for both of these, which should make it a very interesting read. You would think that rats wouldn’t be scary because they’re so small but that’s not always the case (remember that creepy movie where Crispin Glover had an army of rats?). I think Sapient has the potential to be a great summer read for sci-fi fans.

Sapient is currently available on Amazon, and you can read the first chapter here.

It’s Unreal, and Uncanny

People looking for great sci-fi stories can check out the latest issue of Uncanny. The online magazine produces sci-fi related content every month and has a new collection of different sci-fi related stories published.

The magazine offers a wide array of different sci-fi related genres including fiction, essays and poetry. New stories include “Three Voices” by Lisa Bolekaja and “It’s the Big One” by Michael Gyler. Without a subscription you can still read the stories, however you have to wait until the issue is nearly a month old.

Uncanny is also offering a great new deal for new subscribers: a one year subscription will be $2 less than the current price at Weightless Books (where the magazine is available as an ebook). In addition, new and returning subscribers will be eligible for giveaways and free back issues of Uncanny.

Uncanny is also available as an ebook through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Google Play and Kobo. To check out the latest content available with Uncanny, click here.

Well, that’s everything. Can’t wait to see you guys next time we go around the net!

If you enjoyed Manny’s trip around the net, you can find the rest of his work right HERE on Sci-Fi Bloggers. You can also follow him on Twitter @KN_Manny.

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