First up: ZER0ES.
I want to say thanks to you guys for checking out the book and spreading the word. I’ve received scads and buckets and facefuls of messages over email and social media of you folks checking the book out and really digging it, and that makes the dead bird inside my chest that passes for a heart twitch and gabble. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am a writer because I write, but I am a professional and published author only because you guys are there to read what I write, and that is basically the best thing ever. I get to keep doing what I do. This website continues to exist because of you. Seriously: you rock. *boogies*
In case you missed it, the book has gotten a little more press:
Jason Heller at NPR said of the book:
“Wendig makes it look breezy, but there’s a deeper layer of story at work. While Zer0es is unabashedly a whip-crack thriller — the plot eventually goes global, to the point where devastating blackouts in New York and Iran’s nuclear program come into play — some finer points of morality and philosophy pulse beneath the surface. What is the nature of privacy and individuality in a world increasingly reliant on networking? With borders often rendered meaningless by hackers, what means are justifiable in the name of national security? How can a civilization uphold any ideals at all with terms like “white torture” poisoning the discourse? Zer0es probes the many facets of these issues, but it comes down squarely on the side of the (messy, flawed, unpredictable) individual. …Not that Wendig spends too much time pondering the big questions. He’s mostly here to entertain — and in its smart, timely, electrifying way, that’s exactly what Zer0es does.”
Cory Doctorow of BoingBoing said:
“Chuck Wendig’s new technothriller Zeroes is a hacker misfit tale in the lineage of War Games and Sneakers, true to the spirit (and often, the minutae) of security work, and exciting as hell to boot… The third act is an endless lunatic drum-solo of action-adventure played on an array of crashing symbols and high-hats. Wendig clearly had a lot of fun thinking up ways of topping himself when it came to new ways that an all-pervasive technological adversary could make life horrifying for a plucky band of adventurers.”
“I fully expect this book to get the big screen treatment soon. But you know the book is always better than the movie, so don’t bother waiting… get to reading now and enjoy the ride.”
“Chuck Wendig’s new novel, Zer0es, is more cyber and more thrilling than most cyber thrillers I’ve read. From the very first page, it’s evident that Wendig is either secretly a world-class hacker in his own right, or he’s done so much research that he has become not only comfortable, but fluent in the technical and paranoia-fueled online world that hackers inhabit. Either way, he’s definitely on the NSA’s watchlist — but this book should be on their reading list as well, as Zer0es is an entertaining and timely addition to the subgenre.”
So, great reviews, very happy. Woo.
As always, if you’ve read and liked the book, books like this thrive because of word-of-mouth — and your word-of-mouth has greater reach these days thanks to the internet. Our circle of trust is far bigger than when it was just us and our five friends, so if you did dig the book, telling people about it and leaving a review somewhere makes for an ace way to get the word out.
(Also, some folks have asked me about the audio version — no news there, yet, but it’ll happen.)
The Libba Bray Lair of Dreams Launch Event
I was scheduled to be the emcee and interviewer and COHORT to Libba Bray on-stage today for her LAIR OF DREAMS launch event in Brooklyn, but it is not to be — to my great consternation, in fact, because I was really fucking looking forward to going to this. But B-Dub got sick, and now I’m getting sick, and I don’t want to be the Outbreak Monkey at her very nice launch event. (Plus my voice is going. I sound croaky and monstrous.) As such, she has assured me that the event will go on without me, as really I was just going to be a sexy lamp anyway.
YOU SHOULD STILL GO.
It’s tonight, the Bell House. Details here.
Also, hot damn, why haven’t you picked up a copy of LAIR OF DREAMS yet? Go do that! THE DIVINERS was eye-bugging in how amazing it was, so you need to get on that stick, stat. (Actually, at that link the Diviners is only $2.99 for your Kindle right now, if you’re one of them E-LUCK-TRON reader-types.)
The Light Your Fuse Creativity Retreat
On 9/12, I’ll be here in Bethlehem, PA, giving a talk about that dread, misunderstood beast:
MOTIVATION.
It’s a full-day of workshops, though, geared around writing and creativity.
You should totally check it out.
I won’t have books for sale there, but do bring some: I’ll sign!
Daniel Jose Older
Did a ZER0ES event last week with one Mister Daniel Jose Older, and I’m reading Shadowshaper right now, and you need to read it because holy shit is it good. If you want an example of a writer who knows how to leave out all the boring parts, Older is your huckleberry. Also, the guy’s great on stage and if you ever get to go to an event he’s at — or, better yet, be on stage with him — it is to your benefit.
Should You Use Naughty Language And Ideas In Your YA?
I feel like I failed to blog about this when it happened, but this summer’s been a damn whirlwind, folks. Point is — I PODCASTED with one mister Scott Sigler and one empress Delilah S. Dawson about whether or not YA authors should, like, censor themselves in their books and in their social media, and you can check out that podcastery right here.
Space Battles: Aftershave
PSST.
My little self-published (ha ha ha not) book, STAR WARS: AFTERMATH lands next week. Friday. FORCE Friday, as it were. And you can buy signed copies from B&N.
Scionical says:
ZerOes is next on my list of books to buy to get to reading ASAP. As your a friend, it moves to the critical “written by friends pile,” which is luckily on three deep at the moment. I seriously can’t wait to crack this one open.
August 25, 2015 — 10:32 AM
terribleminds says:
I certainly hope you enjoy it, me hearty.
August 25, 2015 — 10:33 AM
Scionical says:
Chances are that I will like it so much, that I’ll learn when to use “your” and “you’re” correctly.
Me matey.
August 25, 2015 — 10:37 AM
caszbrewster says:
Wes Chu was on a panel at WorldCon about sex, violence, and naughty words in YA. The first question, poised right before official start, was asking about how he felt about being the token male on the panel. /rolls eyes. Regardless, my gut, the World Con panel featuring Campbell Award Winner Chu, as well as you, my dear Herr Wendig, have reaffirmed: Any part of book should move the story forward and speak to the tone of the characters. Sex, violence, or the F bomb gratuitously placed does nothing but incite the “what the fuck” response in any reader — puritan or not.
August 25, 2015 — 11:15 AM
paulduffau says:
That was one of the better panels I attended at Worldcon. Loved the back and forth from Wes and Fonda Lee. Both made some greats points.
August 25, 2015 — 11:20 PM
thesexiestwriter says:
Man, I hated missing you at Joseph Beth in Lexington last week. I had marked it on the calendar months ago, yet still got quadruple-booked for the date…on a Tuesday…in August. How does that happen? Anyway looking forward to reading Zeroes and I gotta tell ya…those are some pretty groovy reviews! *Jealous*
August 25, 2015 — 11:47 AM
terribleminds says:
I’ve gotten pretty lucky with this round of reviews, I think. No worries, and please enjoy the book.
August 25, 2015 — 12:04 PM
Todd Moody says:
Hope you and B-dub feel better. We are just getting over the crud at our house.
August 25, 2015 — 11:51 AM
terribleminds says:
This is a familiar refrain. Seems like something’s been going around. Hope you guys are over it soon!
August 25, 2015 — 12:04 PM
Kayla says:
I have been eyeing your books for a while now, and because of a new business, & a toddler duo that calls me mom breaking &/or losing things, I have yet to buy. But, I stumbled over a crumpled wad of money someone (aliens?) dropped in an alarmingly empty parking lot today. Odin, or whatever, has sent me a sign: IT IS TIME FOR BOOK ORDERING, or I’ve really messed up someone’s day who lost money.
August 25, 2015 — 5:00 PM
decayingorbits says:
My personal thoughts on language are that kids know bad words — but that doesn’t mean we have to encourage their use.
if what you are writing is probably “NSFW” — it’s most likely “NSFYA.” Pretty simple really.
August 25, 2015 — 6:06 PM
Peter Moore says:
As the writer of four published novels for the YA crowd, I have conflicting thoughts about the subject of what I suppose we might call R-rated material in YA books. My first novel had some cursing, drug use, drinking, and sex in it. I’m quite confident that none of it was gratuitous and all of it was absolutely consistent with the characters and their world. That said, I was told by a librarian friend, my editor, and my agent that when a YA book has that type of material in it, it skews the acceptable age range for marketing up. And the librarian told me that when there’s content of that sort in a book, librarians and booksellers typically feel the need to let inquiring parents know about it. So, even if acceptable, it narrows your target audience to some degree. That makes it a something of a business decision, I guess. (I did get scolded by some parents on Amazon under the customer reviews, along the lines of, “How dare the publisher allow such filth and, well, practically pornography, to impressionable youngsters. I was horrified when I found out what my fifteen-year-old was reading. It’s simply a disgrace. This is why our society is falling apart. Shame on you!” To which I wanted to write back — in a tone that Chuck W. might well appreciate — “Sure, sure, Lady. Trust me: there’s nothing in the book that your kid hasn’t heard, seen, or done. Enjoy your fantasy world.)
In subsequent books, I’ve been able to avoid using coarse language, good ol’ teen sex, and the like. At times, it was a bit challenging to find ways around it without either feeling like I was being coy or like I was betraying the integrity of the book. But given that it’s damned near impossible to get kids to read at all, I figured it wasn’t a great idea to cut down my audience if there was any way to avoid doing so.
August 25, 2015 — 7:30 PM
decayingorbits says:
I enjoyed reading your comments on whether to include “R-rated” content in YA books. I certainly agree that young people probably know all the words, positions, etc., that constitute much more “adult” content, but hey, they can read that when they are adults.
I like to think a lot of the people who buy YA books are like me — a father or uncle looking to provide top-quality reading material into the hands (and minds) of my progeny or others.
Of course, the first YA book I am going to buy for them is “A Wrinkle In Time” — a classic, with no concern for more “adult” syllables, but a classic of the genre.
YMMV.
August 25, 2015 — 8:52 PM
deborahblake1 says:
Yay for good reviews! Boo for crud. That is all.
August 25, 2015 — 10:13 PM
Dan Bailey says:
Damn, Chuck. I just finished the Heartland trilogy a couple weeks ago and have been digging into the Elon Musk biography. Now I want to put it down and pick up Zer0es. Damn you! 🙂
August 26, 2015 — 10:15 AM
Anthony Karcz says:
Question for you about the Writer’s Guild event – do you know if it’s just open to members of their organization? I tried to find contact information for someone in the Guild, but was unsuccessful.
August 26, 2015 — 12:13 PM
terribleminds says:
What writer’s guild event?
August 26, 2015 — 1:42 PM
Anthony Karcz says:
The Penn Women Writer Guild workshop you’re presenting at in September – it happens to be in the hometown of a good friend of mine. Thought I might combine business and pleasure, all Voltron-like, and take a trip up North.
August 26, 2015 — 2:03 PM
brdubard says:
Great reviews! Congratulations! And now I can’t wait to read the book. I personally dialed back the sex and language in my YA book because I know my 10-year-old niece is going to read it. And just so you authors know: there are a lot of smart middle-schoolers out there who read well above their grade level. It’s not a bad thing to think of them when making this decision.
August 26, 2015 — 8:17 PM
Bryon Cannon says:
And, yes! A Chuck-signed copy of Star Wars: Aftermath is even now being set aside for me by either an advanced robot or a minimum-wage-earning human. Eager. So eager.
August 28, 2015 — 4:04 AM
eis says:
Chuck, there’s the little epsiode in Zer0es about Roach writing a novel. You make fun of him self aggrandising and failing to be up to the task. Culminating in the question: “He tells himself that this is fiction, and anything can work in fiction, right?” Did it ever occur to you, that this fits for your own book, too? Most of the hacking you describe rings false or is just not how it is done. Cory Doctorow sees is it, too, saying: “true to the spirit (and often, the minutae) of security work” beeing polite for “if not the minutae”. You’re a double-clicker. That’s okay. But if you ever try to dabble in writing about hacking again, consider to get help from people who know.
February 23, 2016 — 7:46 PM