Epic in the New York Library's "Books for the Teen Age" 2008.

Books for the Teen Age is a prestigious annual book list selected by teenagers, sponsored by the New York Public Library. The 2008 edition lists Epic as one of its selections. Alas the author's name is spelled incorrectly, as Kostic, Conor.

Epic in a San Francisco library

Here we see Epic in a San Francisco library. It is sitting beside a book by Ursula Le Guin, an author who Conor admires.

Move by Conor Kostick to be published in September

Amazon has the new Conor Kostick book listed in the UK, US and Canada. The publication date is 22 Sep 2008. The cover says that Conor Kostick is:

the author of the internationally acclaimed Epic and Saga.

The tag line is:

Everything comes with a price.

The blurb at O'Brien Press says:

What if you could live in a universe where you were always the winner?

Pushed to his limits by a horrific accident, Liam discovers he has an amazing ability: he can ‘move’ to parallel universes where things always turn out just the way he wants. But every time he moves the fabric of the metaverse begins to tear. And something evil begins to find its way in ...

A gripping fantasy adventure story of the battle between a teenage boy and a terrible demon.

It is also the deeper tale of how Liam changes, emerging from the final crisis a much wiser person than the boy for whom the ability to swap universes made the world his toy.

A thrilling roller-coaster ride from an award-winning author.

David Maybury has a pre-publication copy. He says:

Conor is back with a bigger, better and even more thrilling book called Move

Epic seen in San Francisco bookstore

Epic for sale in Stacey's in San Francisco.

Epic and Saga book trailer

This is an ad made by Penguin to promote Epic and Saga. I think it will be appearing on various science fiction sites around the web. It is silent so don't worry if you don't hear anything.

Conor Kostick has three books published on 15 May

Conor has three books published on 15 May 2008:

• Saga is out in hardback in the USA.
• Epic is out in paperback in the USA.
• Conor's non-fiction study of the First Crusade: The Social Structure of the First Crusade is out in Britain and Ireland, and in the USA.

Epic nominated for 2009 Rhode Island Teen Book Award

Epic is one of 20 nominees for the 2009 Rhode Island Teen Book Award.

On New Earth, a world based on a virtual role-playing game, Erik persuades his friends to help in order to save his father from exile and safeguard the futures of each of their families.

The books are selected on the basis of literary quality and their appeal to young adult readers. Middle school and high school students from all over Rhode Island vote for this award at their school or local public library.

Conor Kostick in French wikipedia

There is now an entry for Conor Kostick in the French wikipedia. This is at least partially a translation of the English language entry. One notable thing it adds however is Conor's interest in the game Diplomacy. In 2000 he won the major Diplomacy tournament at Manorcon (though they spelled his name incorrectly).

Conor Kostick Interview for Library Ireland Week

Conor did an interview with Library Ireland Week. There is a short mention of Move:

Later in the year Move will be published, a book about a boy who can move through the millions of alternate universes that, according to some physicists, surround us.

Audio CD version of Saga in Germany

There is a new German language audio version of Saga on 5 CDs. Previously there was an audio version of Epic. Saga again features audio book stalwart Andreas Fröhlich, along with Anna Thalbach as Ghost.

There is already a 5 star review at Amazon.de, by Thorsten Wiedau who also reviewed the audio version of Epic.

Epic nominated for Georgia Peach Book Award

The purpose of the Georgia Peach Award is to highlight and promote the best current young adult literature for Georgia high school age students, to encourage young adults to read, and to promote the development of cooperative school and public library services for young adults. Teens vote for their favorite books out of the year’s top 20 nominees at their high schools and local public libraries. Epic is one of the 2008-2009 Georgia Peach Book Award Nominees.

Epic nominated for Beehive Award

Epic has been nominated for the 2009 Beehive Awards (formerly entitled Utah Children's Book Awards) in the Young Adults' Books category.

On New Earth, a world based on a video role-playing game, Erik persuades his friends to aid him in some unusual gambits in order to save Erik's father from exile and safeguard the futures of each of their families

Conor Kostick visits India

Here is what Conor wrote for Final Draft the newsletter of the Irish Writers' Union:

Ireland Literature Exchange, Culture Ireland and the Irish Embassy recently combined forces to host the first showcase of Irish writing in India, with the events all being held in New Delhi in advance of a major bookfair there. It was exciting to be included in this event and rather too exciting that our hotel had a major fire, with all the guests having to be evacuated.

The embassy staff were wonderfully supportive though and all the events ran smoothly, with good coverage in the Indian press. For me, the highlight was going off to speak in a couple of schools along with my friend and fellow fantasy author Oisin McGann [see top picture, at Agra Fort]. Like energetic kids anywhere in the world, those at Vasant Valley School [see picture below] were full of enthusiasm for their favourite books and characters, with Darren Shan and Eoin Colfer’s works featuring among them.

The standard of English that they had was very impressive and, thanks to Oisin, their vocabulary has now been enriched by the terms like: ‘eejit’, ‘howya’, ‘banjaxed’ and ‘grand’. The Vasant Valley kids were quickly to pick up an authentic Dublin accent. On a personal level it was a very rewarding trip, but there are longer-term issues about copyright and the publishing industry in India that mean any gains for Irish writers in terms of an Indian audience are likely to be slow to emerge.

Saga shortlisted for the Reading Association of Ireland Children's Book Awards

The short-list for the 2008 Reading Association of Ireland Children's Book Awards was:

• Irish Tales of Mystery and Magic by Eddy Lenihan/Alan Clarke
• An Táin Colm O Raghallaigh/The Cartoon Saloon by Cló Mhaigh Eo
• Saga by Conor Kostick
• Bríona ag Brionglóideach by Dairíne Ní Dhonnchú/Maria Murray
• Buaic by Dermot Somers

Conor didn't win, but below you can see him picking up his award at the Church of Ireland College of Education in Rathmines.