I mean, who didn’t see this one coming? From Simon Spanton, Martin’s editor at DAW Books, via email:

Due to the immense size of the novel (seriously, it’s the size of a Diana Gabaldon novel, and doesn’t even include any Jaime chapters until the 700-page mark), we are sorry to announce that ‘A Dance with Dragons’ has, yet again, run into a slight bump in the road.

Publication of the first volume of the fifth volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, re-titled ‘A Menagerie of Midgets’, has been pushed back to April 1st, 2012. The following volume (volume two of volume five, for those following), still titled ‘A Dance with Dragons’, will follow soon afterwards. This delay allows Martin to further refine those characters most loved by the fans and somehow figure out a way to make them give a damn about Brienne of Tarth. Seriously, no one likes him.

We apologize profusely to our stakeholders for this delay.

Ahh, well… c’est la vie, right? Meanwhile, I’m off to make sure no one’s wrapped saran wrap around my toilet seat.

What is Nascence? In Buckell’s own words:

I’ve written 145 or so short stories and sold 45 of them. It took me the better part of 100 stories to start selling them. I often get asked about those 100 ‘trunked’ stories (that’s what many of us call stories we’ve retired). The truth is, I’ve not found much value in them, or attempting to rewrite them.

But as a way of talking about how I learned to write stories that now sell, and in terms of explaining the evolution of what I was writing, they make for an interesting journey.

While I wouldn’t want to just plop those stories out onto an unsuspecting public, the idea of a curated look at the stories, what they taught me, and how I learned from them over 15 years of writing, I thought a very cool collection could be assembled.

I don’t talk of my own writing very often, but my own place as an aspiring writer is at the heart of my interest in this recently released collection of short fiction from Tobias Buckell. You see, just a few months ago, I began to play the submit-a-short-story-and-wait-endlessly-before-having-your-heart-ground-to-dust-beneath-the-heels-of-evil-evil-short-fiction-editors game. Sounds fun, no? But being able to read about the experiences of an established author like Buckell is exactly the type of motivation and extra shove I need to remind myself that it’s not worth curling up in a corner and crying. It teaches me that these stories I’m busting my balls on might not sell. Probably won’t sell, I suppose. But there’s something of value in the creation of them, whether they find an audience or not.

You see, Buckell’s a good writer. A damn good writer. But, even with a few novels and award nominations under his belt, he’s still humble enough to admit and speak eloquently about his ‘failures’. But, as I’m sure Buckell examines in the collection, is it really a failure if it teaches you something that helps you succeed in the future?

Sure, they’re stories that’ve been rejected and ‘trunked’, but who cares? Whether you’re an aspiring short fiction writer like myself, looking for inspiration; or a voracious reader of short fiction, Science Fiction or Fantasy, Buckell’s collection of stories is sure to offer something of value.

You can find out more about Nascence or purchase a copy HERE.