Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys

Interview, trailers and freebies

2012-01-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

I'm a huge Minister of Chance fan as you already know if you're a regular reader. In case you're new to Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys, I'm including my review from March 2011 again here so you know what I'm talking about, why I love it so and why you'll want to watch the interview below.

The Minister of Chance
Radiophonic Serial
Writer, Producer, Director: Dan Freeman
Starring: Julian Wadham, Jenny Agutter, Lauren Crace (as Kitty), Paul Darrow, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann.

Radio shows rock! You don't think so? You haven't heard The Minister of Chance. It's not just visual sound effects that have come a long way. I got totally lost in the story like I was there. The Minister of Chance is a new British science fiction audio series which is sort of like Nazi Germany taking over a backward planet instead of France. But these invaders will politely send you to the dungeon or to the labor camp and wonder why you're not honored to do it. The invaders believe in magic, not science. Their leader is the Witch Prime and their standard salutation is "Happy Spells".

While smuggling food to a scientist who is part of the resistance, Kitty encounters the Minister of Chance. The atmosphere and humor will whisk you away to a world you've never imagined. You'll laugh at Kitty's protestations as she follows the Minister of Chance through a door that wasn't there a second ago and across the frost bridge into another realm. A far cry from slinging ales at the pub where she worked. The Cockney does get a bit thick at times for those unaccustomed to it, but it's so worth it for the flavor that it adds.

The witty, sarcastic dialog and the acting are flawless. I should know. I've listened four times. :) It's space opera at its best. Right up there with Dr. Who. Jonathon Barnes recently interviewed Julian Wadham, who plays The Minister of Chance, over at his Pantisocracy blog.

Here's an interview with Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred. Doctor Who fans should especially enjoy this interview.

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Phoenix Pick’s free ebook for February is Stephen Leigh’s The Shape of Silence. The coupon code is 9991463 and will be good from February 2 through February 29. Download link at www.PPickings.com.

Short Description of the Book:

"Replete with adventure, mystery, and sociological conflict."—Publishers Weekly

First contact was never supposed to be like this.

A sudden rift appears in near-earth space, causing electronic components to permanently fail and cause total chaos. As Earth's fragile technological society disintegrates, no one can answer the obvious question: What is the rift, and who or what has created it?

A new generation comes to age attempting to answer these questions, and Taria Spears, an anthropologist, is selected as part of the crew on the exploratory ship Lightbringer. Lightbringer's mission is to investigate the worm-hole-like Rift and, if possible, to pass through it to find out what lies on the other side, and to seek some answers.

But what if all they find is an alien culture where sound, not sight is the primary sense?

In addition,

Arc Manor/Phoenix Pick is sponsoring a writer’s workshop with some outstanding talent. Participants include Toni Weisskopf (Head of Baen Publishing), Eleanor Wood (Spectrum Literary Agency, representing Bujold, Heinlein estate, etc.), Mike Resnick (GOH this year’s Worldcon), Kevin J. Anderson, Nancy Kress and a few others (full details at www.SailSuccess.com).

Interested? Leave a comment to get a coupon for $75 off your registration.
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Advanced ticket sales through www.movietickets.com and www.fandango.com for The Hunger Games begin on Feb. 22. To get email or text alerts to remind you when the tickets go on sale, go to The Hunger Games facebook page.

Look out for Lockout!

Here's a teaser for a new Indie Web series still in development.

The Silent City - Teaser from Silent City on Vimeo.

Writer's of the Future XXVI - Marvelous new ideas from new writers

2012-01-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

Writers of the Future Volume XXVI
Edited by K.D. Wentworth
Galaxy Press (2010)

Reviewed by Clare Deming

Each new volume of L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future series of anthologies collects the winning stories from that year's contest. Started in 1983, it has gone on to become one of the most well-known contests for science fiction and fantasy stories. Entries from amateur or unpublished writers are accepted quarterly, with several levels of awards given. The first, second, and third place winners for each quarter earn publication in the anthology and a workshop with professionals in the field. Out of the four first place stories, one is granted the Gold Award, which comes with extra prestige and payment. A companion contest for illustrators is held concurrently, and the winners each illustrate one of the stories in the anthology.

This is the first of these anthologies that I have had the chance to read, and they may certainly vary from year to year. I found that this volume was weighted toward science fiction, with fewer fantasy selections. The stories are interspersed with short essays about the field from well-known authors and artists. Overall, I enjoyed this book and I thought that it was a solid collection of fiction. I'll highlight some of my favorite stories below.

"Living Rooms", by Laurie Tom, was the first story in the collection, and the Gold Award winner. Rill returns home after several years among ladies at court. Her father has died, but the animated personas of each room in his house have remained. Rill must confront the threat of a neighboring wizard while unraveling the secrets that her father left behind. This was a well-rounded story and a solid opening to the collection. While this was fantasy, with wizards and magic, the focus was different from many such tales.

In a unique look at androids, Alex Black brings us "Lisa With Child". Once manufactured as a bodyguard for one of the Agency's Clandestine Service members, Lisa manages to subvert her systems to become pregnant. However, the Agency will not likely allow a self-replicating weapon to exist, no matter what the reason.

"Exanastasis" by Brad R. Torgersen explores a world in which Earth's population has been eliminated to allow its ecosystems to recover. Atreus, caretaker for the project, is re-animated in a cloned body by his humanoid constructions built to resurrect the population from stored data. When his wife is also cloned, he has to decide what distinguishes a human from a monster.

When Izzy left Earth to work on the solar station, she found challenges amid the native Offworlders. Brent Knowles examines the differences of this environment in "Digital Rights". A ghost is lurking in the digital systems, and the exchange of knowledge carries a price.

In "Coward's Steel" by K.C. Ball, Tate struggles to survive in a difficult world. Armed with only a pistol and her long-lost mentor's collection of rules, she stumbles upon a village that seems a bit too inviting. What will be the cost of her visit?

Told from the point-of-view of a sentient tree-like species, "Written in Light" by Jeff Young was quite an engaging tale. Zoi'ahmets (the tree) finds a human girl, stranded in the wilderness of the planet's Dispute Zone. When the youngster's life becomes threatened, Zoi'ahmets must figure out how to save her without endangering the political situation or her own work.

My favorite illustrations were those by R. M. Winch and Jingxuan Hu. Many books don't offer any visual art other than the cover, so I enjoyed seeing these with each story. I think that one of the strengths of this collection is that there are always going to be fresh ideas and voices. I look forward to picking up another volume. More information about the contest can be found at: www.writersofthefuture.com.

Cinder - a delightful mix of familiar and new

2012-01-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles
Marissa Meyer
Audiobook read by Rebecca Soler
Macmillan (January 2012)

Review by Lyda Morehouse

Cinder is a retelling of the classic fairy tale of Cinderella set in a future China (which, of course, is a nice homage as the story supposedly originated there.) Our heroine, Cinder Lin, has been recast as a cyborg scraping out a living as a mechanic in the markets of New Beijing. A plague ravages the Commonwealth and war with the Lunar Queen brews on the horizon. The world is rich with such science fictional details as those while still remaining true to the pastoral, fairy tale feel of the original. As you might expect, all the players are there: the evil stepmother, the charming prince, the fairy godmother, the pumpkin-colored chariot…. There are, of course, many new events and surprises, which is the fun of stories like these. Will Cinder lose a shoe at the ball or a cybernetic foot?

I enjoyed the story immensely. Even though, at times, foreknowledge of the fairy tale caused me to yell out, “Get to the ball, already!” There were still plenty of new plot/character twists to keep me guessing. The ending, in fact, is not at all what I would have expected.

The audio addition came with a few technical difficulties. The files I received were labeled like this: 1-01 CD 1a.mp3, 1-02 CD 1b.mp3, etc., which meant that, thanks to that extra space (not marked with a _), my mp3 player organized all the files by the last designation, so I had a jumble of 1a, 2a, 3a, etc. I ended up having to jump around a lot to get the story in order. This was made more complicated by the fact that my mp3 player just wanted to continue on to the next one, so I’d have to guess when a section was over. I’m not sure that would be a problem with all players, however.

Regardless, I found the story worth the hassle. Rebecca Soler does an excellent job reading. I was never thrown out of the story, even though she attempts several accents, including Australian and British, and lowers her voice when reading male lines.

As someone who is a slow reader, I tend to really enjoy the occasional audio book or story podcast. I would definitely recommend this Young Adult novel on audio for those who still enjoy the pleasure of being read to, as is, perhaps, fitting with a fairy tale like this one.

Unpossible and Other Stories - deliciously dark and surprising

2012-01-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

Unpossible and Other Stories
Daryl Gregory
Fairwood Press (November 2011)

Reviewed by Ann Wilkes

Daryl Gregory is an exceptional storyteller. I enjoyed every story in Unpossible and Other Stories. The title story left me with warm fuzzies long afterward. All of the stories in this collection had a speculative element, though in some it was slight. However, his characters, voice and storytelling made it a non-issue for me.

His clever turns of phrase also left me smiling. Here are some examples:

From "Second Person, Present Tense":

She regards me with that standard-issue look of concern that doctors pick up with their diplomas.

From "The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm":

Only after her parents failed to come home did she realize that the note was a kind of battlefield promotion to adulthood: impossible to refuse because there was no one left to accept her refusal.

From "Petit Mal #2: Digital"

He was bald except for a gray ponytail, as if his hair had given up on general coverage and decided to specialize.

The other thing that really struck me about these stories is that they were not the usual, soon-forgotten fare that we have seen too much of. Gregory's stories have truly unique situations, and he isn't predictable.

In "Second Person, Present Tense", a girl is changed by a drug into a different person, detached from that girl she used to be. Her parents bring her home after she's had extensive therapy, still hoping to get their little girl back. She tries to humor them at times. Tolerate them. After all, she's still walking around in their daughter's body. It must be tough.

In the title story, mid-life crisis men seek to return to their childhood. In this tale, it is a physical place that they are no longer able to enter. I found it sad, poignant and deliciously tragic.

In "Damascus" Gregory introduces elements of religion, pseudo-vampirism, epedemic and feminism into one dark and tragic tale of questing and redemption.

I especially enjoyed "The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm". It's a sort of steampunk, superhero alternate history with half-mechanical men and castles. And the Americans send their superheros on air-raids over the impoverished, communist island state of Trovenia. I could read that one several times. My favorite line is below.

He claimed to have suffered the injury fighting the U-Men, though others said he'd lost the tusk in combat with vodka and gravity: The Battle of the Pub Stairs.

In "Gardening at Night" I was delighted by the twist on an old premise. The usual is that robots unexpectedly exceed their programming and rise up to declare independence. I don't want to say too much because I hope you will all read it for yourself, but his pulling in of the temptation in the Garden of Eden and the line of logic that followed: Superb!

I loved this exchange in "What We Take When We Take What We Need":

"That's not love, Paxton. That's addiction."

"Explain the difference."

This is a creepy tale of dysfunction, addiction and family curses.

I couldn't get enough of the superhero banter and the blob called Plex in "Message from the Bubblegum Factory" although I scratched my head a bit at the ending. This was the only ending that baffled me in the whole collection. I don't like being baffled, but the journey was worth the head-scratching.

"Dead Horse Point" was about loyalty and care taking. The spec element in this was thin, but the story was extremely engaging and the ending surprising.

In "Petit Mal #3: Persistence", I admired Gregory's treatment of the subjects of loss and memory, his unique premise and thoughtful ending.

I highly recommend this collection to anyone who craves something different from the tired tropes and wants to be pleasantly surprised.

The fabulous, funny Phoebe Wray

2012-01-17T00:03:00.001-08:00

Interview by Ann Wilkes

I met the fabulous Phoebe Wray through Broad Universe - well, virtually anyway. We'll meet sometime soon at a convention, I'm sure. We also share a TOC in Defending the Future IV: No Man's Land, a military sci-fi anthology put out by Dark Quest Books a year ago.

Phoebe has been writing all her life. She started out as a journalist, but instead, became a stand-up comic, eventually writing material for others as well. Then it was off to the Theatre as an actress, appearing in off-off-Broadway and regional plays for many years. She continued to write: plays, theatre reviews, travel brochures, promotional material, educational material, scholarly essays, etc.

AW: When did you start writing SF?

PW: I started in 2000. It seemed the perfect year.

AW: What prompted you to choose SF?

PW: I READ sci-fi and love it . . . ergo . . . .

AW: Are there particular themes that run strongly throughout most of your fiction?

PW: Feminism. I have a real burr under my saddle about unfairness in all its forms. Political stuff, how we govern ourselves, or not. People standing up for what they know is right and not backing down.

AW: I've been mentioning Broad Universe every chance I get here. You were the President for quite a while. Were you a founding member?

PW: Yes. I attended the WisCon panel "World Domination 101" in 2000, where the idea of a "club" of serious writers to demand equal space, equal thought started. A couple of years later, Amy Hanson asked me to be on the Advisory Board. And then, I stepped in as President when she stepped down.

AW: How many members were there in the beginning?

PW: I think maybe 50-70 members. Most of them women who attended WisCon. We had some very lean years, with dwindling memberships, until we figured out just how and what we could do. It's been growing ever since.

AW: Would you say there are some differences between the way men and women write?

PW: Yes, I think so. There is a gender difference in what is immediately important in a given situation. And we plan differently. At least that's true among my many friends over the years. I've read a lot of excellent books by men, and believe we analyze things differently. There's incoming!!! Do you run? Protect the people next to you? Reach for a gun? Cover your head and get under the desk? Curse the universe? What is your take on a dark doorway in unfamiliar surroundings? Not that women can't do anything a man can do (read the obvious exceptions). We still will very likely do it differently. I saw that reading the wonderful stories in [Defending the Future IV:] No Man's Land.

AW: I try to keep romance to a bare minimum. You know, the Chick Flick effect. Guys might enjoy a chick flick now and then, but they'll never go to one without one - a chick. What's your take on romance in sci-fi?

PW: My characters have all definitely had someone to love. J2, the novel that's about the come out -- the sequel to Jemma7729 -- doesn't have a romance element, although it has a pretty specific, I hope, rather charming sex scene.

AW: What are you working on now?

PW: Promotion! Jemma7729 is coming out in ebook and J2 in print and ebook, both before March, so I'm gearing up for that. AND there is a third and last in this series. I have lots of notes and about 20 pages written on Jemma: The Legacy. Then, I hope on to another something . . . I really like dystopias.

AW: Yes, those have been quite popular since the economy tanked.

PW: I liked them before the economy tanked. Something about over-coming. The nasty something that is really beyond one's control but you fight it anyway . . . Lost causes, maybe? I don't know.

The best way to ask for a book review

2012-01-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

I've been going through my book review requests. I haven't done that since the end of November. Did you know that many of the same rules apply for reviewers that apply to editors? Tell us about your book in November or January, but don't expect much in December. We have busy Decembers same as you.

The first book review request email I looked at bowled me over in its complete lack of meaningful description. The next self-published author didn't even bother to try to describe his work other than to promise me that it really is different from all the others. So, I decided that I had some things to say on the subject. It's that or explode.

First off, you have to sell us on your book, same as you do for an agent or a publisher. I get a ton of requests. Again, you have to make it stand out in my slush pile the same as you did (or maybe didn't if you're self-published) for the publisher or agent. About once a month I send out the requests to my reviewers. They choose what interests them. Of course, that's after I have first dibs. ;)

So, INTEREST us. Your fantasy novel is different, you say? Tell us why. What is it about? We only need a paragraph. And please, whether you're the author, a publicist or just a friend helping to promote the work, use grown-up adjectives.

One of the requests I received contained only the following adjectives: Great (x2), new, (really) exciting, terrific. This sci-fi novel is also full of surprises and well-drawn characters. We still have no idea what the book is about!

You say you're a fan of my blog? You tell me how great it is. Or that you found me on Twitter. Super! I'm glad. But flattery doesn't really count for much, I'm afraid. And if you claim to read my blog and still don't follow the posted guidelines, you lose points. I'm pretty flexible, but flattery is no substitute for following the guidelines. Would you ignore a magazine's guidelines when you submit a story?

Someone I know from conventions wondered if I had a chance to review his book. The one he never told me about or sent to me. I don't get ALL books from ALL publishers. And I don't read minds. And then I still need you to do the drill, even if we're friends. In a way, especially if we're friends, because I won't review books for friends. It's a conflict of interest. So, again, you get one shot to interest my reviewers. Make it count.

The other thing is, the process takes as long as it takes. Nagging won't help you. Honestly.

And unlike a story submitted for consideration to a magazine, we won't email you to tell you we're not interested in reviewing your book. We just won't request it. Did I mention we get a LOT of review requests?

For those who are self-published, you're competing against the publishers who send me books for review that have already been vetted. We will review an occasional self-published book, but your pitch has to really grab one of us enough to take a chance on you.

One more note. We do not currently do negative reviews. If we don't like the book, we won't finish it and won't review it. By requesting a book, we are not promising a review. On the other hand, if we really like it, we might request to interview the author.

Don't forget to check out my list of other review sites. Many of the entries include guideline links. And here's a primer on requesting book reviews in general at eHow.

The Daemon Prism - an excellent series' touching, satisfying end

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Daemon Prism: a novel of the Collegia Magica
Carol Berg
Ace Roc 2012

Reviewed by guest reviewer, fantasy/sf author, S. A. Bolich

The Collegia Magica series, of which The Daemon Prism is the third and final book, is one of the best fantasies I have encountered in years. The first book was also my initial exposure to Carol Berg’s work, after I got the chance to hear her read from it at a science fiction convention a couple of years ago. Intrigued by the characters in the snippet she read, I bought the book and discovered a gem of an author, a grand master of characterization. Berg takes chances with her characters in ways that have, frankly, inspired me as a writer, and that leave them imprinted indelibly on your memory and your heart.

The Collegia Magica, set in a Renaissance world with vaguely French and Latin underpinnings, is about a struggle to unravel the deadly mystery surrounding an attempt on the king’s life, and then to stop the unscrupulous sorcerers who want to turn the world—and the afterlife—literally inside out. To stop them, each character must also unravel the mystery of themselves, for each is not really who he or she believes.

The narrator of The Spirit Lens, Portier, is a young, physically unprepossessing librarian with an extraordinary knack for surviving what would kill anyone else. His fellow agentes confide, the fop Ilario and the intemperate, bitter mage Dante, have precious little use for each other and harbor explosive secrets. Anne de Vernase, narrator of The Soul Mirror, is heir to a stunning heritage of magic and loathes all of it. The series traces their struggle to understand how they fit into both the problem and the solution as they race to save both their world and the souls of their beloved dead from feeding unspeakable magic.

Accepting what they find is an obstacle for each of them, from the leap of faith surrounding Portier to the realities of Anne’s dangerous heritage to the real explanation for Dante’s unusual magical abilities and uncontrollable temper. These struggles are, in a way, even more fun than the larger mystery, and all enlivened by Ilario, whose humor is matched by his loyalty. Since I refuse to give spoilers in reviews, I will say no more except that each of these four characters is so well drawn you will wish this series carried on and on instead of stopping at three books.

The Daemon Prism picks up the story two years after the titanic magical struggle that concluded The Soul Mirror. Our heroes are widely scattered, recovering from those events, and a fair bit of the action involves characters traveling to the one place they can stop the plot, a city so old that even its rightful name is nearly forgotten.

Once again we have a new perspective on the action. Berg always writes in the first person, and unlike many series, she changes the point of view character from book to book. The first two books maintain a single POV; The Daemon Prism switches several times, a necessity considering that the action is far-flung and the characters scattered. This is fine, but it does contribute to a couple of noticeable structural weaknesses. It was fairly obvious in the middle section that the author needed to stretch out the time frame in order for all the players to unravel the mystery and come together. It also contributed to one wishful instance for me, in that I would rather the climactic scene had been written from Portier’s POV instead of Anne’s.

The Daemon Prism is both more and less satisfying than the first two books. Less, because the characters are geographically separated for much of the book and therefore the interaction we love to see among them is largely missing. More, because the climax is both so poignant and so inevitable that you won’t soon forget it. Each previous book was complete and satisfying in itself.

As with all great fantasy, there is sacrifice and loss and the realization that even heroes don’t always get what they want or deserve.

This book was wonderful, but there were a few things that caught my attention: the somewhat saggy middle stretch, the slightly one-sided villains, the abrupt disappearance of Dante as narrator, and the fact that I would far rather have had Portier as the POV character for the climax. He was the endearing narrator of the first book, and we got to spend far too little time with him in this one. He is also the catalyst for the conclusion, which felt a little rushed, and it would have been nice to see his reaction to it all from the inside.

Dante’s absence is both necessary and predictable due to the way Berg constructed his choices for battling his enemies, but it would have been nice to dip into his head at least once in the final section of the book to see his struggle from the inside. I also felt one major plot thread ended somewhat serendipitously with the fearsome tetrarch who has pursued Dante with grim zealotry throughout the book defanged rather conveniently toward the end. I know from talking to Berg that her publisher was concerned with word count and she was forced to shave scenes that might have mitigated this feeling of sudden endings. Sometimes the author doesn’t get to present the book he or she would like to.

The Collegia Magica is for readers who want more than a recycled version of the current hot trend in the genre. Berg is a gifted writer who builds believable worlds and truly memorable characters; an author I am so glad to have discovered. I highly recommend the Collegia Magica, and The Daemon Prism does not disappoint as a touching and satisfying conclusion to an excellent series.

Finally Friday sf/f film fun

2012-01-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't seen them yet...

Here are more sci-fi odds and ends to kick off your possibly geeky weekend. ;)

Geekscape: The Best Doctor Who Moments of 2011

Phoenix Pick’s free ebook for January 2012 is Charles Sheffield’s collection “Georgia on my Mind.” Use coupon code 9991325 through Jan 31 at www.PPickings.com.

Please note that a novelette with the same title has been offered as a
free download before. However this time the complete collection will be
available for a free download (including the Hugo and Nebula winning
novelette, “Georgia on my Mind.”

A collection of some of the finest short stories penned by a master of
hard science fiction, this anthology includes Charles Sheffield’s highly
acclaimed novelette, Georgia On My Mind.

Georgia On My Mind won both the Hugo and Nebula when originally published
in 1993. The accompanying stories were written by the author between 1987
and 1994.

Cemetery Dance just released a 25th Anniversary edition of Stephen King's IT. Learn more at Cemetery Dance.

The Left Hand of God - a compelling, but grim tale

2012-01-03T22:48:00.000-08:00

The Left Hand of God
By Paul Hoffman
New American Library (2010)

Review by Clare Deming

The Left Hand of God, by Paul Hoffman, blends aspects of our own world into a fantasy setting for a dark tale of deprivation, violence, and revenge. This is distinct from urban fantasy, because although the components of this world are not terribly exotic, it is not our world at all. Technology is at a medieval level and nobility rules the land, but there is neither magic nor monsters here.

The story follows Cale - an adolescent boy who has been raised at the Sanctuary of the Redeemers. The Order of the Redeemers and their strict religious dogma resembles Catholicism, but taken to a brutal and authoritarian extreme. At the Sanctuary, boys are trained for war against the Antagonist, but many do not survive this schooling. Those who do have lived a harsh life, abused and indoctrinated, and know little of the outside world.

Singled out by the Lord Militant, Redeemer Bosco, and trained in strategy and combat, Cale discovers a forbidden section of the Sanctuary. He is accompanied by Kleist and Vague Henri, the closest things he has to friends. When Cale is sent to the Lord of Discipline, he fears that his transgression has been discovered.

However, he surprises the Lord in the midst of a terrible act of torture and violence that is beyond what even the Redeemers sanction. Cale is left no choice but violence. He slays the Lord of Discipline, but must leave the Sanctuary, along with his friends and Riba - a girl that they discovered in the forbidden wing. She is the first woman that any of the boys has ever seen.

The book tells of their journey into the rest of the world, the great city of Memphis, and the politics that they find there. For the rest of the world is aware of the Redeemers, and fears the expansion of their war campaign.

Despite all the bleak facets of the plot, there is also a love story. However, I found this to be the least convincing part of the tale.

This book drew me in and I found it to be quite compelling and well-written. The mistreatment Cale endures at the hands of the Redeemers creates instant sympathy for him and his friends. Even though he is violent and sometimes savage, he is never truly cruel. By the end of the book, Cale learns to think about the implications of his actions as he discovers that the world is different than the Redeemers had portrayed.

The last criticism I'll mention (and it was only a minor annoyance) is that many of the place names are those of real places. We have the Appalachian Mountains, Memphis, York, and others, which made me search for symbolism or a hidden association. Yet as far as I can tell, there was no such significance to the names. Additionally, the map at the beginning of the book did not correlate well to the descriptions of the world in the text and I would have been better off to avoid referencing it.

The Left Hand of God is the first book in a planned trilogy. The second book, The Last Four Things is available now in hardcover and e-book editions.

Tempest Rising scores a thumbs up

2011-12-27T19:26:00.000-08:00

Tempest Rising
by Nicole Peeler
Orbit 2009

Review by Deirdre Murphy

In Tempest Rising, the first book in an ongoing series by Nicole Peeler, Jane True is something of a pariah in her small Maine town. Her mother arrived in Rockabill during a winter storm, walking down the road stark naked. She disappeared when Jane was six. Jane's dark history, which takes her a while to fully reveal, is already known to the town folk. In addition, she’s not quite normal:

It was all I could do to get through the meal without banging down my fork and running off into the night like some maenad. I was still so angry from my biweekly run-in with Linda that I was short-tempered with my father. Which made me feel guilty, which made me feel frustrated, which made me feel even more angry…

When I got like that, only a swim helped.

And if any old swim was therapeutic, a swim during a storm was better than Prozac.

Jane goes off to swim naked after dinner on a stormy November night (remember, this is Maine), near the very strong whirlpool called “The Sow.” The Sow’s deadly currents and the “piglets”, smaller, spin-off whirlpools created by The Sow, are Rockabill’s main claim to tourist fame. While swimming, Jane finds a body of a man who is, like herself, half-human (though she doesn’t know that yet). She learns this part of her heritage for the first time the next day, when strange beings tell her that her mother (whereabouts unknown) is a selkie, and she should expect a supernatural investigator to show up asking questions

The man who shows up the next day glamours her big-city boss, Grizelda, at the bookstore into believing he’s a friend of Jane’s from college. He doesn’t magically befuddle Jane’s brain like he did to Grizelda, but Jane notices (aloud, to her dismay) that he’s hot—really hot—er, really good looking. He also has sharp, sexy teeth. He insists on questioning her over dinner, in Rockabill’s one year-round restaurant, The Trough. (All of Rockabill’s potential tourist attractions are named with a pig theme, thanks to the afore-mentioned whirlpool.)

There’s plenty of both action and romance, all in Jane’s own words. I enjoyed Jane’s sense of humor throughout, despite the fact that a lot of humor falls flat for me. Overall, I very much enjoyed the book, although the first chapter is slow enough that I told the author (aloud, knowing she couldn’t possibly hear me from the “throne room” in my house), “I get that Jane doesn’t fit in small town Rockabill, get on with it!” But once the story got going, it kept on strong, alternately making me laugh and hold my breath, wondering how Jane was going to survive.

I won Tempest Rising in a random online contest for which I picked out books by five authors who are new to me. So far, the books I’ve received from that contest, sponsored by urban fantasy authors, are urban fantasy/romance crossovers, and of the three that have arrived so far, Tempest Rising is the best.

There is a teaser from Tracking the Tempest in the back of the book, and two more titles, Tempest’s Legacy and Eye of the Tempest, are listed in the front. For more information you can visit Peeler's website.

The Minister of Chance giveaway! Three people will win!

2011-12-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. I have some presents for you. Call them Christmas presents, Hanukah presents, Solstice goodies, whatever you want, but have at them and enjoy a beautiful weekend!

First, to get you in the mood, is the Hobbit trailer, in case you haven't seen it yet.

Let's have a couple more, shall we?

The Dark Knight Rises - Official Trailer [VO-HD] by Eklecty-City

And Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is playing this weekend!

My fabulously talented friend, Camille Picott, is giving away here short story "Warming Demon". Her Raggedy Chan was reviewed here by Lyda Morehouse. Camille's writing is an exquisite blend of fantasy and fairy tale that puts a face on cultural persecution for young readers. Keep checking back for a review of her next novel: Nine-tail Fox right here.

I'm bloody balmy about the The Minister of Chance. Check out my full review of episode one. Episode two is every bit as awesome.

Listen to the prologue of The Minister of Chance below and leave a comment describing the princess' first observation of the Ambassador. What did she expect him to have? The first person to do so wins the first two episodes.

The first person (and this has to be someone other than the first and third winner) to tell me the ambassador's name will also win the first two episodes.

Finally, name the actor who plays the king (and be someone other than the first two winners) to win the first two episodes as well.

Come on people. I want episode three, so listen, like them on facebook, tweet them and tell all your friends. They make great Christmas presents for those who have waited too long to mail something in time. You just send them the code in an email. How easy is that?

Wednesday geeky this and that

2011-12-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

This is how you know you've arrived as a writer. When you're the geek behind the scantily-clad lead singer and the crowd goes wild when you play your three notes on the toy piano. Neil Gaimon upstages his wife from behind.

This song is a classic. It just occurs to me that it's filk. Right? I think it fits the Wikipedia definition: Filk has been defined as folk music, usually with a science fiction or fantasy theme, but this definition is not exact. ... In addition, while the majority of filk songs are in the folk style, other styles such as blues, calypso, and even rock periodically appear.

Here's the new movie poster for The Hunger Games. The publicist told me to let her know if I want to collaborate on the film. I don't think she means what we think it means.

Planning a trip for 2012? Here's some geeky ideas.
12 Sci-fi Film Locations You Can Actually Visit

Earthbound - a post-apocalyptic tale

2011-12-15T20:23:00.000-08:00

Earthbound
A Marsbound Novel
by Joe Haldeman

Reviewed by Ann Wilkes

Earthbound is a post-apocalyptic tale with enigmatic, all-powerful aliens holding the earth's fate in their . . . well, gaseous something or others. Carmen Dula, who made first contact with the Martians by falling through the roof of their underground home and breaking her ankle, her space pilot significant other, Paul, the three spies they shared their trip to the Others with, her brother Card and Snowbird (a Martian) are back on earth after the Others have pulverized the moon.

When Earth tried to fly a ship through the thick debris field that surrounds the planet, the Others shut off the earth's "free" power. They're determined to keep humans earthbound.

In Earthbound, the group fight to survive and preserve as much of the humanity around them as they can. The perils are non-stop. Carmen must even lose her own brother while still coming to terms with missing out on seeing her children grow up. There are ambushes, deprivations, battles won, lives lost and hopes dashed.

The twelve passenger seats unfolded into lumpy beds, angled like chevrons. Some of us rested or napped. Paul took a pill. The plane was on autopilot, but if the Others turned off the power we'd be on a glider looking for a flat place to land.

We were over Hudson Bay, after about six hours, when we made contact with the president's people. I couldn't hear what was going on, but I presumed they were livid. They gave us a plane and we hijacked it to Russia. Paul was grinning broadly as he gave them monosyllabic replies.

The avatar of the Others pops in and out, sometimes rescuing them, but mostly just apathetically observing, adding just the right touch of creepy.

The storyline, as I said in my Starbound review, is a truly original first contact scenario. The Others play the long con or take their time with new relationships. These novels only show us a glimpse at the first tentative steps - at least from the humans' perspective. Who knows what they decide in a thousand years?

The plot moved along at a fast clip with lots of action. However, I wanted more character development and richer descriptions. I did like the ending, though.

If you've read the other books, you'll definitely want to read this concluding volume. If you haven't, you could download all three on your Kindle or other e-reader and read them in a weekend. Aside from dialogs that need more tags, Earthbound is a very easy read. I hope we hear from the Others again, perhaps with an all-new cast in our distant future.

SFOO interviews sci-fi author David Boop

2011-12-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Interview by Ann Wilkes

AW: What do you read besides science fiction for story ideas?

DB: I don’t have to read much for story ideas, as I have more ideas right now than I’ll ever probably write, however, I have three main places I generate ideas: dreams, conversations and research. I joke, when people ask me where I get my ideas, that I don’t sleep at night. This isn’t totally untrue. I wake with concepts and try to jot them down immediately. This is where “She Murdered Me with Science” came from. I also find myself in discussions with my son, friends, and peers and hit upon a lot of ideas that way. I’m co-writing stories with a few authors now that came from intense discussions. Finally, while doing research on one novel or story, I sometimes hit upon a fact that spins an entirely different story out of it.

AW: What first sparked your interest in writing? In science fiction?

DB: I blame it on Star Wars action figures. I didn’t just play with them. I built stories, with full three act structures to them. They had character development, epic battles and comedy. I had friends (Well, two to be exact. I was a nerd in WI, after all) that would come over to watch them play out. However, I had a hard time getting them down on paper. This was the era of the typewriter still, and I found revision due to mistakes almost physically painful. It wasn’t until many years later I was diagnosed with ADD. The advent of the word processor allowed me to finally overcome the majority of that condition and viola! A writer is reborn!

AW: Do you find it easier to write in short bursts, turning out short stories and comics, rather than novels?

DB: Short stories are the palette cleansers between novels. I used to get deeper into the writer’s trance, allowing myself anywhere from five to six hours of writing time. I can’t do that, as I get older, due to a combination of life responsibilities and just aching body. I’ll finish an act of the novel, and then slide out to catch up on short story deadlines. I come back to the novel fresh and ready to tackle the next section. Certainly, one doesn’t have to go as deep into the trance for a short story as a novel, so it’s easier from an investment POV, though some stories are just as demanding from a craft POV.

AW: I noticed from your website that you are a two-time winner of a community college literary contest. What are your thoughts on contests in general and the benefit of paying to enter them?

DB: To be fair, technically, I won one essay writing contest, and was accepted into the college’s literary magazine, which they ran as a contest. So, that’s how I got two. I’ve rarely paid for contests. When I do, it’s usually a low ante. The only ones I do these days are writing challenges, where you have to write to a prompt and with a time limit, such as the 48hr Film Festival. Everything you do as a writer is a contest, when you break it down to the brass tacks. Magazines, anthologies, e-zines. You’re entering a competition to get included in an issue or a book, earn money and get recognition. Some contests are better than others, such as “first chapter” ones, where you can earn yourself a publishing contract or agent. The competition is rough in them, maybe rougher than other arenas. Research the group running it, the judges judging it, the winner’s from previous years. Don’t drop money on anything you can’t validate. Remember, money should flow TO the writer, not away.

AW: Can you share your thoughts about web comics and the future of printed comics with everyone so often plugged into an e-reader or an iPhone?

DB: I recently downloaded the Marvel Comics app and read a few of their free comics. I had to keep turning my phone depending on the panel. I found this annoying. Four panel comics, such as “Control-Alt-Delete” I find work better than full page comics, but I may just be old. LOL! I think single comics will go away, replaced by daily pages from sources like the Marvel app, but these will be collected quarterly into trade paperbacks for the people who want something tactile. I could read “Dreamland Chronicles” or “Looking for Group” online, and have, but I still buy the graphic novels and find I’ve missed something every time.

AW: If you could spend a month anywhere and anywhen on Earth, where/when would it be and why?

DB: Previous to becoming an author, I’d romanticize the past, but as I research various eras for stories, there is always a dark side. Unless you’re one of the rich, things don’t work out to well for the commoner in most places in history. I’d love to spend a month somewhere, sometime in the future, maybe a colony world. Hopefully, unlike the past, it won’t smell nearly as bad.

AW: What are you working on now?

DB: Looking at the WIP board behind me, I have a novel to finish. The follow-up to SMMS called “Murdered in a Mechanical World (and I’m a Mechanical Girl!)” I have two novellas and four short stories I’d like to finish in the first quarter. I’d also like to try my hand at editing an anthology next year. Additionally on my plate are two other novels, a comic, a short film and a TV pilot. It’s going to take the Mayan apocalypse to slow me down in 2012. And chances are… I’ll still be trying to make a deadline even then.

Read more about David Boop at davidboop.com.

Geeky and literary booty and writers' dens

2011-12-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

GeekChicDaily is hosting a geeky swag contest that includes lots of Dr. Who stuff and is valued at $1,000. See their contest page for the details. And if you win, and don't want the Dr. Who Series Six DVD, remember who sent you. :)

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University now has the first installment of author Fred Saberhagen's papers. Saberhagen, best known for his Berserker novels, died in 2007 in New Mexico, but was born in Chicago. View the press release on the NIU Today website.

Canadian author Terence Green’s “Blue Limbo” is Phoenix Pick’s free ebook for December.

The coupon code for December is 9991437 and will be good from December 2
through December 31. Download available at www.PPickings.com

Mitch Helwig is a cop on the edge, “a man who’s gone through the valley of the shadow and hasn’t quite made it out the other side” (Toronto Globe & Mail). Vengeance and heroism, the subtleties of family woven into the metaphysics of life and death, all come together here in a page-turner, “a near-future tech-noir thriller” (SF Site) that moves at breakneck speed.

"A chilling picture of Toronto in the not too distant future."—The Toronto Star

I had such a fabulous time at OryCon that I wanted the party to continue. Toward that end, I searched for a local writer's hangout. Santa Rosa doesn't have one, so I'm trying to create one. I got a lot of great response from folks, but most wanted to hear about it after it formed, rather than help form it. The hardest thing of all is that people are so accustomed to set dates and times for meetings and structured settings, that the whole concept seems quite foreign to them. Maybe I'm just dreaming.

What I have in mind is a place - it can be a pub, a café, a corner of a book store, a restaurant - where writes and readers hang out for literary discussion, or just to chew the fat with other folks seeking intelligent conversation. I named it (Santa Rosa Writer's Den), started a yahoo group and gave it one rule: no promotion. I'm sick to death of writers marketing to other writers. I'm sick to death of hearing about promotion. I want to talk about writing and books I've read. If you just had a book published, fantastic, just don't try to sell it to me at my hangout where I'm coming to escape all that commercialism. It's scary how much writers have to focus on promotion these days. But, above all, we're writers. My aim is to create a refuge where we can hang out and not be bothered by the dark side of the biz.

We're still building critical mass and then will have to pick a spot or try several until we find the right one. I'll set it up to meet on maybe two specific nights (with a wide window of time to just drop in) and one or two days per week until it gets more established.

If only I had a time machine, I'd go hang out with the Inklings (whose members included CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien). They surely would turn me out because of my gender and dislike of pipe smoke. But they had the right idea. C.S. Lewis' older brother, Warren, who was also a member, wrote, "Properly speaking, the Inklings was neither a club nor a literary society, though it partook of the nature of both. There were no rules, officers, agendas, or formal elections." Of course, there's was more of a critique group and they did meet once a week.

I'd be interested to hear how many of my readers have found such a place where they live. Is there such a thing as a "Cheers" for writers and readers? Would it be too boring? Should we invite bull-fighters and race-car drivers to liven things up? Am I missing something here?

BBC interviews of 10 SF Authors now on CD

2011-12-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

Science Fiction Writers
British Library Board 2011
Interviews date from 1977 through 2001.

Distributed by the University of Chicago Press

Reviewed by Ann Wilkes

I completely enjoyed listening to the interviews on this CD. The majority of the interviews were conducted in such a way as to bring out interesting anecdotes and facts of which I was formerly unaware. The authors interviewed are as follows:

Douglas Adams
Isaac Asimov
J G Ballard
Ray Bradbury
Arthur C Clarke
Ursula K Le Guin
Michael Moorcock
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Also included is what seems to be a joint panel discussion or lecture led by Brian Aldiss and Doris Lessing as there is not interviewer on that recording. These are ALL previously unreleased recordings.

The gems you'll hear on this crisply mastered CD include an interview with Isaac Asimov on his 70th birthday in which he states that the kinetic theory of gases is what sparked his idea of psycho-history that is the "science" running through his Foundation series. Brian Aldiss tips his hat to Mary Shelley for writing what he thinks is the first truly science fiction novel.

Doris Lessing said she was struck by the defensiveness of pulp sci-fi authors in the States. She also said that though she thoroughly enjoyed Asimov's Foundation series, it's not really sci-fi, because there's no science. She goes on to say the Foundation series contains "brilliant sociology." Since when are robots, space travel and sociology not science?

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. explains why he chops up his books in short bursts. He also addresses his use of social commentary and satire, pointing out the reason why the defenders of the Alamo were really fighting in his novel, Hocus Pocus: for their right to own slaves.

Did you know that Ray Bradbury had a hand in the archetectural designs of Epcott Center, Disneyworld and World Fairs? A builder in Glendale (CA) even made a mall based on an article of his about a city of the future. He talks of his dream of globalism and a united space exploration instead of men of the same planet fighting one another. "Men want to be destroyed. But they should be destroyed for a good cause and the good cause is space."

The woman who interviewed Ursula K. LeGuin basically asks her if she would fancy being a father and a mother like the characters in The Left Hand of Darkness. And asked her if she thought of herself as an anarchist because she wrote about anarchists. Why is it that the one woman actually interviewed was interviewed by someone who obviously doesn't understand science fiction? LeGuin, however, handles the situation with aplomb and grace with wonderful tidbits like, "You can have books and babies. They are not mutually hostile occupations."

I highly recommend this CD for any sci-fi fan or writer. For more information or to buy your copy for $15, visit the University of Chicago Press.

Approaching Omega - familiar plot surprises in the end

2011-12-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

Approaching Omega
Eric Brown
e-book, Infinity Plus (September 2011)
Novella, originally published in 2005 by Telos Publishing

Review by Lyda Morehouse

This novella length e-book by award-winning novelist Eric Brown tells the story of Ted Latimer, team leader of the maintenance crew of the Dauntless – a ship filled with thousands of cryogenically frozen colonists, headed to the first suitable Earth-like planet. Their mission: save humanity.

I could have saved Latimer some heartache. After all, cryogenic deep-freeze space travel rarely goes well in these sorts of stories, does it? No one ever wakes up, thousands of years later, arriving in paradise where everything is hunky-dory. Thus, rather predictably, Latimer and his crew are awoken early. First to a possible collision that’s left the ship massively damaged. After they set the autobots to fix things, they go back to sleep.

The second time they wake up, everything has gone from bad to worse – much, much worse.

The plot that follows reminded me a lot of the movie “Pandorum,” including the strangely up-beat ending. If you haven’t seen “Pandorum” (which many people likely haven’t), suffice to say that the autobots fixed a number of things that weren’t broken, including some of the colonists.

I’m a fan of science fiction horror, and Brown is certainly a skilled writer. Yet, for some reason, I never quite connected enough with the main character to get truly emotionally invested in his survival. Perhaps it was Brown’s stylistic choice to refer to the hero by his surname throughout the narrative that kept me at a distance. Or, maybe it was the sheer gruesomeness of the situation they woke up to the second time that left me certain that everyone left alive was utterly doomed that made it hard to connect. Strangely, I think it would have made a better movie in that way. The action was very gripping and well-rendered, but I tend to want something a touch meatier in my fiction.

None of that stopped me from reading all the way to the last page, however. The ending surprised me by pulling back from a full-on horror conclusion to something much more science fictional. Was it more satisfying? I found myself unsure. In some ways, a bleak ending is its own kind of satisfaction. On the flip-side, if you’ve been rooting for these people the whole time…

For the price (Kindle is offering it for $2.99), it may well be worth reading and deciding for yourself.

Firedancer - and SA Bolich on weaving a rich tale

2011-11-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

Firedancer
by S.A. Bolich
Sky Warrior Books (2011)

Review by Clare Deming

In Firedancer, S.A. Bolich introduces us to a fascinating world in which Clans have power over the elements of fire, wind, earth, and water. This is more than elemental magic though, and the way in which Bolich weaves her world together creates an organic tapestry of cultures that is completely convincing. At the heart of this first volume is Jetta Ak'Kal, a Firedancer of the third rank.

The story opens when a fire erupts in Jetta's home village of Firehome Vale, and we instantly see that this fire is not a simple thing. The opening line gives the perfect description:

This fire was malicious.

A delicate balance exists between the Ancient - the deepest fire that smolders beneath the earth - and the Clans that remain vigilant against it. Trapped underground, the Ancient perpetually searches for a way to reach the abundant fuel on the surface. Jetta has fought against this fire all her life, like all Firedancers, using a learned Dance, the moves and forms passed down from master to student. In her previous assignment in the village of Setham, Jetta's Dance failed, and she lost her lifemate, her reputation, and her confidence.

Healed in body, but not in spirit, Jetta is given a new assignment in Annam Vale, a mountain village where the Delvers mine the containment stone used throughout the land to build fireproof structures. Yet rumors tell that Windriders also inhabit the distant village, and when fire is fed by the wind, catastrophe could result.

On arrival in Annam Vale, Jetta meets both encouragement and resistance from the Delvers. Yet it is the abrasive and secretive Windriders that provide her with unique challenges as she works to unravel the mysteries of the Vale. For Old Man Fire has started to resist the Dance. The forms and patterns that Jetta has always known no longer work as they should, and she must use all her resources to discover a solution before fire escapes from the mines beneath the town.

This book was nearly impossible to put down, with compelling characters and such an original concept that I was driven to discover more about this world. Bolich has infused so many details into the cultures - whether it's a Firedancer's braided hair and dance leathers, or the carvings made by a Delver - that I found myself completely enraptured.

The threat of the Ancient lurked beneath all of the other plot threads, creating an ever-present tension. As the story progressed, multiple subplots emerged that added complications of politics, love and jealousy, mistrust, and tragedy. And it all flowed naturally from very real characters. Firedancer is the first book in a planned trilogy that is off to a great start.

Interview with SA Bolich, conducted by Ann Wilkes.

AW: When did you first start writing fantasy?

SAB: When I was 14 my best friend lent me her copy of The Lord of the Rings, doling out each book one at a time. I flew through them in three successive days. And then I immediately sat down and began to write my own Tolkien-inspired epic. The first two are still in my drawer. I never finished the third, but it taught me a lot and I still use elements of it in some of my stories.

AW: Who were your major influences, both authors and those who encouraged you in your craft?

SAB: I read in a lot of genres. My favorite authors when I was a teen were Andre Norton’s YA SF and fantasy stories and Rosemary Sutcliff, who wrote awesome historical fiction. I very much enjoyed Anne McCaffrey’s dragons and Heinlein’s SF and pretty much everything else I could get my hands on. I won my first writing contest in the 6th grade; my 9th grade English teacher wanted me to try and publish some of my stories. In high school my teachers encouraged my writing in every way they could, and I’m grateful to them, because they somehow stuck it in my brain that I should nurture the writing spark that has never quite gone out no matter how much life has gotten in the way.

AW: Where did you get the idea of the dancers who control elements?

SAB: Heh. Good question. I distinctly remember the first line of Firedancer landing in my brain. Like all of my stories, the thing built itself. When my fingers start on the keys, I truly am never sure what is going to fall out. Things appear that have zero meaning until a few sentences farther on, and then I think “aha!” But after Jetta first began to dance on page two, the whole story took off and all at once the correlation between fire and the Dancers who fight it fell into place.

AW: Your prose is so rich, your characters so well-drawn. Where did you learn to write so descriptively? Do all the descriptions come in the first draft or do you go back and flesh out the scenes and characters later?

SAB: Description has always come easily to me. I’m fortunate, I guess, in having lived in many interesting places and grown up on a farm, forever outside running around in the dirt and the wind and the rain atop a horse. It has embedded a great deal of sensory memory into my bones, I think. I remember when I was still in junior high I started writing a historical novel about a girl from the hills of Tennessee who came west. I handed my mother two versions of the first page and asked her which she liked better. She handed me back one and said “This one. I feel like I’m there.” Sometimes I let the scenery get too rich, which interrupts the pacing, and have to cut it back. In fact, my editor made me put in a lot of sensory detail I had left out of Firedancer because I was afraid of stretching the word count and slowing the story too much. Now I’m hearing all kinds of good things about the richness of the writing in Firedancer and how it really puts people into the story. So…I guess I will follow my instincts and continue to wrap words around what I visualize in my head. Not everyone will like it, but my personal taste leans toward really rounded descriptions of the worlds I visit. I just like the big fat doorstop books, I guess.

I often do flesh out the bare bones of a scene in the revision, but more often I find myself cutting rather than adding.

AW: I know you're a co-founder of Other World's Writers' Workshop. Would you like to tell my readers more about that?

SAB: I am always happy to pitch www.otherworlds.net. It’s one of the oldest genre workshops on the Web, founded in 1998 and hosted at Yahoo Groups (OWWW) since 1999. It is an all-levels workshop, from beginners to pros. The critiques are detailed and intense, because we warn people up front we are geared toward publication. We’re not a reading group and we thin out the lurkers every month to keep people focused on actually writing and submitting and improving their work. We have some wonderful writers who have progressed from pretty raw beginners to published authors.

AW: When can readers get a hold of the next volume?

SAB: Windrider comes out in April 2012.

AW: Do you have shorter works readers can find online or in e-book format?

SAB: I have many stories out at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, On Spec, Damnation Books, Science Fiction Trails, and several other magazines and ezines. I also have stories in the Wolfsongs 2 and Defending the Future IV: No Man’s Land anthologies. My short ebook Who Mourns for the Hangman? is available along with Firedancer pretty much everywhere ebooks are sold.

AW: What are you working on now?

SAB: I am in the final revision stage with Windrider and then I will start on the next book, tentatively titled Seaborn, that will come out in 2013.

Gezlinger's Knot - exciting possibilities

2011-11-24T00:37:00.001-08:00

"Gezlinger’s Knot", Book 1: Traveling Rimside Blues
By JG Nair/J. William Myers
Mutant Horse 2011

Review by Lyda Morehouse

The world of Gezlinger’s Knot is nifty, a cool as heck concept and is accompanied by Myer’s strong visuals that evoke a kind of cross between “Blade Runner” and “Road Warrior.”

In a future where we’ve destroyed the ecosystem beyond repair, Earth is now a wasteland riddled with plague and pestilence and freakish mutations. Most of humanity survives in the remaining domed cities, while a few rugged individuals brave the soup of disease looking for clean genetic code to sell to gene tailors who can rebuild extinct animals for fun and profit.

The story starts with Jim Gambol, a gene trader, and because things begin with him one must presume he’s ultimately the hero of this tale. Unfortunately, I learned much more about him in the publicity materials attached to the comic than I did in the first issue. What we see of him in this book has minimal emotional impact. There seems to be a lot of wandering around the rim (another cool concept – a subculture that exists in the maintenance spaces between the dome proper and the outside,) but, otherwise, there’s not a lot in the text to latch on to. I have no sense of what’s at stake for him, or why I should care.

That could be a massive fail, but the last couple chapters follow a free trader (one of the brave/insane souls who venture outside) called Jobeam and his awesome mutant horse, Stogo. (I can’t explain it, but I really loved this horse.) I found myself much more emotionally attached to both of them because they faced an immediate conflict – the dangers of outside. Their section also ended is a startling cliffhanger that left me wanting more, right now!

My only regret is that the first part of the issue was not as strong as the last. However, as a science fiction reader, I can wait. I was given enough of a taste that I can be patient for the story to progress. Thus, the debut issue functions as a successful hook and the good news is that subsequent issues are planned every 1 – 2 months, with a graphic novel compellation when the story is finished.

If episode two delivers Jim Gambol’s conflict and thus, engages the reader in his story, I think “Gezlinger’s Knot” will spin a
marvelously rich, exciting tale.

My negative review of an anonymous book

2011-11-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

Title (I can't tell you)

Author (I so can't tell you)

Review by Ann Wilkes

I read a bad book through to the end yesterday. No I haven't devolved back into that person who thinks she has to finish everything she starts - even a bad book. If I tell you the reason, you might figure out what book it was. Since I'm going to pull no punches about why it was bad and why I wanted to throw it across the room, I can't tell you the title. I have already established in my guidelines that I don't post negative reviews, and I'm not likely to read another bad book any time soon, so my guidelines will have to stand. That's enough of my preamble. I'm going to deliver this review of an anonymous book as a sanitized (no title, author names, character names, etc.) critique.

Dear writer,

Good for you that you put yourself out there and your novel was published. When I learned the topic of the book and it's connection to XYZ, I felt compelled to read it. I was looking forward to it, even.

I had been reading another book that has a large cast of characters and a grand scope with myriad complex issues. More work than I was ready for just then. So, finding out what an easy read yours was felt like a relief. Ahhhh. A book I can wiz through on the weekend.

However, around page 100, I'm getting sick of your one-dimensional protag who goes through life in a pollyanna way, never making mistakes and solving problems with the greatest of ease. Where's the conflict? Where's the tension?

On page 236, I read the fly to see what the book is actually supposed to be ABOUT. Some of the stuff on the jacket had not happened yet and didn't even get introduced until the last third of the book. I want to know about those stakes and that conflict way sooner. I need way less of your protag's wonderful ninja career skills in minute detail. OK. I get you know your subject. You're an expert. But please give me a story. A plot!

And that first two-thirds would have been half as long if you paired down all the info dumps, eliminated all the wordy language and repetition, and quit telling me about every single opening and closing door.

We all have pet phrases. It's OK if your characters have them, but the narration shouldn't. Don't tell me character A completely understood this, that and the other, and the other. Sometimes, perhaps they knew full well, or grasped the subject. And please don't have them always hating to admit this or that. (The real over-used phrases have been changed to protect the author.)

And we all have favorite mannerisms. But not everyone in the room is a hand wringer or a lint picker. Give them different ones, please. The mannerisms should set them apart, not make them homogenized.

So, you decided to throw in a romantic interest. Good for you. I don't mind a little romance in my sci-fi, so long as it doesn't take over. This did the opposite. Those few tender moments were all tell, no show. I'm not asking for graphics, here. They're only kisses. But don't tell me he or she felt thrilled. Show me what it looked like. Have (we'll say her) touch her lips after (we'll say he) walks away, or have the lips quiver before the kiss. Something.

And twice during a kiss, the protag suddenly has eyes in back of (we'll say his this time) head and knows what the other people in the room are doing. The whole thing is in his Point of View until he's lip-locked. Then suddenly it's an omniscient POV.

Also, there's a chapter toward the end that is in another character's POV. I just wish you had done that sooner and more often. It came out of left field so far into the book.

Now about that ending. I'm so totally not a happily ever after kind of writer, but wow. That was brutal. But as brutal as the protag's loss was, the protag still spouted advice about coping to everyone else and didn't fall apart. Perfect to the last. I get that he might be in shock and will fall apart later, but he was way too peachy and preachy. At least if you're gonna give your character a blow like that, have him grieve, grow and change.

But you got published. So, there's that.

***

Wow! I feel so much better. I just hope no one guesses the book - especially the author - since I've seriously ripped his or her book to shreds.

Trailer House - Get your geek on

2011-11-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

You've had a hard week. Look both ways, put on the head phones and get your geek on.

On the other hand, if your week's been super hard, this will definitely not cheer you up. That apocalyptic trend is still going strong.

And here's a free read:

Phoenix Pick’s free ebook for November is Paul Cook’s “The Engines of Dawn.”

The coupon code is 9991522 and will be good from November 2
through November 30. Get the e-book download at PPickings.com.

The great engines of the Enamorati have enabled humanity to travel the
stars, but at what cost? Little is known of the jealously guarded engines
while a complacent humanity slowly loses its edge and becomes increasingly
dependent on mysterious alien technologies.

However, when an engine failure strands a university ship, Professor Ben
Bennet and a group of students challenge the status quo and start
discovering hidden secrets that threaten the future of humanity itself.

“A lot of contemporary SF satisfies but doesn’t excite. Cook’s latest
delivers everything you could want”—Science Fiction Chronicle

At www.PhoneixPick.com you can also enter to win a membership to Worldcon in Chicago (Chicon 7) which includes dinner with GOH, Mike Resnick.

OryCon Blew Me Away

2011-11-14T17:46:00.000-08:00

Con Report by Ann Wilkes

Can we do it again next weekend? I had a ball at OryCon in Portland, OR last weekend. I sat on 9 panels, did my pro bit at the writer's workshop and read at the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading (twice).

The Writer's Workshop was my first gig at 5PM on Friday. It went well, but could have used more time. We had 3 pros and 3 victims-er beginning writers. Each writer heard a critique from their peers and the pros and then had 5 mins for questions all in an hour. If you do the math, you will see that it simply does not add up. We did the best we could and handed over very detailed crits to the authors.

Who would have guessed that "To Outline or Not to Outline, that is the question" would be an animated, fun panel? We had fearless moderator, MK Hobson, who is the anal outliner, Alma Alexander whom you couldn't pay to produce an outline and Peter A. Smalley, who mostly does outline, but not in as much detail (70 pages, really? ) as Mary. I just hope we weren't having so much fun that we forgot about the audience. ;) And where do I stand? An outline? Only if I'm desperately trying to find my way out of blind alley and then only a couple sentences per chapter, no tiered structure.

"Women Role Models in Science Fiction" sort of morphed into a study of the shifts in gender roles and how both sexes are still figuring things out in the real world. The fact that a strong female role model is not a warrior with tits was only the beginning.

I moderated "That's gotta hurt!" with GOH EE Knight on my left and Rory Miller, with a gory photo album of real injuries, on my right. We went the full gamut from torturing characters with set backs, to nearly killing them, to killing everyone around them. And Rory kept it real, with real-life examples, the physical and emotional cost and what doesn't work.

Aimee Amodo and I delivered "How to give a stellar reading". Aimee talked about all the things that make writers - or anyone - afraid to speak or read before a crowd. We went on to list numerous tips to make your reading the performance it should be. Then came the fun part. I asked for volunteers (very forcefully - ;) ) to deliver readings to work on their voice inflection, volume, modulation, eye contact and body language. So they wouldn't be distracted by unfamiliar words, I had them use nursery rhymes. Imagine hearing Humpty Dumpty and Three Blind Mice as a eulogy, Mary Had a Little Lamb as a candidate speech and others as a newscast or an acceptance speech. And Aimee charmed us with one as William Shatner. Fun stuff.

I actually learned stuff on the "How to Prepare a Manuscript" panel from my fellow panelists, moderator John C Bunnell, Patrick Swenson and Camille Alexa.

Mary Robinette Kowal deftly moderated the "Alien Etiquette" panel. The discussion continued to lead back to how hard it is to come up with aliens who are more alien than some isolated tribes on our own planet. We mostly take a custom that is odd to us and push it to the extreme or invert one. And the devil's in the details. We have to come up with the cultural norms, manners and behaviors for our aliens that fit their unique setting and circumstances.

I had a ball moderating "Blah, blah blah, she said". We had five or six pros (including GOH EE Knight and William F. Nolan) who never tired of sharing dialog don'ts and giving examples of best practices.

My last panel on Saturday was a Feedback Workshop, the expected structure of which no one understood. As moderator, I sort of winged it based on who showed up and what they expected to get from it. It turned out fine and I think everyone had something to take away.

Sunday I was glad to be the traffic cop for "A Touch of Farmer, a Pinch of LeGuin" since I was the least-well-read person on the panel. Just going down the table sharing our influences took half of our time. Writers are passionate about good writing.

While reading at the Broad Universe reading, a crying baby made its entrance. I had no trouble speaking over the dear, but BU host extraordinaire, MeiLin Miranda felt bad, and since we fired a little more rapidly than expected, I was able to read a second piece that I had brought in case I couldn't shave the first one down to the required five minutes. I read an excerpt from a story I'll be sending out later this week after a few more final touches and my fractured fairy tale that always gets a roomful of laughs, "Troll Games".

Friday night after my panel marathon, I hosted a dinner with Broad Universe pals and other con friends. I should have got off my tush and taken more pics. I know Joyce took a bunch, but I don't have them yet. Here's what I do have.
Left to right - David A Levine, MeiLin Miranda, Joyce Reynolds-Ward, SA Bolich.

Even though her eyes are closed, this is great of Alma Alexander. That's Brenda Cooper to her left. On my other side were Andrea Howe and her hubby, Jeff. At the other table, besides David and MeiLin, were Mark Ferrari, Shannon Page, Camille Alexa and a couple of Mark's friends.

And across from me were Renee Stern and an unfortunately blurry Rhiannon Held.

At a room party Friday night I became fast friends with Vivian Perry, who lives in Oakland and sings Jazz. Definitely won't wait till the next con to get together with her. She gave me a CD and the girl can sing. ;) And don't you think she looks like Moriarty's girlfriend, the Duchess Bartholomew from STNG?

I also had fabulous conversations with Richard A. Lovett, G. David Nordley, Bob Brown, Amy Thompson, SA Bolich, Brenda Cooper, Alma Alexander, Joyce Reynolds-Ward and many others. After the con, I met my Aunt and cousin Richard and family for lunch. Then my cousin, JoAnn took me to the airport. When she picked me up at the hotel I still had to fetch the books that didn't sell in the dealer's room. I'm pretty sure next year I'll be staying with her and she'll be coming to the con. The dealers room alone bowled her over - yes I snuck her in. But, hey, I converted her for next year. ;)

Psyche's Prophecy might make you look over your shoulder

2011-11-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

Psyche's Prophecy
Ann Gimpel
Gypsy Shadow Publishing (2011)

Reviewed by Clare Deming

In Psyche's Prophecy, author Ann Gimpel takes us to a near and possible future in which resources are scarce and rolling blackouts and gasoline shortages are increasing. Amid this burgeoning dystopia, psychotherapist Lara McGinnis stays busy, counseling disturbed teenagers, OCD patients, and couples with marital problems.

The story immediately takes on the trappings of a thriller before delving into the fantasy aspects that are at the heart of this mixed genre tale. Dr. McGinnis learns that patient Ken Beauchamp is abusing his pregnant wife and steps in to offer the woman assistance. Her help comes nearly too late. Mr. Beauchamp puts his wife in the hospital in critical condition, disappears from the authorities, and begins a course of stalking and retaliation upon Dr. McGinnis for her interference.

In her private practice as a psychotherapist, Lara has found that her long-time ability to read auras has always been handy. However, she has more frequent and disturbing visions as the conflict with Mr. Beauchamp and the unpredictable blackouts across the city continue. On top of this, a graduate student, one of her other patients, and even her live-in boyfriend, Trevor, have all had a common dream. Lara tries to solve this mystery while everything else around her spirals deeper into chaos and her visions become darker.

The first half of this book kept me up at night, both as a page-turner and in sympathetic fear for Dr. McGinnis. This is a very good thing if you're a fan of that type of story, but if the thought of having a stalker break into your residence will give you nightmares, then you may want to read this only during daylight hours.

As the story progresses, Lara must face who she is and what her paranormal abilities mean. There are dark forces at work other than Ken Beauchamp, and ancient mythologies turn out to have real relevance to modern life. Lara and Trevor's characterization sparkled as they confronted new facets to Lara's power and the inevitable changes to their world.

In the second half of the book, I felt like the tension lagged. Although to be fair, it was more like the type of tension changed, because this is where the fantasy aspects became heavier. A lot of information about magic, witches, and power is introduced that seems more like buildup for the next volume.

Psyche's Prophecy was recently announced as a Finalist for an EPIC e-book award. While there is a definite conclusion to this book, there are also many questions left unanswered. Psyche's Prophecy is the first book in a planned trilogy and the second volume, Psyche's Search, will be released soon.

Honeyed Words - yeah, they are

2011-11-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

Black Blade Blues
and
Honeyed Words
J.A. Pitts
(TOR, April 2010, July 2011)

Reviewed by Deirdre M. Murphy

Black Blade Blues looked like it would be a fun read. It’s a modern-day adventure with dwarves and dragons, starring a female blacksmith who is dating a bard. Throw in SCA fighters, a Norse god or two, and an ancient, broken sword with runes running down its length, and I figured, how could it go wrong?

And indeed, though there were some places that felt rough, especially in the earlier part of the book, Black Blade Blues proved to be a good solid adventure story. Stuff did go wrong, of course, but in the story, not in the writing. Our hero was faced with an escalating series of challenges that ended in a confrontation between the evil dragon who had kidnapped the love of her life and his minions, which included ogres and trolls, and our hero and her allies. The good gals and guys didn’t win all they wanted to, but they survived (they had to do that—there’s a sequel!)

The world is grittier and more real than I expected from the delightfully disparate ingredients I mention in the first paragraph. The climactic battle is exciting and the end poignant. Black Blade Blues read like a first novel to me, but a solid one, and I’m glad it found its way onto my reading list.

Honeyed Words picks up not too long after Black Blade Blues, though we happily get to skip the hospital and physical therapy bits. Our blacksmith-hero, to her frustration, has found that knitting is helping her burned hand regain function. She sets all of her worries aside to take her girlfriend away for a birthday trip, to go see a friend and ren-faire musician, who made it big, perform.

After the performance (hey—was that a real elf in line?) the musician is kidnapped, elves show up to do mischief, and then our hero ends up working with a very strange blacksmith who has an odd—well, I don’t want to say too much, but more than one strange and magical family legacy is involved, and so are the dragons and both their minions and their opponents. As if that wasn’t enough, someone’s making a magical “blood mead”. These various strange and fascinating things were easy to follow as I read, but seem more complicated now that I’m writing this review and looking at the book structurally, instead of experiencing the adventure.

Honeyed Words more than lives up to the promise of Mr. Pitts’ first book. It’s fun and riveting. The relationships between the various magical peoples, and especially between dragons, gods, and humans, are more complicated than they first appeared (and they are perhaps, less black-and-white). I had trouble putting this book down when it was time for chores or bed. I wanted to see how all the disparate threads in the story came together in the end. I finished the book satisfied and wanting more.

I’m always happy when the second book in a series is better than the first. It just seems wrong when it’s the other way around, but that’s not the only reason. I’ve found that an author whose work gets better cares about the craft of storytelling, and is therefore someone I’m willing to trust my all-too-scant recreation time to again and again. One thing is certain—when the next book, Forged in Fire, comes out next spring, I won’t start reading it on an evening when I have to get up and go to work the next day.

A Fire Upon the Deep - a science fiction symphony!

2011-10-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

A Fire Upon the Deep
Vernor Vinge
TOR 1992

Reviewed by Ann Wilkes

With Vernor Vinge's new novel, The Children of the Sky, coming out that picks up where it left off, I decided to read A Fire Upon the Deep. I'd read Vinge's Rainbow's End when it first came out and was impressed with the detail, imagination and scope of his worldbuilding. And made suitable uncomfortable by the lack of printed books in that imagined future.

Fire Upon the Deep did not disappoint. It takes readers to a far distant future in which the homeworld, Earth, is all but forgotten. In this universe, that is divided into layers, or thought zones, from the Bottom to the Middle and High Beyond to the Top and the Transcend, worlds spanning vast reaches share information via the "Known Net".

Ravna Bergsndot works at a relay station for the Net when the biggest disaster of the age descends in the form of an angry Power, an awakened God that becomes known as the Blight. In Vinge's universe, races die out or transcend, some of them achieving a god-like state as a Power. As in Greek mythology, godhead and benevolence don't always go hand in hand. This Power is a destroyer of worlds.

The most interesting characters are the sentient, dog-like Tines who operate only as a pack of four to eight members. In fewer numbers, they lose their intellect down to the level of a dog. These packs function as one and cooperate to use tools. However, they cannot come nearer than 15 feet of another pack without losing their faculties. Something they only dare for sex. They can speak to each other in hums and vibrations and verbally. Once they meet humans, they can even communicate with human speech and specific voices once they learn the language.

The skroderiders are a sort of sentient sea creature with large fronds that is found across the galaxy. Skrodes lack the ability to form short term memory and ride on wheeled devices that help them store memories in order to function intelligently.

Vinge's alien cultures in this novel are incredible! These weren't talking animals. And if that's not enough, Ravna's new boyfriend Pham Nuwen turns out to be a Frankenstein made by a Power from human parts - minus the scars and knobs and possessing a personality, albeit an egotistical one. When the Blight kills the Power that made Pham, he is left with "Godshatter". This piece of the Power can take Pham over - and does at opportune moments - but Pham can't access it or be aware in any meaningful way while being used. If you're a Stargate SG1 fan, this is like Jack having the ancients' knowledge downloaded into his head.

When the Blight destroys relay, Ravna, Pham and two skroderiders head for the Bottom of the Beyond in search of the ship that fled there with what they believe is a secret weapon that will destroy the Blight. Meanwhile, the family aboard that ship is attacked by the locals, leaving the two children orphaned and held in opposing camps, neither knowing the other survived.

The interspersed transmissions from various people sprinkled throughout the book were an interesting device that added additional perspectives through the Known Net's discussion groups.

The alien version of the concept of a complete individual in the Tines culture necessitated different pronouns. That I could follow. However, the dialog was expressed three ways. There was verbal dialog in quotes. Fine. And dialog in italics that always seemed to be what we would sarcastically think or mutter under our breath so that the person we're conversing with doesn't hear. Finally, there were unuttered thoughts that were not in italics. I'm wondering now, after reading the entire book, if these were the packs talking to itself. Would have been nice to have figured that out sooner. And I'm still only guessing. I think the reader needs a little more clues when dialog has that many layers. It should not be confusing or distracting.

In spite of that one flaw, I heartily recommend the book. It's full of action, intrigue, loss, betrayal, complex cultures, politics, warfare and evolution. And unlike so many novels written more recently, no matter how dark things got, the characters always found hope. Not many writers can do so much in one tale. Bravo! And now to read The Children of the Sky!

Ashes of the Earth - the mystery runs dark and deep

2011-10-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

Ashes of the Earth: A Mystery of Post-Apocalyptic America
By Eliot Pattison
Counterpoint Press April 2011

Reviewed by Deirdre M. Murphy

Many things in the dark world depicted in this post-apocalyptic murder mystery aren’t what they first seem to be—a facet of this book that starts with the very first paragraphs:

The faces of the many child suicides Hadrian Boone had cut from nooses or retrieved below cliffs never left him, filled his restless sleep, and encroached in so many waking nightmares that now, as the blond girl with the hanging rope skipped along the ridge above, he hesitated, uncertain whether she was another of the phantoms that haunted him. Then she paused and reached out for the hand of a smaller red-haired girl behind her. Hadrian threw down the shovel he was using to dig out the colony’s old latrine pit, gathered up the chain clamped to his feet, and ran.

He scrambled up the steep slope of the ravine, ignoring the surprised, sleepy curse of his guard and the shrill, angry whistle that followed. Grabbing at roots and saplings to pull himself forward, he cleared the top and sprinted along the trail, his spine shuddering at the expectation of a baton on his back, his gut wrenching at the sound of a feeble shriek from the opposite side of the ridge. As he reached the open shelf of rock, he sprang, grabbed for the swinging rope that hung from a limb over the edge, heaving it up with a groan of despair. He froze as he hauled the child at the end of it back onto the ledge. What he found himself holding was an old coat fastened over a frame of sticks, and he found himself looking into the blank eyes of a pumpkin head with dried wheat for hair.

As fascinating as this opening is, much of what follows in this opening scene grated on me. Parts were heavy-handed and, well, gross. I really am capable of figuring out who’s supposed to be the hero and who’s supposed to be the villain without seeing the protagonist attempt, mostly futilely, to rescue pages of destroyed books from a latrine pit. Happily, as I got further into the book, I found an interesting, nuanced, multi-faceted future world, with an abundance of heroes, villains, and (best of all) people with aspects of both roles.

Other than the first scene, my primary quibble was an inability to resolve two facts: our protagonist, Hadrian Boone, knows nearly everyone in Carthage because he taught nearly every child born there and because he was a founding father of this first thriving settlement after biological agents and radiation killed nearly everyone in the world. Yet he keeps seeing lots of people he doesn’t know or even distantly recognize wandering around Carthage, and this doesn’t surprise him. At times, this contradiction acted like a speed-bump for me as I read, jostling my attention away from the immediate events of the story to the question of just how large Carthage is.

It isn’t long after Hadrian rescues the pumpkin that the first corpse is discovered, and the Governor of Carthage—a former friend of Hadrian’s—rushes to hide the body and the news. It is only when Hadrian points out that this murder could point to a threat to the Governor himself that he commissions Hadrian to find out what happened to the man. The governor attempts to keep Hadrian in line by threatening Hadrian’s oldest living friend, a threat that Hadrian fears even though the old man is the scientist behind much of Carthage’s success, and who is, we are told, the only reason Hadrian has not been exiled already.

Hadrian has only barely started his investigations when there’s another murder—one closer to Hadrian. This new loss turns his determination to find out what happened from a tired and fearful longing for knowledge and justice into a passionate quest.

Hadrian's investigation of the murders leads him to the gritty roots of corruption in this new world, which is all too reminiscent of the flaws in our pre-apocalyptic world. Can he redeem the dreams of the dead men and turn the children away from their suicide cult? Can he redeem himself, and overcome the emotional scars of losing his world and his family before the first log was cut to build Carthage? Can he at least save some part of the history and literature of the modern world from being used as toilet paper and cigarette wrappers?

There's an inherent promise to mystery readers that the murders will be solved. But will doing so do any good, for Hadrian or his world?

I enjoyed finding out.

The history of Science Fiction

2011-10-25T23:20:00.000-07:00

While I'm busy slaving away at non-fiction, you can be entertained and stimulated by the history of science fiction. After watching this first clip about the British Museum exhibit, I waded back through my emails and requested a review copy of Science Fiction Writers, a CD containing radio interviews with sci-fi authors from the 70s-90s that was just released by the British Library's audio archives. It's being distributed by the University of Chicago Press.

Now let's get specific, beginning with Jules Verne.

And here's a British doco on H.G. Wells.

Do tricks, get treats

2011-10-18T21:47:00.001-07:00

HURRY! This first contest is today (Wednesday, October 19th) only!

Log onto Twitter for your chance to win tickets to the LA premiere of IN TIME, starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried!

Tweet #intimepremiere today to see a virtual map with the location of the ticket giveaways. There will be five people secretly located around Los Angeles with pairs of premiere tickets to give to fans. As the amount of tweets increase,the closer you'll be to discovering the secret giveaway locations... until time runs out.

Each time fans reach a tweet goal, the virtual map will zoom closer to reveal the location. Be one of the first on the scene and say the passphrase "Every second counts" to claim your tickets to the LA premiere on Thursday, October 20th.

Visit www.intimemovie.com to begin the race!

IN TIME

Thriller
Release: October 28, 2011
Written and directed by: Andrew Niccol
Producers: Eric Newman, Marc Abraham
Cast: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Galecki
Synopsis: In a future where time is literally money, and aging stops at 25, the only way to stay alive is to earn, steal, or inherit more time. Will Salas lives life a minute at a time, until a windfall of time gives him access to the world of the wealthy, where he teams up with a beautiful young heiress to destroy the corrupt system.

And how about a chance to win a Worldcon membership and more?

SALUTE THE FANDOM CHICON SWEEPSTAKES

Phoenix Pick / Arc Manor will give one lucky recipient a full voting
membership to Chicon 7 (the 70th World Science Fiction Convention) PLUS a
dinner with select authors including Guest of Honor Mike Resnick. Three
runners-up will also get an invitation to the fully paid dinner.

No purchase is necessary to participate. Sign up at www.PhoenixPick.com

Winners will be notified February 15, 2012.

Chicon 7 will be held in Chicago from August 30 to September 3, 2012.

And now avid SF Readers can find all the best titles in one place. See what you think of Adam Doppelt's BestSFBooks site which rates books by awards they were nominated for or have received. It looks a little like my book shelf...

Low Town raises a hero

2011-10-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Low Town
Daniel Polansky
Doubleday Aug. 2011
(editor's note: see snazzier foreign jackets below the review)

Review by Clare Deming

Low Town is a colorful but dangerous place, as well as being a fast-moving first novel from author Daniel Polansky. In this blend of gritty fantasy and murder mystery, the unlikely hero is the Warden, a drug dealer in the seedy district of Low Town. When he stumbles upon the mangled body of a missing girl, he cannot leave the investigation to the agents of the Crown. He was once an agent, one of the best in Special Ops. With his former partner heading the investigation, and his friends pressuring him to find Little Tara's killer, the Warden has to act.

Orphaned by the plague, the Warden was raised by the Blue Crane - a senior mage who developed the wards that still protect Low Town from the return of the Red Fever. When he needs assistance with the case outside of official channels, he breaks his self-imposed exile to reunite with the elderly magician. The visit also reintroduces him to a Celia, a childhood friend now grown. Nearly a Sorcerer First Rank, she will soon take over the Crane's duties.

While waiting for word from the sorcerers, the Warden uses his underworld connections to track down the man who molested and killed Little Tara. He is unable to accost the man when a wraith-like creature appears, summoned by magic. The murderer is slain by the wraith, but no one else witnesses the event, and the guardsmen and agents are stumped. The Warden has seen such a wraith before, and his suspicions lead him further into danger just as another child goes missing.

There was an awful lot going on in Low Town, both in terms of plot, worldbuilding, and backstory. While I thought that some aspects of the plot didn't make as much sense as I would have liked them to, I was so swept up in the action that the overall experience was positive and exciting. The writing was fresh and the foul language the characters used was nicely original. While some of the characters had annoyingly patterned names (Tancred the Harelip, Yancey the Rhymer, Eddie the Quim), this was a minor complaint for me. The Warden was likeable in some ways, but a real jerk at other times, and this made him intriguing to read about. The only problem that I had with him was that for most of the story he seemed to function fairly well for someone who dabbles in his own merchandise of pixie's breath and dreamvine.

I did find the conclusion moderately predictable and I wished that more space was given to the final scenes. Once the culprit was discovered and confronted, the book was over really fast, and I had hoped to see a greater emotional resolution. But perhaps being disappointed that the book was over is a sign of how much fun I had reading it.

Here are the foreign jackets, from left to right, for the UK, Spain, Italy and Germany. The UK version has a different title, but it's the same novel. Told you they were snazzier.

Envisioning a near future that works - examples?

2011-10-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

Post-apocalyptic tales are still popular, with and without zombies. I read three such novels this year: Directive 51 and Daybreak Zero by John Barnes and Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh. I arrived in San Diego for Conjecture on September 9th, the day after the wide-spread blackout. That's all anyone talked about wherever I went: the wait staff, the bellmen, convention-goers from San Diego, everyone. And they all said the same thing: I finally met my neighbors. People pulled together, had block parties and helped each other out. The restaurant served sandwiches by candlelight. People at the bar, without the constant noise and distraction of the game on TV, had real conversations.

Two nights ago, I had a conversation with a friend about the other response to impending doom: folks stockpiling food - not just for a month or a year, but for many years. They envision an utter collapse, a semi-permanent loss of infrastructure. And they're buying guns. That's nothing new, but they may be gaining in numbers, although I'm hesitant to take a poll. I'm afraid of the results.

I'm reminded of the Twilight Zone episode "The Shelter". The family with the only bomb shelter on the block is assailed by previously friendly neighbors when the nuclear threat turns real and immediate.

Personally, I'd rather work on community solutions, not "us and them" or "every (hu)man for himself" ones. The folks in San Diego had the right idea. I'm not sure where the Occupy Wall Street movement will lead, but I see people identifying with each other across a multitude of demographics. Pulling together for a solution for us all. I hope they find one that can then be implemented. Corporate greed and political ambitions have made such a huge mess of things, it's hard to know where to start. I'm glad that doesn't stop them trying.

Then I had a conversation with someone last night about how hard it is for humans occupying this planet at this time to envision a different way to live. We only know what we know. He wants to help start the discussion about a better way. Ways we haven't considered. And where is he looking? To science fiction authors, of course.

But even for us, it's a challenge. As I told him, "How do you write alien thought? Or a truly alien alien?" It's very hard and few of us can pull it off. Extrapolating our present into a better future with a healthier planet, people who solve problems together and politics that work can be just as hard. When I thought about examples for him, I kept coming up with examples from current science fiction of how we make it worse, not better. I find it easier to write tragedy. Somehow, the happy endings just seem too implausible. Perhaps I'm not alone.

Identifying the problems and seeing where they're leading is easy. Finding the different path that no one is seeing is the challenge.

I invite my readers to help me come up with examples of plausible, near-future utopias from current works of science fiction - or at least ones plausible to an open mind. Post a comment with your favorites.

Now if only we knew how to open minds…

Pictures and gamer and gadget goodies

2011-10-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

I didn't get around to posting these pictures from the book fair. They were taken by Camille Picott's mother. That's Camille with me on the Redwood stage after the Broad Universe reading at the Sonoma County Book Festival on September 24th.

I read "Troll Games".

I never get tired of reading that. It works so well for a short reading because I can read the whole thing - or a slightly abridged version - in three minutes. And it's fun to read with the troll voice and everyone laughs at the ending. I'm seriously considering recording it and putting it on my website for readers to get a tiny taste of my funny side. As I've said before, I write in two flavors: funny or tragic. Occasionally, I combine the two. I love irony!

I've had several game-related press releases lately and thought I'd give them some airtime. Here's some eye candy for the gamers out there.

Gameforge interviewed Star Trek DS9 actors Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys) and Rene Auberjonois (Odo) about their upcoming release of Star Trek Infinite Space. You can view an HD trailer on the its website.

The load-down from Gameforge about its free-to-play online game:

About Star Trek - Infinite Space

Star Trek - Infinite Space is set in the diverse "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" timeline focusing on the looming war with the menacing "Dominion," featuring:

* The first browser-based Star Trek game eliminating the need to download a client

* Advanced Unity 3D technology, delivering rich 3D graphics in the web browser

* Some of the series' most beloved characters and recognizable locations

* Easy-to-pick-up gameplay, and is enjoyable for both casual and hardcore gamers

Star Trek - Infinite Space is slated for a late 2011 release. Players can secure exclusive items and benefits, such as beta key priority, by pre-registering for the game at http://landing.startrek-is.com.

Now this is the kind of thing that makes me wish I had an iPad. I'm just going to have to leave it to my buddies, Allen M. Steele and Greg Bear to tell you how great it is. Bear reviews it at Tor.com. And according to the publicist, Steele endorsed it with, “Journey to the Exoplanets turns your iPad into a starship. What an amazing app!” Here's a peek at what this iPad app from Scientific American in collaboration with Farrar, Straus and Giroux can do.

Finally, this was just way too cool not to share. An invisibility cloak. No. Really. Check it out. First, here's the video.

Winchester Mystery House's Fright Nights - Not for the kiddies

2011-10-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

I received an invitation to check out the premiere of the Winchester Mystery House's Fright Nights. I dithered for a while, then justified the expense of the trip by combining it with a trip to see the grandkids in Fremont on the way. But then, who would be my plus one who would want to make that stop on the way? Her Aunt Debbie! We got there around 6:40. Apparently there was some sort of press briefing in front of the house that we were not directed to. I only know from reading the email they sent at 10 AM the day of - over an hour after I left the house. ☹ Oh, well.

We braved the rap and hip-hop blaring in the courtyard to check in at the press/VIP table and headed into the Winchester Room for hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Fortified with Winchester wine, we joined group six for the flashlight tour of the Winchester House. I visited the Winchester House as a girl and remember seeing the brick wall behind the door and the door that led to a two-story drop to the garden below. I didn't see the brick wall Friday night and only saw the closed door to nowhere. I so wanted to see where all the doors led and see the secret passageways. But that apparently wasn't part of the tour.

If you go on the flashlight tour, be sure not to go with a migraine. Imagine being in a dark room with 30 people all shining flashlights everywhere, including, occasionally in your light-sensitive eyes. I didn't have a migraine when I left Sonoma County that afternoon. It came on just in time for the flashlights. ☹

For those unfamiliar with the Winchester story, Sarah Winchester was the widow of William Wirt Winchester, the maker of the Winchester repeating rifle - a revolutionary design. They had one child who died at about 6 months old. After her husband died of TB, the grieving Sarah visited a psychic in Boston. According to legend, the psychic convinced her that the spirits of the people killed by Winchester rifles sought their revenge upon her and her family. The psychic advised her to construct a home, but never stop construction lest the spirits overtake her. She moved west and bought an eight-room, unfinished farmhouse near San Jose.

The Winchester Mystery House, at its height before the 1906 quake, had seven stories of labyrinthine craziness. Her 24/7 construction project transformed the farmhouse into a sprawling 160-room mansion with 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 47 fireplaces, 40 staircases, 13 bathrooms, 2 basements, three elevators and six kitchens over the course of 38 years.

Tour guides matter. They really do. Make sure you aren't led by the strapping young Joe. He was unenthusiastic, uninformed and unenergized. And on about four occasions, I asked him a question. The answer was always a variation of "I don't know." I just read a SF Gate blog in which my counterpart had a similarly unfortunate tour guide. Hers was all gush and no substance.

Here's a video if you can't make it to the mansion yourself. These Weird US guys got a better, more inclusive tour.

The rushed tour of the house didn't frighten, but the maze surely made up for that. It was a screamfest. I screamed my fool head off, to the point of hurting my throat. The last good haunted house I'd been through was when I was probably 12 or 13. I don't remember the ghouls jumping directly in front of us or being free to get right in our face. It seemed they could lunge, but not trespass onto our designated path. They could scare you, but not "get you".

Such is not the case on Fright Night. Beware the ghouls that can jump out at you from around any corner or from behind, and totally violate your personal space. Several even followed me down the path for a while. The Curse of Sarah Winchester Maze: Legends Never Die is not recommended for children under 13.

My nerves got so frayed that I told Debbie it was her turn to be in front and be the early warning system when we were about half-way through.

To Nisi Shawl they sing: Nisi Is Our Queen!

2011-09-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

Nisi Shawl is a much-loved, award-winning writer and inspiration to so many. She is also the co-founder of the Carl Brandon Society whose mission is to "increase racial and ethnic diversity in the production of and audience for speculative fiction." Please do read her beautifully crafted autobiography. I can't begin to do it justice.

This had to be one of the most enjoyable interviews I've conducted. I requested an interview after hearing she was asked to be Guest of Honor at WisCon last year (2010). It's been a long time coming, but you'll find it was worth the wait. I interviewed Nisi on Friday, September 23rd. She'd been cooking bangers and mash for a book group later that night. The book in question was English, thus the bangers and mash.

AW: What do you do when you're not cooking, reading or writing?

NS: Sleep? Take walks. Bird watch on same. Sing. That's about it. I lead a very circumscribed life. I do seem to travel a lot. I also teach a bunch of 5th and 6th graders for a week every spring as part of Centrum's Young Artists Program. It is the most fun! Kids catch on so fast.

AW: So how was your GOH stint at Wiscon last year?

NS: It was amazing! People kept coming up to me and giving me pies, clothing, jewelry, food, flowers. They kept prostrating themselves at my feet. They made up a song about me and sang it whenever I came around. The first time people sang to me was after my reading. That was pretty intense, with the clapping and dancing.

I hope I gave as good as I got. My mom, my youngest sister, two nieces, and a nephew also attended. It was fabulous.

A little investigation about that song revealed that the music was written by S. J. Tucker. The lyrics were written by K Tempest Bradford, Nivair H. Gabriel and Amal El-Mohtar. And here it is:

NISI IS OUR QUEEEN

CHORUS
Nisi is our queen; Nisi is our queen;
Her awesome makes us want to sing:
Nisi is our queen!

VERSE 1
Nisi wears a crystal crown;
She never, ever makes us frown.
That's why POC all sing:
Nisi is our queen!

VERSE 2
Nisi can write anything;
And never, ever phone it in;
That's why WisConites all sing:
Nisi is our queen!

AW: Can you elaborate on the prostrations and pies?

NS: The prostration was people lying on the floor in front of me like a traditional African salute to rulers. It's traditional African as in, it actually has crossover with my religion. In my tradition it is called a "kunle" ("KOON-lay"). We do it in front of priests. It has meaning in other parts of the world, too. Near Eastern, European, Far Eastern rulers all had this salute given them, at various historic times.

Most notably on this occasion I was "kunled" by Ama Patterson and Andrea Hairston. (Andrea is one of WisCon's 2012 GOHs.) I had to lift those women up from the floor. Royalty is a mutual thing.

AW: May I ask what religion?

NS: My religion is known as "Ifa" ("EE-fah") or "Orisha" ("Oe-REE-shah") Related to Vodun, Santeria, and so on.

AW: And the pies?

NS: I think I exaggerated, and there was only one--a rhubarb pie from Kathi Nash. It magically appeared on my dresser. The pie was very, very, very good.

Another high point was giving my speech and having people stand up to applaud. I sang during my speech.

And looking out in the audience and seeing my family.

AW: I wish I could have been one of them. I would have hollered too. What did you sing?

NS: I believe there's a video of it. I sang two Michael Jackson songs: "I Wanna Be Where You Are," and "Never Can Say Goodbye."

AW: Do you have to write to pay the bills?

NS: Oh, yes, I do have to write to pay the bills, and worry is part of that gig, it seems.

AW: If all things (meaning pay) were equal, which would you rather write? Poetry, short stories, or novels?

NS: They don't have so much to do with each other that one is a choice over the other. I think there are novel times in my life, and short story times, and poetry times. I used to not want to write novels because I couldn't maintain the same interface with the world for the length of time writing at that length would take. At 55, nearly 56, that is no longer a problem. I think I am naturally at a novel stage in my life. But I have yet to sell one of the three novels I've actually completed, let alone the one currently in progress. On the other hand, I have sold what, four stories this year? No, make that six. Three coming out this fall. What I'm trying to say is, "All of the above."

AW: What's coming out in the Fall?

NS: October 1, a short story called "Just Between Us" in a new magazine edited by Leslie What called Phantom Drift. I had despaired of ever publishing this one, though it's dear to my heart. It's really weird. The end of October, "The Return of Cherie," an excerpt from my Belgian Congo steampunk novel-in-progress, comes out in the second lesbian steampunk anthology, Steam-Powered 2. In November, "Beyond the Lighthouse" will appear in the River anthology edited by Alma Alexander. I wrote it in like nine days, and I'm really proud of it.

AW: Is Phantom Drift a print or ezine?

NS: Print. Hard to believe, isn't it, in this day and age? The cover and subscription info can be found here.

AW: Tell me a little bit about the steampunk novel you're writing now.

NS: I got into writing it by saying I would two years ago when on a panel at World Fantasy. I would love to just concentrate on doing it. Anyone wants to buy a chapter for a $100, I will kick one out for you. Don't want to say too much, but I have the characters, outline, conceit, and the first five chapters done, in addition to the excerpt appearing as "The Return of Cherie." It's a sort of alt history, with protagonists modeled after Josephine Baker, Colette, E. Nesbit, H.G. Wells and numerous others, including some indigenous Kongolese figures. And some Macao Chinese, too! It is so much fun when I get to work on it.

AW: I know what you mean. It's the starting that's hard. And the stopping.

NS: Right!

Nisi invites you to join her on facebook and twitter.

Terminal World - a sci-fi, steampunk feast!

2011-09-27T12:17:00.001-07:00

Terminal World
Alastair Reynolds
Ace (Penguin) 2010

Review by Clare Deming

The setting in Alastair Reynolds' Terminal World is a unique creation of far future science fiction and steampunk. The story leaps about this bizarrely awesome place, taking us from the vertical city of Spearpoint with its tiered levels, to the roving airship band Swarm and the drug-mad Skullboys. For reasons lost to history, Spearpoint is divided into fluctuating zones where different levels of technology function, all controlled by the Mire somewhere at its heart.

When a post-human angel falls from the Celestial levels, his body is brought to the local pathologist, Quillon. As the doctor examines the angel's remains, the creature awakens and warns Quillon that he is in danger. Few know that Quillon was once an angel himself, experimentally modified to survive in the lower technology of Neon Heights. He remembers little of his former life, but has managed to stay hidden among humans through repeated surgeries and anti-zonal drugs.

Quillon flees through secret tunnels, the railroad, and a steam-powered bath house. Spectral agents from the Celestial levels pursue him, and his only weapon fails as he crosses into more primitive zones. Guided by Meroka, a heavily-armed and foul-tempered woman, Quillon leaves Spearpoint for the unknown.

Quillon and Meroka struggle to escape a gang of Skullboys and the carnivorgs that feed on human brain matter. When the doctor finds a woman and her child left trapped in a cage, he insists on freeing them, even though the woman is marked as a witch. As Quillon is dragged further from everything he has known, a massive zone shift occurs that devastates Spearpoint.

The plot speeds on, with barely a slow moment. Quillon must solve the challenges of the zone shift and investigate the nature of the tectomancers, while dodging suspicion, betrayal, and hiding his own nature.

While this novel is not set in the Victorian period, there are definite steampunk elements. Much of the action takes place on airships, complete with goggles and clockwork gadgets. One important character in the level of Steamville is a patched-up android powered by a calliope. Yet, there are hints of a lost technology and space-faring civilization here as well. I was intrigued by Quillon's world, but at the conclusion felt a little disappointed that I didn't have all the answers I wanted.

Overall, this was one of the most intriguing and entertaining novels I've read this year. I loved the colorful characters and their interactions, and the plot was twisty and inventive. If Mr. Reynolds decides to write another book set in this world, I would pick it up right away.

Will NASA build FTL drives with the help of TOR/Forge writers?

2011-09-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

In late August, Tor/Forge and NASA announced their publishing partnership in which the writers will be paired with scientists to produce what NASA called "NASA inspired Works of Fiction". Is this an inspired attempt to keep the dream of space flight alive in the midst of economic crisis and cutbacks? Will writers turn out novels so chock full of NASA-inspired science that they will be an advertisement for NASA rather than lusciously logical novels full of imagination and engaging characters? We'll see. I'll see sooner than most - and let you know. ;)

I'm equally at home with numbers and words. I can't draw a decent stick figure, but I can paint a vivid picture with words. I don't think I'm predominantly left- or right-brained. Maybe that's why I write sci-fi. I should take a poll. I imagine many sci-fi writers are similarly equipped. It should be interesting to see what happens when writer geeks and science geeks unite.

Meantime, you might get a chuckle or two from Jon Methven's speculation about this pairing, complete with graphics and diagrams at THE AWL.

But what will the real possibility of faster than light travel do to those books? Isn't this good timing - relatively speaking...

CERN may have found a particle that moves FASTER THAN LIGHT! That's excellent news for sci-fi authors like me who insist that we must have FTL travel and the heck with E=MC2.

This is a year old, but I loved the graphics. How are those warp bubbles coming?

I'm definitely going to check this out on Monday. Join me.

And here's a little sci-fi music to kick your weekend off right. Oh. You still have Friday. Too bad. Today's my Friday. ;)

iBoy and the slippery slope

2011-09-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

iBoy
Kevin Brooks
Scholastic, Nov. 2011

Reviewed by Ann Wilkes

Let me preface this review by saying that I can count how many Young Adult (YA) books I've read on one hand. I don't think I even read many when I was young. Anyhow, now with Scholastic throwing books at me, I thought I'd check some out.

The premise for iBoy, or rather the scientific foundation behind the premise, is holier than Swiss cheese. But if you agree to just play along, the story will reward your efforts. Just think superhero comic and go with it and you'll enjoy the ride. You see, our "hero" Tom Harvey is hit by an iPhone from the 30th floor of a building. That's a neat trick in itself, since the assailant was actually aiming at him. I can totally get that bits of the phone could lodge in his brain. But what they do from there is the stuff of comic books.

The bits of the iPhone intertwine with his brain in such a way that he can do anything an iPhone can do - search the net, make and receive calls, take pictures and video, use apps and more. iBoy can also listen in on any cell phone conversation, send calls anonymously and shock people at will - as in give them an electrical shock. Data streams along his skin as it glows and shimmers. Normal, boring Tom Harvey becomes iBoy.

As soon as Tom wakes up from the coma caused by the impact, he learns that the girl he was going to meet on that fateful day was undergoing an attack herself. His new-found powers give him the means to act on his desire for revenge and his frustration at the lack of justice. But each time he uses his powers to punish Lucy's attackers, he changes, becomes somehow less human.

He chooses to tell no one of his powers. He's afraid the doctors will keep him for more poking and prodding and he doesn't want to worry his grandmother who is raising him. His very real struggle with his morals and the weight of carrying so many secrets is what makes this novel so compelling.

The book is probably 60 percent inner dialog, so you really get to experience his anguish and turmoil firsthand.

I was very close to hitting him then. I really wanted to smack him in the head and wipe that stupid look from his face. Not because he was grinning, not even because he'd momentarily lulle me into almost feeling sorry for him . . . but simply because of his complete lack of remorse for what had been done to Lucy. I mean, how could he even think about apologizing to me without feeling sorry for Lucy?

It was totally unbelievable.

And I knew then that it was a waste of time trying to reason with him, or trying to appeal to his better side, because he didn't have a better side anymore. I just had to treat him as nothing. I had to ingnore my disgust, bury my anger, and just use him to get what I wanted.

I looked at him, letting him see the coldness in my eyes.

I also appreciated the author's use of the short blurbs from literature or reference materials at the beginning of each chapter. In addition, he included little insets of listings that iBoy has brought up in his Internet searches here and there.

What surprised me about this novel was the adult (and by adult I mean profanity, not mature) language and the adult content. It also includes a gang rape (though, thankfully does not depict it) and torture. Scholastic says it's for readers in grades 9-12.

The best thing about this novel is Brooks' portrayal of the effects of trauma and the slippery slope of compromising our morals. Tom lives in a project in a city in England. Things might differ and be called by different names, but teenagers have the same struggles the world over. They need to be loved, accepted and want to become independent.

Star Wars wars and last chance for bids for the Browncoat Ball

2011-09-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

Star Wars fans are talking about the changes to the new Star Wars Blu-ray boxed set. Ranker.com has what they call the best Internet reactions to the changes.

Next Media Animation has a whole fan animation to express its views.

Japanese music, anime and manga will be celebrated in Los Angeles at the AM2 event scheduled for Father's Day weekend, June 15-17 at the Anaheim Convention Center and adjacent hotels. Mark your calendar and learn more at www.am2com.org.

****UPDATE - Deadline has been extended to Oct. 14****
I don't usually do this, but the deadline is tomorrow and I'm a Browncoat through and through, even though I haven't been to a ball yet. Hopefully someone will win the bid who's within driving distance of me. :) And just to get you in the mood, here's a Firefly clip.

BROWNCOAT BALL ANNOUNCEMENT begins

About the Browncoat Ball (BCB)

The inaugural Browncoat Ball was held in Chicago in 2004, with the goal of establishing an affordable, annual, nonprofit event created for fans by fans, capable of bringing Browncoats from geographically diverse locations from all over the world together to celebrate Firefly, Serenity and our fabulous fandom. The BCB has been held in San Francisco (2006), Philadelphia (2007), Austin (2008), Portland (2009), Charlotte (2010) and will be held in Providence (Warwick, RI) in 2011.

Hosting the BCB is a labor of love. While the central BCB Steering Committee will share planning materials and tips and offer assistance in the fundraising and promotional process, the 2012 hosts should respect the fact that it is hard work to host a successful BCB, but it is extremely rewarding.

Since the BCB is a small event and cannot sustain comping volunteers, a guiding principal of the BCB since its inception is that everyone pays their own way (attendance, lodging, airfare): committee members, volunteers and attendees alike. This way, the attendees do not subsidize the volunteers or committee members.

About the BCB Steering Committee

The BCB Steering Committee is comprised of former Browncoat Ball organizers from all previous years. These are the people who put together their own proposals and were on the ground working when they hosted the BCB in their neck of the woods. The BCB Steering Committee exists to evaluate proposals and provide guidance to the current host committee and all future event bidders. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the BCB Steering Committee at bid @browncoatball. com . Please state the nature of your inquiry in the subject line of the e-mail.

Request for Proposals

We are now accepting proposals for the 2012 Browncoat Ball. Applications for hosting the 2012 BCB should be completed and e-mailed to bid@browncoatball. com . (with "BCB Proposal" in the subject line) by September 16, 2011. The BCB Steering Committee will review the proposals, make follow-up inquiries and render a final decision by October 7, 2011. The selected host committee will have until October 14, 2011 to accept/commit and the 2012 location will be announced at the 2011 Ball on Saturday, October 22. (The host committee does not need to be in attendance at this year's BCB in order to be selected.)

Serious applicants should send a proposal with the following information:

1. A statement from your group about why you would like to host the 2012 BCB.

2. Proposed dates for the event (a non-holiday weekend, ideally in August,
September or October 2012).

3. Proposed location, including the city and, if possible, a specific hotel that would have reasonable rates and at least 20-25 rooms available for the proposed dates. (This doesn't have to be the final location, and multiple sites can be proposed if that is preferred)

4. Estimate on the total cost of a ballroom/banquet facility that has availability during the proposed dates, including room rental and catering. Financial details for previous BCBs are available for reference.

5. A list of 3-5 additional Firefly/Serenity 'verse-themed activities that could be done at or near the BCB site and an estimate and explanation of the costs associated with these activities (for example, transportation to and from the event, admission fees, food charges, decoration costs). All activities and related transportation costs should be included in the BCB ticket price.

Think creatively! Some of the best activities cost very little, can be tied in easily with the Firefly 'verse and don't require a ton of planning. For example,
the 2004 BCB included a Chinese Welcome Dinner and Tea Ceremony on the rooftop of the hotel, the Train Job Luncheon on a privately chartered commuter train and an Afternoon in the Core with suggested activities around Chicago. Additional details from past BCBs are available on request. The sky is the limit! This can be more of a brainstorming list of possible activities rather than a final list.

6. Additional transportation details such as how far the BCB site is from a major national/internatio nal airport, what transportation options exist to and
from the airport and how much they cost, and how far the site is from other major cities within driving distance. Please take into consideration the
availability of accessible options for Browncoats with disabilities for all aspects of the event.

7. Total estimate on the operational costs (not including lodging and airfare) and estimate of ticket cost (we suggest between $100 and $150, but other price points will be considered depending on offerings), including possible options for different event packages. Suggestions regarding package options available upon request.

8. Coordinating Committee: A tentative list of 5-10 people willing to:

- Make facility reservations and coordinate event planning

- Register guests

- Promote the event, including Internet updates, newsletters and invitations

- Be the Webmaster for the 2012 Web site. (If no Webmaster is available, the BCB Steering Committee can maintain the Web site, but the 2012 hosts must be willing to provide/edit/ review the text for the web site.) There is a forum, as well as MySpace, Facebook and Yahoo! BCB groups, that the hosts can use to promote the 2012 BCB.

- Handle incoming and outgoing money and create and work within a budget (treasurer). This is extremely important, as the 2012 hosting committee will
bear the financial responsibility if the event goes over the budget. The BCB Steering Committee will provide financial summaries of the prior events to the 2012 hosts to give you an idea of what you can look forward to with regards to expenses, although the cost of the event will vary depending on the location. You are then required to provide a similar financial report to reflect how your event was managed, so future events can benefit as well.

- You can propose to host a BCB in an area other than where you live, but at least two 2012 coordinating committee members should live/work near the site being proposed.

- Committee members must be willing to commit to approximately 3 or 4 conference calls or conference chat sessions with the BCB Steering Committee so all parties can be sure things are still on track and to discuss any major changes, if any.

- At least one of the coordinating committee members should be named Amy. If you do not have a committee member named Amy, you may nominate one of your committee members to be an honorary Amy. If you fail to provide an Amy for your committee, one will be provided to you by the BCB Steering Committee.

9. Contact information, including name, e-mail address and evening phone number for one member of the coordinating committee who will serve as a contact for notification purposes. (The BCB Steering Committee will in turn provide the 2012 hosts with contact info for consultation purposes.)

10. Your commitment to maintain a positive attitude and have a good time!

NOTE: The real estate adage "location, location, location" does not necessarily hold true as the primary factor for the selection of the winning BCB proposal. While the BCB Steering Committee does like to see the BCB move around geographically, we are also concerned about costs, event specifics and the commitment of the bidding committees. Don't let the current or past locations of the BCB discourage you from putting together a proposal. Even prior locations will be considered. We are considering forcing the Chicagoland Browncoats to host the 10th anniversary BCB in 2014!

Also, don't worry if you've never been to a BCB before -- none of the BCB Philadelphia 2007 bid committee members had been to a ball before they submitted their winning proposal. And if you've submitted a bid before, please try again -- we only do this once a year and it has taken some committees 3 bids until they were selected. The bottom line is that the BCB wouldn't be possible without Browncoats.. . Browncoats like you!

*******
end announcement

Worldcon interview, Conjecture and Uncle Remus

2011-09-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

Karina Fabian uploaded the interview she did with me at Worldcon last week. Is my nose really that big?

I went to Conjecture last weekend. Conjecture is a very intimate little con. It's friendly and well organized. As someone who had back to back panels, a little time between them would have been nice. They pretty much go to the top of the hour and the next one starts about five minutes late. Not such a big deal, though when all the panels are on one small floor. In fact, I kept saying, "Down in the dealers room," because it usually is in a lower floor. But the dealers room and art show are also on that small floor. And the con suite. There's no green room.

The panels were loads of fun, though, with lots of interesting people and everyone playing nice.

I wish I had gone to the iron hack panel. Sounded like a hoot. I sat on a similar panel at SpoCon 2008. I still think Mark Ferrari and I can make that story into something worthwhile.

I actually had an audience for my reading, which is always a plus. I read a new story that has only just received one rejection (as soon as I got home) and "Troll Games", which is always so much fun to read. I've pretty much got the troll voice down.

One of the absolute highlights was finding a Song of the South DVD in the dealers room. I've been wanting it for ages. It's not available in stores in the States. Now Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah is stuck in my head. And I haven't even had time to watch it yet.

Another regret regarding the con was its location in the butt end of town. I could have been anywhere for all of San Diego I experienced. The only thing it was close to was a mall. I'm sure I've mentioned before how much I hate shopping.

I did get to see most of Eytan Kollin's grossly abbreviated medieval weapons demonstration. It's usually opposite a panel I'm on.

Next con for me is OryCon in Portland, OR. Meantime, I'll be emceeing and reading at a Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading in Santa Rosa, CA at the Sonoma County Book Festival on September 24th. It's a great event, not to be missed if you're in the county or an adjacent one. They block off a section of downtown for the one-day event.

Happy Anniversary Star Trek!

2011-09-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

On Sept. 8, 1966, the first episode of Star Trek ("The Cage") aired heralding a new era of science fiction TV. Star Trek was every bit as ground-breaking as "All in the Family". It touched on social issues in ways like only science fiction can. Creator Gene Roddenberry often put humans, or even aliens, in situations that challenged their morals, tested their beliefs and shined a spotlight on their shortcomings. In Star Trek, Roddenberry dared to imagine humanity rising above greed, materialism and racism.

Forty-five years later, his influence continues. The Science Channel is paying tribute to Roddenberry in Trek Nation, a documentary airing Nov. 30th that follows Roddenberry's only son, Rod, as he "explores his family legacy and the crusade his father’s passion and curiosity for exploration."

Here's a sneak peek:

And because we can never get enough, here are three of my favorite scenes. Enjoy!

Opportunities abound - including a trip to space!

2011-09-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

In honor of its 50th Anniversary, the Seattle Space Needle is sending some lucky space-lover into space! They have lots of other prizes. Entering the contest gains you access to the grand prize of a private (as in not NASA, not by yourself) rocket ride into the heavens - a sub-orbital jaunt, really. But how cool is that? Find out more here.

Phoenix Pick's free ebook for September is A. A. Attanasio’s Radix . This from Phoenix:

This particular edition of Radix is scheduled to be taken off the market
during January 2012 (due to contractual reasons), so this may be one of
your last chances to get this, what the author considers, his favorite
edition of the book.

Readers will also have the option of purchasing other books of the Radix
Tetrad at a substantial discount when downloading the free ebook
(instructions will be given on the download page).

A young man's odyssey of self-discovery in a world eerily alien, yet
hauntingly familiar.

Set thirteen centuries in the future, A. A. Attanasio meticulously creates
a brilliantly realized Earth, rich in detail and filled with beings
brought to life with intense energy.

In this strange and beautiful world, Sumner Kagan will change from an
adolescent outcast to a warrior with god-like powers and in the process
take us on an epic and transcendent journey.

Carl Schirmer spontaneously transforms into light. Then, 130 billion years
later, when all of spacetime is collapsing into the vast nothingness of
the cosmic black hole, Schirmer is remade from the remnants of his light.
He is reborn in time’s last world, the strangest of all—the Werld.

“An instant classic.”—Washington Post

“RADIX is sheer pleasure to read: brimming with living characters,
splendid adventures...It is an exhilarating novel.”—Minneapolis Tribune

The Coupon Code for September is 9991421 and will be good from September 2
through September 30, 2011. Instructions and download link, as usual,
through our online catalogue at http://www.PPicking.com

**end PR**

And if you're anywhere near San Diego, attending Conjecture will give you a multitude of opportunities to hear from yours truly! This year's theme is Incredible Worlds and their GOH is Allen M. Steele.

Here's my so sweet schedule of panels for this small, but long-running con in beautiful San Diego.

Friday 2PM Post Apocalyptic Fever
Friday 5PM Care and Feeding of Writers' Groups
Friday 6PM Are There Any New Stories?
Friday 7PM Reading

Saturday 3PM Alien Libraries
Saturday 5PM A Feudal Future: SF as Fairy Tale
Saturday 7PM How Will We Feel When We're No Longer Made of Meat?

Sunday 11AM Comedy in SF & F

I can't wait! I'm going to make sure to hit Seaworld and the beach while I'm there, too!

And though Renovation is over, look what's in store for Worldcon 2013 after Chicon (Chicago 2012):

LoneStarCon 3 wins 2013 Worldcon bid for San Antonio
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 20, 2011

RENO, Nev. – The World Science Fiction Convention will return to Texas for the first time since 1997 after voting results announced Aug. 20 at Renovation, the 2011 Worldcon, awarded the right to host the international conference to the Texas in 2013 bid. LoneStarCon 3–the 71st World Science Fiction Convention–will be held Aug. 29-Sept. 2, 2013, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. The Mariott Rivercenter and Mariott Riverwalk will serve as the host hotels.

The guests of honor list for LoneStarCon 3 includes Ellen Datlow, James Gunn, Norman Spinrad, Darrel K. Sweet and Willie Siros, with Paul Cornell serving as toastmaster and featuring special guests Leslie Fish and Joe R. Lansdale.

**PR truncated**

Well of Sorrows, a rousing fantasy

2011-09-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well of Sorrows
Benjamin Tate
DAW, 2011

Review by Clare Deming

Colin Harten isn't happy in his new home of Portstown. His parents have brought him over the sea to the New World to escape an anticipated war in Andover. Some of the problems of Andover follow them. In Portstown, only those favored by the ruling Proprietor's Family are given the prime jobs and preferred homes. Colin's family is stuck in Lean-to, a rough tent-city of outcasts. Bullied to his breaking point, Colin fights back. Unfortunately his enemy is the son of the Proprietor, and Colin is harshly punished. At the same time, Lean-to's inhabitants clash with the Proprietor's forces over the discriminatory treatment. The people of Lean-to are given an ultimatum and leave Portstown to explore the dangerous interior of the continent, claiming land for the Proprietor's Family, but being given a chance to make a better life for themselves.

Bizarre storms and rumors of fierce natives don't stop the expedition from venturing up the Escarpment. It isn't long before they encounter the Alvritshai and Dwarren and discover the fate of previous expeditions. As the second section of the novel begins, Colin has changed (literally) and is far removed from the kid he once was. His journey as the protagonist of the novel takes a unique path.

Elements of the stereotypical epic fantasy novel might include a naive young hero, elves and dwarves, mysterious evil, and battles involving multiple armies. In Well of Sorrows, there are elements of all these things, but Benjamin Tate is able to arrange these components in a fresh way that makes for a rousing tale of exploration, politics, and war.

The magic that develops was surprising. Small spoiler: When Colin gains the ability to stop or slow time, this gives him power and aggravates his emotional scars. It's like an addiction in its irresistible allure and, whether he sees it coming or not, the price he pays for its use. Colin's power appears similar in nature to the evil that emerges, and I imagine that in the next volume, his internal battles will become tougher.

I'm not sure if it's really a criticism since it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this novel, but I couldn't help but draw parallels between the Alvritshai and elves, and the Dwarren and dwarves. There may be readers who have an allergy to anything remotely elvish or dwarvish. In this story's world, these non-human races have their own creative qualities that bring them to life and make them unique. One of my favorite touches was how the Dwarren ride small antelope native to the plains, rather than some fantastical beasts.

After the nail-biting opening section, in which the settlers from Portstown set off into the unknown, I felt like the pacing slowed. However, the Alvritshai and the Dwarren are introduced in greater detail, and Colin has to regain his bearings. I had already grown interested enough in Colin's predicament that this didn't keep me from reading onward.

Well of Sorrows is the first book in a planned trilogy, and I plan to read the next volume when it is available. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys epic fantasy where the elves get muddy and the hero struggles against both internal and external problems. There is a lot of originality here, but as the title implies, it is a dark tale, and I'm not sure how Colin will fare in the end.

Hex delivers aliens and adventure

2011-08-30T03:14:00.000-07:00

Hex
Allen M. Steele
Ace, June 2011

Reviewed by Ann Wilkes

Steele has opened a whole new delightfully alien can of worms with Hex. What's not to like about a Dyson sphere, an inhabitable, hollow sphere surrounding a star? And how could it be more interesting? Steele's answer is to have numerous alien cultures each have its own "world" within.

The story begins with bored, veteran space captain (Andromeda Carson) who's given the job of forward scout into the unknown. The Talus is an alliance of aliens that humanity belongs to after colonizing the planet Coyote. Another of the Talus races extends an invitation to humanity: Come to our star system and we'll give you a world you can live on. Sounds too good to be true. What could be the catch?

First off, current star maps don't show any planets in that system. But this is too great an opportunity to ignore. Apparently humanity was not the first race that the danuii extended this offer to and these other Talus races are already living on worlds of their own in the danuii system.

The danuii send the starbridge key to their system and the Chief of Operations for the Coyote Federation Merchant Marine Theodore Harker sends Andromeda Carson. As fate would have it the crew they assemble for her includes her own son. The one who's not talking to her.

Imagine a sphere large enough to encompass, but not be vaporized by, a star. Can you?

An entire habitat, far bigger than anything even remotely like it that humans had ever built. The great crater cities of the Moon would easily fit inside the thing, with plenty of room to spare. And this is just one, Andromeda thought. How many did Tom estimate are here? Over a trillion? She swallowed hard, feeling her heart beat against her chest. This is impossible. How could anyone build anything this big?

A low, awestruck whistle from Rolf. "That's it," he muttered. "I give up. I'm retiring. I have no business calling myself an engineer..."

Steele's strength is in his aliens and perfectly flawed humans. I enjoyed the adventure and the varied ways in which each character reacted to danger and the unknown. What I really appreciate about Hex, and what has been true for other Coyote novels I've read, is that Steele does not skimp on the alien descriptions. That keeps me reading even when I get a little annoyed at Andromeda's son Sean's petulance. The tension between the two adds another layer of conflict. And mother and son are each other's kryptonite.

The adventure on Hex has only just begun I'm sure. There must be ways for things to get nasty and out of control. I'm eager to find out more. Maybe I can pry a tidbit or two out of him at Conjecture (He's the GOH). ;)

Editor's note: Read my 2009 interview with Allen M. Steele herein.

Renovation revisited and more con news

2011-08-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

I find, several days later, refreshed and regrouped, I have more to say about Renovation, the Worldcon in Reno last weekend. I mentioned getting a chance to meet all kinds of cool authors face to face whom I had only virtually met. Well, what do you care? Let me tell you now, why you should care.

I have promises of interviews from:
Madeleine Robins
Steven Gould
Scott Edelman (editor)
David Boop
Harry Turtledove

Look for those to roll out soon.

I also scored copies of The Brahms Deception by Louise Marley and Brenda Cooper's Mayan December. You should check out the cover of Mayan December. The woman on the front looks like Zoe from Firefly. Not exactly, but the expression is what does it. I'm looking forward to reading them both.

I let slip that I review books while in the dealers room and before I knew it, was inundated with books. Yikes! I'm sure some of them will be worthy of a review at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys. One guy, however, was so desperate for a review that he insisted his self-published historical fiction was alternate history. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.

I requested Harry Turtledove's latest from the publisher as it's silly SF. I can definitely go for that.

I didn't make the Hugo Awards, but heard about this highlight and found the video. Chris Garcia - best acceptance speech ever!

Scholastic emailed me when I got back requesting reviews of their titles, so you may see some YA reviews in the near future here at SFOO.

And in other con news, FOGcon is back! I went to the first one in San Francisco last year and they just announced their plans for 2012 after Renovation. The second annual Friends of the Genre Convention will be held in Walnut Creek, CA (East Bay) March 30 - April 1. The theme for 2012 is The Body. Registration is open and memberships are $60/adult.

From their first progress report, here are their Guests of Honor:

Nalo Hopkinson, Honored Guest

NALO HOPKINSON, born in Jamaica, has lived in Jamaica, Trinidad and Guyana and for the past 30 years in Canada. She is the author of four novels and a short story collection (_Brown Girl in the Ring_, _Midnight Robber_, _The Salt Roads_, _The New Moon's Arms_, _Skin Folk_). She is the editor of fiction anthologies _Whispers From the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction_, and _Mojo: Conjure Stories_. She is the co-editor of fiction anthologies _So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction_ (with Uppinder Mehan) and _Tesseracts Nine_ (with Geoff Ryman). Hopkinson's work has received Honourable Mention in Cuba's "Casa de las Americas" literary prize. She is a recipient of the Warner Aspect First Novel Award, the Ontario Arts Council Foundation Award for emerging writers, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, the Locus Award for Best New Writer, the World Fantasy Award, the Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, the Aurora Award, and the Gaylactic Spectrum Award. She was the Guest of Honor at the 2011 WisCon.

Shelley Jackson, Honored Guest

SHELLEY JACKSON is a writer and artist known for her cross-genre experiments, including the groundbreaking hypertext _Patchwork Girl_ (1995). Her works deal with issues of the body, displacement, touch, and desire. Born in the Philippines, Shelley Jackson grew up in Berkeley, California. She is the author of several hypertext novels, including _Patchwork Girl_, a non-chronological reworking of Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein_, as well as the autobiographical _My Body_ and _The Doll Games_, which she wrote with her sister Pamela. In 2001 she received the Electronic Literature Award. Shelley Jackson's short story collection, _The Melancholy of Anatomy_, appeared in 2002. A year later, she launched the "Skin Project", a novella published in the form of tattoos on the skin of volunteers. Her first novel, _Half Life_, won the 2006 Tiptree Award.

Mary Shelley, Honored Ghost

MARY SHELLEY is best known for her pioneering novel _Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus_ (1818), often considered the first science fiction novel. She wrote the book while she was 18, unwed, and pregnant with her first child. Given that her own mother had died in childbed when Mary was only 11 days old, the terrors of pregnancy and childbirth are a powerful theme in the text. Her second novel, _The Last Man_, is also science fiction: it is a portrait of the end of the world from a plague in the 21st century. Mary Shelley moved in the first intellectual circles of her day. Her father was the political theorist William Godwin; her mother, the philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, author of _Vindication of the Rights of Woman_; family friends included Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and Leigh Hunt. Before she turned 17 she eloped with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was married and the father of two children. Their friends included Lord Byron. She traveled widely and wrote several books about her journeys. Although her later books are overshadowed by the fame of _Frankenstein_, she continued writing novels, essays, poetry, and criticism throughout her life, as well as editing her husband's papers. She died, aged 53, of a brain tumor.

And two more tidbits...
Gameforge, which just hit 300 million registered players, launched a new ommunity-based, free-to-play Star Trek Q&A game. More information at www.keengames.com.

Kindle users can now download the digest edition of Fantasy and Science Fiction for free. That's the good news. The bad news is that you get all the editorial goodies but only one story. You can get the full edition for $12/yr.

Broads rule at Worldcon!

2011-08-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

My Worldcon blog report is about the Broads (Broad Universe members) who made it so special - at least for me. This was my first Worldcon so I can't compare it to others for you, nor can I tell you much about the scheduled events. I had a ball at Worldcon, but did it mostly outside of the box. I only hit a couple panels and no other scheduled events - unless you count book launches and room parties.

To me, Worldcon was about the people. Where else can I see so many marvelous sci-fi writers all in one place? I met many authors whom I had only met virtually and caught up with old friends. I arrived in Reno late Wednesday afternoon and spent the evening with my cousin who so graciously put me up and put up with me coming in late at night. She lives way out in the country with the cottontails and the quail. And the sage brush - echew!

Thursday I went to breakfast with her and her husband and experienced a first. I ordered tea. I have to say the abysmal lack of good tea or even tea water was certainly the worst thing that happened at Worldcon. The waitress brought the generic restaurant tea along with a pot of ... air. How did she not notice how light it was? The food for the Worldcon green room did not include water for tea until I made a small stink. Still, they insisted to the contracted caterers that we just wanted to drink hot water so they wouldn't have to pay the exorbitant price for the cardboard dust they call tea. The last day, someone snuck in some Twinings. Now that's more civilized. But, again, the pot was dry. Grrrr. I hate coffee. Can't pay me to drink the stuff. But get between me and my tea and there'll be trouble. I drink the hard stuff at home. PG Tips, baby. I even carry Bigelow tea bags in my purse as a Lipton defense. That was much more than you needed to know about my tea habits, but I feel better. ;)

Friday morning started early with a 7AM Broad Universe breakfast at a casino restaurant. How great to meet so many Broads face to face! Karina Fabian went around the three tables recording video interviews with all of us. I expect that is posted somewhere or will be soon. I'll drop the link in later.

Next, it was off to the very well-attended Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading. I ran a tight ship and 12 ladies were able to read from their work before we had to clear the room. The response was super and many listeners headed to the dealers room to buy our books.

Next up for me was the book launch of Defending the Future IV: No Man's Land with Brenda Cooper, S.A. Bolich and Jennifer Brozek. That was less well-attended, but went very well. Of the ladies I read with Jennifer's was the only story I hadn't read yet. Now I'm anxious to read it, too.

Corie Ralston shared her Speculative Literature Foundation booth with Broad Universe in the dealers room. I have to say that I sold more books than ever at a con and I'm sure it was because of the exposure afforded by the boutique table versus trying to sell books wedged in with a zillion other titles at a bookseller's table. I got a kick out of volunteering there, too. Here is S.A. Bolich and Ann Gimpel taking their turn.

And here I am with Corie (far left), Karina Fabian and S.A. Bolich.

Friday night I attended Brenda Cooper (Mayan December) and Louise Marley's (The Brahms Deception) joint book launch. They're both Broads, as I've mentioned before. Louise sold out and Brenda was well into her second box when I stopped back by toward the end of the evening.

And here is Allen M. Steele at the Asimov/Analog room party cutting the Asimov cakes with the cover featuring his story.

Incidentally, Allen won a Hugo Saturday night for his novelette "The Emperor of Mars". Read all the Hugo results at Tor.com now. AND, my next con is Conjecture in San Diego where he is Guest of Honor.

Read more Worldcon reports by perusing my blogroll to the right.

Now I know why zombies are so popular. That's what sci-fi writers turn into after a five-day con. Write what you know...

Broads descend on Worldcon!

2011-08-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! I'm heading to Renovation, the 2011 Worldcon in Reno on Wednesday. It's road trip time! I haven't seen the full program yet, but all my cool haps are going to be Friday beginning with a Broad Universe breakfast. I can't wait to meet other Broads I've only encountered virtually. And see some old friends as well. At 10AM, I'll be emcee and reading for the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading. And I do mean rapid. There are 14 ladies reading in one hour! No reading will be more than 4 minutes. The Defending the Future IV: No Man's Land book launch is at noon, where I'll be sharing a reading with Brenda Cooper, S.A. Bolich and Jennifer Brozek (all Broads - Broad Universe members). Later that night I wouldn't miss the combined book launch of fellow Broad Louise Marley's The Brahms Deception and Brenda Cooper's Mayan December at 8PM. I'm also attending some parties. Westercon in Seattle 2012 (bid secured, but no reason not to party) and Worldcon 2015 in Spokane, WA. I love and miss the Pacific Northwest. :)

San Diego's lookin' pretty good, too. I plan to have a play day there on the 9th of September thanks to my invite to sit on panels at Conjecture. The Guest of Honor is Allen M. Steele whom I've interviewed right here on Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys. I also happen to be reading his Hex now. It will be great to meet face to face along with a lot of other writers I've only met in cyberspace.

In Time looks like it might be a good flick. It comes out October 28th.

And The Minister of Chance is recording episode 3! You have to get on board with this great radio play space opera. Then maybe they can crank the episodes out faster. It really is awesome. Read my full review.

ODDs and ends from the geeky fringe

2011-08-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I'm a writer. Write something already. But I've been busy moving. Think of this as a radio show putting on a "best of" tape while the personality is on vacation. I think mine is...

Filed under: Whoda thunkit
New study shows that knowing spoilers doesn’t ruin a story

Not just for soldiers fighting aliens...
Paraplegics Walk With Exoskeleton – Exclusive Video of Berkeley Bionic’s eLegs in Action

Send it with style...
(scheduled for release in 2012)

A must-have for building your next holodeck program...
Video: Free-Moving Kinect Used To Map Room And Objects In Detailed 3D

I can name that tune in...
Shazam Keeps Rolling — Popular App Names Songs and Shows Just By ‘Listening’

Wish I'd seen it and wrote you a review myself, but, alas, I've been unpacking and breaking down boxes instead. But Gary Westfahl has it covered at Locus.
Ready for Primate Time: A Review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Are you a Falling Skies fan? (I am - read my review) And a gamer?

Heros + Numb3rs - math lecture = Alphas

2011-08-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, is my take on Alphas, the new SyFy show. In a nutshell: Heroes + Numb3rs - math lectures = Alphas. I especially liked Gary's ability to see, organize and understand all wavelengths. He can surf the web, radio channels, cell traffic, TV, etc. without the benefit of any device. He uses his hands to pull what he's interested to the fore or rearrange the information he's analyzing. Each gifted individual also has a curse. For Gary, he's a bit special needs with poor impulse control.

Unlike Heroes, these people with abilities work for and help the government rather than getting chased down and locked up. The somewhat motley crew includes a married man who can spike his adrenaline on demand for super strength, a single woman who has super senses, and another single woman with expensive tastes who can manipulate the will of others (glad she's on our side). In the first episode, the gain a fifth member who exhibits an extraordinary sense of balance and sense of space and timing.

The banter between team members was pretty good. I just hope it doesn't become just another detective show with superheros. I'd like to see the down-side of their abilities cause problems for them more and see how they struggle to adjust. I especially want to see how it is that they're all willing to play nice and catch bad guys.

I agreed to promote ebook giveaways for a publisher with a very unique and potentially exciting model. They pair pros with up-and-comers. Find out more at Phoenix Pick . Meantime, Phoenix Pick's free ebook for August is one of my favorite books. An oldie but a goodie. If you haven't read James P. Hogan's The Multiplex Man, I highly recommend it. And now you have nothing to lose! Get it free with this coupon code: 99922991 through August 31st at www.PPickings.com.

Here's the synopsis in case you still don't trust me that it's a great book:

The Multiplex Man is an intriguing thriller set in a future where every
aspect of life on Earth is micromanaged by authorities who consider any
deviation from the prescribed path as dangerous.

Off-world colonies are considered dangerous enemies threatening to take
Earth’s precious resources .

And who is Richard Jarrow?

Is he the unassuming, mild-mannered teacher he thinks himself to be or
something much more?

And how does the brilliant scientist named Ashling fit into the picture.

Jarrow must find Ashling, who holds the key not only to Jarrow’s own
identity but to freedom itself.

Truthseeker rings true

2011-08-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Truthseeker
by C.E. Murphy
Del Rey, August 2010

Reviewed by Deirdre M. Murphy (no relation)

Truthseeker is a story about Lara Jansen, a very unlikely amateur sleuth—she hears a speaker’s truthfulness or falsehood in every utterance as music. How could I not root for her? I was quickly drawn into Lara’s regard for the truth—something that is, to her, a magical absolute, which is quite different from our world where “prove it” means simply, “convince me”. I shared her remembered distress over Santa Claus and other fairy tales, her frustration trying to communicate in a world where white lies are considered a social grace, and her joy in the few friends who believed in her talent and honored her with their truth. I understood her decision to hide in the sheltered world of “bespoke” clothing, making beauty in a world that too often is filled with ugliness and lies.

In addition to loving speculative fiction, I love a good mystery, especially one where an amateur sleuth wanders around talking to everyone, and you get to try to figure out who’s telling the truth and who’s lying before the hero reveals the answer. I’m also a musician, and love the various chords, but especially the bittersweet minor sevenths, which grace my senses like dark chocolate.

I liked how the author portrays Lara’s social ineptness as well as her pedantry about words, both of which follow from her innate and powerful discomfort around everything not-true. I know what it’s like to be socially awkward because you see the world differently than others; to have much of other people’s humor just fall flat for you while they don’t even see the things that make you laugh. I can’t imagine how to overcome that without the insights gained from reading fiction. These aspects of her character made Lara very believable for me, and I sympathized with her from the first page.

As the story opens, Lara is using her talent to help her best friend, Kelly, buy a used car, though she insists she’s really along for the company—after all, used car salesmen always lie. We follow Lara and Kelly out of the car dealership and shortly they run into the local weatherman, David Kerwin, and his cameraman, Dickon. Flirting ensues, until the weatherman introduces himself, and the syllables of his name sound dissonant instead of ringing true.

Lara can’t help but react to the sour notes, and the man quickly admits his name is actually Daffyd ap Caerwyn, and asks her on a date. They forget to exchange contact information, but nonetheless, Daffyd arrives at her office to pick her up at closing time, and it’s not long after that he admits to her that he’s a Prince of the Seelie Court, exiled from his homeland until he can find a legendary Truthseeker to come through the portal to his world, Barrow-lands, with him and discover who murdered his brother.

Lara might have laughed at him, but there were no sour notes in his words. He believed what he was saying. He dropped his glamour briefly for her to see his true form. When he resumed it, his human-seeming visage jarred her vision just the way his lies jarred her hearing. Then he added one more detail to his outrageous—and true—story: His time was running out. He had to have a Truthseeker travel home with him in the next few days or be exiled from the Barrow-lands, his brother’s murder forever unsolved.

The rest of the book is an action-filled romp ; the death of a Prince has precipitated a war in the Barrow-lands. Lara arrives expecting to solve the murder and go quickly home, but she and Daffyd are attacked the moment they step through the portal. Even once she’s welcomed into the Seelie Court, the many true answers she gets to her questions shed no light on the mystery. There are twists and turns to her story, and she sees a lot more of the Barrow-lands than she’d planned to, but no mster how many people she talks with, figuring out the answer isn’t simple, and she is unable to name the culprit until the final, climactic battle.

I won this book in one of those “comment here and the author will draw a random number and send someone a copy of the book” online contests. I hadn’t planned on reviewing the book, since the author and I share a surname (though I’ve never met her unless you count occasional casual online contact between from our separate continents). But I really enjoyed this book, and wanted to share it with you. I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel, Wayfinder, which is expected out September 6th. I plan to start reading on a Friday, since I’m sure I won’t want to put it down.

SFOO interviews David Goyer and Michael Cassutt

2011-07-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

It was an honor to interview such a talented pair of authors. David S. Goyer (top left) is a screenwriter, comic book author, film producer and director. His list of writing credits includes: Batman Begins, Dark Knight, Blade II and the TV series Flash Forward. Michael Cassutt (top right) is a screenwriter, American TV producer and author. He's written scripts for numerous sci-fi series such as: the 1985 Twilight Zone; Eerie, Indiana; Outer Limits; Farscape; Andromeda; Stargate SG1 and The Dead Zone. He was story editor for one of my all-time faves - Max Headroom. He also authored sci-fi and spaceflight thriller novels. His short stories have appeared in many pro mags.

AW: Can you share one or two brainstorming "aha" moments from the development stage for Heaven's Shadow?

DG: Well, one of the "aha" moments was to open the book with a nonlinear structure. Initially, the story was completely linear. But it took a LONG time to get to the NEO and we thought it might be interesting to employ some of the narrative techniques that Chris Nolan and I used on Batman Begins. Ultimately, we're glad we did.

We were also surprised with the final fate of some of the characters. There were certain characters that were intended to die at the books end and others that survived -- and as we were going through the various drafts, we ended up changing our minds with regards to some of them.

MC: We also had minor aha moments while simply working through the moves of the story. Realizing, for example, that in microgravity, a rover could be thrown off a cliff...

AW: I loved the moment when, after being confronted with the impossible at literally every step on the NEO, Zack is confronted with something so over-the-top (pod Megan) that it would have broken a lesser man. How did you come up with the new twist on the pod people?

DG: Well, to be fair -- that twist was what started the whole ball rolling. I thought it would be mind-blowing for what was, essentially, an alien starship, to end up containing something quite familiar. That was the genesis of the story. I'm also interested in using science-fiction to explore theological issues.

MC: This was part of David's original pitch -- the moment that I realized I had to work on the project. Not that I shy away from the theological aspects of SF -- I think a lot of the best SF _is_ theological. But I never would have dared this on my own.

AW: What aspect of collaboration do you enjoy most?

DG: I like the call-and-response nature of collaboration. Michael might have a notion -- he'll pitch it to me. It will strike me a certain way and I might make a slight alteration and pitch it back. Something new and different emerges from the back and forth. In this case, the book truly is a hybrid of our sensibilities.

MC: Yes, together we are more than the sum of our parts, or something like that. David has worked extensively in film, which is collaborative... and I've been on the staffs of a dozen TV series, which are nothing but collaboration. So I see the back-and-forth as fun, possibly even necessary.

AW: Can you explain your collaborative process?

DG: We begin by plotting the novel the old-fashioned way. We use index cards on a series of cork boards. That's how we were taught to break stories in television. That's how Chris Nolan and I work on the Batman films. It's an age-old system -- but there's something about the cards that just seems to work. Then, we will dive into various drafts -- kick the material back and forth. Revise, revise, revise... I'm constantly driving Michael crazy by pitching a lot of curveballs in the eleventh hour.

MC: Yes. After the days and hours of story breaking and outlining, and the cards, I will start writing, and David will be dogging me every step with new and/or better ideas. Ultimately HS went through a first draft and two significant revisions. What's there is both of us.

AW: What was the hardest thing about getting this project together?

DG: Probably just the amount of detail. The first novel is, necessarily, heavy on NASA-tech. But we wanted it to ring true. Michael has spent a lot of time in that world and I knew the breadth of his experience would be invaluable.

MC: The first steps of any writing project are daunting. There was a considerable amount of circling the story, the issues, the characters, and the structure.

AW: The characterization in Heaven's Shadow is outstanding. Do you have a particular method for fleshing out a character? Does having a writing partner help to keep your characters honest and consistent?

DG: We don't have a particular method for characterization. I suppose, initially, the characters start as a kind of sketch. But then, once we drop them into various situations, they begin to flesh out themselves. I will say that I am constantly preaching about the need for specificity. I always believe that the more specific you can get with a character's interests, back-story, the better.

MC: This is where screen and TV writing helps.... because, while we take full advantage of a prose writer's ability to stop or stretch time and to inhabit a character's POV, we are both aware that we are, in essence, writing for performance. So we try to "see" and "hear" our characters.... what are they wearing, hearing, how are they standing, etc. I think this all helped the characters come to life.

AW: Can you give us a teaser for the next book? The movie?

DG: The next book deals with the consequences of what the humans have found on the NEO. More specifically, it deals with WHY the Architects bothered to send the NEO into our neck of the woods in the first place. It takes a lot of energy and willpower to put a craft like that into space -- to guide it for so many years. By the book's end, without spoiling too much -- there are a LOT of humans on the NEO. Not just the first 8 astronauts that land on it. So we get into some complicated group dynamics. And I'll reveal one more thing -- "the habitat" the astronauts discover is not the only one on the NEO.

In terms of the movie, I'm just now getting into the screenplay. It's a tricky adaptation. And in some cases, I've found myself writing scenes that we'd abandoned in the book!

AW: Are you working on other projects now that you'd like to mention to our readers?

DG: Well, the sequel to Heaven's Shadow, obviously. Then, of course, I've got two little super-hero movies shooting now -- The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel.

MC: Heaven's War consumes my working time at the moment. I also have a TV project I'm about to start pitching.... in partnership with a writer who is more famous and popular right now than David, or me, or both of us put together.

****

If you haven't already, make sure to read my review of Heaven's Shadow.

Reading and cramming

2011-07-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

The posts have been a bit thin as I've been cramming for placement tests to go back to school (algebra is NOT like riding a bike) and now am cramming for voting on the Hugos. Want to join me, just for fun? Get the list of nominated works on the Renovation site.

See if your picks make it. I'll include a Hugo awards announcement in my con report for Worldcon.

Speaking of awards, at Readercon in Massachusetts last weekend, the Shirley Jackson awards (recognizing outstanding achievement in horror, psychological suspense and dark fantasy) were handed out as follows:

Novel

Mr. Shivers, Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit)
Dark Matter, Michelle Paver (Orion)
A Dark Matter, Peter Straub (Doubleday)
Feed, Mira Grant (Orbit)
The Reapers Are the Angels, Alden Bell (Holt)
The Silent Land, Graham Joyce (Gollancz)

Novella

Mysterium Tremendum, Laird Barron (Occultation)
The Broken Man, Michael Byers (PS)
Chasing the Dragon, Nicholas Kaufmann (ChiZine)
One Bloody Thing After Another, Joey Comeau (ECW)
Subtle Bodies, Peter Dubé (Lethe)
The Thief of Broken Toys, Tim Lebbon (ChiZine)

Novelette

“The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains”, Neil Gaiman (Stories)
“–30–”, Laird Barron (Occultation)
“The Broadsword”, Laird Barron (Black Wings)
“Holderhaven”, Richard Butner (Crimewave 11: Ghosts)
“The Redfield Girls”, Laird Barron (Haunted Legends)

Short Story

“The Things”, Peter Watts (Clarkesworld 1/10)
“As Red as Red”, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Haunted Legends)
“Booth’s Ghost”, Karen Joy Fowlder (What I Didn’t See and Other Stories)
“The Foxes”, Lily Hoang (Haunted Legends)
“six six six”, Laird Barron (Occultation)

Single-Author Collection

Occultation, Laird Barron (Night Shade)
The Ones That Got Away, Stephen Graham Jones (Prime)
The Third Bear, Jeff VanderMeer (Tachyon)
What I Didn’t See and Other Stories, Karen Joy Fowler (Small Beer)
What Will Come After, Scott Edelman (PS)

Edited Anthology

Stories, Neil Gaiman & Al Sarrantonio, eds. (Morrow)
Black Wings, S.T. Joshi, ed, (PS)
Haunted Legends, Ellen Datlow & Nick Mamatas, eds. (Tor)
My Mother, She Killed Me, My Father, He Ate Me, Kate Bernheimer, ed. (Penguin)
Swords & Dark Magic, Jonathan Strahan & Lou Anders, eds. (HarperCollins)

A Board of Directors special award went to Joyce Carol Oates.

You probably know by now that Borders is dead in the water, completely liquidating. It's time to support your local bookstores. ebooks are great, but they bypass that familiar tactile relationship we have with our books.

So, are you smarter than an ape? If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can get a new app that will pit you against simian intelligence. Sounds like a fun way to monkey around. Or maybe they're just bananas. See for yourself at ApesWillRise.com.

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes comes to theaters on August 5th.

Heaven's Shadow is a thrill ride

2011-07-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

Heaven's Shadow
David S. Goyer and Michael Cassutt
Ace Penguin Hardback, July 2011

Reviewed by Ann Wilkes

Heaven's Shadow begins with quite a few familiar sci-fi elements: alien artifact, space exploration, first contact and pod people. But what David S. Goyer and Micahael Cassutt do with these still shiny plot elements is magic. In 2017, a Near Earth Object has come within the range of existing manned spacecraft. NASA and the Russian-Indian-Brazilian Coalition both divert manned missions to the moon to the NEO instead.

After both vehicles touch down, NASA suffers a casualty when an astronaut is thrown by what they believed to be the venting of a volcano. The home team, headed by Harley Drake, discovers that the "ventings" aren't random, but have served to park the NEO in a stable orbit. The X2016 K1 NEO, dubbed Keanu (yeah, that didn't thrill me either), is actually an alien space ship. The Coalition team helps to get the injured astronaut to safety and then members from each team explore the vent together.

Zack didn't have to ask any of them to take pictures, or do a radar scan. Lucas, Natalia and Pogo swarmed the marker, recording every possible angle. Lucas had hauled a new camera from the sled, bulkier and less finished-looking than the other instruments. "What's a Zeiss MKK?" Zack said.

At that moment, Pogo noted a wisp of vapor on the leg of the commander's suit. "Boss," he said, suddenly worried, pointing. "Check your pressure."

But Zack didn't seem worried. "This chamber is pressurized. Look at the ground..."

Pogo did, and saw a puddle. "Zack," he said.

"I think its water," the commander said quickly. "It appeared to be melt from my boots. Yours, too, I'm guessing."

Natalia disagreed. "There's more here than we were carrying."

Then Lucas said, "I hear something."

And Pogo realized he'd been hearing it, too. "Is that wind?"

"What the hell is going on?" Natalia said. She sounded nervous. Pogo couldn't blame her. Puddles of liquid? Air pressure? Wind? Some of those conditions could exist on the surface of Mars, so it wasn't unthinkable.

But on a NEO – inside a NEO?

Commander Zack Stewart must keep control of a mission that has taken a serious left turn into unexpected first contact and is further complicated with an injured comrade, the death of another ... and then there's the appearance of his undead wife.

Heaven's Shadow is a thrill ride from start to finish with exciting action back on Earth as well. Zack's friend, Harley Drake, in addition to his regular NASA Home Team duties, is tasked with keeping track of Zack's teenage daughter while she's there in the visitor area. Things get really interesting for Rachel when she's able to talk to someone who claims to be the mother she lost two years before. And Harley is then tapped as point person and team leader of the “48 Committee” which is the pre-designated term for experts assembled for any possible alien contact situation.

The book is first in a series. I'm sorry I have to wait a whole year to find out what happens next. Heaven's Shadow does have an ending of sorts. Much is resolved, though the journey has only just begun.

I appreciated the very human drama embedded in the science-laden, near future world. It's like space opera meets techno thriller. Heaven's Shadow is a must read – and soon to be a must see. Goyer is a screenwriter, comic book author, film producer and director. Cassutt is a screenwriter, American TV producer and author. They have been working on both the movie and the books. Look for Heaven's Shadow from Warner Bros., possibly as soon as July of 2012.

Read my interview with Goyer and Cassutt.

Our Town - with zombies - live in NY

2011-07-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

How the Day Runs Down
by John Langan
Nicu's Spoon Theatre

Reviewed by Clare Deming

Visitors, commuters, and inhabitants of New York City should watch out for zombies on their streets this month. How the Day Runs Down, written by John Langan, opened last weekend at Nicu's Spoon Theatre on W 38th Street. Langan's fiction has previously appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 2, and his collection, Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters (Prime Books, 2008). "How the Day Runs Down" was first published in The Living Dead (Night Shade Books, 2008), edited by John Joseph Adams, and was written as a play. Described by the theatre as "Our Town" but with zombies, this production takes the source material and makes very few changes in the transition to the stage.

Blood-streaked walls and haunting music greeted me in the tiny theatre. The Stage Manager (Mark Armstrong) narrates the story of the town of Goodhope Crossing amid a zombie incursion. Within commuting distance of New York City, Goodhope Crossing is full of "normal" people and the plot examines how they react when faced with the supernatural threat. In the early scenes, a churchgoer tries to halt the advance of his zombified pastor, and two siblings hope to prevent their grandmother from rising out of the earth. In the most chilling and longest section, Elizabeth A. Bell plays a housewife and relates the events of the day that the zombies invaded her quiet street. The kids watch a DVD in the next room while she boils water for mac and cheese and reminisces about good-natured squabbles with her husband. Elizabeth A. Bell's performance was perfect and allowed me to achieve the suspension of disbelief necessary to the experience. By evoking these details of everyday life the horror of the later events is amplified. If this could happen in such a normal suburb to such a real person, then surely it must be true. And if the events are all true, then I am genuinely horrified by what happens.

The sound effects consisted mainly of screams and were jarring and loud. However, that is appropriate for a scream, I believe. The set was sparse and dark, with few props to distract from the actors - just some headstones, rifles, and a pot for boiling water. The lighting was also simple, but most of the show involved one or two speaking actors with zombies lurking at the periphery, so this was suitable. The zombie actors held vacant stares amazingly well and I don't know how they managed to avoid blinking for so long. I enjoyed the costumes - my favorite zombies were Jon Rios as the Skateboard Zombie and Sammy Mena as Ms. No-Face. Gore was minimal other than some blood-stained clothing and Ms. No-Face's mess of a face.

The show ran for ninety minutes with no intermission. Cold soda and water were available for purchase. The only problem that detracted from my enjoyment was that the seating was uncomfortable - plain straight backed chairs that could have used more padding. If you're a zombie fan I would definitely recommend this show, and for non-fans, I think it would still provide a good evening of entertainment.

How the Day Runs Down is playing Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm through July 24. Tickets are available at: http://spoontheater.org.

What makes a great story?

2011-07-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

I'm inundated with books to read for review. I can't read them all, and I don't review all the books I read. If it's a real stinker, I won't even finish it. If it's borderline, I may hang in there, hoping it will get better, or maybe to see how it ends (in spite of the sloppy delivery). If I can't find more good things to say than bad, I won't bother to write the review. Wouldn't you rather read a review of a good book than a skewering of a bad one?

I recently tried a book that had horrible worldbuilding. I don't know how it got published. A society would just never buy into such a crazy, illogical system. My plausibility meter (or PLAUSOMETER) was screaming for mercy. If I can't put myself in the author's world, there's no hope of enjoying the story.

I thought it might be helpful or amusing to share what I believe are the necessary elements of a really good story. I'll also give you the same number of turn-offs. I'm not including poor grammar and simple lack of decent editing as that goes without saying.

What I look for in a good book:
1) FOUNDATION. The world, society, premise and tech (or whatever fantastical element is present) must be believable.

2) CHARACTERS. The main character must be multi-layered and someone I can sympathize with on some level - even if it's a bad person (or being). The motivations of the characters must be believable without dumping half a chapter of back story in to convince me. And each character should have a unique voice. I read a book once in which even the aliens and humans sounded the same.

3) PLOT. There must be a unique plot that moves forward. I like action, but not just for action's sake.

4) DIALOG. The dialog must be natural.

5) INTEREST. The world, tech (or magic) must be interesting and unique. Or at least put together in a unique combination.

And here are the things that will make me stop reading (or even throw the book across the room):

1) BAD SCIENCE. Remember this can also apply to sociology. Would people really believe that? Live like that? You get the idea.

2) SCIENCE LECTURE. Is this a science book or a science fiction book? Okay, great, you're a brilliant scientist who knows all this cool stuff. But if you're not telling a story, you've lost me.

3) MEETINGS. This will definitely get the book tossed across the room. I don't like attending them, why would I want to read about them? Quit talking about it - just do it already. I love a lot of James P. Hogan's stuff, but I quit reading one of his for this reason.

4) BAD DIALOG. There's nothing like stilted dialog to yank me out of a story. Stilted dialog and those "As you know, Bob..." bits. This is from the Turkey City Lexicon. My critique group partners will find, from time to time, AYKB in red pen on their manuscript. It's a transparent device for delivering information to the reader which involves the character telling something to another character which that character surely already knows. And addressing people by their name constantly. Or slipping in and out of dialect.

5) CHARACTERS. If I can't relate to them or sympathize with them, I could care less what happens to them. I like character-driven plots.

I would love to hear from you about what YOU like in a good book. And what makes YOU throw a book across the room. Leave a comment and let me know. It will make you feel better.

Kea's Flight - in a ship of imperfect children

2011-07-06T22:54:00.000-07:00

Kea's Flight
by Erika Hammerschmidt and John C. Ricker

Reviewed by Deirdre Murphy

“More. I want more food.”

A boy nearby was dawdling, taking forever to eat his energy bar. Two whole bites’ worth of it were just sitting there uneaten, and it had been bigger than mine to start with. The boy wasn’t skinny like me. He had extra fat on his sides and his neck that wiggled a little as he moved. It wasn’t fair.

“You. Give me that bar now.” I walked toward him, reaching out for his food. “I’m still hungry. They give you more food than me, and you don’t need as much. So give it to me right now.”

He made eye contact, curious, holding out the bit of energy bar as if to ask me if that were really what I wanted.

Beep. Beep. Beep. One of the cafeteria robots rolled toward the boy, taking away the morsel. I looked at the bot expectantly, wondering if it would correct the unfairness and give it to me. But it simply opened a compartment in the front of its body, inserted the food, and then grabbed the boy and held him down. A tube emerged from just above the compartment; one of the robot’s steel claws helped push the tube up his nose and down his throat, force-feeding him the now-dissolved energy bar.

Kea’s Flight
by Erika Hammerschmidt and John C. Ricker

I loved the opening scene of Kea's Flight, which features a very young Kea stuck in a situation that’s strange to the reader and incomprehensible to her. She’s real and vivid, her Asberger’s perfectly depicted, and Kea herself is sympathetic in her imperfection. I wanted to know more about how she got into such a predicament, and what would happen to her.

Kea was raised on a spaceship, gestated in an artificial womb and destined to help colonize a planet. Kea and all of the other children on the ship were genetic rejects, removed into artificial wombs by parents who didn’t want to keep them and a government that forbade abortion.

I know that in our world, parents with one socially-challenged child have their hands full—imagine surrogate parents, assisted by robots, who must somehow raise dozens of children with handicaps, all the same age, decanted from their artificial wombs in the same year! Kea’s early life was not easy.

I was sucked in by that first scene, thankfully before the too-long exposition about autism and Asbergers that lurks near the beginning of the book. I think those paragraphs should have been cut completely, or at least been relegated to an appendix in the back. It wasn’t anything new or ground-breaking, just real-world background information—and information that is mentioned in the book as it is needed in any case, since the “rems” are brought up with knowledge of their prenatal diagnoses and what those diseases do to the people who suffer from them.

Happily, the book quickly returns to Kea and her slowly growing circle of delightfully quirky friends. Kea invents a game that allows them to speak with each other freely about things their caretakers would punish them for, and her first friend finds ways to access information that their caretakers don’t think the flawed children in their care can handle. Together, they face threats from their caretakers (themselves misfits who were exiled from Earth for one reason or another) and from the ship itself, which they come to understand was put together as cheaply as possible while still keeping up the appearance that these “removed” children will have a chance at a good life.

If all goes well, they’ll reach their destination planet on their collective 21st birthday, at which time they will, according to the learning tapes, be granted the rights and privileges of adults, and allowed to make lives on the planet’s surface. But the planet was chosen from afar, more than 1000 planet-years ago, by scientists who had incomplete information. If the planet isn’t suitable, or if something happened to it while they traveled at relativistic speeds through deep space, what then?

The author also reveals glimpses of the spaceship from the other side—the grownups on the ship have fallen under the control of a dangerous psychopath, and many are convinced that Kea, her friends, and all the children living in Kea’s side of the ship are all defective children, who will never be capable of assuming the responsibilities of adults.

Everything comes to a head when they are 19, and the ship reaches the point where the computers can get a visual of the planet, and the programs scan for the elements in the new planet’s air, triggering a computer bug with dangerous consequences for everyone on the ship. Kea and her friends must act fast, for the lives of everyone on the ship are at stake, grown-ups and rems alike.

CA Conventions this weekend

2011-06-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend in once-again-sunny California, we have two big conventions. Westercon 64, The West Coast Science Fantasy Conference, is in San Jose this year. Writer Guests of Honor are novelist Patricia A. McKillip, and Kaja and Phil Foglio (Creators of the Girl Genius graphic novel series).

In LA, we have the Anime Expo 2011. Their GOHs are numerous and include these two designers:

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (May 20, 2011) Fans of the world of anime rejoice as celebrated directors and character designers Akihiko Yamashita and Miho Shimogasa join this summer¹s most anticipated anime, manga and music convention, AM2, this coming 4th of July weekend as official guests of honor. More info can be found at www.am2con.org

TOM & JERRY and LUPIN III: THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO were two of the most influential animations that brought attention of the world of anime to celebrated anime director Yamashita-san. Yamashita-san has worked as a character designer for GIANT ROBO: THE ANIMATION-THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and ZEGAPAIN, his first directorial work was at the world famous Studio Ghibli animation studio where he directed CHUZUMO. Yamashita-san has gone on with directing some of Studio Ghibli¹s biggest and most known works including HOWL¹S MOVING CASTLE, ARRIETTY, PONYO and the latest film from the studio Š KOKURIKO. Yamashita-san has huge admiration for the works of J.J. Abrams and is an avid "Trekker/Trekkie".

Born in Yokohama, Shimogasa-san loved anime characters such as Susumu Kodai (Derek from SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO aka STAR BLAZER) and decided to become an animator with her first part-time job as a cell painter while still a student. Upon graduating, Shimogasa-san joined the highly recognized anime studio Artland as an animator. Later, she became a freelance animator and has worked on such notable titles including CUTEY HONEY FLASH, KOCCHI MUITE MIIKO, NIGHTWALKER, GOKUDO, GRAVITATION, PSYCHIC ACADEMY, THE PRINCE OF TENNIS, GOOD MORNING CALL, ULTRA MANIAC, POWERPUFF GIRLS Z AND BATTLE SPIRITS: SHONEN TOPPA BASHIN. As an Animation Director, Shimogasa-san directed SAILOR MOON SUPERS, SAILOR MOON SAILOR STARS, SAILOR MOON SUPERS PLUS-AMI¹S FIRST LOVE and also served as Assistant Director in GALAXY EXPRESS 999: ETERNAL FANTASY. An interesting tid-bit of information Š Shimogasa-san¹s name was used to name a twin maid character in DETECTIVE CONAN.

"We are truly blessed and honored to have such amazing anime talent join us this year", states Chase Wang AM2 representative, "having someone from the world famous Studio Ghibli and a celebrated character designer of SAILOR MOON and more is a treat for our fans here in the Southern California area-especially with such a huge fan base of that series! Get your Passports today and experience the difference!"

Attendees can avoid the anticipated huge lines at autographs, premiere screenings, workshops, main events, concerts and panels by purchasing a Passport fast pass for the event. The Passport fast pass will also provide holders with premier seating options at Main Events and at Concert events as well as major discounts with theme parks, retailers and local restaurants.
Bypass the lines and get your Passport today and experience the difference!

Yamashita-san and Shimagosa-san join current Guests of Honors Scandal, Sadie, Kanon Wakeshima, kanon x kanon, heidi., Gashicon, IBI and MINT with more to be announced soon!

AM2 current activities include Exhibit Hall, AMV¹s, Arcade, Summer Festival, World Cosplay Summit, Behind the Voice Actors Studio, Rum Party Pirates, Masquerade, Cosplay Chess, Dances, Fashion Shows, Table Top, Console Gaming, AniMaid Café, AniMaid Café Host Club, Workshops, Panels, Concerts and more!

*end press release*

Go check out Anime Expo's list of directors, industry leaders, voice actors, creators, singers, video game developers, etc.

BIGLOBE sent this press release regarding SUGOI BOOKS' Android app and their presence at Anime Expo.

Tokyo, June 28, 2011- NEC BIGLOBE, Ltd. (BIGLOBE), one of Japan's leading internet service providers, announced today its participation in Anime Expo 2011 (AX), the largest anime/manga convention in North America, from July 1-4, 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. BIGLOBE is the creator of SUGOI BOOKS, an Android-based bookstore application, as well as its dedicated website aimed at the manga community: www.sugoisugoi.com .

BIGLOBE will supply smartphone devices for demonstrations at booths 813 and 815 during AX, enabling visitors to experience their manga bookstore app firsthand. A cosplay photo contest will also be held at the booths, where participants may win an assortment of prizes.

On Sunday, July 3 from 3PM to 4PM, representatives from BIGLOBE Japan will hold a panel discussion in LP4 to personally introduce this innovative and entertaining application to AX visitors. New comic titles will also be announced, and members of the panel discussion audience will be eligible to win prizes.

To commemorate its presence at AX, BIGLOBE will give away 300 free tickets that can be used to buy manga chapters through Saturday, July 8 at midnight (PST) to anyone who downloads the app and registers an account on SUGOI BOOKS.

Just prior to AX, the www.sugoisugoi.com website was completely updated. Visitors now have easy access to information about available manga titles, can communicate with other manga fans via Twitter and Facebook, and can find the latest anime and manga industry news. In close contact with its fans, NEC BIGLOBE aims to become the largest manga provider for users of smartphones and multimedia devices.

News from Rowling and Gaiman

2011-06-25T16:28:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie this time. I'm having too much fun in the finally-summer-sun. :)

Neil Gaiman's American Gods comes to HBO in 2013.

And my news is that No Man's Land is no available on Kindle. Woo hoo! Kick-butt sci-fi stories written entirely by women (including Ann Wilkes) and many of them "Broads" (Broad Universe members).

That's all! Have a great Sunday. I'm heading to the beach!

Word fun: mangled, co-opted and brand new words

2011-06-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

How many times have you seen a good sentence go bad? As often as you've seen a good word go bad? Perfectly good words are constantly co-opted as slang to mean something completely different. But it doesn't stop there. How long do you think it will be before "I suspicioned" will be correct? Ugh! Let enough people mangle or misuse a word and it becomes morphed to what they intended and the rest of us have to deal. Language has always been organic, but some of it just plain grates on me.

I still bristle about spelling the once-contraction of until ('til) as till, which was formerly ONLY a money drawer in a cash register.

I'm all for making up new words. Procrastinatable (mine), for instance, is an awesome word. But I can't say it's awesome because awesome is a prime example of one of those morphed words. In fact, it devastated the title of Awesome Lavratt, where I meant it in the literal sense. And if you go to sf/f conventions, you'll know what I mean when I say, "contastic!" And elsewhen. Another great word that grew most likely out of science fiction.

I wrote a short, funny essay years ago about writing diseases in which I coined quite a few new words and phrases. They include: diarrhea of the pen, terminal tenacity, descriptitus, starkosis and spelldentia. Feel free to read Common Diseases of Writers.

Has abfab made it yet? Other than the nickname for a British TV series? I use a lot. Does that count? I also use "warm fuzzies" as a salutation on emails and when signing my books. I'm not so sure I want that phrase used that way to get in the dictionary. Then it won't be my special signature anymore.

I'm still waiting for the just-right pronoun for a person of unknown gender. It would come in super handy (notice super?) when referring to an unborn child or a person whose appearance doesn't make its gender obvious. This is becoming an increasing problem today. What if we had a polite word to use that gave the person the opening to let us know without causing them offence?

Here Kieran McGovern (in the Oxford University Press blog) ranks his top ten "young words" to be avoided by those not-so-young. OMG, Awesome!, Dude and Whatever were among them.

I have four adult sons, by the way, and all of them answer the phone with "hey" even though they know it's me. And it's not even a completely articulated "hey". It's more of a grunt. Then one of my sons told me how he and his friends call each other names by way of telephonic greeting. After hearing some examples, I was thankful for the grunt.

I was confused by the last sentence in this CNN article about the additions to the Oxford Dictionary in the March quarterly update. Someone please tell me what the last sentence even means. Do people say "it it" or is that a typo in the article?

I'm guessing it's a typo. The next article I perused (from the Telegraph) had one in the first paragraph. Does anyone proof anymore? This one was more recent than the last, pulling from the OED's June update.

I'm done ranting, but would love for folks to jump on board with their pet peeve new words. And most definitely your favorite new ones. Come on, it will make you feel better!

Freaky Weather: Flash It! winner - "Careless Wishes"

2011-06-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to D.E. Helbling on his winning entry in the Freaky Weather: Flash It! contest. I also want to thank all the other writers who participated. I hope you had fun writing your flash pieces and wish you all the best submitting them elsewhere.

Here's what our judge, Paula Johnson, of Rose City Sisters had to say of the entries:

Each of the submitted stories reflected an inventive take on the "freaky weather" theme, but the tale that drew me in the most was "Careless Wishes."

The writer's effective use of dialogue (with just enough Southern patois) revealed both the nature of the main characters' relationship as well as the curious backstory to the action taking place.

While "Careless Wishes" told me everything I needed to know to enjoy its satisfying ending, it made me ponder what the future holds for the characters.

Careless Wishes
by D.E. Helbling

“I’m sorry, son,” she said as I helped her up from her rocker on the front porch.

“Never mind that now, Momma. Let’s get you to safety.” I led her down the steps and across the brown, patchy lawn of the front yard. I whistled for Scruffy, her Jack Russell, as we made our way toward the storm cellar. The sky had grown dark in just a few short minutes. I was fixing to pull the door shut behind us when Scruffy appeared and nudged his way past me. I shoved the heavy crossbar into place and descended the steps into the depths of the shelter. I flicked on the switch for the battery light, and then joined Momma and Scruffy on the tiny couch in the back of the little room.

“I’m so sorry, Billy,” she started again.

“I’m sure you didn’t mean it, Momma. Maybe it wasn’t even you. You know, sometimes storms are just storms.”

“If only I wasn’t so greedy,” she said, shaking her head. She looked grayer, more tired and frail than I’d remembered ... it had been too many months since my last visit.

“Now, Momma, you can’t help wishing for things.”

“Like that scholarship of yours?”

“You didn’t know the kids on that bus were after the same scholarship as me, did you? You didn’t wish that bus into the river. Momma, that was years ago. You gotta let that go!”

“Or your sister’s new husband?”

“Now, come on, Momma. None of us liked Harold, not even me, and I went to school with him. Did you wish Harold into bumping that radio into his bathtub? I know you didn’t wish him into beating up Charlene every time he and Johnnie Walker got together.”

“I’m just saying---“

“I’m just saying, too, Momma. I’m saying it’s all about silver linings. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. OK, so maybe Harold was an exception. But still, sometimes those bad things mean good things for somebody else. If that somebody else is you or me, or Charlene, well, that’s just God evening out the blessings is all.”

The door to the shelter started to rattle and shake, straining against the big iron hinges. The wind howled through the cracks. Momma looked up at the ceiling in surrender. “I think I used up our share of blessings, son.”

“Let’s never mind that mean old storm,” I said. “Say, I know you have some shortbread down here in one of these tins.”

“Over there on the second shelf.”

I found the tin, opened it up, and fished out three cookies. I gave one to her and one to Scruffy. The three of us sat there, nibbling our cookies, while the wind roared above like a train was running over the top of the shelter.

“Still the finest cookies in the county,” I said.

“Or what about that time---“

“Jesus, Momma!” I almost choked on my cookie. “You can’t go on blaming yourself for every little thing that happens.”

“Now let’s not be bandying about the Lord’s name.”

“I’m sorry, Momma,” I said. “But I’m sure Jesus wants you to be happy, just like the next person.”

Scruffy perked up his ears, turned his head toward the stairwell. I started to hear it myself. Plops, first a few, then more, then a thunderous smashing, pounding barrage. “It is surely hailing big time out there, Momma.”

“Oh, my,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t think that’s hail, son.”

The pummeling sound stopped as quickly as it had begun. Now there was no howling wind behind it. We sat in silence, listening for further signs that the storm had really passed. Scruffy decided we’d waited long enough. He bounded up the stairs, barking at the door for us to let him out. I followed him. I put my ear to the door. Nothing but a couple of birds chirping. I slid the crossbar over and shoved on the door. It resisted. I shoved again. Fallen tree limbs, I hoped, though I feared it might be the remains of Momma’s house on the other side of the door.

I shoved again, harder, and the door finally gave way. I stepped out of the stairwell and promptly slipped, my feet flying out from under me as I slid a few feet into the yard. I propped myself back up, my arms wrist deep in dark goo, a mush of red and green and black that seemed to cover the entire yard.

The house, at least, was still standing. Scruffy was running all over the yard, barking wildly, bits of goo hanging from the corner his mouth.

“Oh, my,” Momma said from somewhere behind me.

“Be careful, Momma,” I said. “The ground’s pretty slippery. It looks like the twister dumped a load of silt from the river right here on top of the yard.”

About then the smell of the goo hit me. I raised one hand to my face, gave the mush a sniff. That’s when I saw that some bits of the mush had form. And shape. This one little bit looked like a salamander leg. That bit wasn’t worm, but a trace of tiny intestine. Those round things: little eyes.

“Oh, my, Billy,” Momma said. “Looks like we got us a frog puree.”

I brought myself up to my feet, found a sturdy looking branch poking out from the goo, and brought it over to Momma for a makeshift cane. “What’d you wish for, Momma,” I asked, as we made our way slowly across the yard and up the steps to the front porch.

“Fertilizer,” she said. “That soil around here is so tired, I figured it was due for some kind of ripening up. Good thing.”

I helped her back into her rocking chair and began to pull off her shoes. “Good thing?”

“Good thing I didn’t wish for a new rock garden.”

“Good thing, Momma.”

D. E. Helbling is an engineer, writer, and a native of the Dakotas, now living in Oregon. When he’s not working on strange cryptography projects, he explores fiction, philosophy, paranormal research, and game A.I. software development. He can be reached via email at doug@dehelbling.com.

Daybreak Zero and Barnes on system artifacts, apocalypses

2011-06-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

Daybreak Zero
by John Barnes
May 2011, Ace

Reviewed by Ann Wilkes

With Daybreak Zero, John Barnes continues his post-apocalyptic saga which began with Directive 51. Most of the "Daybreak" disasters have happened already: nuclear bombs, EMPs (electromagnetic pulses), nanoswarm – nanotechnology that attacks electronics - and biotes that turn plastics and rubber into odiferous, brown goo. The government is fractured into two when Directive 51 kicks in and the National Constitutional Continuity Coordinator and the acting President he appoints have a difference of opinion on how to proceed during the current crisis. The NCCC wants a military leader capable of bringing the fight to the enemy while the President believes there is no enemy. Daybreak seems to be the result of a system artifact, the propagation of an idea across the Internet and across the globe inciting people to wish to cleanse the Earth by destructive means to "heal" it.

In Daybreak Zero, Heather O'Grainne's Department of the Future sets up shop in Pueblo, Colo. to discover what's behind Daybreak and to help America get back to a semi-industrial society with transportation, communication, and a 1940s or 1950s level of comfort. Meanwhile, the Daybreak followers storm the populated areas like raging bands of primitives bent on destruction and annihilation.

Arnie Yang, an uber-cyber analyst, still believes a system artifact is behind Daybreak and that the ongoing, moon-based attacks are automated.

The country is set to split down the middle or launch into a second civil war with two governments claiming authority. Both sides finally agree to meet to discuss putting the country back together under one government. The talks are delayed when it's learned that some of the negotiating parties have been brainwashed by Daybreak followers.

He could see the watch's lantern glinting half a mile away. I could run and join them and just stay with them till they passed my house. Lots of people do that. But the time to have done that would have been to catch them on Main, in front of the courthouse; no, they'd wonder what had frightened him. They might ask. What could he say?

Deep breath. Walk and breathe like you're going to fight; if it turns out you are, it's one less thing to wrry about, and if not, it calms and clears the—

"Doctor Yang. Doctor Yang, doctus in the doctrine, the indoctrinated doctor."

Arnie spun ne step backward into the space he'd been about to walk into, cross-drew his knives and held them at ready. "I've been expecting you."

Teeth gleamed in the dark under the blanket; the eyes were black blobs around the greasy promontory of the nose. "Expecting to stab me?"

"If necessary." Arnie shifted his weight for a better stance.

Barnes' style, at least in this series, includes quite a few rambling, conversational sentences that seem to derail in the middle, which kind of bugged me, but his excellent gift for storytelling kept me reading. In fact, as I said in my Directive 51 review, I couldn't stop reading to wait for Directive 51 to arrive, so I finished reading it out of order.

I liked Heather's tactile, old-school war-room. And teenage couriers sprint messages to and fro and are tipped with meal coupons. People who used to be obscure hobbyists are new tech leaders making radio tubes, building printing presses, and creating steam and water-powered this and thats.

And castles! Their neo-land-baron owners could pose a threat to the government or be a lesser evil that keeps order in their vicinities.

There were quite a few witty monologues and inner dialogs. I would expect the survivors of the apocalypse to have a good sense of humor. It would be a survival mechanism, right? Anyway, I enjoyed Heather's wit and Cameron Nguyen-Peters' (the NCCC) ironic sense of humor.

This novel provided a good balance between science, politics and the human condition. Barnes' offers believable characters with engaging conflict both external and internal. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Now let's get to know John Barnes.

AW: Can you explain what a system artifact is for my readers?

JB: Actually, I'd love to. The editor and I disagreed about what the basic appeal of the book is (and there was no market research to settle the question), so a lot of my "how it works" material ended up on the cutting room floor. Warn your readers there'll be a quiz after this …

System: in communications, anything where multiple communicators are passing multiple messages over time. That might include networks, like the internet; communities, like small town gossip; discourses, like Shakespeare scholarship; or distribution systems, like mass media.

Artifact: something that arises arbitrarily from the way things work, an emergent property. Classic examples are that our inability to think about more than seven objects at a time, give or take, is an artifact of our brain; the potential for a stalemate is a system artifact of the rules of chess; the discomfort of time at the DMV is a system artifact of the way that our time is structured and the number of clerks and what they are and are not allowed to do.

So a system artifact is a message that doesn't have a single author/speaker/sender within the system, but arises in the interstices of the system. Cars on the highway send and receive messages, but congestion is a system artifact – it's a property created by all the cars, the highway, weather, work schedules, real estate prices, etc. together. A performance of a play is a system artifact – the audience's experience is created by everybody working together, including the playwright who is usually absent, the past experiences and expressions of other artists, and the behavior of the audience. Catholicism is a system artifact produced by the interactions of all the Catholics with each other and with the world around them, and possibly with things beyond this world, depending on whether or not you're Catholic.

Some system artifacts have fairly person-like qualities – hard science fiction, for example, tends to be stern and tough, telling people the world is this way and you can't just have it any old way you like. (Imagine a hard sf novel titled The Cheerful Void or Planet of the Soft Life). Whereas the whole self-help category is relentlessly positive and never-say-die (you'll never see anything on the self-help shelves titled Oh, Get Over It, You Big Baby! or Childish Dreams: How to Know When It's Really Too Late and You Should Just Give Up.) Those personalities of genres, again, are not any one person's conscious decision; they just happen over time, but they're nonetheless real.

Other system artifacts seem to be a relentless overall value or commandment repeated forever – very often we become aware of those when someone finally objects, as with, for example, the Disney Princesses, a complicated message that says girls should be plucky and cute, their fathers are bumbling nitwits, and the whole universe including inanimate objects and singing seafood will unite to bring them a boyfriend, which is the most important thing that a princess can have. There's a system artifact in Christianity that says that people who suffer are good, and one in the American version of democracy that says the lone arguer in the middle of a consensus is a vital resource to be protected, and one in the environmental movement that says energy conservation is nearly always preferable to energy production. Nobody thought those up individually and sold everyone on them; they evolved out of thousands or millions of exchanges.

Still other system artifacts seem to have evolution-like purposes, seeking to be reproduced, mutating to accommodate it. I don' t mean so much the simple ones like tweets with RT in them so much as songs like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," which goes far beyond earworminess and turns into a whole collection of feelings, symbols, words, notes that partly take over the recipient's musical taste ever after; Heinlein juveniles keep trying to reproduce at science fiction publishers despite their dwindling audience (which doesn't include very many young people anymore), partly by constantly waggling the attractors of "this is where many existing customers came from" and "remember how much fun these were when they were new?" which they obviously acquired long after Heinlein wrote the original texts.

Now, a really complex message coming out of a really enormous system – say, two thousand years of Christianity, or a million lines of computer code, or tens of thousands of interactions within a family – can have all three kinds of qualities: a personality, a value, and a reproductive drive. And at that point you have the kind of system artifact I'm talking about – a little like the way some compulsions seem to pass from parent to child, or some religions seem to be more extreme than their own practitioners, or the way that whatever physics is reaching for, it has gotten beyond the comprehension of any individual physicist. But, of course, since this is a science fiction novel, I have it magnified in the imaginary future, increased enormously by the power of the internet and by an improving understanding of what really happens in motivational psychology and brain chemistry.

AW: What sorts of hobbies do you have that would come in handy in your Daybreak scenario?

JB: I enjoy looting, inciting mobs, and leading from the rear. Also, I know the locations of several survivalists I expect to have large caches ready. All right, that's a joke. Sort of. I was an Eagle Scout ages ago, back when you had to earn your own badges instead of having your mommy do them for you. I can cook wild game and have cooked and eaten critters for which I did not have directions. Having worked in theatre tech for many years I can improvise machines pretty well. And I'm not a bad teacher; I could open a school if people would feed me in exchange for teaching.

AW: If you lived in the aftermath of an apocalypse, what would you miss the most?

JB: Whatever was gone; different apocalypses would have different patterns of what was missing afterwards. I'm an old fat guy with bad eyesight, I prefer to live in densely urban areas, and I'd be a sitting duck. Almost certainly, I'd miss civil order briefly and intensely until whatever got me, probably in the first week.

AW: What are you working on now?

JB: At this moment I'm finishing The Last President, the third of the Daybreak trilogy. Then I'll do some finishing work on Losers In Space, a hard-sf YA. My agent is peddling The Wordly Evidence of Grace, a mainstream YA, because Tales of the Madman Underground has done much better than most of my science fiction. In between, I'm working on moving to the self-publishing model; in the grand old ship of publishing, water is pouring into the hold, and I am not going to be the last rat down the hawser.

"Raining Good Intentions" - my Freaky Weather Flash

2011-06-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

Raining Good Intentions
By Ann Wilkes

Irwin stepped through the door of their modest duplex and wiggled out of his trench coat, carefully avoiding touching its outer parts. "Is this rain or snot?" Then he removed his hat and gloves the same way.

"I don't know why you had to go out in it," called Isabel from the kitchen.

"I told you, I had to get that insurance premium posted today." He listened to make sure Izzy was still in the kitchen and put his pint of whiskey in the bookcase behind War and Peace. He had bought two, but finished the first on the way home.

But you couldn't have thought about that last week when I reminded you to cut the check? Isabel thought, but didn't say. Isabel frowned as she looked at the sign she'd stuck on the fridge that read, "Poor planning on your part does not constitute and emergency on my part." It was originally meant for the kids, who were now grown and gone.

"Channel 4 news," said Irwin to the entertainment and interaction (EI) wall. The wall shimmered to life with a perky blonde delivering more bad news.

"Scientists have yet to identify the foreign compounds in the rain. People are advised to stay indoors as much as possible and wear protective clothing when outside, even if it's not currently raining."

"Hear that, Izzy? Still don't know what it is." He scratched his stubbly chin.

"You think it's from aliens?" she said, wiping flour off of her hands on an apron as she scuffed into the room. "If the compounds aren't known, they must be new or extraterrestrial, right?"

"I spose. I hope they figure it out soon. I'm getting sick o' bein' cooped up." Irwin was already wondering how he could sneak out for a drink later on. Maybe the rain is harmless. Just slimy. Heck, he thought, scientists tell you something different every time you turn around. Maybe it will be a miracle cure for eczema. He chuckled to himself.

Irwin snuck out for a drink or a bottle every day over the next four rainy days, sometimes forgetting his gloves or hat.

###

Irwin and Izzy crowded in their living room window craning their necks to see the large, bright light streaking through the afternoon sky. The same newswoman narrated from the EI wall behind them. "Dr. Nora Mirsch at MIT says the object is not of natural origin, and therefore must have been constructed by intelligent beings from outside our solar system. When asked the purpose of the device, she said it is not clear. All astronomers at major observatories agree that its trajectory will just miss both the earth's atmosphere and its gravity well.

"Scientists at NASA and JPL are trying to determine the type and severity of its radioactive emissions."

Irwin fell asleep on the couch that night. Isabel woke him up the next morning. Her face was a pasty grey and her eyes were red.

"What's wrong, Izzy? You sick?"

"I'm dying, you fool! Look at me! That thing in the sky. The news said it was an alien probe leaking radiation."

Then she scrutinized him. He certainly looked hung over, but not sick, she thought.

"How come you're ok?"

"Don't know."

Izzy held her hand over her mouth and ran for the bathroom.

Irwin went to the window. The thick rain fell mercilessly. He ran his fingers through his unruly, greasy hair. He needed a drink. Then he grabbed the windowsill to steady himself. That's it! Must be the booze what kept me well. Maybe the radiation can't attack pickled people. Then he thought of Izzy puking in the bathroom. He'd have to go get enough for her, too.

He donned his raincoat and poked his head into the bathroom. Isabel still sat on the floor facing the toilet. "Izzy, I'm gonna go get you some medicine. Everything's going to be alright."

Isabel looked at him with a kind of defeat in her eyes. She thought he'd finally gone completely nuts. And now he's leaving me alone to die! When she heard the front door close, she leaned against the bathroom wall and wept.

Irwin was surprised that people were out and about. He bought two fifths of the cheapest rotgut at the corner store and headed back out into the rain. He thought he was hallucinating when, as he turned the corner he encountered a couple dancing in the rain without raincoats. And a whole family were in their yard playing in the mud in their underwear. That's it. We're all doomed for sure and these poor bastards have lost it.

When he got to his block, he saw half his neighbors playing in the rain. None had on raincoats and a few had on nothing at all. They were twirling in the rain, reveling in it.

Maybe it's alien mind-control, that muck. And the booze's what spared me. He felt conspicuous in his trench coat and kept his head down. At home, he threw off his coat and rushed to find Isabel. She wasn't in the bathroom. Has she been got at? Was she dancing outside and I didn't see her? He found her on the bed. His heart thudded in his chest. She wasn't moving. He felt her wrist for a pulse. His own pounded so hard he couldn't tell where hers was. At least she wasn't cold. He felt her faint pulse on her fevered neck. Her eyelids fluttered open.

"Izzy?" he held her hand.

"Irwin, the rain."

"What, Izzy? What about it?"

"It's a protection from the radiation. They think the aliens couldn't stop…" she convulsed and coughed blood. He held her and wept as she tried to continue. "…their malfunctioning probe. They…they…the slime…it's for the planet. Protects…" Isabel coughed again. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she collapsed, lifeless, onto the pillow.

The Fallen Moon Trilogy - both sides of an age-old struggle

2011-06-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

The Fallen Moon Trilogy
Book 1 - The Dark Griffin
Book 2 - The Griffin's Flight
Book 3 - The Griffin's War
by K.J. Taylor
Ace Mass Market Originals 2011

Review by Clare Deming

This trilogy by Australian author K.J. Taylor takes the familiar idea of a human-creature partnership common to many fantasy tales, and twists it into a harsher version of that cliché. The griffins in the world of Cymria aren't domesticated beasts, existing only to serve human masters. Rather, from their point-of-view, partnering with a human brings them more advantages than remaining in the wild. The griffins are intelligent and have their own language, customs, and social structure. Some griffins choose to live in their Eyries among humans, but without ever taking a human partner. The griffins retain much of their savagery, killing or maiming humans when they're threatened. Although it is not socially acceptable in griffiner society, the griffins will even eat humans when they have a chance. The opening chapter of the first book even starts with a griffin, although this is a true wild griffin in the mountains beyond human lands.

Our story begins rather slowly, with the hatching of the dark griffin of the first book's title. It is apparent that this griffin is unusual, but the relevance isn't clear. The heart of the story begins in chapter 3, with Arren Cardockson, Master of Trade in the city of Eagleholm. Arren is a griffiner by accident, since he is of the Northern race from beyond the Northgate Mountains, most of whom have been enslaved by the griffiners and other Southern people. Although Arren was born in Eagleholm, the son of freed slaves, he still suffers discrimination since his black hair and distinctive features make his heritage clear to others. His griffin, Eluna, is the only thing that gives him any status and protection amid griffiner society.

When Arren is not able to restrain Eluna from killing a criminal, he is obligated to pay a debt. Lord Rannagon, Master of Law, offers Arren an alternative to a monetary payment. Arren attempts to hunt down a wild griffin (the dark griffin from the opening chapters) that has been eating farmers and livestock in a distant district. The mission goes badly, and even though Arren is able to use poison to capture the dark griffin, Eluna is killed. Returning to Eagleholm bereft, everything Arren has worked for crashes into ruin about him. The worse his life becomes, the more certain he is that Lord Rannagon has orchestrated it all. At the same time, the dark griffin fights his captors in a parallel struggle as he learns more about the human world.

By the end of the first book, I felt like this novel was a decent effort by a new author, but other than some interesting worldbuilding, lacked anything unique. I was even a bit perturbed by Arren's actions at the end because he appeared to care only for revenge, no matter the cost. However, reading on, I think I misread Arren's attitude at the conclusion of the first book - he wasn't actually aware of the cost until later (which he discovers in the second book).

A quick warning - minor spoilers ahead.

I believe the cover of this mass market paperback edition and the chapter titles did the book a disservice by telegraphing too much of the plot. I mean, since there was a man riding a dark-colored griffin on the cover, I expected Arren and the dark griffin to pair up at some point. This expectation ruined some of the tension through the book for me. Despite the sympathy that I felt for Arren as terrible things occurred, his attitude at the end of the first book caused me to dislike him. If I hadn't had the next book in front of me already, I might not have continued reading. However, as hinted at above, Arren only later realizes what he has done to Eagleholm, and struggles with it as the story continues.

In the second volume, The Griffin's Flight, Arren flees with the dark griffin, now named Skandar. They are outcasts with an uneasy truce, hunted and alone, knowing that they cannot dare to trust anyone. Yet, when Arren rescues a strange woman from drowning, he finds that she has as many secrets as they do. For Skade was once a griffin, but has been cursed by another griffin's magic and is bound in human form. While Arren wanders the countryside, he tries to resist his increasingly evil nature, but cannot avoid causing more death and suffering as he tries to avoid capture.

Eventually Arren encounters enslaved Northerners and finds sympathy among them. His journey leads him further north, seeking a place where he and Skandar can live apart from the harassment of others. Yet in his travels, he realizes that he has the notoriety and power to help the slaves reclaim their homeland. When he is visited by the patron Dark Goddess of his people, Arren cannot refuse her pact, and his fate is bound to that of the North. Arren feels the evil spreading within him, only tempered by a growing love for Skade.

The second and third books also follow Erian, son of Rannagon, as he pursues his father's murderer (Arren). Erian may be annoying, entitled, and naive, but his griffin is knowledgeable and crafty. Together they earn a place in Malvern, the griffiner stronghold in the North. Erian strives to please the Eyrie Mistress so that he will be granted the freedom to search the North for Arren.

The more I read through the second book, the more I started to like Erian. The story let me see the struggle of good versus evil from both sides. While Arren appears to fulfill one side of a prophecy, transforming into the Dark Lord in The Griffin's War, Erian is his opposite, setting out on his own quest in the third book. Yet Arren as the Dark Lord is humanized in a way that we don't usually see. While Arren is growing more ruthless and evil, he still fights for a noble cause - the freedom of an enslaved people. The Southerners are defending their adopted home and their way of life, as well as their lives. Yet in the end, both sides cannot win.

I enjoyed the second and third books more than the first volume because of the way I was able to see both sides of the struggle. It was an interesting experience to have no idea which side would triumph, but also to be unsure of how I wanted it to end. Who should win - good or evil? Maybe it's not always that simple.

Paula Johnson to judge Freaky Weather contest

2011-06-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

If you missed it on Friday, I launched another flash fiction contest.

Here's the deal:
I have till Friday to write and polish a flash (under 1K words), speculative fiction story in which freaky weather features prominently. You're going to hold me to it. And for your trouble, I'll post it here Friday, June 10th.

Write one of your own and get it to me at kawilkes AT gmail DOT com by Friday, June 10th and I'll post the winning entry the following Friday (June 17th). Put Freaky Weather in the subject. RTF attachments are fine, or put your entry in the body of the email.

I have a guest judge lined up and may add another depending on the number of entries.

Paula Johnson is the founder and editrix of the Rose City Sisters, a blog that presents flash fiction with a Pasadena twist. By day, she's a copywriter/designer whose client projects include everything from website development to radio spots to book design.

Please visit Rose City Sisters to see what she likes. You can also read my "Your Smiling Face" there. :)

And while you're crusin' the web, you might like to read an interview with yours truly over at Wordshaping. I'm interviewed there by Amber Polo about why I write fantasy (she includes science fiction in her fantasy category).

Freaky, frigid California - Flash it! contest

2011-06-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Freaky weather! I'm still using my heater in JUNE! And I had finally turned my sprinkler system on a couple weeks ago, only to turn it off again because of the RAINS – in JUNE! What happened to sunny California? And tornados? This isn't Kansas! Check out this aritcle article about our frigid, storm-filled state. I feel a story coming on…

I've been keeping up with my blogging, but not my fiction lately. My solution? I'm going to make my blog feed my fiction! I have till Friday to write and polish a flash (under 1K words), speculative fiction story in which freaky weather features prominently. You're going to hold me to it. And for your trouble, I'll post it here next Friday. Free fiction! Can't beat that with a stick.

Want to have even more fun? Write one of your own and get it to me at kawilkes AT gmail DOT COM by Friday, June 10th and I'll post the winning entry the following Friday (June 17th). I will announce the names of my qualified, guest judges next week.

I just lined up two gigs in one day! I'll be reading at the San Mateo County Fair on June 18th and hosting a Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading at the Sonoma County Book Festival in September. I'll post the details soon.

Pauline Baird Jones takes a stab at defining Steampunk, complete with pictures in "Defining the Undefinable" at Novel Reaction.

Realms of Fantasy is celebrating its 100th year! See press release below:

Realms of Fantasy publishes 100th issue

Santa Rosa, CA, May 29, 2011: Kim Richards Gilchrist, publisher of Realms of Fantasy announced today the publication of the magazine's milestone 100th issue.

Realms of Fantasy celebrates 100 issues with an expanded 100 page issue for June 2011

Gilchrist mentioned in her announcement that in celebration of the magazine's 100th issue, the June 2011 issue is 100 pages long with additional fiction and art, more columns, a few surprises and the debut of poetry with work by Ursula Le Guin. The popular column, Folkroots, addresses the subject of fairies.

"We're thrilled and excited to share this issue with fantasy fans. You only get to 100 once and so we've pulled out all the stops," Gilchrist says.

The June 2011 issue of Realms of Fantasy ships to stores this week. It will be available in a digital format from the Realms of Fantasy website on Saturday, June 4, 2011. For more information and a sneak peek at what's in store for the 100th issue, visit Realms of Fantasy online at www.rofmag.com

And here's a heads up for Manga fans:

AM2 ANNOUNCES THE TOKYOPOP LIQUIDATION SALE

Special Discounts Available for 3-Day Passport Holders on Manga, Toys,
Posters, Anime and More! Get your Passports Today and Experience the
Difference!

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (May 13, 2011) ¬ Attention all manga enthusiasts, this
summer¹s most anticipated anime, AM2, manga and music convention this coming
4th of July weekend will be hosting a liquidation sale for the world-famous
manga giant, TokyoPop, in its exhibit hall with special discounts made only
to Passport holders. More info can be found at www.am2con.org

Some of the most popular TokyoPop titles will be made available. Titles
will include both English and Japanese mangas, posters, toys, anime and
more! Special discounts will be provided for 3-Day Passport holders.

³Fans who love manga will be able to take advantage of this amazing
liquidation sale at AM2², states Chase Wang AM2 representative, ³AM2 will be
the place to be with all the amazing guests of honors, concerts, exhibit
hall and other amazing activities for fans and enthusiasts! With five
concerts and the price of a Passport being $45.00, that is $9 a concert!
Where else can you get a deal like that? Get your Passports today and
experience the difference!²

Entrance to the event is free, but attendees can avoid the anticipated huge
lines at autographs, premiere screenings, workshops, main events, concerts
and panels by obtaining a Passport fast pass for the event. The Passport
fast pass will also provide holders with premier seating options at Main
Events and at Concert events as well as major discounts with theme parks,
retailers and local restaurants. Bypass the lines and get your Passport
today and experience the difference!

Current Guests of Honors including Scandal, Sadie, Kanon Wakeshima, kanon x
kanon, heidi., Gashicon, IBI and MINT.

AM2 current activities include Exhibit Hall, AMV¹s, Arcade, Summer Festival,
World Cosplay Summit, Behind the Voice Actors Studio, Rum Party Pirates,
Masquerade, Cosplay Chess, Dances, Fashion Shows, Table Top, Console Gaming,
AniMaid Café, AniMaid Café Host Club, Workshops, Panels, Concerts and more!

Partnerships include Ani.ME. and Cure Magazine

Prize sponsors include Atlas Games, Cosplay Wigs USA, FUNimation, Gaia
Online and TokyoPop.

Follow us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/AM2Con

Follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/AM2Con

Also, 25% of all official Passport sales will be donated directly to
Japanese Disaster Relief efforts.

About AM2
Located in Anaheim, California ¬ AM2, established in 2010, is a multi-day (3
days) event with no general attendance/badge purchase requirement and is
aspiring to be a key meeting place for fans that share a common interest in
Asian music, Animation/Anime, and Comics/Manga. Nominal fees are charged
for certain activities that attendees choose to participate in. AM2 will be
held on July 1-3, 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center in sunny Anaheim,
California. More information can be found at www.am2con.org

Directive 51 - Post-Apocalypse, Barnes style

2011-06-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

Directive 51
John Barnes
May 2011, Ace paperback

Reviewed by Ann Wilkes

John Barnes paints a unique picture of a post-apocalyptic Earth, focusing on the United States, or what's left of it. He poses some interesting questions about what might happen to the chain of succession. Not something we really think about except if the President is assassinated. But what if we lose everyone that's in line for the job?

The main character is Heather O'Grainne, a former FBI agent in charge of the Department of the Future's office of Future Threat Assessment. The DOF is suddenly the most important department in the government as Daybreak unfolds. Daybreak is either a systematic campaign launched by an as-yet-unidentified enemy who is able to coordinate simultaneous, global attacks or a system artifact - an idea that propagates, mutates, adapts and effectively recruits people across the globe to do it's bidding. The obliteration of the centers of defense and commerce cripples civilization in a way that leaves little hope for rebuilding.

Daybreak is about sending the planet back to the dark ages – maybe further. Maybe before it was inhabited by two-legged, thinking beasts. How can you fight an enemy who isn't there? This isn't a light-hearted read to be sure. The scale of devastation is hard to take, but compelling in its originality. Daybreak hits the Earth with bombs the likes of which few have imagined, EMPs (electromagnetic pulses), nanoswarm – nanotechnology that attacks electronics - and biotes that turn plastics and rubber into odiferous, brown goo.

In order to orchestrate the huge cast of players and events that span the globe, Barnes uses a devise that seems helpful at first, but soon becomes tedious. Sections of less than a page to two pages are headed with the location, sometimes what it was before Daybreak and the time, often resorting to "about the same time". I found it distracting and choppy.

Barnes' characters and scenes leap from the page. He throws in some very witty inner dialog that not only make the characters come to life, but make them fun to read. A welcome relief amidst all the doom and gloom of the subject matter.

Heather felt the implicit criticism--as Cam had doubtless known she would--in the pit of her stomach. She could feel herself being fitted with the tag that read FAMOUS UNKNOWN IDIOT, the tag that adhered to the officer at Pearl Harbor who saw planes on the new experimental radar and thought they must be a much smaller flight of American planes he was expecting, the intelligence officers who ignored aerial photos of all that Russian construction gear moving into Berlin in 1961, and the FBI administrator who didn't see anything urgent in so many Saudi men with al-Qaeda links taking flying lessons; she could imagine headlines on a billion screens: DOF COP COULD HAVE PREVENTED DISASTER. ...

Heather sketched it out in a few brief sentences--a leaderless, directionless-on-purpose anti-movement, built around the idea that with enough small, self-replicating bio- and nano- sabotage carried out simultaneously, the Big System--the modern world, really--could be taken down so that it never rose again. She took full blame for not alerting people earlier. "Just this morning, Graham Weisbrod himself had to corner me and tell me that we needed to talk to the rest of DoF, and while we were doing that my chief researcher on the project discovered that Daybreak had started."

Heather hooks up with her colleague who's confined to a wheel chair and has a number of high-tech gadgets throughout his body to keep him functioning. This was the hardest thing for me to buy. Not because she's attracted to someone in a wheelchair, but because it's not really clear that they have a connection until she's suddenly ready to attack him. He establishes that they've dated a few times, but nothing about her feelings for him. Barnes wrote her like a guy (in my opinion). Maybe it's that Barnes doesn't clue me into Lenny's charm enough. I need to see what she sees in him to believe she will be so in love with him the next minute.

I enjoyed Barnes' portrayals of three, very interesting leaders: one who is a slave to his ideals; one who quite literally snaps under pressure; and one who seizes his opportunity to lead for the sake of the position, completely ignoring the reality around him and concerning himself only with his new role and the next election in order to keep it. You'll recognize who these characters are when you read the book, which I hope you will. I don't want to spoil it for you. The last third of the book didn't have the zing it should have, but that was my fault for reading them out of order. I received Daybreak Zero, it's hardback sequel, for review and couldn't put it down while waiting for the paperback its predecessor.

Friday miscellany

2011-05-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have some tid-bits for you all this fine (rainy here) Friday.

I heard on David Brin's blog that Worldcon in Reno (Renovation) is offering a college credit course on teaching science fiction! How awesome is that?

2010 Nebula awards, presented on May 21st went to the following:

Novel
Connie Willis for Blackout/All Clear (Spectra)

Novella
Rachel Swirsky for "The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen's Window" (Subterranean, Summer 2010)

Novellette
Eric James Stone for "That Leviathan, WHom Thou Has Made" (Analog Sept. 2010)

Short Story
Looks like there's two winners! Kij Johnson's "Ponies" (Tor.com 1/17/10) tied with Harlan Ellison's "How Interesting: A Tiny Man" (Realms of Fantasy 2/10)

Ray Bradbury Award
Inception

Andre Norton Award
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Prathett (Doubleday; Harper)

How fun is this? A primer for relating to a sf/f geek can be found over at Author's Echo. Make sure to add your two cents!

Here's an eye-opening article by Kristine Kathryn Rusch for my writer-readers out there. We keep hearing how the publishing world is changing. After a while, we tune it out and figure it will right itself eventually or we'll dip a toe here and there into the new paradigm and see how it goes. Well, it's not going away and we need to get with the program I guess.

Now let's peek at movies:

Untold Chronicles could be told better

2011-05-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Untold Chronicles, Book One
Everdance: A Blood Story
Geo Brawn IV (writer/illustrator)
Brawn Graphix Design Creation, February 2011

Reviewed by Lyda Morehouse

If you’re intrigued by morally-ambiguous vigilante characters like Showtime’s serial killer antihero “Dexter,” The Untold Chronicles is a graphic novel for you. On the surface, Kate Bennet appears to be a mild-mannered kid lit author, but, in reality, she’s a blood-thirsty vampire in desperate need of a mentor. Her vampire husband died leaving Kate unable to fend for herself. Luckily, she meets the queen of demons and mother of all vampires, Lilith, who relishes taking Kate under her wing, as it were.

In the course of the graphic novel, the reader is also treated to the history of Lilith. As she tells her story for Kate to write as a new book, we see how Lilith went from being the first wife of Adam to Lucifer’s lover. Having written extensively myself about Lilith and Satan, I found those sections particularly interesting.

The only thing that mars this collection is the artwork. It’s very uneven. Individual panels can be quite well-rendered only to be followed by very sketchy or blurry ones. Unfortunately, that’s true for the lettering as well, which makes the book, literally, difficult to read.

The Untold Chronicles is a monster’s coming of age story. It’s about learning to embrace the dark and make it work for you. A very cool idea that needed better execution, alas.