This Week in Santa Rosa and Space

Tomorrow, Saturday 21st, is the Sonoma County Book Festival. I'm in charge of volunteers, so I'll be there all day, mostly at the info booth. In addition, I'll be reading a story that all the editors love, but none will publish. I've changed strategies and sent it to a literary journal this time, though it is speculative. Seriously, it makes people cry. They all love it. It just doesn't fit into their little boxes. You can hear seven minutes of it tomorrow at 12:30 at the Redwood Writers' Reading Circle in front of Bertolini Student Center near the Santa Rosa Junior College Quad. I'll be joined by fellow Broad Universe member Michelle Murrain and fellow Redwood Writer Robbi Bryant.

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JP Aerospace has a mission that you can watch live on Sunday. Pillownauts! Pillows exploring space. Wackiest thing since ping pong balls in space. Did you know that JP Aerospace does more experiments than NASA? Yeah, I know, these days that isn't saying much. But they are in a constant state of motion. Keep an eye on them. Never heard of them? They're building airships for space exploration. No joke. I wrote about them in my article "Airships: Not Just Flying Billboards" over at Strange Horizons.  They are the real deal. Anyhow, here's the link for more information and where to watch live.

I don't think John Powell will mind me posting another picture to entice your interest.

And you can read about the essay contest for selecting the pillow parents here.


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In other space news, the second, to-date, private space company supplied the International Space Station on Wednesday. Read more about Orbital Sciences Corp. and its Cygnus capsule here.

The Shadowed Sun - Narcomancy Gone Bad?

The Shadowed Sun
Book 2 of The Dreamblood
N K Jemisin
Orbit 2012

Review by Clare Deming

In The Shadowed Sun, we are returned to the world of The Dreamblood, in which priests of the Hetawa practice the goddess Hananja's dream magic. This time, the city-state of Gujaareh is under Kisuati control, occupied and overseen by the opposing city-state after its former Prince's failed attempt at war. Since the primary tenet of Hananja's Law is peace, the people of Gujaareh have submitted to foreign rule with only silent outrage.

Not all the land is calm, however, and the desert barbarian tribes are becoming more daring in their raids, stealing trade goods from Gujaareh. When Apprentice Hanani heals a soldier injured in one of these attacks, she weaves his torn body back together using the various humors collected from dreams in an attempt to pass her Sharer-trial. Her healing efforts are successful, but in the aftermath, a terrible discovery is made. One of the acolytes who served her, along with the tithebearer providing the humors, has died horribly. No cause can be immediately ascertained, so Hanani is indirectly blamed and is forbidden from practicing any further narcomancy.

Wanahomen, son to the ousted Prince, and heir to the Sunset Lineage of Gujaareh has made a place for himself among those barbarian tribes, rising to a position of influence among the Banbarra. With his father's former general at his side, he struggles to convince the desert people to help him oust the Kisuati and regain his city.

The deaths laid at Hanani's feet were not the last, and a plague of dream-driven fatalities spreads through the city. Anyone who tries to investigate the nightmare of those afflicted also becomes trapped by it. As unrest and violence churn within Gujaareh, Hanani is cleared of fault in the mysterious deaths. Despite this, her skills are still in question by some among the Hetawa because she is the first woman ever admitted into training as a Sharer. A new trial is set, and Hanani and her mentor, Mhi-inh, are offered up to the Banbarra tribe by Gatherer Nijiri, a prominent character from the first book, The Killing Moon.

This is a more complicated and longer volume than the first novel, and I liked it better for those reasons. The dream magic used by the Hetawa is an intriguing concept, and I felt more familiar with its practice in this book. I suppose this second installment could be read without having first read The Killing Moon, but I think it would be a more enjoyable read in the intended order. I don't know what the author has planned for her future work, but I would be eager to read more stories set in the Dreamblood world.

The Killing Moon delivers something refreshingly different

The Killing Moon
Book 1 of The Dreamblood
N.K. Jemisin
Orbit 2012

Review by Clare Deming

The Killing Moon begins another unique fantasy tale by one of my new favorite authors, N. K. Jemisin. Like her earlier work (The Inheritance Trilogy), The Killing Moon is set in a world alien to much of the fantasy genre that often clones a medievalesque society and a quest-driven plot. The cultures that Jemisin paints in The Dreamblood are unlike any others that I have experienced, and that is one of the reasons why The Killing Moon works so well.

In the city-state of Gujaareh, Hananja's law reigns over all aspects of life, organized through the central temple, the Hetawa. Hananja is the goddess of dreams, and peace is of utmost importance among her followers, with corruption punishable by death. Ehiru, priest of the Hetawa, is many things. Foremost, he serves the goddess as a Gatherer by attending to the ill and elderly, ending their lives and guiding their souls into joyful dreams in Ina-Karekh. He gathers their dreamblood which is tithed to the Hetawa and used to bring peace to supplicants of Hananja. This same death also awaits those deemed corrupt, and outside of Gujaareh, Gatherers are heralded as gualoh - demons.

The narrative follows three characters - Ehiru, his apprentice Nijiri, and Sunandi, ambassador from the rival city-state of Kisua. When Ehiru completes a routine commission on a corrupt foreign merchant, the magic goes awry. The man's soul is ripped free and lost in nightmare. As Ehiru leaves, he glimpses another figure on the rooftops, but this other man radiates malevolence in the instant before he disappears from view.

Sunandi maneuvers the delicate political field in the aftermath of her mentor, Kinja's, suspicious death. Immediately after she discovers proof that Kinja was murdered, Ehiru and Nijiri ghost into her chambers. Sunandi has been judged corrupt by the Hetawa, and the Gatherers have arrived to bring her Hananja's eternal peace. But when the ambassador confronts her would-be killers, she is able to cast doubt upon the accusations. She believes that Gujaareh's Prince seeks an excuse for war, and the Gatherers desist because they cannot allow anyone to subvert the will of Hananja.

The story sprints between attempts to unravel the truth about the Prince, the Hetawa, and that evil figure spotted atop the city's homes. Rumors say that a Reaper has come to Gujaareh, an abomination of Hananja's dream magic, and a creature so powerful that its presence threatens all of the city's peace.

The Killing Moon is the first book in The Dreamblood duology, but it can be read as a stand-alone novel. All of the plot threads are tied up in the conclusion and you won't be left in the lurch if you don't have the second book on hand. I had minor difficulty orienting myself to the magic and how it worked. The way in which the Gatherers operated was spelled out clearly since they featured as two of the three main point-of-view characters. Other aspects of dream magic, although fascinating, were hard to intuit since they were not shown in action as much.

The Killing Moon was nominated for a 2012 Nebula Award.


Look for the review of the sequel, The Shadowed Sun on Thursday.

My Good News

It's small wonder that I haven't had many story sales for a while, since I haven't been doing much writing, let alone sending my baby birds out of the nest. (Too busy dancing!) However, I did manage to get a flash piece written - three times. Yes, the same one. Every Day Fiction asked for a rewrite of it twice. This poor story has so much going on that as soon as I fixed one part another would unravel. And I had to satisfy several judges, who didn't always even agree with each other, not just one. In the end, the story isn't the powerful one I started with, but I think it's still very good. They obviously did too to spend their time rereading it twice.

Well, I invite you to read "The Curse of Having Been a Man", give me a star rating and leave a comment. Trust me. Even if you don't love it, it will get you thinking. And it's part of my elephant mania.

I also had some royalties roll in in spite of my dry year or two. I love it when I get royalties, even if they're meager. Makes me wonder why I should be subbing to mags instead of anthologies. Those two Dark Quest Books anthos are performing nicely. Oh, what are they, you say? Defending the Future IV: No Man's Land edited by Mike McPhail and Beauty Has Her Way edited by Jennifer Brozek.

I have been writing, just not a lot of fiction. I did toy with starting a magazine briefly, been then realized that, yes, that's just crazy talk. My would-be partner is still moving forward with the project. I wish him well, but am glad I'm not saddled with a venture right now. I have enough on my plate right now with my adventure. I'm getting married in August. It's mind-boggling how many details go into planning a wedding.

I mean, the invitations alone! We got the DIY kit to print them at home and then the printer decided to print everything inexplicably in red, unless it was on 8.5 x 11 20# paper. After taking two of the pieces of the invitation to the local digital copy store, we discover that the problem was just a bad cartridge. :(

But I was talking about writing. I've been doing a lot more writing at the day job, mostly promotional stuff: fliers, weekly marketing emails for both locations, social networking, press releases, etc. I want to get more Web content work. I'd like to save the world by fixing one crappy website at a time. I even wrote an email to corporate today letting them know that all their social networking canned posts they sent out to the franchises are grammatically incorrect. They don't get the whole capitalizing dad and mom thing. And it's almost Father's Day, so there were many mistakes. The guy in charge came back quoting the grammar rules that I had already sited. Apparently, he didn't know they weren't following his rules. But at least he got back to me. I'm used to my comments falling on deaf ears. People send stuff out to non-English speaking content mills and don't notice the gibberish that they've paid for. Don't get me started!

On the other hand, do let me know if you can convince your boss to hire me for Web content instead of the penny per paragraph outfit overseas.

Would you believe I wrote a song? Words and music, without the benefit of a musical instrument. Surprised the heck out of me! A love song, of course. My musician fiancé proposed to me with a song, and has written another one for me since. I wanted to return the favor. What's funny is that I swore I'd never date a musician. I had even written a humorous list of reasons why, and posted it on FB as a private note. See, I write! 

I have a review of Galaxy's Edge magazine almost ready to roll. You'll see that on Thursday. I just had to toot my horn a bit first. ;) 

BayCon, trailers and a free e-book

BayCon was last weekend in Santa Clara (read San Jose), CA. It had some competition this year in the form of two more local conventions of a similar nature, which definitely had an impact on attendance. I've never seen the dealers room so small, either.

The panels, though long (90 mins. a piece!), were great. I moderated two on Friday and sat on two more on Sunday. I brought my fiancé, Kevin, this year. He's by far a mundane, but this was his first convention. We went easy on him. ;) We both had loads of fun with my con friends old and new alike. The dance on Saturday night was uber lame, but I guess if you're 20-something and LIKE to jump up and down and flap your arms to techno, it was passable. I couldn't tell you as I couldn't stand hangin' in for more than two songs. I gave the masquerade a miss as well, opting instead to go off the reservation for dinner with buddies Bob Brown, Irene Radford, Jeff Lemkin, Dan Pietrasik (Yes, he won my flash contest, and no, it wasn't fixed. I wasn't the judge, remember?) and newbie writer Arley, who is astoundingly prolific and charming. Then we hung out in the lobby bar with Dani Kollin and a flock of new friends.

The parties, probably because of the aforementioned low attendance were also lame. We just cruised the party floor Friday and Saturday keeping our ears open for good conversation but finding none, alas.

I did meet Shahid of Phoenix Picks in the dealers room. Now he's not just some dude. Very nice man. I enjoyed chatting with him. Which brings us to his June picks. He also gave me the first two issues of the new mag, Galaxy's Edge edited by Mike Resnick. Mike's history of science fiction magazines at the beginning of the first issue is very entertaining. I'll review the mag in the next couple of weeks here.

Phoenix Pick's free e-book for June is L. Neil Smith's The Crystal Empire.
Use coupon code 9991642, which will be good from June 2nd-June 30.

About the book:
Earth is ruled by three mighty empires: The Saracen-Jewish Empire led by
the Caliph of Rome, the Mughal-Arab Empire, ferocious in its determination
to destroy its neighbor, and the great Sino-Aztec's Crystal Empire, led by
a living God.

Little is known about the Crystal Empire, which spans most of western
America. But it is the most powerful force surviving on Earth and its
might is unchallenged.

One man, however, will change that. Sedrich Sedrichsohn, a legendary
fallen fighter, has a chance at redemption and nothing will stand in his
way to reclaim his life and his purpose, even if he must fight the Sun-God
himself.

 The last episode of the first season of The Minister of Chance is here! Let me entice you with the following trailer.



I'd love to give you a review of the new Star Trek movie, but I was at BayCon all weekend and still haven't seen it. And, besides, you probably have. Instead, here's a trailer for a Will Smith (and son, Jaden) SF flick coming out this Friday.

Sci-fi Conventions, Dark Fantasy and Quirky Books

Ahhh. San Diego.  I just reluctantly turned down the invite from Conjecture, a regional sci-fi convention in San Diego, and now here's salt in the wound.

UC San Diego has just opened their Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, "an interdisciplinary center where researchers in the arts, sciences, medicine and technology will come together to unlock the mysteries of imagination." Read all about the center and the Starship Century Symposium on the 21st and 22nd of this month to commemorate its opening.

I am, however heading to a regional sci-fi convention closer to home. Look for me at BayCon 31 in Santa Clara May 24-26. This year's theme is Triskaidekaphobicon. Fear of the Number 13 Con, basically. It's the 31st BayCon held in 2013 in a hotel with a 13th floor. More importantly, this year's con will explore the darker side of science fiction and fantasy. My latest story credit should fit right in. I sold a flash to Every Day Fiction that's terribly - or deliciously - dark. One of the editors said,
"So, where is the moral?" Well, I guess if there's a lesson, it's "Sometimes discovering the truth just makes it worse." "The Curse of Having Been a Man" will most likely appear in June or July. This is my fourth sale to EDF.

Want to read an appetizer-sized dark fiction piece now? Read "Raining Good Intentions" right here by yours truly, Ann Wilkes. You can always hit the Flash Fiction tab on this blog to read some more little nibblets.

In honor of Zombie Awareness Month, I'm reading The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters. I love Quirk Books! I reviewed another of Winters' Quirk books, Android Karenina, at Mostly Fiction. I also just requested William Shakespeare's Star Wars from Quirk.


Finally, here's a sneak peek at I, Frankenstein, which hits theaters in January.

Winning Flash - "Last Call" by Dan Pietrasik

We have a winner! I launched another flash fiction contest a month ago and what follows is our winning story. The entries had to be under 1,000 words, have a speculative fiction element and involve one or more mirror balls. I kicked it off with a story of my own, "Mirror Images". Our winning author, Dan Pietrisk not only is published here on Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys, he also has a mirror ball, complete with a motor to turn it on its way to him. Lucky him, huh?

"Last Call"
by Dan Pietrasik

Based on how many people are already here, I'll be eating well tonight. The sun is barely down and there's already a nice selection on the dance floor and milling around the tables. A guy like me will have no problems.
   
“Here you go, buddy,” the bartender says, handing me a Long Island Iced Tea.
   
I include a non-memorable tip when I pay him, and move on to a table. The big mirror behind the bartender bothers me. Not that I worry about a mortal noticing I don't have a reflection. They usually come up with some lame excuse on their own about line of sight or something. If they don't, it only takes a little mental push to give them the idea. The part where a mirror absorbs a piece of me instead of reflecting it back is what creeps me out. The table is also a better hunting position.
   
I sit and watch the herd for a while, wondering why another vampire hasn't claimed this place. Not just quantity, but quality of feeding here. A waitress catches my eye as she leans on the bar chatting with the bartender, but I know better than to choose from the staff -- at least if I want to come back. And I think I'd be a fool to not frequent these grounds. With a quick glance around I can see two women I'm definitely putting on the menu, and at least a dozen that wouldn't require lowering my standards.
   
“Ready for a refill?”
   
I look up over my left shoulder as the waitress I noticed earlier pulls her hand back from mine. Apparently I didn't hear her the first time. It's nice to be able to control my hearing enough to come into clubs and not be overwhelmed, but not hearing someone approach because of it takes some getting used to. I order another drink, the better to blend in. She's checking me out more than I'd like for someone on my Don't Drink Here list, so I send a little extra “ignore me” vibe her way. If she forgets to bring my drink, so be it.
   
I pick out my first appetizer. A young woman obviously drowning her sorrows in a girls' night out, and far enough into it that her friends won't notice the effects on her if I take a little off the top. I'm sure she'll appreciate the attention, even if she doesn't remember me afterward. And just a couple of unexplained wounds to differ tomorrows aches and pains from any other hangover. I'm about to make my move when the waitress comes back with my drink and sits across from me at the table.
   
“I just wanted you to know,” she says with a smile, “I can take a break now and dance, before we're too busy.”
   
I really need to work on turning down the attraction level, this is not the right kind of attention.  Sticking with drunk patrons for my meals is so much less complicated, and if I get carried away, much less inconvenient. But turning down an attractive offer to dance is not the way to avert attention. There's definitely worse sacrifices I've had to make than a little exertion with a hot woman. I've always been a sucker for the assertive but shy thing she has going on, coming up to me like this, but keeping her eyes slightly downcast while waiting for my answer. I'm hooked when she reaches up to scratch an itch on the side of her neck. Besides, she'll go back to work after one dance, and write me off as a player when she sees how many others I plan to go through tonight.
   
“Then let's dance,” I say, standing and offering her my hand.
   
She laughs at my gesture, and with a quick tug on my sleeve heads to the dance floor. At the edge, she turns to make sure I'm following and starts to dance. I glide smoothly into my carefully restrained, “let the woman I'm with appreciate me, but don't draw stares” moves.    She's using her whole  body, spinning and swaying, drawing me after her toward the center of the floor, but still not meeting my eyes. I sense the blood rushing through her veins, feel its pull. I'm getting worked up. All my urges are focused on her.
   
My hunger is growing as she dances. I need to break away before I succumb, but I can't. Why can't I look away? Why aren't I closing in? I've stopped dancing. I'm just staring at her. She finally looks me in the eye, but I can't catch her. Her smile has changed. Leaning forward, she whispers in my ear.
   
“Last call.”
   
She dances back again, raising her arms over her head. My eyes follow her hands as they go up. She's pointing toward the ceiling. I look up further, and see that we're dancing directly below a triangle of disco balls.
   
Hundreds of little mirrors. Flashing. Rotating. Pulling me apart. 


***

Dan Pietrasik is a reader and writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, two kids and three cats. A programmer by profession, he also dabbles in improvisational comedy.

Contests and Indie Films

Today is the last day for your flash stories about mirror balls. Micah Joel awaits your lovely, concise prose. Read the details again here. It's a blind contest and he's the judge.

SyFy has gone all social media and is running a contest via the 'net for you to get a premiere showing of Defiance in your city before it airs on April 15th. The contest started on the 19th of March and runs to 5pm PT, April 4th. Three US cities will win. The advanced screenings will include giveaways and prizes. Vote for your town now.

Defiance takes place in a frontier town in a transformed, near-future Earth where humans and aliens must unite against a mutual threat. Sounds intriguing. We need more shows where humans co-exist with aliens. It might teach us a thing or two about getting along with our neighbors.







Finally, word is spreading about my love of Indie films. This is really a love story with a sci-fi element. I liked the idea, though. You might, too. Maybe even enough to help them fund production. The perks for contributing are especially great if you live in Dublin...

Flash Contest and Ann's Flash to Kick It Off

I haven't ran a flash contest here for a while. I got this notion about mirror balls and wondered what other folks could come up with. It's really a mystery to me why they're still around. Send me a speculative story of under a thousand words about disco balls or a disco ball to ann at my domain, annwilkes.com (paranoid of spiders grabbing my email for nefarious activities).

The contest begins today and the last day to submit an entry is March 26, 2013. The winner will be announced April 9th. Please, no gratuitous sex or gore and make sure the story has a speculative element. Also, standard submission formatting rules apply. 

Judging this contest will be author and editor, Micah Joel, who read flash for Flash Fiction Online last year and is now reading flash for Shimmer. We were on a flash panel at FOGcon and he agreed to judge my little contest. Thank you, Micah!

The winning piece will be published here with a link to your website or other works. I claim only first time electronic rights. You're free to publish it elsewhere after three-months' time. The winner will also receive . . . a mirror ball! 

As always, here's my story for your entertainment and to kick things off.


"Mirror Images"
by Ann Wilkes


"Did you feel that?" Sandra whispered in Marty's ear while they danced Cajun-style to a Country-Western tune.

"Feel what?" he whispered back. "The Earth move under our feet? You know you always do that to me."

"Well, that to, but no. A puff of air, like from a fan or from someone whizzing past."

Marty raised her hand up, cuing her into a turn, then looked into her eyes after she gracefully twirled. "I didn't feel anything. But, then again, I don't have as much skin exposed." Then he nuzzled her bare neck before spinning her again. Sandra squirmed with delight.

She decided she just imagined the puffs of air on her shoulders and back. For about a minute. Looking up at the ceiling above the dance floor, she noticed a distressing lack of fans, or vents. Just the funky disco ball and cheap, tacky light fixtures meant to look like chandeliers. She remembered some monitor amps have fans, but she and Marty were much too far from the stage for that to be felt, if such fans were there.

The band played lively music they could swing, Zydeco and even polka to, with the occasional waltz, cha-cha and nightclub two-step. The venue, however, was an ancient dive. It looked like an old hunting lodge that time forgot. Smokers, unable to smoke inside, huddled just outside the door, out of the torrential rains, their pungent smoke wafting in each time a patron came or went. Marty spun her again and dipped her. She hung her head down, getting a view of the huge, brick fireplace with the moose head mounted above the mantel.

The place must have been more than 100 years old. Old buildings are drafty, Sandra thought. But not in the middle of a room. She felt it again, on the back of her legs this time. The song wound down and Marty dipped her for a big finish.

They walked hand in hand to their table by the dance floor. Sandra sipped her Chard and smiled warmly at her fiancé. While he took a long draught of dark ale, she gazed around the room at the other tables. They didn't know anyone there, but the Mountain View Club wasn't one of their usual haunts and the stormy night probably kept many people home.

A flash of lightning darted through the high, dirty windows. Sandra felt suddenly cold. Then came the thunder, and the rain pounded down harder on the slate roof.

Marty saw her shiver. "Are you okay? The storm have you spooked?"

"It's not the storm, Marty. Something else is here."

"What do you mean 'something else'?" He looked at her intently, his brows knit in concern.

"You know that feeling you get that you're being watched or followed when there's no one there?"

"Yeah . . . ."

"I think this place is haunted."

"It is old. Who knows what stories these walls could tell? Do you want to leave?"

"No. I know it's silly." Sandra looked up, searching for words to describe what she felt and it seemed to her that the mirror ball had lowered itself. "Marty, do you like mirror balls?"

"What?" He let out a nervous chuckle, taken back by the non sequitur.

"Mirror balls, disco balls. Do you like them?"

"No," he said. "I think they're tacky and should have died in the 70s."

"Yeah. Know anyone who likes them?"

"I haven't exactly taken a poll, but I doubt it."

Sandra nodded, her lips pressed together.

"What are you getting at?" He reached for her hand across the rough pine table.

"What if they have like two way mirrors with cameras behind them?"

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows. "You know how silly that sounds, right?"

"Yeah." She chuckled. "Pretty far-fetched, huh? Why would the owners want to watch the dance floor? I gotta go pee." A breeze caught her in the ankles as she pushed through the sticky women's room door, raising the hair on the back of her neck and goosebumps on her bare arms.

No one was in there, the two stalls were open and empty. Her heart pounded. She stood at the sink, rubbed her ankles together and gazed at her reflection. She looked sane, she thought. A bright flash of light appeared in the windowless room and an image materialized in the mirror of a two-headed androgynous human with greenish skin standing behind her. She shut her eyes and opened them again, hoping to rid herself of what could only be a hallucination. The figure persisted. She wanted to turn around, but looking at it head-on, rather than a reflection somehow seemed more real and frightening. Fear rooted her to the spot.

The thing spoke in English with a lilting, tinny voice and a foreign accent. Or alien accent. She shivered at that thought.

"How did you know?" it said.

"Knoowww? she stammered.

"That we were watching?"

"I . . . I . . . who are you?" She tried again to move. Her whole body felt like she had ice water surging through her veins as she turned around to cast her eyes on the alien.

"We are the Liinoyavaii. We are here on a 50-year expedition to Earth to study your mating rituals. The mirror balls are our surveillance devices, as you surmised. A little mild mind control is all that's needed to make anyone with a dance floor believe it to be a necessity. We implant our equipment within through means you would not understand. It's completely undetectable. Which is why we are so amazed that you figured it out. The door creaked behind her and another chill was the last thing she felt.

The woman in the red dress who entered the bathroom found it empty and thanked the stars that she didn't have to wait in line.

A Dance with Dragons picks up the pace

A Dance with Dragons
Book 5 of A Song of Ice and Fire
George R. R. Martin
Bantam (2011)

Review by Clare Deming

After the publication of five massive tomes and two seasons of an HBO series based on his books, I think it's tough for anyone who is a fan of fantasy fiction to be unaware of George R. R. Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire. A Dance with Dragons is the long-awaited fifth installment in the book series, and finally brings back those favorite characters missing in the previous volume.

If you haven't read through A Storm of Swords (book three), then just beware that this review may contain spoilers for you. Anyone who has only watched the television series will be lost. In A Feast for Crows (book four), Martin continued his technique of rotating through different point-of-view characters on a chapter-by-chapter basis. However, some notable characters had been left out. Whether you agreed with this decision (as explained in an afterward to book four) or not, the absence of Daenerys, Tyrion, and Jon Snow rankled with many fans. Although this new volume returns to those characters, the events overlap with the timeline from book four, creating some déjà vu as news spreads across Westeros and beyond.

Tyrion Lannister's whereabouts have been a mystery, as he is one of the most wanted and recognizable men in Westeros. Accused of murdering Joffrey at his wedding, the Imp has also slain his father and vanished from King's Landing. In the opening of book five, he turns up in the free city of Pentos with Magister Illyrio Mopatis, who had helped sell Daenerys to the Dothraki in book one. Illyrio's motives are mysterious, but he convinces Tyrion that drowning himself in alcohol is not a worthwhile profession for someone as intelligent as the black sheep of the Lannisters. Tyrion heads toward Volantis with a group of mysterious companions, presumably to team up with Daenerys and her cadre of dragons.

Daenerys Targaryen sits ensconced as queen of the slaver city of Meereen. Her dragons have grown and cannot be trusted to roam free. She is threatened by armies from neighboring cities, as well as murderous rebels within Meereen's own population. Despite her original intent to return to Westeros to claim the Iron Throne as the Targaryen heir, she becomes bogged down by the machinations of numerous councilors, shady politics, and her own uncertainties.

In the north, Jon Snow guards the wall against the dark threat of wights and beasts of legend. He is also swamped by his newfound responsibilities, but deals with them more decisively than Daenerys. Surrounded by wilding prisoners, insubordination among his own men, and demands from Stannis Baratheon, Jon Snow makes his decisions and stands by them.

Like the previous books, there are so many major characters that if I try to count them I know I'll leave someone out. Bran travels with Jojen and Meera Reed, looking for more information about his dreams. Quentyn Martell, heir to Dorne, has a secret proposal for Daenerys. The Iron Fleet is on the move, but Asha Greyjoy has fled after her failed bid for the Seastone Chair. Davos Seaworth smuggles himself again. Jaime Lannister travels around a bit, flashing his golden hand and forging peace in the Riverlands. Arya Stark appears briefly, moving on to the next stage of her training, and Cersei Lannister must finally face some consequences for her actions.

Despite the length of this volume, you won't see Samwell Tarly, Rickon or Osha, Sansa Stark, Littlefinger, or Brienne in this one.

One of the most interesting perspectives in this book comes from Theon Greyjoy. No, he's not dead. But after we learn what he has been through, it would have been kinder if he had been slain. As disturbing as some of his scenes are, I was fascinated to read his interactions with his captor. I have also found someone to hate more than I did Joffrey, and that's a feat.

I thought that the pacing of book four dragged, so A Dance With Dragons is exciting in comparison. However, the dragons play only a minor role and nothing that happens in this book can top the events in the second half of A Storm of Swords. Still, the world is as richly drawn as all of Martin's writing, and the story expands to cover a larger geographical area as well as pulling in more characters.

The most intricate plot twists and shocking events occur in the north of Westeros. Unfortunately most of the characters in the rest of the world spend the entire time traveling with little resolution to their story arcs. I was also disappointed in Daenerys because I just can't make myself care about the plight of the slaver cities and all of her entourage. It's time for her to ride a dragon to Westeros, already!

For fear of sounding too critical, I just need to say that this is still a great book. The characters are phenomenal and the writing is better than almost anything else out there. If you loved A Storm of Swords and felt let down by A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons takes the series and reinvigorates it with newfound direction and hints at the fire and darkness to come.

Wanted - An LA movie reviewer

I'm going to try this again. I have been invited to so many lovely movie screenings I can't go to because they're in Hollywood, and I'm in the North Bay. My awesome little cousin is down there, but always has class schedule conflicts. How dare she go off and get an education! ;)

It's an easy job. You just show up, watch the screening, sometimes there's a meet the director or QandA. Then take notes like mad immediately afterward while it's all fresh (or during for the non-movie portions) and then write up a review of why you thought the movie was good or bad and highlight the good, the bad and the perplexing. Then send it to me before the movie premiere's. I edit it for the blog. I can't pay at the moment, but you DO get to see awesome movies before all your friends do. So, there are bragging rights.

The last screening I have been invited to is Room 237, which comes out in March. It's a doco about the many layers within Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. And I had to pass this one up Holy Motors last Fall.

If you live near Hollywood and are interested, email me with a movie review of something you've seen recently, then we'll talk. My email is kawilkes at gmail dot com.

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I've been designing new business cards. Next will be a facelift for the website and this blog. Here are my two designs. I'm leaning toward the blue one, but my peeps on facebook are pretty evenly divided. Which background looks better? Speaks more to my writing?

That second one might be a good background for my blog banner, eh?

The World Can't End, Because Amazing Stories Is Back!

Well, we're still here. And it's raining water, not fire (at least here in the North Bay). I wonder how many Mayans are laughing their asses off at the thought of us thinking the world would end today. I think they just didn't get around to doing the succeeding calendar. What was the hurry, after all? Who can come up with a calendar that lasts for all eternity?

There are loads of wonderful things in store for science fiction fans. For instance, on January 2nd, the original science fiction magazine, that was in uninterrupted existence for fifty years is back. If you remember Amazing Stories, you're excited already. If you don't, you will be after you read the press release below. This has been in the works for years and promises to be everything the old rag was and so much more as it embraces the possibilities that modern technology presents.

DON'T MISS THE 2013 MOVIE TRAILERS after this press release...

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Dec. 21, 2012 -- Amazing Stories, the world's first science fiction magazine, opens for Beta Testing of Phase 1 on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013.

Fifty+ Writers Sign On to provide genre-related content!

Experimenter Publishing Company

Hillsboro, NH

December 20, 2012

AMAZING STORIES are just one click away!^TM

The Experimenter Publishing Company is pleased to announce the  reintroduction of the world's most recognizable science fiction magazine – AMAZING STORIES!

Set to relaunch with a Beta Test of its new Social Magazine Platform, Amazing Stories will feature content from 50+ bloggers, covering an enormous array of subjects of interest to genre fans.

“We've got authors and agents, bloggers and editors, pod casters and broadcasters; we've got gamers and game designers; artists and art collectors; pulpsters and indie authors; we've got Hugo winners, John W. Campbell Memorial Award winners, John W. Campbell Best New Writer winners, Nebula and Hugo Award winners and nominees and winners and nominees of many other awards;  people who review films, people who make films; we've got fanboys and fangirls; we've got former editors of Amazing Stories, writers who've become synonymous with the field and writers who are just getting started; comic artists, book reviewers; traditionally published authors, self-pubbed authors and authors who've done it all.  The response to my request for participation was phenomenal – it couldn't be more perfect if I had set out with a list of must-haves!” said Steve Davidson, publisher. 

Amazing Stories' Social Magazine platform is designed to create an interactive environment that will be familiar to fans with blog content designed to encourage discussion  and take things beyond the usual user-generated content model for social networks.

The Amazing Stories Blog Team will cover (for now – more coming!) fourteen popular topics – Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, (lit), Film, Television, Gaming, Comics and Graphic Works,  the Visual Arts, the Pulps, Audio Works,  Anime, the Business of Publishing, Science and Fandom itself. 

At this year's Worldcon (Chicon 7 the 70th Worldcon, Chicago), Toastmaster John Scalzi talked about what it was to be a fan and concluded by saying

“We are diverse - and we are all in this together.”

We are diverse – and we are all in this together, a sentiment that captures the very heart and soul of what it means to be a fan.  Amazing Stories aims to be a vehicle through which the diversity of fandom can come together. 

Amazing Stories' relaunch will take place in two phases.  Those interested in participating in the Beta Test of Phase 1 should contact the publisher at steve.davidson33@comcast.net.  Participants will receive full access to the site with Member status and will receive on-site benefits as the project moves forward.

Phase 2 will introduce additional interactivity and user-customization to the site.  Following the completion and testing of Phase 2, the magazine, featuring both new and reprint fiction, essays, photo galleries, reviews and more will begin publication.  Readers who are interested in what the magazine will look like can read two Relaunch Prelaunch issues on line, or download them from the Amazing Stories store.  (Additional Amazing Stories themed product is also available here.)

Experimenter Publishing is pleased to introduce the  Amazing Stories Blog Team:

Cenobyte, Mike Brotherton, Ricky L. Brown, Michael A. Burstein,

Catherine Coker, Johne Cook, Paul Cook, Gary Dalkin, Jane Frank,

Jim Freund, Adam Gaffen, Chris Garcia, Chris Gerwel, Tommy Hancock,

Liz Henderson, Samantha Henry, M. D. Jackson, Monique Jacob,

Geoffrey James, J. J. Jones, Peggy Kolm, Justin Landon, Andrew Liptak, Melissa Lowery, Barry Malzberg, C. E. Martin, Farrell J. McGovern, Steve Miller, Matt Mitrovich, Aidan Moher, Kevin Murray, Ken Neth, Astrid Nielsch, D. Nicklin-Dunbar, John Purcell, James Rogers, Diane Severson, Doug Smith, Lesley Smith, Bill Spangler, Duane Spurlock, Michael J. Sullivan, G. W. Thomas, Erin Underwood, Stephan Van Velzen, Cynthia Ward, Michael Webb, Keith West, John M. Whalen, Karlo Yeager, Leah Zeldez

BACKGROUND:

Originally published in 1926 by the father of science fiction, Hugo Gernsback, Amazing Stories helped to launch both the science fiction genre and its most enduring feature, science fiction fandom.  The magazine is well known for its Frank R. Paul covers and for publishing the first stories by many iconic authors such as Isaac Asimov, Jack Williamson and Ursula Le Guin.  Published continuously from 1926 until 1995, followed by two brief resurrections from 1998 till 2000 and again from 2004 thru 2005.  In 2008 Hasbro, the then current owner, allowed the trademarks to lapse and publisher Steve Davidson applied for and eventually received them in 2011.

Additional history and background on Amazing Stories can be found at the Science Fiction Encyclopedia and Wikipedia.  A complete gallery of all 609 previous issues with publication history is also available.

The Experimenter Publishing Company was created in 2012 for the purpose of returning Amazing Stories magazine to regular publication.  The company  shares the name of the original magazine's publisher as homage.  The trademarks for Amazing Stories were acquired by Steve Davidson in 2011,  the previous owners having allowed the marks to lapse in 2008, at which time application was made for a new incarnation of the same title.

A complete copy of this press release will appear on the Amazing Stories Blog on the date of release.

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Here are some hot movies to look forward to in 2013. Not exactly uplifting, feel-good movies. But they are a testament to the determination of the human spirit, even when the world is destroyed...

 

Windrider is full of delicious conflict

Windrider
by S. A. Bolich
Sky Warrior Books (2012)

Windrider is the second volume in the Masters of the Elements series by S. A. Bolich, an entertaining and refreshing brand of fantasy. The novel takes the reader back to the land of Metrenna, where the powers of fire, wind, water and earth both threaten and sustain the land through their separate aspects. In the first book, Firedancer, we were introduced to Jetta ak'Kal and her struggle to keep the Ancient, the malevolent face of Old Man Fire, from destroying her newfound home in the mountainous territory of Annam Vale. In the second book, our narrator changes to Sheshan ak'Kal, windrider of the third rank, and pledged lifemate of Jetta.

All is peaceful in Annam Vale until a Messenger arrives. Driven by urgency, he fails to yield and causes an accident on the road. The Ancient takes this opportunity to strike, and Jetta, her Firedancer partner Settak and the other inhabitants of Annam Vale work to squelch the flames. The Messenger lays grievously wounded but will only speak his message to Wyth, head of the windrider clan. Wyth refuses to hear the message, and the Messenger dies unheard.

Soon enough, Wyth reveals that he has already received one message from the Storm Council and that the Messenger had likely been sent to demand his answer. The Ancient and the Hag, Metrenna's dangerous personified Fire and Wind have become unpredictable and unresponsive to the usual containment methods. Word has spread of how the firedancers and windriders of Annam Vale worked together to thwart the fires of the Ancient. Wyth decides that Clan Heshth cannot remain isolated in Annam Vale, and his clan, as well as Jetta and Settak, set out to speak with the Storm Council in distant Oppanum.

Sheshan is reluctant to face the outside world. The tempest that destroyed most of his clan and his first lifemate left him scarred in many ways. In the events of the first book, he learned to find purpose again in the defense of Annam Vale's gentle inhabitants, and love again with Jetta. But he is still unable to interact with the Wind through song, wrestling it with his will alone. Before leaving Annam Vale with the rest of his clan, he challenges the Hag, shrieking at the cruel sister to Wind. Anger drives this rash act, and the voice of the Hag stays with him, taunting him as he travels through the lowlands with Clan Heshth.

As the windriders and their companions travel, they discover that much of the world has suffered from the depredations of the untamed elements. Sheshan must fight against his own doubts, the Hag, and the prejudices of others, as well as strife in his relationship with Jetta. All these conflicts come together in an outstanding climax that makes an excellent conclusion to a middle volume while leaving enough questions remaining that readers will be eagerly awaiting the last book in the trilogy.

Those readers familiar with the first book will be swept into this second volume, and even newcomers should be able to quickly get their bearings with the series. The strongest aspects are the brilliant characters and the fascinating cultures of Metrenna. It was nice to see the characters travel out of Annam Vale so that we had a view of the rest of the land and its people. The only criticism that I will raise is that I felt like the focus of the plot drifted in the middle of the book. This was not enough of a problem to bother me much, as the characters and their problems kept my interest.

The third book, Seaborn, has no release date at this time.

Editor's note: 
This review is very timely because I wanted to write to tell you about my friend Sue (S. A. Bolich) and why you should read her work. I've known her for probably five years now and have read a lot of her short stories when I was in the online critique group, Other Worlds Writers Workshop, that she co-founded in 1998. Her rough drafts look like my finals. And her descriptions are more vivid than any I've read. She doesn't waste words and chooses them with care.

Now she needs care. The cancer she had been told was defeated ten years ago has returned, going into her lungs and bones now. Nobody writes because they think they will get rich or even live comfortably doing so. We write because we must. It's our passion. Unless we hit the bestseller lists time and time again, we will struggle financially. Sue has health insurance, but it's a high-deductible plan that are the only ones, as self-employed writers, most of us can afford. Some don't even have that.

I encourage you to buy this series of books. You'll be doing yourself a favor, while also helping a struggling writer -- at least with the bills. Cancer isn't the automatic death sentence it once was, but the treatments don't come cheap and are mostly unpleasant. And often far away - made worse by the price of gas and the taxing trip home.

Please read the Clare's review of Firedancer and my interview with Sue herein.

This holiday season, consider purchasing a gift that will keep on giving. And make one struggling writer's life a little easier. Buy S. A. Bolich's books here. There's even a facebook page dedicated to the cause.

Romance? It belongs in real life!

I started a rather lively discussion here on romance in sci-fi. I like mine kept to a minimum. However, in real life, baby, bring it on! I mentioned here on Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys that I have been spending much of my time dancing. Well, you know what dancing leads to…

Guess who's engaged? w00t!!! Kevin wrote a song for me that ended in a proposal and played it during the band's break at my 50th birthday party (yes we hired a band for the occasion!).

I knew he had been writing a song for me, and knew he was going to play (kinda hard to tuck an electric guitar in your pocket), but didn't know the song was finished, that that's what he was going to play, nor that it contained his proposal. Is that romantic, or what?

And the insurance came through, so I can replace my MacBookPro…then they promptly cancelled Kevin's policy. What bastards! His one and only loss and it was chicken feed. Really! I will name names this time. It was Hartford. Steer clear folks.

Enough about me. Here's what's new in Sci-fi circles:

A new spec fic mag, Waylines Magazine, is offering short films in addition to short fiction. Not a bad idea! Send them some love via Kickstarter. Their first issue in January will feature Cat Rambo and her Near + Far, which will be reviewed shortly here at SFOO. I interviewed Cat three years ago here on Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys. 

The Host trailer is now available at MTV.com. I tried to load it. Maybe you'll have better luck.

Iron Man 3 - Booyah!

The Hobbit is less than a month away!

Bobby Dollar series worth the bucks

Dirty Streets of Heaven

Tad Williams

DAW Sept. 2012

Review by Carl Cheney

Bobby Dollar is an angel. Not like an angel, not angelic (decidedly not angelic!) but an actual angel sent by heaven to do God’s work on Earth. When someone dies, Bobby meets them and advocates for the now ex-person in his post-life judgment. There’s an opposing demon from hell prosecuting and a neutral judge supplied by heaven. It’s a lot like going to court but being judged for your whole life. The judge decides and the person goes to hell, heaven or sometimes purgatory. Bobby’s territory is San Judas, the region south of San Francisco and west of the San Francisco Bay. But saying this misrepresents the tone of the book badly—these are dirty streets. Think Sam Spade or film noir. 

When confronted by a mystery, the cagy down-and-out detective consults informants, trades insults with the opposition, gets in people’s - or rather demons' - faces, cavorts with fallen females, has fights, gets beat up, and so on. Along the way he’s displeasing his superiors, his friends and the opposition. But all the way he exhibits panache and swagger.

This is a fun read. It’s a fantasy but set in a mythos familiar for those with an Old Testament background. Tad Williams concocts a delightfully refreshing universe view of the big questions confronting believers, disbelievers and agnostics. He answers some of these questions. Is there a heaven and hell? Yes. Is God real? Yes, but you have to be far above Bobby’s pay-grade to get anywhere close. Bobby’s never met anyone who’s met God. Other big questions get dodged or answered in hilarious ways. For example, working for heaven is a lot like working for a Fortune-100 company with heavy bureaucracy, accountability, standard procedures, executive privileges, snitches and so forth. 

An angel occupies a sturdy body on earth and has to cope with normal earthly existence, i.e. eating, sleeping, vices, parking and so on. Though angels know they can survive the demise of their bodies, they are not spared the pain and trauma of the morbid event. 

The plot, like the mysteries it descends from, has numerous twists, turns, surprises and colorful characters. The mystery at the core of the story is a grand puzzler, way outside the box.

Bobby turns out to be a lot like most of us, rationalizing his often unsupportable choices even while plunging into his next misadventure. He takes his chances often, hoping for the best but sometimes taking lumps. The story gathers plenty of momentum as the questions pile up. I’m delighted by The Dirty Streets of Heaven and I’m suddenly interested in reading more from Tad Williams. Next time I find a Bobby Dollar novel on the shelf, it’s a lead pipe cinch it’ll be coming home with me.