June 06, 2008
Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition
Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition (Forgotten Realms, Eberron, and all D&D based games included) comes out today in some places, tomorrow in others, but for those of you unfamiliar with the whole Dungeons and Dragons thing, here is a post worth reading by Jeff Grubb, one of the minds behind the whole game, who relates the publishing history of D&D.
Share:
June 05, 2008
Han Solo is NOT a Loser
I love it when SF crosses over into mainstream storytelling. Thanks to io9 you can watch an earnest Grey's Anatomy doctor insist that "Han Solo is not a Loser".
HT: Tobias Buckell
June 03, 2008
John Zakour in Zuda Competition - Again
Scifichick already mentioned this, but I thought I would too. John Zakour is once again participating in DC Comics Zuda competition and needs your vote. This time he has a comic called Sam 3.14, PI about a robot private investigator. It is a lot like Zakour's novels in its content and humor, and is a nod to the old Sam Spade stories. I thought it was hilarious. You can check it out HERE.
May 28, 2008
Free Ebook: Hal Spacejock
If you need a little more humor in your life, try for free the writing of Simon Haynes. He has posted at his website as an ebook, Hal Spacejock, the first in his 4 books and counting. I've not read it, so I can't comment on its worth, but I've heard it is good entertainment.
May 23, 2008
Creative Nonfiction or Real Science?
In this day and age of so-called "creative nonfiction" it is hard to know what information is trustworthy. It's like it is April Fool's Day everyday. That's why I wonder if this art project called the Telectroscope is real or a figment of the author's imagination. In particular, after reading the "story" of the original Victorian period project, I question the veracity of the invention. Especially when the artist, Paul St. George, states that his art "has always been concerned with questioning the relationship between the viewer and what is viewed. His work is also often associated with different realities, spectacle and viewer participation."
Fox News included an article in their scitech section today, so maybe there is some truth to the science part of it all.
Anybody know anything about this project?
Obituary: Robert Lynn Asprin
Robert Lynn Asprin, author of the popular Myth Adventures and Theives World stories passed away yesterday at his home in New Orleans. He was 61. His passing was unexpected as he had been planning on attending a convention this weekend as well as working on new projects including an urban fantasy story set in his home of New Orleans that began with the novel Dragons Wild.
I never met that man, but he sure was able to make me laugh when I was feeling down. May such memories comfort his family and friends in their time of grief.
Read Obituaries and homages to him at:
Myth Adventures.net
Wikipedia
Boing, Boing
Oeswalrus, this one is a reposting of the detail from the Pennsic Bards list.
Lee Darrow
Brian Ruckley reads from Bloodheir
Brian Ruckley reads from Bloodheir at Alt.Fiction.
I just finished reading this book last night and it was awesome! My review should be out soon. In the meantime, read a review of Bloodheir at The Book Swede and read my interview with Brian here.
And see and hear more readings by Orbit Authors.
May 22, 2008
Free ebook from EOS
EOS' newest free ebook for their continuing ten year celebration is Sara Douglass' The Serpent Bride, The Darkglass Mountain Series, Book 1. You will have to purchase and then use a redemption code, but it works fine. Firefox users may have to click certain buttons twice, but it will go through. Click here to download.
May 20, 2008
May 16, 2008
Star Wars, Tunisia
I was doing some research for a trip to Tunis this summer and came across this interesting gem about the filming of Star Wars in the Tunisian desert. It is apparently a popular tourist destination for Star Wars fans, so much so that Tunisia.com loudly proclaims it!
"When I was searching in 1977 for a place to make the first Star Wars movie I found Tunisia the ideal country for filming: beautiful countryside, unique architecture and a very high level of technical sophistication." - George Lucas
Share:
May 13, 2008
Odds and Ends
Thrinidir of Realms of Speculative Fiction pointed out to me that the full trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars is available for viewing. This full length animated film hits theaters August 15th.
Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas character has been turned into a four part web only movie. The orginal story is called "Odd Passenger" and takes place after the ending of BROTHER ODD and start of ODD HOURS (on sale in hardcover May 20th). The first episode is on Youtube. As is the second. And episode 3.
The List Universe has the top ten fantasy adventure movies.
Jeffrey Overstreet's Auralia's Colors, which I reviewed a while back, ahs been nominated for the Clive Staples (i.e. C.S. Lewis) Award.
Mental_Floss has 7 wizards...or are they all the same guy?
Some of my interviews and reviews will now also be appearing on the Flashing Swords e-zine website. They can be found in the right hand column on the home page under "Interviews" and "Book Reviews".
May 09, 2008
Snippet from Paul Kemp's Shadowrealm
Paul S. Kemp has posted a little scene from his latest Forgotten Realms novel Shadowrealm at his livejournal. Shadowrealm is currently slated for publication in December of 2008, and will conclude the Twilight War trilogy.
Share:
May 08, 2008
Authors Finishing Series
Joe Sherry of Adventures in Reading has a thought provoking post entitled "On Authors and Finishing Series" where he givens a dressing down to Melanie Rawn and her decision to leave ufinished one trilogy for a while to write another. I disagree with Joe's opinions quite a bit. I think he is unfair to Rawn, while excusing other authors. Ya'll ought to drop by and join the discussion.
May 05, 2008
May 2008 SF Crowsnest
The May 2008 edition of Stephen Hunt's SF Crowsnest is up, and guess who has two interviews in it? Can you guess? Can you?
Oh, and stay tuned, as I'll be reviewing Hunt's novel The Court of the Air in the next month or so.
Weird Places to find Fantasy References
I got my print edition of the Economist on Saturday and guess what was on the front cover? A quite evil looking dragon. In fact, the cover this week reminds me of the book covers for Christopher Paolini's Eragon and Eldest especially the latter of the two.
It seemed an odd place for a fantasy reference, although I get the red dragon and angry China metaphor. Still, it got me thinking. Have any of you come across weird places for a fantasy reference?
April 30, 2008
Interview with Michael Flaherty, President of Walden Media
Read this interesting interview (Part 1; Part 2) with the president of Walden Media, Michael Flaherty. Walden is the company producing the new Prince Caspian movie, set to release in mid-May.
HT: Mr. DawnTreader
Share:
April 25, 2008
April 22, 2008
Cool Castings Trilogy Promo
Pamela Freeman's Castings Trilogy, from Orbit books, is shaping up to be a really interesting series. Check out this neat promotional tool, the marketers at Orbit have put together that just hit my inbox. I reviewed the first book in the trilogy, Blood Ties. Or read my interview with Pamela Freeman.
April 20, 2008
Black Gate
Black Gate's magazine's website front page gave me a wonderful nod this week. They decided to look at some of the reviews written for their eleventh issue, and of the four mentioned, I'm #3. Somehow, I managed to contradict myself, but to give myself the benefit of the doubt, it was one of my very early reviews. Still, Black Gate calls it a critical analysis, which is nothing to sneer at. Thanks Black Gate for the mention and the compliment.
April 10, 2008
Decipher's New CCG - Fight Klub
Decipher has a new approach to the trading card game. Relying on player advocacy and viral/internet marketing to build up a fan base, it hopes that you will make the game successful. It also is not limited to one topic as with Star Wars or Magic: The Gathering. "Fight Klub™ is a classic battle of good and evil. Each expansion set features four heroes and four villains. The game pulls these heroes and villains from a pool of thousands of classic movies and TV shows."
Sounds interesting, and they are looking for people to become founding members who earn 10% on purchases people they mentor make. It's an interesting idea, I wonder how it will play out.
April 08, 2008
Space Opera
Paul DiFilippo has an essay on the space opera subgenre at the B&N review.
You might also want to check out their interview with Philip Pullman.
Share:
Featured on Red Room
My interview with Rosemary Jones, author of the Forgotten Realms novel Crypt of the Moaning Diamond has been featured on the homepage of Red Room.com!
Redroom is:
... the online home of the world’s greatest writers. Through original, author-generated content, we offer a trustworthy and creative social network unlike any other. Here, you can connect with your favorite authors, access current industry news, and comment on engaging features. By fostering true community between authors and readers, Red Room showcases esteemed writers and inspires the next generation. We also give back to the community we aim to nurture with our commitment to the Causes We Support.
Thanks to Rosemary for posting a link to our interview at Red Room, and to Red Room for thinking it worthy enough to put on their homepage!
Share:
April 02, 2008
A few worthwhile Fantasy Links
Here's an article about comics and graphic novels from the London Review of Books.
Here's an excellent review of Jeanette Winterson's post-apocalyptic novel The Stone Gods. Like Cormac McCarthy or Doris Lessing, she writes a variety of fiction, but most recently turned her hand to scifi.
The Politics of Scifi discusses the Nebulas and Hugos and their effect on fans.
And here's an article about using statistical graphs to help create plot.
April 01, 2008
Scott Lynch on the Worst Cliches in SF&F
Spectra Pulse's Facebook page has a special article from Scott Lynch entitled "Be Thou Familiar, but by No Means Vulgar". It is a republication from their special convention only magazine that they have been talking about for weeks now.
From the extremely well-written article:
Clichés can only become clichés if they work, if they strike a chord in a relatively broad audience time and time again. In the grand evolutionary cycle of the SF/F narrative, clichés are like sharks--ideas so robust and effective that they survive indefinitely with their essential nature more or less unchanged.Authors are often accused of laziness merely for using clichés in their work, but I’ve come to find that accusation rather obtuse. We don’t all pile clichés into our work because we’re lazy. We pile them in because, once having encountered them as readers, they fascinate us. We then burn with the urge (in some cases for years or decades of deep obsession) to apply our particular spin to the objects of those fascinations, and to make them seem new again. This is mirrored in the tastes of those readers that can never get enough of something that tickles their fancy, be it swashbuckling rogues or palace intrigue or the Hero’s Journey. The urge to chase favorite clichés from book to book is no lazier or more shameful than a preference for one kind of wine over another.
You will likely need a Facebook account to view it. Become a Fan of Spectra Pulse if you are already a Facebook user and you will have access.
March 31, 2008
GRRM on B&N's Center Stage
Center Stage is Barnes and Noble's book club forum. They have announced that during the period from April 14 to the 18th of 2008, George R. R. Martin will be online discussing his books. Anyone is able to join the discussion.
There will be several threads of conversation:
3: Discussing Inside Straight specifically.
They are also beginning a discussion of The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes as part of their current book club reading.
March 20, 2008
What if Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, etc met in space?
Battle ensues! Claims to be a PIXAR film, but isn't. Still lots of fun.
March 19, 2008
Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008)
Arthur C. Clarke, famous author of 2001: A Space Odyssey as well as many other science fiction works, has passed away in Sri Lanka of respiratory complications. I have never read any Clarke, but he was a definer of the SF genre so his influence has been felt nonetheless.
Clarke's famous six word story seems appropriate here.
"God said, 'Cancel Program GENESIS.' The universe ceased to exist."
Clarke's part in that program is done but his legacy will live on.
(this idea to include the story not original to me but comes from the Guardian blog entry linked above, but I felt it said what needed saying.)
Obituaries:
CNN
New York Times
Locus
SF Signal (contains free fiction and a video interview.) Read their obit with many links.
BBC
Terry Pratchett Tribute
March 18, 2008
Guardian Interviews Terry Pratchett about Alzheimers
The Guardian interviews Terry Pratchett about his Alzheimer's, his books, and the new movie The Colour of Magic, set for release over Easter on Sky One.
UPDATE: The Match it for Pratchett Campaign now has its own website.
Share:
Joshua Palmatier's Plot Synopsis Project
Spend some time today looking over Joshua Palmatier's Plot synopsis project. Many of my favorite authors are posting, as well as at least one that I have found dissenting.
This will be a useful tool for all writers whether you write SF or not.
Participants are listed below, but I suggest you read Palmatier's intro, it helps set the stage, as well as giving useful tips and tools.
# Patricia Bray: http://www.sff.net/people/patriciabray/synopsis.html
# Chaz Brenchley: http://desperance.livejournal.com
# Mike Brotherton: http://www.mikebrotherton.com
# Tobias Buckell: http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/
# S.C. Butler: http://scbutler.livejournal.com
# Barbara Campbell: www.barbara-campbell.com/inside.htm
# David B. Coe: http://davidbcoe.livejournal.com
# Jennifer Dunne: http://jennifer_dunne.livejournal.com
# S.L. Farrell: http://sleigh.livejournal.com
# Diana Francis: http://difrancis.livejournal.com
# Gregory Frost: http://frostokovich.livejournal.com
# Felix Gilman: http://www.felixgilman.com/wordpress/
# Jim C. Hines: http://jimhines.livejournal.com
# Jackie Kessler: http://www.jackiekessler.com/blog
# Mindy Klasky: http://mindyklasky.livejournal.com
# Misty Massey: http://madkestrel.livejournal.com
# C.E. Murphy: http://mizkit.livejournal.com
# Naomi Novik: http://naominovik.livejournal.com
# Joshua Palmatier: http://jpsorrow.livejournal.com
# Irene Radford, P.R. Frost: http://ramblin_phyl.livejournal.com
# Maria V. Snyder: http://blog.myspace.com/mariavsnyder
# Jennifer Stevenson: http://smokingpigeon.livejournal.com
# Michelle West: http://msagara.livejournal.com
# Sean Williams: http://ladnews.livejournal.com
Share:
March 14, 2008
Pratchett Pledges $1 million to Alzheimer's Research
Terry Pratchett, and author all fans of fantasy know and love, recently announced that he suffers from a former of early-onset Alzheimer's that horrible disease that robs your mind of so much.
Well it turns out that he has donated some of his wealth ($1 million) to Alzheimer's research.
Mr Pratchett says, “Part of me lives in a world of new age remedies and science, and some of the science is a little like voodoo, but science was never an exact science, and personally I'd eat the arse out of a dead mole if it offered a fighting chance.""I have had Alzheimer’s now for the past two years plus. It’s is a nasty disease, surrounded by shadows and small, largely unseen tragedies. There's nearly as many of us as there are cancer sufferers, and it looks as if the number of people with the disease will double within a generation. It's a shock and a shame to find out that funding for research is three per cent of that which goes to find cancer cures."
Read Pratchett's speech at the Alzheimer's Research Trust Conference.
Well, one enterprising fan has called on all fans of Terry Pratchett to match that gift by donating (1 pound to the UK charity - about $2 for the US branch) to the same research foundation. The group on Facebook is already at 29 members, even though it is less than a day old.
UPDATE: The Guardian profiles Pratchett.
Or get a t-shirt and/or free wallpaper and icons in support of this effort.
March 13, 2008
Robin Hobb on Author Blogging
Robin Hobb, whose books we all know and love, wrote this essay/story about authors who blog.
I'm with her mostly. I do think that writers should be measured and careful should they chose to begin blogging.
Although I enjoy the blog posts of many of my favorite authors like Jim C. Hines, Bruce Cordell, Paul S. Kemp, Tobias Buckell, GRRM, Joe Abercrombie, and others, I would much rather have more books out of them than blog posts. Yet I look for there thoughts in my RSS reader everyday, and enjoy them.
If they can do both, as a fan, I'm grateful. But should they choose to agree with Hobb, than I support that. I would rather they use their energies on their writing and raising their families than in pleasing me.
Share:
March 12, 2008
The Lyrical Music of SF&F
I like to listen to rock and roll radio stations when I work. All the writing I do can get rather dull, especially when I'm just working on formatting the documents.
As I listened, I got to thinking about the music of speculative fiction. Not the music that could be defined as classical or soundtrack, (Everyone who hears "Darth Vader's Theme" knows it is about science fiction and fantasy), but the music of the mainstream that may not be speculative in intent, but in some way includes such elements.
For instance, the Counting Crows cover of "Big Yellow Taxi" (originally performed by Joni Mitchell) is about environmentalism, but includes in its lyrics a reference to an apocalyptic future.
They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
They took all the trees, and put em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot...
Everytime I hear that song on the radio, I think of John Joseph Adams' Wastelands anthology and apocalyptic fiction. (as well as the movie Two Weeks Notice, but we won't talk about that ;-)
Or in the Fantasy category, you have these lyrics from Dido's "Hunter":
If you were a king up there on your throne
would you be wise enough to let me go
for this queen you think you own
Wants to be a hunter again
wants to see the world alone again
to take a chance on life again
so let me go
Such lyrics make me think of novels by people like Karen Britain, Michelle West, Mercedes Lackey, and others with strong female characters.
Obviously, these songs were written to talk about other things. The former is about environmentalism and the second about leaving a lover, but in the music is the element of the fantastic.
I am looking for songs that have lyrics, rather than music that simply gives us emotional impressions like soundtracks do. There is a local radio station here in ATL that during lunch will broadcast themed music. The themes come from listeners. I thought that if I could compile a neat enough list, maybe I could get them to do a lunch session on science fiction and fantasy music. The station is a rock and roll, pop, rock classics, 80's music station called DaveFM. You would be able to listen via the Internet if you aren't local, so worldwide ideas or suggestions are welcome.
These were the two songs that come most readily to mind for me, can you think of others that might fall into this category?
March 11, 2008
Fantasy in the News
Been a lot of fantasy in the news lately:
J.K. Rowling vs. a fan website.
Arthur C. Clarke award is mainstreaming.
Patrick Nielsen Hayden reveals what will be happening with Tor's new website. You know, the publisher that is giving away free ebooks like Halloween candy?
Gary Gygax, creator of Dungeons and Dragons passed away. See the major links and a video tribute by Wizards of the Coast. Colbert's is also great.
There is some contention over whether the latest Weis & Hickman Dragonlance installment will be published by Wizards of the Coast.
March 07, 2008
Free Comic Book Day is May 3!
If you have never heard of free comic book day, then you need to wake up and smell the coffee. Select retailers throughout the world give away a free comic book to people who show up. It is that simple.
According to the site, some of the free comics include Superman, Trinity, X-Men, Transformers, Jughead, Hellboy, The Simpsons, Futurama, and work from the Dabel Brothers with excerpts from Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files, GRRM's Wild Cards, and Deen Koontz's Frankenstein. Wizards of the Coast is giving out figures from its Star Wars miniatures game and there are lots of lesser known works and samples of works available as well.
As you can tell, I'm pretty excited about the idea. Even better, the website has a database of stores where the day is being celebrated, so you can easily find the one closest to you.
If you are really lucky, a writer or artist lives nearby and you will be able to attend a creator signing. The list of signings isn't up yet, but they have a nice, easy way to find out by signing up for their mailing list. I did, and I'm lucky enough to have three stores to choose from to visit. It is a minor trek out to them, but for a free comic, plus maybe finding one or two I've had a hard time finding, it would be worth it.
I would look into it if I were you.
UPDATE: Just found out that my local shop will have Fred Torres of Salem fame doing a signing. Lucky me!
Wastelands Trailer and Free Stories
A little while ago, I reviewed Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams. I called it "the best anthology of any kind I have read to date." (That still holds true!) and compared it to Harlan Ellison's Dangerous Visions. Well, now you don't have to take my word for it. Read 6 of these stories for free at the website.
My personal fave is Cory Doctorow's self-deprecating and humorous story. But they are all awesome.
Watch the Trailer to get even more excited.
[Info via SF Signal]
March 04, 2008
Download a free copy of Butcher Bird by Richard Kadrey
I've not read any Richard Kadrey, so I can't recommend him, but I do like telling ya'll about free full-length novels, so here is the official press release from Night Shade Books.
For Immediate Release:
Back in 2005, a very different version of Richard Kadrey's novel Butcher Bird began its life as a free download posted online at The Infinite Matrix. At the time, it was called Blind Shrike. In 2007, Night Shade Books published our version.
Now it's back. With the cooperation of Richard Kadrey, Night Shade Books is proud to make the entire text of Butcher Bird available as a DRM-free download, in a wide variety of formats, so that everyone can enjoy this amazing novel of black magic and arcane mysteries, however and wherever they want. The World of Butcher Bird is one where angels and devils brawl in the streets, where the Black Clerks charged with keeping the Dominions in check have developed their own dark agenda, where the swordswoman known as Blind Shrike battles monsters in deadly combat, where a civil war has broken out in Hell, and where Spider Lee, an unassuming San Francisco tattoo artist, and his drinking buddy LuLu Garou, have been dropped right smack into the middle of the action.
Richard himself describes the book as "the Gnostic Gospels meets Wild at Heart." Butcher Bird is an odyssey that will take you from the San Francisco underground to decadent palaces to the very gates of Hell… and beyond!
Richard Kadrey is the author of six novels, including Angel Scene, Kamikaze L'Amour, and the quintessential cyberpunk novel Metrophage. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies, as well as the magazines Asimov's, Interzone, Omni, and Wired.
Visit our Downloads page at http://www.nightshadebooks.com/downloads
February 27, 2008
Scientific Fairy Tales
If you have some free time, go check out this interesting article about The Science of Fairy Tales. (It is short.) The author looks at the tales of Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, the 1,001 Arabian Nights.
Makes me think that the lines between science fiction and fantasy are only getting blurrier, not more distinct, even to the point of having real science apply to traditionally magical tales.
February 22, 2008
Get Your Free Tor ebooks!
If you haven't been over to get your free ebooks from Tor yet, you need to do so. All they want is your email address so they can send you the links to the books and the updates on the new website they are soon launching.
The first book they sent was Mistborn, the first in Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy (Sanderson is also the guy picked to finish Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series). The second Old Man's War by John Scalzi, 2006's winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. And next week is Spin by Robert Charles Wilson, winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Even if you don't prefer ebooks, this can give you an opportunity to read a few chapters to see if you'd like it, then you can go buy them at your local bookstore.
February 18, 2008
New SF/Fantasy Review Blog: Jumpdrives and Cantrips
Just came across a new fantasy/scifi review blog folks might want to check out. Jumpdrives and Cantrips is very young, having only begun this year. Beyond that, the author wants to be a catch-all reviewer, not focusing on one subgenre of speculative fiction more than most. It's an admirable goal, I look forward to seeing how the writer does.
Since she was kind enough to link to me in her list of recommended reviewers, I thought I might do her a favor and showcase her here. Do me a favor and visit her here.
Share:
February 13, 2008
The Manga Bible
Found out about this today. I should have seen it coming. Still, it might be interesting to take a look at it, even if it seems a little off the wall. The Manga Bible is a new product from Doubleday that is trying to bring the Bible relevance, especially to young folks who like Manga style books.
The New York Times article says that:
In the Manga Bible, whose heroes look and sound like skateboarders in Bedouin gear, Noah gets tripped up counting the animals in the Ark: “That’s 11,344 animals? Arggh! I’ve lost count again. I’m going to have to start from scratch!”Abraham rides a horse out of an explosion to save Lot. Og, king of Bashan, looms like an early Darth Vader. The Sermon on the Mount did not make the book, though, because there was not enough action to it."
Personally I think while it might be entertaining to read (I mean the Bible is chock full of sex and violence, its like Terry Goodkind on steroids) it is sacrificing relevance for truth in a lot of cases. And it isn't complete anyway.
So would you read it? The US edition only costs $12.95.
What do you think of the idea of a Manga Bible?
Share:
February 12, 2008
Dragon*Con
I just bought my membership for this year's Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia. Anybody else planning on going?
Share:
