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Magic for Beginners Free Download
Kelly Link’s collection of short stories Magic for Beginners–for which I have never heard anything but praise–has been made available for download on the Jelly Ink Press site. The title story and The Faery Handbag both won Nebula and Locus awards. (They aren’t included in the free download for contractual reasons, although you can read…
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Sound and Fury in SF Fandom
Author Richard Morgan was asked to write a guest editorial for the 2008 WorldCon Postscripts anthology. He wrote about loud, angry factionalism, elitism, and generally prejudicial ugliness within the genre. The article wasn’t published because it was deemed too negative, so he’s posted it on his site instead. Here’s a funny thing. Skip across the…
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Panic.
Eoin Colfer, Irish author of children’s books and something called the Artemis Fowl novels (never heard of him or them), has been tapped to write a sixth Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy installment. …And Another Thing is due out October of next year, and will feature all of the old standards: Arthur, Ford, Zaphod, Marvin,…
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The Best Neal Stephenson Characters
In the wake of awaited-with-geekly-mouth-froth Anathem‘s publication, articles about Neal Stephenson are popping up like mushrooms. Popular Mechanics (Popular Mechanics?) has gotten in on the act with a list of the six best Stephenson characters. Hero: Randy Waterhouse /// Book: Cryptonomicon (1999) /// Profession: Programmer & Entrepreneur Randy Waterhouse is an unlikely iconoclast: a programmer…
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Sfanglophilia?
(Or– why North American fans need to read more SF from the U.K.) For some time Chip has been asking me for opinion pieces for the blog. Since, according to the equitable distribution laws of our state, intellectual property is shared equally within a marriage, please feel free to harangue her mercilessly over the views…
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Women Scientists in Fiction
The Visions database lists female scientists in fiction, in particular science fiction. The database has three main purposes: To collect examples of female scientists in fiction, both through my own research and through suggestions from the public To collect, maintain and communicate these examples (with a view to possible expansions to include other areas, such…
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Opening Sentences
io9 has a nice discussion of opening lines that really grab your attention. “They set a slamhound on Turner’s trail in New Delhi, slotted it to his pheromones and the color of his hair.” — Count Zero by William Gibson. Okay, come on. This is just so fun. It’s got the wacky jargon: “slamhound,” “slotted,”…
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Controversial SF
A recent SF Signal Mind Meld asked authors which science fiction/fantasy novels they consider to be the most controversial. Their answers fishtail all over the genre, although it goes without saying that Heinlein features prominently. I’m also amused at Claude Lalumière’s choice. At first I thought he was kidding. Dude. Lighten up. Link
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Must-Read British SF
Given Shadow’s reading list over the past couple of years, I would have thought that science fiction was moving in a strongly Brit-ward direction. However, It Doesn’t Have to be Right… feels that literary SF is still very Americocentric and is combating that by listing 20 British SF novels that everyone should read. In addition…
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Harry Harrison named Grand Master by SFWA
::: sing-song voice ::: ~/o I’m going to the Nebulas, I’m going to the Nebulas o/~ From SFWA: Harry Harrison, creator of The Stainless Steel Rat and author of the novel that inspired the movie Soylent Green, will be honored as the next Damon Knight Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of…