WISB Podcast: Triple My Embarrassment By Picking a Third Dance
I’ve already apologized for putting off a lot of things I promised. One of those things was the dance(s) I said I’d do if I reached my funding goal (over a month ago). Since I met that goal, I’m required to provide a video of me performing Peanut Butter Jelly Time and the Truffle Shuffle. But then my laptop died, taking with it my webcam and my only method for making those videos… That barrier has now been solved. I went ahead and bought one from the store. It’s a pretty good one, too (for the money). Which leads me to the point of this post: In order to “pay you all back” for making you wait so extraordinarily long for an embarrassing video, I’ve decided to let you all select a third dance for me to do on camera. It can be anything, so long as I can reasonably do it (or look funny trying) and it’s not vulgar (sorry, I’m not taking my pants off or anything like that). What would you have me do?
Video Found: “The Doctor and I” w/ John Barrowman (Wicked)
I’m stealing this from SF Signal because I know my sister needs to see it. She’s not a Doctor Who fan (in part because she’s a mutant from another galaxy), but if this doesn’t convince her that Doctor Who is the greatest science fiction TV show still running (poor BSG is no longer with us, after all), then I don’t know what will. Enjoy! P.S.: To my sister — if you don’t enjoy this, we will no longer be siblings. I will disown you like an evil overlord disowns his henchmen. That means I’ll send you to your untimely death knowing full well you can’t defeat the good guy. Or something like that…
SandF Episode 5.0 (Interview w/ Erin Hoffman) is Live!
The title says it all. Erin Hoffman, author of Sword of Fire and Sea, joins Jen and I for an interview. We talk about her debut novel, video games, and even gryphon rights (sort of). Here’s the episode. Thanks for listening!
An Addendum: The 2011 Hugos
Eileen Gunn was kind enough to put me in my place on Google+ last night. And let’s face it, after a lot of what I said about categories I know nothing about, nor, obviously, have any connection to, I really should have taken my shoe out of my mouth and found a better place for it (or found a better use for my mouth?). Ms. Gunn noted that I could bypass those categories rather than (and I’m paraphrasing and adding extra words here) malign them because of my lack of interest. And that’s what I’m going to do, because it’s really not all that fair to the folks who are nominated in those categories. In fact, I have nothing against fan artists or anything of the sort. I don’t really have anything against fanzines in the old PDF format either. I just don’t “get” them, which seems to me to be a problem I should try to understand. Why don’t I “get” fanzines and why do I feel like I’m so out of touch with whatever is going on in these various categories? Is it because I can’t attend many of the major conventions in my field (though I’ve been to small ones and anime conventions in the past; I simply can’t afford to attend Worldcon, and it would be a stretch to afford Dragoncon and maintain my academic “career”)? I don’t know who reads this blog in terms of fan engagement. Maybe most of you are of the more “academic” side of things, for lack of a better word. But I would like to know how people come to love fanzines or fan artists (or discover them before they show up on a Hugo nominee list). Are there forums I don’t hang out in? Are these things discovered at conventions or through secret club meetings in a dungeon? And why do you love them? What about The Drink Tank or File 770 or what have you compels you to read? I’ll shut up now, foot covered in drool…
The Haul of Books 2.0: Books Received Vol. 4
Time for another edition of the Haul of Books! I’m almost caught up now, but will have to do another edition soon to account for all the books that magically showed up on my door recently. Feel free to let me know what books you got in the mail in the comments. Here goes (after the fold): Mirror Maze by Michaele Jordan (Pyr) This is a stunning debut novel filled with ghoulish mysteries, romance and adventure. Jacob Aldridge is still utterly devastated by the death of his fiancee when he suddenly encounters her doppelganger. Livia Aram’s uncanny resemblance to the late Rhoda Carothers so transcends coincidence that Jacob becomes obsessed with her. The intensity of his passion terrifies her until her compassion is roused by his desperate plight. A demon is stalking him, a succubus-like entity that feeds on human pain and desire. With the help of Jacob’s sister, Cecily, and Livia’s guardian, the mysterious Dr. Chang, can they overcome the demon before all is lost? My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland (DAW) Teenage delinquent Angel Crawford lives with her redneck father in the swamps of southern Louisiana. She’s a high school dropout, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and has a police record a mile long. But when she’s made into a zombie after a car crash, her addictions disappear, except for her all-consuming need to stay “alive”… The Houses of Time by Jamil Nasir (Tor) David Grant has a singular talent–he can affect the course of his dreams. Quite by chance, he discovers the existence of the Trans-Humanist Institute and their lucid dreaming lessons. He discovers that under the tutelage of Dr. Thotmoses he has more control over his dreams. However, his talent soon runs away with him and he visits dreamplaces while awake. The waking world and the dreaming world collide. Grant ends up sedated in a hellish mental institution . . . but escapes through his lucid dreams, which he is beginning to control–though the control is far from perfect. Grant discovers, to his horror, that Dr. Thotmoses belongs to the Caucasus Synod Western Orthodox Church, and that they have been grooming him because of his fantastic dreaming talents. Only someone with his talent at manipulating reality and dream can bring their prayer to the Divine Presence in the universe. Many have tried this journey, few have succeeded. Those who have returned successful are rewarded beyond their wildest dreams. Shining at the Bottom of the Sea by Stephen Marche (Riverhead Books) Shining at the Bottom of the Sea is a vibrant evocation of a fictional country, Sanjania—from the birth pangs of its first settlers and their hardy vernacular, to its revolutionary years, and all the way to the present diaspora—all told through Stephen Marche’s innovative and accomplished writing style. Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham (Starscape) Down the Mysterly River is the children’s book debut of Bill Willingham, the creator of the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel series Fables. Complete with illustrations by Fables artist Mark Buckingham, it is a spirited, highly original tale of adventure, suspense, and everlasting friendship. Max “the Wolf” is a top notch Boy Scout, an expert at orienteering and a master of being prepared. So it is a little odd that he suddenly finds himself, with no recollection of his immediate past, lost in an unfamiliar wood. Even odder still, he encounters a badger named Banderbrock, a black bear named Walden, and McTavish the Monster (who might also be an old barn cat)—all of whom talk—and who are as clueless as Max. Before long, Max and his friends are on the run from a relentless group of hunters and their deadly hounds. Armed with powerful blue swords and known as the Blue Cutters, these hunters capture and change the very essence of their prey. For what purpose, Max can’t guess. But unless he can solve the mystery of the strange forested world he’s landed in, Max may find himself and his friends changed beyond recognition, lost in a lost world… The Immorality Engine by George Mann (Tor) On the surface, life is going well for Victorian special agent Sir Maurice Newbury, who has brilliantly solved several nigh-impossible cases for Queen Victoria with his indomitable assistant, Miss Veronica Hobbes, by his side. But these facts haven’t stopped Newbury from succumbing increasingly frequently to his dire flirtation with the lure of opium. His addiction is fueled in part by his ill-gotten knowledge of Veronica’s secret relationship with the queen, which Newbury fears must be some kind of betrayal. Veronica, consumed by worry and care for her prophetic but physically fragile sister Amelia, has no idea that she is a catalyst for Newbury’s steadily worsening condition. Veronica and Newbury’s dear friend Bainbridge, the Chief Investigator at Scotland Yard, tries to cover for him as much as possible, but when the body of a well known criminal turns up, Bainbridge and Veronica track Newbury down in an opium den and drag him out to help them with the case. The body is clearly, irrefutably, that of the man in question, but shortly after his body is brought to the morgue, a crime is discovered that bears all the dead man’s hallmarks. Bainbridge and Veronica fear someone is committing copycat crimes, but Newbury is not sure. Somehow, the details are too perfect for it to be the work of a copycat. But how can a dead man commit a crime? The Damned Busters by Matthew Hughes (Angry Robot) A hilariously demonic romp through Hell and Back. When mild-mannered actuary Chesney Artstruther accidentally summons a demon and refuses to sell his soul, Hell goes on strike – but with no demons to tempt mankind, the world slows down. No temptation means no ambition, and no drive – the world’s manufacturing and agriculture suffers, and something must be done! Chesney agrees to help, but in return he wants to be a superhero with a demonic sidekick! Hellhole by Brian Herbert and
2011 Hugo Awards: My Thoughts
(I’ve added an addendum to this post in order to pull my foot out of my mouth. Feel free to read it after you read everything below.) I stayed up nice and late in order to watch the event live, which may or may not have been a mistake. Now that I’m wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, I feel up to giving my thoughts about the Hugo Awards Ceremony and the winners in the various categories. Hopefully my attempt at organizing these thoughts won’t deter you from reading them. (Some of these are probably going to get me in trouble…) Hosting Matters I don’t think I’ve ever seen these awards before, so I assume having hosts in Academy Awards fashion has been a staple of the Hugos for a while. For 2011, Jay Lake and Ken Scholes hosted the events, following a scripted set of jokes and jibes in order to keep the audience amused between awards. It’s hard for me to fault them for what turned out to be a not-very-funny event; Lake, after all, has been battling cancer for so long now I can’t remember when it all began — as a cancer survivor, I sympathize and feel it’s fair to indulge him in whatever he is interested in doing, even if he’s not terribly good at it. But mostly the jokes and constant references to singing and self-deprecating humor were forced and excessive. The ceremony is exceedingly long anyway, and it seems to me they could have cut down on the jokes to save a good 45 minutes. Or instead of following a script, they might have provided more natural discussion points, with some humorous anecdotes from actual interactions they’ve had (at the Hugos or elsewhere). Folks seemed to enjoy them, though, so I suppose I’m out of place on this. Now on to the individual awards: The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer Winner — Lev Grossmam Who I Thought Would Take It — Lauren Beukes I haven’t read Grossman’s novel, so I can’t say whether his book is any good. A lot of folks seem to love Grossman for The Magicians, but I personally thought Lauren Beukes should have taken the award for Moxyland and Zoo City. She’s bloody brilliant and I think it’s a shame that she isn’t being acknowledged as such through such an important award. Best Fan Artist Winner — Brad W. Foster Who I Thought Would Take It — No idea I don’t know who any of the people on the nomination list are, so I have no connection to either of them. This is one of those categories that I just don’t care about, which may make me a jackass. Best Fanzine Winner — The Drink Tank, edited by Christopher J. Garcia and James Bacon Who I Thought Would Take It — StarshipSofa, edited by Tony C. Smith StarshipSofa is the only one of the nominees that I even know about. I don’t think Smith should have won the award, though. His podcast is not a fanzine. It hardly produces anything of a fan-ish nature and is more accurately described as a micro-press and audio fiction joint than anything else. But the other options on the list seem utterly irrelevant to me. I don’t read them. Most of them I didn’t know existed until they showed up on ballots in the last year. Most of them are old format. And to be honest, I think websites like SF Signal should be on this list. But whatever. The amusing thing about this award was Garcia’s emotional response, which could be described as a uber-freak-out. It was fascinating and amusing in a kind of “good for you, mate” way. (Edit: You really should see Garcia’s response. It was honest and, well, clearly winning the award meant a hell of a lot to him. And you have to appreciate that for someone who has dedicated themselves to a fan pursuit and suddenly gets recognition for it by people who, largely speaking, are the objects of that venture.) Best Fan Writer Winner — Claire Brialey Who I Thought Would Take It — No idea This is another category I care nothing about. I’ve never heard of any of the people on the list and am sure I never will beyond seeing them on this list. Best Semiprozine Winner — Clarkesworld Who I Thought Would Take It — Clarkesworld The real question is who I thought should take the award. And that answer is easy: Interzone, edited by Andy Cox. I think Interzone is long overdue for some damned recognition. It’s one of the few print magazines with excellent production values, both in terms of its look and its fiction. They publish amazing stuff. I don’t get why they haven’t won this damned award yet. Not to mention that Clarkesworld, which is a great magazine (in general), has published some real stinkers in the last year. It’s a good magazine, but this is not a banner year, you know? Meh. Best Professional Artist Winner — Shaun Tan Who I Thought Would Take It — Stephan Martiniere To be honest, I thought Tan would get an award for “The Lost Things” instead of this particular award. I think he’s deserving of an award somewhere on the ballot, though, so saying that I think Martiniere would have and should have taken the award isn’t anything against Tan. It’s more my confusion about his placement. But good on Tan. He damn well deserves an Hugo! Best Editor, Short Form Winner — Sheila Williams Who I Thought Would Take It — John Joseph Adams In all honesty, all of the names on the list are names that we’ve all seen before, which leads me not to care all that much who wins. Oh, JJA took it? That’s nice. He’ll be there next year. Oh, it’s Williams this time? Nifty. Then again, Strahan and Schmidt haven’t taken it yet, have they? Hmm… (Edit: Again, this is nothing against Williams. In