Thor: Ragnarok (2017), or Thor and the Amazing Technicolor Marvelverse
Earlier today, I had the pleasure of seeing the third installment in Marvel’s Thor series. Directed by Taika Waititi of What We Do in the Shadows fame, Thor: Ragnarok has almost everyone head over heels with delight. And they’ve got good reason to be. Ragnarok is hilarious. From its absurd settings, colorful cast of characters, and heart-wrenching ending, this film is sure to please fans of the MCU and nab a few naysayers along the way.
On the “Right” Kind of Reviews
One of the things that often bothers me about the reviewing process is the idea that some reviews are inherently more valuable than others. By this, I don’t mean in the sense of the quality of the writing itself; after all, some reviews really are nothing more than a quick “I liked it” or are borderline unreadable. Rather, I mean “more valuable” in the sense that different styles of reviewing are worth more than others. While I think most of us would agree that this is poppycock, there are some in the sf/f community who would honestly claim that the critical/analytical review is simply better than the others (namely, the self-reflective review).
Thoughts on Years of Reading (Mostly) Women
Back in 2015, roughly 92% of the works I read were by women. This was mostly intentional, as The Skiffy and Fanty Show hosted a women-centric (and non-binary friendly) theme throughout 2015. In 2016, the numbers were less skewed, with 61% of works by women. Including my teaching numbers into this list is a bit too complicated, so I won’t bother including it here. Obviously, having a more “open” year for reading meant my numbers were more fluid. But even with that fluidity in place, there’s a clear indication that my reading habits have changed. So, here’s what I’ve learned from the past few years:
Five Faves: Fabulous Worlds of SF/F (Guest Post by Helen Lowe) #MonthofJoy
I believe worldbuilding is the characteristic that most distinguishes SF/F from other styles of literature. All other genres rely on the reader’s understanding of the world as it is or has been. In SF/F, the writer must first build the world—a process that includes environment, geography, history, politics, culture, and religion, as well as technological and/or magic systems—for both the story to exist and the reader to engage with it. And as an avid reader of SF/F, as well as an author, there is nothing that rocks my reading and SF/F-loving world quite like a truly fantastic bit of worldbuilding. So in the spirit of #monthofjoy here are five of my favorites – although there are, of course, many, many more. Note: I should add that I am deliberately excluding both Middle Earth and Narnia, simply because they are so well-canvassed in the zeitgeist, but you may take it as read that they’re definitely right up there for me.
Five Faves: Diana Wynne Jones Novels (Guest Post by K.V. Johansen) — #MonthofJoy
What, only five? How? Which? Rapidly writing down the first that come to mind without thinking about it: Howl’s Moving Castle, Archer’s Goon, Deep Secret, Conrad’s Fate . . . Tale of Time City. Or maybe Lives of Christopher Chant. Or Hexwood . . . Or . . . It’s impossible to describe the genius of DWJ’s writing and do it justice. I tried in a non-fiction book once. Here, I’m just going to give an emotional reaction. Suffice it to say, Jones is a master of effortless characterization, her plots (ohhhh, her plots) are intricate and unpredictable, her worldbuilding infinite in its wonders, and the subtle psychological dramas that underlie it all are awe-inspiring. I don’t think there’s a single one of her fantasies that I haven’t read at least twice; most I’ve read so many times I’ve lost count. Sometimes I need this book or that like it’s an essential nutrient I’ve been starved of, and when that happens, I always find something new in it.
My OASIS 29 Con Schedule: Come See My Shenanigans!
I’m a guest at OASIS again! And let me tell you, I am super excited. Last year, I had the great pleasure of meeting A. Lee Martinez, who is both one of the nicest dudes that ever walked the Earth and also almost nearly as funny as me (not quite, but he gets like 9 points for being pretty cool :P; I don’t know what these points are on about). OASIS is one of my local conventions, located in sunny Orlando. I’ll be there for the full run of the convention — May 19th to May 21st. This year, the Guest of Honor at OASIS is urban fantasy master Faith Hunter, author of the Rogue Mage series and the Jane Yellowrock series, among others. She has something like 9 million books published under one of her 9 identities (OK, so she’s published around 32 books under three names, but 9 million is pretty close…). It should be a lot of fun to chat with her on panels in a couple weeks! And what am I up to? Boy howdy am I in for a busy weekend. This is my schedule: