A Reading Challenge (by Decade)
While I could probably do this challenge without having to select new books (since my reading list for school is from all over the place), I think that would be cheating and will simply sit out this time around. But perhaps some of you, my lovely readers, will get a kick out of trying this, so I’m going to post the link to the Decades Challenge and give you the basic layout of how it works: Read a minimum of 9 books in 9 consecutive decades in ‘09. Books published in the 2000’s do not count. Titles may be cross-posted with any other challenge. You may change your list at any time. There are a few other rules on the website, but those are the most important. If you’re interested in doing this, let me know in the comments and feel free to keep me updated on your progress. I’m curious what books people will pick! Anywho! Edit: A correction has been made. This challenge is for 2009, not for 2008. It would be rather difficult to do a challenge that happened last year, don’t you think? Problem solved!
C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle Meme
Discovered this interesting, but short, meme here while perusing Google. Anyone who wants to do it for their blog is welcome to (I’m too lazy right now to tag people individually). Here goes: Have you read any of Madeleine L’Engle’s books?Yes, but unfortunately not a lot. Which is your favorite?A Wrinkle in Time happens to be the only book I’ve read of hers. This is probably the case for a lot of people. Have you read any of C.S. Lewis’ books?Quite a few, actually, though not as many as I would like. Which is your favorite?I’m quite partial to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It’s a classic and a good opener to an entertaining series. Do you like fantasy fiction?Actually, while I babble a lot more about science fiction on this blog than I do about fantasy (which is a fault of mine, unfortunately) I do enjoy fantasy fiction about as much. I simply don’t allow myself to become delusional about the genre–I accept that cliches exist and pay more attention to the story and how the author presents everything. Are you a science fiction fan?Goodness no. Why would I blog about something unless I hated it? And yes, that is sarcasm. What is your favorite genre of book?Edit: Apparently I’m an idiot today!Favorite genre? Science fiction, obviously, although I love fantasy as well. If I had to pick a favorite subgenre of science fiction it would likely be dystopian or space opera.
Sci-fi Songs Does the Book Review Linkup Meme
You all remember that huge list of book review blogs that I posted not too long ago? Well, if you don’t remember it from here, you probably remember it from somewhere else, right? Well, the good folks at Sci-fi Songs have made a fantastic song about the meme, with the lyrics being the names of the various blogs on that list. I get a mention in there, but the song is primarily about John Ottinger of Grasping For the Wind. Check it out the song here!
Five Things Every Science Fiction Story Should Have
What makes a good science fiction story? What elements do you need? Well, the following list are what I think are necessary elements to every science fiction story, including elements that should be givens for stories in general. Feel free to disagree with me in the comments section of this post. In no particular order: Sympathetic CharactersTack onto this characters that your audience can identify with. Science fiction is known for having aliens, robots, and other bizarre things as centerpieces to the story. If one of those oddities happens to be a significant character that you want your readers to be interested in, then you have to make them somehow “human.” The readers need to sympathize with those characters, understand their struggles and motives, etc. Technology (or a damn good reason for the lack thereof)Science fiction doesn’t exist without technology. A story set in 1776 is not science fiction, unless you can make a convincing time travel story (but then, in theory, your story would have started in the future rather than 1776). If you have a complete lack of technology, then you should be able to justify that–dystopias can still be science fiction even if there is little to no technology present. The FutureWell, duh, right? This requirement is somewhat difficult, though, because for obvious reasons a lot of novels that are science fiction aren’t set in a real future. 1984 is technically set in the past, now. So, to amend this, I will say that the future must be the future at the time of publication. Yeah, procedural-ish and annoying, but so be it. Science fiction is about the future, so it must be there. ConflictBecause what story can exist without some sort of conflict? Okay, so there are stories that have no conflicts, but those stories aren’t generally remembered for being good, right? Science fiction stories do well with some sort of conflict. I’ve never read a successful science fiction story in which nothing happened. Ever. Something InterestingThis can be a conflict, a character, or maybe a fancy new technological idea. Regardless of the “interesting thing” you choose, it has to coincide with the plot and make us, the readers, interested. Think back to some of your favorite science fiction stories. What made them interesting to you? Cool tech devices? Space travel? Weird aliens? A clever dystopic view of society? Take the good things away from your favorite stories. They were successful for a reason! There you go. Five Things that every science fiction story should have! What do you think? I may do another list in the future, by the way, so keep a lookout!
Ten Reasons Why SF Is Still Awesome
Science fiction isn’t dying, contrary to what people are saying (about literature, I mean)–it might be losing some ground, but proclaiming it on the verge of death is like saying books themselves are dying, which is another can of worms that people really need to research before babbling doomsday theories about. With that in mind, however, here are my nine reasons why SF is still awesome (not entirely about literature, I mean): TVSay what you will about some of the garbage on television, but shows like Battlestar Galactica are prime examples of why SF is very much alive and very much filled with awesome. The constant reruns of other classic shows, such as the multitude of Star Trek series, X-files, and even the original Stargate SG-1 have helped make SF television worth watching–you can get the new and the old in one bite. And don’t forget all the other interesting shows floating around (some good and some not so much)! MoviesLet’s just put aside the arguments about whether or not Star Wars is SF and also just put aside the prequel movies altogether. They don’t count. What does count are movies like Pitch Black, Sunshine, X-men (the first two mostly), Evolution, The Matrix (the first one, not the sequels), Terminator 3, “I, Robot,” The Chronicles of Riddick (say what you will about this one, but it was a good movie), The Island, Spider-Man, Children of Men, V For Vendetta, I Am Legend, Transformers, Iron Man, Wall-E etc. Those are just a few of the titles in the last 10 years that we all most likely remember, or should remember. The movies coming out are still good, some of them playing games with the SF elements (Evolution) and others taking them seriously (Sunshine). I love SF movies and thankfully there are plenty to come in the future that will keep me entertained. Cool IdeasYes, science fiction is still pumping out the ideas. Just because it’s not making us go “oh my lord, that is truly the most amazing thing ever” doesn’t mean the ideas aren’t there. It’s just somewhat more difficult to surprise us with technology anymore. Spaceships and nanotechnology don’t make us jump up and down like school children like they used to. But the ideas are still there, and they’re getting more complex and more fascinating and dangerous every year. The best part is that some of the ideas we’re seeing might actually come true because they are based on real science. Take nanotechnology, which might actually create super-humans and what not. Wouldn’t that be cool? I think so. Scifi GeeksOkay, so this is one of those things that is great and utterly crap at the same time. First off, scifi geeks can be a little too obsessed (like those Star Trek fans who actually think it’s real). The thing is, all forms of geekery, even literary geekery, have these overly obsessed types. That’s just the way it is. For the most part, thankfully, scifi geeks are some of the best geeks out there. They don’t always get it right (some shows/books/etc. really aren’t as good as they make them out to be), but at least they’re keeping the genre alive by consuming the hell out of science fiction books, television, movies, comics, etc. Without them, the genre wouldn’t be where it is today. At least that’s my opinion! Comic BooksOkay, so comics have been around for a hell of a long time, and science fiction comics just as long. But comic book movies haven’t been around quite as long, and good ones haven’t started springing up except in the last 10 years–and most of those have been science fiction or at least close. True, not all of these comic book movies have been all that great (some of them have been downright terrible), but the good ones have, in my opinion, revitalized the movie industry, for the most part, and done wonders for science fiction as a whole. Now we’re seeing a lot of cross over in the opposite direction: science fiction shows being turned into comic books and their stories/characters expanded as a result. True, this type of stuff has been going on for a while, but it seems like it’s more popular these days than in days past. And it doesn’t really matter if it’s an old thing or a new thing: it’s working, it’s cool, and that’s all that matters! Non-Genre Authors Driving FocusThe title isn’t clear, primarily because it’s hard to put all of what will be said here into a short title, but it will have to do. Basically, quite a few authors who have received acclaim outside the genre have written books within the genre and embraced them. Michael Chabon, for example, has basically flipped his middle finger off at all those folks that tried to claim he and other science fiction writers were writing crap. We need more folks like him out there, for sure, but thankfully the genre as a whole has been grabbing a lot of non-genre attention as of late. And, it drives genre readers to work outside of their comfort zone. That’s a good thing! Space OperaIt’s been around for a long time, I know, but the subgenre has really blossomed lately (at least that’s what I see). Whether or not it is “new” as the whole “New Space Opera” title suggests, space opera is still kicking. I love me some space battles and interstellar civilizations, even when it’s all blended together in a dark cup (if that makes any sense). Of course, I’ve always loved space opera, so the supposed revitalization of the genre brings a smile to my face. Give me some Tobias Buckell and John Scalzi any day of the week! And, if you’re feeling friendly, toss some Charles Stross and Alastair Reynolds in there too! Science Fiction Becoming RealityWe may not have nanotech-augmented super humans who can heal on command and survive the vacuum of space, or interstellar transports that can take
A Book Reviewers Meme
Technically I’m way behind on posting this, but I wanted to wait until the list was mostly finished. Below you’ll find a massive list of all the book reviewer blogs out there (or at least the ones that came forward and added themselves to the list, or were already added). They’re in alphabetical order and split up between English and foreign blogs. Maybe you’ll find some new blogs to read! Enjoy: 7 Foot ShelvesThe Accidental BardA Boy Goes on a JourneyA Dribble Of InkA Hoyden’s Look at LiteratureAdventures in ReadingThe Agony ColumnAndromeda SpacewaysThe Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.Ask DaphneaurealisXpressAustralia Specfic in FocusAuthor 2 AuthorBarbara MartinBees (and Books) on the KnobBibliophile StalkerBibliosnarkBillWardWriter.comThe Billion Light-Year BookshelfBitten by BooksThe Black Library BlogBlog, Jvstin StyleBlood of the MuseThe Book BindBookgeeksBookslutThe Book SmugglersBookspotcentralThe Book SwedeBookrastinationBreeni BooksCheaper Ironies [pro columnist]Cheryl’s MusingsCritical MassThe Crotchety Old FanDamien G. WalterDanger GalDark Wolf Fantasy ReviewsDarque ReviewsDave Brendon’s Fantasy and Sci-Fi WeblogDear AuthorThe Deckled EdgeDragons, Heroes and WizardsThe Discriminating FangirlDusk Before the DawnEnter the OctopusEve’s AlexandriaFantastic ReviewsFantastic Reviews BlogFantasy Book CriticFantasy CafeFantasy DebutFantasy Book Reviews and NewsFantasy and Sci-fi Lovin’ BlogFeminist SF – The Blog!The FixThe Foghorn ReviewFrances WritesFrom a Sci-Fi StandpointFruitless RecursionThe Galaxy ExpressGalleycatThe Gamer RatGenre ReviewsGraeme’s Fantasy Book ReviewGrasping for the WindThe Green Man ReviewHasenpfefferHighlander’s Book ReviewsHorrorscopeThe Hub MagazineHyperpat’s Hyper DayInk and Keysio9Jumpdrives and CantripsLair of the Undead RatLeague of Reluctant AdultsLiterary EscapismMichele Lee’s Book LoveThe Mistress of Ancient RevelryMIT Science Fiction SocietyMonster LibrarianMore Words, Deeper HoleMostly Harmless BooksMy Favourite BooksNeth SpaceThe New Book ReviewNextReadOF Blog of the FallenThe Old Bat’s BelfryOutside of a DogParanormalityPat’s Fantasy HotlistPiaw’s BlogPost-Weird ThoughtsPublisher’s WeeklyReading the LeavesRealms of Speculative FictionReviewer XThe Road Not TakenRob’s Blog o’ StuffRobots and VampsSandstorm ReviewsScifiChickSci Fi WireSciFiGuySci-Fi Fan LetterSci-Fi Songs [Musical Reviews]The Sequential RatSeverian’s Fantastic WorldsSF DiplomatSF GospelSF Reviews.netSF RevuSF SignalSF SiteSFF World’s Book ReviewsSilver ReviewsThe SpecusphereSpinebreakersSmart Bitches, Trashy BooksSpeculative FictionSpeculative Fiction JunkieSpeculative HorizonsSpiral Galaxy ReviewsSpontaneous DerivationSporadic Book ReviewsStella MatutinaThe Sudden CurveThe Sword ReviewTangent OnlineTehani WesselyTemple Library ReviewsTor.com [also a publisher]True Science FictionUn:BoundUrban Fantasy LandVast and Cool and UnsympatheticVariety SFWalker of WorldsWands and WorldsThe WertzoneWith Intent to Commit HorrorWJ Fantasy ReviewsThe World in a Satin BagWriteBlackYoung Adult Science Fiction Foreign Language (other than English) Cititor SF [Romanian, but with English Translation] Elbakin.net [French] Foundation of Krantas [Chinese (traditional)] The SF Commonwealth Office in Taiwan [Chinese (traditional) with some English essays] Yenchin’s Lair [Chinese (traditional)] Aguarras [Brazilian, Portuguese] Fernando Trevisan [Brazilian, Portuguese] Human 2.0 [Brazilian, Portuguese] Life and Times of a Talkative Bookworm [Brazilian, Porteguese] Ponto De Convergencia [Brazilian, Portuguese] pós-estranho [Brazilian, Portuguese] >Skavis [Brazilian, Portuguese] Fantasy Seiten [German, Deustche] Fantasy Buch [German, Deustche] >Literaturschock [German, Deustche] Welt der fantasy [German, Deustche] >Bibliotheka Phantastika [German, Deustche] SF Basar [German, Deustche] >Phantastick News [German, Deustche] X-zine [German, Deustche] >Buchwum [German, Deustche] >Phantastick Couch [German, Deustche] >Wetterspitze [German, Deustche] Fantasy News [German, Deustche] Fantasy Faszination [German, Deustche] Fantasy Guide [German, Deustche] >Zwergen Reich [German, Deustche] Fiction Fantasy [German, Deustche]