Genre Fiction Addiction

R.I.P Robert Jordan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:20:00 +0000

Robert Jordan died today. He had been struggling with a chronic illness for many years. My father in-law is a huge fan of his Wheel of Time series. Unfortunately it will go unfinished now.

Read more.

Original Content: Postcards from Invisible, Utah

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:18:00 +0000

A piece that I wrote in collaboration with the amazingly talented musician and artist Mark Mothersbaugh just went live. Mark contributed all of the art and I wrote a piece based on a series of his infamous postcard art.

It is under the name Zeus Jones, which is a collective persona that my work colleagues and I use for various online activities that have a connection to the business. In fact, there is another piece up on the Art of Office site that was done by a colleague who used PowerPoint to bring the famous Flat Land story to life.

Mr. Bubbles

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 20:51:00 +0000

This is an image I shot using Photobooth on my Mac of the amazing metal statue of Mr. Bubbles (aka Big Daddy, aka Mr. B) from the amazingly cool new PC/360 game Bioshock.

Bioshock is set in a steampunk dystopian 40's society that has been constructed underwater away from the prying eyes of the U.S. Government and the rise of Communism. You, as the game's protagonist, accidentally discover the society when your plane crashes over the ocean. After descending from an oil rig-like structure in a bathysphere, you discover an art decco wonderland of nightmarishly bio-altered beings and steam-driven robots.

I'm not quite far enough into the game to understand the full story, but I am far enough in to highly recommend this game. It's superbly fun, and often scary. The art direction is jaw-dropping, and the storyline is surprisingly good.

I can also recommend the deluxe edition of the game available from Gamespot, which gets you your own kick-ass statue of Mr. Bubbles, the soundtrack for the game, and a making of DVD.

One in Four Americans Didn't Read a Book Last Year

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:57:00 +0000

This is a big problem. It's likely to only get worse.

I keep almost all my books, mostly because I think I'll read them again at some point, but also so I can lend them to others. I've personally turned several non-readers into avid readers in the last year, mostly by introducing them to really great books and writers.

If each of us can do the same, maybe we can begin to make these stats look a little less bleak.

The Perfect Non-Lethal Shot

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:48:00 +0000

This is amazing.

She's Not Stopping With Watered-Down Fantasy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:26:00 +0000

J.K. Rowling is now turning her "talents" toward Mystery.

"Ammunition" by Ken Bruen: A review

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:21:00 +0000

No one would accuse Ken Bruen of being a master plotter. It's not his style. He's more Chandler than Hammet, in fact, the plots of his novels are often refreshingly free of twists and turns. Regularly, the protagonists figure out who is really out to get them around 3/4 a way into the story. From there on out, its about who gets who first.

Some people may find this unsatisfying, but I find it refreshing and real. Bruen focuses less on plot, and more on creating compelling characters, that inspite of being bad people, are often still likeable.

It's Bruen's characters that keep you coming back for more. Ammunition is the latest in the Inspector Brant series, and it's equally as satisfying as all the titles that have come before it. In this one we find Brant and his colleagues even more messed up and vulnerable as possible. If you are familiar with the series you might be asking, "Is that possible?" It is. The novel opens with a life-altering event for Brant, and the past begins to catch up with Falls and McDonald in a way that makes both their lives very uncomfortable.

Ammunition doesn't break any new ground either in the Brant series or for Bruen. Do I care? Not really. I loved it anyhow. Will I buy the next Ken Bruen novel that comes out? Will I fuck.

The Definitive Dark Knight

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:09:00 +0000

If you're like me and you like your heroes good and dark, you'll definitely want to check out the Absolute Dark Knight by Frank Miller, a hardcover graphic novel that collects both his Dark Knight series, along with some extras.

Now might be a good time to pick this up, before the upcoming Dark Knight movie potentially ruins our image of Batman forever.

Modern Day In Cold Blood

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:32:00 +0000

It doesn't get more gruesome than this.

Besides maybe inviting someone into your house to have them operate on sensitive parts of your body, only to awake in a pool of blood to find them having stolen said body parts.

John Woo Brings His Signature Action to a Video Game

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:04:00 +0000

John Woo has teamed up with game developers to bring his "balletic" action to a video game.

Midway is smart to have a promotional machinima contest to launch the game...get players to do your marketing for you by showing off all the cool two-pistol choreography.

You can read and article and watch videos on Wired.

What, Wired, you couldn't pony up for the Flip4Mac license on the 2nd video?

Awesome Fantasy Novel Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:42:00 +0000

I've been excitedly listening to The Guardian Limited's awesome podcast of Michelle Paver's The Wolf Brother read by Sir Ian McKellan.

I highly recommend it. You can get it through iTunes or from the Guardian's website here.

Bourne Night

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:38:00 +0000

The wife and I are going to see The Bourne Ultimatum tonight.

We've both been looking forward to it for some time. I'll be sure to post a review.

10 Worst Sc-Fi Shows of All Time

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:06:00 +0000

Here is a listing of the 10 Worst Sci-Fi Shows of All Time with clips and witty commentary. I am proud to admit I never watched most of these, with the exception of Viper which I tuned into with a sort of morbid curiosity.

This sparks memories of another Sci-Fi show that I watched as a kid...I'm sure it was equally horrible but I loved it at the time. It was about a kid who was an alien (I think) living among humans. He had specials powers, and some sort of adult mentor/handler. It was on in the 80's, and one episode that particularly stands out in my mind was about him and this group of kids going through this "haunted house" on Halloween only to find out *gasp* that someone is actually killing people and they are trapped inside. It was kind of a Hardy Boys meets horror movie vibe as Alien Superboy uses his powers to solve the mystery and save the day.

If that poor description rings a bell with anyone please post a comment with the show title.

Genre Fiction Movie Round-up

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 01:22:00 +0000

I noticed a glut of trailers for genre fic related films up on the Apple site, so I thought I'd point a few of them out:

No Country For Old Men from the fabulous Cormac McCarthy novel, directed by the Cohen Brothers. So rarely do two of your favorite things come together, and these two combined have me very excited for this one.

3:10 To Yuma by Elmore Leonard is one of the best short stories ever written. They made it into a movie once, and now they are remaking it. Christian Bale looks good, but Russell Crowe I'm not so sure about.

From the horror graphic novel of the same title: 3o Days of Night

Hitman from the video game of the same title. Most video games they convert to movies are total flops. This one doesn't look to change that trend. Oh Timothy Olyphant, when are those Deadwood movies coming out?

Sleuth with Jude Law and Michael Caine. Looks like a thriller.

And finally, The Golden Compass, the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman.

Neil Gaiman: People are taking note.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:23:00 +0000

After many years of having books optioned and nothing ever coming of it, Neil Gaiman now has three movies coming out. He is beginning to break into the mainstream, and is even being interviewed by pubs like Time.

Congrats again to Neil. Couldn't have happened to a better writer.

Why The Unesscessary Twist?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:24:00 +0000

Here is my five word review of the new Danny Boyle flick Sunshine: Amazing until the plot twist.

Why did this awesome movie have to be ruined by this totally unnecessary plot element? Unfortunately I can't talk about what the twist actually is and why I think it ruined the movie without potentially spoiling the movie for people who haven't seen it. But I can say I was on the edge of my seat loving the action and tension until the point where, in my opinion, this totally stupid and unnecessary element was thrown into the mix.

This isn't the first time I've seen a great movie or short story ruined by the same sort of twist. The fabulous French horror movie "High Tension" is another glaring example of this. As one Amazon reviewer writes: "High Tension is actually two films, and one of them sucks." High Tension is a squirm out of your skin, amazing freak-out fest for about 90% of the film until this super stupid twist at the end that ruins the whole thing. In this case, the twist is actually not even possible given what you've seen. No "Sixth Sense" "see what you missed" trickery here, the twist flys in the face of the perspective from which you've seen things unfold.

Both Sunshine and High Tension would have been amazing films if they had just left out the plot twists. So why did they do it? The drive to surprise viewers? In the name of blazing new ground and achieving something new?

I'm not sure. As my writing professor once said of the avant-garde poetry scene in the SF/Bay Area, when everyone is writing in the same non-traditional style isn't it more avant-garde to return to writing sonnets?

So please, if you are writing a kick ass story or screenplay consider leaving the twist out. You just might surprise your audience.

Steampunk Ray Guns from WETA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:56:00 +0000

Check out their future-antiquated hotness.

The Original Fanstasy Narrative Becomes a Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:16:00 +0000

Beowulf. Watch the Trailer.

Screenplay by the fabulous Neil Gaiman.

Featured Writer: Daniel Woodrell

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:39:00 +0000

It's a rare thing to encounter a writer whose every book is completely different, yet there is not a single one you don't love. It's also rare to discover a writer who just keeps getting better and better with each book, yet remains relatively unknown. Daniel Woodrell is just such a writer.

I have George Pelecanos to thank for introducing me to Daniel Woodrell. When I first discovered Pelecanos and read everything by him, I stumbled across a few interviews where he was talking about writers who influenced him and writers that he liked. I sought out every writer that he named (and even asked him for more at a reading of his) and Daniel Woodrell was by far my favorite of the bunch.

The latest book by Woodrell, "Winter's Bone", is by far his best effort to date. At it's heart it's detective fiction. However, like most of my favorite detective stories, the protagonist, a teenage girl named Ree Dolly, is forced into playing the role of detective by a natural cause: Her father has disappeared and failed to appear at court. If she can't either 1. find him or 2. prove he is dead, her family is going to lose their house.

The novel is set in Apalachia and is beautifully old. Comparisons were made to the novel "True Grit" by Charles Portis, but this novel is uniquely it's own. Ree plays a much stronger role in the events that occur than the young girl in True Grit, who enlists the help of others in her aid. Ree has no one to depend on but herself, and makes her way through a much different, and harsher world than that of True Grit.

If you start with "Winter's Bone," don't stop there. "Tomato Red" has what is one of the best first chapters of any novel that I've ever read. "The Death of Sweet Mister" is a unique look at a young man coming of age in the South. "Muscle for the Wing" and the rest of the Rene Shade series are all wonderfully told, economic novels.

Woodrell is the type of writer who I would pick up anything by without a moments hesitation. He is a gifted writer and storyteller who has earned my faith, and I bet if you give him the chance, he'll earn yours as well.

Indian Super Bandit Finally Killed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:28:00 +0000

After thirty years on the run, an Indian criminal (and folk hero) was finally killed after a two day gun battle. Maybe...

Listen to the story on NPR

Two Warren Ellis Comics Free Online

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:52:00 +0000

You can read the first issue of Warren Ellis' new Image Comics series "Fell" online for free.

Also, check out Superidol by Warren Ellis and Colleen Doran

Robots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 18:28:00 +0000

Continuing the Summer Movie Series on NPR's Talk of the Nation, the discussion turns to robots.

Battlestar Galactica is conspicuously absent from the discussion, especially considering the popularity of the new series, with its Philip K. Dickesque re-imagining of the frakin' toasters as human impostors.

Crime Fiction Micro Sculptures

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 15:36:00 +0000

Amazing and detailed micro sculptures of riots, shootings, and other mayhem by Adalberto Abbate.

"The Wire" on Our Doorstep

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:38:00 +0000

So last night there was a gang war in front of our house. Literally.

We didn't know it, but evidently the ex-girlfriend and son of one of the main gang leaders in Minneapolis live across the street and up a house from us.

Someone decided that it was time Mr. Gang Leader got got, and staked out his ex's house until he showed.

A car chase ensued down the street with both parties firing guns out of the cars at each other. Mr. Gang Leader crashed into a parked car about half a block down, bailed, and ran back to his ex-girlfriend's. The assassins squealed out in reverse after him, but failed to get the job done.

In the aftermath, Mr. Gang Leader smartly ditched his gun, so the police weren't able to charge him with anything. I guess almost getting got isn't a crime, so they need his weapon (which they found casings from and have plenty of witnesses saying he fired) to take any action.

Earlier in the evening our doorbell rang, and when I answered it a gentleman who clearly didn't want to actually speak to us was walking away. He greeted me with a "Sorry, wrong house." Not sure whether they were searching for the right house, or just seeing what potential witnesses are home, but it was strange to potentially talk to one of the participants face-to-face.

A word of advice to Mr. Gang Leader: Now that they know where your ex lives, don't go there again. Do it for yourself. And if not for you, do it for me and my wife who is five months pregnant. Neither of us are interested in getting caught in the crossfire.

New Edition of Hard-Boiled by John Woo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:13:00 +0000

Saw an ad on TV for the Hard-Boiled 2 Disc Ultimate EditionDVD last night.

This is one of John Woo's best, and a stellar film overall. I wish it was in either HD-DVD of Blu-Ray, but what can you do. Supposedly, the new edition is loaded with extras. If anyone out there has seen this version please comment and let me know if it's worth picking up.