Strangelove for Science Fiction

2016 Locus Awards finalists

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Tue, 03 May 2016 22:56:00 +0000

Locus Magazine announced the 2016 finalists for the annual Locus Awards today. Winners will be announced during the Locus Awards Weekend in Seattle WA, June 24-26, 2016.

SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL
The Water Knife, Paolo Bacigalupi (Borzoi; Orbit UK)
Ancillary Mercy, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Aurora, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Seveneves, Neal Stephenson (Morrow)
A Borrowed Man, Gene Wolfe (Tor)

FANTASY NOVEL
Karen Memory, Elizabeth Bear (Tor)
The House of Shattered Wings, Aliette de Bodard (Roc; Gollancz)
Wylding Hall, Elizabeth Hand (PS; Open Road)
The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Uprooted, Naomi Novik (Del Rey)

YOUNG ADULT BOOK
Half a War, Joe Abercrombie (Del Rey; Harper Voyager UK)
Half the World, Joe Abercrombie (Del Rey)
Harrison Squared, Daryl Gregory (Tor)
Shadowshaper, Daniel José Older (Levine)
The Shepherd’s Crown, Terry Pratchett (Harper; Doubleday UK)

FIRST NOVEL
Sorcerer to the Crown, Zen Cho (Ace; Macmillan UK)
The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu (Saga)
Signal to Noise, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Solaris)
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, Natasha Pulley (Bloomsbury US; Bloomsbury UK)
The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, Kai Ashante Wilson (Tor.com)

These are just the categories for novels. There are short fiction categories and many others, too. These are quality nominees throughout, which represents an antidote to the Puppy-pooped-upon Hugo nominations, where readers have to step cautiously through noxious material to find a few quality candidates.

I'm particularly pleased to find Aurora and A Borrowed Man in the sf novel shortlist. Other favorites of mine include: Signal to Noise and The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps in first novel, and The House of Shattered Wings and Wylding Hall in fantasy novel. Many of the others are on my to-be-read pile.

For the complete list of all the categories, follow here.

2016 Hugo shortlists

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 19:47:00 +0000

The 2016 Hugo Award shortlists were announced today. They are intended to be a popular vote of the science fiction community to determine the best work in various categories. As with last year, much of the ballot is supplanted this year by work that can be found on the 2016 Rabid Puppies slate (or as they would like to call it, a recommended list).

You could argue that the Rabid Puppies can't take credit for the success and talent of various authors and editors that they've listed. True. Simply for a visual representation, in the fiction categories I will list only those stories that do not overlap with the Rabid Puppies slate (I'll make an exception for Slow Bullets since the author publicly asked for his story to be removed from both Puppy lists) and add a little commentary:

BEST NOVEL (3695 ballots)
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (Orbit)
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)

I'm disappointed that Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson didn't make the list, since it was my choice for best sf novel of the year. Still, these three are strong nominees.

BEST NOVELLA (2416 ballots)
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com)
Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds (Tachyon)

BEST NOVELETTE (1975 ballots)
“And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of Dead” by Brooke Bolander (Lightspeed, Feb2015)

BEST SHORT STORY (2451 ballots)
...

I could go on to the other categories, yet I'm sure the reader can play this game, too. I've already stated my opinion on the Rabid Puppy ballot manipulation:
Hugo Award slates and the politics of exclusion
Attention seeking troll puppies
I doubt that more needs to be said.

Here is a link for a complete list of all the 2016 Hugo Award shortlists.

PKD in academia

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 23:56:00 +0000

Three days of academic conferences, 28-30 April 2016, regarding Philip K. Dick are spread across two neighboring universities in Southern California.

Beginning at the University of California, Irvine, 28 April, a one-day conference will feature speakers including: Gregory Benford, David Brin, Sherryl Vint, Tessa Dick, Grania Davis, Charles Platt, and others. The conference schedule is online. (Follow here.)

The following two days, 29-30 April, a multi-track event will be held at Cal State University Fullerton. Speakers include: James Blaylock, Tim Powers, Rob Latham, Jonathan Lethem, Howard Hendrix, Bruce McAllister, Jacob Weisman, Tessa Dick, Grania Davis, Gregory Benford, Ursula Heise, and others. The conference schedule is online. (Follow here.)

Paolo and others

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 00:01:00 +0000

Paolo of the moment

Paolo Bacigalupi's voice could be heard on the 08 April 2016 episode of the Science Friday radio show/podcast. (Follow here.)

A print interview is featured in the current Locus Magazine. An excerpt appears online. (Follow here.)

Shedding some "Light"

M. John Harrison: "The best work neither shows nor tells: it says by being, not by saying."

A new Harrison interview is available online. (Follow here.)

Hugo numerology

According to a 14 April 2016 news release from MidAmericon2: "Over 4,000 nominating ballots were received for the 2016 Hugo Awards, nearly doubling the previous record of 2,122 ballots set last year by Sasquan, the 73rd Worldcon held in Spokane, WA."

The Hugo Award shortlists will be announced on 26 April 2016.

X-Files reboot

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 01:55:00 +0000

The X-Files recently had a six-episode reboot, bringing back original stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. The episodes aired in January and February, 2016.

A short review:
I want to believe.
I want the show to be better.

A slightly longer review:
I have a nostalgia for the original series. The X-Files was entertaining at a time when TV was a vast wasteland. It often had an anti-science message that rubbed me the wrong way, yet it had a sense of humor about the concept of the show itself. Most importantly, the original two stars were engaging.

Unfortunately, the new reboot takes itself too seriously, the violence is increased for no particular benefit, and Duchovny and Anderson are wooden and deliver their lines with little inflection. Not only is the chemistry between the lead actors absent, they are awkward in each others presence as if they've been through a messy divorce and they are trying to pretend they've never met.

The first and last episodes of the six-episode reboot are strident and unpleasant. The middle episodes are monster-of-the-week filler episodes.

100,000 page views

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 02:01:00 +0000

I'll be try to post more often in the run-up to the Worldcon in Kansas City.

Today's item: This site, which started I started in August 2009, has reached just over 100,000 pageviews.

This is amusing to me since long ago, I was handed a webserver (Mac) and an email server (Mac), and was asked to take a bunch of classes, computing, web design, scripting, data base driven pages, and database management. I took the courses right there at a certain college campus in California. My boss also flew me up to Mac conventions and database conventions in Silicon Valley. Including a web-database integration course at Apple headquarters, which was a cool place. Well, within the first year our little site that only the students knew about was getting over 100,000 pageviews per day, mostly going the database. To give you a time frame, Netscape 1.0 was new that year. Anyway, fun times.

Locus 'Year in Review' for 2015

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 19:05:00 +0000

Locus magazine's "Year in Review" issue is now available, and it's their most information packed issue of the year. It features recommended reading lists and extensive commentary from numerous reviewers, critics, and editors. Here's a brief sample:

Graham Sleight
A dozen books worth your time this year:
House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand
Dragon Heart by Cecelia Holland
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
The Best of Nancy Kress by Nancy Kress
Get in Trouble by Kelly Link
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
Three Moments of an Explosion by China Miéville
Galapagos Regained by James Morrow
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Thing Itself by Adam Roberts
Chasing the Phoenix by Michael Swanwick

Russell Letson
Hidden Folk by Eleanor Arnason
Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
Tracker by C.J. Cherryh
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald
Where by Kit Reed
Gypsy by Carter Scholz
Chasing the Phoenix by Michael Swanwick

I think both Sleight and Letson offer excellent recommendations. My choice for best science fiction novel of the year is Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, and best single-author collection is Get in Trouble by Kelly Link.

For the 2015 Locus Recommended Reading List, follow here.

Related link:
Best of the Year: 2015

Four Year's Best anthologies; Hugo nominations are open

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 23:10:00 +0000

Here are the tables of contents for four forthcoming best of the year anthologies, summarizing short fiction excellence for work published in 2015.

The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy
of the Year, Vol. 10
Edited by Jonathan Strahan
Solaris Books, forthcoming May 2016

Table of contents:

“City of Ash” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Medium.com, read it here)
“The Heart’s Filthy Lesson” by Elizabeth Bear (Old Venus, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
“The Machine Starts” by Greg Bear (Future Visions, edited by Microsoft & Melcher Media)
“The Winter Wraith” by Jeffrey Ford (F&SF, November/December 2015)
“Black Dog” by Neil Gaiman (Trigger Warnings)
“Jamaica Ginger” by Nalo Hopkinson & Nisi Shawl (Stories for Chip, edited by Nisi Shawl and Bill Campbell)
“Drones” by Simon Ings (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
“Emergence” by Gwyneth Jones (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
“Dancy vs. the Pterosaur” by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Sirenia Digest, April 2015)
“Another Word for World” by Anne Leckie (Future Visions, edited by Microsoft & Melcher Media)
“The Game of Smash and Recovery” by Kelly Link (Strange Horizons, October 2015, read it here)
“The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn” by Usman T. Mailk (Tor.com, April 2015, read it here)
“Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Ida Countess Rathangan” by Ian McDonald (Old Venus, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
“Little Sisters” by Vonda McIntyre (Book View Café, May 2015)
“Calved” by Sam J. Miller (Asimov’s, September 2015)
“Ghosts of Home” by Sam J. Miller (Lightspeed, August 2015, read it here)
“The Deepwater Bride” by Tamsyn Muir (F&SF, July/August 2015)
“The Empress in Her Glory” by Robert Reed (Clarkesworld, April 2015, read it here)
“A Murmuration” by Alastair Reynolds (Interzone, March/April 2015)
“Oral Argument” by Kim Stanley Robinson (Tor.com, December 2015, read it here)
“Water of Versailles” by Kelly Robson (Tor.com, June 2015, read it here)
“Capitalism in the 22nd Century” by Geoff Ryman (Stories for Chip, edited by Nisi Shawl and Bill Campbell)
“The Karen Joy Fowler Book Club” by Nike Sulway (Lightspeed, October 2015, read it here)
“The Lily and the Horn” by Catherynne Valente (Fantasy Magazine, December 2015, read it here)
“Blood, Ash, Braids” by Genevieve Valentine (Operation Arcana, edited by John Joseph Adams)
“Kaiju maximus®: ‘So Various, So Beautiful, So New’” by Kai Ashante Wilson (Fantasy Magazine, December 2015, read it here)
“Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” by Alyssa Wong (Nightmare Magazine, October 2015, read it here)

The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016
Edited by Rich Horton
Prime Books, forthcoming May 2016

Table of contents:

“The Daughters of John Demetrius” by Joe Pitkin (Analog, October 2015)
“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro (Analog, September 2015)
“Twelve and Tag” by Gregory Norman Bossert (Asimov’s, March 2015)
“Mutability” by Ray Nayler (Asimov’s, June 2015)
“Acres of Perhaps” by Will Ludwigsen (Asimov’s, July 2015)
“Unearthly Landscape by a Lady” by Rebecca Campbell (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, October 2015, read it here)
“The King in the Cathedral” by Rich Larson (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, February 2015 read it here)
“Little Sisters” by Vonda N. McIntyre (Book View Cafe, May 2015)
“The Long Goodnight of Violet Wild” by Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld, January 2015, read it here)
“Asymptotic” by Andy Dudak (Clarkesworld, June 2015, read it here)
“Cat Pictures Please” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2015, read it here)
“Today I Am Paul” by Martin L. Shoemaker (Clarkesworld, August 2015, read it here)
“The Deepwater Bride” by Tamysn Muir (F&SF, July/August 2015)
“The Two Paupers” by C.S.E. Cooney (Fairchild Books)
“Hello, Hello” by Seanan McGuire (Future Visions, edited by Microsoft & Melcher Media)
“The Astrakhan, the Homburg, and the Red, Red Coal” by Chaz Brenchley (Lightspeed, June 2015, read it here)
“Time Bomb Time” by C.C. Finlay (Lightspeed, May 2015, read it here)
“And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of Dead” by Brooke Bolander (Lightspeed, February 2015, read it here)
“The Karen Joy Fowler Book Club” by Nike Sulway (Lightspeed, October 2015, read it here)
“My Last Bringback” by John Barnes (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
“Drones” by Simon Ings (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
“The Heart’s Filthy Lesson” by Elizabeth Bear (Old Venus, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
“Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Idea Countness Rathagan” by Ian McDonald (Old Venus, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
“The Graphology of Hemorrhage” by Yoon Ha Lee (Operation Arcana, edited by John Joseph Adams)
“Capitalism in the 22nd Century” by Geoff Ryman (Stories for Chip, edited by Nisi Shawl and Bill Campbell)
“The Game of Smash and Recovery” by Kelly Link (Strange Horizons, October 2015, read it here)
“This Evening’s Performance” by Genevieve Valentine (The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk)
“Please Undo This Hurt” by Seth Dickinson (Tor.com, September 2015, read it here)
“Consolation” by John Kessel (Twelve Tomorrows, edited by Bruce Sterling)
“Folding Beijing” by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu (Uncanny, January/February 2015, read it here)

The Best Science Fiction of the Year,
Vol. 1
Edited by Neil Clarke
Night Shade Books, forthcoming June 2016

Table of contents:

“A Murmuration” by Alastair Reynolds (Interzone, March/April 2015)
“In Blue Lily’s Wake” by Aliette de Bodard (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
“Outsider” by An Owomeyla (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
“Another Word for World” by Ann Leckie (Future Visions, edited by Microsoft & Melcher Media)
“Iron Pegasus” by Brenda Cooper (Mission: Tomorrow, edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt)
“Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World” by Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed, September 2015, read it here)
“Bannerless” by Carrie Vaughn (The End Has Come, edited by John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey)
“Gypsy” by Carter Scholz (PM Press)
“The Smog Society” by Chen Qiufan, translated by Ken Liu and Carmen Yiling Yan (Lightspeed, August 2015, read it here)
“The Tumbledowns of Cleopatra Abyss” by David Brin (Old Venus, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
“Damage” by David D. Levine (Tor.com, January 2015, read it here)
“Capitalism in the 22nd Century” by Geoff Ryman (Stories for Chip, edited by Nisi Shawl and Bill Campbell)
“Folding Beijing” by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu (Uncanny, January/February 2015, read it here)
“Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Ida Countess Rathangan” by Ian McDonald (Old Venus, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
“Hold-Time Violations” by John Chu (Tor.com, October 2015, read it here)
“Two-Year Man” by Kelly Robson (Asimov’s, August 2015)
“The Gods Have Not Died in Vain” by Ken Liu (The End Has Come, edited by John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey)
“Today I Am Paul” by Martin L. Shoemaker (Clarkesworld, August 2015, read it here)
“Cocoons” by Nancy Kress (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
“Cat Pictures Please” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2015, read it here)
“So Much Cooking” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, November 2015, read it here)
“No Placeholder for You, My Love” by Nick Wolven (Asimov’s, August 2015)
“Wild Honey” by Paul McAuley (Asimov’s, August 2015)
“Meshed” by Rich Larson (Clarkesworld, February 2015, read it here)
“Empty” by Robert Reed (Asimov’s, December 2015)
“Calved” by Sam J. Miller (Asimov’s, September 2015)
“The Audience” by Sean McMullen (Analog, June 2015)
“Hello, Hello” by Seanan McGuire (Future Visions, edited by Microsoft & Melcher Media)
“Three Bodies at Mitanni” by Seth Dickinson (Analog, June 2015)
“Violation of the TrueNet Security Act” by Taiyo Fujii, translated by Jim Hubbert (Lightspeed, July 2015, read it here)
“The Cold Inequalities” by Yoon Ha Lee (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)

The Year’s Best Science Fiction,
Thirty-third Annual Collection
Edited by Gardner Dozois
St. Martin's Griffin, forthcoming July 2016

Table of contents:

“The Falls: A Luna Story” by Ian McDonald (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
“Three Cups of Grief, By Starlight” by Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld, January 2015, read it here)
“Ruins” by Eleanor Arnason (Old Venus, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
“Gypsy” by Carter Scholz (PM Press)
“Emergence” by Gwyneth Jones (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
“Calved” by Sam J. Miller (Asimov’s, September 2015)
“Meshed” by Rich Larson (Clarkesworld, February 2015, read it here)
“Bannerless” by Carrie Vaughn (The End has Come, edited by John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey)
“The Astrakhan, the Homberg, and the Red Red Coat” by Chaz Brenchley (Lightspeed, June 2015, read it here)
“Another Word for World” by Ann Leckie (Future Visions, edited by Microsoft & Melcher Media)
“City of Ash” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Medium.com, read it here)
“The Muses of Shuyedan-18” by Indrapramit Das (Asimov’s, June 2015)
“The Audience” by Sean McMullen (Analog, June 2015)
“Consolation” by John Kessel (Twelve Tomorrows, edited by Bruce Sterling)
“Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Idea Countness Rathagan” by Ian McDonald (Old Venus, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
“Rates of Change” by James S.A. Corey (Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
“The Children of Gal” by Allen M. Steele (Asimov's, April/May 2015)
“Today I Am Paul” by Martin L. Shoemaker (Clarkesworld, August 2015, read it here)
“Trapping the Pleistecene” by James Sarafin (F&SF, May/June 2015)
“Machine Learning” by Nancy Kress (Future Visions, edited by Microsoft & Melcher Media)
“Silence Like Diamonds” by John Barnes (LightReading, July 2015, read it here)
“Inhuman Garbage” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Asimov's, March 2015)
“Planet of Fear” by Paul McAuley (Old Venus, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
“It Takes More Than Muscles to Frown” by Ned Beauman (Twelve Tomorrows, edited by Bruce Sterling)
“The Daughters of John Demetrius” by Joe Pitkin (Analog, October 2015)
“Hello, Hello” by Seanan McGuire (Future Visions, edited by Microsoft & Melcher Media)
“Capitalism in the 22nd Century” by Geoff Ryman (Stories for Chip, edited by Nisi Shawl and Bill Campbell)
“Ice” by Rich Larson (Clarkesworld, October 2015, read it here)
“The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill” by Kelly Robson (Clarkesworld, February 2015, read it here)
“In Panic Town, on the Backward Moon” by Michael F. Flynn (Mission: Tomorrow, edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt)
“The First Gate of Logic” by Benjamin Rosenbaum (Stories for Chip, edited by Nisi Shawl and Bill Campbell)
“Billy Tumult” by Nick Harkaway (Stories for Chip, edited by Nisi Shawl and Bill Campbell)
“No Placeholder for You, My Love” by Nick Wolven (Asimov's, August 2015)
“The Game of Smash and Recovery” by Kelly Link (Strange Horizons, October 2015, read it here)
“A Stopped Clock” by Madeline Ashby (Atlantic Council's War Stories from the Future, read it here in PDF)
“Citadel of Weeping Pearls” by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov's, October/November 2015)

There's a lot that could be said about these lists: where they agree and disagree, which publications the editors found to have the best work, etc. For now I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader. I will mention that these lists make excellent preparation for people who vote for the Hugo Awards ...

The Hugo Award nominations are now open
Yes, from now until March 31, the Hugo nominations are open to members of the World Science Fiction Convention. In order to vote you need to be a member of last year's (Spokane), this year's (Kansas City), or next year's (Helsinki) convention.

Related link:
The Hugo Award nominations ballot

A Hartwell pick for 2016

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 17:37:00 +0000

Continuing yesterday's post: The 2016 book that David G. Hartwell was most emphatic about was Judenstaat by Simone Zelitch, due out in June 2016. He called it a masterpiece.

I didn't know Hartwell, except to say hello at an academic conference or science fiction convention, yet with his precision for language, I'm sure that he didn't use a term like "masterpiece" casually.

David G. Hartwell (1941-2016)

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:45:00 +0000

David G. Hartwell, 74, passed away after a fall that resulted in a brain injury. I had the privilege of participating in a small group "literary beer" at the Worldcon in Spokane in 2015 (pictured) where Hartwell held forth on some of the authors whose books he has edited -- Gene Wolfe and Philip K. Dick were mentioned -- and he spoke enthusiastically about books he had acquired for publication in 2016.

To quote the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: "He was perhaps the single most influential book editor of the past forty years in the American sf publishing world." The only thing I would change in that sentence is the over-cautious "perhaps."

Related links:
Kathryn Cramer: Til Death Us Did Part
Locus Online: David G. Hartwell (1941-2016)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: David G. Hartwell

Four SF movies from 2015

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 02:31:00 +0000

Thumbnail reviews of four science fiction movies released in 2015.

The Martian
Update of "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" (1964) with some actual science and math and modern production values. Vistas of Mars are impressive, yet brief. Highly implausible at several crucial plot points.

Mad Max: Fury Road
Action, adventure. Franchise reboot. Recapitulates much of the plot of early movies.

Ex Machina
This gets my vote for the most interesting and intelligent science fiction movie that I saw in 2015. Considers the question of artificial intelligence in a way that is both immediate and visceral. Well-made on a modest budget. The ending is a big missed opportunity.
Hint: The ending should key on connectivity rather than isolation.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Action, adventure. Franchise reboot. Recapitulates much of the plot of early movies.

This Census-Taker

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 19:50:00 +0000

A short review of This Census-Taker by China Miéville

An immersive story of a boy's isolation, loneliness and terror. He's sure that his father had something to do with the disappearance of his mother, yet he is unable to convince the ineffectual authorities from the nearby town, which lies mostly in ruins. He is befriended by a small band of homeless children who live in the abandoned buildings of the town. Slowly we, the readers, gather clues about the world and the boy's father. A haunting story that retains a grip on the imagination long after the story is done.

I was provided with an advance reading copy.

All the Birds in the Sky

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 22:49:00 +0000

A short review of All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

Patricia finds that she can talk to animals, and learns that they have unsettling things to say. Laurence invents high-tech gadgets, and is unprepared for the side effects. They meet as school children, become friends, and help each other survive their horrible childhoods. They meet again as twenty-something adults in San Francisco. Patricia belongs to a society of witches. Laurence works for a high-tech innovation company. In a lovingly detailed San Francisco, Patricia and Laurence navigate the dating scene, while disasters scar the world around them and they participate in high-risk, misguided solutions to the world's problems. They must find a way to make their incompatible worldviews mesh or all of humanity will pay the price. This is a wild, off-kilter, funny book about our society careening toward catastrophe. There are high-flying wondrous adventures and down-to-earth human relationships. Oh, and did I mention it was funny?

I was provided with an advance reading copy.

The Best of the Year: 2015

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 21:11:00 +0000

It's that end-of-the-year list-making time.

Over at the Coode Street Podcast there was an interesting discussion of the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2015. Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe were joined by noted critics Paul Kincaid and Adam Roberts. Prompted to give their individual choices for their top five picks:

Adam Roberts:
Top book: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson. In dialog with the backlist of science fiction. Might be Robinson's best novel. Resonant and deep, clever, sophisticated.
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (the conclusion of a trilogy)
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (which appeared in 2015 in Britain)
Clade by James Bradley
Luna by Ian McDonald
Touch by Claire North
Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson, sequel to Europe in Autumn, one of the best books of 2014

Paul Kincaid:
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson, sequel to Life After Life (which was even better)
Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson
Where by Kit Reed
Luna by Ian McDonald
Slade House by David Mitchell

Gary K. Wolfe:
Wolfe said he didn't want to overlap too much with Roberts and Kincaid
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
Clade by James Bradley
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
Three Moments of an Explosion by China Mieville (Roberts seconds this choice)

Jonathan Strahan:
Top book: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, most engaged, most timely
Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson
Clade by James Bradley
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (Roberts seconds this choice)
The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashanti Wilson
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Galapagos Regained by James Morrow

I've left out all the discussion around these lists, which was thought provoking and which I recommend listening to. I could quibble with some of the choices, having read several of these titles, yet on the whole these are strong lists. I agree that Aurora is the standout science fiction novel of 2015. (Listen to the Coode Street podcast here or on iTunes.)

Adam Roberts' sharp best of the year essay, with some additional titles, is on the Guardian website.

For a wider net that encompasses sf and fantasy, weird fiction and mainstream, especially international titles, I recommend Jeff VanderMeer's best books of 2015. His choice for best novel of the year is Animal Money by Michael Cisco. I've read an earlier novel by Cisco and I'm not sure I've recovered yet. I am definitely on board for this one.

For an example of poorly informed (or lazy?) list, there's BuzzFeed's 24 best sf books of 2015. About half of them are relevant and interesting. The other half look like someone randomly grabbed some books off a shelf.

More photos from Sasquan

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 02:31:00 +0000

More photos from Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention, held at Spokane, Washington.

Molly Gloss, author of The Dazzle of Day, Wild Life,

"Lambing Season," and "The Grinnell Method," at her reading.

David Hartwell, long-time editor, currently at Tor, at Literary Beer.

More from the 2015 Hugo Awards

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 19:38:00 +0000

Here are a couple more photos from the 2015 Hugo Awards ceremony, held August 22, at Sasquan, the World Science Fiction Convention, in Spokane, Washington.

Elizabeth Leggett, Best Fan Artist.

Ben Yalow, the Forrest J Ackerman Big Heart Award.

2015 Hugo Award Winners

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 08:11:00 +0000

Here are some photos from the 2015 Hugo Awards ceremony held just a few hours ago, on August 22, at Sasquan, the World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, Washington.

Ken Liu, the translator of the Best Novel winner,

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu.

Pat Cadigan, left, accepted for the Best Novelette winner "The Day the World Turned Upside Down" by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. At right is Laura J. Mixon, who won Best Fan Writer.

The editors of Lightspeed Magazine, winner of Best Semiprozine.

The editors of Journey Planet, the Best Fanzine.

Wesley Chu, winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

Julie Dillon won Best Professional Artist.

All the winners, and people who accepted for absentee winners.

David Gerrold, George RR Martin, and more at Sasquan

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 01:26:00 +0000

Here are some photos from a couple of the events I went to today, Thursday, August 20, 2015 at Sasquan, the World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, Washington.

David Gerrold at the Guest of Honor interview.

Vincent Docherty conducting the David Gerrold interview.

George R.R. Martin reading from his forthcoming book "Winds of Winter."

Sasquan souvenir book

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 05:50:00 +0000

Picked up the Sasquan souvenir book today, along with other materials for the 2015 World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, Washington. The wrap-around cover is by Brad Foster (only half is visible in this photo).

Attention seeking troll puppies

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 21:32:00 +0000

The various Puppy leaders, it turns out, have little to say, and their arguments implode into insignificance. They don't think a literary award, the Hugos, should go to literary fiction. They don't think science fiction should contain messages, or be socially progressive. Their voting slates, of course, contain attempts at literary fiction and message fiction. If we set aside their arguments, all we are left with is noise. Their attention-seeking trolling of the Hugo nomination process in essence says "look at me, look at me!" That is sad, indeed.

Hugo Award slates and the politics of exclusion

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 23:57:00 +0000

Slate voting is an exclusionary tactic.

Regular Hugo Awards voters nominate the stories and authors that they love in a scattershot manner, a method of voting that is easily overwhelmed in the nomination process by a relatively small group of lockstep slate voters.

The leaders of the Rapid Puppies and Sad Puppies recruited enough voters to march in lockstep, filling entire categories of the Hugo Awards ballot with their large slate of nominees. The motivation behind these slates, it is clear to me, has little to do with promoting under-appreciated authors and stories. Instead, their goal is the exclusion of others from the Hugo Awards ballot.

'The Last Man on Earth'

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:58:00 +0000

Will Forte, the creator, writer, and star, of the new television series "The Last Man on Earth" is apparently the lone survivor of a deadly virus.

Robert Lloyd, a Los Angeles Times television critic, describes the series:

Despite taking place five years in the future and sharing the title and more or less the premise of a 1964 Vincent Price movie, it is not science fiction. It's an abstraction, really, a comedy about existential cares and social mores in the absence of society. It asks what you do when it doesn't matter what you do because there's no one else around to care, or to care about.
Do you stop at stop signs? Eat with a fork? Park in a parking space?

The emphasis is mine. I'm sure generations of science fiction authors who have written similar stories will be glad to know that Robert Lloyd doesn't think they are capable of abstraction or consideration of existential cares and social mores.

I'll mention one well-known example: "Not With a Bang" by Damon Knight (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Winter-Spring 1950): after a plague the last man and the last woman meet at a restaurant. He goes to the men's room. While there he is stricken with the illness. The last woman can easily save him -- she has the antidote -- yet she can't face the idea of entering the men's room.

"Not with a Bang" is one of the most frequently anthologized short stories of the past 60 years. For a partial list, see this listing.

Related link:
'Last Man on Earth' review by Robert Lloyd (Los Angeles Times)

Olive Kitteridge review

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 19:37:00 +0000

"Olive Kitteridge," the HBO miniseries, is a character study of a remarkable woman: bright, depressed, judgmental, and -- this is key -- able to see through other people's phoniness and bullshit, while unable to see through her own.

We know little of Olive's (Frances McDormand) background, other than that her (undiagnosed) clinically depressed father blew his own head off with a shotgun. In the miniseries, Olive is presented as an adult, fully formed: a wife, mother, and math teacher at the local public school. The marriage seems solid, although they are clearly bored with each other. Husband Henry (Richard Jenkins) is the local small-town pharmacist. They live on the coast of Maine.

Their only child appears to be bright, listless and unhappy, making little effort in school. He doesn't like his mother, who he says is hyper-critical of his every short-coming. Olive, while interested in her son, is disappointed by his lack of effort. She takes an interest in the students at the school who have great potential, yet who struggle because of family circumstances. She helps as she can with the depressed single mother of one of her talented students. She gravitates to the misfits and those in need.

The story is a chronicle of the relentless march of time, aging, and death. Olive's marriage has gone hollow and she struggles to find meaning in retirement after her teaching career. Every detail is keenly observed, making it all the more painful. The relentless march touches her or those near her with frailty, illness, and death.

Her son (John Gallagher, Jr.), after a failed first marriage has become alienated and uncommunicative. A bright spot, the birth of a grandchild, she learns about months after the fact. Much as she learned of her son's second marriage.

In the fourth hour of the four-hour miniseries, Bill Murray appears as a neighbor that Olive develops a relationship with. Some viewers may be allergic to Murray, but for me Murray was the perfect choice. All of the acting is top notch, with Frances McDormand giving her best performance ever. And, yes, that is saying a lot, for those who know her remarkable career.

Lest this sound depressing and unwatchable, let me assure you, this is a wise, even spiritual take on growing old. This is easily one of the most remarkable programs on television in 2014.

Book purchases at Loncon 3, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 23:16:00 +0000

More profligate book buying at Loncon 3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention, held August 14-18, 2014, in London.

This time I'm focusing on small press publishing in the United Kingdom. Many of these titles are, I think you'll find, are difficult to find in the United States, and where they can be found the price will be a bit high. Click to enlarge the photos.

Three hardbacks and a trade paperback from NewCon Press, United Kingdom.

The Race by Nina Allan, a debut novel.

The Peacock Cloak, a collection of 12 stories by Chris Beckett.

Marcher by Chris Beckett, his second novel.

Sibilant Fricative: Essays and Reviews by Adam Roberts,

with an introduction by Paul Kincaid.

This is published under the Steel Quill Books imprint of NewCon Press.

Four trade paperbacks from Beccon Publications, United Kingdom.

Stay by John Clute, a collection of reviews, essays,

and five short stories. Clute's most recent book.

Pardon This Intrusion by John Clute,

containing essays, addresses, and introductions.

Canary Fever: Reviews by John Clute.

Call and Response by Paul Kincaid, reviews and essays.

Related links:
NewCon Press
Beccon Publications

Related link on this blog:
Book purchases at Loncon 3 (part 1)

Book purchases at Loncon 3

noreply@blogger.com (SF Strangelove) — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 22:42:00 +0000

I did my fair share to support the book publishing industry, especially the small press community, when I was in the dealers' room at Loncon 3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention, held August 14-19, 2014, in London.

The books pictured here represent some of the amazing vitality of small press publishing in Australia. As anyone who has tried to purchase books from Australia knows, shipping costs are remarkably high. I was very pleased to purchase these in person. Click to enlarge images.

Five paperbacks from Twelfth Planet Press, Australia.

A double, in the style of the old Ace Doubles, with Above by Stephanie Campisi

back-to-back with Below by Ben Peek.

Cracklescape, four stories by Margo Lanagan,

with an introduction by Jane Yolen.

Love and Romanpunk, four stories by Tansy Rayner Roberts,

with an introduction by Helen Merrick.

Thief of Lives, four stories by Lucy Sussex,

with an introduction by Karen Joy Fowler.

Caution: Contains Small Parts, four stories by Kirstyn McDermott,

with an introduction by Kij Johnson.

Two books, a hardback and a trade paperback,
from Ticonderoga Publications, Australia.

Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies: The Essential Lucy Sussex,

a collection of 25 stories.

The Bride Price, a collection of 13 stories by Cat Sparks.

Related links:
Twelfth Planet Press website
Ticonderoga Publications website

Related link on this blog:
Book purchases at Loncon 3, part 2