- Ellen Datlow's introduction to Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe (in case you missed yesterday's review, a fantastic anthology!).
- Be sure to catch Adam Rex's Poe features at Tor: An Edgar Allan Poem, Edgar Allan Poe Should Be Writing or Sleeping, Not Doing a Crossword Puzzle, Edgar Allan Poe Hears Sweet Music Like the Dulcet Tones of Angels or Whatever.
- Elizabeth Bear on writing characters of color.
- Lucy A. Snyder On Author Interviews.
- Thomas Sullivan on Writing Naked.
- Eric Rosenfield and Matt Cheney on Speculative Fiction in Conversation Part 2 (Part 1 here).
- Blaize Clement on Critique Groups, Pros and Cons (Mostly Cons).
- Just something I find cool: The Origins of Salt, Pepper & Other Popular Spices.
- GalleyCat has a video on How to Write A Book in Two Weeks (ugh!).
- Leigh Butler plans to tackle the Wheel of Time.
- Jeff Vandermeer on Top Five Things Editors Hate.
- Obama's Reading List, Revised.
- Middle-Earth's Civil Rights Movement.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
January 20, 2009 Links and Plugs
A belated happy birthday to Edgar Allan Poe.
Interview: Graham Joyce
Every Tuesday, I'll have an interview posted.
Graham Joyce is the author of several novels and short stories, as well as the recipient of awards such as the British Fantasy Award, Imaginaire Award, and World Fantasy Award. His latest book is How to Make Friends with Demons published by Night Shade Books.
Hi! Thanks for agreeing to do the interview. How did you get your start in writing? What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome?
Well I’d always been writing, but when I hit my thirties I decided to quit my job and go and live on the Greek island of Lesbos and put in some dedicated time. I lived in a scorpion infested shack on the beach and wrote every day. After a year in Greece I sold my first book. But there had been a lot of writing in the years before I made that happen.
What's your writing process like?
It’s like any other job. You lean on your spade or you put it to use. You spend hours yakking by the water cooler or you do something. So I write very day, five days a week.
When you write, what are typically your agendas or does it vary from novel to novel?
It changes. I keep trying to do something new with each novel, which makes the game harder but keeps it fresh and interesting.
What made you decide to go for a "spare prose" style?
When I was younger I used to enjoy a more exuberant and expressive style. But it’s like playing the guitar. After a while you realise it’s easier to put in all the fiddly notes and the vibrato and the bends. But simmering that down to a neat, clean, meaningful song is not so easy.
By paring down the prose what you get is much less flashy writing but the results are ultimately superior. You somehow get ballast from the process.
Where are you more comfortable: writing novels or short stories?
I like both forms but most of my time is taken up with writing novels.
How do you feel about being classified under various genres? How would you best describe your writing?
Heck. I never know how to answer this. I promised myself I would stop worrying about what kind of writing it is, but then other events or commentators shove you this way or that. I’ve attracted most labels going, at one time or another. So I’ve decided to come up with my own, even if it won’t mean much to anyone except myself. I’m a Fractured Realist. That’s it. Now I can move on with my life.
How did you first get your start writing poetry? Do you foresee writing some in the future?
You’re going back a way! I won the George Fraser Poetry Award in my mid twenties. I’d been writing poetry since I was a teen, after being influenced by the pretentious song lyrics on the back of rock albums. (Three Peters: Brown, Sinfield, Hammill of Cream, King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator respectively)
I’m pretty much done with poetry; or she is done with me. Oh, I’m lying. I do occasionally have the secret itch. I tend to keep it to myself though.
Who are some of your favorite authors or what are some of your favorite books?
The list would be way too long, but a few that made a deep impression would include George Orwell’s 1984, William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5, Umberto Eco’s The Name Of The Rose.
What is it about "weirdness" that appeals to you?
You’re saying I’m weird, aren’t you?
How did Night Shade Books ended up publishing your novel?
My last book The Limits of Enchantment was badly published in the US and I got dumped by my publisher. Night Shade looked at the figures for that book and they laughed. Really, they weren’t at all afraid of the figures the mighty engines of my previous publisher had managed. Now, I’ve known Night Shade right from their beginnings and we’ve been great friends all along. So we said let’s do it.
What was the inspiration for How to Make Friends with Demons?
Many things. Rage against this stupid war we’re prosecuting in Iraq while feeling sympathy for the soldiers; a fear that publishing itself is losing its integrity in the flood of fraudulent memoir, ghost-written celeb books, and fake histories; William Blake. For me a novel is an attempt to make order from of a bundle of contingencies swimming around in my head at any one time.
What kind of research did you have to do?
Quite a lot for this novel. Book forging, obviously. Conditions for the first gulf war, since there is a section about the fighting in the gulf. Plus I had to drink a lot of red wine to get my main protagonist right.
Why did you go with the word "demon" when you could have used other names like daemon, spirits, passions, etc.?
I suppose I’m trying to redefine the idea of what we mean by a demon. If you start calling it a daemon, you’re side-stepping that aim somehow.
What made you decide to become a teacher?
In England it used to be what you were supposed to do if you were from a blue-collar background and you were smart enough to go to college. You know: leave government, and the diplomatic service and the media to those who have been to Oxford and Cambridge but we might be able to use you as a teacher. It hasn’t changed much, except that they admit less blue collar kids through to be teachers these days. We’re still paralysed by social class issues in the UK.
As a writer, are there any experience that make you a better teacher? How about the reverse?
There is an obvious relationship between the two things, but to be honest some writers couldn’t teach if their lives depended on it. That’s why you get writers who say writing can’t be taught. What they mean is they can’t teach it. I really don’t know if being a teacher of writing makes you a better writer, since the two jobs are done from radically different places in the psyche. Though as a writer you do at least know what the useless advice is, such as the banal invocation to “write about what you know” and other useless general stuff. As a writer you want to be talking about the technical, craft-based issues, not specious flim-flam about the soul.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Spade. Water cooler. I said it above.
Anything else you want to plug?
A section of the novel was published as a stand alone story, and it has won this year’s O Henry award for short stories.
Graham Joyce is the author of several novels and short stories, as well as the recipient of awards such as the British Fantasy Award, Imaginaire Award, and World Fantasy Award. His latest book is How to Make Friends with Demons published by Night Shade Books.
Hi! Thanks for agreeing to do the interview. How did you get your start in writing? What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome?
Well I’d always been writing, but when I hit my thirties I decided to quit my job and go and live on the Greek island of Lesbos and put in some dedicated time. I lived in a scorpion infested shack on the beach and wrote every day. After a year in Greece I sold my first book. But there had been a lot of writing in the years before I made that happen.
What's your writing process like?
It’s like any other job. You lean on your spade or you put it to use. You spend hours yakking by the water cooler or you do something. So I write very day, five days a week.
When you write, what are typically your agendas or does it vary from novel to novel?
It changes. I keep trying to do something new with each novel, which makes the game harder but keeps it fresh and interesting.
What made you decide to go for a "spare prose" style?
When I was younger I used to enjoy a more exuberant and expressive style. But it’s like playing the guitar. After a while you realise it’s easier to put in all the fiddly notes and the vibrato and the bends. But simmering that down to a neat, clean, meaningful song is not so easy.
By paring down the prose what you get is much less flashy writing but the results are ultimately superior. You somehow get ballast from the process.
Where are you more comfortable: writing novels or short stories?
I like both forms but most of my time is taken up with writing novels.
How do you feel about being classified under various genres? How would you best describe your writing?
Heck. I never know how to answer this. I promised myself I would stop worrying about what kind of writing it is, but then other events or commentators shove you this way or that. I’ve attracted most labels going, at one time or another. So I’ve decided to come up with my own, even if it won’t mean much to anyone except myself. I’m a Fractured Realist. That’s it. Now I can move on with my life.
How did you first get your start writing poetry? Do you foresee writing some in the future?
You’re going back a way! I won the George Fraser Poetry Award in my mid twenties. I’d been writing poetry since I was a teen, after being influenced by the pretentious song lyrics on the back of rock albums. (Three Peters: Brown, Sinfield, Hammill of Cream, King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator respectively)
I’m pretty much done with poetry; or she is done with me. Oh, I’m lying. I do occasionally have the secret itch. I tend to keep it to myself though.
Who are some of your favorite authors or what are some of your favorite books?
The list would be way too long, but a few that made a deep impression would include George Orwell’s 1984, William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5, Umberto Eco’s The Name Of The Rose.
What is it about "weirdness" that appeals to you?
You’re saying I’m weird, aren’t you?
How did Night Shade Books ended up publishing your novel?
My last book The Limits of Enchantment was badly published in the US and I got dumped by my publisher. Night Shade looked at the figures for that book and they laughed. Really, they weren’t at all afraid of the figures the mighty engines of my previous publisher had managed. Now, I’ve known Night Shade right from their beginnings and we’ve been great friends all along. So we said let’s do it.
What was the inspiration for How to Make Friends with Demons?
Many things. Rage against this stupid war we’re prosecuting in Iraq while feeling sympathy for the soldiers; a fear that publishing itself is losing its integrity in the flood of fraudulent memoir, ghost-written celeb books, and fake histories; William Blake. For me a novel is an attempt to make order from of a bundle of contingencies swimming around in my head at any one time.
What kind of research did you have to do?
Quite a lot for this novel. Book forging, obviously. Conditions for the first gulf war, since there is a section about the fighting in the gulf. Plus I had to drink a lot of red wine to get my main protagonist right.
Why did you go with the word "demon" when you could have used other names like daemon, spirits, passions, etc.?
I suppose I’m trying to redefine the idea of what we mean by a demon. If you start calling it a daemon, you’re side-stepping that aim somehow.
What made you decide to become a teacher?
In England it used to be what you were supposed to do if you were from a blue-collar background and you were smart enough to go to college. You know: leave government, and the diplomatic service and the media to those who have been to Oxford and Cambridge but we might be able to use you as a teacher. It hasn’t changed much, except that they admit less blue collar kids through to be teachers these days. We’re still paralysed by social class issues in the UK.
As a writer, are there any experience that make you a better teacher? How about the reverse?
There is an obvious relationship between the two things, but to be honest some writers couldn’t teach if their lives depended on it. That’s why you get writers who say writing can’t be taught. What they mean is they can’t teach it. I really don’t know if being a teacher of writing makes you a better writer, since the two jobs are done from radically different places in the psyche. Though as a writer you do at least know what the useless advice is, such as the banal invocation to “write about what you know” and other useless general stuff. As a writer you want to be talking about the technical, craft-based issues, not specious flim-flam about the soul.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Spade. Water cooler. I said it above.
Anything else you want to plug?
A section of the novel was published as a stand alone story, and it has won this year’s O Henry award for short stories.
Monday, January 19, 2009
January 19, 2009 Links and Plugs
Back to your scheduled programming! Here's a backlog of two week's worth of links:
- In case you haven't been following it (or caught my earlier plug), check out Jeff Vandermeer's 60 in 60. We're past the halfway mark and you can check out the latest summary.
- Matt Staggs on Book Publicity Tips.
- Great quote from Cat Sparx: When I wrote, I used to ask myself 'how can I make this good enough?' These days I ask 'How can I make it better?'
- James A. Owen on Series and Query Letters.
- Nick Kauffman shares with us his wisdom: Responding to Rejections, Cutesy Cover Letters.
- Here's a couple of author Q&A's: Pat Cadigan, Ursula K. le Guin, Hal Duncan.
- Clarkesworld is open for submissions and here's a call for submissions from Ellen Datlow regarding Best Horror of the Year Volume Two.
- On the Year's Best Fantasy (Hartwell/Cramer) end, watch out for it from Tor.com (and not Tor).
- James Van Pelt on Publishing A Short Story Collection.
- Richard Bowes on The Mosaic Novel.
- Robert Silverberg on It Wasn't All That Easy.
- Alan DeNiro on Why I Write Science Fiction: An Apology.
- Jeff Vandermeer on Top Five Things This Writer Hates and Building a Fantastical City. While you're at it, listen to Billie Harris read Vandermeer.
- It's John Scalzi and Mary Robinette Kowal at Borderland Books!
- Not spec fic related but helpful advice to getting laid (or rather a public service announcement!) from Catherynne M. Valente.
- Kevin W. Readercon a.k.a. Cole A. Adams = not a writer. Mamatas compiles the relevant links while Hal Duncan summarizes what transpired. Aside from Steve being a friend, I think any sense of professionalism got thrown out the window when they start telling you to go commit suicide (to say nothing of the death threat).
- Bookspot Central pulls down its 2008 Cover Girls feature.
- Jessica Faust on her Favorite Editors.
- Tess Gerritsen on Don't Be Arrogant.
Book/Magazine Review: Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe edited by Ellen Datlow
Every Monday, I'll be doing spoiler-free, bite-sized book/magazine reviews.
Whether you're aligned with the literary academia or an unabashed genre reader, the name Edgar Allan Poe commands much respect. I think it's only fitting that a modern anthology inspired by the author's body of work should be released on his 200th anniversary. Perhaps what's surprising is that it's Solaris Books who's up to the task of publishing such a book--and kudos to them for that--but it all comes together with the firm editorial direction of Ellen Datlow and her stable of writers. Now Datlow for me has been an editor who's less impressed with literary fireworks or verbal acrobatics but focuses more on the meat and bones of the story, its fundamentals if you will. In that respect, Poe lives up to that promise. That's not to say the stories will immediately grip you. In fact, a good chunk of them takes time to develop. But for the most part, the patience and the struggle is well worth the wait, and what's consistent among them--and what I've come to associate with Poe--is that in the first few pages of each story, there's a sense of foreboding.
The paperback's size is deceptive. This is actually a very thick tome and it surprised me that nineteen well-developed stories managed to fit. Of the nineteen, there's only one or two stories which I have some reservations about and even then, it has an impact nonetheless. An example of the latter is "Flitting Away" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. It's actually a personal and disarming piece but I feel the author tips her hand by excessive repetition of the protagonist's "gratefulness" that prevented it from being as flawless as it could be.
Having said that, the rest of the stories are real gems and whether the consistency of the quality is due to the author's skills or the editor's whip-and-leash, the reader benefits nonetheless. I'll make a confession: I haven't read Poe. I know of him from pop culture but I haven't really actually read any of his texts. And I say that because hey, even if you feel you're an ignoramus for not being familiar with Poe, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy this anthology. I certainly did although I expect more well-read readers will appreciate the afterword at the end of each story or immediately spot the Poe associations. That said, here are my top three:
"Truth and Bone" by Pat Cadigan is very readable and while initially it seems that the story revolves around the conceit, the author holds back the endless well of ideas and instead focuses on what draws me in as a reader: the character. Cadigan pitches many concepts--each one easily a narrative of its own--but if you dig deep into the story, it's about the humanity of the protagonist and Cadigan writes not only a convincing teenager but a convincing family. And remember what I said about Poe eliciting a sense of foreboding? "Truth and Bone" captures that certain sense of tragic inevitability.
"Kirikh'quru Krokundor" by Lucius Shepard is one of the longer stories but it doesn't feel draining. It's certainly classic Shepard with his depth and characterization but there's also a certain sense of restraint on his part that makes the story tighter, cleaner, and follows a quicker pace. There's lot of excitement and tension stemming from multiple sources which is steadily doled out. Perhaps this isn't a story you read to be scared but rather more for the emotional impact it leaves you at the end.
And the story that sent jolts all over my body, one that I'd readily proclaim as one of my favorites for the year (or at least under consideration), is "Technicolor" by John Langan. I don't even know where to begin. As far as language is concerned, he immediately wins me over and this is one of the most compelling stories in the anthology. What's truly remarkable however is how Langan catches your attention in the length of the work and you find yourself living through the biographies of two different people even when you started out in what seems like a class lecture. Combine that with the Poe element and the deft execution of his ending, and you have a truly excellent story that I honestly have no idea how a lesser writer could succeed in pulling off.
There's actually a diverse set of stories here, whether you're following a moody Poe or a more modern piece (and if you just want current-day relevance, nothing is more apt than "Lowland Sea" by Suzy McKee Charnas). Heck, "Illimitable Domain" by Kim Newman is funny at the same time retaining a different kind of dread. I think what makes this anthology special is that while the contributors are inspired by Poe, they're not attempting to blindly mimic him. There are definitely Poe elements but each one is definitely identifiable as the author's own. "The Reunion" for example feels like a Nicholas Royle story albeit one with Poe influences. Definitely a great start for 2009 and Poe is one of those anthologies where most, if not all, of the stories are sophisticated and well-written. It sets a high bar, horror or speculative fiction or otherwise, for the other anthologies this year.
Whether you're aligned with the literary academia or an unabashed genre reader, the name Edgar Allan Poe commands much respect. I think it's only fitting that a modern anthology inspired by the author's body of work should be released on his 200th anniversary. Perhaps what's surprising is that it's Solaris Books who's up to the task of publishing such a book--and kudos to them for that--but it all comes together with the firm editorial direction of Ellen Datlow and her stable of writers. Now Datlow for me has been an editor who's less impressed with literary fireworks or verbal acrobatics but focuses more on the meat and bones of the story, its fundamentals if you will. In that respect, Poe lives up to that promise. That's not to say the stories will immediately grip you. In fact, a good chunk of them takes time to develop. But for the most part, the patience and the struggle is well worth the wait, and what's consistent among them--and what I've come to associate with Poe--is that in the first few pages of each story, there's a sense of foreboding.The paperback's size is deceptive. This is actually a very thick tome and it surprised me that nineteen well-developed stories managed to fit. Of the nineteen, there's only one or two stories which I have some reservations about and even then, it has an impact nonetheless. An example of the latter is "Flitting Away" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. It's actually a personal and disarming piece but I feel the author tips her hand by excessive repetition of the protagonist's "gratefulness" that prevented it from being as flawless as it could be.
Having said that, the rest of the stories are real gems and whether the consistency of the quality is due to the author's skills or the editor's whip-and-leash, the reader benefits nonetheless. I'll make a confession: I haven't read Poe. I know of him from pop culture but I haven't really actually read any of his texts. And I say that because hey, even if you feel you're an ignoramus for not being familiar with Poe, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy this anthology. I certainly did although I expect more well-read readers will appreciate the afterword at the end of each story or immediately spot the Poe associations. That said, here are my top three:
"Truth and Bone" by Pat Cadigan is very readable and while initially it seems that the story revolves around the conceit, the author holds back the endless well of ideas and instead focuses on what draws me in as a reader: the character. Cadigan pitches many concepts--each one easily a narrative of its own--but if you dig deep into the story, it's about the humanity of the protagonist and Cadigan writes not only a convincing teenager but a convincing family. And remember what I said about Poe eliciting a sense of foreboding? "Truth and Bone" captures that certain sense of tragic inevitability.
"Kirikh'quru Krokundor" by Lucius Shepard is one of the longer stories but it doesn't feel draining. It's certainly classic Shepard with his depth and characterization but there's also a certain sense of restraint on his part that makes the story tighter, cleaner, and follows a quicker pace. There's lot of excitement and tension stemming from multiple sources which is steadily doled out. Perhaps this isn't a story you read to be scared but rather more for the emotional impact it leaves you at the end.
And the story that sent jolts all over my body, one that I'd readily proclaim as one of my favorites for the year (or at least under consideration), is "Technicolor" by John Langan. I don't even know where to begin. As far as language is concerned, he immediately wins me over and this is one of the most compelling stories in the anthology. What's truly remarkable however is how Langan catches your attention in the length of the work and you find yourself living through the biographies of two different people even when you started out in what seems like a class lecture. Combine that with the Poe element and the deft execution of his ending, and you have a truly excellent story that I honestly have no idea how a lesser writer could succeed in pulling off.
There's actually a diverse set of stories here, whether you're following a moody Poe or a more modern piece (and if you just want current-day relevance, nothing is more apt than "Lowland Sea" by Suzy McKee Charnas). Heck, "Illimitable Domain" by Kim Newman is funny at the same time retaining a different kind of dread. I think what makes this anthology special is that while the contributors are inspired by Poe, they're not attempting to blindly mimic him. There are definitely Poe elements but each one is definitely identifiable as the author's own. "The Reunion" for example feels like a Nicholas Royle story albeit one with Poe influences. Definitely a great start for 2009 and Poe is one of those anthologies where most, if not all, of the stories are sophisticated and well-written. It sets a high bar, horror or speculative fiction or otherwise, for the other anthologies this year.
Book/Magazine Review: Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow
Every Monday, I'll be doing spoiler-free, bite-sized book/magazine reviews.
I can imagine how the premise of Shambling Towards Hiroshima could have started. The author was drunk with a friend and they started pitching ideas. Hey, you know how Godzilla was inspired by the atomic bomb? What if instead of dropping nukes on Japan, America instead unleashed giant fire-breathing lizards? As if that wasn't funky enough, let's throw in B-Movie Hollywood into the mix with the guy-in-the-monster-suit iconography. Most people will think this is either the craziest idea in the world or the most brilliant. And then they'll ditch the story the following day and work on something more "serious." Not James Morrow though. Shambling Towards Hiroshima is a short novel that's fun to read and doesn't hold back.
There are a couple of elements going for Morrow. First is the tone. While this is actually a very serious story, the narrative voice is full of sarcastic wit and personality that the author could be talking about the most drolling of circumstances (he doesn't) and one would still be glued to the pages. Morrow isn't afraid of going over the top such as the protagonist having a kinky escapade with his girlfriend (don't worry, it's PG-13) at the beach while wearing the lizard suit. And an extension of that is our main character, an actor/scriptwriter who feels like a regular Joe yet has a distinct personality that we can sympathize with.
Then there's the setting, a very passionate Hollywood and the eccentric cast that comes along with it. If it's just the details, Morrow bores deep into the film industry, whether it's the allusions to B-movies, the shenanigans that happens off-camera, or simply the type of people it attracts. Then throw in the cliche military outfit and viola!
What I particularly enjoyed is how Morrow is consistent, not only sustaining the flashy tone but keeping the reader's interest. I could probably go on and on about what lies beneath this black comedy but let's throw that out of the hat. Shambling Towards Hiroshima is an audacious romp and the author succeeds in making a ridiculous pitch into a believable narrative. Loosen up man! It's a man in a lizard suit out to end World War II, or at least die trying. How can you not like such a book?
I can imagine how the premise of Shambling Towards Hiroshima could have started. The author was drunk with a friend and they started pitching ideas. Hey, you know how Godzilla was inspired by the atomic bomb? What if instead of dropping nukes on Japan, America instead unleashed giant fire-breathing lizards? As if that wasn't funky enough, let's throw in B-Movie Hollywood into the mix with the guy-in-the-monster-suit iconography. Most people will think this is either the craziest idea in the world or the most brilliant. And then they'll ditch the story the following day and work on something more "serious." Not James Morrow though. Shambling Towards Hiroshima is a short novel that's fun to read and doesn't hold back.There are a couple of elements going for Morrow. First is the tone. While this is actually a very serious story, the narrative voice is full of sarcastic wit and personality that the author could be talking about the most drolling of circumstances (he doesn't) and one would still be glued to the pages. Morrow isn't afraid of going over the top such as the protagonist having a kinky escapade with his girlfriend (don't worry, it's PG-13) at the beach while wearing the lizard suit. And an extension of that is our main character, an actor/scriptwriter who feels like a regular Joe yet has a distinct personality that we can sympathize with.
Then there's the setting, a very passionate Hollywood and the eccentric cast that comes along with it. If it's just the details, Morrow bores deep into the film industry, whether it's the allusions to B-movies, the shenanigans that happens off-camera, or simply the type of people it attracts. Then throw in the cliche military outfit and viola!
What I particularly enjoyed is how Morrow is consistent, not only sustaining the flashy tone but keeping the reader's interest. I could probably go on and on about what lies beneath this black comedy but let's throw that out of the hat. Shambling Towards Hiroshima is an audacious romp and the author succeeds in making a ridiculous pitch into a believable narrative. Loosen up man! It's a man in a lizard suit out to end World War II, or at least die trying. How can you not like such a book?
Book/Magazine Review: Extraordinary Engines edited by Nick Gevers
Every Monday, I'll be doing spoiler-free, bite-sized book/magazine reviews.
I imagine Extraordinary Engines to be this huge Tesla Coil, fascinating everyone in its vicinity right away and the current doesn't drop until the very last page. It's adventurous, it's upbeat, and it's well-written--qualities that would have hooked me whether I was reading it a decade ago or the present. That's perhaps what I liked the most about this anthology: most of the stories are simply fun. It's not trying to be experimental or breaking new frontiers as far as form and technique is concerned but on the other hand, this isn't another rehash of a popular derivative titles out there. Weaving it altogether is a tight theme, in this case steampunk, and while I'm not exactly an expert in that particular field, the stories more than make up for any lack of an explicit definition.
Most of the stories in the anthology are actually quite striking in their own right, each one kinetic to the point that you simply can't put it down. Some say that in assembling an anthology, you put your best stories at the beginning and at the end. That pretty much sums up how I feel about Extraordinary Engines. "Steampunch" by James Lovegrove is aptly titled and fits the atmosphere it's going for. It starts with a compelling narrator and what wins me over is the unique tone, which is consistent, sympathetic, and lively. The definitely feels like it's a period piece although obviously, it's not.
At the end of the book is "The Dream of Reason" by Jeffrey Ford and tackles the combination of pseudoscience and romanticism that Ford has been known to produce from time to time. Less 'punk here and more of of a Victorian atmosphere with preposterous theories given credibility. It was an enjoyable change of pace and the author hits all the right chords, from an immediate compelling hook to the sprinkle of tension throughout the narrative. For me this is Ford reverting to his tried and true formula but you know what, I like it.
Somewhere in between are equally impressive stories, each one ambitious and trying to accomplish a specific agenda. "Elementals" by Ian R. Macleod for example is mind-blowing as he ties two of his central characters into a unifying concept that mutates into something titanic. "Machine Maid" by Margo Lanagan has this sense of the frontier but at the same time, subverting a cliche--the sex robot--for her own use that's stimulating, liberating, and horrific all at once. And "American Cheetah" by Robert Reed channels the best aspects of cheesy spaghetti Westerns and while it won't win literary awards anytime soon, ranks high in my "coolness" factor.
There's a couple of other interesting stories in this anthology but I think it's best for me to stop here. A vast majority of the stories included are adrenaline-pumping without being too gratuitous, having mainstream appeal yet not falling into the pit trap of formula. Easily an anthology I can recommend to the casual reader. Extraordinary Engines reminds me why I initially got into fantasy during my teens: not because it's well-written (not that the stories aren't) but because it's simply cool and has lots of fireworks.
I imagine Extraordinary Engines to be this huge Tesla Coil, fascinating everyone in its vicinity right away and the current doesn't drop until the very last page. It's adventurous, it's upbeat, and it's well-written--qualities that would have hooked me whether I was reading it a decade ago or the present. That's perhaps what I liked the most about this anthology: most of the stories are simply fun. It's not trying to be experimental or breaking new frontiers as far as form and technique is concerned but on the other hand, this isn't another rehash of a popular derivative titles out there. Weaving it altogether is a tight theme, in this case steampunk, and while I'm not exactly an expert in that particular field, the stories more than make up for any lack of an explicit definition.Most of the stories in the anthology are actually quite striking in their own right, each one kinetic to the point that you simply can't put it down. Some say that in assembling an anthology, you put your best stories at the beginning and at the end. That pretty much sums up how I feel about Extraordinary Engines. "Steampunch" by James Lovegrove is aptly titled and fits the atmosphere it's going for. It starts with a compelling narrator and what wins me over is the unique tone, which is consistent, sympathetic, and lively. The definitely feels like it's a period piece although obviously, it's not.
At the end of the book is "The Dream of Reason" by Jeffrey Ford and tackles the combination of pseudoscience and romanticism that Ford has been known to produce from time to time. Less 'punk here and more of of a Victorian atmosphere with preposterous theories given credibility. It was an enjoyable change of pace and the author hits all the right chords, from an immediate compelling hook to the sprinkle of tension throughout the narrative. For me this is Ford reverting to his tried and true formula but you know what, I like it.
Somewhere in between are equally impressive stories, each one ambitious and trying to accomplish a specific agenda. "Elementals" by Ian R. Macleod for example is mind-blowing as he ties two of his central characters into a unifying concept that mutates into something titanic. "Machine Maid" by Margo Lanagan has this sense of the frontier but at the same time, subverting a cliche--the sex robot--for her own use that's stimulating, liberating, and horrific all at once. And "American Cheetah" by Robert Reed channels the best aspects of cheesy spaghetti Westerns and while it won't win literary awards anytime soon, ranks high in my "coolness" factor.
There's a couple of other interesting stories in this anthology but I think it's best for me to stop here. A vast majority of the stories included are adrenaline-pumping without being too gratuitous, having mainstream appeal yet not falling into the pit trap of formula. Easily an anthology I can recommend to the casual reader. Extraordinary Engines reminds me why I initially got into fantasy during my teens: not because it's well-written (not that the stories aren't) but because it's simply cool and has lots of fireworks.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
My Freaking Body Chemistry
Ever since I left the hospital last week, I went on a self-imposed diet of congee and pork floss (how's that for bland food?). So imagine one week of nothing but carbohydrates and a little bit of protein. It had so little nutrients that by the time I'm sitting in the toilet, the previous day's meal was condensed into a tiny pebble of shit.
Of course that changed last Wednesday when my nose plugs were removed and I figured I could risk choking on more complex food. I went on a three-day crash course diet of six meals a day (where one meal can be anything from an entire bag of Lay's potato chips to two bowls of rice, strips of steak, carrots, and soup).
Now here's the funny thing. Before my surgery, I weighed 95 pounds thereabouts. By the time I stepped on the weighing scale last Friday, I weighed 99.7 pounds.
So when most people are losing weight post-surgery, I was apparently gaining some.
Of course that changed last Wednesday when my nose plugs were removed and I figured I could risk choking on more complex food. I went on a three-day crash course diet of six meals a day (where one meal can be anything from an entire bag of Lay's potato chips to two bowls of rice, strips of steak, carrots, and soup).
Now here's the funny thing. Before my surgery, I weighed 95 pounds thereabouts. By the time I stepped on the weighing scale last Friday, I weighed 99.7 pounds.
So when most people are losing weight post-surgery, I was apparently gaining some.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Plug: Philippine Speculative Fiction IV
Fresh from the editor:
A League of Champions by Ronald Cruz
A Retrospective on Diseases for Sale by Charles Tan
All We Need is Five Meals a Day by Jose Elvin Bueno
Beats by Kenneth Yu
Breaking the Spell by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
Breathing Space by Maryanne Moll
Dino's Awesome Adventure by Carljoe Javier
Dreams of the Iron Giant by Joseph Nacino
First of the Gang to Die by Paolo Jose Cruz
From Abecediarya by Adam David
Haya Makes A HUG by Erica Gonzales
Hopscotch by Anne Lagamayo
Mang Marcing and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Vincent Simbulan
Parallel by Eliza Victoria
Press Release by Leo Magno
Revenge of the Tiktaks by Noel Tio
Sky Blue by Celestine Trinidad
The Dance of the Storm by Isabel Yap
The Day That Frances, The Copywriter, Became God by Monique Francisco
The Maiden's Song by Kathleen Aton-Osias
The Paranoid Style by Sharmaine Galve
The Rooftops of Manila by Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo
The Secret Origin of Spin-Man by Andrew Drilon
The Sewing Project by Apol Lejano-Massebieau
And to whet your appetite, check out Anna Tambour's site where I am interviewed and she previews my story in the anthology.
Philippine Speculative Fiction IVAnd for a brief re-cap, here's the table of contents (not in order):
Edited by Dean Francis Alfar & Nikki Alfar
Book launch: February 28, 2009 - 5:30PM
U-View Theater, Fully Booked High Street
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
A League of Champions by Ronald Cruz
A Retrospective on Diseases for Sale by Charles Tan
All We Need is Five Meals a Day by Jose Elvin Bueno
Beats by Kenneth Yu
Breaking the Spell by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
Breathing Space by Maryanne Moll
Dino's Awesome Adventure by Carljoe Javier
Dreams of the Iron Giant by Joseph Nacino
First of the Gang to Die by Paolo Jose Cruz
From Abecediarya by Adam David
Haya Makes A HUG by Erica Gonzales
Hopscotch by Anne Lagamayo
Mang Marcing and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Vincent Simbulan
Parallel by Eliza Victoria
Press Release by Leo Magno
Revenge of the Tiktaks by Noel Tio
Sky Blue by Celestine Trinidad
The Dance of the Storm by Isabel Yap
The Day That Frances, The Copywriter, Became God by Monique Francisco
The Maiden's Song by Kathleen Aton-Osias
The Paranoid Style by Sharmaine Galve
The Rooftops of Manila by Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo
The Secret Origin of Spin-Man by Andrew Drilon
The Sewing Project by Apol Lejano-Massebieau
And to whet your appetite, check out Anna Tambour's site where I am interviewed and she previews my story in the anthology.
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Won't be updating for the rest of the week but in the meantime, hopefully this news/feature will last you until next week.
Last Monday, Gavin Grant announced that there won't be a release this year of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror--at least the current form as we know it.
James A. Owen summarizes my feelings with this statement: "That's sort of an end of an era right there."
For me, there are several reasons why the anthology holds a very special place in the community.
As a fan, it was the de-facto fantasy/horror anthology to purchase. If you wanted a summation of the previous year's best short stories, this was the book to get. "Best Of" reprint anthologies had a boom in recent years but The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror consistently delivered for more than two decades and easily became an icon in itself. Again, the book had several things going for it. First, let's talk about the selections. It covers a vast field, not just fiction and poetry but both fantasy and horror. But what personally appealed to me was the fact that this was a book that strove to expand its horizons, challenging our notions of what is genre, as well as covering a diverse scope.
Second is the format. The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is composed of three sections. It starts off with a summation of the industry and this section has expanded over the years, covering not just the conventions and publishers but other forms of media as well such as movies and comics. This in itself could have been a scholarly paper on its own, and the only thing that comes close in recent years is Rich Horton's summation of the various genre publications.
The second section is what we typically expect of most anthologies: the stories themselves. Again, when it comes to The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, I think the strength of this part is that it crossed conventions and featured a diverse set of stories. By itself, I think the anthology would have been successful but this is only one-third of the book.
The last section is the Honorable Mentions list. As a reader, this is a great place to discover terrific short stories and authors, especially the not-so-famous ones. This is a definite treasure trove when it comes to recommended reading. As a writer however, getting into the Honorables Mention list is truly an honor (short of actually getting included in the anthology). It was a goal to aspire to and is as rewarding as winning a Hugo or Nebula (that might be an exaggeration so your mileage may vary). I mean when the 2008 edition got released, the first thing that authors/editors/publishers started posting on their blogs was how this and that story got cited in the book.
Now combine all three and you have an indispensable tome, at least as far as content is concerned. Each of the sections could have been a mini-publication of its own yet here it is in one convenient package.
Of course that's not the only reason why The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is the icon that it is. Jeff Vandermeer has a blog entry on anthologies and part of the charm of the book is its reputation and the publisher backing it. I do think it's a valid question to ask "But if you move an institution to an indie press, is it still an institution?"
Giving Credit Where It's Due
The names of the editors are usually associated with the anthology but here are some of the people which I believe tend to be overlooked.
There's no better place to start than Jim Fenkel. Terri Windling states: "It's Jim Frenkel who deserves the credit for producing two decades of YBF&H. The anthology was his idea and his baby from the start. It was Jim who picked the editorial team." John Klima adds "As much as Ellen, Gavin, Kelly, and formerly Terri Windling, drove the contents of the anthology and gave readers hundreds of thousands of words of excellent reading, it was Jim Frenkel, working as the packager, who got the whole thing organized and put together."
Then there's Tom Canty which actually gave the book a distinctive look and feel. To quote Windling, "You have to be as old as we are to remember how radical Tom's delicate, Pre-Raphaelite-inspired art looked on genre covers back then, when muscle-bound, half-naked swordsmen were still the norm."
And of course there are the editors both path and present: Ellen Datlow, Gavin Grant, Kelly Link, and Terri Windling. The direction and stewardship of the anthology was pretty much in their hands and a lot of people associate the book with their names and vice versa--justly so.
What Happens Next?
It's a question on a lot of people's minds and it's certainly possible to port over the anthology to a different publisher (it's interesting to note that the contract with St. Martin's Press was one year at a time ).
Currently, Ellen Datlow tentatively has two upcoming horror anthologies with Night Shade Books. The book will be around 125,000-words long when it comes to the fiction side, possibly more depending on the length of Datlow's introduction (the Horror summation part). While the anthology ain't The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, this is easily the successor to the horror half. (Of course this also means that if Fenkel and Datlow does attempt to resurrect the book, the latter won't be available until her work with Night Shade Books is completed.)
What isn't clear right now is the actual cause of the anthology's discontinuation. "For the record though, the recession has nothing to do with the end of the series (as at least a couple of postings have said) and secondly the series was not dumped by St Martin's. The leavetaking from St Martin's was a mutual parting of the ways --it's just that other complexities made reselling the antho elsewhere difficult, if not impossible," says Ellen Datlow in Elizabeth Hand's blog.
As for me, well, I do feel it's definitely the end of an era, but not necessarily the end of the genre. There's a lot of anthologies coming out and while they may not be The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, it's also diversifying itself in a way that the said anthology couldn't. I can easily imagine Horton stepping up to the plate as far as summaries are concerned, should he be interested in doing so, and we're seeing the resurgence of anthologists such as the Vandermeers, Jonathan Strahan, and hopefully more from the duo that is David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer.
Last Monday, Gavin Grant announced that there won't be a release this year of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror--at least the current form as we know it.
James A. Owen summarizes my feelings with this statement: "That's sort of an end of an era right there."
For me, there are several reasons why the anthology holds a very special place in the community.
As a fan, it was the de-facto fantasy/horror anthology to purchase. If you wanted a summation of the previous year's best short stories, this was the book to get. "Best Of" reprint anthologies had a boom in recent years but The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror consistently delivered for more than two decades and easily became an icon in itself. Again, the book had several things going for it. First, let's talk about the selections. It covers a vast field, not just fiction and poetry but both fantasy and horror. But what personally appealed to me was the fact that this was a book that strove to expand its horizons, challenging our notions of what is genre, as well as covering a diverse scope.
Second is the format. The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is composed of three sections. It starts off with a summation of the industry and this section has expanded over the years, covering not just the conventions and publishers but other forms of media as well such as movies and comics. This in itself could have been a scholarly paper on its own, and the only thing that comes close in recent years is Rich Horton's summation of the various genre publications.
The second section is what we typically expect of most anthologies: the stories themselves. Again, when it comes to The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, I think the strength of this part is that it crossed conventions and featured a diverse set of stories. By itself, I think the anthology would have been successful but this is only one-third of the book.
The last section is the Honorable Mentions list. As a reader, this is a great place to discover terrific short stories and authors, especially the not-so-famous ones. This is a definite treasure trove when it comes to recommended reading. As a writer however, getting into the Honorables Mention list is truly an honor (short of actually getting included in the anthology). It was a goal to aspire to and is as rewarding as winning a Hugo or Nebula (that might be an exaggeration so your mileage may vary). I mean when the 2008 edition got released, the first thing that authors/editors/publishers started posting on their blogs was how this and that story got cited in the book.
Now combine all three and you have an indispensable tome, at least as far as content is concerned. Each of the sections could have been a mini-publication of its own yet here it is in one convenient package.
Of course that's not the only reason why The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is the icon that it is. Jeff Vandermeer has a blog entry on anthologies and part of the charm of the book is its reputation and the publisher backing it. I do think it's a valid question to ask "But if you move an institution to an indie press, is it still an institution?"
Giving Credit Where It's Due
The names of the editors are usually associated with the anthology but here are some of the people which I believe tend to be overlooked.
There's no better place to start than Jim Fenkel. Terri Windling states: "It's Jim Frenkel who deserves the credit for producing two decades of YBF&H. The anthology was his idea and his baby from the start. It was Jim who picked the editorial team." John Klima adds "As much as Ellen, Gavin, Kelly, and formerly Terri Windling, drove the contents of the anthology and gave readers hundreds of thousands of words of excellent reading, it was Jim Frenkel, working as the packager, who got the whole thing organized and put together."
Then there's Tom Canty which actually gave the book a distinctive look and feel. To quote Windling, "You have to be as old as we are to remember how radical Tom's delicate, Pre-Raphaelite-inspired art looked on genre covers back then, when muscle-bound, half-naked swordsmen were still the norm."
And of course there are the editors both path and present: Ellen Datlow, Gavin Grant, Kelly Link, and Terri Windling. The direction and stewardship of the anthology was pretty much in their hands and a lot of people associate the book with their names and vice versa--justly so.
What Happens Next?
It's a question on a lot of people's minds and it's certainly possible to port over the anthology to a different publisher (it's interesting to note that the contract with St. Martin's Press was one year at a time ).
Currently, Ellen Datlow tentatively has two upcoming horror anthologies with Night Shade Books. The book will be around 125,000-words long when it comes to the fiction side, possibly more depending on the length of Datlow's introduction (the Horror summation part). While the anthology ain't The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, this is easily the successor to the horror half. (Of course this also means that if Fenkel and Datlow does attempt to resurrect the book, the latter won't be available until her work with Night Shade Books is completed.)
What isn't clear right now is the actual cause of the anthology's discontinuation. "For the record though, the recession has nothing to do with the end of the series (as at least a couple of postings have said) and secondly the series was not dumped by St Martin's. The leavetaking from St Martin's was a mutual parting of the ways --it's just that other complexities made reselling the antho elsewhere difficult, if not impossible," says Ellen Datlow in Elizabeth Hand's blog.
As for me, well, I do feel it's definitely the end of an era, but not necessarily the end of the genre. There's a lot of anthologies coming out and while they may not be The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, it's also diversifying itself in a way that the said anthology couldn't. I can easily imagine Horton stepping up to the plate as far as summaries are concerned, should he be interested in doing so, and we're seeing the resurgence of anthologists such as the Vandermeers, Jonathan Strahan, and hopefully more from the duo that is David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Still Recovering...
Apparently recovery isn't as simple as I planned it would be. "It's a quick surgery and you'll be home the next day," the surgeon said. "You should rest for a week."
Such a simple game plan, it sounded reasonable. I've been under house-arrest (where else would I go?) during the Christmas break and itching to become a productive member of society again.
Well, here's what really happened. Checked in at the hospital last Tuesday, feeling a bit scared mostly due to the IV (I've never had IV's stuck inside me).
Come Wednesday morning, the IV was attached and it's off to surgery. I remember meeting my anaesthetist a few seconds before falling unconscious and all I could think of is that she was pretty...
And then I wake up, not with unbearable pain, but in an unfamiliar environment. Back in the 80's, it was said that Michael Jackson had a personal oxygen chamber to help preserve his youth and as someone who was constantly choking on polluted air, pure oxygen seemed like a drug I could become addicted to. Well, here was pure oxygen, a breathing cup attached to my mouth. Which was also full of bloody phlegm. First thing I had to learn was how to breathe. Then talk. In that order. A few minutes later, I would learn to breathe, talk, then spit.
There were other patients beside me and I felt like Jesus Christ. One was moaning, suffering from some ailment I could not perceive from my position. To my other side was a calm patient, someone who had yet to undergo surgery and was surrounded by such serenity.
Strangely enough, my most immediate concern then and there was to pee. Through some machinations of body language and hand waving, I managed to indicate that I needed to go to the bathroom. They gave me this sort of jar but the difficulty came in peering while lying down (I can't do it). All eyes were on me and nothing would come out of my member. Talk about performance issues. "It's all right, we can try again later," the nurse said.
Eventually managed to pee sideways and once I had stopped breathing through my oxygen mask, it was taken away from me and I was carted off to my room. From there, it was mostly sleep and boredom. Communicated through my mom via text messaging and when I was annoyed enough, managed to get in a word or two. Reading wasn't really an option for me. For one, there was the strip of gauze that blocked a part of my vision and I was still in shock at my predicament.
I finally went home on Thursday morning. It was liberating to be free from the bed. At home, I had more flexibility, which mainly involved either reading a book or staring at my computer. The latter isn't as productive as it sounds. I couldn't really type for long periods because it took conscious effort to either breathe or think up of words. My brain was also addled to do some long-term reading although I did manage to finish a book or two during this time. The worst I think were the meds, which caused various side-effects that would plague me for the rest of the week.
Here's what happened: the bone of my left nostril was cut and the flesh was re-attached. They then plugged in a long, spongy tube in each nostril and had the ends attached to a string that were taped to each of my cheek. During this entire time, blood (in the left) and snot (in the right) would try to squeeze its way out. When it couldn't, well, you can figure out all the personal pain and complications that happen there.
When I managed to master breathing through my mouth, the next trick was swallowing. Now the problem with swallowing is that it's not only connected to my stomach, it's connected to my nose and ears. Because my nose was congested, everything I ate or drank would pass through my ear like some strange reverberation. I've experienced it before so it's no big deal but the fact that it happens every time you swallow (such as saliva) can be quite distressing. The bigger complication with swallowing is that it's also connected to my nose. Every time I drink a glass of water, there's a good chance that a good bulk of it would drain in my right nostril and push off whatever snot that accumulated.
Eating, of course, is another problem. True, there weren't really any foods that were barred from me, but again, time spent chewing is time not spent breathing. I opted for a diet of congee and pork floss, a common Chinese meal here, which I rigorously followed for seven days. Not that people didn't offer me other foods but I don't really have the time to sort out the bones in seafood or deal with the hardness of meat. So imagine a bland diet compounded by the fact that my meds were draining much-need resources from my body (i.e. calcium).
The biggest hurdle was sleep. I didn't get more than 8 hours of sleep during that entire week. Through some combination of the meds and involuntary triggers (such as snorting) from my body (throw in some hallucinations in there as well), I couldn't sleep, at least not without causing some complication in my body. It might be a jolt of pain or a sudden spasm from God knows where.
Then there are the luxuries you give up. Hadn't had an actual bath for one whole week. Brushing my teeth was a chore (while I can't smell the bad breath, I can definitely taste it). Any illusion of independence was thrown out the window. Even hearing my own voice was quite alien.
Now some days were better than others. The messy thing here is that each day, it was a different sort of problem. Maybe you had your throat-ear equilibrium in balance but your nose was congested and giving you had headache. On other days, everything's clear as far as breathing is concerned but your lips are getting scraped due to lack of water.
Anyway, went to the doctor today in what I thought would be my last visit. Suffice to say, it's not.
I'm now breathing through my nose and it's a weird experience. Again, I need to be easy on my nostril as it's still bleeding (and will be bleeding for the next few days). There's some prescription inhalers which I need to be taking regularly. Oh, and I'll be having bloody phlegm for the next few weeks. I have to remember to cough it out every few minutes or so.
Right now, one of my biggest problem is the rest of my body. I could barely stand up straight. Oh, and I'm bed-ridden again for the next few days as I recover. Main goal right now is to recover all the nutrients I lost during the initial recovery period. Currently, as much as I want to leave the house and venture to either the office or the mall, I can't.
Again, not much updates in the coming weeks but hopefully I'll have fully recovered by the end of the month.
Such a simple game plan, it sounded reasonable. I've been under house-arrest (where else would I go?) during the Christmas break and itching to become a productive member of society again.
Well, here's what really happened. Checked in at the hospital last Tuesday, feeling a bit scared mostly due to the IV (I've never had IV's stuck inside me).
Come Wednesday morning, the IV was attached and it's off to surgery. I remember meeting my anaesthetist a few seconds before falling unconscious and all I could think of is that she was pretty...
And then I wake up, not with unbearable pain, but in an unfamiliar environment. Back in the 80's, it was said that Michael Jackson had a personal oxygen chamber to help preserve his youth and as someone who was constantly choking on polluted air, pure oxygen seemed like a drug I could become addicted to. Well, here was pure oxygen, a breathing cup attached to my mouth. Which was also full of bloody phlegm. First thing I had to learn was how to breathe. Then talk. In that order. A few minutes later, I would learn to breathe, talk, then spit.
There were other patients beside me and I felt like Jesus Christ. One was moaning, suffering from some ailment I could not perceive from my position. To my other side was a calm patient, someone who had yet to undergo surgery and was surrounded by such serenity.
Strangely enough, my most immediate concern then and there was to pee. Through some machinations of body language and hand waving, I managed to indicate that I needed to go to the bathroom. They gave me this sort of jar but the difficulty came in peering while lying down (I can't do it). All eyes were on me and nothing would come out of my member. Talk about performance issues. "It's all right, we can try again later," the nurse said.
Eventually managed to pee sideways and once I had stopped breathing through my oxygen mask, it was taken away from me and I was carted off to my room. From there, it was mostly sleep and boredom. Communicated through my mom via text messaging and when I was annoyed enough, managed to get in a word or two. Reading wasn't really an option for me. For one, there was the strip of gauze that blocked a part of my vision and I was still in shock at my predicament.
I finally went home on Thursday morning. It was liberating to be free from the bed. At home, I had more flexibility, which mainly involved either reading a book or staring at my computer. The latter isn't as productive as it sounds. I couldn't really type for long periods because it took conscious effort to either breathe or think up of words. My brain was also addled to do some long-term reading although I did manage to finish a book or two during this time. The worst I think were the meds, which caused various side-effects that would plague me for the rest of the week.
Here's what happened: the bone of my left nostril was cut and the flesh was re-attached. They then plugged in a long, spongy tube in each nostril and had the ends attached to a string that were taped to each of my cheek. During this entire time, blood (in the left) and snot (in the right) would try to squeeze its way out. When it couldn't, well, you can figure out all the personal pain and complications that happen there.
When I managed to master breathing through my mouth, the next trick was swallowing. Now the problem with swallowing is that it's not only connected to my stomach, it's connected to my nose and ears. Because my nose was congested, everything I ate or drank would pass through my ear like some strange reverberation. I've experienced it before so it's no big deal but the fact that it happens every time you swallow (such as saliva) can be quite distressing. The bigger complication with swallowing is that it's also connected to my nose. Every time I drink a glass of water, there's a good chance that a good bulk of it would drain in my right nostril and push off whatever snot that accumulated.
Eating, of course, is another problem. True, there weren't really any foods that were barred from me, but again, time spent chewing is time not spent breathing. I opted for a diet of congee and pork floss, a common Chinese meal here, which I rigorously followed for seven days. Not that people didn't offer me other foods but I don't really have the time to sort out the bones in seafood or deal with the hardness of meat. So imagine a bland diet compounded by the fact that my meds were draining much-need resources from my body (i.e. calcium).
The biggest hurdle was sleep. I didn't get more than 8 hours of sleep during that entire week. Through some combination of the meds and involuntary triggers (such as snorting) from my body (throw in some hallucinations in there as well), I couldn't sleep, at least not without causing some complication in my body. It might be a jolt of pain or a sudden spasm from God knows where.
Then there are the luxuries you give up. Hadn't had an actual bath for one whole week. Brushing my teeth was a chore (while I can't smell the bad breath, I can definitely taste it). Any illusion of independence was thrown out the window. Even hearing my own voice was quite alien.
Now some days were better than others. The messy thing here is that each day, it was a different sort of problem. Maybe you had your throat-ear equilibrium in balance but your nose was congested and giving you had headache. On other days, everything's clear as far as breathing is concerned but your lips are getting scraped due to lack of water.
Anyway, went to the doctor today in what I thought would be my last visit. Suffice to say, it's not.
I'm now breathing through my nose and it's a weird experience. Again, I need to be easy on my nostril as it's still bleeding (and will be bleeding for the next few days). There's some prescription inhalers which I need to be taking regularly. Oh, and I'll be having bloody phlegm for the next few weeks. I have to remember to cough it out every few minutes or so.
Right now, one of my biggest problem is the rest of my body. I could barely stand up straight. Oh, and I'm bed-ridden again for the next few days as I recover. Main goal right now is to recover all the nutrients I lost during the initial recovery period. Currently, as much as I want to leave the house and venture to either the office or the mall, I can't.
Again, not much updates in the coming weeks but hopefully I'll have fully recovered by the end of the month.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Interview: Tobias Buckell
Every Tuesday, I'll have an interview posted.
Tobias Buckell is a professional science fiction author and blogger. His most recent novels include Sly Mongoose and Halo: The Cole Protocol.
Hi! Thanks for agreeing to do the interview. First off, when did you first fall in love with science fiction?
I was pretty young, six or seven, I think, when I picked up Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. Blew my mind apart. I wanted more of the big concepts of SF after that.
Who are some of your favorite writers or what are some of your favorite books?
The cyberpunk writers had a big impact on getting me writing when I was in high school (particularly Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling, and his Schismatrix series), though Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep was one of my all time favorite novels. I read and reread it over 30 times, and I even paid my sister to count all the pages per chapter created an estimate of how many words per page and chapter there were, and then created a plot diagram out of it.
Other than that, I read everything Arthur C. Clarke wrote. When you say Science Fiction to me, I think Clarke. His characters came from a global community, and it looked out at the larger picture with a sense of wonder for the whole human race that was so inclusive and forward looking, with an emphasis on the need for rationality and science, that he affected me more than any other writer.
Did you always know you wanted to be a science fiction writer? Do you plan to branch out into other genres or perhaps even mediums (such as comics or video games)?
I always wanted to be a writer, yeah. Other genres don't interest me as much, but I'd love to play in other mediums, yes. Videogames interest the heck out of me, but right now I'm also really interested in writing scripts. With special effects getting cheaper and cheaper, I think the time of fantastic genre movies is just around the corner, but I think a new generation of script writers who can play with scripts that take advantage of the 10-20 million dollar budget area, small films, will be in high demand in the decades to come.
You've participated in workshops, won contests, and simply churned out stories. In your opinion, what was one of the most valuable writing lessons you learned and where did you learn it?
That it's hard work, on the level of making a living at it, you need to write a lot of pages every day to hit that novel every year, or 18 months, plus all the other stuff that comes along with the career (short stories, articles, non-fiction if you're me). The sooner you can figure out how you can get up to speed the better LOL. I talked to a class the other day about how, during the winter, because I have seasonal affective disorder, I slow way down in my output. Last winter, I said I'd written 4 or 5 short stories, a novel proposal, and that's on top of my daily non-fiction work. They were shocked at the work load, but I'd worked my way up there after 2 years, their one short story a month did not impress me at all LOL.
Let's talk about your novels. When you first wrote Crystal Rain, did you already intend for it to spawn off into other similar novels such as Ragamuffin and Sly Mongoose? Will we be seeing other novels set in the same setting in the future?
Crystal Rain was a stand alone novel, but I had written some short stories and outlined some ideas about the larger context of the book from years before. However, lots of details changed when I sat down to write Ragamuffin, as that was the book where I did open the lid and peer into all that background and solidify it.
As for whether we'll see more novels in the setting, at this point it depends on sales of Sly Mongoose...
I enjoyed the characters and the various political philosophies in Sly Mongoose. Do you have a hierarchy of priorities when writing novels, such as character trumps plot or vice versa?
I view it as a very large organic bubble chart, to be honest. Each one influences the other, overlaps, it's all messy in my head. In the end, though, I seem to naturally be more of a pacing/plot person, but that usually means I work extra hard on characters to compensate.
Your fiction has often been described as Caribbean. Do you agree with this sentiment? What in your opinion are the elements that identifies a text as having a Caribbean influence?
I'd like to think there is a diversity among my characters and world that is not the usual, and that comes from my growing up in the islands, where people from all over the world gathered together on islands. My interest in smaller developing countries, and how smaller groups stand up against larger ones, comes from it. I have a post colonial power struggle thread through the works.
That's some of the socio-stuff. There is also, growing up in the developing world, a fascination with mashups: taking technology and remixing it in new ways. That includes language (some rastafarian remixing of language, take a word like oppressor to downpressor) and music as well (dub reggae, using old oildrums to make steelpans). There is my love of the sea and sail, that comes from growing up there.
I have a very gray view of political stability that comes from growing up in Grenada, with its history and hearing how things went from hopeful, to scary, and then crazy in a revolution and war.
All of these things blend in.
In a SFF World interview, you've mentioned your preference for writing novel-length fiction. Does that mean you're more comfortable writing novels than short fiction? As far as your writing is concerned, what's the biggest adjustments you have to make when preparing to write short stories as opposed to novels and vice versa?
I prefer novels to short fiction, I'm more comfortable with the novels, yes. The adjustments are that with that novels, however, you have to run a marathon. It's months and months and months of staying focused on writing the book, and not getting discouraged and fed up with your own inadequacies and the flaws you see in the work. The ability to push through takes mettle.
What kind of research did you have to do for your Halo novel?
I'd played the games, so that was research. When I got the contract to write the novel, I replayed Halo 2 and Halo 3, just to get fresh. It was funny that my wife would come out in to the living room and ask why I was playing so much Halo, and I'd say 'just working, sweetie. Working hard.' I also read the previous 5 novels, the graphic novel, and the comics that had come out. The folks at Bungie also had some material for me to read that helped background it all. So all in all, it was fun research.
In Of Blog of the Fallen, you mentioned you'd love to do an X-Men novel. What other licensed properties, given the chance, would you like to write?
Well, a Wolverine novel, to be particular ;-) I'm a big fan of the Terminator reboot on TV, the Sarah Conner chronicles, particularly season 1. I'm fond of the Gears of War videogame, as well as Mass Effect.
What are some of your favorite games or hobbies you do to relax?
I play a lot of Xbox :-) I'm looking forward to the next Call of Duty and Mirror's Edge, I'm playing Brother's In Arms: Hell's Highway, right now.
How has the Internet affected the SF&F industry?
I think it's drawn the writers and readers closer together. There's quite an online community.
What's the biggest challenge you've faced as far as the industry is concerned, whether it's starting out as a new author or perhaps promoting yourself?
I find the shelf life for books to be absolutely brutal. Despite all the push for online promotion and sales, if the book doesn't get shelved in bookstores you lose a lot of traction. Hardcovers get 2-3 months on the shelves. When my first book came out in hardcover, after years of working toward being published, seeing the book all but disappear after a couple months was really hard on the new author psyche. The industry is very focused on the 'next big thing.' On your first book, there's no upper limit, so you have some attention and excitement. Then the industry runs off to the next first book. The hardest book to sell is the fourth, I'm told increasingly. I've managed that, so I feel lucky. I have 2 more in the pipe.
What happens after that, we'll see!
If your character Pepper were to participate in an intergalactic battle royale, who are some fictional characters you'd think would make good contenders for him to face off?
I'd pay to see Pepper versus Wolverine.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Get cracking! The largest part of the word 'writer' is the word 'write.'
Tobias Buckell is a professional science fiction author and blogger. His most recent novels include Sly Mongoose and Halo: The Cole Protocol.Hi! Thanks for agreeing to do the interview. First off, when did you first fall in love with science fiction?
I was pretty young, six or seven, I think, when I picked up Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. Blew my mind apart. I wanted more of the big concepts of SF after that.
Who are some of your favorite writers or what are some of your favorite books?
The cyberpunk writers had a big impact on getting me writing when I was in high school (particularly Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling, and his Schismatrix series), though Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep was one of my all time favorite novels. I read and reread it over 30 times, and I even paid my sister to count all the pages per chapter created an estimate of how many words per page and chapter there were, and then created a plot diagram out of it.
Other than that, I read everything Arthur C. Clarke wrote. When you say Science Fiction to me, I think Clarke. His characters came from a global community, and it looked out at the larger picture with a sense of wonder for the whole human race that was so inclusive and forward looking, with an emphasis on the need for rationality and science, that he affected me more than any other writer.
Did you always know you wanted to be a science fiction writer? Do you plan to branch out into other genres or perhaps even mediums (such as comics or video games)?
I always wanted to be a writer, yeah. Other genres don't interest me as much, but I'd love to play in other mediums, yes. Videogames interest the heck out of me, but right now I'm also really interested in writing scripts. With special effects getting cheaper and cheaper, I think the time of fantastic genre movies is just around the corner, but I think a new generation of script writers who can play with scripts that take advantage of the 10-20 million dollar budget area, small films, will be in high demand in the decades to come.
You've participated in workshops, won contests, and simply churned out stories. In your opinion, what was one of the most valuable writing lessons you learned and where did you learn it?
That it's hard work, on the level of making a living at it, you need to write a lot of pages every day to hit that novel every year, or 18 months, plus all the other stuff that comes along with the career (short stories, articles, non-fiction if you're me). The sooner you can figure out how you can get up to speed the better LOL. I talked to a class the other day about how, during the winter, because I have seasonal affective disorder, I slow way down in my output. Last winter, I said I'd written 4 or 5 short stories, a novel proposal, and that's on top of my daily non-fiction work. They were shocked at the work load, but I'd worked my way up there after 2 years, their one short story a month did not impress me at all LOL.
Let's talk about your novels. When you first wrote Crystal Rain, did you already intend for it to spawn off into other similar novels such as Ragamuffin and Sly Mongoose? Will we be seeing other novels set in the same setting in the future?
Crystal Rain was a stand alone novel, but I had written some short stories and outlined some ideas about the larger context of the book from years before. However, lots of details changed when I sat down to write Ragamuffin, as that was the book where I did open the lid and peer into all that background and solidify it.
As for whether we'll see more novels in the setting, at this point it depends on sales of Sly Mongoose...
I enjoyed the characters and the various political philosophies in Sly Mongoose. Do you have a hierarchy of priorities when writing novels, such as character trumps plot or vice versa?
I view it as a very large organic bubble chart, to be honest. Each one influences the other, overlaps, it's all messy in my head. In the end, though, I seem to naturally be more of a pacing/plot person, but that usually means I work extra hard on characters to compensate.
Your fiction has often been described as Caribbean. Do you agree with this sentiment? What in your opinion are the elements that identifies a text as having a Caribbean influence?
I'd like to think there is a diversity among my characters and world that is not the usual, and that comes from my growing up in the islands, where people from all over the world gathered together on islands. My interest in smaller developing countries, and how smaller groups stand up against larger ones, comes from it. I have a post colonial power struggle thread through the works.
That's some of the socio-stuff. There is also, growing up in the developing world, a fascination with mashups: taking technology and remixing it in new ways. That includes language (some rastafarian remixing of language, take a word like oppressor to downpressor) and music as well (dub reggae, using old oildrums to make steelpans). There is my love of the sea and sail, that comes from growing up there.
I have a very gray view of political stability that comes from growing up in Grenada, with its history and hearing how things went from hopeful, to scary, and then crazy in a revolution and war.
All of these things blend in.
In a SFF World interview, you've mentioned your preference for writing novel-length fiction. Does that mean you're more comfortable writing novels than short fiction? As far as your writing is concerned, what's the biggest adjustments you have to make when preparing to write short stories as opposed to novels and vice versa?
I prefer novels to short fiction, I'm more comfortable with the novels, yes. The adjustments are that with that novels, however, you have to run a marathon. It's months and months and months of staying focused on writing the book, and not getting discouraged and fed up with your own inadequacies and the flaws you see in the work. The ability to push through takes mettle.
What kind of research did you have to do for your Halo novel?
I'd played the games, so that was research. When I got the contract to write the novel, I replayed Halo 2 and Halo 3, just to get fresh. It was funny that my wife would come out in to the living room and ask why I was playing so much Halo, and I'd say 'just working, sweetie. Working hard.' I also read the previous 5 novels, the graphic novel, and the comics that had come out. The folks at Bungie also had some material for me to read that helped background it all. So all in all, it was fun research.
In Of Blog of the Fallen, you mentioned you'd love to do an X-Men novel. What other licensed properties, given the chance, would you like to write?
Well, a Wolverine novel, to be particular ;-) I'm a big fan of the Terminator reboot on TV, the Sarah Conner chronicles, particularly season 1. I'm fond of the Gears of War videogame, as well as Mass Effect.
What are some of your favorite games or hobbies you do to relax?
I play a lot of Xbox :-) I'm looking forward to the next Call of Duty and Mirror's Edge, I'm playing Brother's In Arms: Hell's Highway, right now.
How has the Internet affected the SF&F industry?
I think it's drawn the writers and readers closer together. There's quite an online community.
What's the biggest challenge you've faced as far as the industry is concerned, whether it's starting out as a new author or perhaps promoting yourself?
I find the shelf life for books to be absolutely brutal. Despite all the push for online promotion and sales, if the book doesn't get shelved in bookstores you lose a lot of traction. Hardcovers get 2-3 months on the shelves. When my first book came out in hardcover, after years of working toward being published, seeing the book all but disappear after a couple months was really hard on the new author psyche. The industry is very focused on the 'next big thing.' On your first book, there's no upper limit, so you have some attention and excitement. Then the industry runs off to the next first book. The hardest book to sell is the fourth, I'm told increasingly. I've managed that, so I feel lucky. I have 2 more in the pipe.
What happens after that, we'll see!
If your character Pepper were to participate in an intergalactic battle royale, who are some fictional characters you'd think would make good contenders for him to face off?
I'd pay to see Pepper versus Wolverine.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Get cracking! The largest part of the word 'writer' is the word 'write.'
Monday, January 12, 2009
Book/Magazine Review: Harsh Oases by Paul Di Filippo
Every Monday, I'll be doing spoiler-free, bite-sized book/magazine reviews.
I'll get right to the point. Harsh Oases is like opening your vein to a direct shot of some psychedelic drug that takes you to exotic vistas. Paul Di Filippo's strength is his flexibility and this becomes evident when you read the array of stories spanning more than a decade of his writing career. From cyberpunk to comedy, the author has it pat down. Cory Doctorow in the introduction states that Di Filippo manages to channel various authors in his writing and I'm unfamiliar with a good bulk of them but that shouldn't matter. This seems to be a well-rounded collection that's easily a good gateway for those who've never encountered the author.
Long time Di Filippo fans will want to check out "Aurorae" and "A Game of Go", both of which were previously unpublished. These stories are a double-edged sword as Di Filippo dates himself with his details but this also heightens and adds verisimilitude to the pieces.
The titular piece, "Harsh Oases", is definitely the break-out story in this collection. It's not only ambitious but manages to capture all of Di Filippo's core strengths from characterization to fun science. This is best described as a miniature science fiction epic and succeeds in living up to that expectation.
"Pinocchia" is simply erotic, set in a re-imagined, even satiric future using elements from the famous Disney movie. Instead of an ever-elongated nose, we get a character whose sexual organ swells with each lie told. Titillating in the guilty sort of way.
I praised "Femaville 29" when I first read it in Salon Fantastique and it's equally a heavy-weight in this collection. Re-reading it, what struck me the most is how the author balances both bleakness and optimism all throughout, hanging in there until the very last line. Aside from that, it's a very verbose piece filled with comprehensive details and fleshed-out personalities.
There's no bad story in this collection and a good chunk of the stories are good for a few laughs. A definite must-read for 2009.
I'll get right to the point. Harsh Oases is like opening your vein to a direct shot of some psychedelic drug that takes you to exotic vistas. Paul Di Filippo's strength is his flexibility and this becomes evident when you read the array of stories spanning more than a decade of his writing career. From cyberpunk to comedy, the author has it pat down. Cory Doctorow in the introduction states that Di Filippo manages to channel various authors in his writing and I'm unfamiliar with a good bulk of them but that shouldn't matter. This seems to be a well-rounded collection that's easily a good gateway for those who've never encountered the author.
Long time Di Filippo fans will want to check out "Aurorae" and "A Game of Go", both of which were previously unpublished. These stories are a double-edged sword as Di Filippo dates himself with his details but this also heightens and adds verisimilitude to the pieces.
The titular piece, "Harsh Oases", is definitely the break-out story in this collection. It's not only ambitious but manages to capture all of Di Filippo's core strengths from characterization to fun science. This is best described as a miniature science fiction epic and succeeds in living up to that expectation.
"Pinocchia" is simply erotic, set in a re-imagined, even satiric future using elements from the famous Disney movie. Instead of an ever-elongated nose, we get a character whose sexual organ swells with each lie told. Titillating in the guilty sort of way.
I praised "Femaville 29" when I first read it in Salon Fantastique and it's equally a heavy-weight in this collection. Re-reading it, what struck me the most is how the author balances both bleakness and optimism all throughout, hanging in there until the very last line. Aside from that, it's a very verbose piece filled with comprehensive details and fleshed-out personalities.
There's no bad story in this collection and a good chunk of the stories are good for a few laughs. A definite must-read for 2009.
Book/Magazine Review: Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia McKillip
Every Monday, I'll be doing spoiler-free, bite-sized book/magazine reviews.
At this point in time, after reading Alphabet of Thorn, I'm in a strange place when it comes to McKillip. There's nothing faulty when it comes to this novel and in fact retains the expected techniques of the author, everything from simple language, entrancing prose, characters with personality, and a fantasy setting with its own unique laws (of magic). I guess my hesitation comes from my expectation, especially after reading The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. It all boils down to how I've simply read too much McKillip and she's failed at innovating her prose. They have, simply put, become formulaic.
Not that formulaic is necessarily a bad thing. As I said before, McKillip has nailed down her signature style. The language is easy to get into yet the dilemmas the characters face are anything but. There's richness in the characters as McKillip develops them over the span of the book and her juxtaposition of the two (or some would say three) characters are effective. Throw in some metafictional aspects and making the mundane (thorns) fantastical and you've got a terrific novel.
Except I've read this all before. After one reads the nth McKillip book, this all sounds derivative. If you haven't read her work, Alphabet of Thorn seems a good place as any to start and despite all my disparaging comments, this is really an interesting and enjoyable book. For the McKillip fan however, picking up Alphabet of Thorn is simply a question of whether you're looking forward to more of the same.
At this point in time, after reading Alphabet of Thorn, I'm in a strange place when it comes to McKillip. There's nothing faulty when it comes to this novel and in fact retains the expected techniques of the author, everything from simple language, entrancing prose, characters with personality, and a fantasy setting with its own unique laws (of magic). I guess my hesitation comes from my expectation, especially after reading The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. It all boils down to how I've simply read too much McKillip and she's failed at innovating her prose. They have, simply put, become formulaic.Not that formulaic is necessarily a bad thing. As I said before, McKillip has nailed down her signature style. The language is easy to get into yet the dilemmas the characters face are anything but. There's richness in the characters as McKillip develops them over the span of the book and her juxtaposition of the two (or some would say three) characters are effective. Throw in some metafictional aspects and making the mundane (thorns) fantastical and you've got a terrific novel.
Except I've read this all before. After one reads the nth McKillip book, this all sounds derivative. If you haven't read her work, Alphabet of Thorn seems a good place as any to start and despite all my disparaging comments, this is really an interesting and enjoyable book. For the McKillip fan however, picking up Alphabet of Thorn is simply a question of whether you're looking forward to more of the same.
Book/Magazine Review: Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show edited by Edmund R. Schubert and Orson Scott Card
Every Monday, I'll be doing spoiler-free, bite-sized book/magazine reviews.
Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show is this weird animal. On one hand, you have Card cashing on the popularity of his Ender's Game franchise as it features some stories set in that particular universe. The other part of the book is that it's a showcase of the online magazine's short stories, chosen and edited by Schubert and Card. What calls out to me with this anthology is that there's a focus on readability, whether it's Card's stories or that of his fellow contributors. This makes for quick and easy reads as well as an entry point for non-genre readers. Unfortunately, many of the stories, while decent, aren't necessarily your breakout pieces. At times, what's more enjoyable is reading the notes of the authors at the end of each story, explaining how their story was conceived--an interesting read I'm sure to aspiring authors but not so much to the casual reader. Eclectic picks include three short short stories and a comic.
Having said that, there are two stories that come out quite prominently. "Tabloid Reporter to the Stars," by Eric James Stone is both character-driven with shades of humor. The protagonist has a rich background and throw in an interesting dilemma with regards to a ship's exploration. As the author admits in the afterword, thankfully the ending wasn't reduced to a punch-line story. Read with mild amusement and interest.
"The Mooncalfe" by David Farland is hands-down one of the best pieces in the book. His descriptions are tantalizing and you have a firm backbone of a story here, whether it's setting, character, or plot. Best of all, nothing seems forced and while I'm not particularly fond of Arthurian fantasy, this is definitely a keeper.
The flash fiction pieces save for "The Box of Beautiful Things" by Brian Dolton don't have enough of a literary skeleton for me. They're one-trick ponies and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, leaves much to be desired. Dolton on the other hand succeeds because this is a lengthier piece and he has some talent when it comes to language and evoking the setting. "Fat Farm" by Aaron Johnston is a comic adaptation of a Card story and succeeds well on its own. The art has a right feel to it despite the lack of backgrounds. Like many of the stories featured in this anthology, this is one of those concept stories.
There's four Ender stories here, one of which actually got ported over to the Ender in Exile novel. If you're ignorant of that universe, the stories stand well on their own, although again, they feel plot-oriented more than anything else. Fans of the series however will find that these stories fleshes out the supporting characters and it's a welcome read in that context.
Overall, again, the big focus of the anthology is towards readability. Many of the stories lack the impact I was looking for although they are all competent. I did enjoy Card's Ender stories although that might be a miss entirely if you're not a fan. Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show is a decent distraction but overall not the type of book you can sink your teeth into.
Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show is this weird animal. On one hand, you have Card cashing on the popularity of his Ender's Game franchise as it features some stories set in that particular universe. The other part of the book is that it's a showcase of the online magazine's short stories, chosen and edited by Schubert and Card. What calls out to me with this anthology is that there's a focus on readability, whether it's Card's stories or that of his fellow contributors. This makes for quick and easy reads as well as an entry point for non-genre readers. Unfortunately, many of the stories, while decent, aren't necessarily your breakout pieces. At times, what's more enjoyable is reading the notes of the authors at the end of each story, explaining how their story was conceived--an interesting read I'm sure to aspiring authors but not so much to the casual reader. Eclectic picks include three short short stories and a comic.Having said that, there are two stories that come out quite prominently. "Tabloid Reporter to the Stars," by Eric James Stone is both character-driven with shades of humor. The protagonist has a rich background and throw in an interesting dilemma with regards to a ship's exploration. As the author admits in the afterword, thankfully the ending wasn't reduced to a punch-line story. Read with mild amusement and interest.
"The Mooncalfe" by David Farland is hands-down one of the best pieces in the book. His descriptions are tantalizing and you have a firm backbone of a story here, whether it's setting, character, or plot. Best of all, nothing seems forced and while I'm not particularly fond of Arthurian fantasy, this is definitely a keeper.
The flash fiction pieces save for "The Box of Beautiful Things" by Brian Dolton don't have enough of a literary skeleton for me. They're one-trick ponies and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, leaves much to be desired. Dolton on the other hand succeeds because this is a lengthier piece and he has some talent when it comes to language and evoking the setting. "Fat Farm" by Aaron Johnston is a comic adaptation of a Card story and succeeds well on its own. The art has a right feel to it despite the lack of backgrounds. Like many of the stories featured in this anthology, this is one of those concept stories.
There's four Ender stories here, one of which actually got ported over to the Ender in Exile novel. If you're ignorant of that universe, the stories stand well on their own, although again, they feel plot-oriented more than anything else. Fans of the series however will find that these stories fleshes out the supporting characters and it's a welcome read in that context.
Overall, again, the big focus of the anthology is towards readability. Many of the stories lack the impact I was looking for although they are all competent. I did enjoy Card's Ender stories although that might be a miss entirely if you're not a fan. Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show is a decent distraction but overall not the type of book you can sink your teeth into.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
It's the Meds!
I Googled my meds and apparently, depression and insomnia are one of the side-effects.
On a more weirder note, part of the reason why I can't get some decent sleep is because as soon as I lie down, I start spurting unpronounciable words (as in I don't even know how to replicate them) and strange guttural sounds on a regular interval. You'd think I was summoning an Elder God or something.
It was following a formula and I usually give up in half an hour. Outlasted the unconscious noises last night (probably an hour to an hour and a half) and I was free to sleep.
Of course I'm now trying to sleep again and it's reciting something different... (what have I unleashed on the world?)
On a more weirder note, part of the reason why I can't get some decent sleep is because as soon as I lie down, I start spurting unpronounciable words (as in I don't even know how to replicate them) and strange guttural sounds on a regular interval. You'd think I was summoning an Elder God or something.
It was following a formula and I usually give up in half an hour. Outlasted the unconscious noises last night (probably an hour to an hour and a half) and I was free to sleep.
Of course I'm now trying to sleep again and it's reciting something different... (what have I unleashed on the world?)
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