November 8th, 2005 is the (latest) release date for the oft-delayed next book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series: A Feast For Crows.

Until then, fans can take part in the online adventure The Quest of Thrones, described as:

...a Quest to track down characters from this bestselling series hidden across the Internet. There will be successes and losses, decrees from your king, life and death, battles for dominance, and a multitude of power plays. But only those who remain loyal to the Quest during its five-week duration will be eligible to win.

• A copy of A FEAST FOR CROWS, the new George R. R. Martin novel from Bantam Spectra


• An autographed book plate for A FEAST FOR CROWS


• A copy of The Hedge Knight trade paperback from Dabel Brothers Production


• A Winter Edition starter deck for the A Game of Thrones CCG from Fantasy Flight Games


• One of six limited edition resin figures based on A GAME OF THRONES from Testors


• A free issue of Locus Magazine


• A commemorative coin inspired by the fictional works of George R. R. Martin from Shire Post Mint


• A Game of Thrones d20-based role playing game from Guardians Of Order

[Link via Slice of SciFi]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday August 31, 2005 at 10:54 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

The Cassini spacecraft is still orbiting Saturn and returning volumes of useful information. In case you weren't keeping up on our changing understanding of the solar system, here's a quick recap courtesy of NASA.

• The Huygens probe landed on Titan and returned very cool information about its surface. Titan's surface is remarkably Earth-like, with evidence of rain, erosion, drainage channels and a dry lake bed. Titan also seems to have a volcano, rain clouds, lakes, craters, and other puzzling terrain. True, the rain would be methane, but still - incredibly interesting.
• The rings of Saturn aren't uniform, but instead filled with clumps and waves.
• Saturn's moon Phoebe is an object from the outer solar system. Phoebe was not formed during planetary evolution but captured by Saturn much later during the object's transit of the solar system and is likely older than Saturn itself.
• Saturn's surface changes dramatically over time - the northern hemipshere is now blue instead of tan (likely because the rings are shadowing the surface, changing its temprature.) This was highly unexpected because, of course, our view of Saturn has only been of the sunny side (the side that reflects light back to Earth.)
• Saturn has a moon hiding it is rings! This tiny moon causes ripples in the rings as it moves by.
• Saturn's moon Enceladus has a thin water vapor atmosphere (no doubt along with other things.) It also has cracks in its icy surface (dubbed tiger stripes.) These are getting a lot of attention from planetologists because they aren't exactly sure what is causing them, and if the area at the southern pole might in fact be in a liquid state instead of ice.

All this focus on Saturn's moons is driven by the interest in discovering if any of them seem capable of supporting life. We have found life on Earth in some of the most inhospitable environments (from the bottom of the ocean near thermal vents to the inside of glaciers) and finding it here - even single celled bacteria - would be one of the most significant scientific discoveries of our lifetime.

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Posted by Scott Shaffer at Wednesday August 31, 2005 at 10:43 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

Although we posted before about books that are available for free under the Creative Commons License, I thought I'd point out that the Creative Commons Wiki also offers list of free CCL books - and their list is more likely to be updated with fresh content than our original post. So there. Go read now.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 7:49 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday August 29, 2005 at 12:00 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

I have yet to install and play with Google Earth, but this video showcasing some of its capabilities looks way cool!

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday August 28, 2005 at 2:43 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

In an NPR article, Jacob McMurray, senior curator at the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle, says:

"A lot of books in the '50s and '40s don't hold up at all now because, either the scientific advances that they're talking about just never happened, or these sort of cultural things that were happening at the time are so different than what's happening now that it seems absurd," he tells Liane Hansen. "I think a lot of the stuff from the '60s and '70s, when authors were trying to focus on social aspects of humanity, I think those books hold up really well. You know, a lot of the science fiction that's happening in the '80s and '90s today is less fantastic, sort of focused on scientific technologies that are happening today."

However, if the statement is to be taken literally that the book as a whole does not fare well over time, then I would say "Nonsense!" Many Golden Age books are still considered classics even to this day. So what if the science is a bit off? Golden Age is more than an era of sf - it's a flavor. Perhaps it's just not a flavor that suits everyone's tastes. Wrong predictions can (and should) be taken with a grain of salt in Golden Age science fiction.

(See also the addendum to my review for Philip K. Dick's Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said.)

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday August 28, 2005 at 2:31 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

SF author Ben Bova gets all political with his Naples Daily News article (registration required...or BugMeNot). Some excerpts:

Personally, I think the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were valid on political, military and ethical grounds...They ended the war...They saved lives...The nuclear bombs broke their will to fight.

...

It's a big universe out there, with all the splendor and mystery and adventure that we could ask for — as well as such wealths of energy and raw materials that every man, woman and child on Earth could become millionaires if we would just go out there and start to use the natural resources that are waiting for us.

...

[A]s I watched newscasts about this Jagger-vs.-Bush controversy I saw clips of Jagger and the Stones in concert. And broke out laughing. Here's a bunch of men well past middle age, gray and wrinkled, working up an audience with songs about how lousy their parents are. It's ludicrous.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday August 28, 2005 at 2:09 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: An entertaining, one-sitting read.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Legendary Victorian hero Spring-Heeled Jack helps a trio of orphan siblings fight kidnapper/thief Mack the Knife.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Interesting narrative/comic-strip format; deft handling of multiple characters and twisty plot.
CONS: Some of the panels contained a meant-to-be-funny cat whose jokes fell flat.
BOTTOM LINE: A fun and different read.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday August 28, 2005 at 1:18 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: An Firefly love-in that any true fan will love. Otherwise, I think you'd best give this one a pass.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Anthology of 21 essays examining the cult (and canceled) TV series Firefly.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Some very intelligent writing and analysis and some well-done humor
CONS: 'Celebrity editor' a distraction, all essays aren't held to the same standards
BOTTOM LINE: Fans of the series will love it - all others should probably skip it.

SF Signal is made up of many affirmed Firefly fanboys (of which I am one!) and so I was very much looking forward to reading this book. It was a blast to remember the episodes while reading the essays and getting a good view of how others felt about the series. It is unfortunate the book wasn't held to a high standard throughout.

The best essays are by authors David Gerrold, John C Wright, Keith RA Candido, and Lyle Zynda - I really enjoyed getting to read all these different viewpoints in one text.

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Posted by Scott Shaffer at Saturday August 27, 2005 at 6:22 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: A high-tech story set in a finely detailed, low-tech world.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A rogue AI sends a cyborg to take over the planet Ventus in order to plant a "propagation seed" as a stepping stone to controlling the universe.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Detailed world-building; interesting plot with AIs and nanotech.
CONS: World-building often gets in the way of the story; less interesting plot involving civil war.
BOTTOM LINE: Holds a reader's interest.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday August 27, 2005 at 1:31 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

MY RATING:
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In early 19th Century England, the only magicians left are those who study magic (theoretical magicians) with one exception: Mr. Norrell. Mr. Norrell embarks on a path to bring magic back to prominence in England, but without revealing its roots in fairy creatures and other lands. Jonathan Strange becomes Mr. Norrell's pupil, but soon begins his own quest to revive magic by opposing Mr. Norrell's view.
PROS: Incredibly detailed world building, interesting characters, filled with humor.
CONS: A very long read, system of magic isn't really detailed, can be somewhat dry.
BOTTOM LINE: I can see why this book won the Hugo based on it's world building alone. The humor and characters are icing.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Friday August 26, 2005 at 4:35 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: A solid sci fi book with some statements about comedy and humans.
MY RATING:
BRIEF SYNOPSIS:2 comedians and thier robot (who attempts to unravel the secret of comedy) become embroiled in a terorrist plot.
PROS: Some great characters and decent action once you get past the slower parts of the book.
CONS: Starts out a bit slow for me, and the narrative of the secondary story gets annoying at some points
BOTTOM LINE: If you like Eric Idle and are looking for some light science fiction, this would be a book to read.

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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Friday August 26, 2005 at 3:21 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Along the same lines as its Masters of Horror series, Showtime will soon be adopting short science fiction stories for the small screen in an anthology show called Masters Of Sci-Fi.

Michael Tolkin (The Player) will adapt Heinlein's "Jerry Was a Man." John Milius (Conan the Barbarian) will rework Lem's "The Hunt." Bradbury will adapt his story "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed." Similarly, Ellison will adapt his short story, "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the TicktockMan," [producer Keith] Addis said.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday August 26, 2005 at 1:25 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

From CNN:

...libraries from New York City to Alameda, California, are letting patrons download Tom Clancy techno-thrillers, Arabic tutorials and other titles to which they can listen on their computers or portable music players -- all without leaving home.

There's still one big hitch, though: The leading library services offer Windows-friendly audiobook files that can't be played on Apple Computer Inc.'s massively popular iPod player.

Vendors such as OverDrive Inc. and OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc.'s NetLibrary have licensing deals with publishers and provide digital books using Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media Audio format, which includes copyright protections designed to help audiobooks stand apart from the often lawless world of song swapping.

A patron with a valid library card visits a library Web site to borrow a title for, say, three weeks. When the audiobook is due, the patron must renew it or find it automatically "returned" in a virtual sense: The file still sits on the patron's computer, but encryption makes it unplayable beyond the borrowing period.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday August 26, 2005 at 1:20 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

In order to maintain that Firefly fanboy status we all so desperately wish to have, I have found this link to the footage from Serenity world premiere. The link is courtesy of Sci-Fi Heaven. I will note that the footage is encoded as MP4 and requires Quicktime and there are spoilers in the Q and A sections.

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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Friday August 26, 2005 at 9:48 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

The newest Doom movie trailer has been released on Yahoo! Movies. The interesting thing here is the inclusion of several first-person scenes, where the film is mimicing the feel of the Doom games. Interesting, but I can't tell how effective a movie technique that wil be. It feels weird. Although I will say the final scene has a lot of possibilities...

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Posted by JP Frantz at Friday August 26, 2005 at 9:18 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

MY RATING:
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Anna Gareau can, with a touch, read a person's past, whether she wants to or not. After a woman is drowned at the hotel where she is staying, Anna is drawn into investigating the murder.
PROS: Clear writing style, easy read, lots of humor, potentially interesting magical setting.
CONS: Flat characters, humor wears thin after awhile, a weak ending.
BOTTOM LINE: Not a bad read if you like supernatural murder mysteries.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday August 25, 2005 at 7:48 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

And you thought SF was only for squid! Not so. Octopus Pulp! shows us old pulp SF covers featuring octopuses (octopi?) in all their science fictiony glory.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday August 25, 2005 at 3:17 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Mobile Magazine has an article listing the 8 Stupid Mobile Technologies. The winners?

1. MP3
2. Bluetooth


3. Cell Phone Service


4. Microsoft Windows


5. The Internal Combustion Engine


6. Batteries


7. Spam


8. The QWERTY Keyboard

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday August 25, 2005 at 1:37 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

From our friends at /., we have some links to video of River during some time she is imprisoned. They are called The River Tam Sessions. I know not very creative but a bit more firefly news for you all...

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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Wednesday August 24, 2005 at 10:59 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

We have several interesting sites for you today, all involving Mars.

First up, The Mars Homestead Project is a group researching a plan to colonize Mars, using local Martian materials. They have technical document, forums and images available for your perusal.

Second, Red Colony is a site for people interested in colonizing and/or terraforming Mars. Lots of up to date info on Mars. They also have lots of links to Mars related stuff.

And last, but not least, our own Fred "Real Men Don't Eat" Kiesche is heavily involved in Martian Soil and toils endlessly to bring you the latest news covering the exploration of Mars.

Now all we need is someone to get us to Mars so I can go there. Too bad NASA got hit by the budget crunch in the late '70s. No telling where we'd be today. Instead, we get an agency that is unwilling to take risks and lacks a coherent vision for its future direction. I'm not sure if the private sector has the resources to do much more than to get us into orbit. I hope so, because I'd love to make it at least as far as Earth orbit before I die. Even if I do throw up.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Wednesday August 24, 2005 at 9:47 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

Gravity Lens points us to the website Sci-Fi Science Blunders which lists scientific errors made in science fiction. It hasn't been updated in a while (Bad Astronomy, however, is still being updated) but it's still a decent site. I'm sure there are lots more infractions than are listed here.

Science blunders in science fiction, assuming you catch them, are potential story killers depending on the reader/viewer. A scientific fallacy might be easily dismissed or it might be the thing that stops you from reading/watching. Suspension of disbelief can be shattered if, say, a planet scan determines the surface temperature to be -280º C. Some people are annoyed with explosions in the vacuum of space. Whatever the reader's willingness to let it slide, realistic science makes for good science fiction.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday August 24, 2005 at 8:01 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

The Movie Blog has a mostly-positive early review of Serenity. Ain't It Cool also has a positive review. Lee's Movie Info has a not-so-good review.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday August 23, 2005 at 9:50 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday August 22, 2005 at 12:05 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

SF author James Gunn has written a nice article for Science and Spirit which traces the evolution of science fiction and shines the light on its many faces.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday August 21, 2005 at 11:49 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Amazon Shorts is now selling downloadable short fiction for 49 cents. As of right now there are only seven SF/F titles:

1. "The Inheritance" by by Robin Hobb


2. "The Second Coming of Charles Darwin" by James Morrow


3. "The War of Dogs and Boids : A Coyote Story" by Allen M. Steele


4. "Upon Stepping from the Shower" by Gregory Frost


5. "Of Fire and Night" by Kevin J. Anderson


6. "The Stickpin" by Walter Jon Williams


7. "Hide and Seek" by Mary Rosenblum

• Amazon Shorts are available exclusively at Amazon.com; you will not find them anywhere else.


• Amazon Shorts are delivered electronically; there are no printed editions.


• Amazon Shorts are yours forever - after purchase, you can read them anytime at Amazon.com. (They'll be stored forever in your Digital Locker in PDF, HTML, and text e-mail formats.)


• You are free to print Amazon Shorts to read in hard copy form at your convenience.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday August 19, 2005 at 11:37 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

I believe this is the seventh sign. Hasn't the whole collectible card game craze come and gone? I've played a few, and Magic is still the best (although Cthulhu is fun!). I guess it goes to show how popular the new Galactica is that a CCG is being made for it. But Wizkids?! They make miniature games, not card games. They shoulda made a Galticlix game. That would pwn, but noooo, a CCG. Bah!

Hmm, maybe I need to buy me some more MechWarrior and Dungeons boosters...See! Evil, Wizkids is evil I tell you!

Just say no to yet another CCG, even if it is BG.

[A re-imagined Cylon red eye to The Unofficial Battlestar Galactica Blog for the link.]

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Posted by JP Frantz at Friday August 19, 2005 at 9:48 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

In an attempt to bring our previous entry about swearing like Mal. John sent me this link to Firefly-Serenity Chinese Pinyinary which includes a nice episode by episode breakdown of the Chinese used in the series. Its interesting to note that they appeared to use much more colorful language in the pilot movie than they did as the series continues.

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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Friday August 19, 2005 at 3:34 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Gear Live brings us a link to how to view Star Wars Episode IV via telnet in ASCII. Thats right we have now found a link combining two of our favorite topics: ASCII renderings and Star Wars.

EDIT: Sorry - no spell checker and English is my only language...

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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Friday August 19, 2005 at 3:29 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Well thanks to Gizmodo, I found this new vending device that will distribute books. Combine this the Lulu and you can print on demand at a kiosk. I think we can just set one up near John's office to recoup our losses.

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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Friday August 19, 2005 at 3:12 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

While I was Googling for the new FPS F.E.A.R, I happened upon an even cooler site -- FearOfPhysics.com. I wish I had this site when I was a kid... but then I didn't have access to the Internet then, nevermind... It's still a cool site.

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Posted by Peter at Friday August 19, 2005 at 1:24 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Some of you may already be familiar with Engrish.com, a website that showcases funny English translations.

OK, now what do you get when you cross Engrish with Star Wars? You get a humorous translation of the (already atrocious) dialaogue from Revenge of the Sith or, as it is translated, Episode III: Backstroke of the West.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday August 18, 2005 at 10:30 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

The 27th annual ArmadilloCon is scheduled for this weekend (August 19 - 21) in Austin, Texas. Its focus is on literary science fiction and there are a ton of well-known attendees including Charles Stross (Guest of Honor), Charles de Lint (Toastmaster), Sean McMullen (Special guest) as well as Howard Waldrop, Walter Jon Williams, Patrick Nielson Hayden, Joe R. Lansdale, Rick Klaw, Chris Roberson, artists John Picacio, recent Hugo winner Bradley Denton, Damien Broderick, P. N. Elrod, Neal Barrett, Jr., Dennis L. McKiernan, Sharon Shinn, and Wil McCarthy.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday August 18, 2005 at 9:51 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: A great companion to a great show.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Anthology of 21 essays examining the cult (and canceled) TV series Firefly.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Excellent introspections into a great show; insightful; eye-opening; humorous.
CONS: a brief episode guide would have been helpful; of little or no interest to non-fans.
BOTTOM LINE: A hands down must-read for any fan of Firefly.

I wish I could say that I was a fan of the now-canceled sf/western TV series Firefly since the beginning (as if that holds some prestige) but the truth is I never watched while it aired on Fox. It wasn't until after its DVD release and the subsequent buzz that I took notice. My impression of the show today could not be any higher and I very much look forward to the theatrical release of Serenity later this year.

And so it was with great anticipation that I dug in to Finding Serenity, an anthology of twenty-one essays examining the many different aspects of the show. The book is edited by Jane Espenson who wrote Firefly's "Shindig" episode. She also has a professional history with Firefly creator Joss Whedon having worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Espenson provides brief intros to each essay and would have done well to include a conspicuously missing brief episode guide to summarize the episodes since they are referenced in every essay.

The essays are written by fans of varying professions. (Who else but a sex therapist is qualified to examine Inara?) They are insightful, eye-opening and humorous. Each one focuses in one or another interesting aspect of the show yet they are unique. This is the true appeal of Firefly - it entertains and intrigues on so many levels: characterizations, storytelling, world-building, dialogue, artistic and more. Finding Serenity is the map to this wonderfully detailed universe.

As might be expected, a book targeting such a specific audience as one for a TV show - and a canceled one at that - may be of little value to the uninitiated. However, if post-cancellation DVD sales and the upcoming resurrection to the big screen are any indications, the Firefly fan base is growing. (My secret hope is that Firefly is resurrected after its huge DVD and - hopefully - theatrical success.) For Firefly fans new and old, this book is a must-read as it will to get you thinking about the show in ways you never thought of it before.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday August 18, 2005 at 12:57 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

You know you'e got too much time on your hands when you "photoshop" a music video to Lord of the Rings. (Or, blog about it. :)) Try these on for size: "They're Taking The Hobbits To Isengard" and "Mashed Taters".

[Link via Grow-a-Brain]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday August 17, 2005 at 1:45 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Here's a cool-looking science fictiony web site called Yesterdayland that harkens back to the days of classic scifi. It's got some real fancy-shmancy animation and controls...

The bad news is that its an ad for MS SQL Server and Visual Studio.

[Link via Ed Bott]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday August 17, 2005 at 1:27 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

No really, Talking Squids in Outer Space is just that. A web site devoted to squids in SF. I have to admit that my squid SF reading is sadly lacking. Although, I have read Manifold: Time and the first two books in the Rifters Series by Peter Watts, and squids were in Galaxy Quest? I must have missed them or, more likely, have forgotten.

Who knew that cephalodpods were so versatile? A tasty (so I'm told) appetizer and intrepid space explorers. Not bad for a creature with no spine!

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Posted by JP Frantz at Wednesday August 17, 2005 at 12:52 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Did you ever get a song stuck in your head? Usually songs that won't go away are the annoying ones. Things like Toto's "Rosanna" or the McCartney/Wonder duet "Ebony & Ivory". This week's cranial throbbing, for me, is courtesy of the worst song ever: Starship's "We Built This City". (And, in case you were wondering, the band's name makes it eligible for posting on a science fiction blog that already has a music category. So there.)

What puts an extra layer of pain on this particular ditty (and by "ditty" I mean "dogpile") are my memories of the horrendous video. There's a lyric in the song that goes "'Cause we're just simple fools!". (Leave alone for a minute that I am one of the ones who misheard the lyrics as the nonsensical "'Cause we're a ship of fools!") The lead singer, Mickey Thomas (visit the website and click track #4 on the Flash jukebox at the top of the page. Go ahead. I dare you.) strikes a pose that can only be described as...well, actually it's juts indescribable. But I'll try. He makes 2 fists and holds them up in some sort of (I guess) emotional and heartfelt moment of communication. These guys get it. Quite frankly, it irritates me; mostly because I cannot get it out of my head! Grrrr! Kevin suggests that maybe the video director is responsible for this move. OK, well, at some point you have to take the responsibility for looking like a doofus. Thomas' only defense is that it was the 80's. Knee deep in the hoopla indeed.

Anyway, since I can't get that damn song out of my head, I think it's time to take stern measures. I need to meet the problem head-on. What I need to do is get it out of my system, see the damn video, and (hopefully) realize that it's not as bad as I remember, or at least that I over-exaggerated the horror of it all. Googling yielded nothing (nothing!) on this video. No clips....not even screenshots. Can someone please, please find (or copy to the web) some captured footage/image of this painful video moment ("'Cause we're just simple fools!") and put me out of my misery?

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday August 17, 2005 at 11:27 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

As I am listening to the most recent This Week in Tech podcast, I hear an interview with Bob Young, the former CEO of Red Hat, discussing his newest venture. That venture is LuLu. This allows authors the ability to self publish and consumers can then acquire books on demand either in print or in an ebook format. They have a section dedicated to Sci Fi/Fantasy. So a question to those authors who visit us and share thier wisdom, would this change the way you release a novel or would you ever consider this as a mechanism for distribution...

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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Wednesday August 17, 2005 at 10:19 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

This is nuts! For a freaking 4-year old iBook?!?!!?

I have an iPod sleeve, does anyone in VA wanna shot at it? it's all free! Flash Mob anyone?

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Posted by Peter at Wednesday August 17, 2005 at 3:43 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

In case you've missed any of the new shows (looks at John), Sci-fi will be running a mini-marathon of the first 5 episodes startig tonight at 7 Eastern. That's 6 for us here in the Central zone (looks at Tim). So fire up your DVRs!

H/T to the Unofficial Battlestar Galactica Blog for the link.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Tuesday August 16, 2005 at 2:42 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

From NBC Nightly News on August 15th, 2005 comes a story about books referred to as Teen Fiction. Apparently these books are all the rage with teen and pre-teen girls today (specific figures on sales weren't mentioned, but some statement about it being a fast growing segment of the market was.) The rub - these books often contain subjects that parents might not be comfortable with 10-15 year olds reading about - specifically sex, drugs, and other topics that include child abuse and rape. Yikes!

They interviewed one mother of 2 teenage girls who was previewing the books her daughters wanted to buy and she referred to many of the books as smut (her words) and that she had felt bad about not realizing what her daughter had read in the past, but that she was monitoring it now. They talked about one book (unfortunately I can't remember the name now) that dealt with a teacher seducing a student - noting that it was 'ripped from the headlines.'

Is this new, or hasn't this sort of material always been written for and been available to teens? When I was a teen I remember people passing around copies of books by Judy Blume (Forever for example) at one point with highlights on the passages involving sex. It wasn't gratuitous or explicit, but it was there. Is this new fiction worse? Comment if you've seen any of it!

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Posted by Scott Shaffer at Tuesday August 16, 2005 at 1:54 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

This is pretty cool, they've created "transistors" using tiny bits of carbon -- I don't understand all of it but it's still pretty cool!

I wonder if they can use this to augment people... but it will probably not be in my lifetime...

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Posted by Peter at Tuesday August 16, 2005 at 10:26 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

In an attempt to prove that my PSP is more useful than simply an overpriced gameboy, I have found a link to NYC2123 which is a graphic novel rendered specifically for the PSP. The promo claims its a cyberpunk novel and I will download the first issue tonight...

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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Tuesday August 16, 2005 at 9:56 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: Fantasy novel from one of the best in the genre.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A rogue who steals from his aristocratic family and ends up a blight on all of the Lords and Lady's of the realm is transformed into the savior of not only the city and planet he loves, but of the entire multiverse itself.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Very good writing, intelligent dialog, good female characters
CONS: Typical fantasy fair, nothing really new here
BOTTOM LINE: If you're fan of fantasy novels or Moorcock you're likely to enjoy this book - otherwise, I'd give it a pass.

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Posted by Scott Shaffer at Tuesday August 16, 2005 at 12:10 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

Strangelets are tiny 'fun-sized' nuggets of strange-quarks (not to be confused with the regular, or familiar-quarks). Thought to be a by product of the Big Bang, scientists have been unable to detect their presence, until now.

Not quite the same scale as a wandering black hole swallowing the Earth, but still cool.

Off the top of my head, SF books about Earth and Black Holes:

Forge of God, Greg Bear
Singularity, Bill DeSmedt (a favorite of SFSignal)

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Posted by JP Frantz at Monday August 15, 2005 at 3:34 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday August 15, 2005 at 12:00 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: A thought-provoking book about cloning.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patrón, the 140-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Interesting setting; thought-provoking issues; claustrophobic feel.
CONS: The story was longer than it needed to be.
BOTTOM LINE: An entertaining read.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday August 14, 2005 at 4:05 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Microsoft is palying with RSS in a new portal page called Start/3 (This is version 3. See also version 1 and 2.) It uses Passport, natch. Oh, and it accepts OPML files so you can import all your favorite RSS feeds.

[Link via TechBlog]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday August 14, 2005 at 1:14 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

I had Rubik's Cube as a kid. I'd like to whip out a story about how I came to solve the cube in less than 3 hours or some such. However, I never did solve that demonic apparatus. The only thing I got out of Rubik's Cube, besides endless frustration, was the indication that not all of life's problems are solvable.

Then again, I never had access to an online Rubik's Cube Solver. Kids today have no idea how easy they have it.

[Link via Grow-a-Brain]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday August 13, 2005 at 10:29 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Can't wait for the September release of Serenity? Whet your appetite with chapter one of the novelization written by Keith DeCandido.

[Link via Slice of SciFi]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday August 13, 2005 at 10:14 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

I never really looked all that deeply at the politics espoused in Firefly, but Sara Hinson did. She concludes that Firefly is advancing a very libertarian worldview, and I agree to a certain extent. What I can say is that now I want to rewatch the TV series in advance of the upcoming movie.

And maybe get the comics, being the fanboy that I am....

Something Shiny to JohnL at TexasBestGrok from the link!

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Posted by JP Frantz at Friday August 12, 2005 at 7:50 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Continuing the old interview theme, here's another one: a 1980 interview with Isaac Asimov. Again this is by eco-mag Mother Earth News. Interesting how both Asimov and Frank Herbert mention terrorism. Some juicy bits:

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday August 12, 2005 at 8:29 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

Go, go Gadget Google Alert!

Every now and then, Google Alert turns up something interesting. Today's tidbit is a 1981 interview with Frank Herbert, author of Dune. The interview was done by ecology magazine Mother Earth News so the interview contains social commentary (about ecology, terrorism, family values, government and politics) as well as answers to questions about his books.

Some interesting bits:

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday August 12, 2005 at 8:15 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

In December 2004, the fifth edition of the huge science fiction reference book Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction was released. The author, Neil Barron, also put together a very interesting timeline of science fiction that never made it into the print edition.

At $80 a pop, nobody but libraries are gonna own this. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't want a copy anyway, so if anyone had eighty bucks burning a hole in their pocket...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday August 12, 2005 at 7:37 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

Since nobody's posted about the new season of Battlestar Galactica that started up a couple of weeks ago, I'd thought I'd mention that, so far, I'm still lovin' it.

Four episodes have aired (episode 5 airs tonight) but I've only seen three of them because someone who shall remain nameless (let's refer to him as son-who-should-never-again-be-allowed-access-to-the-Tivo-remote) saw fit to change the channel at a most inopportune time. The boy has been chastised and fitted with an electronic device that, when he nears the remote, plays a horribly off-tune MIDI version of The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday August 12, 2005 at 7:05 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

A new thread at Google Groups asks why Fantasy is gaining market share over science fiction. Reasons include "sensawunda", difficulty identifying with post-humans and/or truly alien psychology, easier suspension of disbelief in fantasy, elimination of tech that is "not helpful from a story point of view" and flexibility

The replies in the thread are somewhat down on sf, but I would say that these arguments just don't ring true. For point of reference, I should say that I definitely prefer science fiction over fantasy. So perhaps it's no surprise that I find very similar arguments for why sf is more to my liking.

First off: Sense of Wonder. Hel-LO! This term was first used in reference to science fiction for a reason. Indeed the term was coined by sf author Hugo Gernsback. What else evokes sense of wonder than something that could conceivably come to pass? It's quite doubtful that magic and dragons will ever be real. (Although, I'm not too sure about hobbits.)

Being able to identify with characters in a book is a good thing. I agree. And in most cases, the protagonist of fiction stories is human or, in the case of sf, shows human characteristics. (I'm guessing that stories where the main character is a dinosaur or wooly mammoth exhibit such human traits as will to survive, etc.) Including post-humans or exotic aliens in a story does not mean it is immediately unidentifiable. Rather, it adds to the glorious "sensawunda" that is the main attraction of sf in the first place.

Suspension of disbelief is critical in both sf and fantasy. In my opinion, fantasy is more likely to be unbelievable because things are explained away by virtue of it simply being magic. However, as discussed previously on this blog by sf author John C. Wright, "...any story, fantastic or mundane, that pulls a solution out of thin air is a bad story." The point here being that the disbelief is tied to the writing, not the genre.

The same argument for skillful writing can be applied to the argument against technology in a story. Having a futuristic optical light-cone-emitting laser can not only be helpful, it could mean the difference between a stagnant scene and one filled with dramatic tension. Technology is not a storytelling impediment, it is another tool the author can use to evoke wonder. And, in the world of fantasy, aren't swords and trebuchets the latest technology of the era?

The thread says "In fantasy, you can do whatever you like, which makes it easier to plot. In science fiction, there are all these scientific constraints." Well, yeah, that's what makes sf so cool. It exists within the bounds of scientific reason. Doing whatever you like is what makes fantasy so much harder to swallow. See previous comment on suspension of disbelief.

The thread, especially the comments section, says more. Don't even get me started on quality of writing in one genre vs. another. "Quality" is a subjective term and to assume that one genre attracts the cream of the crop is ridiculous. Every genre has it's good and bad writers, its literary and hack writers, and an infinite number of gradients in-between. One man's trash is another man's treasure. In terms that the raging fantasy fanboys in the thread can understand, is Terry Brooks fit to wear J.R.R. Tolkien's jockstrap?

I have no idea why fantasy is outselling sf. Maybe Harry Potter makes it fashionable? For sure, the points mentioned in the thread are not the reason.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday August 11, 2005 at 4:06 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Eric Joyner has a collection of his Robot paintings on his site for your perusal. Very cool stuff there. And what's more interesting, you can follow the development of the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em painting at The Sneeze, which also shows the development of the I/O JIMA painting. Cool stuff.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday August 11, 2005 at 10:17 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

So I am watching the intro trailers on the Steamboy Directors Edition I recieved from Netflix, and I see a trailer for this movie. And as I am watching the trailer, I am thinking man that looks alot like a Final Fantasy movie with Cloud and other characters from the game. Lo and behold it was a trailer for a movie based on that property, the visuals look great but will it turn out to be like that other Final Fantasy movie.

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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Thursday August 11, 2005 at 8:30 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

MSN has a featurette for the upcoming Serenity movie. Also, hadn't noticed this before, the Serenity website has been updated. Serenity opens September 30th.

[Link vai Slice of SciFi]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday August 10, 2005 at 4:10 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

From CNet: Princeton and nine other colleges will be offering students digital versions of some textbooks. The good news: a 33% percent savings off the paper version. The catch: restrictions and built-in protection. The book can only be downloaded on a single computer, restricts printing, and expires (becomes inaccessible) after five months.

My guess is that these cash-strapped and computer-literate students will quickly find a way to crack it and convert to to more convenient formats. Then it's just a matter of loading your favorite file-sharing program. Isn't it college kids that are the most prolific file sharers?

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday August 09, 2005 at 3:57 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

What, just because Episode III has come and gone we don't talk about Star Wars anymore?

DK publishing is sponsoring a giveaway of Star Wars books over at Rebel Scum where you can win such titles as The Complete Locations of Star Wars and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Ultimate Sticker Book. If those don't hook the young ones, there's always Star Wars Reader: What is a Wookiee?

Of course, if Star Wars doesn't float your boat, DK is offering a chance to win a copy of Batman Begins: The Visual Guide.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday August 09, 2005 at 8:35 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

Thomas at Mile Zero takes issue with certain decisions made in science fiction writing: lack of explanation. He cites several authors whom he thinks are guilty of omitting a necessary explanation including Charles Stross, Dan Simmons, Alastair Reynolds, et. al. I'm not sure I agree with the roll call (OK, maybe Stross a little) but I do find the annoyance with lack of explanation to be familiar. Seems like sometimes authors sacrifice the world-building for cool-sounding techy names and concepts. Maybe Thomas has touched upon a key difference between Golden Age and Modern sf?

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday August 09, 2005 at 8:17 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: A fun "small scale" space opera.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Ex-military intelligence officer Alexander Delgado must retrieve the alien Seriatt known as Lycern for military dictator General William Myson in order to maintain peace between the planets.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Easily-accessible writing style; story held my interest throughout; lots of plot twists and drama.
CONS: Weaker plot points in the first half of the book
BOTTOM LINE: An entertaining first novel regardless of its flaws.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday August 09, 2005 at 2:24 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

Review aggregator website Metacritic has been bought by CNet. Not entirely sure what this means, the press release is way too long. I scanned it real quick but didn't see my name so someone give this a read and let me know how it affects me.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday August 08, 2005 at 2:57 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Finally, the perfect accessory to the nerdy T-Shirt. It's the Pac-Man Hat!

Nothing else says "Stay away, ladies" quite as loudly.

[Link via Gizmodo]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday August 08, 2005 at 9:09 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday August 08, 2005 at 12:00 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

The Hugo Awards were held this weekend. Here a list of the winners:

• BEST NOVEL: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke


• BEST NOVELLA: "The Concrete Jungle" by Charles Stross


• BEST NOVELETTE: "The Faery Handbag" by Kelly Link


• BEST SHORT STORY: "Travels with My Cats" by Mike Resnick


• BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION (Long Form): The Incredibles


• BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION (Short Form): "33", Battlestar Galactica


• BEST PROFESSIONAL EDITOR: Ellen Datlow


• BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST: Jim Burns


• BEST SEMIPROZINE: Ansible ed. by David Langford


• BEST FAN WRITER: David Langford


• BEST FANZINE: Plotka ed. by Alison Scott, Steve Davies and Mike Scott


• BEST FAN ARTIST: Sue Mason


• BEST WEBSITE: Sci Fiction

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday August 07, 2005 at 5:25 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

The 63rd Annual WorldCon Convention is being held this weekend in Glasgow. This is the con where the Hugo Awards are handed out. The web is a-buzz with what's going on there:

• A proposal to separate the Best Editor Hugo Award into two categories (one for magazine editor, one for book editor) has been accepted. Details at Patrick Nielsen Hayden's site. Lou Anders also has an opinion.


• Press coverage is available from The Guardian, Timse Online, The Scotsman, Red Nova and The BBC


• The blogs of attendees have some info: Charles Stross, John Scalzi, Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday August 07, 2005 at 11:14 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: 5 standouts + 7 good stories - 1 Meh = very good overall.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Anthology of 13 sf stories that deal with conflict between science and superstition/religion.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: 12 stories good or better, 5 of them excellent.
CONS: One mediocre entry.
BOTTOM LINE: A fine anthology whose quality is higher than most.

The subtitle of the anthology Galileo's Children, edited by Gardner Dozois, is Tales of Science vs. Superstition because this themed anthology contains stories that deal with conflict between science and superstition or religion. I would not have guessed that such a theme could yield many stories, let alone so many good ones. Further, I expected many of the stories to deal with such similar situations such that, by book's end, I would be left with a beating-a-dead-horse feeling. Not so. Each story was significantly different in topic, delivery, and the ultimate conflict between science and religion. This subject matter is surprisingly varied!

Standout stories in this anthology are "The Stars Below" by Ursula K. Le Guin (look at me finding another likable Le Guin story. Will wonders never cease?), "The Way of Cross and Dragon" by George R.R. Martin (my first Martin story. I simply must, must read more of him), "The Pope of the Chimps" (at this point, I would be seriously surprised if Silverberg failed to deliver), "Falling Star" by Brendan DuBois, "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream" by James Alan Gardner and "When the Old Gods Die" by Mike Resnick (note to self: find and read Kirinyaga).

The number of high-quality stories makes this collection a very good one - better than most. (Then again, I suppose that should have been expected with the number of award nominations and wins these stories claim.) Yet another fine job by master editor Gardner Dozois!

Reviewlettes follow:

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday August 07, 2005 at 1:25 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

For all you MST3K fans (curse you Sci-Fi Channel!), you may enjoy looking at the poster art for the movies featured on the show. In fact, check out the entire website for more MST3K . Excuese me while I go breathe and just relax.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Saturday August 06, 2005 at 8:55 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

Before today's subway system in New York City was built, there was another attempt to create an underground transit system. This system was the Beach Pneumatic Transit Company. Yes, that's right, pneumatic trains filled with people were pushed along underground tracks using the same principle of compresses air propulsion like you see at bank drive-through windows or the message system in Brazil. Sadly, for various reasons, this system never made it past the early couple of stations.

I know, not SF, but still an extremely cool example of Victorian Era technology. I could see this concept being used in an alternate history story, along with working Babbage Engines and the like.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Friday August 05, 2005 at 7:35 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

The Herald Tribune has an article called The End User: E-books spur sales that talks about poor eBook sales and how some authors are giving away eBooks in hopes of making more book sales.

I know this seems counter-intuitive, but Charlie Stross' quote says it all. The greatest enemy of a mid-list author is not piracy, it's obscurity. By putting the book out there for free, it generates buzz. The thinking is that buzz = more sales. Cory Doctorow follows this method and, the article says, it has worked very well for him.

I wonder of those authors would be singing a different tune if they graduate from mid-list to the upper echelon? Does the same strategy hold true? How much would Harry Potter have made if it was released as a free eBook? (Forgetting for the moment the pirated version.)

Anywho, for some free sf/f eBooks, see:

• The Baen Free Library


• Cory Doctorow's website (Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Eastern Standard Tribe, Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town)


• Charlie Stross website (Accelerando)


• Peter Watts Website (Starfish (PDF) and Maelstrom (PDF) - see MobileRead for other formats)


• Mike Brotherton's website (Star Dragon)

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday August 05, 2005 at 11:26 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

Slice of SciFi points us to a website called Roll Call subtitled an "(In)Complete Guide to every Science-Fiction Character who was ever killed". The emphasis here is on the (In). Many popular characters are missing yet, strangely, many characters from V are present.

More interesting, I thought, was the sister site Never Forget subtitled the "(In)Complete Guide to every Science-Fiction Television Series screwed over by Hollywood." An ominous omission is Firefly (an SF Signal fave) and a suspicious inclusion is Galactica 1980. But! I did learn that Allan Cole and Chris Bunch (authors of the Sten series of books) wrote for Galactica 1980, which is confusing because Sten was good and Galactica 1980 sucked. This news gave me the same WTF? feeling I got after learning that Theodore Sturgeon and David Gerrold wrote for Land of the Lost.

Another interesting page by the same webmasters is Ways I'd improve the Sci-Fi Channel. I think we can all relate.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday August 04, 2005 at 2:27 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

If you like the old time SF radio broadcast serials, you'll like the Salvage Vanguard Theater's presentation of The Intergalactic Nemesis. The twist? It's performed live in front of a studio audience. You can, however, hear the first two episodes by following the link on the Austinist page. Oh yes, the other added bonus is that the theater company is located in Austin. I'd love to go attend one of these shows. Pete! Go check it out!

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Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday August 04, 2005 at 1:04 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

A new Highlander movie called Highlander: The Source is in the works. It's meant to be the first of a trilogy that chronicles the origins of the Immortals. The movie will star Adrian Paul who also starred in the Highlander TV series. (Now I may have to actually watch the dvds.)

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday August 03, 2005 at 10:49 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

I was just itching for a reason to use JP's new Cthulhu category he created recently and BoingBoing gave me the chance with a Creative Commons Cthulhu Comic Return to Arkham.

As BoingBoing points out, the comic is authored by "Divers Hands" which, news to me, is a phrase used to denote multiple authors (as in "diverse hands"). Now the super-short review page in the print edition of Locus Magazine ("by Divers Hands") makes sense!

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday August 03, 2005 at 8:53 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

Launched 2 days ago, 365 Tomorrows is "a collaborative project designed to present readers with one new piece of short speculative fiction each day for one year. Utilizing the broad palate of science fiction, our vision of the future creates a diverse pool of stories with something for everyone to enjoy." They're super-short so if you need a quick fix...

The archives acts as a table of contents, but the site seriously needs some previous/next navigation. [Link via WatEotU]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday August 03, 2005 at 8:43 AM
© 2005 SF Signal

This will be seen as the other end of Part I.

Now that you've green lighted the development of shows based on existing SF material, you now have the chance to create something totally original. As President/CEO you get to be the guy with the ideas and won't have to actually develop the show. And you get to decide if the product is crap or not. Anyway, what would be your ideas for an original SF show for:

1. Neophyte or non SF fans.
2. Lifelong fans of SF.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Tuesday August 02, 2005 at 8:14 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Ah, the wonders of the SciFi Channel's PDA-targeted AvantGo channel. It contains a This Day link which, today, informs me that it is the birthday of both Wes Craven (creater of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies) and Butch Patrick (Eddie from The Munsters).

And what 2 better subjects for a new contest that mutilates the rules for the The Kevin Bacon Game!

GOAL: See if you can connect (costars, relations, whatever...) Wes Craven with Butch Patrick in fewer than the 7 links shown here:

1. Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street featured Johhnny Depp.
2. Johhnny Depp starred in Ed Wood with Bill Murray.
3. Bill Murray was in The Royal Tannenbaums with Ben Stiller.
4. Ben Stiller is the son of Jerry Stiller.
5. Jerry Stiller starred on the TV show King of Queens which featured Lou Ferrigno (as the neighbor).
6. Lou Ferrigno starred in The Incredible Hulk with Bill Bixby.
7. Bill Bixby starred in My Favorite Martian, an episode of which featured a boy named Stevie played by Butch Patrick.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday August 02, 2005 at 2:02 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Then you might enjoy this: 91 Reasons to hate Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Not that I troll Star Wars hatah websites or anything.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday August 01, 2005 at 3:35 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

Discworld series author Terry Pratchett pokes a bit of fun at Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling in response to Rowling's recent comments that she did not know she was writing fantasy when she wrote Harry Potter. Says Pratchett, "I would have thought that the wizards, witches, trolls, unicorns, hidden worlds, jumping chocolate frogs, owl mail, magic food, ghosts, broomsticks and spells would have given her a clue?"

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday August 01, 2005 at 2:06 PM
© 2005 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday August 01, 2005 at 12:00 AM
© 2005 SF Signal