SF Signal: December 2005 Archives

Tuesday December 27, 2005

BG Recap

Ready for the second half of Battlestar Galactica Season 2 on January 9th?

(What's up with series-splitting, anyway? Where are the days when TV seasons started in September and ended in June? Now series go on hiatus for months in between so a scaled down 18-epsiode season is supposed to feel like, what, a 10 month outing! Heck, 24 doesn't even start its season until January. Bah! )

Anyway, if you're not ready for BG Season 2.5, here's a 22-minute recap of the series so far.

Let me know if the recap is good. It requires iTunes v6 which installed with DLL registartion error messages. It seemed to work anyway, but it required credit card info which seems silly to provide gievn that I only want to watch a commercial.

[link via TV Squad]

It's That TIME Again, Galactica Named Best TV Show Of 2005

Everyone's favorite, vacuous pop culture mag, TIME, has named their Best of 2005: Television shows, and Galactica came out on top. Which goes to show that SciFi can make a decent show. Now if only SciFi would apply that ability to original movies, and they'd really have something, although I did enjoy Triangle, for what that's worth. At least there were no rubber monsters or ecological catastrophies in it...

Cyberia

Douglas Rushkoff has made available hos 1994 book Cyberia: Life in the Trenches of Hyperspace available online. Publishers Weekly describes it thusly:

This heady report takes readers on a dizzying and dangerous guided tour through "cyberspace," an unfolding terrain of digital information that, according to Rushkoff, is being tapped by a "cyberian counterculture" bent on redefining reality. In "Cyberia," artists, scientists and hackers explore virtual reality using prototype computers with 3-D goggles, headphones and a tracking ball to move through real or fictional space without commands, text or symbols; Silicon Valley engineers and mathematicians attempt to unlock creativity via psychedelic drugs or fractal graphics mirroring our irregular world; urban neopagans access information networks and use witchcraft to promote planetary survival. Computer bulletin boards, cyberpunk comic books, interactive videos, cyber-rock dance clubs and the acts of eco-terrorists and of employees who use computers to subvert the workplace are part of a cyberian universe whose gurus, interviewed here by Rushkoff, include Terence McKenna, Timothy Leary and R. U. Sirius, editor of Mondo 2000 magazine. Souped-up prose marks this exploration of cyberpunk culture.

REVIEW: World of Warcraft

While the World of Warcraft (WoW) servers are down for schedule maintenance, I'll take this short break to write up my thoughts about this game. I know WoW has been out for a while now but I've finally gotten around to playing it.

REVIEW SUMMARY: The "short version" is that "I like it," for now. Feel free to read my extended comments.

Introduction:
Not sure if you know, or care, but my journey to WoW had been one fraught with many indecisions; I must've bought and returned the game at least five times since it's been released. As you, my friends, all know, I'm often fickle and emotional so I guess that's why it's taken me so long to get here.

About a month ago, I played WoW on a friend's guest pass for 10 days. I quickly worked my human warlock character to level 10. But stopped after about the 5th day because I couldn't login anymore (see below).

Note on Guest Passes:, they're good for trying a game out but for WoW, expect to play it during off-peak hours because you WILL sit in the login queue for a good amount of time while their regular paying customers cut in front of you in line.

After the trial, I liked the game enough to buy it (again...), but it sat on my shelf for another two weeks -- I was going on vacation for 3 weeks and didn't want to burn my free-trial while I was away. It sat there until I found out my mom's new PC is finally powerful enough to game on; so, I pack it in my suitcase unopened...

Now, I've been playing it for 9 days (minus time for sleep, meals, server down time due to maintenance, etc.) and leveled 17 times. Depending on where I was in the XP bar, I would either level once or twice a day. I'm not sure if this is typical for my level and class. Granted, most of these sessions are 5+ hour affairs -- I'm on VACATION!!

WoW has many of the features that are ubiquitous in MMO games. In my review, I'll only discuss those that stood out for me.

Disclamer: Like I had mentioned, I play a Human (because that's the best looking toon) Warlock (because they get a free mount). I make no assumptions about its overpowered-ness or playability. But do bear in mind that my opinions may be biased because of playing that race and class combination. Basically, your mileage may vary.

*Deep breath*On to the review...

Gameplay:

Compare to other MMOs (EQ, EQ2, CoH, DAoC, etc.), WoW is very newbie friendly. Face it, we're all newbies in the beginning. A friendly interface will hold our hands during those tender early levels long enough to get us hooked.

The Grind:
First question everyone asks about an MMO is "What's the grind like?" At least, that's the question I always asked and that's why WoW sat on my shelf for so long. I'm wonderfully surprised that the grind can be characterized as "enjoyable" to "endurable," mostly due to their quest system.

Questing:
In their friendly interface, quest-giving NPCs are highlighted with a big yellow
exclamation point (!). Quest-completing NPCs are highlighted with a big question mark (?); they also show up, as a yellow dot, on my mini-map as you get near them. I've completed several quests while doing other things at the time because the dot popped up on my screen.

You know those other games where the word "quest" is in their name and they want to give you the impression that they have a lot of them by using the word "ever" also? Well, WoW doesn't need a gimmick like that; but come to think of it, maybe "WoW" is short for "Wow, there are a lot of quests here!" I have to admit, probably 45-50% of my XP is gained from completing quests. Another ~45% are from working toward the quests themselves. That leaves about 5-10% actualy "grinding" and most of this time was spent just getting enough XP to finish out a level.

Quest Sharing: This is a very nice feature. Someone in your group can share a quest with you that you don't have so you can complete the same quest alongside with them. Wow, what a concept! Of course, some quests cannot be shared because they are the middle steps in a long series of quests.
Another nice feature is that quest mobs seems to have very short timers. There's been occassions where I was able to kill a quest mob before I got the quest and then a short time later, kill it for my quest. Very friendly indeed.

As an aside, one item that's worth mentioning is that many of the quests are little mini-arcs in the story. It is a lot of fun following the quest steps as the mini-story unfolds.

Grouping/Soloing
This is one of those areas where I think my class selection really helped me out. Warlocks are very solo-able with their pets. With that said, I've also grouped several times to complete quests.

To say that WoW is "group-friendly" is an understatement. Basically, there is no level limitation between the group members. I was in my low 20s when I grouped with a level 60 (max level) guildmate for a quest because noone else was around to help me and I was able to get XP (not very much, but still) and quest loot. Sure, people say that this will give way to twinking, but you can choose not to group like that.

Programmability:
Surely, this is not something that is to be expected in an MMO game but yes, WoW adopted an existing scripting language (LUA) into its interface to make modding possible. I'm using several mods that range from helping me to get a good auction price to finding new abilities for my hunter pet (an alt of mine). There are tons of mods out there. It's great that Blizzard let's players have that capability.

Tech Spec:
Probably due to its cartoony graphics, the hardware requirement is not as high as in other MMO games, which is fortunate for me. As it turns out, my mom's PC only have 512MB RAM; so while the game is playable, there is a lot of lag in busier areas. As it turns out, my personal laptop (with 1GB RAM), was able to play it very nicely (even with the integrated Intel video adapter). I can't wait to see it on my desktop at home!

Overall:
For now, I'm really enjoying the game. Long time readers know that I'm fickle and proned to quick judgement. I've, often, given glowing reviews about something only to come back dissatisfied later on. So be sure to check back whether I'll be unhappy with WoW later... ROFL.

Saturday December 24, 2005

Nickelodeon Interviews Young Adult Fantasy Authors

The November 2005 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine (what, you don't read Nick Magazine on Christmas Eve?) features a set of short interviews with young adult fantasy authors. Here are some excerpts:

Nick: What kind of fantasy stories do you like to read?
Kate DiCamillo (author of The Tale of Despereaux): What interests me as a reader and as a writer is how people - or mice or rats, as the case may be - interact. Relationships interest me. I don't have patience for full-blown battles and all that kind of stuff.

Nick: What's your favorite fantasy creature?
Eoin Coifer (author of the Artemis Fowl series): Vampires. Someday I'm definitely going to have a go at a vampire story.

Nick: Is there anything you try to avoid in your fantasy stories?
Cornelia Funke (author of Inkspell): One idea that I don't like at all is when nobles and kings are everywhere, bit the normal people don't play a part in the story. I have much more sympathy for the weak and the poor than for the strong and ruling.

Nick: WHat do you stay away from when writing fantasy?
Christopher Paolini (author of Eldest): I try to avoid having too many fantasy elements in the story. If you have too many invented creatures, too many pieces of magic, too many fantasy names, it's hard for the reader to relate to it all.

Another tidbit gained from Nick mag: Henry Winkler (yes, Fonzie) is writing children's books - the Hank Zipzer series.

A Holiday Tale From Jeff VanderMeer

Author Jeff VanderMeer has posted his story Experiment #25 From The Book Of Winter: The Croc And You on his weblog. A 'sort of' holiday tale that is.

Read and enjoy!

Contemplating Another New Year's Resolution

It's that time of year again where I usually resolve not to make any more New Year's resolutions. But I keep thinking back to my 2004 resolution to read 366 SF-POINTS^©-worth of short stories, novelettes and novellas. I met my goal by year's end (earlier, actually) and I found the whole experience to be rewarding overall. So, I'm thinking of doing it again in 2006. I'm having reservations and trying to figure out why. Commitment? Time? Fear of failure? Maybe a combination?

Hmmm. Let me compare a year with (2004) and without (2005) the short-story-a-day experiment.

2004
Total Books Read: 50
Anthologies/Collections read: 12
Pages read: 18,299 (yes, I keep track and it's sad)

2005
Total Books Read: 54
Anthologies/Collections read: 9
Pages read: 18,744

I remember saying at the end of 2004 that it was my "reading year": the year I read the most. It surprises me to know I read even more in 2005, even if it's only about 450 pages more. I read some shorter novels in 2005 which increased the number of titles read by 4. But I read fewer anthologies overall. Also, it should be noted, that some of the stories read in 2004 were from online sources, which do not figure into the page and title counts. So, maybe I'm reading the same from year-to-year after all.

Where does this leave me with a new year's resolution for 2006? I'm not sure yet. I'm leaning towards yes. Today.

Anyone care to lend an opinion?

REVIEW: Hammered by Elizabeth Bear

REVIEW SUMMARY: Complex plotting and characters expertly handled.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Former Canadian Special Forces operative Jenny Casey hunts for a murderer and the source of the street drug Hammer.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Fast-paced; immersive; page-turning; 3D characters.
CONS: Characters motives questionable at times; distracting use of French;
BOTTOM LINE: A worthwhile and accessible read resting midway between hard and soft sf.

Hammered is Elizabeth Bear's first novel and the first in a series. It follows the story of former Canadian Special Forces operative Jenny Casey, wounded years before in a near-fatal accident that cost a left arm. Thanks to technology, she not only has a bionic arm replacement, but she's enhanced in other ways as well (optic sensors and such). She's not Superwoman, though. She's nearing fifty years of age and she's breaking down.

The government, specifically Jenny's former military boss Colonel Fred Valens, M.D., wants to upgrade her hardware - and recruit her for a new "Secret Project". But Jenny's been hiding from them in the crime-ridden streets of New Harford, Connecticut where she has forged uneasy relationships with such varied characters as Detective Mitch Koslowski (who wants Jenny's help to find his partner's/lover's killer) and a gangster with metal teeth named Razorface (who wants Jenny's help tracking the source of the military-created street drug Hammer). Ultimately, Jenny is pulled into the world of corporate espionage as she tries to track down Mitch's perp and find the source of the Hammer drug that is killing the people of her hometown.

If this sounds like a lot of plot, you're right, it is. There's a very rich story being played out on the pages of Hammered. To her credit, first time novelist Elizabeth Bear not only manages to juggle it all, she manages to do so with while creating a fast-moving story with page-turning action and emotionally complex characters.

This last part is important. The characters are very well drawn partly because they are flawed, and that adds much to the enjoyment of the story. While I found motives to be a bit under-explained at times, the characters still seemed real. One gripe: I just didn't get why Mitch the cop would team up with Razorface, even if he was the gangster with the heart of gold. On the plus side, their separate story thread was pretty darn exciting all the way up to the nail-biting confrontation with Jenny's sister-turned-assassin, Barbara. Not a nice woman, Barbara.

Even other not-so-minor characters seemed real, as did their relationships with Jenny. Once working for Valens again, Jenny gets reacquainted with her rescuer and secret-crush, Gabe Castaign. And then there's Elspeth Dunsany, an AI expert recently released from jail, thanks to Valens who not only put her there but now wants to use her talents for his "Secret Project". Finally, and definitely not least of all, the self-named artificial intelligence Richard Feynman plays a major role as he evolves from a potential threat to a Daneel Olivaw-like overseer. Quite cool.

Overall, the prose is tight and the author uses an effective technique of revealing an eye-raising plot detail in one chapter and then explaining and expanding on it in the next. In this way, I was pulled along through the story (as opposed to me pushing myself through the story). The quasi-Cyberpunk setting was also neat, replete with the standard Bad Corporation, evil leader (Valens), dark and gritty mood, and even a little virtual reality delicately thrown in. The background story of the Candian/Chinese space race (seems the U.S. is no longer a contender in 2062) failed to get my interest even though it was necessary to explain some of the machinations. Also, one thing I could have done without was the occasional use of French. While it added Canadian flavor to the setting, my lack of a French vocabulary made me feel like I was missing out on something; at the very least it was distracting.

The "Secret Project" when finally revealed, is a nice treat for sf fans who might otherwise find this halfway-between-soft-and-hard sf combo a little on the soft side. For sure, by book's end, the stage is set for a harder story and a lot more action and intrigue. (The Jenny Casey series continues with the already-released Scardown and Worldwired.)

REVIEW: When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger

REVIEW SUMMARY: Fun, exciting read : a thriller masquerading as a sci-fi book.
MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Marid Audran is the typical gumshoe caught up in matters well above his station - a plot involving corrupt police, merciless crime lords and a series of gruesome murders.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Quick read, fun, exciting prose - the story moves along quickly throughout.
CONS: Few characters are sympathetic (well, except the poor strippers)
BOTTOM LINE: A fun book - a great way to spend a day sick at home during the holidays.

COMMENTARY: This is a fun book, a great thriller, with some reasonable mystery thrown in. This could easily be a Raymond Chandler book, in all honesty.

The sci-fi elements sadly don't add much to the book and I was mildly disappointed by this. There was no need for the brain implant concept introduced in the book - they didn't advance the plot, except to provide fuel to some depravity. In fact, they could have been left out and had the killer merely be a psycho (which I suppose he was in any case) and the book would have been just as good.

I agree with the commentary that the protagonist didn't act very much - he does appear to drift a bit and things do seem to just happen to him. It flows together well but as I said above, nobody in this book is really somebody you're going to sympathize with and that includes the main character.

The traditional elements of cyberpunk aren't present in this book except that the telling is a detective thriller set in the future. Normally we expect to see things like hackers, artificial intelligences, a global internet, or mega corporations. If you're fan of that hack Gibson, I don't think you're going to care for this book.

Finally, I feel this book isn't as good as Stephenson's Snow Crash. That book is hard sci-fi where the sci-fi actually means something. If you're looking for another book like that, you're apt to be disappointed (as you can probably tell I was - at least a little.)

I still had fun and enjoyed the heck out of it, hence the strong rating. I just can't give it the glowing review that John did.

Friday December 23, 2005

REVIEW: Designated Targets by John Birmingham

REVIEW SUMMARY: A much better effort than the previous book in the series, Birmingham delivers with this well-connected story.
MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The task force from the future introduced in the previous work Weapons of Choice, continues wrangling with the social and political impact of its arrival all while continuing to fight World War 2. The Axis powers have managed to snag future technology too and aren't going down without a fight.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Studying the politics and social implications of the future warriors on America is great fodder for a story - the mixed-race, mixed-gender force plays havoc with 1942 American sensibilities. It points out how far we have come as a nation in the last 60 years.
CONS: There isn't much to dislike here - but nobody will confuse Birmingham with Gene Wolfe.
BOTTOM LINE: Definitely worth reading if you managed to make it through the previous book.

ASIDE: John includes a female marine turned covert operative in a minor role with the name Harriet "the Chariot" Klausner. She has little dialog, but what she does say is fit for a sailor, if you catch my drift.

REVIEW: Weapons of Choice

REVIEW SUMMARY: Almost two separate books: the first part is gratuitous and hard to follow but the second is very solid.
MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In a reprise of other works such as The Final Countdown Birmingham spins a story about warships from 2021 being sent to 1942. The book then explores the outcome of this transition.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Second half of the book is solid, with the social and political aspects of 'men from the future' showing up in the middle of World War II.
CONS: The 2021 technology seems gratuitous: why not just send 2005's military technology into the past? The first part of the book detailing the actions around Midway right after the transition (with Americans firing on Americans) seems rushed and not as well written as the second half. The books was either split of planned to be part of a series from day one - it ends abruptly.
BOTTOM LINE: Because it is the beginning to a series, if you're interested in the series, you pretty much have to read this one. The follow-on is good, so it is probably best to slog through this one quickly and get on to the better work.

It's Nick Burns, Your Company's Computer Guy!

Saturday Night Live has been hit and miss (mostly miss) for years. But this set of SNL bits, Nick Burns: Your Company's Computer Guy, is a hoot. It's funny to me bacause I tend to get impatient when explaining luddites...like my family. (Although I don't insult them like Nick does.) Sometimes the computer facts are just wrong, but I love the running bit where he gets impatient with the person at the keyboard at interrupts them with, "Move." Heh-heh.

Do You Have Reading Stamina?

From a BBC article, Teenagers 'Lack Reading Stamina':

A lack of exposure to novels at school is leaving teenagers with little "reading stamina", a report says.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority found this was "limiting pupils' experience of pre-20th Century literature in particular".

Some 14 to 16-year-olds in England did not have "a sufficiently varied or demanding reading diet", with schools relying on extracts and short stories.

Sad news indeed. maybe the solution is to assign children one of the door-stopping tomes of today. If you can get through Quicksilver, you can get through anything!

[link via CoolSciFi]

Thursday December 22, 2005

Ursula K. LeGuin on Fantasy

Ursula LeGuin is profiled at The Guardian where she talks about Harry Potter, the scifi Channel adaptation of Earthsea, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, gender and race in her fiction and on writing fantasy in general:

"Writing fantasy isn't writing for children, but it erases the distinctions; it's inherently a crossover genre," she says. Much of fantasy writing, she adds, is "about power - just look at Tolkien. It's a means to examine what it does to the person who has it, and to others." A believer, with Shelley, that "the great instrument of moral good is the imagination", she says: "If you cannot or will not imagine the results of your actions, there's no way you can act morally or responsibly. Little kids can't do it; babies are morally monsters - completely greedy. Their imagination has to be trained into foresight and empathy." No easy task. As she once wrote in exasperation, "Sure, it's simple, writing for kids. Just as simple as bringing them up."

[Link via Locus Online]

SF Tidbits Part LVII

Time Magazine has listed Kelly Link's Magic for Beginners as one of the Top 5 Fiction Books of 2005. [via Locus Online]

Will there be a Back to the Future 4?

Battlestar Galactica'a Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck) is featured in an interview excerpt. [via The Great Link]

One for the ladies, here's The Fembot's Top 10 Hottest Men in Sci-Fi. Three of 'em from Firefly!

Google Video has all 5 parts of an interview with William Shatner by Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation (the Emmy people). [via SFF Audio]

Here's a list of science fiction board games.

Still Yet More Free Fiction

Some new additions at Free Speculative Fiction Online:

"The Gulf Between" by Tom Godwin (1953)

"Planet of Forgetting" by James H. Schmitz (1965)

"Legacy" by James H. Schmitz (1962)

"The Great Wall of Mexico" by John Sladek (1973)

"Mr. Costello, Hero" by Theodore Sturgeon (1953)

"A Saucer of Loneliness" by Theodore Sturgeon (1953)

Top Ten Anime DVDs of 2005

DVD Talk has posted their Top Ten Anime DVDs of 2005:

Samurai 7

Ghost in the Shell: SAC (2nd Gig)

Fullmetal Alchemist

Planetes

Samurai Champloo

Hayao Miyazaki films - Porco Rosso and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Appleseed

Gankutsuou -The Count of Monte Cristo

Gunslinger Girl

Area 88