
REVIEW SUMMARY: Depending on how you squint at it, this is either sf or mainstream, but either way it's a very good book.
MY RATING: ![]()
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Four college roommates travel across the country in search of immortality. Only two will get it, but only if the third commits suicide and the fourth is sacrificed.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Superbly written; intriguing plot; a good mood piece.
CONS: I was expecting science fiction and got mainstream.
BOTTOM LINE: A very enjoyable book that left me feeling deliciously somber.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 31, 2006 at 3:29 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 30, 2006 at 7:51 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
The Canadian teen who came to be known as The Star Wars Kid is headed to court. He rose to fame because of a video his peers released on the Internet which showed him acting out a light saber scene, and because of all the parodies that followed. Next month he will be appearing in court to pursue a $160,000 lawsuit against his ex-classmates who leaked the video.
[via Club Jade]
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 29, 2006 at 9:44 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
As a companion to the article on the 50th anniversary of Forbidden Planet, the Houston Chronicle also lists The 25 Most Important Science Fiction Films (according to the article's author, Louis B. Parks).
In true meme fashion, I've highlighted the ones I've seen.
THE 25 MOST IMPORTANT SCIENCE FICTION FILMS
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 29, 2006 at 10:13 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 29, 2006 at 7:02 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

John Scalzi's Whatever blog is reporting that publisher Tor has allowed Scalzi and Robert Charles Wilson to make their Hugo-nominated books (Old Man's War and Spin, respectively) available in (DRM-free) electronic format. The catch is that the books are available only to Hugo voters - that is, members of LAcon IV, this year's Worldcon - and only for the duration of the voting period.
Scalzi has the scoop.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday March 28, 2006 at 9:20 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 27, 2006 at 10:32 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

Heat Vision and Jack was a pilot for a FOX TV show done in 1999 byt Ben Stiller. It stars Jack Black as an astronaut on the run from NASA and the evil Ron Silver, played by Ron Silver (classic). Heat Vision is Jack's motorcycle and is voiced by Owen Wilson. I guess you could say its a cross between Knight Rider and The Six Million Dollar Man, only funnier. You'll either like it or hate it, depending on your Stiller stomach quotient. It is cheesy and it is dumb, but I think it was created to be a parody, sort of a Police Squad for SF series. Yes, this is real, you can look it up on IMDB.
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Posted by JP Frantz at Monday March 27, 2006 at 2:34 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: Some hits, some misses.
MY RATING: ![]()
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Anthology of nine novellas and 1 novelette from the year 2004.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: 8 stories ranging from good to excellent
CONS: 2 stories mediocre or worse.
BOTTOM LINE: A good assortment of stories from 2004.
With several other "Best of..." anthologies on the market, it helps that each one sets its own unique goals. For Jonathan Strahan's Best Short Novels series, available exclusively from the Science Fiction Book Club, the goal is to showcase the best novellas of the previous year in the genres of science fiction and fantasy; Best Short Novels: 2005 collects ten stories published in 2004.
Read more...
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 27, 2006 at 12:10 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
| (48 total votes) |
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 27, 2006 at 12:00 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
Over at Emerald City, author Karen Traviss explains why she writes Star Wars novels. In the article she voices the widespread belief that "media tie-ins are rubbish".
But are they? Do they not require effort just like any other book? According to Karen, they are even more difficult to write because of constraints put on the authors by the controlling party regarding character deaths, their backgrounds, language/terminology and the like. Additionally, the story events need to be congruent with the events in books by many other authors; there's lots of coordination involved.
Speaking for myself, I have historically tended to avoid tie-ins because of this stigma. That's unfortunate for me. I am surely missing out on some perfectly fine sf. For example, some co-bloggers have extolled the virtues of Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy of Star Wars books.
Media tie-ins are not exclusive to the Star Wars universe of course. Star Trek is another popular source of books, as is Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more. There's even a whole gaming-related set of tie-ins, which I will not even start to get into here.
What do you think? Do you read tie-in novels? Which ones? Or are media tie-in novels trash?
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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday March 26, 2006 at 10:31 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
Booksquare points to Publisher's Weekly article "Judging a Book By Its Cover" which tells us that (surprise, surprise) covers matter.
I love science fiction book cover art. Liking any individual artistic style is subject a personal taste. One of my favorite cover artists is the award winning John Picacio who does a lot of cover art for Pyr.
One of the reasons I like physical bookstores over online ones is because cover art is more easily browsed that way. Locus Online does an admirable job showcasing a year's worth of science fiction/fantasy book covers side by side, but rare is the online bookstore that does this and I still want the bigger images without having to use the slower method of the click-through.
According to poll SF Signal did last year, only half of respondents said they purchased a book solely on its cover. That surprises me in that people would base a decision on that alone. Sure covers matter, but I find a bad cover drives me away from a purchase more than a good one will ensure it.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday March 26, 2006 at 11:07 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
I stumbled across an sf-related NPR link and thought it might be time to follow up last year's post Genre Stuff on NPR.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday March 25, 2006 at 12:01 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 24, 2006 at 3:48 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: A novel that's thought-provoking, literary and entertaining despite a slow start.
MY RATING: ![]()
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The story of several characters during a time of political and environmental change in a futuristic 21st century India.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Cool technology; Indian culture creates excellent atmosphere; engrossing storylines; well-crafted.
CONS: Slow start; incomplete glossary.
BOTTOM LINE: A hugely enjoyable book on any number of levels.
The futuristic India in Ian McDonald's River of Gods would be marvelous enough with its technological society, one where the sentience of artificial intelligence is limited by a law called the Hamilton Acts; where illegal software houses circumvent the law; where a government agency known as The Ministry "excommunicates" rogue AIs from this world; where virtual reality is the order of the day; where popular soap operas feature computer-generated characters played by computer-generated actors; where advanced medical procedures can turn you into a genderless "nute" or genetic engineering can give you a disease free, slow-aging Brahmin child; where power is generated underneath sidewalks that harness the energy of footsteps ; where even greater amounts of energy can be realized from the potential difference between two universes that exist at different ground states; and where an alien artifact is found in space that holds untold mysteries.
But River of Gods goes one step further, adding a whole other layer of enjoyment in the process, through the portrayal of Indian culture. It permeates everyone and everything, bringing forth interesting concepts and vivid imagery that give it a distinct mood and flavor. India's caste system remains but now includes the Brahmin, a group of people genetically-bred to be disease free, whose long life gives them an extended period of youthful appearance. The culture's many Gods are also prevalent in the story. For the culturally-uninitiated (like myself) there is a handy glossary included that defines many Hindi terms. However, the novel is so steeped in culture (and wonderfully so) that the glossary is woefully incomplete. Many of the words this Average Westerner looked up were not included. Eventually, I stopped using it. Needless to say, those who know Indian culture and especially Hindi will find a whole other level of enjoyment that escaped me, as evidenced by the light bulbs that went on when I asked a Hindi-speaking friend to translate words and section titles.
Read more...
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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 24, 2006 at 2:22 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 23, 2006 at 3:51 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

Kathryn Cramer shows off the covers of some nifty-sounding anthologies that she and hubby David G. Hartwell have edited.
The first, due in April 2006, is The Science Fiction Century, Volume One (edited by Harwell alone) and looks to be a trade paperback booksplit reprint or Hartwell's 1997 The Science Fiction Century. In true biblioholic fashion, I've yet to read that one even though I bought it years ago.
The second is the Tor book The Space Opera Renaissance and it's due out in July 2006. Here's the book description:
"Space opera", once a derisive term for cheap pulp adventure, has come to mean something more in modern SF: compelling adventure stories told against a broad canvas, and written to the highest level of skill. Indeed, it can be argued that the "new space opera" is one of the defining streams of modern SF.Mmmmm...crunchy sf goodness...[Homer gurgle]Now, World Fantasy Award-winning anthologists David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer have compiled a definitive overview of this subgenre, both as it was in the days of the pulp magazines, and as it has become in 2005. Included are major works from genre progenitors like Jack Williamson and Leigh Brackett, stylish midcentury voices like Cordwainer Smith and Samuel R. Delany, popular favorites like David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Ursula K. Le Guin, and modern-day pioneers such as Iain M. Banks, Steven Baxter, Scott Westerfeld, and Charles Stross.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 23, 2006 at 2:00 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
Entertainment Weekly has identified 25 of the Worst Movie Sequels Ever Made. There are more than a few sci-fi, fantasy and horror movies that made the list.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 23, 2006 at 12:01 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 22, 2006 at 4:02 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
Mmmmm...short stories...
Here is the Table of Contents for the upcoming sf anthology Year's Best SF 11 edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 22, 2006 at 3:28 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
The 2006 Hugo Awards Nominations have been announced:
NOVEL
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 22, 2006 at 11:24 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
And you thought I forgot. For those of you who have forgotten, a quick recap. And now on to the results!
1. Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos) by Dan Simmons - 7 votes
2. Dune by Frank Herbert - 6 votes
3. Use Of Weapons (Culture Series) by Iain M. Banks - 5 votes
4. Startide Rising (Uplisft Series) by David Brin - 4 votes
5. Neuromancer by William Gibson - 4 votes
6. The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin - 4 votes
7. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke - 4 votes
8. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - 4 votes
And a bunch more with 3 and 2 votes. This is an interesting mix, and it seems to follow the 10 year rule. I believe the 'newest' book listed is Hyperion. Out of the 8 listed above, I liked all of them except for Neuromancer (Gibson would rather play with words than write an actual story), while The Left Hand Of Darkness I found tedious in the extreme to read because it felt like I was reading a philosophy textbook. Otherwise, all the rest I hihghly recommend to anyone who hasn't read them, with Hyperion and Use OF Weapons topping my recommndations.
All in all, there was a bunch of good stuff listed. I encourage everyone to go back to the orginal post and read through the comments and maybe find something you haven't read yet! (Tim.... :D)
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Posted by JP Frantz at Tuesday March 21, 2006 at 9:20 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday March 21, 2006 at 1:12 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
Some folks over in Asimov's Forum have a thread going regarding story statistics for The Years Best Science Fiction anthology series edited by Gardner Dozois. Here are some interesting statistics posted by "William Atheling III" for the first 23 volumes of the series:
Top 13 Authors with the Most Appearances in Dozois' YEAR BEST SF Volumes 1 - 23
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 20, 2006 at 2:46 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 20, 2006 at 11:28 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
| (38 total votes) |
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 20, 2006 at 12:00 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
According to the voice of Fry, Billy West, the answer is yes. The big difference this time is that they are supposedly working on 26 new episodes to be aired on TV, not DVD! This is good news for everyone and now I must go acquire the last volume in the DVD series....
Update: Or not. :(
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Posted by JP Frantz at Sunday March 19, 2006 at 9:09 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
Before the remake...er, I mean "re-imagined"...Battlestar Galactica aired, I subscribed to the general consensus that it was going to suck. Much to my surprise - and the surprise of many - it didn't suck. Gone was the corniness of the original Star Wars rip-off series. In came the dark, gritty space opera that audiences were willing to watch. Yay for scifi fans.
I've seen all of the episodes since the start of the series and I've mostly been pleased; pleased enough, at least, to keep watching. There were some low points but they were few and far between. The sf crunchy dramatic goodness was prevalent enough to keep it on my meager watch list.
I felt this way at least up until the "Pegasus" episode, the one where the Galactica finds a new Battlestar thought destroyed in the Cylon attack on Caprica. This was the episode that ended the first half of season 2, the episode that ushered in the "WTF?" practice of mid-season hiatus. It was a great episode and one whose cliffhanger ending ensured my return.
The 2nd half of the season did return with the two-part "Resurrection Ship", episodes which I found too much of a tease to be called good. The dramatic buildup of the simultaneous assassination, for example, was circumvented through most un-dramatic means. The only thing that could be more annoying wa if (like NBC does with ER) the episodes are each billed as the "must-see" episode of the season when all we get is another run-of-the-mill episode.
It turned out that "the tease" proved to be the prevailing technique used by the writers on the subsequent episodes. I kept getting the impression of good things to come - things that were ultimately never realized. In the end, the remaining episodes of Season 2 were a big disappointment for me.
Read more...
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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday March 19, 2006 at 3:01 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
Spider Robinson has been commissioned to write a book based on an outline Robert A. Heinlein created in November 1955. The book will be called Variable Star and is nearing final stages. It's due to be published in September 2006.
SF Signal reader (and unpaid spellchecker :)) Fred from Eternal Golden Braid told us about this nearly two years ago. I'm glad to see it finally coming to pass.
[Source: Heinlein Blog via BowieTrek]
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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday March 18, 2006 at 8:53 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday March 18, 2006 at 5:54 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine now has a presence on MySpace.
This is interesting. I'm guessing this an attempt to drum up their readership which, sadly, has been declining for all SF/F magazines over the last few years. (So says Locus Magazine.) Getting some face time on mySpace, then, can't be all bad. I suspect this is the doing of F&SF editor John Joseph Adams a.k.a. The Slush God, whose blog, The Slush God Speaketh, is a frequently visited site and newsfeed. (Among other venues, he also writes for the SciFi Channel's SciFi Wire.)
[Link via David Barr Kirtley's LiveJournal]
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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday March 18, 2006 at 2:03 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 17, 2006 at 12:45 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
Hey kids! Have hours and hours of fun with these science fiction and fantasy-related soundboards! Amaze your friends! Impress your enemies! Or, just kill some time.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 17, 2006 at 11:25 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
In addition to their Editor's Choice for Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2005, SF Site has now posted their Readers' Choice for SF Site Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2005. They are:
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 16, 2006 at 10:14 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
![]()
REVIEW SUMMARY: An example of how change is inevitable.
MY RATING: ![]()
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Pure human Flint sets out to find his sister Amber in the Wildlands where nanotech changes humans into something not-human.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Intriguing and well-imagined world; thought-provoking; left me in a pensive mood.
CONS: Slow start; the focus of the book sometimes seemed to wander.
BOTTOM LINE: An entertaining and thought-provoking read.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 16, 2006 at 1:17 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

MY RATING: ![]()
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Tatja Grimm doesn't fit in on the world where she lives - she's significantly smarter that everybody else, and begins to realize there might be more out in the universe than her tiny planet.
PROS: First section is a great short story, the last section is good, the middle is pretty poor.
CONS: The book bridges a couple of decent short stories together in poor fashion.
BOTTOM LINE: If you have to read everything by Vinge, get it, otherwise you can give this one a pass.
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Posted by Scott Shaffer at Thursday March 16, 2006 at 1:16 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 15, 2006 at 5:52 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
From a ZDNet article:
The new offering would allow people to sign in and purchase immediate, browser-based access to books, Google said on its site. Purchasers would not, however, be allowed to save a copy of the book to their computer or to otherwise copy pages from the book.Hmmmm. Web-based access only? An interesting idea. For reading fiction, I think I still prefer the physicality of holding a book. Reference material might be different though. That's something which I might want to access from anywhere. Anywhere with web access, that is. It'll be interesting to see how this works out. I imagine there are plenty of people who like this purchasing model.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 15, 2006 at 3:04 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
A couple of news sources are announcing that the Science Fiction Museum has announced the list of 2006 inductees into the Hall of Fame. They are:
Oddly (and as Emerald City points out), there is no mention of this news at the Science Fiction Museum's website. I dislike posting something that could be rumor, but I'm thinking this is more of an "intentional leak".
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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday March 14, 2006 at 5:04 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday March 14, 2006 at 5:02 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
Empire Magazine has announced the winners of the 2006 Empire Awards. Of note to SF/F/H fans:
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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday March 14, 2006 at 11:03 AM
© 2006 SF Signal

As previously noted, Locus Magazine reviewer Rich Horton will be editing three two annual anthology series: Science Fiction: The Best of the Year and Fantasy: The Best of the Year to be published by Prime Books.
New this week is Horton's message on the Asimov's forum listing the Tables of Contents of each:
Science Fiction: The Best of the Year
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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday March 14, 2006 at 7:36 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
The March 2006 Internet Review of Science Fiction is available:
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 13, 2006 at 8:03 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 13, 2006 at 4:10 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
MY RATING: ![]()
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In the late Victorian Era, two stage magicians engage in a personal rivalry that quickly escalates to active sabotage of each other's stage performances. This rivalry becomes so strong that even their descendants are caught up in it web.
PROS: Excellent story, interesting character, great writing, big SF reveal near the end.
CONS: The ending just didn't live up to the rest of the book.
BOTTOM LINE: Another great Victorian Era 'urban fantasy' story. If you aren't big on regular epic fantasy, this book may be for you. If you like urban fantasy, definitely read this book.
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Posted by JP Frantz at Monday March 13, 2006 at 9:51 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
Gardner Dozois, editor of the annual Year's Best Science Fiction anthology series (soon to release its 23rd edition!) has announced that there will be a collection of the best novellas from the first 22(!) years called Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Best Science Fiction Short Novels. This is a follow-on retrospective to last year's Best of the Best : 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction, which disregarded story length. Dozois says in the Asimov's post that any novella included in last year's retrospective is ineligible for the upcoming one.
This news comes via Jonathan Strahan's Notes from Coode Street. Strahan is co-editor of the iBooks anthologies Fiction: Best of 200xand Fantasy: Best of 200x (now in limbo) and the Science Fiction Book Club's Best Short Novels series whose 3rd edition is due later this year.
I'm a bit divided on this one. Best of the Best seems like overkill. On the other hand, that hasn't stopped me from buying last year's Best of the Best via Bookcloseouts. What I would rather see is a reprint of the 1st, 2nd and 5th editions of The Year's Best Science Fiction since those are the ones I have yet to own.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 13, 2006 at 12:01 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
| (46 total votes) |
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 13, 2006 at 12:00 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
How important is the objectivity of a reviewer? It's a simple sentence, but boy does it have a lot of controversy behind it.
For example, reviewers here at SFSignal often get the books they review free from the publishers. The publishers send out review copies in the hopes that we'll write something good about it - making us a part of their viral marketing efforts. I don't remember seeing any review here (mine included) mention this during the review. Are we as objective about a free book as we would be for one we plunked our hard-earned cashed down on?
I've been thinking about this topic for a while, trying to get my head wrapped around not only the topic but also the way I really feel about it.
Read more...
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Posted by Scott Shaffer at Sunday March 12, 2006 at 1:29 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: Not the perfect anthology, but there are some good examples of adventure sf to be found here.
MY RATING: ![]()
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Anthology of 16 golden-age SF adventure stories.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: 11 stories good or better, 2 of them outstanding.
CONS: 5 stories mediocre or worse.
BOTTOM LINE: Overall a good collection, but there were a few disappointments
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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday March 12, 2006 at 12:03 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
From the Science Fiction Writers of America:
Air: Or, Have Not Have by Geoff Ryman will be the winner of the 2005 Tiptree Award. The award ceremony will be held at WisCon 30, to be held in Madison, Wisconsin from May 26 to May 29, 2006. Mr. Ryman will receive $1000 in prize money, an original artwork created specifically for the award, and the signature chocolate that always accompanies the Tiptree Award.I've seen Ryman get much praise, which is why his book 253 - The Print Remix caught my eye. Unfortunately, that book did not appeal to me. My reading experience with Ryman's "Have Not Have" was mediocre at best. I did, however, enjoy his short story "Birth Days" and, even more so, his story "V.A.O.".The James Tiptree Jr. Award is presented annually to a work that explores and expands gender roles in science fiction and fantasy. The award was created in 1991 to honor Alice Sheldon, who wrote under the pseudonym James Tiptree, Jr. By her chance choice of a masculine pen name, Sheldon helped break down the imaginary barrier between "women's writing" and "men's writing." Her short stories were notable for their thoughtful examination of the roles of men and women in our society.The winner was selected from a short list that included:
- Aimee Bender, Willful Creatures
- Margo Lanagan, "Wooden Bride"
- Vonda N. McIntyre, "Little Faces"
- Wen Spencer, A Brother's Price
- Wesley Stace, Misfortune
- Mark W. Tiedemann, Remains
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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday March 11, 2006 at 1:41 PM
© 2006 SF Signal

REVIEW SUMMARY: A hugely entertaining sequel that sparkles with style.
MY RATING: ![]()
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Marid Audran solves crime in the culturally rich Budayeen.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Lively, spunky writing; rich setting; engrossing story; quick pacing.
CONS: Marid slow to catch on to the nature of the Phoenix File.
BOTTOM LINE: This is easily going to be one of my favorite reads of the year.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday March 11, 2006 at 12:22 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
Dave Itzkoff's comments about SF have certainly garned a lot of attention. Along with that attention, has come close scrutiny of his list of favorite SF books. This list shouldn't surprise anyone as it definately seems to come from someone who thinks SF is too geeky. So, as a result, I thought I'd challenge the loyal SF Signal reader, to come up with a list of top SF books, as voted on by you. That means that you, Mr(s). RSS Feed reader, need to click on through and enter your list too. The rules:
1. Post your top 5 SF books. Order is unimportant, you can vote for a series by voting for any book in the series, just vote by saying BookName (Series).
2. Post them here in the comment section, please don't email them.
3. We'll tally up the votes, and generate a list of books, ordered by number of votes, in, say, about a week.
To get started, here are my top 5 (favorite) SF books:
1. Startide Rising
2. Use Of Weapons
3. Hyperion
4. Sten (Sten)
5. Starship Troopers
Vote away!
Update #1: There has been much, err, discussion on why only 5 books? That's easy. I'm lazy. And as this is all about me tabulating the votes, you get to list 5 to be counted. Joshua, you were right about John being the complete bastard. Me? I'm just the lazy bastard! Anyway, there is a lot of good stuff here. Some books that would be on my list if it were longer than 5. But I listed the first 5 I could think of, therefore they are my 'top 5'. Keep posting. Especially you SFS peeps reading the RSS Feed. Click on over and post a comment or risk being called lazy, like Tim!
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Posted by JP Frantz at Friday March 10, 2006 at 3:51 PM
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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 10, 2006 at 12:54 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
MIT's Media-in-Transition program is meant to "exploit some of the accretive, hypertextual and interactive capacities" of the new medium of cyberspace. Between 1997 and 2000, they focused on science fiction hoping to "encourage us to read science fiction as a mode of 'vernacular theory,' aiming to make current debates about new media accessible to a popular audience."
The website includes a 1997 essay Media and Imagination: A Short History of American Science Fiction. From their 3-year run, they have included interviews with these sf authors:
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 09, 2006 at 3:36 PM
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Nominees for the Aventis Prize, celebrating popular science books for adults, were announced.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 09, 2006 at 12:57 PM
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I suspect that my postman not only reads this blog, but he's become a speed-reader. I received my new issue of Locus Magazine yesterday, an unprecedented eight days into the month! This would lead me to believe that he's read my previous post on how I get the magazine late and already unsealed. Although I got my eager little hands on the magazine earlier than normal this month, it was still unsealed. And not just the-seal-became-undone-accidentally kind of unsealed. No, this was a hurried ripping of the seal. Therefore, I think my postman is a speed-reader. Who reads this blog.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 09, 2006 at 12:13 AM
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 08, 2006 at 12:52 PM
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American Scientist Magazine lists 100 or so Books That Shaped a Century of Science. There are several categories, mostly citing non-fiction science books. But they did see fit to include a small handful of novels:
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 08, 2006 at 9:41 AM
© 2006 SF Signal
SF author James Patrick Kelly's last podcast experiment was his chapter-by-chapter reading of his novella "Burn". He is now following up that experiment with another.
Newly available is a podcast of the author reading his nebula-nominated novelette "Men are Trouble". [See the SF Signal reviewlette.] The story is also available in a pre-podcast version at the author's website.
[via Emerald City blog]
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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday March 07, 2006 at 3:07 PM
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 06, 2006 at 11:08 PM
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It seems that more and more these days, I am getting my news through RSS newsfeeds as opposed to random/purposeful surfing . (Must...feed...blog...) So it is always nice to find some information that has yet to make it to through my newsreader. Like this tidbit.
SF author Sean Williams announced on his news page that in 2007 Ace will be publishing his next trilogy, a solo called ASTROPOLIS. The proposed titles are Saturn Returns, Earth Ascendant, and Increasing in Light. He is also working on a young adult project.
I really enjoyed Williams' The Resurrected Man. I've been meaning to read his other works for quite a while now, but like so many other books, they keep getting supplanted by my whims of reading choice.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 06, 2006 at 10:35 PM
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Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic medicine Show features an article on authors and blogging. There's quotes-a-plenty from Kathryn Cramer, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Syne Mitchell, Robert Sawyer and John Scalzi.
For a more comprehensive list of blogging authors, see SF Signal's post on SF/F writers who blog. And don't forget SF/F Writers Who Don't Blog...But Should!
[Link via Robert J. Sawyer]
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 06, 2006 at 3:59 PM
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George Lucas made a prediction that big budget pictures will start to disappear, and lower cost movies (15 million or so) will start to make thier way into theatres. Now I find this interesting in that George's last few movies were giant budget affairs, that if they didn't say Star Wars, would not have even made a dime. Anyways, since we have a poll about SF and Hollywood - this is somewhat intriguing. I wonder can you make a decent SF movie without huge special effects and a monster budget - my guess is yes, but what do our readers think?
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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Monday March 06, 2006 at 10:50 AM
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| (46 total votes) |
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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday March 06, 2006 at 12:00 AM
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Dave Itzkoff, SF reviewer for The New York Times, recently listed his favorite SF books. But he is also making waves with some comments about the SF genre he makes in his review of David Marusek's Counting Heads.
HERE'S a question I don't expect to come anywhere close to answering by the end of this column: Why does contemporary science fiction have to be so geeky?His reaction has already spawned a letter to be written to Locus Magazine [link via Emerald City].
...
I cannot [recommend science fiction books] in good conscience because if you were to immerse yourself in most of the sci-fi being published these days, you would probably enjoy it as much as one enjoys reading a biology textbook or a stereo manual. And you would very likely come away wondering, as I do from time to time, whether science fiction has strayed so far from the fiction category as a whole that, though the two share common ancestors, they now seem to have as much to do with each other as a whale has to do with a platypus.
Is Itzkoff right? Is he just using a bad hook to make his article more cohesive?
Is SF too geeky?
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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday March 05, 2006 at 11:09 AM
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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday March 05, 2006 at 10:56 AM
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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday March 04, 2006 at 8:11 PM
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Dave Itzkoff, science fiction reviewer for the New York Times, lists his favorite science fiction books, in alphabetical order.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday March 04, 2006 at 7:52 PM
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Kevin Smith gives an awesome speech about his early involvement with the new Superman movie. I think this old - I seem to remember Scott telling me about this before - but this is the first time I've seen the video of the speech. (Thanks to Movie Blog) This is very funny stuff. The 20 minute video is expletive-laden, but that's more than made up for by the Spanish subititles!
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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday March 04, 2006 at 1:14 PM
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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 03, 2006 at 3:53 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
On Sunday, March 12th, The History Channel is running How William Shatner Changed the World. They only offer this brief description:
You've got a cell phone at one ear, an iPod at the other. You know that Blackberry is now a verb and Spam is not only canned meat. But just how did we get here? Blame William Shatner--yes, that William Shatner--Captain Kirk. We'll boldly go where few have gone before to reveal how scientists, inspired by the series, would revolutionize medicine and are surpassing the far-out vision of the future foreshadowed in Star Trek in the 1960s. From cell phones to computers to even leading-edge medical advancements, this 2-hour special explores how those sci-fi inventions have now permeated everyday life as we know it. Hosted and narrated by Shatner and based on his book, I'm Working on That, we'll meet the brightest minds of Silicon Valley and the Trek-inspired inventions that have help change the world.There's a press release with more information, like this tidbit that fanboys will love:
HOW WILLIAM SHATNER CHANGED THE WORLD features interviews with other Star Trek actors George Takei and Nichelle Nichols, and looks at the legacy of subsequent Star Trek franchises and feature films which continue to impact the pace of scientific and technological advancements and inspire a new generation of world-changing scientists and inventors.Speaking of fanboys, the History Channel is also running a promotional sweepstakes where the winner will get to meet William Shatner at a Star Trek con in Vega$.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 03, 2006 at 12:42 PM
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The newly launched Book Magazine from the U.K. is running a poll through April 30th to determine the Greatest Living British Writer. The only genre authors included are Terry Pratchett and J.K. Rowling, but there is space to include your own choice.
With more and more award-nominated genre books coming from the U.K. it surprises me to see only two names there. No China Miéville? No Iain M. Banks or Ian MacDonald? Tsk tsk.
[via Andrew Wheeler]
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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 03, 2006 at 12:24 PM
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Yes, I know its not necessarily SF related, but I think this will help all our readers out there who don't understand Podcasting. I have found a video from a Ninja to help explain it to you. If its still confusing after this little show, I will attempt to find a pirate to help elaborate a bit more...
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Posted by Tim Zinsky at Friday March 03, 2006 at 10:02 AM
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Locus Magazine reviewer Rich Horton will be editing two new annual anthology series: Fantasy: The Best of the Year and Science Fiction: The Best of the Year. A third anthology, Horror: The Best of the Year, will be edited by John Gregory Betancourt and Sean Wallace. All three anthologies will be published by Prime Books in trade paperback format.
[via Jonathan Strahan, co-editor with Karen Haber of Science Fiction: Best of... and Fantasy: Best of... anthologies from the recently-folded publishers, iBooks]
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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 03, 2006 at 8:26 AM
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REVIEW SUMMARY: The classic formula of juvenile science fiction still works.
MY RATING: ![]()
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Young Matt Dodson joins the Interplanetary Patrol in hopes of graduating to Space Cadet.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Skillful, terse writing made the story zip along; positive messages for young readers and enjoyable space adventure for all ages.
CONS: Some corny dialogue; needed a stronger antagonist; dated science may put off those who dislike such things.
BOTTOM LINE: Chock full of the tasty flavor of yesteryears' science fiction.
I have this irrational fear that all books, no matter how enjoyable, will be swept away by the tides of time as they fall out of print. Sure, there are a small handful of memorable titles that that remain on bookstore shelves years after year, but anyone who is looking for older titles is relegated to used bookstores and garage sales. Fortunately for a select few titles, the reprint publishing market is alive and kicking. One classic title that recently saw the light of day again is Robert A. Heinlein's Space Cadet.
Read more...
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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday March 03, 2006 at 1:01 AM
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Emerald City points out an oh-so-close-but-not-quite-cool website that maps independent bookstores. Actually, the MapMuse website maps lots of things. For example, here's a look at Houston area used bookstores, a set of establishments with which I am...somewhat...familiar.
The thing that keeps MapMuse from being a truly cool website is that, for some reason, as Tobias S. Buckell points out in the Emerald City post, they are not using the awesome Google Map interface. Grrr! Google Maps are way more responsive and intuitive. People are using the Google Maps API for a reason. Page draws pages between clicks on apps like this is so 2002.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 02, 2006 at 9:34 PM
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Can an author promote their books too much? That seems to be the question of the week making the blog rounds.
Justine Larbalestier is a bit sensitive to the topic since she's been accused of too much "self-promotery". (I love that term.) She makes some good points. First and foremost, it's an authors job to promote their work. With so many books being published, even in a particular genre, they cannot afford to sit on their laurels. Which is not to say that self-promotion cannot get out of hand. Some self-promoting can be downright intrusive. To my (non-author) way of thinking, it's a question of taste and tact and not so much the act of promoting. Like Larablestier points out: don't be rude about it.
John Scalzi also comments on the topic and outlines some good points. (1. First-time authors get a free pass, 2. Beyond that, maintain a sense of scale, and 3. Spread the love and promote others before yourself.) He also recalls his incessant pimpage of Old Man's War and how another author took issue with said pimpage.
Tobias S. Buckell also adds to the discussion and calls out writer Jeff VanderMeer's opinion (made in the comments of Larbalestier's blog post) that authors should raise the stakes on each successive book promotion. Buckell points to the recent appearance of book-related websites - as in one website devoted to one title, usually created by the book's author.
In the end, like any form of advertising, anyone who is tired of the advertising can always tune it out, or change the channel, or turn off the radio...
UPDATE
BTW, it occurs to me that I could have provided a good example of tactful self-promoting. I could have taken the time to let people know of an awesome website that is sure to stimulate and expand your mind. But instead, I'll let the linkage do that for me. :)
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 02, 2006 at 9:22 PM
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Any Paul DiFilippo fans out there?
Now you can listen to a podcast of Paul DiFilippo's story "Little Worker". Warning: The story is rated X by hosts EscapePod. The timid may prefer a podcast interview with the author over at SmallWorldPodcast.
[Link via BoingBoing]
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 02, 2006 at 1:04 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
Amazon has Amazon.com: Firefly - The Complete Series on sale for $20. Wow! If you haven't bought it yet, now's your chance. You can't beat quality entertainment for $20. And if you're feeling plucky, why not add the Serenity DVD as well and get them both for $38 with free shipping! You can't beat that with a large caliber weapon...
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Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday March 02, 2006 at 9:24 AM
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday March 02, 2006 at 12:41 AM
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REVIEW SUMMARY: Another great Neil Gaiman/Dave McKean collaboration.
MY RATING: ![]()
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Helen, the teenage daughter of a circus performer is transported to a strange world when her mother is taken to the hospital. The balance between light and darkness is broken, and darkness is swallowing up the world.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Even if there was no story at all, the McKean style of imagery would keep you entralled for two hours; story not Gaiman's best, but quite good
CONS: Special effects, while incredibly engrossing, fall just shy of blockbuster-budget films;
BOTTOM LINE: This is a winner - it appealed to not only a fantasy nut like me, but also my wife and 10-year-old son.
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Posted by APEGamer at Wednesday March 01, 2006 at 9:21 PM
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SF Site has posted their editors' choice for The Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2005:
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 01, 2006 at 12:55 PM
© 2006 SF Signal
Our recent post which discusses movie adaptations reminded me of the 1994 anthology Reel Future edited by Forrest J. Ackerman and Jean Stine which collects a handful of short stories that were adapted into movies. Here's the table of contents of that book with the corresponding movies. Three of the sixteen stories are available online.
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 01, 2006 at 12:54 PM
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 01, 2006 at 1:14 AM
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday March 01, 2006 at 12:00 AM
© 2006 SF Signal