SF Signal: July 2006 Archives

Monday July 31, 2006

REVIEW: The Exile Kiss by George Alec Effinger

REVIEW SUMMARY: A good read, but I was expecting more.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Marid Audran and his crime boss, Friedlander Bey, are exiled to the Arabian desert for a murder they did not commit.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: The flavor of prose is very enjoyable and easily consumable; colorful characters; the Budayeen is a great setting.
CONS: Weaker first half; pacing issues.
BOTTOM LINE: This late-blooming story did not quite match the enjoyment levels of the previous two books; if you haven't read them, start there.

The Exile Kiss is the third story in George Alec Effinger's Marid Audran series, following behind two excellent books: When Gravity Fails and A Fire in the Sun. Sadly, this book, while not at all bad, is weaker than the first two.

The story follows Marid Audran, strong-arm enforcer to 200-year-old mob boss "Papa" Friedlander Bey, the powerful lord of the Arab ghetto known as Budayeen. Marid and Bey are falsely accused of murder (presumable framed by one of Fey's powerful rivals) and banished from the Budayeen to the middle of the Arabian desert. They vow not only to survive the harsh environment, but also to exact vengeance on those who have framed them.

This is almost as serviceable a plot as the previous books, but it poses some problems; namely that it removes some of what was enjoyable in the earlier stories. The streetwise Marid is out of his element here. The assuredness and spunk that was so enjoyable before is gone while he is in the desert. Their triumphant return to the Budayeen only highlights the fact that the earlier portions felt like Marid-Lite. This only reinforces my impression from the earlier books that the Budayeen is as important a character as the people. The desert interlude also serves to delay the main thread of the book - the crime for which they are accused. At times it seemed that I was more anxious than Marid and Bey were to get back to the vengeance part. Worse, the normally confident, first-person prose came across half-hearted in its delivery, as if Effinger himself were waiting for the action to liven up.

When Marid and Bey did back to the Budayeen, however, the story really started to shine. Back in his element, Marid was his same old wise-cracking self, despite a side thread that his time in the desert leading the simple life with the clan of no-tech nomads had altered him forever. Even when his troubles magnified back in the Budayeen, he kept his cool, if not his street smarts (he seemed to get outwitted way too easily for someone with his experience). Compared with the pacing of the first half of the book, the second half seemed to fly by, perhaps too quickly in the end.

It's easier to be long-winded about a book's flaws than its virtues, so don't let my griping give the impression that The Exile Kiss is unreadable. On the contrary, this is still a good read. Effinger's flavor of prose is still very enjoyable and easily consumable. The Budayeen is gritty and steeped in an interesting culture full of humorously enthusiastic displays of politeness honor. The use of the cranial plug-in modules, Marid's drug addiction and his uneasy relationships are all used to good effect. The cast of characters are as colorful and corrupt as always and it's great to see them again. But this late-blooming story did not raise itself to the enjoyment levels of the first two books. If you haven't read the previous books, start there and you'll see what I mean.

POLL RESULTS: SciFi Channel Progress Report

Here are the results of the latest SF Signal poll.

QUESTION
How well is the Sci-Fi Channel doing as compared with last year?

RESULTS

(40 total votes)

Be sure to vote in this week's poll on upcoming Sci-fi on TV and Film!

Sunday July 30, 2006

EW Reviews SF/F

Issue #889 (August 4, 2006) of Entertainment Weekly offers some brief reviews of science fiction and fantasy books. Here's a snippet.

A Separate War and Other Stories by Joe Haldeman
For Fans of: Starship Troopers or Haldeman's classic, The Forever War.
Lowdown: Whether spinning old characters into new tales ("A Separate War") or tackling issues like terrorism, homosexuality, and global warming, Haldeman remains a nimble, necessary figure in sci-fi's pantheon.
Grade: A-

Farthing by Jo Walton
For Fans of: Robert Harris' Fatherland or Philip Roth's Plot Against America.
Lowdown: A stiff-upper-lip whodunit boasting political intrigue and uncomfortable truths about anti-Semitism.
Grade: B+

Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel
For Fans of: Surreal David Lynch and Wim Wenders films.
Lowdown: The book doesn't define a genre you've never heard of so much as blur the line between sci-fi and mainstream.
Grade: B+

The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
For Fans of: Vampires, wizards, and philosophical ideas.
Lowdown: Urban and sleek where Anne Rice is parochial and ornate, it's a promising entry into what could be a modern horror epic.
Grade: B-

SF Tidbits for 7/30/06

Did you miss the Eureka season premiere? Watch the 2-hour episode online at SciFi Channel's Pulse website.

Fathom Archive offers us The Biology of B-Movie Monsters.

Take a break: Free Flash games!

Vote for your sci-fi favorites at The 2006 SyFy Portal Genre Awards. [via SciFi Ranter Girl]

The Washington Post reviews Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds, The Baby Merchant by Kit Reed, Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson and Daughters of Earth edited by Justine Larbalestier.

Following Part 1, Lou Anders offers The State of Science Fiction, Part II. He also looks at Judging Books by their Covers.

Saturday July 29, 2006

Lost Superman II Footage

Now that Richard Donner is getting a chance to make his version of Superman II, there will be changes. Access Hollywood aired a preview of the changes which found their way to YouTube. One difference: Lois throws herself out of a Daily Planet window. Silly Lois! You're supposed to do that before the whole "Can you read my mind?" bit!

YouTube also offers a collection of deleted scenes from Superman and Superman II.

[via Cinematical]

The Top 50 Movie Endings of All Time

Film Critic offers a spoiler-laden list of The Top 50 Movie Endings of All Time. Some genre entries of note:

Batman Begins (2005)

The Terminator (1984)

The Thing (1982)

Back to the Future (1985)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Brazil (1985)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

[via Cynical-C]

SF Tidbits for 7/29/06

RIP: David Gemmell.

Pendragon Pictures is filing suit against Dark Horse Comics claiming that the comic makers have cribbed a whole lot of visuals from their flick, which they try to illustrate via their website. [via Cinematical]

Wildside Press is launching a new mass-market paperback line.

Jonathan Strahan offers the second Coode Street Podcast.

John Jarrold shares how he discovered SF.

Charles Brown Sean Wallace shows off the cool-looking covers for 2007 editions of Prime Books' Best of the Year anthology series. [via Wallace's liveJournal]

Here's Ursula K. LeGuin's introduction to The Norton Book of Science Fiction.

A woman has decorated her apartment to look like Space 1999's Moonbase Alpha. [via The Website at the end of the Universe]

Friday July 28, 2006

SF Tidbits for 7/28/06

Dear Pete, Tim and Fred: Please vote for The Top Babe of Science Fiction. Love, Goofy Blog. XXX OOO

Lou Anders weighs in on The State of Science Fiction.

Farah Mendlesohn asks: Where have all the Juveniles gone?.

Liz Williams talks about agents, small press vs. larger press and novels vs. short stories.

Boing Boing points blogs of the writers (and instructors) that attended Clarions East and West.

Back to Future - Parts I and II side-by-side. [via Backwards City]

SciFi UK interviews Greg Bear.

Meme Therapy interviews John Scalzi.

Little Willow @ Slayground interviews Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier.

HardSF.net interviews Charles Stross, Alastair Reynolds and Joe Haldeman.

Thursday July 27, 2006

First Impression: Who Wants to be a Superhero

O Loyal Reader, we are nothing if not subservient. We like to think of ourselves as the protectors of common decency. That is, when we aren't going on and on about supermodels and licking super heroes.

Speaking of superheroes, tonight was the premiere of the SciFi Channel's new reality show Who Wants to be a Superhero, created and hosted by comic book legend Stan Lee. In an effort to shield you from Galactica 1980-like atrocities, I'm taking one for the team and subjecting myself to its promise of suckage.

Here, then, are my impressions.

[0:00 - 0:03] The opening sequence shows a bunch of grown men and women running around in costumes. The winner of the season-long elimination contest gets to be the subject of their own comic and also featured in an original SciFi Channel movie. Mansquito 2, anyone? They're previewing some upcoming scenes (convict rehabilitation, running past a junkyard dog, etc.). The contestants are then introduced: Major Victory, Cell Phone Girl, Levity, Creature, Feedback, Lemuria, Nitro G, Fat Momma, Iron Enforcer, Monkey Woman and Tyveculus.

[0:03 - 0:06] Stan Lee recaps the audition process. Suffice it to say that the cream of the crop includes Cell Phone Girl and Fat Momma. One contestant bared her breasts to an embarrassed Stan Lee, Go, go gadget Tivo rewind! Lee attends the show via an in-program TV monitor. This doesn't bode well. If he won't deign to appear "in-person", why should we?

[0:06 - 0:15] The contestants are profiled. Levity is a gay superhero who, in real life, works in a toy store makes custom action figures. (Must...not...judge...) The female contestant Creature is a raw foodist who drives a waste-vegetable oil car. Major Victory, a former exotic dancer, is trying to be a role model for his daughter. Playing the family card early on, I see. The buff Iron Enforcer wields a menacing (as much as anything foil-covered can be) weapon strapped to his arm. Major Victory's question as to whether it can caulk a bathroom is met with a menacing but foil-less glare. Monkey woman screeches like a monkey. Fat Momma is a 42-year-old woman whose power is apparently derived from the donuts and Twinkies that hang from her waistband. Nitro G is a huge comic book fan who works in a comic book store. Cell Phone Girl likes...talking on the phone. Feedback quit his job as a software engineer to be on this show because he couldn't get the time off. The Roman-garbed Tyvecius, father of 3, is otherwise a fire captain. Lemuria is the contestant chosen by the SciFi.com readers. Did I mention her low-cut costume?

[0:15 - 0:24] The disembodied TV head of Stan Lee transports the superheroes to their headquarters; a deserted warehouse that offers another TV featuring the disembodied TV head of Stan Lee. Lee informs them there is a spy amongst them. My money's on the geeky one. Oops, I'm wrong. It was the minor character named Rotiart. That's Traitor spelled backwards. How emal. Rotiart has videotaped some of the contestants in weak moments like greed, flirting and violence. Not good news in an elimination contest.

[0:24 - 0:26] Lee immediately eliminates Levity for wanting to make millions off of the figurines he was going to sell based on his winning character. Buh-bye.

[0:26 - 0:30] The League of Costumed Contestants move on to their secret lair - a modern studio apartment that has colorful furniture and a TV featuring Stan Lee. They get personal communicators (obsolete in the age of cell phones, but the heroes are all giddy anyway.)

[0:30 - 0:47] The heroes' first challenge: a race to see who can get into their costumes the fastest - in public. But wait! A crying, lost child is placed in their path. What to do? Feedback, Tyvecius, Monkey Woman, Iron Enforcer, Nitro G, and Creature run right past her. No whiny child in need will keep them from their red-herring goal.

[0:47 - 0:59] The elimination round atop the secret lair. Lee appears on a giant rooftop TV screen. Where the hell is he broadcasting from? He singles out Nitro G, Iron Enforcer and Monkey Woman as the worst offenders of superhero ethics. Each contestant must defend their actions. Nitro G apologizes. Monkey Woman is in tears. Iron Enforcer offers a poorly spoken apology. In his defense, I think he was too focused on flexing his pecs. Not that I noticed. The TV form of Stan Lee makes his decision: "Turn in your costume, " he says to the loser This lacks some of the impact of Donald Trump's "You're Fiedfired!" but, hey.

[0:59 - 1:00] The TV version Stan Lee gives the remaining 9 contestants a stern warning about the challenges to come.

Common sense says I should not watch the rest of the series. But who doesn't like a good car wreck? It is repulsive, yet I cannot look away. Unless someone knocks some sense into me, I think I may actually tune in next week, same time, same....oh, you know the rest.

5 Things Science Fiction Fans Love to Hate

Science fiction fans the world over are known for their easy-going, acceptance of sci-fi shows and movies.

Kidding! Do you know any other group so vehemently outspoken about the things they hold dear? It occurs to me (as things often do once in a while) that are a small handful of things that far exceed sf fans' already-low tolerance. And never you mind that we have added to the whining chorus on this very blog. We know you love it.

Television Executives - There used to be a time when a network, committed to airing a television show, would air a full season - A full season! - before deciding to axe it for bad ratings. The theory (archaic by today's standards) was that a show needed time to build a fan base. Welcome to the 21st century where a show can be pulled after 3 episodes. Worse still are when the shows canceled have exhibited some sense of quality or style. The TV Suits make the list for pulling the plug on shows like Firefly. What the world really needs is another reality show. Apparently.

The Sci-Fi Channel - Let's give the science fiction fans exactly what they want: a round-the-clock channel of horrible monster movies and wrestling! To be fair, the channel is headed in the right direction with shows like Battlestar Galactica and (so far) Eureka. And, true, 24 hours a day is a lot of time to fill. But seriously...Mansquito?

Hollywood - What's the quickest way to tick off a science fiction fan? Flick him in his glasses? Insult his imaginary girlfriend? Nope. Adapt his favorite novel for the big screen! While you're at it, ignore the original material, the author that made it a much-loved classic, and any semblance of plot that it contained. But keep the name. You wanna really tap into the built-in market segment.

Rick Berman - Star Trek fans, unite! Unite against the man who is singlehandedly credited with bringing down the Trek franchise. (Never mind that people had no other suggestions for reviving the show other than the Space Fleet Academy premise.)

George Lucas - You would think that the man who gave us one of the most-loved films of all time (that would be Episode IV in geek-speak) would be able to get a little slack from fans. However, good taste can only be pushed so far. Even Mother Theresa - God rest her soul - would be the target of derision if she gave us Ewoks, mitichlorians and Jar-Jar Binks. Personally, I think the whole Greedo Shoots First re-take was Lucas giving his cry-baby fans a big raspberry. From his multi-billion-dollar mansion, of course.

SF Tidbits for 7/27/06

William Shatner takes a look at The Lathe of Heaven.

A collection of children's books with a "science sensibility".

SF author/critic John Clute gets a blog website. [via Emerald City]

Literary agent John Jarrold also gets a blog. [via Alien Online]

Where are you on The Hierarchy of Geeks?

The theme from Star Wars. Played on a banjo. Really. [via Cynical-C who adds "This ties in nicely with the Luke and Leia makeout scene."]

Wednesday July 26, 2006

Upcoming SF on TV and Film

Because of this article in USA Today, thoughtfully provided by John in today's tidbits, I thought I'd take a quick look at the films highlighted in the article as well as take a quick look at the upcoming SF(ish) shows on TV.

First up, the movies that are supposedly reclaiming Hollywood.

Children Of Men - take a SF idea (human race can no longer reproduce) and then explore the ramifications when a woman discovers she is pregnant. I'd say this is SF in the same vein as Margret Atwood's stories are SF with minimal, but present, SF ideas but an emphasis on the characters. Still, not a film that's jumping out at me.

The Fountain - is this really SF? I'd say it's really romance/fantasy that happens to have one setting in the far future. Not on my list to see. Ever.

Mimzy - Based on the short story, "Mimsy Were The Borogroves", by Lewis Padgett. I've never read this one so I don't know how SF-ish it is. It could go either way as a box of toys from the future could have a lot of SF elements to it, or just devolve into a horror/creep fest. I'll keep my eye on this one.

Logan's Run - The on again/off again re-make by Bryan Singer of the X-Men movies fame. Do we really need to update the classic Micheal York vehicle? I don't think so. How about something fresh and not another remake?

Star Trek XI - The latest in the Star Trek franchise, this time directed by J.J. Abrams. Supposedly set during the Academy days of Kirk and Spock. Now, I like Kirk and Spock, but to me, Star Trek is about more than just the characters. Sure, they play a large part, but its also about discovery and exploration. I'd like to see a return to the fiver-year voyage and see more 'new life and new civilizations'. Please.

And now, the TV shows:

Daybreak - Groundhog's Day meets The Fugitive. A detective, played by Taye Diggs, is framed for killing the assistant district attorney. To clear his name, he must re-live the same day over and over again and solve the mystery. Alright, I can see the conceit here. Man replays the same day over and over again, but really, how long can they do this? Is one season dedicated to solving one mystery, so we'd get 20-ish episodes all about the same day, only with slightly different actions? That means that future seasons would have to be dedicated to different mysteries. Um, ok. I can see why, with the success of 24, this show may work, but I have my doubts. I also don't see any SF elements in it, aside from the re-living each day. I'd put this squarely in the supernatural camp, and thus, a pass.

Heroes - Alright, now this sounds interesting. Ordinary people wake up one morning and discover they have super powers. Lots of interesting possibilities here. I'll be recording this one to see how it goes. An interesting note. One of the characters, Claire Bennet, is from Odessa, Texas. Having lived there for two years, I can say, if there's any town you're glad to be out of, Odessa is it. You can get a first look at Heroes on NBC's website.

Jericho - A small town is left isolated and in chaos as a nuclear war severs their ties with the outside world. Jericho is obviously a drama, exploring the chaos and fear among the survivors. But I have to wonder: Why can't they just hop in a car and drive a ways to see what's happened? Maybe there is more SF lurking under the covers that explains what is going on, we'll see. I will be recording this to see what it's like.

Raines - A police officer cracks cases by speaking with the murdered. Really, how much suspense is there after that? Each episode should take the following form: Detective arrives at scene of murder, Detective contacts and speaks with dead person, Dead person says, "It was _____! (S)He killed me!", Detective takes law into his own hands and delivers justice, from beyond the grave!, roll credits. Seriously. Lame.

Six Degrees - A web of coincidences draws six New Yorkers together and changes their lives. The only SF that may exist in this show is based on the fact that this show is from the producers of Lost. I see another "it is/it isn't SF" show. Maybe I'll watch once, but I wouldn't count on it.

Traveler - Two friends are prime suspects in a museum bombing. In trying to clear their names, they discover that one of them has never existed and become caught in yet another vast conspiracy. Seriously, why is there always a conspiracy? And a vast one? Potentially interesting to me.

So there you have it. Not much overtly SF either on TV or in the movies. Which is too bad. We need more good, true SF shows. I don't care if they are on cable if that's what it takes. And a request for Hollywood: Please make use of people who know SF, like, you know, SF authors. Thank you.

JMS News From Comic Con

That would be J. Michael Stracynski of Babylon 5 fame. It seems that JMS dropped quite a few nuggets of information at the recently completed San Diego Comic-Con. In short order, here are the juicy bits:

JMS has sold a movie to Ron Howard set in 1920's LA. It's supposedly a myster/thriller (and not the Michael Jackson variety). Did you know: Ron's dad, Rance, played John Sheridan's father on B5.

JMS did a radio drama series for the CBC called The Adventures of Apocalypse Al. Still no word on an air date.

Sam Raimi is developing JMS' Rising Stars comic series as a TV series. Too bad the NBC look-alike series Heroes will beat them to the punch.

Another JMS comic property, Midnight Nation, is being bid on by two movie studios. One shudders to think what Hollywood will do to the story.

And the biggest news of all, if you haven't seen it yet: There will be more Babylon 5 stories! Maybe on network TV, but most likely to be shot straight to DVD. Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales will be a bunch of short films detailing many different stories set in the B5 universe. The first three will be about three of the main characters. Seeing as how Richard Biggs and Andreas Katsulas have passed on, the pool of characters is that much smaller. I'm there whenever these are released/aired.

That's a lot of news. I really liked Rising Stars and I wondered, given the success of comics on film recently, why it hadn't been picked up. It's not your typical superhero tale. Tim pointed out that it reminds him of George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards series and I agree with that too, along with the Heroes series.
As far as B5 is concerned, I hear that Sheridan will be one of the characters JMS will cover. I'd like to see Garibaldi and Vir as well, although Ivanova would be fun too. If they can get Claudia Christian to do it.

REVIEW: Best Short Novels: 2006 edited by Jonathan Strahan

REVIEW SUMMARY: More hits than misses.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Anthology of nine novellas from the year 2005.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: 6 stories ranging from good to excellent, the best being a fantasy piece.
CONS: 3 stories mediocre or worse.
BOTTOM LINE: A good assortment of stories from 2005, 3 of them award nominees.

Jonathan Strahan's Best Short Novels: 2006 aims to collect the best science fiction and fantasy novellas from 2005; whether or not it meets that goal is left up to interpretation, of course. While I can say there were stories from 2005 that I enjoyed better than some of the entries, there are still quite a handful of really enjoyable stories in this volume. As with any anthology, your mileage may vary.

The least enjoyable stories for me this year were hovering in the realm of fantasy. This is not surprising, really, given my preference for science fiction. As I mentioned with last year's volume, the varied genre selection turns out to be a double-edged sword for readers like myself who may not find a particular genre suitable to their tastes.

That said, I was absolutely blown away that the most enjoyable story was indeed a fantasy: "The Cosmology of the Wider World" by Jeffrey Ford. This story worked on so many levels for me and really made me think hard about why I sometimes do not enjoy fantasy. That fact alone makes it a stunning achievement.

Statistics-wise: Three of the stories in this volume turned out to be award nominees; two for the Hugo ("The Little Goddess" and "Inside Job"), one for both the Hugo and Nebula ("Magic for Beginners"). I had already read all of these as part of my Hugo and Nebula Award nominee reading projects.

Reviewlettes of the stories follow.

STORIES IN THIS ANTHOLOGY:

"The Little Goddess" by Ian McDonald [2005 novella] (I read this in June 2006, what follows is what I said then.)
- Synopsis: In future India, a young girl becomes a goddess, falls from god-status and becomes a courier of illegal AIs.
- Review: Set in the same culturally rich future as his novel, River of Gods, McDonald paints a touching and thoughtful picture of innocence lost, shifting social status and redemption. The Kumari Devi is just an innocent child when she is chosen to become the goddess; eligible because she is one of few who bears "the thirty-two signs of perfection", chosen because she alone passes a series of traumatic tests. As she learns to follow the strict and required ways of a Devi, she is guided by two surrogate mothers who she calls Tall Kumarima and Smiling Kumarima. Out of love, Tall Kumarima secretly gives the goddess a forbidden portable AI palm device. The discovery of the device leads to the Devi's fall. She eventually meets Ashok, a dataraja - an illegal AI dealer. (AI tech is legally forbidden above certain levels of intelligence.) Ashok hires her as a courier using her assumed status as potential bride. The ex-Devi is implanted with an unprecedented five AIs for one final run, but the Krishna cops close in and she must act fast. What was interesting about this story is the same thing that was interesting about River of Gods. The story is steeped in culture that provides a wonderful atmosphere and vivid imagery. At the same time, you feel for the ex-Devi who, as much as we all are to some degree, is a victim of things beyond her control. Good stuff.
- Note: Nominated for the 2006 Hugo Award for best novella.

"The Gist Hunter" [The Archonate] by Matthew Hughes [2005 novella]
- Synopsis: A detective of the supernatural encounters a plan to control the universe by manipulating the component "gist" of which everything is made.
- Review: It took me about a third of this story to get into the flow (curse you, late-night reading!), but once I did, man, was it fun. The story is written with a nineteenth-century Sherlockian flavor, although the "discriminator" hero Henghis Hapthorn lacks Holmes' deduction skills. Nor is his partner, the cat-like ape "interrogator", a direct parallel to Watson as the creature was heretofore a mechanical creation until an unfortunate, pre-story journey into the dimension of demons. This is one of those stories that openly skirts the line between science fiction (gist is described as "the underlying substance of the universe" that "bounds together all time energy, matter and the other, less obvious components into an elegant whole.") and fantasy (black magic, spells and incantations). The language of the story is wonderfully fitting to the setting and really lends to the story's enjoyment. And it's funny too, in a Niles Crane sort of way. The crass barbs between characters are thrown in the Queen's upper-crust English.
- Note: Some of Hapthorn's past adventures are mentioned in this story - perhaps they are those that are recounted in Hughes' other Henghis Hapthorn tales which are available in his collection The Gist Hunter and Other Stories.

"Human Readable" by Cory Doctorow [2005 novella]
- Synopsis: Profiles the relationship between a techie - who supports the current national emergent network that's based on simulated ant colonies - and a lawyer - who supports a simpler "human readable" network because the country is too dependent on a network that causes so much trouble when it experiences downtime.
- Review: This is the usual stomping ground for Doctorow and people who like his other stories that use the backdrop of copyright law, networks and social mores will like this, too. For me personally, while I find it interesting, it lacks the sense of wonder that I like in my science fiction; it reads more like a cautionary tale than a sf story. Still, the writing is sharp, crisp and shows great skill. I loved the banter between Rainer and Trish, especially during the first half of the story when they are a couple and he takes her to meet his family. This is where we first learn of the country's dependence on the simulated-ant network; the country is thrown into chaos with serious repercussions during downtime. The second half of the story has Rainer and Trish split up and on opposite sides of legislative action. This is where the technological backdrop takes center stage.

"Audubon in Atlantis" by Harry Turtledove [2005 novella]
- Synopsis: In and alternate 1843, artist and naturalist John James Audubon and his partner Edward Harris take a riverboat to the island of Atlantis to hunt the elusive honker bird.
- Review: The plot, if you can call it that, recounts Audubon's efforts to find a rare bird. Audubon was known for his desire to find and paint all the birds of North America, which he would accomplish by shooting them and propping them up with wires in natural poses. (Anyone else find that true fact on the wrong side of creepy?) This is all well and good, but the story reads like a slow-moving documentary on the Nature Channel. I suppose some parallels would be drawn by the near-extinction of the honkers (thanks to the predatory nature of man) and Audubon approaching his later years, but - wow- I was hard-pressed to find anything interesting in the story's content. One positive thing I could say about this is that the writing does a fine job of creating a 19th century feel, not only in writing style but also in dialogue.

"Magic for Beginners" by Kelly Link [2005 novella] (I read this in April 2006, what follows is what I said then.)
- Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Jeremy and his four friends (Elizabeth, Karl, Amy and Talis) are hooked on a randomly-airing fantasy television show called The Library. Or, are they part of cast of the show?
- Review: I should re-iterate that I am not a huge fan of fantasy. Even so, this story went to such lengths to blur the line between reality and in-story fiction that I felt lost - or at least detached - from the characters. It starts by saying Jeremy is a character on the show, then goes on to say how he and his friends watch the show. OK, I can handle levels of indirection, but why introduce that aspect at all? The bulk of the story tries to portray Jeremy's relationship with his friends and his apparently-separating parents (a kleptomaniac writer for a father and a librarian for a mother). This is a sad situation for a young teen, to be sure, but one whose emotional impact is lessened by the nebulousness of what the reality is. Adding to the confusion is the franticly changing, seemingly unrelated - and tedious - details when describing the characters. (Describing the characters and their backgrounds, by the way, makes up about 80% of this story. Plot doesn't rear its head until the last twenty percent, when Jeremy and his mother travel to Las Vegas in search of the mysterious phone booth and the wedding chapel.) I suppose one could derive parallels between "real life" and the TV show, but the blurring of the two makes that a chore at best. As it was, I had to struggle to find the semi-interesting (non-genre fiction) life story of Jeremy. As I said, I'm not a big fan of fantasy, but it still surprises me that this was nominated for so many awards.
- Note: Nominated for the 2005 Nebula Award for best novella.
- Note: Nominated for the 2006 Hugo Award for best novella.

"Fishin' with Grandma Matchie" by Steven Erikson [2005 novella]
- Synopsis: A nine-year-old boy recounts his summer vacation adventures with his magical grandmother.
- Review: The fantasy stories I like the least are the ones that ask you to suspend your disbelief the most. Unfortunately, this story did just that. As the essay-narrative recounts, there are three mini-adventures that young Jock Junior has with Matchie, his grandmother who lives at the bottom of the lake. The first one deals with the rescue of Jock Junior's sister, kidnapped by One Armed Trapper. In the second one, Matchie must pit her storytelling power against Trapper's mother, Lunker. In the third, the villain is the Devil Himself. As adventures go, the story asks you to believe in canoes that stay afloat with holes in the bottom, underwater breathing, traveling underwater by sea turtle, skiing on lampreys, giant sea snakes and rats and other hard-to-believe points. My belief sunk lower than Matchie's basement. On the plus side, the story, as told by Jock Junior, is written in the suitable voice of a nine-year-old boy with version of words that aren't quite true and assumed capitalization of Special Words. Ultimately though, this story just wasn't my cup of tea.

"The Policeman's Daughter" [Queendom of Sol] by Wil McCarthy [2005 novella]
- Synopsis: Carmine Strange Douglas, attorney at law, takes a case protecting his former roommate from being killed by a younger duplicate of himself.
- Review: Very good story that shows many of the legal issue that would arise from the ability to create multiple copies of oneself; near-immortality, for one. The ability is done through "fax machines" that archive the person for immediate or later retrieval. Mostly people don't do this, but Carmine uses the technology to cerate copies to run errands and perform tasks. His ex-roommate, Theodore Great Kaffner, has created a younger, angrier version of himself that thinks the older one should cease to exist. Meanwhile, Carmine is persuaded into creating a younger copy of himself to defend the younger Theodore. This younger version was copied from the time in his life when he was madly in love with a policeman's daughter, Pamela Red. With multiple copies and legal ponderings, this story offers a bit more than standard fare. Again, like Robert J. Sawyer's Mindscan, I am reminded of The Resurrected Man by Sean Williams.
- Note: Read an excerpt.

"Inside Job" by Connie Willis [2005 novella] (I read this in June 2006, what follows is what I said then.)
- Synopsis: A professional debunker and his ex-Hollywood actress partner try to expose a charlatan who convincingly appears to channel world-famous skeptic H.L. Mencken.
- Review: An engrossing and entertaining story, for several reasons: Willis' engaging writing style, infused with frequent pop-culture references in its present-day California setting; a story line that immerses you in the world of those who fool a gullible public; smart characters who rely almost completely on logic but who are human enough to be swayed by emotion; and mostly for the educational information surrounding the real-life Mencken, who became famous for his take on the Scopes Monkey Trial. This story should, in fact, be required reading for anyone wishing to study Mencken as he is brought to life beautifully (well, at least compared to what I gleaned from Wikipedia. And if it's there, it must be true, right?) I did think that the logic-driven skeptic, Rob, was a little too willing to believe that Menken had returned from the afterlife which, by the way, is the only science fictiony element in the whole story - an element that is never proven as real or hoax. As such, this reads as light sf at best. Also, some plot points were seen in advance but thankfully not saved as surprise endings. Not that those nits matter; this is still a very good story.
- Note: Nominated for the 2006 Hugo Award for best novella.

"The Cosmology of the Wider World" by Jeffrey Ford [2005 novella]
- Synopsis: A fable in which a Minotaur named Belius, an outcast freak born of human parents, struggles with loneliness; first in our world, then in an overlapping dimension known as the Wider World where intelligent animals live in harmony.
- Review: As a marginal fan of fantasy, I was a bit worried when approaching this monstrous 135+ page fantasy novella. Mix in the fact that talking animals are involved and I'm darned close to unfair prejudgment. How wrong I was. Belius is a Minotaur born to human parents who run a farm. His parents shelter him from what they know will be a life of ridicule and pain, but of course they can only do that for so long. Eventually Belius makes his own way and befriends Dr. Grey, the man who delivered him and the only one besides Belius' father that does not fear him. Belius lives a life of loneliness until he meets Nona, Dr. Grey's niece. Unfortunate tragedy leads Belius to seek the land of the Wider World, a dimension that co-exists with our own, where all animals are intelligent, speaking beings and live in peace. There, Belius befriends a tortoise and an owl who take it upon themselves to cure Belius of his unfortunate malady; the loneliness which has followed him his entire life.
  
  This story worked on so many levels for me, not only for story content, style and symbolism but also on a meta-level that caused me to think about what I usually puts me off on fantasy. I've long held the impression that unexplained phenomena are usually fantasy story-killers for me. Yet here we have a fable with talking, civilized animals and living, breathing mythical creatures. What makes the story work is that these characters are decidedly human in their emotions thanks to a narrative that goes into amazing depth to accomplish just that. (It's not news that what makes fiction enjoyable is how a reader relates to its characters and themes, but it's quite another thing to see that done in a genre with which you have a so-so track record.) The reader gets to see the lengths to which Belius' overprotective parents try to protect him from the human townsfolk who don't understand him. We feel for his predicament as he wrestles with his half-human, half bull nature. There's also Dr. Grey, the only human to accept Belius in the Lesser World, eventually drinking himself into a state of forgetfulness for reasons of his own. Dr. Grey nurtures Belius' love of reading and it is through his vast library that Belius learns of cosmology, the doctrine that deals with the nature of the universe. There is also Dr. Grey's niece, Nona, who does come to understand Belius out of the pain emerging from her own life. Once Belius is in the Wider World - indeed the narrative starts there and we learn of Belius' origins in our world through flashback sequences - we meet Belius' friends. There's Pezimote, a tortoise who is unhappy with his current mate, seeking the shell of a much younger tortoise during the night, if you know what I mean. Vashti the owl quickly sees that Belius' sadness can only be cured if they create another like him, summoning the magic of the Wider World. Then there's Thip the flea, who blackmails Belius for his blood using the leverage of a dark secret of his human-world past. And, adding some heft to the story's symbolism, there is Belius' attempt to write a Cosmology of the Wider World, an effort that eventually manifests itself as a separate being. (Side note: when discussing cosmology, there was a great passage of how man's articulation of how the universe works is his own undoing - Understanding leads to demise.)
  
  My worry in approaching this story stemmed from the number of fantastical elements within it. But the story appeals not for its fantastical nature, but because of its human elements. Some of the scenes in the book play with the reader's emotions and it was hard to not respond to one situation or another, specifically because the characters were so human-like in their portrayal. When Belius kills a bull - the first creature he meets with horns similar to his own - that scene is effective because of the tragedy of a lost opportunity for Belius to understand his identity and perhaps ease his suffering. It's powerful stuff that rises above the need for fantastical explanations. And that made this an engrossing and hugely entertaining read. A job well done.
- Note: Read an excerpt at Infinity Plus.

SF Tidbits for 7/26/06

Spiderman 3 gets a blog. [via Blog Critics]

Director Sam Raimi (Spiderman 3) has optioned Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. [via Publishers Weekly]

DC Comics has teamed with Warner Bros. to do a series of animated films based on its DC Universe line. The first three films scheduled for 2007 and early 2008 are: Justice League: New Frontier; Superman: Doomsday; and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. [via Publishers Weekly]

The USA Today article Science fiction gets real talks about sci-fi's attempts to wrestle back its movie throne from horror and profiles some upcoming sci-fi movies.

Family Guy is planning a Star Wars episode. Giggity, giggity... [via Club Jade]

Comic book urban legends. [via Backwards City]

Robert Sawyer and George Zebrowski interview each other at Mundane-SF.

Jonathan Strahan shows off the cool cover art for The Jack Vance Treasury.

Tuesday July 25, 2006

More Kids Reading, Thanks to Harry Potter

Call him Harry Power. The Book Standard article Harry Potter and the Positive Impact shows how the Harry Potter books have persuaded children to turn to books.

More than half of kids ages 5-17 say they did not read books for fun before the Harry Potter series came along, according to the report, which surveyed 500 children and 500 parents nationwide. Among parents, 76 percent say reading the series has helped their child perform better in school, while 65 percent of children agree.
The Harry Potter study found that the average age at which readers pick up Harry Potter is 9, and many older children will read and re-read the books as they get older. This good news follows the findings from Yankelovich’s The Kids and Family Reading Report, released in June, which found that after the age of 8, the number of kids who read for fun significantly drops.

This is great news. I wonder, has any science fiction book had as profound an effect? Ender's Game maybe?

Another Literary Debate

Author Will Shetterly asks: Is "literary and genre" a clumsy distinction? The post is interesting and the comments even more so. They touch upon some of the literary-type discussions we've had here.

There are many statements this post that resonate with me: Story and style crossing genre boundaries; not liking a book of a certain type; reading fiction to be entertained, and Rebecca Ore's sentiment that [paraphrasing] "If writing stories that show technology and science...is worth doing, it's worth doing...well."

As I ponder more and more about this, I am reminded that the reader play a crucial role as well. My own moods play into my enjoyment of books and stories. Sometimes I am in the mood for slam-bang action and sometimes I'm looking for something literary. (Deferring the quagmire of a discussion of exactly what that means, I will say that I am currently reading the fantasy story "The Cosmology of the Wider World" by Jeffrey Ford. It's literate and likable and a story which is helping me pinpoint my hit-and-miss track record with fantasy. More to come in a later post.)

Anyway, it's always entertaining to read Another Literary Debate as it pertains to science fiction, eh?

SF Tidbits for 7/25/06

The comic series Priest is headed to the big screen.

Comic books of the 1950's. [via Cynical-C]

Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, "Australia's Pulpiest SF Magazine", is now available as a PDF download.

SF author Paul Levinson on TV's new golden age. [via SFBC Blog]

SciFi Weekly interviews Tim Powers.

Some Fantastic interviews John Scalzi (PDF). [via Whatever]

Cat Rambo interviews Magazine of F&SF editor Gordon Van Gelder at Suite 101. [via SFBC Blog]

Locus Online posts interview excepts from the July issue: Peter Straub and