DATE ARCHIVE: June 2008
ApolloCon 2008 Trip Report

ApolloCon was loads of fun. The panels I attended were truly interesting. Topics ranged from sf trends, to sf in various media, to YA books to steampunk. Discussions were usually lively and the panelists offered significant contributions. I also attended readings by Rosemary Clement-Moore, whose Prom Dates from Hell series is accurately described as "Nancy Drew meets Kolchak", and Chris Roberson who read from his cool upcoming YA book, Iron Jaw and Hummingbird.

As fun as the panels were, the highlight for me is getting to spend some face-time with so many people. Some I've met before, others I knew only through email, and still others I met for the first time. This personal interaction is one of the benefits of ApolloCon which is relatively small by con standards (400+ attendees vs. thousands at larger conventions). Some of the people I got to hang with included Lou Anders, Allison Baker, Matthew Bey, Jayme Lynn Blaschke, Steven Brandt, Steven Brust, Scott Cupp, Alexis Glynn Latner, A. Lee Martinez, J.M. McDermott, Maureen McHugh, John Moore, Lawrence Person, K. Hutson Price, John Picacio, Chris Roberson, Patrice Sarath, Allen Steele, Mikal Trimm and others who I hope won't kill me for neglecting to list them. Discussions ranged across a wide variety of topics but one thing that stands out is their common passion for all things sf and fantasy.

I was mostly able to control my insatiable appetite for books in the dealer's room, though I did walk away from the Edge Books table with two books: Neal Barret, Jr.'s Golden Gryphon collection, Perpetuity Blues, and the shared-world anthology Liavek edited by Will Shetterly and Emma Bull. I also met Allan Kaster, proprietor of the audiobook company Infinivox, who bestowed upon me a review copy of the Mini-Masterpieces of Science Fiction CD. Thanks, Allan!

Other notes and highlights:

  • Pyr's upcoming lineup looks really, really good. I regret not being able to read some of their past/current titles, particularly InfoQuake, Brasyl, The Blade Itself, and Resnick's Starship series [looks at JP and Tim, who did read these titles.] It's clear to me that Pyr is first and foremost focused on quality - not just in their book selection but also in their production.
  • I really enjoyed an intimate (and too brief) sit-down discussion with Allen Steele in which he talked about his first meeting with Robert A. Heinlein. Hilarious!
  • Trolling the con parties with John P., Lou and Jayme was fun. Bathroom cheese is not as bad as it sounds (don't ask).
  • JP was there for some of the time as well. We captured a few new Mind Meld ideas and even pestered a few folks who graciously agreed to participate in future ones.
  • The Twitter experiment was a failure. I suppose it's my own fault as I wasn't updating it all that often. I was having too much fun. Sorry, I just don't see the appeal with Twitter.
All in all, a great con and a fun weekend!

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 30, 2008 at 12:58 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

Monday YouTube: Metropolis (Giorgio Moroder Version)

From the YouTube contributor: "The most ridiculous 5 minutes of Moroder's 1984 restoration of Fritz Lang's Metropolis - taken from the Laserdisc release."


Bizarre.

[via Poe TV]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 30, 2008 at 12:28 AM
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Tube Bits for 06/30/2008
  • Eoghann over at Solar Flare wonders whether J.J. Abrams can successfully reboot Star Trek. Sure, Galactica was rebooted successfully, but it didn't have the entrenched fanbase of Trek. Let's say Abrams makes Trek XI into a really good film. Will the Trekies/Trekers embrace it? Can you have a successful reboot if the the fanbase doesn't go along?

  • Doc Artz fills us in on potential LOST events at the upcoming ComiCon in San Diego. One of these day's I'd like to attend, it seems to have become a big place for TV fall season news.

  • SF Universe says the Save Jericho site is 'burning up the web' because it has had over 9000 visits in just over two weeks. Now, for a new web site to grab 9000 in two weeks is impressive, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not really a lot. I'd expect the furor to die down and only the die hard fans still clicking on over.

  • For those of you still keen on Heroes, Tim Kring fills you in on what you can expect for season 3. Nowhere does he mention 'better writing'.

  • Darth Mojo has some awesome, high-res Voyager eye candy on display over at his blog. I never really liked Voyager, but these stills are impressive, and background worthy.

  • If you're a writer, what do you do during a writer's strike? If you're Joss Whedon, you write an internet video musical! Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog will debut on July 15th and will star Mal and Doogie Howser. How could you not want to see this? If you're still on the fence, watch the trailer:

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Posted by JP Frantz at Monday June 30, 2008 at 12:08 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/30/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 30, 2008 at 12:02 AM
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Sunday YouTube: The Fantastic World of Jules Verne

I did, indeed, attend this weekend's ApolloCon, along with our own John D. On Saturday I managed to attend one panel, this one about steampunk. During the discussion, Lawrence Person (who I see is part of the Austin Cabal with Chris Roberson) named a proto-steampunk movie that most people have never seen, let alone even heard of. That movie was the 1958 film, The Fabulous World of Jules Verne. I was intrigued enough to try and track down this movie, which is supposedly in the public domain. Sadly, I have been unable to find the full movie. However, I did find this trailer on YouTube. Yes, the SFX is poor by today's standards, but this was a 1958 foreign film so I'm going to cut it some slack. Now I'd really like to find the full version...

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Posted by JP Frantz at Sunday June 29, 2008 at 1:28 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/29/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday June 29, 2008 at 1:14 AM
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Saturday YouTube: Star Cops

Posting will probably be light this weekend since some of us are at ApolloCon. I'm learning some interesting things...like Allen Steele and Chris Roberson are SciFi TV trivia Gods. For example, I hadn't heard of the BBC show Star Cops until Allen mentioned it. Here's a clip from the very first episode:

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday June 28, 2008 at 2:01 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/28/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday June 28, 2008 at 1:40 AM
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This Week's Free Tor Book: Battlestar Galactica by Jeffrey A. Carver


Tor's latest batch of freebies includes:

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 27, 2008 at 11:55 AM
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Twittering ApolloCon


As mentioned previously, I will be going to the Houston ApolloCon convention this weekend, starting today through Sunday. JP will also be making an appearance on Saturday (at least).

Like I did at the Nebula Awards, I will be Twittering the event. (Check for the widget on the home page or browse to the SF Signal Twitter page.) I don't use the Twitter for much else - I might as well us it for this.

So, tune in to see if I can catch Steven Brust eating a sandwich again!

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 27, 2008 at 12:21 AM
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Friday YouTube: Buck Rogers and the Tranny

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 27, 2008 at 12:14 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/27/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 27, 2008 at 12:11 AM
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MIND MELD: Interesting Areas of Scientific Research

For many of us, one of the main interests of science fiction is it's use of science as part of the story. There's nothing quite like reading about a cool idea that is based on current scientific thought and then going back and finding out more. We asked our respondents this question:

Q: There is a lot of scientific research being performed across a wide array of disciplines. So much that it can be difficult to keep up with it all. What current avenue of scientific inquiry do you believe people should be paying attention to, and why?
Kathleen Ann Goonan
Kathleen Ann Goonan is a science fiction writer with several Nebula Award nominated books. Her debut novel, Queen City Jazz was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and her most recent novel, In War Times, was chosen by the American Library Association as Best Science Fiction Novel for their 2008 reading list.
There are several reasons for this. The first is that our system of education needs to have a scientific basis. It does not now. It is so dreadful because it was created to ready immigrant children for factory work. Be on time, follow directions, don't talk, do what we tell you to do. One obvious negative outcome is that we do not begin to teach reading until children are far older than the optimal age for doing so. I taught preschoolers for fifteen years, and all of my four-year-olds could read with comprehension and with joy. Easily. No pain. Same with numeracy. There is no reason why they can't grasp addition, multiplication, and subtraction by age four, and division by five.

This is because the young child's brain is extremely plastic is ready to respond to various aspects of the environment at very specific stages of development. But the same thing is true through the early twenties; the entire educational system needs to be revamped in order to afford children the opportunity to contribute in meaningful ways to science, literature, or anything they choose to do.

More research on the brain is needed, and many more studies need to be done in order to fully support this thesis in ways that will make people want to spend their money on education. If you don't care about children, consider that it is their world in which you will be living when you are old.

And, when you are old, your experience can be much richer if you avail yourself of the continuing plasticity of the brain--particularly if you have a stroke. I've lately read My Stroke Of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey (Jill Bolte Taylor, Viking), The Brain That Changes Itself (Norman Doidge, Viking), and many other more complex books about neuroplasticity. Although it looks like work, brains can and do change, and recover many skills lost through a traumatic event.

My interest in memory is for many of the same reasons, but also because memory is all we are. I want to understand the source of all this richness. With various memory drugs in the pipeline, we need to understand what their use might mean for society at large, not just for the Alzheimer's patients who will be the first users. For two concepts about how memory works, read In Search Of Memory by Eric Kandel, a Nobel Prize Laureate. For the anti-Kandel view, read In The Places Of Memory by George Johnson. And anything by V. S. Ramachandran. Those are just for starters.

Read more...

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Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday June 26, 2008 at 2:07 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/26/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 26, 2008 at 1:58 AM
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Quick Meme: What Was the Last Book You Bought?

In lieu of any real content, here's a quick meme: What was the last book you bought?

The last book I bought was the short story collection Galactic North by Alastair Reynolds. I probably did not maximize by book-buying dollar here since (A) I bought it in a supermarket, and (B) I've already read many of the stories in it. But I enjoy his stories so much I couldn't pass it up. Especially when I saw it in a supermarket...it was like a message from the sf gods.

Your turn: What was the last book you bought?

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 7:31 AM
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At The Trailer Park: The Dark Knight, Wolverine and the X-Men, Disaster Movie

Some new trailers for your viewing pleasure, all via Filmonic.

First up, the latest The Dark Knight TV spot:




Next up, the Marvel produced animated show for Nicktoons, Wolverine and the X-Men:

Read more...

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Posted by JP Frantz at Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 12:25 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/25/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 12:11 AM
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REVIEW: Chris Roberson's Celestial Empire Stories (Part 1)

A few months ago, I embarked on a mission to read all of Chris Roberson's Celestial Empire stories that were readily available to me - this after thoroughly enjoying The Dragon's Nine Sons. Some of the stories are available online, others appear in anthologies I own. This is by no means a complete list of Celestial Empire stories, just a fun project I undertook because, you know, reading is supposed to be fun.

The Celestial Empire is one of better future histories I've read. Here, the Chinese (of The Middle Kingdom) and Aztecs (The Mexic Dominion) are the dominant, space-faring superpowers and they are at war with one another. The setting is well imaged and steeped in their respective cultures. The world building is interesting. There is space travel, sure, but otherwise the future is, in many stories, low tech. The Middle Kingdom strives for low tech solutions because of personal fear while the Aztecs remain low-tech out of religious belief. What you wind up with is imaginative solutions to some advanced problems, lending much to the overall flavor of the stories.

As intriguing as that backdrop is, it is upstaged by the intimate nature of the stories that play out within it. These are not military sf stories (per se) about missions that will decide the fate of the war, they are personal stories about realistic characters. They do not suffer from over-the-top action sequences that defy belief; they are (mostly) quiet stories about people, their choices and their actions.

Here are my thoughts on those stories that I've read so far, roughly in the order they occur in the history of the Celestial Empire...

Read more...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 24, 2008 at 12:29 AM
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TOC: Postscripts #15

PS Publishing has posted the table of contents for Postscripts #15, the special WorldCon issue devoted entirely to science fiction:

  • Guest Editorial -- Arthur C. Clarke
  • "Fandom At The Palace" - Brian Aldiss
  • "A Very Private Tour Of A Very Public Museum" - Scott Edelman
  • "The Man Who Built Heaven" - Keith Brooke
  • "Atlantic Crossing" - Garry Kilworth
  • "Thy Saffron Wings" - Chris Roberson
  • "Variant" - Steven Utley
  • "Shad"s Mess" - Alex Irvine
  • "Under The Shadow Of Jonah" - Jack Dann
  • "The Eye Of Vann" - Matthew Hughes
  • "Juggernaut" - Ray Bradbury
  • "The Best Of Both Worlds" - Brian Stableford
  • "State Secret" - Eric Brown
  • "Test Subject" - James Lovegrove
  • "Let Their People Go: The Left Left Behind" - Terry Bisson
  • "The Men Who Live In Trees" - Kelly Barnhill
  • "Eagle Song" - Stephen Baxter
  • "The Golden Octopus" - Beth Bernobich
  • "Professor Fluvius"s Palace Of Many Waters" - Paul Di Filippo
  • "Six Foot Easy" - Robert Reed
  • "Skinhorse Goes To Mars" - Jay Lake
  • "[A Ghost Samba]" - Ian Mcdonald
  • "An Article Of Faith" - Mike Resnick
  • "Legolas Does The Dishes" - Justina Robson
  • "Sumptuous Dress: A Question Of Size At The End Of Time" - Michael Moorcock
  • How Was The Future For You? - Paul McAuley (essay)
  • "Excerpt From The Quiet War" - Paul McAuley
  • "A Brief Guide To Other Histories" - Paul McAuley
  • "Searching For Van Gogh At The End Of The World" - Paul McAuley
  • "The Thought War" - Paul McAuley
  • "City Of The Dead" - Paul McAuley

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 24, 2008 at 12:20 AM
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Tube Bits for 06/24/2008
  • Some crunchy Stargate tidbits this time:
    • What's a Stargate aficionado to do to make their house more Stargate friendly? Build a Stargate home theater of course! Although I'm not sure a round screen is the best for watching TV.
    • With a home theater comes the opportunity to listen to music. Thanks to the fine peeps working on the Stargate Worlds MMO, you too can listen to a few sample tracks from the game.
    • And finally, with a big screen like that, you'll want to watch the Stargate Continuum trailer over and over:

  • 2 Guys Talking has a nice, humorous interview with actor Terry O'Quinn, who plays John Locke on LOST.

  • NJ.com has a cool interview with Michael Giacchino and Bear McCreary about their work on the soundtracks for LOST and Galactica, respectively. I have to say that I find the music on LOST to be stellar. Galactica doesn't seem to stick with me as much.

  • I'm sure you remember the 'Yip Yip' monsters from Sesame Street. You know the ones who could only say 'yip yip yip' or 'nope nope nope'. Well, now you can make your very 'Yip Yip' costume! Awesome!

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Posted by JP Frantz at Tuesday June 24, 2008 at 12:11 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/24/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 24, 2008 at 12:05 AM
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Still Some Comment Bugs...

Just a note to say that there are still some issues that we are having with comments after the recent Movable Type Upgrade. Some comments (for some reason as yet unknown) are not appearing in the Recent Comments section of the home page. It is being looked into...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 24, 2008 at 12:01 AM
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RIP: George Carlin

By now, everyone in the world knows that comedian/actor/author George Carlin has passed away due to heart failure. Genre fans will remember his role in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), but he will really be rememberd for so much more; particularly for all the laughs and smiles he brought to people's faces. I keep a copy of his book Brain Droppings handy because it's so damn funny. He will be missed...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 23, 2008 at 3:08 PM
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Green Lantern Sucks
[via Poe TV]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 23, 2008 at 12:15 PM
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REVIEW: Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves


REVIEW SUMMARY: The best young adult novel that Robert A. Heinlein never wrote.

MY RATING: .

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Joey Harker goes on a field trip one day and finds himself in the middle of a war between the forces of science and magic across all the possible Earths.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: A well written short novel that really catches the feel of the young adult novels of Robert A. Heinlein, as well as some of his other well-known works.
CONS: A bit too "science fantasy" at times, which almost turns the tale to mush in a few spots.
BOTTOM LINE: Neil Gaiman is best when he works short. Few have captured the voice of Robert A. Heinlein better than this collaborative work with Michael Reaves.

Read more...

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Posted by Fred Kiesche at Monday June 23, 2008 at 1:29 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/23/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 23, 2008 at 12:04 AM
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Extreme Lego

In the past the lego-lovers here at SFSignal have shared with you information on exciting Legos such as the Mars Rover model (still excellent), the Indiana Jones collection, and the variously large sets devoted to Star Wars (such as the Millenium Falcon, Star Destroyer, and Death Star.)

But I feel shamed, because I clearly dropped the ball on what can only be called extreme Lego building. Take a look below at some of the massive Lego projects people have completed.

Read more...

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Posted by Scott Shaffer at Sunday June 22, 2008 at 1:50 PM
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WINNERS: 2008 Locus Awards


The winners of the 2008 Locus Awards have been announced.

  • SF NOVEL: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins)
  • FANTASY NOVEL: Making Money by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday UK; HarperCollins)
  • YOUNG ADULT BOOK: Un Lun Dun by China Miéville (Ballantine Del Rey; Macmillan UK)
  • FIRST NOVEL: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (Morrow; Gollancz)
  • NOVELLA: "After the Siege" by Cory Doctorow (The Infinite Matrix Jan 2007)
  • NOVELETTE: "The Witch's Headstone" by Neil Gaiman (Wizards)
  • SHORT STORY: "A Small Room in Koboldtown" by Michael Swanwick (Asimov's Apr/May 2007)
  • COLLECTION: The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories by Connie Willis (Subterranean)
  • ANTHOLOGY: The New Space Opera by Gardner Dozois & Jonathan Strahan (Editors) (Eos)
  • NON-FICTION: Breakfast in the Ruins by Barry N. Malzberg (Baen)
  • ART BOOK: The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Lothian 2006; Scholastic)
  • EDITOR: Ellen Datlow
  • MAGAZINE: F&SF
  • PUBLISHER: Tor
  • ARTIST: Charles Vess
Congratulations to all the winners!

See also: Finalists
See also: Past winners

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday June 22, 2008 at 11:18 AM
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TOC: Best American Fantasy 2008

Matt Cheney has posted the table of contents for Best American Fantasy 2008, the annual anthology on which he serves as series editor. The 2008 volume, guest edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, is set for a Fall 2008 release.

  1. "Bufo Rex" by Eric Amundsen (Weird Tales)
  2. "The Ruby Incomparable" by Kage Baker (Wizards)
  3. "The Last and Only" by Peter S. Beagle (Eclipse 1)
  4. "Mario's Three Lives" by Matt Bell (Barrelhouse)
  5. "Interval" by Aimee Bender (Conjunctions)
  6. "Minus, His Heart" by Jedediah Berry (Chicago Review)
  7. "Abroad" by Judy Budnitz (Tin House)
  8. "Chainsaw on Hand" by Deborah Coates (Asimov's)
  9. "The Drowned Life" by Jeffrey Ford (Eclipse 1)
  10. "The Naming of the Islands" by David Hollander (McSweeney's)
  11. "Light" by Kelly Link (Tin House)
  12. "The Revisionist" by Miranda Mellis (Harper's)
  13. "In the Middle of the Woods" by Christian Moody (Cincinnati Review)
  14. "Story with Advice II: Back from the Dead" by Rick Moody (Mississippi Review)
  15. "Ave Maria" by Micaela Morissette (Conjunctions)
  16. "Logorrhea" by Michele Richmond (Logorrhea)
  17. "Memoir of a Deer Woman" by M. Rickert (Fantasy & Science Fiction)
  18. "The Seven Deadly Hotels" by Bruce Holland Rogers (shortshortshort.com)
  19. "How the World Became Quiet: A Post-Human Creation Myth" by Rachel Swirsky (Electric Velocipede)

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday June 22, 2008 at 12:25 AM
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Lemony Snicket - 12 Books in 120 Seconds

As performed by Tim Curry...

\[via Poe TV]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday June 22, 2008 at 12:16 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/21/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday June 21, 2008 at 12:36 AM
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Dark Haven


Fantasy author Gail Martin is launching a huge kickoff to promote her new book Dark Haven, book three in The Chronicles of The Necromancer which will published by Solaris Books in February of 2009. What's the book about?

In Dark Haven, the effects of Jared the Usurper's reign of terror go further than anyone imagined, striking at the stability of the Winter Kingdoms. Undead forces align against Lord Jonmarc Vahanian of Dark Haven in a struggle for power between mortals and the vayash moru. Magic has become a dangerous and unpredictable force. As King Martris Drayke prepares for his wedding, he must also prepare for war against rebels still loyal to Jared. Isencroft is on the brink of civil war over the looming reality of a joint kingdom. Only one thing is certain--the Winter Kingdoms will be changed forever, and innocence is the first casualty.
Check out some of these awesome goodies:

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday June 21, 2008 at 12:11 AM
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This Week's Free Tor Book: In the Midnight Hour by Patti O'Shea

Tor's latest batch of freebies includes:


The wallpapers are only available for one week, so don't wait to snag 'em.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 20, 2008 at 1:39 AM
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Friday YouTube: The Greatest American Hero

It was recently announced that William Katt was added to the cast of Heroes, which made me (and apparently Cynical-C) think of this:

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 20, 2008 at 1:15 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/20/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 20, 2008 at 1:00 AM
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Tube Bits for 06/20/2007
  • Rumors have swirled around the ABC version of Life on Mars, as David E. Kelley was said to have left the show for unknown reasons. Now, it may be that he left to save Boston Legal and not because of creative differences. I still think, from the trailer I saw, they need to retool to the show to be less cheesy.

  • Buddy TV looks at the sci-fi roots of LOST. I've always contended that LOST was science fiction, and this years was proof positive of this belief. Now if only they would air the remaining 32 episodes, well, now.

  • I bet the suits at Fox just love this: the pilot for J.J. Abrams' new show, Fringe, has leaked online. This means you can head on over to your favorite torrent site and be rest assured of finding at least one torrent of the show. Those of you who do obtain it can bask in the glow of seeing it a full three months before the regular joes see it.

  • The SF show, Charlie Jade, has been airing on the Sci-Fi Channel for a few weeks now, to poor ratings. So what do you do? Why, you reschedule the show for 3 am on Monday morning. Yes, 3am. Awesome.

  • Japanator reviews Tokyo Shock's new film, Machine Girl. Think Kill Bill meets Grindhouse witha a Japanese aesthetic, but with a Troma look and feel. I know, sounds bad. Two words: Yakuza ninja. 'Nuff said. Here's the trailer: (WARNING! Anyone with a weak constitution or aversion to buckets, stream, rivers or lakes of blood (fake), do not watch!)

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Posted by JP Frantz at Friday June 20, 2008 at 12:51 AM
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Can You Name This Story? (Part 7)

Another reader writes in with a story description looking for a title. Do any of our readers out there know the title of this story?

I am looking for a book title from the 1980s or 1990s. The book is about an alien race of wispy, energy like creatures, that is being attacked by a alien (reptilian?) race. The two races had lived in a symbiotic relationship, with the physical aliens providing a physical presence. But something about the physical aliens -- a policy change of some sort, I think -- caused the wispy aliens to withdraw. The opening scene was basically about this withdrawal -- all of the symbiotes had left except the symbiote in an old man, who was (1) considered honorable by his symbiote and (2) about to die anyway. I must admit that I never finished the book, but now I would like to.
- Chris W.
Can you name this story?

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 19, 2008 at 12:12 PM
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Comments are Working Again

Comments and links are working again.

Also: For those who care, we will soon be instituting a CAPTCHA to protect against spam comments. While MT seems to have superb anti-spam measures by default, I'd personally rather not see spams for various enhancements and drug products in our database. That financial opportunity in Nigeria sounds promising though...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 19, 2008 at 9:57 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

At The Trailer Park: Dark Knight, Death Race, Benjamin Buttons

First up, The Dark Knight's alternate trailer that has been running on Comcast's On Demand channel:

Read more...

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Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday June 19, 2008 at 8:37 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Beware Failing Entry/Comment Links!

There seems to be some (hopefully) minor issue with new blog software at the moment. Recent comment and permalinks don't seem to be working.

Apologies for the inconvenience...

[Update: Seems to be working now...]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 19, 2008 at 1:02 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

AFI Names Top Genre Films

The American Film Institute has named the top 10 genre films in three categories (Science-Fiction, Animated, and Fantasy):

Top 10 Science-Fiction Films

  1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
  2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
  3. E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
  4. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
  5. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
  6. Blade Runner (1982)
  7. Alien (1979)
  8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
  9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
  10. Back to the Future (1985)

Read more...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 19, 2008 at 12:58 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Fruitless Recursion, a New SF Criticism Site

From Jonathan McAlmont:

Fruitless Recursion is an online journal devoted to the review and discussion of works of criticism and non-fiction relating to the SF, Fantasy and Horror genres.

It is a paying market and it is currently looking for writers as well as subject matter. Go and have a look, I have kicked things off with a review of Paul Kincaid's What it is We Do When We Read Science Fiction and Joanna Russ' The Country You Have Never Seen.

Best of luck, Jonathan!

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 19, 2008 at 12:22 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

TOC: Nebula Awards Showcase 2009

Ellen Datlow has posted the table of contents for the upcoming anthology Nebula Awards Showcase 2009:

  1. Introduction by Ellen Datlow
  2. About The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
  3. About the Nebula Awards
  4. The 2008 Nebula Awards Final Ballot
  5. Nebula Award, Best Novelette. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" by Ted Chiang
  6. Nebula Award, Best Short Story. "Always" by Karen Joy Fowler
  7. Where The Sidewalk Ends by Barry Malzberg
  8. Why I write Science Fiction by Kathleen Ann Goonan
  9. Nebula Award Nominee, Short Story "Titanium Mike Saves the Day" by David D. Levine
  10. Nebula Award Nominee, Novelette, "Pol Pot's Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy)" by Geoff Ryman
  11. Nebula Award, Best Novel, The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon (excerpt)
  12. Poetry: The Rhysling Award Winners
  13. About the Rhysling Award
  14. Rhysling Dwarf Stars Award "Last Unicorn" by Jane Yolen
  15. Rhysling Short Poem Winner "The Graven Idol's Godheart" by Rich Ristow
  16. Rhysling Long Poem Winner "The Journey to Kailash" by Mike Allen
  17. Nebula Award Nominee, Novella, "Stars Seen Through Stone" by Lucius Shepard
  18. What You Saw Was What you Got by Howard Waldrop
  19. Pan's Labyrinth: Dreaming with Eyes Wide Open by Tim Lucas
  20. Nebula Nominee, Novelette, "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change" by Kij Johnson
  21. The Damon Knight Grand Master Award: Appreciation of Michael Moorcock by Kim Newman
  22. "The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius" by Michael Moorcock
  23. The Andre Norton Award "The New Golden Age" by Gwenda Bond
  24. Clubbing by Ellen Asher
  25. Nebula Nominee, Short Story, "Captive Girl" by Jennifer Pelland
  26. Nebula Nominee, Short Story "Unique Chicken Goes In Reverse" by Andy Duncan
  27. Nebula Award, Novella, "The Fountain of Age" by Nancy Kress
  28. Past Nebula Award Winners
  29. The Authors Emeriti
  30. Ardath Mayhar, Talent from the Pines by Joe R. Lansdale

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 19, 2008 at 12:15 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

SF Tidbits for 6/19/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 19, 2008 at 12:05 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Mind Meld: Now It's Your Turn

It's been just over half a year since we started pestering and prodding various people in and around the science fiction field with our questions. We've had quite a bit of fun putting these together for you and we hope you've enjoyed them too. And to really find out, this week's Mind Meld gives you, our loyal readers, the opportunity to answer the following questions:


  1. What do you think about the Mind Meld feature in general?

  2. What's been your favorite entry and why?

  3. Are there any topics you'd like us to cover?

  4. Is there anyone we've missed that you would like to see included?

Read more...

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Posted by JP Frantz at Wednesday June 18, 2008 at 1:31 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

Wednesday YouTube: Jeff Goldblum as the Fly

Jeff Goldblum was so much better before he became a drunk.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday June 18, 2008 at 12:01 PM
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SF Tidbits for 6/18/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday June 18, 2008 at 12:40 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Site Upgrade
SF Signal has been upgraded to Movable Type 4.  Yay us!  The new GUI (which you don't see - neener, neener, neener) is much more slick-looking.  I've used it before over at SciFi Scanner, and it's much nicer.  You won't see any difference in the pages, until I get my butt in gear to do the ever-impending redesign, which is coming soon.

This MT upgrade would not have been done without the incredibly generous help of David Raynes.  Thanks, David!  Whatever your boss is paying you, it's not enough.  As my co-bloggers can attest, you should get hazard pay for having to deal with the likes of me.  :)

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday June 18, 2008 at 12:03 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

ApolloCon 2008


This year's ApolloCon, Houston's science fiction, fantasy and horror conference, happens June 27 through June 29.

This year's guests of honor include Allen Steele (the Coyote series, Spindrift, Galaxy Blues), Lou Anders (Sideways in Crime, Fast Forward 2) and artist Brad Foster. Other guests include Jayme Blaschke, Steven Brust, Scott Cupp, Bradley Denton, Marianne Dyson, Alexis Glynn Latner, A. Lee Martinez, J.M. McDermott, Maureen McHugh, John Moore, Lawrence Person, John Picacio, Chris Roberson, and Martha Wells among others.

I'll be there. Last year's ApolloCon was, believe it or not, my first con ever. It was fun. There was lots of good programming to attend. This year looks good, too.

Are any of our local reader's going?

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 17, 2008 at 12:39 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

REVIEW: The Crystal Cosmos by Rhys Hughes


REVIEW SUMMARY: A bizarre (but ultimately satisfying) reading experience.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A scheming ship captain wishes to lay claim to a planet-sized diamond, but discovers that there is an alternate Earth inside it.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Cool sf-nal ideas; sense of wonder; humorous.
CONS: Hard to initially get a handle on; slow beginning.
BOTTOM LINE: A good story told in an unconventional fashion.

Read more...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 17, 2008 at 1:02 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Can You Name This Story? (Part 6)

Another reader is looking for the name of a story that eludes him. Here is the description:

Sometime in the late 80's I believe, I read a "young adult" fantasy/sci-fi book. The setting was sort of "fantasy" with "wizards" possessing magical items. As the story progressed, clues were dropped and by the end, you realized that this was not a fantasy world, it was really far in the future (presumably after some apocalyptic event) and humanity was sort of reset to a medieval stage. These wizards were just ordinary people, and these "magic" items were really mechanical artifacts from today's era - I remember one simply being a pair of scissors. I realize this premise is not so groundbreaking, but it blew my little 13 or 14 year old mind. I think it about every now and then, but the title and author are long forgotten. Any suggestions?
- Dan Schmidt
How about it readers...can you name this story?

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 17, 2008 at 12:52 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

SF Tidbits for 6/17/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 17, 2008 at 12:32 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

RIP: Stan Winston

Sad news...

Ain't It Cool is reporting that special effects pioneer and make-up artist Stan Winston has passed away. He was best known for his work in the Terminator series, the Jurassic Park series, Aliens, Predator, Edward Scissorhands, and more recently, Iron Man.

See also:

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 16, 2008 at 4:22 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

2001: A Pink Floyd Odyssey

It's a Mellow Monday. Here's a synchronization of Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey and Pink Floyd's song "Echoes" off the album Meddle.


[via MilkandCookies]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 16, 2008 at 12:22 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

REVIEW: Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan


REVIEW SUMMARY: Interesting blend of secret history and faery, packed with intrigue.

MY RATING:
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: In Elizabethan England, the Queen's spy master begins to suspect that an outside player is meddling in court politics. It's up to a young courtier and a disgraced fae to untangle the knots binding human and fae courts together.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: This is a unique blending of faery court intrigue with secret history, told with language that evokes the historical era without being difficult.
CONS: Sometimes the answers come too easily to the characters.
BOTTOM LINE: An excellent story full of political machinations and historical accuracy.

Read more...

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Posted by Karen Burnham at Monday June 16, 2008 at 1:29 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

SF Tidbits for 6/16/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 16, 2008 at 12:11 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

TOC: Eclipse 2

Editor Jonathan Strahan has posted the (near-final) table of contents to the 2nd volume of his Eclipse anthology:

[9/08 UPDATE: Strahan has posted a revised table of contents, shown below, which removes the Harry Turtledove story "We Haven't Got There Yet" and adds stories by Margo Lanagan and Ted Chiang.]

  1. "The Hero" by Karl Schroeder
  2. "Turing's Apples" by Stephen Baxter
  3. "Invisible Empire of Ascending Light" by Ken Scholes
  4. "Michael Laurits is: Drowning" by Paul Cornell
  5. "Night of the Firstlings" by Margo Lanagan
  6. "Elevator" by Nancy Kress
  7. "The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm" by Daryl Gregory
  8. "Exhalation" by Ted Chiang
  9. "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" by David Moles
  10. "The Rabbi's Hobby" by Peter S. Beagle
  11. "The Seventh Expression of the Robot General" by Jeffrey Ford
  12. "Skin Deep" by Richard Parks
  13. "Ex Cathedra" by Tony Daniel
  14. "Truth Window: A Tale of the Bedlam Rose" by Terry Dowling
  15. "We Haven't Got There Yet" by Harry Turtledove
  16. "Fury" by Alastair Reynolds
Looks like a real solid lineup. Bonus: Schroeder's entry is set in his Virga universe. And what's that I spy on the Moles story? Is naming his story after one of Cory Doctorow's books a meta-riff on Doctorow naming his story after sf classics? Heh-heh...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 16, 2008 at 12:06 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/15/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday June 15, 2008 at 2:45 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Saturday Cinema: Roadents and Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show

[Update: Now with added YouTube linkage for non-US readers.]

CSpot is a small production comedy that produces several series of short, comedy shows. Now, normally, these series have nothing to do with science fiction, and I only watch two of them, Roadents (about two Winnebago traveling guinea pigs) and Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show (a totally random acts of weirdness parody of a Japanese talk show). Recently, both of these shows displayed some SF love.

First up, Roadents on alien abduction:

YouTube linky.

Michael Biehn? Classic.

Read more...

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Posted by JP Frantz at Saturday June 14, 2008 at 6:54 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

SF Tidbits for 6/14/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday June 14, 2008 at 12:38 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Page 123, Fifth Sentence

We've been tagged for a meme by James @ Big Dumb Object. This is my entry.

INSTRUCTIONS:
"To participate, you grab any book, go to page 123, find the fifth sentence, and blog it. Then tag five people."

The following is the 5th complete sentence from O'Reilly's Java in a Nutshell, 3rd Ed.:

The two hierarchies are entirely distinct from each other; it is important that you do not confuse them.
Great advice, in my opinion. I don't know how many times said confusion has landed me in trouble in my youth. Damn hierarchies.

I tag:

Yeah, like these people have nothing better to do.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday June 14, 2008 at 12:11 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Tube Bits for 06/14/2008

  • In the wake of last night's mid-season finale (to start again next year, thanks Sci Fi), we have several Galactica bits for you:
    • Fans of the show may be happy to hear that Galactica will most likely expand next year with a new telemovie and two more episodes. Of course, those episodes aren't going to be 'new', as they will result from breaking up the three-hour season finale into three seperate episodes.

    • Earlier this week, Sci Fi held a showing of the mid-season finale on the big screen in Hollywood. MovieWeb was there and had the chance to interview Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer, Mary McDonnell and Ron Moore.

    • Jane Espenson, writer, talks about her episode, "Hub", and hints broadly at the things that happened last night.

  • Rotten Tomatoes lists their 50 best TV adaptations of all time. The TV shows you'd expect are here, Trek, Firefly, but als some you might not: Batman (the Adam West version) and Mystery Science Theater 3000.

  • Everybody's favorite companion for the good Doctor, Billie Piper, is set to star in Showtime's new series, Secret Diaries of a Call Girl, where she'll be playing a high-class hooker.

  • Those of you with Xbox 360's will be able to download the pilot episode of ABC Family Channel's new show, The Middleman, for free. You can't beat free. The show itself debuts this Monday night.

  • Digital Spy talks with Naveen Andrews about the recently wrapped season 4 of LOST. So long until the next season....

  • M. Night Shyamalan talks about his new live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This movie appeals to me much more the his current movie, The Happening.

  • Seems we have quite a bit of Fringe stories as well:
    • The Fox show, Fringe, will be getting it's own prequel comic adaptation, to debut August 27th.

    • Executive producer Jeff Pinkner says Fringe is not another X-Files. We'll see Jeff, we'll see.

    • Here's J.J. Abrams himself, talking about the new show, which premiers Sept. 9th, 8pm ET:

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Posted by JP Frantz at Saturday June 14, 2008 at 12:10 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

This Week's Free Tor Book: In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker

The latest batch of freebies from Tor includes:


The wallpapers are only available for one week, so don't wait to snag 'em.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 13, 2008 at 12:22 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

Friday YouTube: The Ending of Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Happy Friday the 13th!

Rather than subject you to the twisted sense of movie making that is Friday the 13th, Part X: Jason in Space, here is the ending of Philip Kaufman's much-better 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the 2nd adaptation of Jack Finney's 1955 book.

*** SPOILER WARNING! ***

The setup: Donald Sutherland's character has learned to walk amongst the pod people simply by showing no emotion. At this point in the film, viewers are not sure whether he has been turned.

I kid you not...this will haunt you 'til the end of your days...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 13, 2008 at 1:05 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

SF Tidbits for 6/13/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 13, 2008 at 12:50 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Thursday YouTube: David Bowie Sings Starman

He'd like to come and meet us, but he thinks he'd blow our minds.

Read more...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 12, 2008 at 12:28 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

SF Tidbits for 6/12/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 12, 2008 at 12:58 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

MIND MELD: Who Are Tomorrow's Big Genre Stars? (+ The Top 18 Genre Authors To Keep an Eye On)

As a science fiction fan, I've often wondered about the fans of yesteryear who read the early works of legendary authors like Silverberg, Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, etc., back when they were first published. Did they know that these writers were destined for greatness? Could they have predicted their successful careers? All of which makes me wonder if we can predict the genre stars of tomorrow. In this week's Mind Meld, we turned to folks who deal with lots of writers on a daily basis, and we asked them:

Q: Which new or little-known genre writers will be tomorrow's big stars? Why?


Read on to see if their answers match yours....

[MIND MELD EXTRA! After these enlightening responses, I've collected the names that received multiple mentions and compiled the un-scientific list of "The Top 18 Genre Authors To Keep an Eye On"...]

Matthew Cheney
Matthew Cheney has published fiction and nonfiction with a wide variety of venues, including Strange Horizons, One Story, Failbetter.com, Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, Abyss & Apex, and the anthologies Interfictions and Logorrhea. He is the series editor of Best American Fantasy from Prime Books.
Being a science fiction reader, I am, of course, excellent at predicting things. As I sit here in my ornithopter, debating whether to visit the excellent library of microfiche on Mars or to bathe in the pools of Venus, a few names come to mind...Ahadi Benson...Chasina Doyle...Eric Fujishima...

Oh, wait, you want the names of people actually writing now, people whose work we might be able to read and collect before it starts selling for multiple digits on eBay! Well, let's see. Alan DeNiro immediately comes to mind, not just because his first collection was published by the awesome Small Beer Press, or because he just sold a novel to Juliet Ulman at Bantam, but because he's one of the best writers in the U.S. today, and one of these days the masses are just going to have to agree with me about that. (Or else they'll die in the revolution. But you don't know about the revolution yet...)

I'm betting Meghan McCarron will, in five to ten years, be talked about as a contender for a MacArthur Genius Grant. (She's a friend of mine, but I think she's talented enough to overcome this impediment.) I also expect Tempest Bradford will become known not just for her fiction and nonfiction, but for her excellent work as a crusading president of SFWA, bringing the organization to its largest enrollment in history.

Nick Mamatas will probably be frustrated that he's less known for his marvelous novels and stories than for his week as an American Idol judge, but that's a kind of fame, so it counts.

More? Let's see...David Schwartz's first novel, Superpowers, is going to bring him a deservedly large audience, but I think he's the sort of writer who will follow it up with a string of equally strong books and maintain that audience quite well. Holly Phillips gained some good notice for her first few books, but I think when her novel The Engine's Child is published by Del Rey this fall, she's likely to be noticed by a deservedly large audience. Paul Jessup is definitely a writer to watch, and I'd bet something valuable (if I had something valuable) that he'll publish a book in the next five years, and that book will attract real attention. Ursula Pflug has been publishing for a while now, and hasn't gotten nearly the notice she deserves, but she's the sort of writer who could suddenly have a breakout hit and cause everyone to label her an overnight success. Neil Williamson is one of those writers whose name always attracts me if it is present in a magazine or anthology, and I'm curious to see what he produces in the next decade -- he could, I think, have either a smash hit or develop a cult following. Vandana Singh is a writer whose short fiction I adore. She gained some notice for her recent novella Of Love and Other Monsters, but, honestly, it felt more like an outline than a full piece of fiction to me, so I can't wait to see her publish a novel as robust as her short stories, because she's got more talent and vision than just about anybody else out there.

Read more...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday June 11, 2008 at 1:16 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

NOMINEES: The 2008 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award

The nominees for the 2008 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, awarded to the best piece of short fiction published in the US, have been announced:

  • Laird Barron - "The Forest"
  • Elizabeth Bear - "Tideline"
  • Ted Chiang - "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate"
  • Jeffrey Ford - "The Dreaming Wind"
  • Karen Joy Fowler - "Always"
  • Gwyneth Jones - "The Tomb Wife"
  • John Kessel- "The Last American"
  • Ian R. McLeod - "The Master Miller's Wife"
  • David Moles - "Finisterra"
  • Johanna Sinisalo - "Baby Doll"
  • Gene Wolfe - "Memorare"
See also: Past winners at Locus Online.

[via Jonathan Strahan]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday June 11, 2008 at 1:07 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

NOMINEES: 2008 John W Campbell Memorial Award

The nominees for the 2008 John W Campbell Memorial Award, awarded to the best SF novel published in the US, have been announced:

  • Brian Aldiss, HARM
  • Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policeman's Union
  • Kathleen Ann Goonan, In War Times
  • Nalo Hopkinson, The New Moon's Arms
  • Jay Lake, Mainspring
  • Ken MacLeod, The Execution Channel
  • Ian McDonald, Brasyl
  • Rebecca Ore, Time's Child
  • Matt Ruff, Bad Monkeys
  • Robert J. Sawyer, Rollback
  • Jose Carlos Somoza, Zig Zag
  • Sheri S. Tepper, The Margarets
  • Jeffrey Thomas, Deadstock
  • Robert Charles Wilson, Axis
See also: Past winners at Locus Online.

[via Jonathan Strahan]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday June 11, 2008 at 1:05 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

SF Tidbits for 6/11/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday June 11, 2008 at 1:02 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Why I Stopped Reading: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

People have been raving about this book, a lot. It also won the Nebula Award for 2007. I read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay which was really good so I picked up Yiddish. After all, it won a major genre award so it must be good, right?

Well, not quite. It's not that it's poorly written or anything. Chabon does a really good job of setting up his alternate Alaska filled with exiled Jews. Everything feels believable and realistic, especially the history underlying the story. So what happened to cause me to quit?

It was around page 100 that I realized the story was moving, well dragging, along very slowly. A murder had occurred and the authorities had only just then started questioning people. And with so little invested in that mystery, it didn't hook me at all. In the meantime, we get a lot of character backstory. Which would be ok if I felt the characters were interesting. Even with all of the build up for their stories, I really didn't find one that made me want to read more about them. Part of this is probably because I am not a Jew, so a lot of the words and problems that are brought out really don't resonate with me. I kept having to try and puzzle out just what Chabon was talking about, especially with the Yiddish.

So after 100 pages I realized I was bored with the book. I didn't want to keep going, puzzling my way through the story for another 350+ pages. Maybe it gets better, I don't know. But after 100 pages, I'm willing to move on to something more immediately interesting. Which I did.

Which leads me to question why did this book win the Nebula? Was it because the Nebula voters saw a science fictionish novel from a big time literary author and think 'Ah ha! Respectability for SF, at last! He wins!" The only other award nominee I read was Ragamuffin, which I enjoyed a lot more than Chabon's book. Maybe I'm just a philistine.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Wednesday June 11, 2008 at 12:45 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

MEME: What Book Are You Reading Right Now?


There might not always be time for a long, thoughful post...but there's always time for a quick Meme!

I'm in the middle of reading Sly Mongoose by Tobias S. Buckell. Space zombies! Very cool.

What book are you reading right now?

Tell us.

Now!

UPDATE: And how are you enjoying it so far?

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 10, 2008 at 2:06 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

REVIEW: Jim Baen's Universe #12


MY RATING:

The April 2008 issue of Jim Baen's Universe (Issue #12, also known as Volume 2, Number 6) closes out their second year of publication with 12 pieces of short fiction and a handful of articles. Eleven of those stories are reviewed below. I did not partake of "Fish Story," a serial that is now in its twelfth part, but the stories I did read made for another good issue. Particular standouts in this issue are "Manumission" by Tobias S. Buckell and "Honorable Enemies" by Mike Resnick. Both stories take place in worlds I've visited before, and it was fun to return to them again.

Before I get to the reviews, a few words about the magazine itself. I've been reading this bi-monthly magazine for the past year, missing only one of those issues due to time constraints. On the whole, it's been a very positive experience. Being electronic, I can access it from anywhere. The multiple formats make it easy to read on a PC or handheld device. The caliber of talent they get is consistently impressive making each magazine worthy of the price of admission. They also showcase new talent besides seasoned authors making it an attractive venue for writers in any stage of their careers. They also offer a decent mix of science fiction and fantasy and, although the fantasy stories are less suited to my particular sf-leaning tastes, I must admit that some of them impressed me quite a bit. The worst thing I can say about Jim Baen's Universe is that the artwork is a bit amateur for a professionally published magazine. One could successfully argue that their budget is being spent on high-quality fiction instead of the visuals and that the magazine is better for it. You'll get no argument from me. If I had to choose, I'll choose the better fiction every time.

Speaking of which, individual story/article reviews follow...

Read more...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 10, 2008 at 12:33 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

REVIEW: Escapement by Jay Lake


MY RATING:
In Mainspring (SF Signal review), author Jay Lake created one of the more imaginative alternate Earth settings you'll find. One where Earth is literally a cog in the cosmic wheel, and evidence of God's existence is irrefutable. Lake returns to his world in the not-really-a-sequel novel, Escapement. This time, we get to visit more of the clockwork Earth and we find it's filled with enough interesting and stimulating wonders for several books, let alone one. Escapement isn't a direct sequel to Mainspring, you don't need to know the events from the first book (although they are alluded to in the text) to enjoy Escapement, but it's clear that this book is part of a large series. And as such, it's one of the few 'second-in-the-series' novels that not only are as good as the first, but better.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Tuesday June 10, 2008 at 2:28 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Will The Sci Fi Channel's TV Show/MMO Program Be Successful?

On June 5th, the web comic Backward Compatible ran a strip detail what the execs behind the Sci Fi Channel's TV show/MMO program are really in for. Read the strip first to see it in it's full glory (Warning! It's full of leet speak and gaming subculture grammar). Go ahead, I'll wait.

Obviously, BC is taking the extreme view here that the players in the game will become the 'stars' of the TV show, complete with appropriate grammar and 'spelling'. But it does point out that relying on the players for the story is probably not a good idea. Even in the existing MMOs today (World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online and others), most people don't care a whit about the story, preferring to quest and grind through monsters with their friends. In other words, it's a social thing. The writers of the show will have to take the actions in the game world more as a guideline than a rule, otherwise they'll end up with an incomprehensible mess of a story.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Tuesday June 10, 2008 at 2:15 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/10/08

RIP: Algis Budrys

Sad news...

Steven H. Silver is reporting that sf author/editor Algis Budrys has passed away.

Budrys is perhaps best known for his works Who? (1958), Rogue Moon (1960), and Michaelmas (1977).

See also:

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 09, 2008 at 3:20 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

At The Trailer Park: X-Files, Hellboy II, Wall-E, Incredible Hulk

The trailers just keep coming, plus we have a bonus scene from Wall-E for your enjoyment. Feast your eyes:

The X-Files

First up, the newest trailer for The X-Files. Not much different from the previous one that I can see. I can say it looks to be shot like the episodes.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Monday June 09, 2008 at 1:30 PM
© 2008 SF Signal

Allen Steele's Coyote Website Goes Live

Allen Steele writes in to tell us about the new site dedicated to his Coyote series of books:

A year in the making, this new site is the creation of science fiction author Allen Steele and web site designer Gary Rose. Its subject is the Coyote series of novels -- Coyote, Coyote Rising, Coyote Frontier and the forthcoming Coyote Horizon -- and the novels set in its universe, Spindrift and the recently published Galaxy Blues. Among the many features of this site are:
  • A video introduction by Allen Steele

  • A podcast reading from Coyote by the author.

  • A free Coyote short story, "The War of Dogs and Boids", previously available only on Amazon.

  • A gallery of artwork -- some previously unpublished -- by Ron Miller, John Harris, Rob Caswell, and Thomas J. Peters.

  • An extensive concordance of characters, locations, spacecraft, and events.

  • A set of interactive maps of Coyote.

  • A trivia quiz.

  • A readers forum.

  • Links to the American and British publishers and booksellers of the Coyote series.

I've read a few of the Coyote stories and they are consistently good. Looking at this new website makes me want to crack open the books that have been taunting me from the shelves...

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 09, 2008 at 7:47 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/9/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 09, 2008 at 12:15 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Tube Bits for 06/09/2008


  • About Heroes offers up a review of the Serenity: Better Days comic series. This series is written by Whedon himself and takes place between the end of the TV show and the beginning of the movie. Is it surprising they liked it?

  • Are you tired of the 'science fiction' being broadcast on the Sci Fi Chanel? Well ,one SF fan is so he created The Classic Science Fiction Channel. Basically he's provided links to all the SF shows and movies on Hulu.com and Archive.org. Still, it's handy to have a place with all of these listed at once.

  • The new genre series, The Middleman, premiers on ABC Family on June 16th. Media Boulevard has a long interview with Javier Grillo-Marxuach (LOST), writer and creator of the show. It's been a long time coming, and by the sound of it, I'll definitely be tuning in. And by tuning in, I mean recording it. As an aside, you know what really bugs me? Long articles that contain no hyperlinks whatsoever, leaving the reader to have to find info on their own. The last time I checked, the Web actually allowed you to place links inside a story to help people find out more. Get with the times people.

  • Top Cow and Randy Queen will be teaming up to produce a new comic series entitled Starfall. Check out this descrption: "Space pirates crash land on an uncharted jungle planet and unknowingly unleash a degenerative nanobot technology that turns the local dinosaur and cannibal populace into raging zombies!" Awesome! The comic will debut with a preview book at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Of course, it has the Top Cow stereotypical female lead a la Witchblade and Fathom, at least physically. But it stil looks interesting. Do we have many comic readers?

  • Big Buck Bunny is an animated short that shows what you, yes you, can do with the open source animation program, Blender (well, you + some artistic talent). Not too bad.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Monday June 09, 2008 at 12:02 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/8/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday June 08, 2008 at 12:12 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

The Amazing Adventures of Little Batman

Batman re-enacted by children. [via Keith R.A. DeCandido]


This automatically switches to parts 2 and 3, so sit back and enjoy.

Favorite moment: "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb." (In Part 2.)

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday June 07, 2008 at 12:11 AM
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SF Tidbits for 6/7/08

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Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday June 07, 2008 at 12:01 AM
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This Week's Free Tor Book: Orphans of Chaos by John C. Wright


Tor's latest batch of freebies includes:


  • Free Book: Orphans of Chaos by John C. Wright. (Links to HTML version. Those who sign up at the Tor site also get links to a PDF and MobiPocket version via email.)

  • Free Wallpaper: Stephen Youll's cover art for Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

  • Free Wallpaper: Michael Komark's cover art for Bones of the Dragon, the upcoming title from Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickmann's Dragonships of Vindras series.

The wallpapers are only available for one week, so don't wait to snag 'em.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 06, 2008 at 12:22 PM
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MIND MELD Makeup with Jay Lake: Scientific Accuracy in Stories

Two weeks ago we asked several authors for their thoughts on scientific accuracy in science fiction stories. Jay was unable to answer at that time, but sent along his response for all of us to read.

Q: Do science fiction authors have an obligation to be scientifically accurate with their stories? Is there a minimum level of accuracy an author should adhere to?

Jay Lake
Jay Lake lives in Portland, Oregon, where he works on numerous writing and editing projects. His 2008 novels are Escapement from Tor Books and Madness of Flowers from Night Shade Books, while his short fiction appears regularly in literary and genre markets worldwide. Jay is a winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and a multiple nominee for the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards. Jay can be reached through his blog at jaylake.livejournal.com or his Web site at www.jlake.com.

In a word, no. It's *fiction*, we're all making it up anyway.

To be a little more specific and less flippant, *any* story is going to fail in the face of expertise. I can write a convincing medical scene for the general reader, but a doctor will call b.s. Likewise astronomy, biology or any other discipline. It all depends on the distance of the reader from the subject matter.

This means one can write about cosmology with a relatively free hand. That's all esoteric theory anyway. But write about the physics of falling bodies without taking terminal velocity into account and you're in trouble.

As a matter principle, I always strive for scientific accuracy to the best of my ability. But it's like the old joke about not being faster than the bear. I don't have to be accurate, I just have to be more accurate than my readers' understanding.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Friday June 06, 2008 at 12:28 AM
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Friday YouTube: Top 10 Giant Movie Monsters

Biology in Science Fiction points us to this NSFW countdown of Top 10 Giant Movie Monsters. Not sure that their No. 1 pick is worthy of besting Kong, but so it goes...

BTW, this coincides nicely with Laughing Squid's links to anatomical cross-section diagrams of Gamera & Godzilla.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 06, 2008 at 12:18 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

SF Tidbits for 6/6/08

  • The Agony Column podcast-interviews Lou Anders, editor of Pyr and the upcoming anthology Fast Forward 2.

  • At SciFi Wire, John Joseph Adams profiles Marilyn Kosmatka, co-author (with Eric Flint) of Time Spike.

  • Recently-free fiction at ManyBooks.net: "The Great White Queen" by William le Queux (1897), a "Lost Race" tale.

  • Over at Fantasy Magazine, Jeremiah Tolbert contemplates the mainstreaming of science fiction on TV using Lost as an example: "I'm sure there are downsides to the mainstreaming of SF tropes. It makes us feel less special and unique, maybe. But as a working creative, I will just have to swallow my pride on that one. With this kind of potential for fans out there, it gives me hope that we could actually make a good living telling genre stories, and not just the ones marketed to an aging, increasingly conservative SF fanbase."

  • John Scalzi talks about Selling Your SciFi Novel to Hollywood: "There is some trenchant irony in film being a catalyst for a writer's work being taken seriously as literature, but this is science fiction we're talking about, a form which most readers of serious literature write off as hackwork without actually bothering to read any (because they're snobs, you see)."

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 06, 2008 at 12:08 AM
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MIND MELD: The 'Responsibility' of Cover Art

[Update - Included Glen Orbik's response.]

Some are flashy. Some are somber. Some knock your socks off and some make you wear argyles. But every book has cover. And every cover has to be created by someone. We contacted several artists this week and asked them the following question about book covers:

Q: What do you feel is the primary purpose of a book cover: To accurately reflect the story or to visually 'sell' the book? How do you balance these two ideas when creating a cover?
Bob Eggleton
Bob Eggleton's drawing and paintings cover a wide range of science fiction, fantasy, and horror topics, depicting space ships, alien worlds and inhabitants, dragons, vampires, and other fantasy creatures. His view on space ships were that they should look organic, and claimed that as a child, he was disappointed with the space shuttles and rockets NASA produced; they were nothing like fantasy artists of the twenties and thirties had promised. His fascination with dragons originated with his childhood interest of dinosaurs, which can be seen in the book Greetings From Earth. His paintings are commissioned and bought at sci-fi conventions, and used as book covers. Eggleton has been honored with the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist eight times, first winning in 1994. He has also won the Chesley Award for Artistic Achievement in 1999 and was the guest of honor at Chicon 2000.
Primarily book cover art is designed to sell books. It's a commercial venture no matter what anyone tells you. Whether it makes nice fine art on its own is beside the fact. That said, some nice fine art has made some terrific covers. For me, I work with the idea of K.I.S.S.-"Keep It Simple Stupid" as a note to self to come up with a bang-on idea by which to sell the book. Of course, in the last decade or more, such an emphasis is on the marketing of the book that, often the artist doesn't even get to see a book! He or she gets a couple of lines of ideas or quotes from a specific scene. And also, people tell you what colors NOT to use on the cover-usually it's greens or for some reason, purples-so I am told anyway, there may be other opinions.

I try to keep the work simple as possible so that it has a punch to it. I envision how and where type will be dropped into it and compensate for this. Lately this is essentially giving the "big book" look some people ask for. Alot of SF and Fantasy covers have gone the way of the John Grisham look wherein you're not even sure what the genre is. It's a question of what kind of art-it's a question of whether any art will be at all used on the cover. On Independent publishers that's less of a question because they cater to a core group of fans who will buy the books of a given writer-signed, good binding and so on. These are the books that will last and be loved and saved. Which is why I like being part of them.

My own work tends to be fairly narrative save for horror which has often a single image that grabs you. Working for the Indie presses, as I do, I am given a free hand with a great deal of what I do. At least two publishers will say happily "Oh, give us a 'Bob'" meaning some landscape or something with a rocketship in it, which I am only too happy to do. I did a Robert Heinlein like that. It just summed up the title of the book perfectly. I have alot of luck with that and, like in the Subterranean Press Brian Lumley books...it's some of my best work and when the designer has finished with the type I'm really thrilled with the entire look of it. I did a cover to Philip Jose Farmer's Venus on the Half Shell. Not only did I like what I did, his fans all wrote me and liked it enough to buy prints, and, Farmer himself, at 90 or thereabouts, is the owner the painting, he liked it so much! That's when it's the best.

I respond usually to a mood, or a "feel" of the book in many cases. Something that just sums it up for me, that I, as a fan, would react to in a positive way. I'm all for doing covers that sell books. Publishers like that. I like the challenge to come up with art that will work well with the type and, I view it all as a singular package. That's sounds terribly "commercial" but as I started...that's what you get paid to do. And in all, I try and have fun with it and I try to make everyone happy.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday June 05, 2008 at 12:29 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

Trek Animated Series/"Common People" Mashup

I'm still digging William Shatner's version of Pulp's "Common People". So when this mashup showed up on BoingBoing, I just had to spread the word. The fact that's is Slash makes it even better.

Consider this your reward for that lame Carol Burnett Trek skit.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 05, 2008 at 12:22 AM
© 2008 SF Signal

SF Tidbits for 6/5/08

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