A science fiction blog featuring science fiction book reviews and with frequent ramblings on fantasy, computers and the web.
I thought I’d take a breather from Doom 3 to clean out my shorts and write a quick note on my initial thoughts.
Filed under: Games
Michael Dirda of Houston Chronicle offers a look at the modern state of literature and the Internet’s impact on literacy.
An interesting read, but I think he shortchanges the Internet (said the blog author). The fact is, the Internet is a valuable information resource. Just because people may let it steer them away from a good book is not the fault of the tool. And, for what it’s worth, I’m doing more than my fair share of reading, though the literary content of said reading is open to argument. 
[This link comes from LocusMag. Shame on us for missing an article from out local newspaper!]
Filed under: Books
SF writer, screenwriter and SciFiWeekly columnist Michael Cassutt offers an interesting look at why film adaptations of sf books go astray. It’s easy to see why films like I, Robot anger fans but also equally easy to see why films do diverge from their source.
Filed under: Movies
No longer is running over Fluffy with the Suburban the end of the line for your beloved family pet. Am I being a little insensitive? Maybe, but I speak from experience.
Anyway, Genetic Savings and Clone will save your pet’s DNA for you and will very shortly be able to clone it. They’ve already created a cloned cat, CC, and are busily working on dogs.
Soon your cat really WILL have 9 lives!
Filed under: Science and Technology
A group of Japanese artists, with help from Seiko, have come up with this really cool Earth watch, which shows the time by displaying the rotation of the northern hemisphere. Cool! And you can get a nice mirrored bevel to place around it that has the sun and moon engraved on it.
And you can buy it for only $450. What a bargain. The Southern Hemisphere version will set you back a cool $700. I’m not sure why the difference in price. But still neat.
Filed under: Science and Technology
REVIEW SUMMARY: The final book in the Inhibitors series brings things to a conclusion on the ice moon Hela.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: On the ice moon of Hela, Quaiche (a normal human) discovers an anachronistic bridge spanning a giant chasm on an apparently lifeless moon.
On Ararat, the survivors of the Resurgam battle struggle to survive while the battle between the Conjoiners and the Inhibitors rages above the planet.
50 years after Ararat, the girl Rashmika Els thinks she’s discovered something the Quaicheist church is trying to hide. Ultimately, all three time periods meet with Rashmika, leading to the ending of these stories.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Great storytelling, still a cool universe, and sympathetic characters.
CONS: One big one. For those who wan’t to read without spoilers or even hints, I won’t place them here. Its also the reason I put the stars below the jump.
BOTTOM LINE: See below!
Filed under: Book Review
Well, now you can purchase the Clone Wars animated action figures, either seperately at Target or as a set from StarWarsShops.
The good news? They look really cool. Especially the Clone Trooper and Yoda. The bad news? $70 fricken’ bucks! Yikes! I’m not sure they’re worth that much, however cool they are. If I were to blow that much, I think I’d rather get the Millenium Falcon…
Filed under: Star Wars
Well, JP’s wish has been granted. The SciFi Channel is going ahead with their new Battlestar Galactica series beginning January 2005.
Filed under: TV
Once again, it was a ghost town in the land of Manus Equitas in CoH this weekend. With the exception of the one hour that I played with Kevin, I’ve seen no one on. With my brother exiting until the next update, I’ve decided to follow suit. Luckily, I was able to deactivate my account tonight before the next billing cycle started. *Whew*
Filed under: Games
REVIEW SUMMARY: Excellent space opera sequel that surpasses the previous installment
MY RATING: 
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Several factions attempt to gain control of doomsday weapons while the Inhibitors, a race of killing machines, begin a massive attack on the planet Resurgam.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Cool storyline and storytelling, great sense-of-wonder, richly detailed and compelling universe
CONS: Weak ending
BOTTOM LINE: If you liked Revelation Space, you’ll love Redemption Ark.
Filed under: Book Review
This is the July 2004 update of my New Year’s Resolution.
QUICK STATS:
STARTING SF-POINTS©: 220
SF-POINTS©EARNED THIS MONTH: 14 (QUOTA: 31)
YEAR-TO-DATE SF-POINTS©: 234 (YTD QUOTA: 213)
It was a slow reading month for me, mostly beacuse of a two week “vacation” and having some work done on the house. Good thing I was ahead in the short story department!
Filed under: Books
SFSignal is proud to announce a very special guest review for Absolution Gap.
Hi, my name is Harriet Klausner. You may remember me from such 5 star reviews as: My Favorite Mistake, and Babes in Captivity, (that one’s for Pete). The SFSignal management gave me the opportunity to rebut the scurious propaganda spewed forth about me from ‘John’, if that is his real name, and show that I can write a ‘real’ review. I notice John doesn’t always give 4 or 5 stars. He must hate all books. Anyway, on with the review!
REVIEW SUMMARY: Awesomely, incredible space-opera. A must for all, even those who can’t read!
MY RATING: 
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Spaceships fly, weapons discharge, people die, science is invoked.
MY REVIEW: Even people who hate books will like this one.
PROS: The best book ever written!
CONS: I don’t know anyone in jail, why is this here?
BOTTOM LINE: Oh my, is my bottom line is showing?
Filed under: Book Review
A Popular Science article titled Is Science Fiction About to Go Blind? talks about the science part of modern SF. It mentions how writers like Charles Stross and Cory Doctorow have embraced the singularity – SF author Vernor Vinge’s concept of rapid advances in technology whose technological peak will usher in the “posthuman” era. There are several mentions of Stross’ upcoming book Accelerando, a collection of his Manfred and Amber Macx stories set in a posthumanist future (One or two of which I’ve read and enjoyed).
Oh yeah, the article mentions Heinlein’s 1,000 monkeys quote!
[Link via Locus Online]
Filed under: Books
Amidst the mountains of spam we receive here at the big blue SFS, we do, occasionally, get an actual email from an actual person. I thought I’d empty out the mailbox and pass the interesting stuff on to you. And, if you pass this on to 5 friends, you too can win fame, fortune, and a supermodel of Pete’s choice!
Filed under: Meta
Not that I’m counting, but on July 28, 2004, Harriert Klausner posted EIGHTY-NINE book review, just one day after the last batch of crap. Can we create a category called Fraud?
Filed under: Web Sites
For “completist” readers of Asimov’s robot stories, check out Johnny Pez’s Insanely Complete Asimov Fiction List which offers a time line on all of the Robot and Foundation stories.
Filed under: Books
For those of you, like me, that have shelves and shelves of role-playing books at home, you may want to check out DriveThruRPG.com. They offer RPG sourcebooks in PDF format from many of the industry’s larger companies, like Fantasy Flight Games, White Wolf and Dreampod 9. Of course, for books from smaller press companies, there’s always been RPGNow.com.
Filed under: Games
The next project for Michael Keaton, star of the first two batman movies, will be a new installment of Disney’s Love Bug movies started 35 years ago. I’m sure there are some people who can’t wait. Probably the same people who bought the entire DVD collection. Me? I’d rather have this.
Filed under: Movies
We’ve all heard of chick flicks, but I wonder, when the producer of the upcoming SciFi Channel miniseries Earthsea calls the books literature, is this really chick lit? I’ve never read Earthsea so I don’t now. I’m assuming things here based on John’s infactuation with The Mists of Avalon and my lack of knowledge of the Earthsea series.
But on a broader question (ha ha!), could you consider Earthsea to be literature? I’m not sure what ‘literature’ really is, other than something that’s dense, inaccessible and something only university English departments could love. I’m not sure Le Guin fits that mold.
Filed under: TV
