A couple of months ago, I embarked on an experiment to read some SF magazines, and see if I was really missing out on the wonderful stuff that people are always haranguing con-goers about. I bought paper copies of Analog‘s November issue and the October/ November Asimov’s, and commented on them here. I was unable… Continue reading The Magazine Experiment: Fantasy and Science Fiction October 2007
Category: SF
World Fantasy Convention: The “Vos” Post
Because I’m a bad person, there follows a list of all the notable people I talked to at the World Fantasy Convention. You can feel free to assume that they all thought that I was brilliant, and offered to co-author important publications with me.
DonorsChoose Payoff: Malazan Book of the Fallen
Matthew Fisher buys a blog topic: I thought I’d throw in a request for another post on Steven Erikson. Specifically how his Malazan books either conform to, or subvert standard epic fantasy tropes. I’ve been a fan of his for quite awhile, and I’d like to think his stuff is different from Goodkind/Jordan/Eddings stuff (but… Continue reading DonorsChoose Payoff: Malazan Book of the Fallen
Charles Stross, Halting State [Library of Babel]
I really, really did not like Glasshouse, Charlie Stross’s Hugo-nominated novel from last year. I enjoy his “Laundry” books, though (The Atrocity Archives and The Jennifer Morgue), and at Worldcon I had a conversation with Robert Sneddon, who recommended the forthcoming Halting State as closer in tone to those, so I picked it up a… Continue reading Charles Stross, Halting State [Library of Babel]
Literary Poll: Science Fiction Scavenger Hunt!
I realized that last week’s scavenger hunt posts neglected half of my favorite genre fiction, so here’s a post to make up for that: What items should appear on a Science Fiction Novel Scavenger Hunt? Some suggestions to get things started: One Big Dumb Object One improbably brilliant genius scientist who is able to both… Continue reading Literary Poll: Science Fiction Scavenger Hunt!
You Can Never Have Too Many Books
Here’s a picture of the haul from the World Fantasy Convention: (We got two of the bright blue bags with the odd aspect ratio, but I only put one in the picture.) The small pile on the left is a collection of samplers and free magazine issues (if I read them all, I’ll have a… Continue reading You Can Never Have Too Many Books
Nathalie Mallet, The Princes of the Golden Cage [Library of Babel]
Back in August, somebody from Night Shade Books contacted me and asked if I would like a review copy of the forthcoming book by Nathalie Mallet, The Princes of the Golden Cage. I almost never turn down free books, so I said yes (actually, both Kate and I were contacted, and she replied first, so… Continue reading Nathalie Mallet, The Princes of the Golden Cage [Library of Babel]
After Faking Her Death to Escape the Potter Fiasco, Hedwig Moved to Japan and Took Night Classes in Psychology…
It’s as good an explanation as any for this:
The Magazine Experiment: Asimov’s, October/ November 2007
The current edition of Asimov’s is a double issue, for October and November. This is apprently an annual thing, but whatever the reason for it, I got a magazine with twice as many stories as usual, which probably creates a false impression of the worth of the magazine. I’ll have to check out a regular-size… Continue reading The Magazine Experiment: Asimov’s, October/ November 2007
The Magazine Experiment: Analog, November 2007
At the recent Worldcon, there were several rounds of the usual Save the Magazines Chorus: short fiction is the lifeblood of the genre, it’s where we get our new writers, etc. With the usual subtextual implication that I am a Bad Person because I don’t read or subscribe to any SF magazines. (The most annoying… Continue reading The Magazine Experiment: Analog, November 2007