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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

ONE OF THE GREATS HAS LEFT US; ANNE McCAFFREY

SFWA Grand Master Anne McCaffrey, 85, died November 21, 2011 of a massive stroke at home in County Wicklow, Ireland.
McCaffrey is best known for her long-running Pern series of SF novels and stories. She was the first woman to win both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards, with “Weyr Search” (1968) and “Dragonrider” (1969) respectively. Pern novel The White Dragon (1978) was the first hardcover SF novel to make the New York Times bestseller list. Many of the later books in the Pern series were written in collaboration with McCaffrey’s son Todd. In all she authored or co-wrote more than 100 titles, beginning with first novelRestoree (1967).
Her other works include the Freedom series, the Doona series (with Jody Lynn Nye), the Dinosaur Planet series (with Jody Lynn Nye and Elizabeth Moon), the Crystal Singer series, the Brain & Brawn Ship series (with Margaret Ball, Mercedes Lackey, S.M. Stirling, and Jody Lynn Nye), the Petaybee series (with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough), the Talent series, the Tower & Hive series, the Acorna series (with Margaret Ball, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, and various other authors), and the Coelura series.
Anne Inez McCaffrey was born April 1, 1926 in Cambridge MA. She attended Radcliffe College, graduating in 1947, and worked as an advertising copywriter while directing and performing in stage productions. She married H. Wright Johnson in 1950, and had three children. She divorced Johnson in 1970, and moved to Ireland, where she opened a stable and began raising horses.
Her many honors include being named a SFWA Grand Master (2005); induction into the SF Hall of Fame (2006); and a Robert A. Heinlein Award (2007).
I remember reading Weyr Search in Analog Magazine, I continued to be a fan over the years, especially of the Pern series. I had always hoped to see her dragons  on the silver screen. Though she has gone on she will always be alive in the hearts of her many fans including me.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

World Fantasy Awards 2011

My hat's off to this years group. 
Fantasy Awards winners were announced at this year’s World Fantasy Convention, held October 27-30, in San Diego CA. (Lifetime Achievement winners are announced in advance of the event).
Winners are:
Best Novel
  • Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor (DAW) w*
  • Zoo City, Lauren Beukes (Jacana South Africa; Angry Robot)
  • The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
  • The Silent Land, Graham Joyce (Gollancz; Doubleday)
  • Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay (Viking Canada; Roc; Harper Voyager UK)
  • Redemption In Indigo, Karen Lord (Small Beer)
Best Novella
  • “The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon”, Elizabeth Hand (Stories: All-New Tales) w
  • Bone and Jewel Creatures, Elizabeth Bear (Subterranean)
  • The Broken Man, Michael Byers (PS)
  • The Thief of Broken Toys, Tim Lebbon (ChiZine Publications)
  • “The Mystery Knight”, George R.R. Martin (Warriors)
  • “The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window”, Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Summer 2010)
Best Short Fiction
  • “Fossil-Figures”, Joyce Carol Oates (Stories: All-New Tales) w
  • “Beautiful Men” , Christopher Fowler (Visitants: Stories of Fallen Angels and Heavenly Hosts)
  • “Booth’s Ghost”, Karen Joy Fowler (What I Didn’t See and Other Stories)
  • “Ponies”, Kij Johnson (Tor.com 11/17/10)
  • “Tu Sufrimiento Shall Protect Us”, Mercurio D. Rivera (Black Static 8-9/10)


Best Anthology
  • My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me, Kate Bernheimer, ed. (Penguin) w
  • The Way of the Wizard, John Joseph Adams, ed. (Prime)
  • Haunted Legends, Ellen Datlow & Nick Mamatas, eds. (Tor)
  • Stories: All-New Tales, Neil Gaiman & Al Sarrantonio, eds. (Morrow; Headline Review)
  • Black Wings: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror, S.T. Joshi, ed. (PS)
  • Swords & Dark Magic, Jonathan Strahan & Lou Anders, eds. (Eos)
Best Collection
  • What I Didn’t See and Other Stories, Karen Joy Fowler (Small Beer) w
  • The Ammonite Violin & Others, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean)
  • Holiday, M. Rickert (Golden Gryphon)
  • Sourdough and Other Stories, Angela Slatter (Tartarus)
  • The Third Bear, Jeff VanderMeer (Tachyon)
Best Artist
  • Kinuko Y. Craft  w
  • Vincent Chong
  • Richard A. Kirk
  • John Picacio
  • Shaun Tan
Special Award, Professional
  • Marc Gascoigne, for Angry Robot w
  • John Joseph Adams, for editing and anthologies
  • Lou Anders, for editing at Pyr
  • Stéphane Marsan & Alain Névant, for Bragelonne
  • Brett Alexander Savory & Sandra Kasturi, for ChiZine Publications
Special Award, Non-Professional
  • Alisa Krasnostein, for Twelfth Planet Press w
  • Stephen Jones, Michael Marshall Smith, & Amanda Foubister, for Brighton Shock!: The Souvenir Book Of The World Horror Convention 2010
  • Matthew Kressel, for Sybil’s Garage and Senses Five Press
  • Charles Tan, for Bibliophile Stalker
  • Lavie Tidhar, for The World SF Blog
The World Fantasy Awards Lifetime Achievement Winners for 2011 are Peter S. Beagle and Angélica Gorodischer. The awards are presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the fantasy field.

*winner
e

Monday, October 10, 2011

Shadow Fall by Seressia Glass

I've fallen into the adventures of Kira Solomon bass-ackwards.. I just finished eading a copy of Shadow Fall that I won in a competition on the Qwillery. I have stayed up all night reading about the Shadowchaser, her Nubian paramour and the assortment of beings natural and supernatural that inhabit her world. I am most certainly going to order the two prequels to find out more of what makes up the life of Kira Solomon. I heartily recommend this book to all and sundry and look forward to seeing new adventures of Kira Solomon on store shelves.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Author Sara Douglass (1957-2011)

Australian author Sara Warneke, 54, who wrote bestselling fantasy novels as Sara Douglass, died September 26, 2011 of cancer.
Warneke was born June 2, 1957 in Penola Australia. She began publishing with BattleAxe (1995), and wrote more than 20 books, notably Aurealis Award winners Starman (1996), Enchanter (1996), and The Wounded Hawk (2001), as well as the Wayfarer Redemption series, the Crucible trilogy, and the Darkglass Mountain series. She lived in Tasmania, and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2008, and though she underwent treatment, it returned in 2010.

Friday, September 16, 2011

A Blast in Dallas- Next Week FENCON VIII

Next weekend no honey do's, no homework, nada.. I'm spending the weekend, September 23 to the 25 at FenCon VIII, proud host of Deep South Con 49, in North Dallas. A good time will be had by all. This year FenCon is headquartered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 14315 Midway Road in Addison TX. Lots of Dealers, lots of artists, and naturally lots of authors. I'm looking forward to seeing Lee Killough and P.N. Elrod.  So go to the website, www.fencon.org and see who among your favorite scribes will be there, pack up some books and your best costume for the masquerade and I'll see you there!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Qwillery: Interview with Jeremy Wagner & Giveaway - August 23, 2011

The Qwillery: Interview with Jeremy Wagner & Giveaway - August 23, 2011

2011 Hugo and Campbell Awards winners


Winners for the Hugo Awards and for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer were announced at a ceremony during Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, held in Reno, Nevada, August 17-21, 2011. It had a record setting number of voting members..
Another win for Connie Willis, my choice tho was Lois McMaster Bujold's Cryoburn another Miles Vorkosigan escapade.

Hooray!  Worldcon 2013 is in San Antonio Texas!!!


BEST NOVEL
  • Blackout/All Clear, Connie Willis (Spectra)
  • Cryoburn, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
  • Feed, Mira Grant (Orbit)
  • The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
  • The Dervish House, Ian McDonald (Pyr; Gollancz)
BEST NOVELLA
  • The Lifecycle of Software Objects, Ted Chiang (Subterranean)
  • ‘‘The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon’’, Elizabeth Hand (Stories)
  • ‘‘The Sultan of the Clouds’’, Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s 9/10)
  • ‘‘Troika’’, Alastair Reynolds (Godlike Machines)
  • ‘‘The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window’’, Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Summer 2010)
BEST NOVELETTE
  • ‘‘The Emperor of Mars’’, Allen M. Steele (Asimov’s 6/10)
  • ‘‘The Jaguar House, in Shadow’’, Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s 7/10)
  • ‘‘Plus or Minus’’, James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s 12/10)
  • ‘‘Eight Miles’’, Sean McMullen (Analog 9/10)
  • ‘‘That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made’’, Eric James Stone (Analog 9/10)
BEST SHORT STORY
  • ‘‘For Want of a Nail’’, Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s 12/10)
  • ‘‘Ponies’’, Kij Johnson (Tor.com 11/17/10)
  • ‘‘Amaryllis’’, Carrie Vaughn (Lightspeed 6/10)
  • ‘‘The Things’’, Peter Watts (Clarkesworld 1/10)
BEST RELATED WORK
  • Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It, Lynne M. Thomas & Tara O’Shea, eds. (Mad Norwegian)
  • Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1948): Learning Curve, William H. Patterson, Jr. (Tor)
  • The Business of Science Fiction: Two Insiders Discuss Writing and Publishing, Mike Resnick & Barry N. Malzberg (McFarland)
  • Writing Excuses, Season 4, Brandon Sanderson, Jordan Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells
  • Bearings: Reviews 1997-2001, Gary K. Wolfe (Beccon)
BEST GRAPHIC STORY
  • Girl Genius, Volume 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse, Phil & Kaja Foglio; art by Phil Foglio (Airship Entertainment)
  • The Unwritten, Vol. 2: Inside Man, Mike Carey; art by Peter Gross (Vertigo)
  • Grandville Mon Amour, Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse)
  • Schlock Mercenary: Massively Parallel, Howard Tayler (Hypernode)
  • Fables: Witches, Bill Willingham; art by Mark Buckingham (Vertigo)
BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION – LONG
  • Inception
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
  • How to Train Your Dragon
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  • Toy Story 3
BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION – SHORT
  • Doctor Who: ‘‘The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang’’
  • Doctor Who: ‘‘A Christmas Carol’’
  • Doctor Who: ‘‘Vincent and the Doctor’’
  • Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury
  • The Lost Thing
BEST PROFESSIONAL EDITOR LONG FORM
  • Lou Anders
  • Ginjer Buchanan
  • Moshe Feder
  • Liz Gorinsky
  • Nick Mamatas
  • Beth Meacham
  • Juliet Ulman
BEST PROFESSIONAL EDITOR SHORT FORM
  • Sheila Williams
  • John Joseph Adams
  • Stanley Schmidt
  • Jonathan Strahan
  • Gordon Van Gelder
BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST
  • Shaun Tan
  • Daniel Dos Santos
  • Bob Eggleton
  • Stephan Martiniere
  • John Picacio
BEST SEMIPROZINE
  • Clarkesworld
  • Interzone
  • Lightspeed
  • Locus
  • Weird Tales
BEST FANZINE
  • The Drink Tank
  • Banana Wings
  • Challenger
  • File 770
  • StarShipSofa

BEST FAN WRITER
  • Claire Brialey
  • James Bacon
  • Christopher J Garcia
  • James Nicoll
  • Steven H Silver
BEST FAN ARTIST
  • Brad W. Foster
  • Randall Munroe
  • Maurine Starkey
  • Steve Stiles
  • Taral Wayne
JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER [NOT A HUGO AWARD]*
  • Lev Grossman
  • Saladin Ahmed
  • Lauren Beukes
  • Larry Correia
  • Dan Wells
*All John W. Campbell Award finalists are in their 2nd year of eligibility.

Sci Fi/ Fantasy Illustration: Chesley Awards Winners 2011

2011 Chesley Awards Winners

(Named after illustrator Chesley  Bonestell, who was known for his space art. To see his work: www.bonestell.org )

2011 Chesley Awards, given by the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists (ASFA) were announced at Renovation, the 69th Worldcon. Winners are in red
Best Cover Illustration – Paperback Book
  • Jason Chan, for Geist by Phillipa Ballantine (Ace)
  • Volkan Baga, for The Zombies of Oz by Christian Endres (Atlantis)
  • Jon Foster, for Dreadnought by Cherie Priest (Tor)
  • Todd Lockwood, for The Ragged Man by Tom Lloyd (Pyr)
  • Stephan Martiniere, for Ares Express by Ian McDonald (Pyr)
  • Anthony Palumbo, for Yarn by Jon Armstrong (Night Shade Books)
  • John Picacio, for Elric: Swords and Roses by Michael Moorcock (Del Rey)
  • Dan Dos Santos, for Alien Tango by Gini Koch (DAW)
Best Cover Illustration – Hardback Book
  • Michael Whelan, for The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Tor)
  • Kinuko Y. Craft, for Midsummer Night by Freda Warrington (Tor)
  • Don Maitz, for Blasphemy by Mike Resnick (Golden Gryphon Press)
  • Gregory Manchess, for Spectrum 17 by Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner, eds. (Underwood)
  • John Picacio, for The Waters Rising by Sheri S. Tepper; (Harper Voyager)
Best Cover Illustration – Magazine:
  • Nick Greenwood, for Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show (6/10)
  • Julie Dillon, for Clarkesworld (9/10)
  • David A. Hardy, for Analog (4/10)
  • Andrey Lazarev, for Clarkesworld (11/10)
  • Sergio Rebolledo, for Clarkesworld (1/10)
  • James Ryman, for Heavy Metal (1/10)
Best Interior Illustration:
  • Donato Giancola, Middle Earth: Visions of a Modern Myth by Donato Giancola (Underwood)
  • Jason Chan, “Vilcabamba” by Harry Turtledove (Tor.com 2010)
  • Jon Foster, “Four Horsemen, at Their Leisure” by Richard Parks (Tor.com)
  • John Picacio, Elric: Swords and Roses by Michael Moorcock (Del Rey)
  • Keith Thompson, Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse)
Best Three-Dimensional Art:
  • Mark Newman, “Eel Walker”; bronze
  • Thomas S. Kuebler, “Scream Queen”; mixed media
  • David Meng, “Amphibiana”; mixed media
  • Michael Parkes, “The Letter”; bronze
  • Jordu Schell, “Ixana”; mixed media
  • Vincent Villafranca, “The Dogs of War”; bronze
Best Color Work—Unpublished:
  • Julie Dillon, “Planetary Alignment”; digital
  • Daren Bader, “Isis”; oil
  • David A. Hardy, “Portals to Infinity”; acrylic
  • Omar Rayyan, “The Favorite”; oil
  • Matthew Stewart, “Waterfall Dragons”; oil
  • Raoul Vitale, “Torin’s Quest”; oil
Best Monochrome Work – Unpublished:
  • Ian Miller, “Triptych”; ink
  • Eric Braddock, “Highborne”; graphite & white charcoal on toned paper
  • Anthony Francisco, “Tikbalang”; digital
  • Ed Ko, “Drawing for Beautiful Grim”; pencil
  • Petar Meseldžija, “UNK!”; pencil
  • David Palumbo, “Zombie Girl”; acrylic
Best Product Illustration:
  • Sam Weber, Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan, promo art for Tor ebook (1/10)
  • Bob Eggleton, Dragon’s Domain: The Ultimate Dragon Painting Workshop (Impact)
  • Donato Giancola, “St. George and the Dragon”, promo art for Dragon*Con 2010
  • Lars Grant-West, “Pact of the Blind”, promo art for IlluXCon 3
  • David Palumbo, “Transcend (aka Judgment)”, Heavy Metal tarot card; 2010
Best Gaming-Related Illustration:
  • Lucas Graciano, “Amorphous Drake” (Legends of Norrath); Sony Online Entertainment
  • Daarken, “Harbor Serpent” (Magic: the Gathering trading card, Magic 2011 core set); Wizards of the Coast
  • Kekai Kotaki, “Gaea’s Revenge” (Magic: the Gathering trading card, Magic 2011 core set); Wizards of the Coast
  • Howard Lyon, “Eel Umbra” (Magic: the Gathering trading card, “Rise of the Eldrazi” set); Wizards of the Coast
  • Matthew Stewart, “Bloodshot Trainee” (Magic: the Gathering trading card, “Scars of Mirrodin” set); Wizards of the Coast
  • L. A. Williams, “Maritime Guard” (Magic: the Gathering trading card, Magic 2011 core set); Wizards of the Coast
Best Art Director:
  • Jon Schindehette, for Wizards of the Coast
  • Lou Anders, for Pyr
  • Irene Gallo, for Tor
  • William Schafer, for Subterranean
  • David Stevenson, for Ballantine Del Rey
Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement:
  • Boris Vallejo
  • Brom
  • Jeffrey/Catherine Jones
  • Ian Miller
  • Moebius/Jean Giraud
  • Darrell K. Sweet
( I think it should have gone to  Jones, Boris is still sround to give us more great work, but Jones left us earlier this year.)

You can see the nominees and winners here:
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/08/announcing-the-2011-chesley-award-winners

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Dark Tower Still Alive?


NY POST REPORT: 

Ron Howard's Ambitious Stephen

King Project Isn't Dead Yet 




Ron Howard hasn’t given up on plans for a multimedia Stephen King project, even though Universal bailed out on the plan about a month ago, reportedly due to cost cutting measures by the new owners Comcast. 
The director and his producing partner Brian Grazer are looking for another studio for the ambitious adaptation of King’s “Dark Tower,” the New York Post reports.
Grazer told the publication that Howard is "trying to get outside financing to make it, and distribute it through a major."

Javier Bardem remains attached to star in the project as Roland Deschain. Grazer and Howard still envision the project as three movies and a spinoff television show.
Grazer did say that if and when a new studio signs on, the start of work on "Dark Tower" will be pushed back until at least 2012.

Les keep our fingers crossed, I love the books and think Howard and company will do the best job yet of bringing a Stephen King vehicle to the screen.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Proud Member of the Downside Army

Stolen Manuscripts



George R.R. Martin, says two signed first season scripts from HBO's "A GAME OF THRONES" sent from Northern Ireland were stolen enroute to the U.S. All that arrived was a battered envelope with a cover letter from producer Dan Weiss. He says the US post office delivered the envelope in a plastic baggie with a pre-printed note apologizing for the "damage". Martin says this was no error in handling. The envelope was torn open at one end and both scripts were gone.

Martin wrote in his blog (not a blog; http://grrm.livejournal.com/) signed final shooting scripts from the show for the episodes "Baelor" and "Fire and Blood" were mailed from Belfast registered and priority, signature required .

The scripts were donated for a WorldCon charity auction, and Martin notes "they would have brought in significant bucks" ." I am putting out the word to all my fans and readers. "Whoever stole these scripts will presumably try and cash in at some point. So if any of you ever see scripts fitting this description turn up on e-bay or one of its competitors, or on some dealers table-- notify me at once, and report the stolen property to whatever local authorities are appropriate. Like Bloodraven I have a thousand eyes and one. So let's keep them peeled"

I for one find this theft reprehensible since the charity auctions at WorldCon  and other con's provide help to deserving people.












Its a winner

Just finished "A Dance With Dragons", and I was not disappointed at all with the book. There were unexpected twists and turns,some new players in the game,  we got updates on some characters that were left hanging in a "A Feast For Crows", but best of all George R.R. Martin did what he does best, tell a good tale.
At just over a thousand pages the book is not a one day read.. but that's good, you want to savor this story and enjoy it. All in all I say the book is well worth the list price of $35, not that we'll pay that, but I'm saying if I had to pay list price I would not be unhappy that I did.
Mr. Martin, I'm ready for book 6.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

At the halfway point

So far George R.R. Martin does not let me down. I am enjoying "A Dance With Dragons" and finding out what has happened to some characters that got less attention in book 4. The new book is well worth the price, and I even find myself feeling more sympathy towards Danerys. I just hope there are more dragons in the next 500 pages.
Meanwhile at College Humor dot com they've come up with an 8 bit version of the first season of Song of Ice and Fire; A Game of Thrones.
Warning spoilers and may be NSFW:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6579356/game-of-thrones-rpg

The Qwillery: Review and Giveaway - No Hero by Jonathan Wood - 4 1/2 Qwills

The Qwillery: Review and Giveaway - No Hero by Jonathan Wood - 4 1/2 Qwills

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Twenty days until the return of Dr. Who..here's a trailer about  part 2 of this season:


Can't wait to see River Song again..that's one hot woman!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

We've lost yet another talent


Publisher’s Weekly reports via Twitter that author William Sleator, 66, died August 2, 2011 in Thailand.
Sleator is best known for his children’s and young adult novels, including House of Stairs (1974), Interstellar Pig (1984) and sequel Parasite Pig(2002), The Duplicate (1988), Rewind (1999), and Test (2008). He also wrote picture books, composed music, and sometimes wrote non-fiction.
for more:

I finally got it!

My copy of A Dance With Dragons finally showed up in the post. At over a thousand pages it looks like a daunting read. Fortunately George R.R. Martin has a writing style that caries you along, unlike J.R.R. Tolkien who's writing I find to be somewhat ponderous. I found myself dozing off from time to time while trying to read some of Tolkien's stuff. I'm not saying the man was not a good writer, to the contrary, I've read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings more than once.
So once I finish a long list of honey-do's I shall retire to a quiet corner and see whats shaking in Westros, across the sea and beyond the Wall, I'm sure I'll enjoy it all and be waiting expectantly for book 6, which I hope will get here in less than 5 years, I'm getting too old to wait that long for a book.

The Qwillery: Interview with John Hornor Jacobs & Giveaway - August 3, 2011

The Qwillery: Interview with John Hornor Jacobs & Giveaway - August 3, 2011

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

We've lost another talent


Some bad news; Best-selling novelist L.A. Banks died Tuesday morning after battling adrenal cancer.
Banks, 51, was most widely known for her NY Times and USA Today best-selling Vampire Huntress Legend series of novels.
She was diagnosed with late stage adrenal cancer in June and was hospitalized.
For more here's the link to her obit in Locus magazine:
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2011/08/l-a-banks-1959-2011/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
I've read some of her work and enjoyed it. 

The Qwillery: 2011 Debut Author Challenge - August Debut Authors

The Qwillery: 2011 Debut Author Challenge - August Debut Authors

Friday, July 29, 2011

The Qwillery: Interview with Justin Gustainis and Giveaway - Jul...

The Qwillery: Interview with Justin Gustainis and Giveaway - Jul...: "Please welcome Justin Gustainis to The Qwillery. TQ : What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk? Justin : I have a har..."

The Qwillery: Interview with Seressia Glass and Giveaway - July ...

The Qwillery: Interview with Seressia Glass and Giveaway - July ...: "Please welcome Seressia Glass to The Qwillery. TQ : What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk? Seressia : The biggest..."

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Return of the new fantasy king

I just read a review on Salon (http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2011/07/10/a_dance_with_dragons/) of the new George R.R. Martin  update to A Song of Ice and Fire: "A Dance With Dragons.

Here's a letter  I posted after reading the review (lucky SOB gets to read advance releases)

  After recently completing a marathon re read of the preceding books I am awaiting with dire anticipation the delivery of my copy of "A Dance With Dragons". Don't tell me I should have ordered Kindle.. I still want the feel, heft and smell of a real book in my hands.
I don't think Mr. Martin will disappoint me, I found Feast of Crows to be a good read because it updated me on what was happening with other characters who had been left to wander while he dealt with other matters. .
After he has taken so long to continue his epic tale, my main fear is that Martin will pull a Robert Jordan; drag out the story and then die without completing it. Martin is not getting any younger and shows risk factors for coronary disease. I also fear that I will die before he finishes the cycle..waiting for his book has kept me going through congestive heart failure and other health afflictions. So George put down the Wild Cards and hurry up and deal out the rest of the story, please.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Well TNT has done a good thing and renewed "Falling Skies" for a second season. I've been followig it since it first came on and find that its a pretty good show. Noah Wylie (ER/ The Librarian) and Moon Bloodgood are faves of mine so that keeps me watching even though the writing could use some improvement.. It and the new season of "True Blood" helps fill the void until we get another season of Game of Thrones and the rest of Dr. Who's season. I'm also looking forward to return of Haven, Warehouse 13 and Eureka to the SciFi channel (I hate that Syfy- Siify) so I can start watching it again( All those cheap ass reality shows are nothing but dreck, but they're cheap that's why they are on the air all over the place)..I am also looking forward to trying out Alpha's on Monday night.

Remember back in the 90's when we had so much to choose from in syndication, Babylon 5, War of the Worlds, Xena, Hercules, Cleopatra 2525(a guilty pleasure), Queen of Hearts, Briscoe County, an a bunch of others. Now we are hard pressed to find anything to watch because they keep cancelling the shows before they have a chance.

I need some good escapist fare to take my mind off how the American voter has let the GOP ruin this country and turn the working stiff into virtual peons..Its getting to be like the Shadowrun books around here innit?

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

I'm back and oh happy day, my wife found a discarded bookcase that was almost 8 feet long just 2 shelves, but we were able to unpack 16 boxes of books that we had no shelf space for, the cats love it too, mama cat Priscilla and her 5 kittens have been climbing all over it and discovering new places to hide and ambush each other.
I've just  finished Arthur C. Clarke and Fred Pohl's "Last Theorem" a Space Opera with cozmic overloards planning on destroying the Earth, a plausible setup of  world control a la 1984 and some interesting ideas about Math, and naturally Fermat's theorem... the critics didn't like it too much, but I found it to be an interesting quick read.
Speaking of "Space Opera" check out Eon's "The New Space Opera" edited by Gardner Dozois  and Jonathan Strahan. Its a collection of stories that represent the newest iteration of the Space Opera genre created by E.E. Doc Smith, The Futurians, C.L. Moore and others. I'm about halfway through and have enjoyed most of the stories.. you've got contributions from Gwynith Jones, Ian McDonald, the late Kage Baker, Robert Silverberg, Walter Jon Williams and others who manage to turn out an interesting story. Some of the stories are worth your time, such as one where you find out a visit from an angel isn't necessarily a good thing.

These 2 books are a little old, one is from 2008 the other from 2007 but these days buying new books puts a  major strain on my budget so I haunt thrift stores, used bok stores and my public library's monthly sale (a box of books for $6) where I can sometimes find some real treasures.
I will somehow eke out enough sheckels next week to buy George R.R. Martin's latest addition to the Song of Ice and Fire. Maybe someday I'll find a real job that will enable me to have some disposable income..bu that's a rant for another day... I'm going back to my books.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

More than 2 years since my first post. I really have been too busy reading. In honor of the HBO Series and the long awaited release of book 5 in the "Game of Thrones" I have re-read all 4 of the books.. I must say with his cast of thousands George R.R. certainly makes it a job to keep up with who's who and who did what to who..But he does do a good job on keeping up with the Lions and the Wolves and who lives and dies. I have thoroughly enjoyed the books and the HBO series and I am eagerly looking forward to season 2, which should be A Clash of Kings. The great part about the TV show is George R.R.'s input and his long experience of writing and over seeing the writing of good TV (Beauty and the Beast, Twilight Zone the Series).
Before I got into re-reading the Game of Thrones I spent time devouring the first 2 books of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy.. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire, I have not yet acquired a copy of the third book The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest due to financial constraints. I did watch all three movies thanks to Blockbuster.. If you are looking for some good thrillers read/see all three. Its a pity Larrson died before completing more books.
Speaking of dying let us raise a cup for Joel Rosenberg, Artist Jeffrey Catherine Jones, authors Joanna Russ, Diana Wynn Jones and Brian Jacques.

I must return to my favorite chair more books await me. Thank heavens for the monthly Library Sale. I promise I will not stay away so long this time.