Continue reading »]]> For those of you not on Twitter, Facebook or my contacts list, 9 days and three hours ago Sophie Zara Mond was born.

Sister to a non plussed Joshi, (the cutest is when he asks her questions expecting answers like ‘Why are you crying?”) Sophie is currently being fed while I type this. They say that having a second child is easier – and maybe it is – but even if that child is perfect it’s still going to wake up at least three times a night. And because I’ve decided to be the supportive husband this time around, rather than the lazy schlob I was with Joshi, I’m waking up as well. (Though, sometimes Jules has pity on me and let’s me sleep through the last feed if I don’t wake up on my own. Thank you Jules).

All that tiredness and weariness aside, life is good. Having a pigeon pair (where does that phrase come from?) is a blessing that I’m thankful for.

So here’s Sophie.

She’s a spitting image of her brother Joshi at the same age who looked like this:

Also something to be thankful is winning awards. Last night Kirstyn and I won our second Ditmar for Writer and The Critic. To say I’m happy would be a bit obvious, so instead I’ll say I’m proud and thank all those that nominated and voted for us. Kirstyn made it clear, both in the acceptance speech and on Twitter, that she’s keeping this award. I’m OK with that… I just want my Lego Ditmar from 2012 in return. (I believe they were being constructed at the award ceremony).

I’d also like to congratulate everyone else who won. Unless my Google-fu is shit, I can’t seem to find a full listing of the winners on the interwebs. So I stole the results from Tansy instead:

Novel: Sea Hearts, Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin)
Novella or Novelette: “Sky”, Kaaron Warren (Through Splintered Walls)
Short Story: “The Wisdom of Ants”, Thoraiya Dyer (Clarkesworld 12/12)
Collected Work: Through Splintered Walls, Kaaron Warren (Twelfth Planet)
Artwork: Cover art, Kathleen Jennings, for Midnight and Moonshine (Ticonderoga)
Fan Writer: Tansy Rayner Roberts, for body of work including reviews in Not If You Were The Last Short Story On Earth
Fan Artist: Kathleen Jennings, for body of work including “The Dalek Game” and “The Tamsyn Webb Sketchbook”
Fan Publication: The Writer and the Critic, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond
New Talent: David McDonald
William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism or Review: Tansy Rayner Roberts, for “Historically Authentic Sexism in Fantasy. Let’s Unpack That.” (Tor.com)
Norma K. Hemming Award: Sea Hearts, Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin)
Peter McNamara Award: Nick Stathopoulos
Chandler Award: Russell Farr (Ticonderoga)

Congrats to all those wonderful people – including Tansy who won two Ditmars of her own for some brilliant fan writing. Hopefully, she follows it up with a Hugo.

Future blogging is likely to be sporadic for the next few months, but you can expect regular episodes of Shooting the Poo and Writer and The Critic from May.

Continue reading »]]> All this talk about Hugos and Novellas and I’ve forgotten to mention that the latest episode of Writer and The Critic was released in late March.

I’d like to thank Dave for allowing us to borrow his house for the recording. The table we recorded on was very nice, especially the paisley tablecloth.

Oh, and thank you to Josh Gentry for saying nice things about the podcast on Twitter.

Continue reading »]]> OK, enough Hugo talk, let’s get back to them Nebula Awards and specifically the Novellas.

Barry’s Tale by Lawrence M Schoen

This is old-fashioned space opera adventure, featuring a traveling stage hypnotist and his extremely cute companion animal, Reggie the buffalito. Buffalitos are animals from a far-off planet – in addition to their unparalleled cuteness, they can also digest pretty much anything. The protagonist wants to entice a reclusive billionaire to participate in a business venue, but events take unexpected turns…

(I stole this precis from Bogi Takacs website – http://www.prezzey.net. Thanks)

One of the worst things you can say about a story is that it’s innoffensive. Barry’s Tale is inoffensive. To be fair, Schoen does a reasonable job in ratcheting up the drama and the world building, though repetitive at times, is genuinely interesting. The Amazing Conroy, with his hypnotism shtick, is your usual fast talking, heart of gold, cookie cutter SF hero. The stories not helped by an ending that has a selfish old man running around trying to brain a small child. But there you go.

The novella is part of a shared world, one that’s likely got a number of fans given the nomination. And maybe Conroy is a far more fascinating character in the longer works. I’m probably not going to find out. But fans of the series, feel free to tell me what I’m missing.

Katabasis by Robert Reed

Back to Lois with this very long plot summary:

Set in the author’s posthuman “Great Ship” universe. Inside the vast body of the ship, high-gravity beings once built a wheel-shaped habitat that is now used by tourists as a test of endurance. The high-gravity environment is so arduous that beings like humans can hardly bear their own weight, so they must employ porters to carry their food and water – and their bodies if they fail during the attempt. Katabasis works as a porter; she is a survivor of the arduous journey her own people once took to reach the ship. When the human named Varid offers to hire her for the trek, she turns him down, suspecting “a fragile will and a foolish nature”. But circumstances change when the other porters in the group are killed in a landslide, leaving the humans to press on with only Katabasis to support them. It isn’t enough, even for the effectively immortal inhabitants of the ship.

I love Robert Reed’s short fiction. I thought his output in 2011 was fantastic, with a story like Purple genuinely blowing me away. But his hard SF has always left me cold. This story is no different. It’s basically 20,000 words of walking and trekking and breaking lots and lots and lots of bones. And because the main characters are immortal, the story lacks drama. Yes, the immortal part of the tale is broken up by the story of Katabasis whose people took a similar trek and suffered for it. But those sections are written with such detachment that I stopped giving a shit.

In the end, it took a massive strength of will on my part to finish the novella.

The Stars Do Not Lie by Jay Lake

Thank you Lois:

Creationism vs science. 6000 years ago, humans were planted on a world they call Earth, where they promptly developed a creation myth and religious institutions supporting it. The society now appears to be at the technological level of the turn of the 20th century and the intellectual level of the Inquisition. Morgan Abutti is this world’s Galileo, bringing unwelcome evidence of the truth of humanity’s offworld origin, known to the Lateran Palace as the Externalist heresy, which it is the official duty of the Revered Bilious [appalling choice of name, what was the author thinking?] Quinx to suppress.

I’m not a fan of Lake’s writing. Generally, I find it hard to parse his stories, it’s something about my brain stumbling over his word choices. I’m also no fan of steampunk. So the fact that I enjoyed this story, that it’s the best thing of Lake’s I’ve ever read, is some sort of minor miracle.

What it comes down to, for me, is a good balance between philosophy and action / adventure. I appreciated that while this is a story about a heresy, Lake didn’t demonise religion. Quinx could have been very much a one note character. And while he is feared – he is an Inquisitor – there’s genuine principle behind his beliefs.

But it’s not a perfect story. The ending is a muddle. The only female character appears in the last third and is barely fleshed out even though she plays an important role in the ending. And there’s some clumsy world building, such as a mention early on about the ‘traditionally inferior white races.’

But overall, this is a steampunk version of the Da Vinci Code set on a planet that’s not Earth. It moves at pace, asks some interesting questions about science and religion, and generally is a fun read.

All the Flavors: A Tale of Guan Yu, the Chinese God of War, in America by Ken Liu

Take it away Lois:

Historical fiction. Just after the Civil War, a group of Chinese gold miners arrives in Idaho City. Jack Seaver sees them as potential customers. His embittered wife sees them as heathens. But their daughter Lily sees them as fascinating new friends, loving their songs, their cooking [when it doesn't involve dog] and their stories.

I loved this story. Rachel Swirsky, though, sums up my thoughts perfectly:

The story starts flipping perspective midway through. Honestly, this story is a total mess. It’s not a novella; it’s notes for a novel. The beginning is structurally sound; as it progresses, it fails to sustain itself, and eventually sort of decays into little bits, ends abruptly, and then has an author’s note. But that does’t really matter–it’s notes for a *really cool* novel. The scenes that are fully realized are done extremely well, balancing character and plot perfectly. This could be a really good historical lit novel (it reminds me a bit of Geling Yan’s The Lost Daughter of Happiness) and/or a really good science fictional novel that’s heavier on the characterization than the genre elements (Maureen McHugh’s China Mountain Zhang, Will McIntosh’s Soft Apocalypse).

After The Fall Before The Fall During The Fall by Nancy Kress

This time I’ve truncated the Book Description on Amazon.

The year is 2035. After ecological disasters nearly destroyed the Earth, 26 survivors—the last of humanity—are trapped by an alien race in a sterile enclosure known as the Shell… Meanwhile, in 2013, brilliant mathematician Julie Kahn works with the FBI to solve a series of inexplicable kidnappings. Suddenly her predictive algorithms begin to reveal more than just criminal activity. As she begins to realize her role in the impending catastrophe, simultaneously affecting the Earth and the Shell, Julie closes in on the truth.

Was this a brilliant novella? No. But what is it utterly readable and a genuine page turner. Fuck yeah. Nancy Kress has been writing SF for nearly as long as I’ve been alive and it shows in the story-telling. This novella has momentum, moving at a pace, filled with drama and tension, without sacrificing character. And while I wasn’t sure about the whole Gaia self-cleansing angle, and while I was annoyed that the time travel and ‘Tesslie’ element was never fully resolved, I’m happy to see this novella both on this and the Hugo ballot.

On A Red Station Drifting by Aliette de Bodard

Another Amazon Book Description:

On Propser Station, the AI that keeps the inhabitants alive is breaking down–its ‘mind’ is being slowly eaten by an unknown ‘disease’. Their lives hang on the outcome of two warring families.

Thank God for Aliette de Bodard and Ken Liu. Providing us with gorgeous, beautiful, touching stories where non Western cultures – specifically Asian – predominate. This is no different.

More then just being an insight into a culture and tradition that I know bugger all about, Red Station is written with a delicate intensity. It’s not an easy read, because the novella doesn’t provide us with a set of sympathetic characters that we can cheer on. Rather, through some gorgeous writing and the complexity of the world building, each character earns our respect. And that makes the ending all the more powerful.

Or to be a whole less pretentious, this is an awesome novella that deserves to win the Nebula for best novella.

Yes, if I had it my way, Aliette would going home with two Nebulas.

Continue reading »]]> So it’s been over a week since the Hugo’s were announced and we’ve moved from blog posts kvetching about the system to those having a crack at the kvetchers to more meta posts about moving beyond the kvetching altogether. (A)

And theres been a post from John Scalzi.

What there’s been very little of is actual discussion about the ballot – other than endless wittering on the 5% rule and comments that the novel category is a bit rubbish. I thought I’d try and rectify this.

(1) I thought Chicks Unravel Time was an excellent book. It was the catalyst for my post about the lack of female writers working for Big Finish. That said, on File 770 Martin Morse Wooster has the following to say:

HOW will the Digging Chicks choose which one of their mighty books will inevitably win the Hugo for Related Book? Will they throw comics and DVDs at each other until one survives?

Oh that old phart fannish humour just cracks me up.

(2) Best Graphic Story looks much better this year. For one, Saga is on the ballot – I’d have been one of the main kvetchers if it hadn’t appeared. As far as I’m concerned, it’s head and shoulders the best ongoing series written in 2012. It’s nice to see Saucer Country on the ballot. I’ve read every issue and am sad to see it’s coming to end in the next month or so. I think it’s a comic that struggled to find its voice in its first few issues, but the last few have been great. Schlock Mercenary does fuck all for me. I haven’t read the Talbot and I’m miles behind on Locke and Key, but overall this bunch of nominees has given me hope for the long term future of the category.

(3) I’ve seen four of the five moves in Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form. There’s a decent bunch of movies here, though I’m disappointed that neither Dredd or Argo made it. For me, though, it has to be The Avengers all the way (with Looper in second place).

(4) If there’s a category that’s in dire need of been parked or at least given a big kick up the arse, it’s Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form. Look, I’m a major Doctor Who fan. Have the loved the show since I was six or seven. But fuck me, The Snowmen and Asylum of the Daleks?!?! Neither are actively bad stories, in fact I thought Snowmen had some nice moments, but every episode of Archer and a good chunk of Community was better than both those episodes. That said, I don’t mind seeing The Angels Take Manhattan because I thought it was a fitting end for the Ponds and did draw a tear.

The Fringe episode also isn’t much chop, it’s a season that seemed to end with a whimper. And I didn’t watch any of Season 2 of Game of Thrones. But fuck me, as a life long Doctor Who fan it’s embarrassing to see another three Doctor Who episodes feature in this category again.

(5) Best Editor – Short Form. Many of the same names as we saw last year. Many will be pushing for Schmidt to win a Hugo (I believe he’s never won one). But years of service shouldn’t be a reason to win a rocket. It should be based on what you produced in 2012. I think you can guess that I’m not a fan of Analog and its output.

In anycase, for me it’s Jonathan. He hasn’t won a Hugo either, and given his significant and high quality output for 2012 it’s about bloody time he went home with a rocket.

(6) Best Editor – Long Form. I don’t know how people nominate for this category. They obviously do a hell of a lot more research about who edits what then I do. Or, in other words, I don’t have a horse in this race.

(7) Talking about horses and races, I have no opinion on either Best Pro or Fan Artist.

(8) Fantastic to see Strange Horizons feature for Best Semi-Prozine. It produces great fiction, great blogs and some of the best reviews anywhere on the interwebs. But this is a tough category to win. I mean, Locus who appeared last year don’t feature at all… (or is this because of a rule change?)

(9) I’m running out of puff and yet I’m getting to three categories that interest me most. Best Fanzine, Best Fan Writer and Best Fancast. I’m bloody stoked that Tansy Rayner Roberts has been nominated for Best Fan Writer. But then you’ll have guessed that if you’ve read my Ditmar post. That said, I didn’t nominate Tansy. That’s because she’s a pro. Not that I have a problem with pros appearing in this category. I think it’s ridiculous to think that just because you’re a pro you should be discriminated against. Just read Tansy’s posts and you’ll see she bleeds fan.

But like my mate Macca, I decided to keep my fan writing nominations to fans who are also not authors. Of course none of the appeared.

(10) When I look at Best Fan Writer and Best Fanzine and I can absolutely see why the kvetching noted above occurs. There’s some magnificent blogs out there featuring great fan writing that doesn’t get recognised by the Hugos because of this knee jerk animosity to the digital world. You don’t believe me, just take this comment from Rich Lynch:

I guess we didn’t do a good enough job getting the Fanzine category redefined.

He’s referring to the appearance of two websites in the category. And I know he’s not a lone voice.

(11) While it’s only Best Fancasts second year, this ballot is a cut and paste of last years. If we see the same five podcasts appear next year, then I think there will be genuine concern for the future of this category.

(12) That said, I do adore both Galactic Suburbia and Coode Street. Can they both win?

(13) I don’t have much to say in regard to the Campbells other than the fact that I’ve heard very good things about Zen Cho.

That’s enough…

(A) Actually that linked post from may mate Macca (apparently he hates being called that) is the best of the lot. Because putting aside his comments on the insular perception of old fart fandom, he’s actually quite constructive in terms of moving forward.

Continue reading »]]> Yesterday saw another interesting post on this years Hugo ballot by Dribble of Ink’sAidan Moher. In the comments to his well thought out piece, Shan states that:

There’s a lot of posting going on this year about the Hugos but it all comes back to the same point: this is a popularity contest. It’s never been about worthiness. The only way you’re going to get worthiness is by making it a juried award involving some poor unfortunates having to read everything which is eligible, and even then it will be “worthy according to their particular tastes”.

This argument often pops us when someone dares to criticise who was nominated. Yes it’s a popularity award. Yes the Hugos are not about worthiness per se. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question or critique the choices made by the Hugo nominating public. There’s no right answer, but by having the discussion, by noting – as Aidan does – other books that should have appeared on the ballot, the dialogue is kept alive and the Hugos becomes something more than just a static list of nominees.

I go back to another popular voted award, the Ditmars, and how that’s changed over the last decade since fans in Australia started taking note of issues such as gender bias. You only need to compare the results of the last 5 years to those of the previous 5 years in all the fiction categories to see that there’s been a shift in the nomination process – one that is more gender balanced. And that’s because fan treated the Ditmar ballots as a living document and something worth discussing – even if some of those conversations got a little… bit… heated.

On a lighter note, these rants, for lack of a better word, have become so common place that Jim Hines decided to take the piss out of them before they started appearing on the interwebs.

I was going to talk about the actual ballot, but I’ll leave my thoughts on the remaining categories for another night. I’ve got episodes of Archer to watch!

Continue reading »]]> On his blog, Staffer’s Book Review, Justin Landon describes the Hugo Awards as utter twaddle. I understand the frustration. One look at this years ballot and you can’t but be overcome by a feeling of deja vu. The titles of the novels or stories might be different, but the names look awfully familiar. Yes, there’s the odd surprise – Saladin Ahmed and Tansy Rayner Roberts – but overall it’s a ballot you could have picked in your sleep.

Landon’s response is to give-up on the Hugos all together and never discuss them again. Like I said, I can appreciate where he’s coming from. But I take the opposite view. I want to discuss each category. I want to kick up a fuss where a fuss might be required. Or acknowledge the awards when, in my humble, it gets things right.

And why do I bother? Because I love the Hugos. Even when it keeps disappointing me.

There’s lots of categories and my thoughts are lengthy so I’m splitting them into three parts.

(1) I haven’t read any of the Best Novels, though I intend to rectify that over the coming months (well at least with the three standalones. I might use this as an opportunity to catch up with Seanan’s Newsflesh series).

(2) 2312‘s appearance comes as no surprise – it was the most hyped SF novel of last year and harks back to the WOW! GOSH! engineering roots of the genre. Bujold, Grant and Scalzi are populist nominations due to having strong fanbases (and not a SMOFdom conspiracy as some have suggested). The appearance of Throne of The Crescent Moon is a genuine surprise and its great to have diversity of voices.

(3) But does this Best Novel category fill me with love? No, it doesn’t. Granted I haven’t read the nominated books (or for that matter many 2012 novels), but I do wonder whether any of these novels will have a lasting legacy on the genre. Maybe 2312?

(4) I’ve now read three of the novellas, and unless the Grant and Sanderson are something special, Aliette de Bodard should romp home in this category. The Kress is an enjoyable page turner, and the Lake is the best thing of his I’ve read (though it’s got a number of problems) but the de Bodard is the sort of crunchy writing, filled with ideas and world building, that should be winning Hugos. Also, seeing Aliette’s story on the ballot gives me hope that the Hugos are more than just measuring who has the most popular fanbase.

(5) I’ve only read the Valente and I thought it was brilliant. As I haven’t read the other four it’s hard for me to pass judgement. But I thought very highly of the novelette Nebula nominees, so these four stories (two by Seanan McGuire) have a high benchmark to reach. Again, I’ll be reading these over the coming months.

(6) The big controversy for this years ballot was the fact that only three short stories feature on the ballot. I understand why people have cracked the sads over this. The optics don’t look good, as if the Hugo voting public doesn’t give a shit about short fiction. But we all know there’s no conspiracy here. The 5% rule, whether you like it or not, has been around for ages.

(7) Of course all this babble about 5% rules means that we’re not paying attention to the excellent fiction that was nominated. I haven’t read the Johnson, but the Liu and de Bodard are two wonderful stories, both worthy of appearing on any ballot. (It’s a crime that Mono No Aware didn’t appear on the Nebula short list). For me it’s a toss of a coin choice, but I”d probably pick the Liu over Aliette’s excellent piece.

Continue reading »]]> You’d think that with the Hugo nominees being announced today I’d get on the bandwagon and put in my two bobs worth. But jingoism precludes any sort of international award and so the Ditmar ballot comes first.

(1) I know I’d rather be cynical and sarcastic, but what a great novel list. Sea Hearts, Bitter Greens and Perfections – the three books I’ve read – are all worthy award winners. If I had to choose – and it’s seriously a toss of a three sided coin – my vote would be with Perfections. And this isn’t me showing loyalty to my podcast homey. Perfections is a magnificent psychological horror novel that really got under my thick skin.

(2) That said, Sea Hearts and Bitter Greens are brilliant as well. And I’m a little shitty that Sea Hearts didn’t get some Hugo love. (World Fantasy Award, I’m now looking at you). As much as I’ll be voting Perfections I see Sea Hearts winning.

(3) As for the other three books – well I’ve mentioned my shame previously of not reading Jason’s novella. The Battersby and the Anderton are books I own and are on the TBR pile (well, book one of the Anderton). Will I ever read them? 1,500 books in the garage aside… I can’t put my hand on the heart and say I will.

(4) I haven’t read the Ditmar rules, but I’m going to assume that Salvage is too long to be in the novella category. I’ve read Significant Dust by Margo and, unlike everyone else, didn’t like it very much. Bajazzle is my favourite Margo story from Cracklescape but it doesn’t appear. In anycase, the Warren is on my TBR pile (because I really do want to read all the Twelve Planet books. By the way, the cover to Asymmetry by Thoraiya Dyer is gorgeous). I don’t believe I’ve read anything by Simon Petrie – at least nothing recently – what are peoples thoughts on Flight 404?

(5) I’ve read Wisdom of Ants and reviewed it on the Last Short Story podcast. I remember saying nice things about it without being blow away. I’d be interested to know what you guys thought of the other three.

(6) While I admit I’ve only read one of the Collected Works – I think it’s safe to say that Australian small press is healthy in terms of the quality of the work produced. I also think that Australian small press should be proud in meeting the aim of exposing us readers to more work from female writers. Except for the Simon Petrie novella, every single nomination in novella, short story and collected work features a female writer or editor. I don’t believe this sort of representation exists anywhere else in the world.

(7) And… and… a good chunk of that work written by women is actually Science Fiction. With science. And everything.

(8) I’ve previously mentioned my love for Grant’s fan writing. Tansy… well she’s been nominated for a Hugo because she writes with passion and from the heart. Alex is one of the best Aussie reviewers and Sean… there’s no one more hard-working in the genre than Sean. He’s the Charles Tan of Australia, doing everything in his power to promote Australian work – and works from non Western cultures – through his blog and podcasts.

(9) I love Kathleen’s art but maybe we need to start considering parking a category if there’s only one nominee.

(10) Thank you Ditmar people for nominating Writer and the Critic and the 2012 Snapshot. But for me it’s Coode Street all the way. Jonathan and Gary have had an amazing year in terms of the breadth of people they interviewed. And after 138 episodes, their rambling is still worth listening too.

(11) BUT WHERE IS BOXCUTTERS?!?!?!?!?!?!

(12) Thoughts on Best New Talent? – coz I have none.

(13) As much as this is a strong year for the Atheling, Tansy’s article, “Historically Authentic Sexism in Fantasy. Let’s Unpack That” gets me vote. It’s a fucking brilliant piece that deserved its wider recognition on tor.com and body slams the notion that failing to have empowered women in medieval fantasy is OK because they didn’t exist in history. I quote:

History is not a long series of centuries in which men did all the interesting/important things and women stayed home and twiddled their thumbs in between pushing out babies, making soup and dying in childbirth.

History is actually a long series of centuries of men writing down what they thought was important and interesting, and FORGETTING TO WRITE ABOUT WOMEN. It’s also a long series of centuries of women’s work and women’s writing being actively denigrated by men. Writings were destroyed, contributions were downplayed, and women were actively oppressed against, absolutely.

(14) Overall, it’s pretty hard to be cynical about this years Ditmar ballot. Jingoism gags aside, when I see a list as strong as this I do feel Aussie pride. Congrats to all!!!!

Continue reading »]]> Last night or early this morning (all I know is it was in my inbox this morning) the Aurealis Awards nominees were announced.

Some brief thoughts:

(1) I see 6 science fiction novels, 4 of which are written by women. Wasn’t it proven on the internet with maths that women don’t write science fiction?

(2) Margo Lanagan features heavily on the ballot – and so she should – but where is Cracklescape for best collection? It looks like three out of the four stories in the book feature on the ballot. So was it deemed that as a collection it wasn’t substantial enough? Am I missing something here?

(3) Kirstyn and Jason will pretend to be all lovey dovey about appearing on the Horror Novel ballot together. They might even post something nauseating about it online. It’s bullshit. You can be sure that those smiles hide razor sharp teeth and the desire to rip each others throat out.

(4) The Best Fantasy Novel category has two extraordinary books that feature on my Hugo ballot – Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan and Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth.

(5) Like all good ballots, this one has produced a bunch of writers whose works I’m not familiar with. Specifically, Jo Spurrier, Nina D’Aleo, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Greg Mellor and Jason Franks. Anyone got opinions on these guys?

(6) I really need to read Jo Anderton at some point

(7) I think it’s brilliant that there are two anthologies edited by three women on the ballot.

(8) And while it’s easy to just pencil in Jonathan’s name in the Anthology category, I know he works fucking hard on those books. He’s not featured three times because he’s a world renowned editor. He’s featured three times because his anthologies are genuinely brilliant.

(9) Talking about brilliant, that Collection list might be missing Margo, but it’s still gob-smackingly good in terms of the writers featured. Martin Livings, in particular, is someone who I don’t think gets enough kudos for his short fiction. Also lovely to see K J Bishop back on an AA ballot.

(10) Also to The Brains, Hannett and Slatter, I really need to read your collection.

Finally, the above thoughts might seem like a bit of a love-fest, but genuinely I’m proud of the diverse and varied writers in this country and the work they produce. (I even read more Australian work in 2012, which I’m happy about). Also, like I said last year, it’s fantastic to see Australian small press thrive, ensuring that these diverse voices see the light of day. As an example, once it’s finished I think the Twelve Planets series will considered a landmark publishing event in our genre.

Continue reading »]]> Seven novelettes were nominated for the Nebulas this year and I have to say that apart from one dud they’re a shiny crop of stories. Moreso then the nominated short fiction, I expect to see a few of these novelettes appear on the Hugo ballot.

My brief thoughts after the cut (oh and thanks to Lois Tilton again for her summaries).

The Pyre of New Day by Catherine Asaro

While I couldn’t get my hands on The Pyre of New Day – originally featuring in The Mammoth Book of SF Wars – based on the chunk I read on Facebook I doubt it would have mattered anyway. The deadly dull info dump killed off any enthusiasm I might have had to search out the further adventures of Soz Valdoria. But I’m guessing that fans of the character would have gobbled this up, which is probably why it appears on the ballot.

Close Encounters by Andy Duncan

Old Buck Nelson claims he doesn’t want to be bothered by reporters, even pretty girl reporters, sniffing around after the stories he used to tell about the alien who took him up to Mars and Venus and the dog he brought back with him. No one cares anymore, no one believes him. But now they’re making a movie and people are interested.

I hear that Andy Duncan gives a mean reading. (Well, that’s what Jonathan and Gary say on Coode Street) And I bet that this story sounds amazing coming from Andy. Even without his presence, it’s a fun, if predictable read, that I never felt outstayed its welcome.

The Waves by Ken Liu

A reminiscence on the nature of humanity. Humans first become immortal, then cyborgs, then a Singularity

Have I mentioned recently that I love Ken Liu? What I think Ken does so well is give soul and passion to SF stories that traditionally have been written with a much harder, more detached edge. Lois Tilton might believe there’s nothing new here, but I think it’s Ken’s love for people and for different cultures, while also providing a narrative about cyborgs and singularities, that makes this novelette feel genuinely fresh.

The Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo

A dystopian future with Earth slowing becoming uninhabitable and the prime real estate of the space stations largely under the control of criminal syndicates. Molly has run afoul of these authorities and been exiled downside, where she survives by running a small medical clinic. Into this life steps Jada, a syndicate hitwoman on the run. It’s customary among her kind to get decorative scarification to commemorate each killing, and Jada is in a hurry. The deal is that she will tell her story and the design will reflect it. As Jada offers a lot of money for this service, Molly agrees. In the course of the cutting, the two form a sort of bond.

I didn’t think I’d like this story. I thought it would get bogged down in its own angst. But the beautiful writing – possibly the best written story, vying with Swirsky for that honour – plus the storytelling / flashback technique made Jada and Molly come alive. Unlike Lois Tilton, I wasn’t worried about how Jada evaded capture (as a hitwoman I assumed this was the sort of thing she did everyday). I was more interested in how Mandelo explores ideas about love, betrayal and the subsequent guilt. Also, given the heavy themes, I appreciated the stories pacing.

Swift, Brutal Retaliation by Meghan McCarron

Family dysfunction. Eighth-grade Ian’s long dying has exacerbated the fractures in his family’s flawed dynamics, and it quickly becomes clear to his younger sisters that things aren’t going to get better now that he’s gone. Instead, they begin to see the apparition of their brother, who seems to be asking for their help. But they have misunderstood what Ian wants.

I read this story about pranks and ghosts and dysfunctional families sometime ago. I loved it then, I love it now. People have criticised the ending for being too abrupt. Personally, I think it’s perfect.

Portrait of Lisane da Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky

A fantasy-Renaissance setting in which the development of art has incorporated magic. Lisane is a master painter whose school has failed to produce a worthy successor. She has abused, then discarded a succession of apprentices. Renn has mastered the use of magic in painting but otherwise proved another disappointment. Lisane herself rarely uses magic, as her specialty is portraiture. The employment of magic causes the original to disintegrate as its essence is incorporated in the painting; thus its use in portraying persons is forbidden. Now Lisane is dying and summons Renn to paint her deathbed portrait.

While Decomposition is my favourite Swirsky story for 2012 (read it here), Portrait comes close. The writing is gorgeous and Swirsky perfectly captures the frenzy of creativity, the passion of art. The magic is also a nice touch, although it does seem to imply that Lisane’s essence is trapped on canvas, which I would have thought would be a living hell, rather than something she’d desire.

Fade to White by Cat Valente

President McCarthy is waging permanent nuclear war against the Commies [and] we have Martin and Sylvie preparing for their entrance into adulthood, the ritual that will determine their entire futures. Martin wants nothing more than to be a Husband, one of the few fertile males who will father the nation’s children. Sylvie doesn’t particularly want to be a mother but supposes correctly that she has no say in the matter.

If you forced me to pick a winner, I’d give the Nebula to Cat for this funny but disturbing story.

Lois Tilton (I promise I’m not having a crack… given I’ve stolen her summaries) sees the novelette’s main value in its meta and not in the narrative. And yet it’s the narrative that grabbed me. On a pure story level I was horrified and fascinated by this Mad Men-esque world caught in amber that Sylvie is forced to endure and Martin treasures. Yes, it might be a jumble of ‘hoary’ SF cliches, but Valente – like an actor playing the funny lines straight – takes Martin and Sylvie’s story seriously. The moment where Martin discovers that he’s not fertile and therefore only good as cannon fodder, is gut wrenching. As is the realisation that due to an administrative cock-up Sylvie nearly gets matched with her half brother, whom she fancies.

Now maybe I’ve missed the point of this story. Maybe, like Tilton says,the interest lies in the meta, at the creation of a 50s type alternate world that only ever existed in the imaginations of Golden Age SF writers. But fuck that. Valenete is a brilliant writer because she makes you give a shit about her characters and because for a moment I was willing to believe in this crazy radioactive world.

What Story Should Win?

Fade to White. But other than the Asaro I’d be happy to see any of them take home the award.

Continue reading »]]> While I genuinely don’t have a horse, dog or other animal in this race, I’m fascinated by the whole Veronica Mars Kickstarter thing. So fascinated that I’ve got some questions(1).

(A) Is Warner Brothers actually going to put any money into this venture?

(B) Assuming that WB isn’t providing a cent, did Rob Thomas actually believe that he could make a film for $2 million? I know it’s possible – shit you can make a film for $10,000 or less – but I’m assuming the cast and crew expected to get paid. As it is, it’s a moot question given he raised that money in 10 hours. But I am curious to know whether Thomas went into this with a planned $2 million budget.

(C) Now that the Kickstarter is open to Canada (and assuming it’s subsequently open to other territories), there’s a chance that Thomas will raise $10 million. That’s pretty cool. Now, the normal business model would be to make a film for as a little as possible. And maybe Rob Thomas’ script only requires a maximum budget of $5 million. So, if he does raise up to $10 million, will the Kickstarter process compel him to use all that money? And would fans feel betrayed if they found out that Rob Thomas (and Warner Brothers) had pocketed a chunk of the cash?

(D) And finally, if Thomas does use all the money raised, how does he expect to make a profit given that the bulk of fans interested in the movie will have already paid upfront?

What would be interesting is if Thomas, after hitting a mark of about $5 million, actually closed down the Kickstarter because he’d more then reached his budget goal.

As they say, interesting times…

(1) If you want to read actual opinion, have a look at these two posts from Harry Connolly. The second posts also links to other interesting discussions on the topic.