A long-eared geezer, eight stories and an embarrassing admission in today’s Scroll.
(1) Today’s birthday boy is… Bugs Bunny. He’s 75 years old.
(2) David Steffen answers “Why Do I Value The Hugos?” on Diabolical Plots.
[Excerpt is the second of seven points.]
I’ve been following the Hugos closely for several years, trying to read and review as many of the nominated works as I can digest between the announcement of the ballot and the final deadline. I also follow the Nebulas, and I glance at the results from other SF genre awards, but for me the Hugos take up most of my attention come award season. With this eventful Hugo year, it crossed my mind to wonder why the Hugos specifically, and whether I might perhaps be better off devoting more of my attention to awards that don’t collect controversy the way the Hugo Awards always seem to do, and in escalating fashion these last few years….
- The Hugos Have a Long Reading Period
The Nebulas and the Locus awards have very short reading periods (the period of time between the announcement of the ballot and the voting deadline) of only about a month. If I want to read as much of the fiction as possible, that’s not nearly enough time–I can’t finish all the short fiction, let alone start the novels. The Hugo ballot is announced around Easter weekend (usually early April or so) and the voting deadline is at the end of July, so there are nearly four months to try to do all the reading. The Hugo Packet isn’t released right at the beginning of the reading period, but usually enough of the short fiction was published in online venues so that I can fill my reading time with Hugo material.
https://twitter.com/LisaR_M/status/625448045316943872
(3) Then maybe Lisa would rather hear about – Worldcon site selection?
Spacefaring Kitten thinks it’s only fair that Helsinki win the right to host 2017 because all the other contenders have already had a turn…or seven.
A few facts to consider:
Five last countries that have hosted a Worldcon: United States (2015), United Kingdom (2014), United States (2013), United States (2012), United States (2011). Next year, the Worldcon will be in United States. In case the bid for Washington DC in 2017 (that is sort of a favorite at the moment, I guess) is successful, that’s third United States year in a row, and given the fact that there are only US bids for 2018 at the moment, it’s quite probably going to be four years of back-to-back United States Worldcons and seven United States Worldcons in eight years. That’s a lot of United States in one paragraph.
Competing for the 2017 Worldcon location, there are also bids for Montreal (in Canada) and Shizuoka City (in Japan). After 2000, the Worldcon has been in Canada twice (2009, 2003) and in Japan once (2007). Now, I’m sure that all proposed locations would hold a wonderful convention, but Helsinki would certainly be something new.
(4) Toymakers have got to protect the brand. Or, “Why Thomas the Tank Engine Doesn’t Kill Anybody in Ant-Man“.
“I believe in Edgar [Wright] and Joe Cornish’s original drafts it was a train set,” Reed recalls. “At some point in the process that predated my involvement it became Thomas. As I came on, they had not secured the rights to Thomas. We had to do this whole thing where we did this presentation for the people who own the rights to Thomas. Thank God they agreed and found it funny, but there were definite stipulations. For example, nobody could be tied to the tracks and run over by Thomas. Thomas couldn’t be doing anything that could be perceived by children as evil Thomas. Thomas had to stay neutral in the battle, which was always our intention. Like anybody, they’re protective of their brand. I didn’t know what we were going to do if we didn’t get the rights to that. There are certain things I was going to be devastated about if we couldn’t have them. Thomas was one, because… you could do any kind of toy train, but the personality of that thing and the eyes moving back and forth give it a whole vibe and took it to another level.”
(5) Another Castalia House child prodigy! Jeffro Johnson reports in “First Session Report for my Daughter’s Dungeon Design!”
At the age of nine, my daughter has designed a 15 level dungeon, gotten paid for her work, and received back playtest report. It doesn’t get any better than that…!
It’s true – and entertaining, too.
(6) The Official Tolkien Calendar 2016 featuring artwork by Tove Jansson will be released on July 30. The cost is £9.99.
Jansson, who passed away in 2001, is well-known worldwide as the author and artists behind the popular Moomin series. As an accomplished artist, she provided the artwork for the Swedish editions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Hobbit (also later used in Finnish editions). In Boel Westin’s autobiography of Jansson, she is quoted as saying “The figures are banal: dwarves, gnomes, fairies, dark-elves. But the scenery is luring in its macabre cruelty … Haunted woods, pitch-dark rivers, a moon-lit moor with burning wolves.”
(7) Ursula K. Le Guin is offering writing advice through an “Online Fiction Workshop” at Book View Cafe. Use the form at the post to submit your question.
I have enough vigor and stamina these days to write poems, for which I am very thankful. It takes quite a lot of vigor and stamina to write a story, and a huge amount to write a novel. I don’t have those any more, and I miss writing fiction.
Reliable vigor and stamina is also required to teach a class or run a workshop, and so I had to give up teaching several years ago. But I miss being in touch with serious prentice writers.
So in in hope of regaining some of the pleasures of teaching and talking about writing fiction with people who do, I’m going to try an experiment: a kind of open consultation or informal ongoing workshop in Fictional Navigation, here on Book View Café.
I hope it will work its own process out as we go along, but here’s how I plan to start:
I invite questions about writing fiction from people who are working seriously at writing fiction.
(8) Explore the author’s earliest novels in Part I of SF Signal’s Interview with Samuel R. Delany.
Q: Your new book, A, B, C: THREE SHORT NOVELS, takes the reader back to the beginning of your career by offering up your first three novels. What is it about these works that impelled you to offer them up again?
Samuel R. Delany: With all these books’ clumsinesses and immaturities, I think—I hope—I was trying for something that is probably harder and harder to see with time’s passing. Indeed, it may never have been there. The only thing that might have thrown some highlighting onto it at the time they were published were slight differences between them and what was then coming out in the genre. Because so many changes have taken place in the background against which individual works now register, however, it’s harder and harder to read the signals.
(9) The Guardian included Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves on its 70 title longlist for the “Not The Booker prize”.
If you want to become part of this noble process, all you have to do is vote for two books from the longlist, from two different publishers, and accompany those votes with a review of at least one of your chosen books in the comments section below. This review should be something over 100 words long, although, as the rules state, we probably won’t be counting all that carefully.
Readers have until August 2 to vote titles onto the shortlist.
(10) After using geometric logic to deduce the wrong writer behind “Ray Blank’s” real-life identity, I was informed by a friend that it’s not even a secret. Eric Priezkalns says it’s him:
Ray Blank is the pen name I use when submitting speculative fiction to publishers.
And just in case I needed more convincing, my friend also ran comparative text samples through IBM Watson Personality Insights. Because science!
Really, though, it’s just not any kind of a secret.
https://twitter.com/ericpriezkalns/status/625024340489314304
[Thanks to JJ, Mark, Will R., Jonathan Olfert, and John King Tarpinain for some of these stories. Title credit to Soon Lee]
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The problem with any reconciliation with the rabids is, to shamelessly borrow a lovely turn of phrase from one of Mr. Nichols’ reviews, most of the non-Puppies are unlikely to ever long for the days of patrician boots on plebeian necks, nor are they likely to see its great moral value.
It’s just a difference in aesthetics.
Wow. I hadn’t realized how little I had read of 80s Fantasy.
Abstain for all except:
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Little, Big, John Crowley
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
To Reign in Hell, Stephen Brust
@Jeffro Your daughter sounds like a pretty special kid. If I’d managed something like that at the age of nine, I expect I’d have been bursting with excitement and pride. Well done, sir.
1. FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGON
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
One of my favorites.
2. WEST COAST MAGIC
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
Tough choice, but it had to be made.
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
On the basis of number of rereads alone.
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE
Soldier of the Mist, Gene Wolfe
5. WE DON’T DIE, WE JUST MOVE TO OTHER BODIES
Write-in for The Dragon Waiting. Still charmed by such a totally logical reason to kill the princes in the Tower — one that makes no sense outside the book.
6. MYTH MADE FLESH
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Abstain. Neither really spoke to me.
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
Abstain. Ditto.
Again, removing the ones I can’t vote for due to lack of information.
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
To be honest, I barely remember either that well, but Bull’s writing has always been stronger.
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE
Soldier of the Mist, Gene Wolfe
The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers
This selection can change on any given moment. Very close to similar quality, both well executed.
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Little, Big, John Crowley
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
I always hated Bradley’s prose, long before finding out what an awful human being she was. I didn’t think Crowley’s was that strong and I don’t remember it well, but I’d rather put my hand on the table and hand someone a hammer before rereading Bradley.
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
The Darkangel, Meredith Ann Pierce
To Reign in Hell, Stephen Brust
I’ve always had an inexplicable enjoyment of Brust’s writing, even his more mediocre stuff. Never have quite figured out what the specific reaction is, but he was one of the first authors that I remember getting excited about a new book coming out from.
1. FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGON
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
God Stalk, P. C. Hodgell– ABSTAIN (I didn’t like either of these, but I will have to try them again.)
2. WEST COAST MAGIC
Wizard of the Pigeons, Robin Hobb/Megan LindholmTea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull — ABSTAIN (it’s been so long, I’ve quite forgotten these books.)
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE
Soldier of the Mist, Gene Wolfe
The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers — ABSTAIN (Never read either of these.)
5. WE DON’T DIE, WE JUST MOVE TO OTHER BODIES
Daggerspell, Katharine Kerr
The Silent Tower, Barbara Hambly(Sorry, but Kerr was my comfort reading until Chalion and Paladin came along, and I’m currently attempting to share Daggerspell with my partner.)6. MYTH MADE FLESH
Mythago Wood, Robert HoldstockFire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones — No, I tried Mythago Wood, and was repelled by the rape culture embedded within.
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Little, Big, John Crowley
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley— As long as I live, I will never vote for any MZB again. My entire collection of her works has been removed from my house.8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
The Darkangel, Meredith Ann Pierce
To Reign in Hell, Stephen Brust — ABSTAIN, didn’t really like either of these that much.
Maybe I’m just really grumpy today.
@Laertes,
Thanks, guy. I was impressed with the scope of the project and her persistence. I know I didn’t have anything like that when I was nine. And yeah, she totally reads the comments with a great deal of pride. It’s fun to watch.
Trying to choose between Wolfe and Powers made my head explode. I am now too broken to vote in any of these categories.
Why, Kyra? Why?
*wanders off mumbling to herself*
I passed on number 5, having read neither book, so would like to add a vote for The Dragon Waiting as well.
@ Jeffro
Sorry dude, the combination of your association with CH, your comment about her having been paid, and Mike’s no doubt innocently chosen title left me with the impression she’d been paid by CH. My mistake; I withdraw the comment about nepotism.
It’s a very cute dungeon. I may have to invent some Blink Cats and I should probably give more thought to bathrooms in my future designs.
*over sounds of door slamming and The Cure*
Of the ones I read in this list, most I read when they came out – but of course I turned 30 in 1985–the first part of the 1980s, I was doing adjunct teaching in Boise, Idaho, and there was a fantastic bookstore on the Main Street which stocked a whole lot of sff–and while adjunct pay is crappy, I was single, had no pets then, living in a 2 room little apartment, and could spend a lot on books, and was thrilled to see all the women writers (even more than in the 1970s).
Started some of my favorite writers then, and adore them with a mad passion…..but also haven’t read a number of these. Oh, yeah, that reminds me: I started my “read only women writers because JOANNA RUSS” in 1982 or ’83 (a bit hazy on dates).
1. FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGONBridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
God Stalk, P. C. Hodgell
Abstain: haven’t read either!
2. WEST COAST MAGIC
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
I adore MacAvoy’s Black Dragon duology. Brilliant—and in the context of the 1980s, unique in its protagonist.
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
Another major favorite—love the musical aspects, and the Phoukha.
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVESoldier of the Mist, Gene Wolfe
The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers
Abstain: haven’t read, or may have read some of their work, but cannot remember any of it.
5. WE DON’T DIE, WE JUST MOVE TO OTHER BODIES
The Silent Tower, Barbara Hambly
Kerr does some wonderful stuff, but Hambly is in one of my top slots for her fantasy.
6. MYTH MADE FLESH
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
Not my favorite DWJ, but I think it’s much better than the competition in this case.
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAYLittle, Big, John Crowley
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
Abstain: haven’t read either.
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELSThe Darkangel, Meredith Ann Pierce
To Reign in Hell, Stephen Brust
Haven’t read either.
Now off to see the 90s results!
@Cat,
Ah hey… no problem then. I’m glad for that!
Another difficult bracket for me. Of the ones I’ve read, I read most of them in the 1980s when they came out, and I don’t think I’ve reread any of them:
1. I loved Bridge of Birds, but not God Stalk, although I’ve heard good things about it. Abstain.
2. I liked both of these, but don’t remember them well enough to express a preference. Abstain.
But I think it’s inappropriate to list this as by “Robin Hobb”. Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden carefully chose to use a different pseudonym for her “Robin Hobb” works than she had used for her earlier “Megan Lindholm” books, and I think that should be respected, even though the fact that they’re the same person has never been a secret.
3. Haven’t read either one. Abstain
4. Like both authors, haven’t read either book. Abstain
5. I’ve never read either. Abstain. I have a tendency to confuse Katharine Kerr and her “Deverry” books with Katherine Kurtz and “Deryni”.
6. I remember liking FIre and Hemlock, and Mythago Wood is one of those books that I should read at some point.
7. I’m very tempted to vote for John Crowley here, because I adore his writing and he’s a really nice guy. But I’ll abstain because I’ve never read any Bradley. Even though I’m tempted to vote because I disliked Bradley as a person, the few times that I met her. The book might be good, however, so I don’t think it’s fair for me to vote.
8. Abstain. I don’t know The Darkangel, and I haven’t heard of Pierce. I did enjoy the Brust.
In the spirit of things, I would like to put forth for nomination for the next available Worldcon:
Antananarivo, Madagascar.
I am relatively certain there untold numbers of underrepresented Madagascarian works of science fiction and fantasy that have been far too long ignored by the elitists of Worldcon. If you want to call yourselves WORLDcon, then you need to represent the WORLD.
Pft.
How come I never notice these things while the Edit function is still active?
I meant to say that I loved Bridge of Birds, but haven’t read God Stalk
I know absolutely nothing about designing dungeons, my excuse being that we’ve already got the real thing down the road at the Tower of London, but hearty congratulations to Jeffro’s daughter for her achievement, and thanks to Mike for passing it on.
I too am wondering what I was doing in the 80s, since there are a lot of unknowns on Kyra’s list. I read a lot of the Deverry series until Kerr started rewriting them, at which point I ran out of enthusiasm, and I have asked Steven Brust to write the sequel to ‘To Reign in Hell’, on the grounds that Milton did, but sadly he refused…
So, here are my general comments on the Hugo Awards and a round up of my voting in all the Hugo categories I’m not going to do a separate post on.
Kyra, your dice are the evillest evillest evil. I hate them all.
1. FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGON
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
I read God Stalk recently, and while I can see why it has passionate fans, it didn’t do it for me on the same level.
2. WEST COAST MAGIC
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
That was almost painless. (I admit, it would have been a closer fight with “Cloven Hooves” But I know I’m an outlier on that.)
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
AUGH! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU (stupid dice)
I want these to be in separate brackets for at least one more round before I have to pull my heartstrings out. is that too much to ask!?!?!?!?!
Can I write one of them into another bracket below? I Vote YES TO BOTH. THEY STAY AND SHARE.
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE
Bounced off Wolfe, have more intellectual than emotional appreciation for Powers.
Write-in for The Dragon Waiting – John M. Ford
5. WE DON’T DIE, WE JUST MOVE TO OTHER BODIES
Abstain. Have read neither book, and while I like Hambly I don’t like her enough to write-in a different book over something unread.
6. MYTH MADE FLESH
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
Not event hat hard. For the person wondering, Fire and Hemlock is a little bit a retelling of Tam Lin, a little bit a retelling of Thomas the Rhymer, set in the modern world. I read it around the same time I read Pamela Dean’s Tam Lin and the fact that they were based off the same source material hurt Neither one whit, because they were too different. I misunderstood what happens at the end the first time I read it and still ended up loving and rereading it. That’s powerful work.
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Little, Big, John Crowley
I’m not that big into Little, Big, but this was still an easy choice, even barring revelations about MZB’s character.
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
The Darkangel, Meredith Ann Pierce
To Reign in Hell, Steven Brust (Honestly, how hard is it to spell Steven that nobody has remarked on the error yet?)
Both of these are very nice books that live happily on my shelves, both of them are decent candidates, and both of them would have vanished without regret against Hero and the Crown OR War for the Oaks. Are you SURE I Can’t swap them out?
OK, fine. The Darkangel, then.
(Runs off sulking.)
I really wish the high-profile supporters of Helsinki in 2017 could put as much energy into explaining how it would be an entertaining and well-run convention as they do into explaining why it’s totally not anyone else’s turn.
> “Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden carefully chose to use a different pseudonym for her ‘Robin Hobb’ works than she had used for her earlier ‘Megan Lindholm’ books, and I think that should be respected …”
I wasn’t aware the differentiation was important. I will list it as by Megan Lindholm from now on.
> “I have a tendency to confuse Katharine Kerr and her ‘Deverry’ books with Katherine Kurtz and ‘Deryni’.”
I make that same mistake all the time.
Petréa Mitchell: for the saunas.
Damn, I’ve read one book in a couple of the brackets but apparently I skipped a lot of 80s fantasy.
Petrea: I was under the impression their proposal was found to stand up perfectly well some time ago; Finland has an active fandom that sounds like it knows its convention. It’s also their second attempt in the last 3 years, and they had some strong advocates the first time around. However, in a field of 4 solid and experienced candidates (and I know Montreal and Washington are, and I’d be surprised if Japan wasn’t) their biggest selling point *IS* “let’s go and see the world”.
(If I apply and vote at all, which seems unlikely in our current financial situation and the proximity to deadline, my picks would be Montreal first, because I have a hope in hell of making it, then Helsinki, because I WISH I could. Especially with a maiden name like Heikkinen.)
Huh. Guess what popped up on myRSS feed from io9: The Victorian Hugos: 1892
Seems like an in depth and more serious take than the stuff done here some time back – I think most if not all of that is compiled in Simon B Jones’ A brief history of the Hugo awards – the file 770 compiliation
I haven’t read much 1980s fantasy either, but I’ll weigh in on these choices:
1. FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGON
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Little, Big, John Crowley
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
To Reign in Hell, Stephen Brust
1. FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGON
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
God Stalk, P. C. Hodgell
GAH!… head … heart… must choose…
nope, can’t do it. I vote BOTH!. Neener neener.
2. WEST COAST MAGIC
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
Much preferred MacAvoy.
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
I must reread this one soon.
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE
Soldier of the Mist, Gene Wolfe
The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers
Second vote for BOTH!, except lets make it ALL THREE! along with John M. Ford – The Dragon Waiting
5. WE DON’T DIE, WE JUST MOVE TO OTHER BODIES
The Silent Tower, Barbara Hambly
Tough call… I started reading Kerr first, but… Hambly for the win
6. MYTH MADE FLESH
Didn’t like either, so vote no for both of them.
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
MZB, in spite of new information about her character and child-raising skills
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
To Reign in Hell, Stephen Brust
Brust for the win!
And thanks for reminding me of these, they bring back the golden years when I lived in the barracks and ate in the chow hall and all my income was discretionary… man did I spend a lot on books back then!
> “Huh. Guess what popped up on myRSS feed from io9: The Victorian Hugos: 1892”
I’m really amused that both I and the writer of these thought that Marie Corelli’s Ardath would have been the undeserving winner in the year it was eligible.
You are KILLING ME HERE, Kyra.
1. FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGON
I cannot choose. This is causing me physical pain. These books are glorious and I love them both. Tie.
2. WEST COAST MAGIC
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
War for the Oaks would do well against nearly any other contender, but this book defined my childhood. I checked it out so many times in a row that the library made me stop.
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE
The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers
5. WE DON’T DIE, WE JUST MOVE TO OTHER BODIES
The Silent Tower, Barbara Hambly
6. MYTH MADE FLESH
Mythago Wood, Robert Holdstock
Curse you, Kyra, for making me vote against Jones! But Mythago Wood is something extraordinary.
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Abstain. I bounced off Little, Big and I can no longer bring myself to vote for MZB.
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
The Darkangel, Meredith Ann Pierce
That round hurt me. A lot. I think I sprained something.
@Ginger: Mythago Wood is rapey? That doesn’t surprise me but I wouldn’t have paid attention back when I read it and found it thrilling decades ago.
I read “Reindeer Moon” much more recently; it depicts an Ice Age society in which young girls are married off without consulting them, but there’s a debate about that. All the social roles and power relations in that book are questioned, sometimes subverted, implicitly or explicitly; one of the many things I love about it is that characters don’t necessarily think alike about anything, not within a tribe or even a family. The author’s an anthropologist so she knows better than say “these people believed such-and-such, full stop.”
I read The Hollowing first, based solely on the gorgeous Palencar cover on it, and it went into that rare pile of Books That Make Me Wonder If I Am High And Can Anybody Else Tell Act Cool No Officer I’m Just Holding This Book For A Friend I Swear.
I should really re-read and see if 38 year old me is a tougher nut to crack than 19 year old me on that front, though. I have sadly built up a tolerance to pure uncut wonder over the years, valiantly as I’ve tried to resist.
80s bracket – so many of these had a huge impact on me.
FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGON
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
God Stalk, P. C. Hodgell
Really difficult. It’s hard to give God Stalk a fair assessment because I bought it in that UK omnibus of the first two books. I think, taken alone, I have to vote for:
Bridge of Birds. Agree with whoever upthread that Hughart’s sequels are weaker.
2. WEST COAST MAGIC
Wizard of the Pigeons, Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
Not easy either, in the end I vote for Tea with the Black Dragon
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
Getting harder still! War for the Oaks was excellent but I actually get a little distanced from a story when it features Irish legends. By a hair, The Hero and the Crown. In fact the Blue Sword is my own favourite over Hero and the Crown but the latter is probably the better competitor.
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE
Soldier of the Mist, Gene Wolfe
The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers
Still no easy ones in this bracket. I vote for The Anubis Gates
5. WE DON’T DIE, WE JUST MOVE TO OTHER BODIES
Daggerspell, Katharine Kerr
The Silent Tower, Barbara Hambly
Oh no! I love both these authors, and both these series. Either would beat some of the other competitors here. Reluctantly, The Silent Tower
6. MYTH MADE FLESH
Mythago Wood, Robert Holdstock
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
Yet another toughie. Fire and Hemlock
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Little, Big, John Crowley
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
Phew. Not so hard to decide. Little, Big. I did like Mists a lot but it didn’t have quite the impact it had on all those people who don’t read fantasy – there were so so many Arthurian retellings around by that stage, too. (I’d probably reread Gillian Bradshaw’s in preference. Or Parke Godwin’s. Or Mary Stewart’s.) Darkover, now, that pushed my buttons.
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
The Darkangel, Meredith Ann Pierce
To Reign in Hell, Stephen Brust
I actually haven’t read either of these. Must get the Brust some day soon.
I own about eleven of these, I think.
Notable omissions, but I can see why everything can’t be fitted in – Judith Tarr’s Avaryan books (or the Hound and the Falcon if you prefer elfy-welfy), Patricia Wrede’s Lyra novels (Caught in Crystal is my favourite), Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint, Elizabeth A. Lynn’s Northern Girl, Melanie Rawn’s Dragon Prince and sequels (the recent Tor reread was interesting). And David Gemmell! Sheri Tepper’s True Game books, Michael Scott Rohan’s Winter of the World, Glen Cook’s Black Company – I could go on but I’ll stop now.
Thought this might be of interest to some here:
Science Fiction Fans Raise $1,955 To Support Hevelin Collection Digitization
Vasha, I had never read anything by Robert Holdstock, so when he died and people waxed lyrical over his books, particularly Mythago Wood, I ran out and bought a copy. The writing is compelling, but the capture and imprisonment of the fairy character made me extremely uncomfortable, to the point where I sadly set the book down and went no further. I think I ended up donating it to the hospital patient library without ever finishing. I wish I could have seen what everyone else saw, instead of what I did see — and once seen, cannot be unseen. It still gives me the creeps.
It’s funny, I only just realized I missed out on a lot of stuff from the 80s, because I was out of the country in school, so studying took up my time, and there was no bookstore in the area (literally, no bookstore; the local drugstore had a rack of books, where — oddly enough — they had a brand-new copy of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon’s book, Lesbian/Woman. Sadly, that book was lent to a friend whose cat disliked it or was mad at her, and I never got it back.) Anyway. We did have a movie theater, and for five bucks* we could sit in the comfortable seats of the balcony, so I saw Predator with the bass music making that balcony – um – shiver. Deliciously.
So, these 80s and early 90s lists have lots of books I’ve never heard of. My bank card is growing very cranky. We may yet have words.
(Pun intended.)
*ETA: That is, in local money, not US Currency.
And speaking of the 80s, and thinking of burdened credit cards, Helen Wright’s A Matter of Oaths is a very much overlooked science fiction novel, which the author has made available for free on her website.
Review by Jo Walton here http://www.tor.com/2009/07/15/helen-wrights-a-matter-of-oaths-available-for-free-download/
Helen Wright’s website http://www.arkessian.com/
3. The Hero and the Crown (because this is one of my great comfort reads and I can’t count how many times I’ve reread it)
5. The Silent Tower (because it was so much fun)
6. Fire and Hemlock (Diane Wynne Jones!!!)
7. Little, Big ( way back when I was the only one among my friends who didn’t like The Mists of Avalon even if I did admire the ambition and challenge of the approach. Plus, “Little, Big” knocked me out both for story telling and sheer beauty of the telling. I just bought a Kindle version since when I recently started on my ancient paperback version, it fell into pieces in my hand. I’m working on memory here – will it hold up?)
Do we get a 70’s bracket, too? Riddle Master of Hed? The Last Unicorn? (though that may even be 60s)
brightglance, you might already know of these, but if you like Parke Godwin’s Arthurian stuff, you might want to check out his science fiction novel The Masters of Solitude and the sequel Wintermind, both of which he co-wrote with Marvin Kaye. Some great SF there which never got the recognition it deserved. (A third book in that world, Singer Among the Nightingales, was planned and may even have been written, but has not been published, much to the angst of … me and what I am sure must be legions of other fans somewhere.)
> “Do we get a 70’s bracket, too? Riddle Master of Hed? The Last Unicorn? (though that may even be 60s)”
There will be a 60’s-70’s bracket tomorrow (current plans are to have both of those works on it), and a 50’s-and-before bracket the day after. Once all of the period brackets have had a round, the winning half from each will be combined into a single all-fantasy-up-through-1999 bracket.
I’m discovering I read more fantasy than I thought I did.
1. FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGON
God Stalk, P. C. Hodgell
I love them both dearly, but Godstalk and sequels I adore. And I await the next book.
2. WEST COAST MAGIC
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
Pass
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE
The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers
One of my all time favorites.
5. WE DON’T DIE, WE JUST MOVE TO OTHER BODIES
Pass, but time for another trip to the library.
6. MYTH MADE FLESH
Mythago Wood, Robert Holdstock
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Pass
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
To Reign in Hell, Stephen Brust
There are a couple of Puppies who have commented on George R.R. Martin’s most recent blog post about the Hugos. In them the Puppies continue to prove that they are as incoherent and idiotic they have ever been.
Steven. Really, guys.
(this message brought to you by someone who gets very prickly when her name is misspelled, and gets prickly at bad grammar that is not obviously a product of a malicious autocorrect. Feel free to mock me, but please try and get Brust’s name right, especially if you’re rhapsodizing about being his fan…)
Sorry. The initial misspelling was my fault.
1. FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGON
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
2. WEST COAST MAGIC
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
War for the Oaks is a truly great book!
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE
The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers
As is The Anubis Gates!
5. WE DON’T DIE, WE JUST MOVE TO OTHER BODIES
Daggerspell, Katharine Kerr
6. MYTH MADE FLESH
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Little, Big, John Crowley
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
To Reign in Hell, Stephen Brust
And now I know that his full name is Steven Karl Zoltán Brust and he was the drummer for a band I had previously heard of mostly through their connection with an intergalactic space pirate.
As was Emma Bull (in the band, I mean, not named Zoltán). And Terri Windling did some of their album art. And the off-the-bracket dark horse write-in candidate this round, John M. Ford, co-wrote one of their songs.
Thanks, Kyra! I haven’t read them and will keep an eye out.
And there was even more abstention for lack of reading than in the 90s bracket.
3. The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley – I’m only a little way into the book now but I read The Blue Sword at least a few times at a more impressionable age.
4. Soldier of the Mist, Gene Wolfe – no longer recall whether I read this before or after The Shadow of the Torturer and its direct sequels. Regardless, it was pretty mind-blowing.
5. The Silent Tower, Barbara Hambly – was the Darwath Trilogy 70s or is this widely considered better? In any case, I read it and enjoyed it. Didn’t think so much of the third book she tacked on to the duology of this and The Silicon Mage.
Lenora Rose:
The “It’s our turn, because imaginary rules!” argument debuted some time ago too, but that hasn’t stopped people pouring their energy into restating it over and over and over and over again.
I agree that Worldcon should travel all over the world. But I’d like to see a positive case made for each candidate, rather than just against all the other options. And if it’s absolutely necessary to give reasons to not vote for other locations, it needs to be stronger than just dismissing them because one fan group in the entire country ran a Worldcon once.
I think I may have asked this before, which would be embarassing, but: is Hodgell’s God Stalker Chronicles finished? I see a series that’s been going for thirty years and I think of ASOIAF and never again, dammit. I have rules about incomplete fantasy series, and I like my rules.
> “I think I may have asked this before, which would be embarassing, but: is Hodgell’s God Stalker Chronicles finished?”
Not yet; Hodgell is currently working on the eight book, and says she expects there to be two more after that.
OMG! I read enough of these that I can vote on some of the pairings!
1. 1. FROM KU-FU TO TAI-TASTIGON
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
God Stalk, P. C. Hodgell
…. But not these two. Abstain.
2. WEST COAST MAGIC
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
MacAvoy, who doesn’t get nearly enough attention and whose work is refreshingly odd.
3. THE SWORD OR THE CHORD
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
Hmmm. Both are refreshing twists on established tropes. Both are much beloved and I really don’t want to have to choose between ‘em… I’ll go with Bull for being just a smidge more groundbreaking.
4. TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE
Soldier of the Mist, Gene Wolfe
The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers
Gotta abstain, having read neither.
5. WE DON’T DIE, WE JUST MOVE TO OTHER BODIES
The Silent Tower, Barbara Hambly
Hambly’s just a more interesting wri– wait, we could vote for The Dragon Waiting??
Well. The Dragon Waiting it is! I miss Mike Ford something awful. Every one of my copies of his books is in danger of falling apart from re-reading.
6. MYTH MADE FLESH
Mythago Wood, Robert Holdstock
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
Another abstention, having read neither.
7. TITANIA VS. MORGAN LE FAY
Little, Big, John Crowley
Oh God, did Mists of Avalon piss me off. All of MZB’s more annoying tics, twitches and tropes all on display at once… and this was before I knew anything about her despicable private life.
You know who wrote TERRIFIC Arthurian novels? Parke Godwin, that’s who. Firelord and Beloved Exile. I can’t sufficiently praise them. Go find and read, and wash the awful taste of Bradley off the palate.
8. HELL IS OTHER ANGELS
The Darkangel, Meredith Ann Pierce
To Reign in Hell, Stephen Brust
Another abstention.