(1) The Register is running a poll for the worst Doctor Who of all.
Was Colin Baker, dressed in his multi-coloured dreamcoat, simply taking a wrong turn on his way to a rehearsal for an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical – falling instead into some weird space-time continuum from which no audience member could escape?
Or maybe, just maybe, it was William Hartnell who ruined it for everyone with his curmudgeonly adventures on the TARDIS.
Although Peter Capaldi is not leading, he should be worried about his job security.
(2) I don’t think anyone is genuinely confused, however, Andrew Porter has worked out a scenario to show why people ought to be confused by the reappearance of a well-known pen name.
At Drop Dead Perfect we read,
“Idris Seabright is one demented dame. A 1950’s Florida gargoyle with a penchant for painting still lifes, no matter how her subjects must be stilled, she’s as handy with a hachet as a brush and as rich as she is ruthless. ‘Drop Dead Perfect,’ written by Erasmus Fenn and directed by Joe Brancato, finds Idris torn between her ingenuous ward who has artistic aspirations, a well-endowed Cuban ex-con who may be her nephew, and her pill-pushing lawyer. Idris and ‘Drop Dead Perfect’ are back after last year’s sold-out run for a strictly limited eight week engagement.”
Also, at Vanishing New York,
“Everett Quinton, former lead actor and artistic director of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, is famous for his cross-dressing performances, and he’s currently starring in one of the juiciest of his career with Drop Dead Perfect at the Theatre of St. Clements in Hell’s Kitchen. As Idris Seabright, a 1950s Key West housewife with artistic aspirations…”
“Drop Dead Perfect” is playing now through October 11 at Theater at St. Clements, 423 West 46th Street, NYC. Porter continues —
Except we know that “Iris Seabright” was a pseudonym used by science fiction author Margaret St. Clair, who died in 1995. Is it coincidence that St. Clair was from Maine, and this character is from the opposite place on the East Coast? I called the theater, and they were totally unaware of the previous use of the name.
For more about Margaret St. Clair see her Wikipedia entry.
(3) George R.R. Martin will make an appearance on Zombie Nation reports Entertainment Weekly.
Nothing is going to stop George R.R. Martin from finishing his Game of Thrones novels!
The bestselling author will have a cameo during the second season of Syfy’s post-apocalyptic thriller Z Nation playing himself as a zombie, EW has exclusively learned.
And as you can see from the photo above and the two others below, Martin is quite undead while signing his own books (and even tries to munch on one brainy copy). The title of Zombie Martin’s book is a fun tease — “A Promise of Spring,” which plays off A Dream of Spring — the expected title of his eventual seventh (and presumably conclusive) novel in his epic A Song of Ice and Fire saga. Currently Martin is working on Book 6, The Winds of Winter.
Declared Martin: “I just want to prove to my fans that even in the Zombie Apocalypse, the Song of Ice and Fire books will still come out!”
Martin will appear in the eighth epsiode of this year’s Z Nation, which returns to Syfy on Friday at 10 p.m. In the show, Martin has been imprisoned by a character called the Collector, who captures celebrity zombies and keeps George chained to a desk for his own nefarious purposes.
(4) DB in a comment on “One Alfie, Two Hugos” at Not A Blog —
I have a theory, or maybe a hypothesis, as to why there was no Best Novel Hugo in 1957. The International Fantasy Award, which was a juried award that was also shaped like a rocketship, was being presented at a banquet elsewhere in London the day after the Worldcon. It was an invitational event, not officially part of the Worldcon, but many Worldcon members attended.
My theory is that the Worldcon committee, knowing this, didn’t feel that a Best Novel Hugo was necessary. That would be an odd decision today, but remember that at that time the Hugos were not firmly established, they had much less prestige than the IFA, and awards were few and the overlap and duplication we’re used to today were unknown.
The book that received the IFA that year? Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
(5) Pip R. Lagenta invites you to come see a snippet of LASFS history on his website while you still can. He says Comcast is getting rid of personal webpages (like his) in October.
De Profundis is the club newsletter of The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. Around about May of 1988 the De Profundis newsletter contained its first, last and only Photo Supplement. This four page supplement is now, here, being republished for the first time (in any form) since the May, 1988, newsletter distribution.
I’m in there a couple of times. Which is either an incentive or a warning.
(6) Cedar Sanderson in “A Dog’s Breakfast” at Mad Genius Club.
https://twitter.com/ChuckWendig/status/622165354702348288
When you confront your reader with, in the first paragraphs, sentences that don’t make sense, you are doing the worst thing to readers an author can do. Mislectorism. Betrayal. You’re showing your readers you hate them, and they will respond to it. “This particular ship has seen action: plasma scarring across the wings and tail fins; a crumpled dent in the front end as if it was kicked by an Imperial walker.” Look at that sentence. Consider that it is not alone. I don’t think I have ever seen as many colons in one passage in all the thirty-some years I have been reading. Nor have I seen this many sentence fragments in once place. I shudder to think of how many dashes and hyphens met their ends here. If I had to name this style I’d call it post-Modern chop suey, because everything is minced and mixed together until it resembles a dog’s breakfast.
Snowcrash in a comment on “A Dog’s Breakfast” at Mad Genius Club.
I think the issue may be somewhat overstated – the Amazon reviews broadly break down into 4 areas – people unhappy that an ebook is priced at so high (USD 17?); people sad to have lost the Expanded Universe; people taking umbrage at the existence of a gay protagonist; and people who take issue with the writing. Down-rating the book for the first 3 seems a bit immature to me, but hey, whatever they want in the cut-throat world of Amazon…
Personally, given it’s sales figures, it seems to be doing fine so far. Let’s see if it has legs though.
Amanda S. Green in a comment on “A Dog’s Breakfast” at Mad Genius Club.
Very broadly break down into that. I’ve taken the time to read the reviews not only on Amazon but on B&N as well. Let’s look at the B&N reviews to start. There are 17 reviews there for a 3.5 star cumulative review. 6 of those 17 reviews are 5 stars. However, and this is a big however, of those 6 reviews 4 are one line back and forth comments between reviewers that have nothing to do with the book. Another has no comment at all. So let’s toss them out. The final five star review is a true review by someone who liked the book. The rest of the reviews deal with the plot or writing style. One review, one of the more supportive ones, does say that the inclusion of a gay character felt forced. Over all, the complaint, even among those giving good reviews, was that the writing was not at the level it should be and that Wendig did not appear to love the universe he was writing in.
If you look closely at the Amazon reviews, you see much the same thing. Yes, there are those upset with the fact the EU was tossed out. But most of the reviews concern the writing style or the story structure. Sure, there are a few who object to having a gay lead character, there always will be someone who doesn’t approve of something. But the overall message is that the book is poorly written.
The key thing here is to look at the author’s behavior and how he is alienating a fan base. He has basically called all those who don’t like his work homophobes simply because they don’t like his work. That is not a way to win friends or influence people, at least not in a good way.
As for the sales figures, eh. We haven’t seen the returns yet and we probably never will. As for his Amazon rankings, those don’t always equate into huge sales. The best sellers lists such as the NYT one are based on pre-orders and then continued orders. As you said, we will have to see if it has legs and, judging from the reviews, I’m not sure it will.
(7) Teresa Nielsen Hayden now denies the episode happened. Brust says that’s not what he was asking about, but that’s irrelevant for purposes of this history.
@StevenBrust @pnh @jenphalian Here's a denial: Patrick didn't even raise his voice to Jagi Lamplighter. JCW fabricated the entire story.
— tnielsenhayden (@tnielsenhayden) September 12, 2015
@StevenBrust @pnh @jenphalian Lamplighter's the one who got warned that she was pushing the limits on the convention's code of conduct.
— tnielsenhayden (@tnielsenhayden) September 12, 2015
(8) He said it, not me…
https://twitter.com/pornokitsch/status/642381622340374528
(9) Oops. Somebody poked a hibernating bear. Part of “Today’s Twitter Rant, 9/12/15” which goes on at length on Whatever.
I don't need a fucking "Web of Trust" to be a science fiction and fantasy fan. I don't need a fucking gatekeeper. I'm a fan because I am.
— John Scalzi (@scalzi) September 12, 2015
[Thanks to Andrew Porter, Pip R. Lagenta, both Marks, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Will R.]
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2. The Atrocity Archives
4. Privilege of the sword.
5. Lies of Locke Lamar
6. Name of the wind
I go away to read the latest by Stephanie Saulter, Regeneration, and now that I have finished the next heat has been posted. That was timed well.
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Devil You Know, Mike Carey
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
7. CATS AND DOGS
Fudoki, Kij Johnson
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
The Year of Our War, Steph Swainston
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
The Limits of Enchantment, Graham Joyce
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
Vellum, Hal Duncan
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
I’ve voted on 9 out of 16 – not bad for someone who doesn’t read fantasy as often as I do SF.
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
The Blue Girl, Charles de Lint
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
What was the title of that Bob Shaw novel? The one with the transceiver drive?
Setup: they have instantaneous matter transmission, but not over any distance – in fact, it gets completely unreliable once the range is more than about 300 yards. The faster-than-light spaceships, therefore, are 300 yards long, with a matter transceiver at each end….
The protagonist is called Warren Peace, for a reason that is entirely sensible when it finally emerges, and he’s an amnesiac in a futuristic Foreign Legion. See, I remember a lot of the details. Just not the title!
1. JS and MN, SC
2. MB, IA
3. HMD, NN
4. TPotS, EK
5. LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA x1 million
6. TDTCB, RSB
7. F, KJ
8. SG, KE
9. G, KC
10. CoaRY, JL
11. ItNG, CMV
12. PotW, TC
13. P, UKL
14. DWW, KH
15. CF, DWJ
16. SA, LW
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
Side note to Jim: the Carey books are on my Kindle, thanks to you and others here.
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
pass
7. CATS AND DOGS
pass
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
pass
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
pass
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
Child of a Rainless Year, Jane Lindskold
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
In the Night Garden, Catherynne M. Valente
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
tie
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
@Steve Who Goes Here?
These aren’t all the things in this round I’ve read, only about half, but there wasn’t a single pair I had any trouble choosing between.
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Devil You Know, Mike Carey.
7. CATS AND DOGS
Fudoki, Kij Johnson
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
Abstain (though, having read Uprooted, I wonder if Novik might not be the way to go here.)
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
Abstain (don’t know either well enough).
7. CATS AND DOGS
Lonely Werewolf Girl, Martin Millar
Because werewolves.
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
Abstain.
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
The Blue Girl, Charles de Lint
Because de Lint.
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
The Limits of Enchantment, Graham Joyce
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
In the Night Garden, Catherynne M. Valente
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
(Actually, I’m now digging into Hodgell, based on hints from some comments threads somewhere.)
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
Once again I’m left wondering exactly what it was I’ve been reading in the last 15 years.
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
Absolutely no question hands down on this one. (I have mentioned on various occasions that the 5% failure-of-utter-perfection in TPotS was what finally kicked my ass into gear to write Daughter of Mystery. Not that I’m claiming any comparability other than in theme.)
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
*hmm* I’m going to abstain and break my rule of “to choose to read is already having a preference” because reading the Harry Potter series was more of a choice-in-whole than a choice-in-specific.
The only bracket where I have read both books is 16, and I’m going with Snake Agent, Liz Williams. More interesting milieu and protagonist.
Hmm looks like I’ve read fewer of these…
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
Moon Called, Patricia Briggs
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
abstain
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
abstain
7. CATS AND DOGS
abstain
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
abstain
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
The Blue Girl, Charles de Lint
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
Child of a Rainless Year, Jane Lindskold
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
abstain
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
abstain
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
@Simon Bisson – thank you! That would have bugged me all night.
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin
Wow, I missed out on a lot. That’s what work, kids, and Master’s degrees do to you. Busy, busy. I need to start filling in my back catalog!
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
The Sun Sword, Michelle West
As much as I love JSMN, I have long carried a torch for Michelle West’s Sun Sword books, even when she insists on going back and writing four books of historical retcon before getting on with things.
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Devil You Know, Mike Carey
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Darkness That Comes Before, R. Scott Bakker
7. CATS AND DOGS
Fudoki, Kij Johnson
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
Spirit Gate, Kate Elliot
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
Graceling, Kristin Cashore
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
The Limits of Enchantment, Graham Joyce
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
Vellum, Hal Duncan
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
7. CATS AND DOGS
Lonely Werewolf Girl, Martin Millar
Not actually voting, because as always, Kyra puts up books I consider favorites against ones I haven’t read. But even among those favorites Millar’s MacRillach Werewolves series is a favorite. Kallix, the lead from the title, just makes me want to give her comforting hugs and tell her everything will be all right. Which given she’s a depressive, laudnum drinking, berserker werewolf is probably the wrong reaction.
Crumbs, this is difficult.
1. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
2. The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
3. His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
5. The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
6. The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
8. The Year of Our War, Steph Swainston
11. Vellum, Hal Duncan
13. Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin
15. Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
16. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
Yay… i finally caught one of these in time to vote!
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
Graceling, Kristin Cashore
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
More of a post and run … skipped categories are abstained.
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
The Sun Sword, Michelle West
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
Looking forward to the TV series.
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
Moon Called, Patricia Briggs
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
Dragons and wooden ships. I am in !
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
The Anvil of the World, Kage Baker
I believe this is a great novel and and I look forward to reading Daughter of Mystery (its in the TBR pile)
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Devil You Know, Mike Carey
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
I liked this one a little bit better.
7. CATS AND DOGS
Fudoki, Kij Johnson
Lonely Werewolf Girl, Martin Millar
Both books are good, Kij by a nose.
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
Priestess of the White, Trudi Canavan
GOD STALK !
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
I really liked snake agent, but I waited at midnight to build this book from the bookstore. Harry all the way.
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
The Sun Sword, Michelle West
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Devil You Know, Mike Carey
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
7. CATS AND DOGS
Abstain
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
The Year of Our War, Steph Swainston
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
Graceling, Kristin Cashore
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
Abstain
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
Abstain
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Abstain
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Abstain
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
Another bracket, still more books to add to the want to read pile. Am I the only person who thinks His Majesty’s Dragon is just OK?
Worst Doctor Who: Colin Baker, but that may in part be due to his having had the worst companion, Melanie of the Annoying Voice. Coming close on Baker’s heels are Patrick Troughton and Matt Smith.
Sweet Baby Jesus, I cannot EVEN with the JCW. I mean, I cannot even get close to EVEN. I love how TNH’s tweet diplomatically says “Some people like this shit. We’ll take anyone’s money.” And wow, that paper is THIN. Way too thin to hold that weighty, displacing prose. Somewhere, Doc Smith is thinking “Nah. Too wordy.” And to me, “Blackie” conjures up either Black Beauty or The Black Stallion, and while those two horses had many adventures, I don’t see them in space either.
Colin Baker himself seems a nice chap, in interviews and the one time I saw him at a con, but he definitely got my vote as Worst Doctor. The writers just seemed to make him a complete arsehole, and his costume was eye-wateringly bad even in terms of 80’s fashion. And the annoying companion voice. I barely got through those years. Wish Sylvester McCoy had gotten another year or two; Ace was aces.
I’m liking Capaldi, who’s merely grumpy but not murderous, and it is SUCH a relief to have a older Doctor who isn’t all smoochy with the companions. This is the first time in the revival that the Doctor’s been older than I am, and it’s pleasing to me. I may have had a great deal of schadenfreude that the tween girls of Tumblr were CRUSHED when he was announced; I thought it was simply getting back to The Way Things Ought To Be. We love the Doctor because he’s the Doctor, not because he’s young and cute. His performance gets me through the writing ups and downs. I can go back and realize “ooo, that script was crap” but while watching it, Capaldi makes it work.
Rev. Bob, you are a delight. You too, Jim Henley.
Yes, Bwad claimed the Hugos were out of touch with “The Avengers”, apparently not noticing that it won the Hugo that year. Beating out Hobbit 1 and Hunger Games 1. I voted for it, and didn’t vote for the dreaded “Redshirts”. (I thought 2312, even with that dead spot in the middle, was a more SFnal book)
Opining about Star Wars (and media fandom in general) when you haven’t seen half the movies is… unwise. I mean, the damn things are on cable all the time, or you ought to know someone who’d lend you the DVDs. Meesa also think there is difference between colon and semi-colon. I’m sure Chuck is crying himself to sleep on his mattress of $20 bills (or will be, when the publisher and agent get the money to him) and laughing and saying “FUCK YOOOUUUU” a lot.
Bracket time!
1. Sun Sword. (I also could not even with JS&MN)
2. The Atrocity Archives (diminishing returns as the novels go on, IMO)
3. His Majesty’s Dragon, DUH. Dragon air cav!
4. The Anvil of the World (Kage 4eva!)
7. Fudoki. I lurve Kij.
11. In the Night Garden
12. Hodgell. DUH.
14. Dead Witch Walking
I love that not only does Kira do all these, her titles are amazing.
@Rev. Bob
Yeah, I’ve got you about the peroxide. Hey, maybe the author had some idea that peroxide was some really smelly chemical that somehow always left a trace, kind of thing. But it’s almost entirely odourless by itself. (Peroxide ‘odour’ is really the result of it reacting with something. In most people’s experience that would be hair. That can be an unpleasant smell, true.) Yeah, a subsistence colony would use everything it could get its mitts on. As does Watney in The Martian.
But…
You have to cut YA some slack, but that’s the kind of thing we used to pick holes in when I was 15. And I remember why, it involves the non-detection of a certain stowaway on the Jupiter 2 called Doctor Smith. That’s just one person – you’re saying the hold is full, WTF???
@Steve Wright
What was the title of that Bob Shaw novel? The one with the transceiver drive?
Now you’ve got me, but I remember the drive. And Bob Shaw, wow. ‘Slow Glass’, I’ll never forget him for that alone, but he was full of great (and sometimes barmy) ideas. The Wooden Astronauts, yay! (Which depended on the value of pi being different in that universe. There is no need to think too hard about that. I’m not.)
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
The Sun Sword, Michelle West
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
The Sun Sword. I tried to read the Clarke, and it never caught me; I ended up returning it to the library half-read.
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews
I’ve not read the Andrews, but I have to vote for the Stross anyway; it didn’t just catch me; it dragged me helter-skelter through the book.
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
Moon Called, Patricia Briggs
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
Novik.
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
The Anvil of the World, Kage Baker
Oooh, a hard one. The Kushner.
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Devil You Know, Mike Carey
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
Abstain. I’ve not read the Carey, and I’m not so in love with the Lynch as to vote for it anyway.
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
The Darkness That Comes Before, R. Scott Bakker
Abstain. I’ve not read the Bakker.
7. CATS AND DOGS
Fudoki, Kij Johnson
Lonely Werewolf Girl, Martin Millar
Abstain. I’ve read neither.
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
Spirit Gate, Kate Elliot
The Year of Our War, Steph Swainston
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
The Blue Girl, Charles de Lint
Graceling, Kristin Cashore
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
The Limits of Enchantment, Graham Joyce
Child of a Rainless Year, Jane Lindskold
Abstain; I’ve not read either. I really like Lindskold, but have somehow missed this book.
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
Vellum, Hal Duncan
In the Night Garden, Catherynne M. Valente
Abstain. Not read either.
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
Priestess of the White, Trudi Canavan
Priestess of the White is good, but really? You had to ask? Hodgell.
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Flesh and Spirit, Carol Berg
Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin
Another abstention.
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist
Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison
And another. I’ve read the Harrison, but not the Lindqvist.
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
The Beasts of Clawstone Castle, Eva Ibbotson
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
And another; I’ve read the Jones, but not the Ibbotson.
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
Is Snake Agent the one with the teapot badger? If it is, yeah, I’m voting for the Williams.
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
Briggs was good enough to make me want to look at the rest of the series, (which I haven’t yet), but this felt like a new mash-up of genres, while Briggs was a familiar genre.
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
7. CATS AND DOGS
Fudoki, Kij Johnson
Lonely Werewolf Girl, Martin Millar
Half tempted to vote for Johnson based on the strength of Fox Woman, but Fudoki is on the TBR shelves. Abstain.
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Flesh and Spirit, Carol Berg
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
The Beasts of Clawstone Castle, Eva Ibbotson
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
I so want to vote for Jones, but I haven’t read Ibbotson, so I abstain with regret. (sob)
The others were abstentions without need for commentary. Just as well I was belated on the last bracket thanks to being at a wedding, though; it was slightly easier to read the fait accompli than it might have been to vote for some of them.
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
Abstain
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
Lin McAllister–yes. Yes you are. 😉
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
The Anvil of the World, Kage Baker
OMG, Kyra! ARGH!!!
TIE (pout)
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
Abstain
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
7. CATS AND DOGS
Abstain
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
Abstain
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
Graceling, Kristin Cashore
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
Abstain
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
In the Night Garden, Catherynne M. Valente
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
Abstain
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Abstain
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Abstain
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
@Cally,
“Is Snake Agent the one with the teapot badger?”
YES!
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
Gap city. :-/
1. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
3. His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
5. The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
6. The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
16. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
I just found out that The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein is on sale for $0.99.
http://www.rosemarykirstein.com/2015/09/temporary-price-drop-otherwise-known-as-a-sale/
I love these books. I love the worldbuilding, the reveal of the ~spoiler~, the societies in her books and figuring out what all the ~spoilers~ really are.
If you haven’t read them yet, this may just be the best $0.99 you’ve ever spent.
> “(Actually, I’m now digging into Hodgell, based on hints from some comments threads somewhere.)”
Sounds like a website with extremely good taste.
Dawn Incognito on September 13, 2015 at 12:49 pm said:
Did somebody say… X-Files? http://www.shaenon.com/monsteroftheweek/
Brian V on September 13, 2015 at 1:25 pm said:
This is one of the most frustrating and offensive things that has been coming from the puppy clan all along — the aggressive presumption of bad faith on the part of anybody they see as being on the other side. You know, writers, fans, reviewers, and especially Hugo voters — not a one of us is afforded the courtesy of being assumed to like what we say we like, for the reasons we claim to like it.
I think it’s their inability to let go of that specific tenet that is keeping this controversy churning. Every supposed olive branch has a little thorn — the puppies will stop whining, sure, the moment everyone else in fandom is willing to accept their version of our motives, character, and literary tastes.
Previously I’ve written here of how conservatives could find things in the Ancillary novels to like if they went looking. With October 6 coming, I turned those thoughts into a blog post as a public service for our right-wing friends. I hate to think of them missing out on all the fun.
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
The Sun Sword, Michelle West
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
Abstain
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews
The Atrocity Archives.
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
Moon Called, Patricia Briggs
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
Errg. Hate your dice. Hate them. I love both these books. I love both these series. Tie.
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
The Anvil of the World, Kage Baker
Abstain
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Devil You Know, Mike Carey
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
Abstain. Note with pleasure library has The Devil You Know. Check out the e-book.
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
The Darkness That Comes Before, R. Scott Bakker
Abstain
7. CATS AND DOGS
Fudoki, Kij Johnson
Lonely Werewolf Girl, Martin Millar
Abstain
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
Spirit Gate, Kate Elliot
The Year of Our War, Steph Swainston
Abstain Library has neither.
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
The Blue Girl, Charles de Lint
Graceling, Kristin Cashore
Abstain. Check Library. Graceling yes, Blue Girl, no. Place hold on Graceling.
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
The Limits of Enchantment, Graham Joyce
Child of a Rainless Year, Jane Lindskold
Abstain. Library has neither (in e-book.)
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
Vellum, Hal Duncan
In the Night Garden, Catherynne M. Valente
Abstain. Place hold on Night Garden.
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
Priestess of the White, Trudi Canavan
Aaarg. Abstain, check library. Priestess of the White is available. Borrow.
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Flesh and Spirit, Carol Berg
Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin
Abstain
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist
Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison
Abstain
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
The Beasts of Clawstone Castle, Eva Ibbotson
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
Abstain Check library. Clawstone Castle not found. Borrow Conrad’s Fate.
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
Abstain. Check library. Borrow Snake Agent.
I’m going to go read. I may be some time.
I love that so many here are slagging John Wright’s fourth novel in a series they haven’t read based on on one page and getting nearly everything wrong. You prove the puppies points. Pre-disposed to dislike Wright’s work based on dislike of him, y’all nit-pick a single short page to gloatingly trash a writer’s work.
Y’all stay classy as always…
[daytime TV announcer voice] “Next, on Oprah: WOMEN WHO KILL GODS, AND THE MEN WHO LOVE THEM!”
Kyra’s brackets: Sigh. Too many good books I haven’t read…
Deranged stardrives: I came up with something conceptually akin to Harrison’s Bloater Drive, but with interesting distinctive features the Bloater Drive lacks. I give you…
…the Imaginary Drive!!!
This beast has one bit of requisite handwavium—a means of imparting to real matter, a velocity measured in imaginary units. That is, velocity of (X times the square root of -1) meters per second.
Plug an imaginary velocity into the relevant equation, and you end up with time dilation of the accelerated kind, plus increased length in the direction of travel, plus reduction of mass.
Since accelerating to an imaginary velocity does not involve any change in real velocity, you can have an arbitrarily ‘fast’ acceleration without any harmful side-effects on cargo or passengers or crew. Similarly, imaginary acceleration does not consume any real energy, which greatly simplifies the fuel situation.
How does it work, you ask? Splendidly!
Step one—Nail the back end of your vehicle to the planet you’re on.
Step two—Aim the front end of your vehicle at your destination.
Step three—Apply imaginary acceleration sufficient to make your vehicle vehicle stretch forward all the way to the destination. Since you nailed the back end of your vehicle to the starting point in Step 1, the front of of your vehicle will of course have arrived at the destination.
Step four—Nail the front end of your vehicle to the destination.
Step five—Pull the nail out of your vehicle’s back end.
Step six—Decelerate to an imaginary velocity of 0i (units are irrelevant here). As you decelerate, your vehicle will shrink in the direction of travel; since one end of the vehicle is nailed to the destination, it follows that the vehicle will be there when it reaches imaginary rest.
One nice feature of the imaginary drive is that relative velocities can be safely ignored. Given the astronomically vast tau factor that must be achieved in order for the vehicle to stretch all the way to a distant star, the vehicle’s ‘internal time’ must necessarily be accelerated to such a degree that the entire rest of the universe will be absolutely motionless by comparison (to a first approximation, at least). Therefore, relative velocity is zero.
Another nice feature is that there is no danger of colliding with anything while in transit. The vehicle’s increase in length must necessarily increase its volume by whatever the tau factor is; as well, the vehicle’s mass drops by that same tau factor. Increased volume, plus reduced mass, equals greatly reduced density. Given the tau factor that’s needed in order to travel to another star, the vehicle’s density ends up being essentially indistinguishable from that of intergalactic space, which means all other matter can safely interpenetrate the volume of space occupied by the vehicle.
1-16
ABSTAINS IN ALL BRACKETS
HANDS IN FAN CARD
(I wasn’t reading a lot of SF/F in the years that most of those came out. Still read 5 of them, albeit in the last five or so years, but not both books in any bracket.)
@Ultragotha: I actually just saw that and bought it.
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
No contest.
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews
Again, no contest, since Stross’ fiction has never worked for me.
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
Moon Called, Patricia Briggs
Difficult decision, but Briggs wins out narrowly.
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Anvil of the World, Kage Baker
Again, a difficult decision.
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Devil You Know, Mike Carey
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
Rothfuss wins by default, because I dislike Bakker’s work intensely.
7. CATS AND DOGS
Fudoki, Kij Johnson
Lonely Werewolf Girl, Martin Millar
Abstain.
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
Spirit Gate, Kate Elliot
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
The Blue Girl, Charles de Lint
Another difficult decision, but de Lint narrowly wins over Graceling.
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
Child of a Rainless Year, Jane Lindskold
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
Vellum, Hal Duncan
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
God Stalk!
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
The Beasts of Clawstone Castle, Eva Ibbotson
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
Abstain
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
Regarding “Blackie”, the name immediately makes me think of the late great German actor Joachim “Blackie” Fuchsberger, except that I doubt JCW has ever heard of him.
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
The Darkness That Comes Before, R. Scott Bakker
-Disliked both. Can I vote for The Great and Secret Show?
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
The Blue Girl, Charles de Lint
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
Are you archiving these? I’d like to use them as general recommendation lists.
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Anvil of the World, Kage Baker
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
I’ve read a lot less in this heat – and care less about voting for the ones I have read. Until we get to 13 – two books I love, aargh! Tie.
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
The Sun Sword, Michelle West
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews
Abstain
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
Moon Called, Patricia Briggs
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
Love Temeraire!
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
The Anvil of the World, Kage Baker
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Devil You Know, Mike Carey
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
The Darkness That Comes Before, R. Scott Bakker
abstain
7. CATS AND DOGS
Fudoki, Kij Johnson
Lonely Werewolf Girl, Martin Millar
argh. Tough call. Fudoki by a nose
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
Spirit Gate, Kate Elliot
The Year of Our War, Steph Swainston
abstain
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
The Blue Girl, Charles de Lint
Graceling, Kristin Cashore
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
The Limits of Enchantment, Graham Joyce
Child of a Rainless Year, Jane Lindskold
abstain
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
Vellum, Hal Duncan
In the Night Garden, Catherynne M. Valente
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
To Ride a Rathorn, P. C. Hodgell
Priestess of the White, Trudi Canavan
abstain
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Flesh and Spirit, Carol Berg
Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist
Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
The Beasts of Clawstone Castle, Eva Ibbotson
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
Some tough decisions, but the cold cloths will help. Thank you for all of your hard work, Kyra!
Leaving out the ones where I didn’t read either of them (although some of them are on my TBR pile, which is a bit annoying), or did read them but didn’t particularly like them…
3. His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
BECAUSE DRAGONS.
9. Graceling, Kristin Cashore
You know, I looked this up and it only got 6 votes in the Hugo nominations stage. Did the buzz not build up until later? Did it have the misfortune to be released in November? Nevertheless, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Great story, interesting magic.
12. Priestess of the White, Trudi Canavan
I like one of Canavan’s other series more, but these had some great characters.
15.
The Beasts of Clawstone Castle, Eva Ibbotson
Conrad’s Fate, Diana Wynne Jones
TIE. I can’t choose between them. Too much childhood nostalgia involved in those authors.
16. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
This was the last of the Harry Potter’s I really enjoyed. They just got too damn long at the end.
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Snake Agent, Liz Williams
HEAT TWO – MASTERS OF THE MIDDLE-AUGHTS
1. YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
The Sun Sword, Michelle West
2. THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews
3. THIS IS NOT WHAT I TRAINED FOR
Moon Called, Patricia Briggs
4. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT I TRAINED FOR
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
5. WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
6. MASTERING THE GREATEST MAGIC
Abstain
7. CATS AND DOGS
Abstrain
8. GOT WINGS, GOING TO FLY
Spirit Gate, Kate Elliot
9. SWORN TO PROTECT A WORLD THAT FEARS AND HATES THEM
The Blue Girl, Charles de Lint
10. MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
Abstain
11. STORIES WITHIN STORIES WITHIN STORIES
Abstain
12. WOMEN WHO KILL GODS
Abstain
13. THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN I KNEW
Abstain
14. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison
15. STATELY BRITISH MANSES
Abstain
16. DARK DOINGS DOWN AT THE MINISTRY
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
Question: Am I allowed to menace people who don’t vote for dragons? 😉
Missed the first heat. Whoops.
2. The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross
3. Moon Called, Patricia Briggs
(aka “Menaced by Meredith” 🙂 )
16. Snake Agent, Liz Williams
Regarding “girl cooties”, I think everyone should go look at today’s (9/13) Bloom County 2015. It’s delightful.
BC2015 is the only thing I go to the book of face for.
@Kevin Hogan
*shakes menacing crutch*
(Rather than my hey I’m over here crutch)
(They’re both pink)
2. The Atrocity Archives
3. Moon Called. This is my favorite among the urban fantasy series I’ve read, mostly because Briggs seems to really get the way that individuals with no role in a hierarchy can move within it and shake things up. The heroine is a coyote-shifting auto mechanic, who has allies and owes favors but isn’t part of any of the supernatural power structures. The romance aspects don’t overpower plot, in my opinion, and there are varied secondary characters who grow and change.
4. Privilege of the Sword
9. The Blue Girl
10. The Limits of Enchantment
Child of a Rainless Year
Gaaah! Your dice can’t do this to me this early in the brackets! I made the proper offerings!
TIE.
11. Catherynne M. Valente, but can I vote for 6 Gun Snow White instead? That just totally bowled me over…
16. Snake Agent
I want to see this as a movie. Better yet, an anime. It is everything I love about Hong Kong supernatural action movies…oh, it could be gorgeous.