Reviewers Attack and Counter-Attack

By Anne Marble: Molly X. Chang is one of those authors whose upcoming book (To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods) was first attacked (review-bombed) by Cait Corrain. Now, she is being attacked by some reviewers. And they claimed her fans were attacking them over their negative reviews of her ARC.

Reportedly, it started when Chang had issues with some early one-star reviews (because she figured out that one of the reviewers was related to another author with an upcoming debut). She was worried about being review-bombed yet again. So some reviewers claimed they were being attacked by Chang’s followers. Some wonder if that was true, as shown in this tweet:

Chang was accused of “doxing” a reviewer. But from what I can tell, all Chang did was link the identity of a Goodreads reviewer to her Instagram account. That is not doxing. Chang did not post her address, phone number, etc. But now, that reviewer is allegedly telling people to post one-star reviews of the Chang book. What?!

Some of these reviewers accused Chang of writing a “colonizer” romance inspired by her grandfather’s horrible experiences in China (during the Second Sino-Japanese War). These “reviewers” are giving everyone the impression that the bad guys are based on the Japanese — and that the book is about the notorious Unit 731. But others have pointed out that the book is a fantasy novel — and the bad guys are based on the Roman Empire.

The reviewers might have great points. Maybe the book isn’t great. Maybe it is not nuanced in the way it deals with trauma.

But those points got lost in this mess.  Especially once people started sending racist and violent posts to Chang. Also, people have had to point out that … Writers are allowed to write about dark things that are inspired by their ancestors’ pasts. Just because they do that doesn’t mean they are “normalizing” those things or “fetishizing” them or whatever the claim is this time.

Chang was forced to comment on these accusations — and provide spoilers for her book to settle some of the controversies. She had to spoil that the book is not an “enemies-to-lovers” romance. That the “love interest” in this book is not the actual love interest in the series, and that the heroine comes to realize how terrible he is.

Here are some of her tweets:

There is a Reddit discussion here: “Does anyone know what’s up with To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods on Goodreads?”

Some people have started taking notes on these so-called reviewers — not only questioning their claims but also questioning their motives.

Here is a screencap of one of Chang’s posts.

Also, here is a post from someone claiming the reviewers have been harassed:

Andrea Stewart commented on X:

Writers Protest Illegal Selling of Fanfiction

By Anne Marble: Fanfiction is known for tropes like enemies-to-lovers. But some vendors have become the enemies of the fanfic community — by making a profit from fanfiction.

These vendors are breaking one of rules of the fanfiction world: Don’t make a profit from fanfic. Even worse, they’re making a profit from someone else’s fanfiction. And putting the whole fanfic community in jeopardy.

Along with many others, Diane Duane shared this post about people who are binding and selling fanfic:

The original post starts here. This thread shows lots of examples. You can find bound fanfic on Etsy and other vendors. You’ll find examples if you explore the fanfic category. There is even a Fanfiction Book Binding category.

Some vendors try to protect themselves by saying they are not selling the fanfic (as that’s illegal) — they are selling binding services. I am not a lawyer but that sounds like a grey area.

The important thing to note is that the fanfic writers are not behind this. They are not giving their permission — and they not getting compensated. Creators of fanart are also seeing their work sold on Etsy and other sites.

As a result of this, many established fanfic writers (and artists) have started pulling all their work from fanfic sites. So beloved stories and artwork that have been available to fans for free are now lost because somebody wanted to make money out of them.

It has also been pointed out that this endangers all fanfiction. The companies that own the rights to these characters and stories have been ignoring the fanfiction — because it does not make money. If that changes, they could very well go back to suing fanfic writers (and artists). (Point made by @ramsay_b_OFMD here.)

Fans used to print out their favorite fanfic, add their own artwork, and even share it with friends for free. This is not what is going on now.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 57 Launches March 5

The 57th issue of the Uncanny Magazine, winner of seven Hugos and a British Fantasy Award, will be available on March 5 2 at uncannymagazine.com

Hugo Award-winning Publishers Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas are proud to present the 57th issue of their seven-time Hugo Award-winning online science fiction and fantasy magazine, Uncanny Magazine. Stories from Uncanny Magazine have been finalists or winners of Hugo, Nebula, Locus, Sturgeon, and World Fantasy Awards. As always, Uncanny features passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, provocative nonfiction, and a deep investment in the diverse SF/F culture, along with a Parsec Award-winning monthly podcast featuring a story, poem, and interview from that issue. 

All of Uncanny Magazine’s content will be available in eBook versions on the day of release from Weightless Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo. Subscriptions are always available through Weightless Books. The free online content will be released in 2 stages- half on day of release and half on April 2. 

Follow Uncanny on their website, or on Twitter and Facebook.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 57 Table of Contents:

Cover

  • Forever Traveler by Antonio Javier Caparo

Editorial

  • “The Uncanny Valley” by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas

Fiction

  • “Stitched to Skin like Family Is” by Nghi Vo (3/5)
  • “The Robot” by Lavie Tidhar (3/5)
  • “Afflictions of the New Age” by Katherine Ewell (3/5)
  • “The Best-Ever Cosplay of Whistle and Midnight” by Annalee Newitz (4/2)
  • “A Magical Correspondence, to the Tune of Heartstrings” by Valerie Valdes (4/2)
  • “Redshift ||| Shiftred” by Parlei Rivière (4/2)
  • “The God, Descendant” by Amanda Helms (3/5)

Nonfiction

  • Richard Bowes—A Remembrance (3/5)
  • “Orcs” by G. Willow Wilson (3/5)
  • “Pseudotranslation and the Art of Made-Up Words” by Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko (3/5)
  • “Scalzi on Film: The Godzilla Beeper” by John Scalzi (4/2)
  • “Like Father, Like Son: EvangelionShin Kamen Rider, and Masculinity” by Brandon O’Brien (4/2)

Poetry

  • “pockets full of stones” by Jennifer Mace (3/5)
  • “AN OPEN LETTER TO CREATURES” by Zaynab Iliyasu Bobi (3/5)
  • “The Sea-Witches at Nightfall” by Tiffany Morris (4/2)
  • “In blue sight” by Eva Papasoulioti (4/2)

Interviews

  • Nghi Vo interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (3/5)
  • Valerie Valdes interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (4/2)

Podcasts

  • Episode 57A (3/5): Editors’ Introduction, “The Robot” by Lavie Tidhar, as read by Matt Peters, “pockets full of stones” by Jennifer Mace, as read by Erika Ensign, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Lavie Tidhar.
  • Episode 57B (4/2): Editors’ Introduction, “The Best-Ever Cosplay of Whistle and Midnight” by Annalee Newitz, as read by Erika Ensign, “The Sea-Witches at Nightfall” by Tiffany Morris, as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Annalee Newitz.

The Complete Yeti

By SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie: The idea of hairy, ape-like creatures roaming around the Himalayas has been around for centuries. But could the yeti actually be real? The BBC Radio 4 Yeti series has now been fully aired and all ten episodes are available for download (without a BBC Sounds account which is good news for those diligently keeping a light personal digital footprint).

Now, I am not a huge one for Fortean documentaries as these are largely woo-woo. However, as a bioscientist, cryptobiology has a certain appeal. For example, the coelacanth anyone? This series certainly grabbed me, but then I am a sucker having the moral fibre with the breaking strain of a chocolate Mars Milky Way bar.

In this series, two adventurers delve deep into the myth, legend and reality of the mysterious creature that is said to roam the Himalayas. Andrew Benfield and Richard Horsey travel across the mountain range searching for evidence that the yeti might actually exist.

What they really need is a sample to DNA test…

Each episode is about 25 minutes long.

No spoiler, but one set of DNA found turned out to be Peter Cushing’s.

Or did it…? Rod Serling says ‘Hi’ from the Twilight Zone…

Cider Reviews Lamb Tripe Treats

Happy Fourth of July! A dog who is mostly indifferent to fireworks helps make it so.

Review by Cider: Lis got me this packet of Lamb Tripe Treats from our friend Paula, who does important stuff for the Greater Derry Humane Society. I could tell right away it smelled really good, but despite my best efforts I couldn’t get it open myself. Lis did it easily; I think she cheated this time. This kind is called “green tripe,” but I don’t know what other kinds there are.

So then she let me sniff one of the tripe thingies.

As I had suspected, it smelled really yummy! Lis says it’s made from a lamb’s stomach lining, and lots of humans don’t like it, but most dogs do. Cats, too. All I can say is, if you humans don’t like it, more for us hardworking service animals, mousers, credentials, and household companions.

Turns out they also break easily into smaller pieces, so “it will spoil your supper” will never be a valid excuse for not letting me have some!

With any luck, Lis won’t get much better at breaking them up. What are my chances, do you think?

I decided to go for the smaller piece first,

but I kept a close eye on the packet and the bigger piece, and got the bigger piece, too.

Fortunately, it turns out Lis wasn’t kidding about not liking it herself, and I got to finish off the whole stick!

It’s good to know that this is a healthy, chewy treat for both dogs and cats, who are I think the two most popular credentials and household companions here. I honestly don’t know if it’s good for birds. I suppose it might depend on what kind of bird.

But dogs and cats can enjoy it safely.

Straczynski News Roundup About Ellison Foundation

The Lost Aztec Temple of Mars

J. Michael Straczynski has given Facebook readers an update about the accomplishments of the Harlan and Susan Ellison Foundation.

An initial round of improvements has been made to the Ellison house:

1) The first stage of improvements/repairs to the house has been completed in preparation for becoming a Memorial Library. This includes: structural repairs for leaks and other issues, installation of a state-of-the-art security system with cameras and a bunch of other wonderfulnesses, building a new back wall and reinforcing the property to keep the house from sliding downhill, and landscaping to create an area looking out over the valley for talks and other events. Stage Two will include repairing/renovating the Lost Aztec Temple of Mars, making other large repairs, putting in safety measures for folks visiting the library, and setting up audio and video systems to run during visits.

The October auction of items from Ellison’s collections has brought in enough income to put the Foundation on a solid footing:

2) This and other work for the Foundation, can now be paid for by funds earned by the recent Heritage Auction, which total approximately one million dollars. This ensures that the Foundation will be solvent and viable well into the foreseeable future.

An Ellison assistant continues to help and receive her full salary:

3) Even before this, back when I first came on as Executor, we informed Sharon, Harlan’s assistant for nearly 40 years. who was crucial to Susan coping with his passing, and is now helping with the Foundation and looking after the house, that she would continue to receive her full salary in perpetuity for the rest of her life.

The Foundation has filed as a California nonprofit corporation and is in good standing:

4) The Harlan and Susan Ellison Foundation is now a certified nonprofit corporation, which ensures that the company will be run according to all the state, local and federal rules and regulations governing such nonprofits long after I’ve gone to dust.

Commercial development of Ellison’s properties for the media, publishing plans for The Last Dangerous Visions and its predecessors, as well as a new collection of his greatest stories, are all in train:

5) Several of Harlan’s properties are now in active development for TV and film. More on this as and when I can discuss it.

6) In order to build up to the release of The Last Dangerous Visions as a major publishing Event, Blackstone Publishing will be releasing all of the DV books in sequence, starting with the original DV in Fall ’23, Again Dangerous Visions Spring 24, and TLDV Fall ’24.

7) A major publisher (holding off on the name pending a formal announcement by the company) recently won the rights to publish Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits in a fierce auction between several companies. The book presents 17 of Harlan’s most famous, award-winning stories that span his career. It will be published as a mass-market paperback, audio, kindle, and a collector’s edition illustrated hardcover, setting the stage for a deal to reprint all of Harlan’s prior collections.

Best of all, the book will be distributed through the company’s Classics line, which puts it in the same historical category as books by Kurt Vonnegut, Philip Roth, and other authors who have earned a place in American literature. This means it have a significant presence in bookstores, libraries and universities, will be covered by the mainstream press, and that it will be given the critical attention his work deserves.

Fundraising Continues For Maryann Harris, Wife Of Trailblazing Author Charles De Lint

[Three days remain in the Tamson House Arts Fest opportunity.]

By Julie Bartel: As you might have heard, MaryAnn Harris (artist, musician, and creative partner of Charles de Lint) has been in hospital since September 6, 2021 recovering from Powassan virus, an extremely rare tick-borne illness. She’s made incredible progress over the past year, but remains unable to breath or move on her own. (You can read the whole story here.)

The Tamson House Arts Fest is an online auction which will run throughout the month of November in support of MaryAnn and Charles. Our hope is to raise enough to cover the cost of the additional therapies that MaryAnn needs in order to go home, including increased physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and respiratory therapy, and mental health support. 100% of funds raised will go directly to Charles for MaryAnn’s care. With her blessing and in consultation with Charles and MaryAnn’s sister Lynn, we’re asking our community to join us in a virtual celebration of MaryAnn and Charles and we’re hoping you might be willing to donate to the cause and perhaps do a little holiday shopping for yourself or your loved ones. To visit the Tamson House Arts Fest online auction go to galabid.com/harrisdelintrecovery

The auction runs through November 30th, ending at 8pm MST.

Lukyanenko Comments on RT Host Anton Krasovsky’s Controversial Remarks

Russian news outlet Rise has posted Sergey Lukyanenko’s reaction to shocking statements RT presenter Anton Krasovsky made earlier this month while the sff author was being interviewed on his program. (See “During Lukianenko’s Appearance on Russia’s RT, Presenter Calls for Drowning Ukrainian Children”.)

On the air, after Lukyanenko said that when he was 12 years old he came to Ukraine, and even then his peers told him that “Ukraine was occupied by Muscovites,” Krasovsky said “They should have been drowned in the Tysyna (river). Just drown those children, drown them.” Alternatively, he said, they could be shoved into huts and burned. Lukyanenko merely replied, “In Russia [they] traditionally used rods. They are better than the river.” 

However, Sergey Lukyanenko, told the Russian news outlet Rise on October 23:

“I immediately expressed my opinion on this matter. Anton spoke, of course, very provocatively. I understand that this is such a journalistic technique. But it seems to me that such statements should not be allowed even within the framework of a provocative statement. Let it be on his conscience.”

(“Писатель Лукьяненко предположил, что призыв Красовского топить украинских детей был «журналистским приёмом” — “The writer Lukyanenko suggested that Krasovsky’s call to drown Ukrainian children was ‘a journalistic technique’”.)

Krasovsky was suspended by RT for his statements. However, The Daily Beast’s Julia Davis says RT’s editor-in-chief already is laying the groundwork for his return (“RT Boss Margarita Simonyan Hints She’ll Reinstate Host Anton Krasovsky, Who Suggested Drowning Ukrainian Kids”.)

Lukyanenko is a guest of honor of the 2023 Chengdu Worldcon.

Talking with Author and Narrator Travis Baldree

Guest Post By Jennifer Dowell, Managing Editor, AudioFile: No one was more surprised than author and narrator Travis Baldree when his cozy fantasy novel Legends & Lattes became a runaway hit—even before it was published. “I feel like I accidentally held my bucket under the right storm cloud,” Baldree says. He wrote it during National Novel Writing Month—something he’d tried before, but this is the first book he’d finished that way. “I narrate lots of action-adventure stuff. It’s always big stakes and the world’s going to end. And I’m also usually reading stuff that’s from the perspective of a guy. So I just wanted to write something that wasn’t that at all.”

Then he decided to self-publish the book and audiobook, which he narrated himself. “Because I work with all these indie authors, I was like, you know what? I want to go through everything that they go through because I like to learn stuff and I’m just curious what their side of the equation is.” Baldree got the book edited and commissioned a cover illustration. When he shared the cover art on Twitter, fantasy author Seanan McGuire retweeted it to her 74,000 followers. “Later on, she also read the book and said nice things about it. She added a whole lot of fairy dust to the proceedings.” The book continued to go viral on TikTok and Instagram. “It’s really rewarding because it’s a book about people mostly being nice, so if people like it, that’s what they liked. It’s a really pleasant feedback loop.”

Legends & Lattes was such a success that agents came calling, and Baldree ended up with a book deal. “It was all very not planned and not expected, and I’m kind of humbled by the whole thing,” Baldree says. Tor/Macmillan will re-launch the book in November, and Baldree, who’s now working on a sequel, will embark on a book tour in the U.S. and the UK. Luckily, audiobook fans don’t have to wait—Baldree’s Earphones Award-winning performance is available now.

Baldree’s day job as a narrator keeps him busy. “I think I do about 70 hours of audio a month,” he says. He was a video game developer before he was a narrator. Then he started narrating audiobooks “on the side, for fun.” More and more narrating work came his way. “At some point, a couple of years ago, I said, I actually like this better. So I retired from game development and switched to doing it full time and kind of haven’t looked back.” Now he narrates fantasy and GameLit titles, many for authors who are independently publishing their audiobooks. One of his favorites is Will Wight’s Cradle series, which Baldree calls an indie phenomenon and “absolute fun.”

When he’s not narrating or writing, what does Baldree do with his time? “Weirdly, I still like to read for fun. I read a lot of novellas. I like short, concise stories that I can finish in between sessions or on a break day. Liking words and liking writing is probably a good prerequisite for being a narrator.”


AudioFile Magazine is the place to discover more about audiobooks.  Every day, its reviews and recommendations tell you which audiobooks are worth your listening time. AudioFile reviews about 50 audiobooks a week, features narrator profiles, and awards exceptional performances with AudioFile’s Earphones Awards. AudioFile publishes in print, newsletters, and a blog, and podcasts daily recommendations on Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine.

Gofundme Appeal to Help Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki Attend World Fantasy Convention

Photo (right) by Richard Man.

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki made it to the Worldcon in Chicago after a suspense-filled visa application process and is able to stay in the U.S. til next February. While he’s here he’d like to attend the World Fantasy Convention 2022 being held in New Orleans from November 3-6. He’s also asking help in covering the extraordinary expenses caused by the last-minute travel changes to get to Chicon 8.

“Send Oghenechovwe Ekpeki to World Fantasy Con” is a Gofundme started by Jason Sanford.

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki is the first African editor to be a finalist for the World Fantasy Award, with the awards to be presented at the 2022 World Fantasy Convention in New Orleans. He’s nominated in the best anthology category for the first ever Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction anthology, which he edited and published. Ekpeki would like to maximize the opportunity of being in the States and attend the World convention. It’s an opportunity that would normally cost infinitely more without a visa and were he out of the country.

A successful previous fundraiser brought Ekpeki to this year’s Worldcon, where he was a finalist for two Hugo Awards. However, his gruesome battle with the US embassy in Nigeria for a visa and exorbitant fees and repeated payments resulting from that (including last-minute changes to his international flights) resulted in costs far exceeding what that fundraiser brought in. So this new fundraiser would also mop up those expenses as well.

The costs to be covered by this fundraiser are:

  • WFC Registration: $250
  • Flight to and from convention plus expenses: $1000
  • Hotel (5 nights): $1250
  • Resolving fees and payments from WorldCon 2nd visa hassle and resulting last-minute flight changes: $1500
  • Total: $4000

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki explained for File 770, “My visa is for 2 years. Though not a straight stay. I have to go out and in severally. At intervals. This first interval is 6 months. So I’m good till February.” Then he will go back out and return in March when he is a guest of honor at the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts.

Before then he’d like to maximize the benefit of his trip to the U.S. by going to World Fantasy Con. “I am attending WFC because think about it, I’m already here. No need for visa hassle. Already went through that. No need for cross continental flights which are Uber expensive. Already did that too. It’s actually cheaper for me to attend. Since I already paid a humongous price to be here. It’s maxing out the work I took to get here attending. It’d be a loss of some of that effort if I didn’t.

“Another thing. A huge part of the reason for the Gofundme isnt just the WFC but to mop up the WorldCon expenses which were infinitely more than people know. Almost the entire money I crowdfunded was finished on just getting a visa interview appointment. People don’t know what it is leaving a Third World country for the U.S. Corruption plus racism plus discrimination.

“Then the whole war and another interview. Then cross continental flights booked within 24 hours of flying time. You know how expensive flights get when they are close? That’s thousands of dollars. Not my fault, because I got visa a day before the event. Then I missed a flight, booked another same day flight. I flew across 3 continents to get here.

“Then they forced me to book a return ticket I wouldn’t need. Cuz racism. Even though I had a visa. It’s been my own money, plus loans and so much more ingenuity the average person can’t imagine.

“Some of this is to recover those unexpected costs. But it made sense for me too. It would be penny wise pound foolish, a loss of a great chance not to attend World Fantasy Con, too. I want to max out my allotted stay, the six months. Because why do all that, and not?”