(1) Rob Cottingham’s “Ancillary Stapler” at Medium.com is highly recommended.
I am lost in thought when Coffeemaker speaks to me, timidly, to say she is almost empty.
Not the emptiness of a depleted urn; it is still half full. No, this is the emptiness that strikes at Coffeemaker’s soul: there are no beans in her hopper. When Coffeemaker dreams, this is how her nightmares end.
Marketing Six checks the bean level regularly, even though that isn’t in her job description, but Marketing Six isn’t here this morning, is she? Off sick. I reach out, and find her iPhone’s location coordinates.
“Address Book, where does Marketing Six live?” I ask silently.
“Not at a Starbucks in Eastgate Square Shopping Mall,” she says. I didn’t know Address Book could be wry.
(2) A previously unsuspected musical subgenre – Vulcabilly.
(3) Prowse Still Grumpy, Film at 11.
The original Darth Vader actor, asked about his interest Star Wars: The Force Awakens, told the Guardian:
“It depends,” he said. “It depends if I’m playing the part of Darth Vader in it … Yes – then I’d be very interested. But if they’re putting somebody else in Darth Vader’s mask, then I’m not the slightest bit interested.”
(4) At SF Signal – “SF/F Crowdfunding Roundup: Familiar, ZILF!, Spanish Women of Wonder”.
(5) It will be even harder to be a “dirt farmer” on Mars. Jim Bell, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University, will discuss how hard in a lecture titled “Soils of Mars: Keys to Understanding the Habitability of the Red Planet” at the Soil Science Society of America’s annual meeting on November 18.
(6) The “Journey To Space” exhibition opened today at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
Of the more than 7 billion people on Earth, less than 600 have ever left our home planet to experience the beauty, wonder, and danger of space.
Now it’s your turn….
In the harsh, airless environment of space, peril is everywhere. Meteoroids soar by at speeds that can make them deadly to astronauts. Temperature fluctuates from burning hot to unbearably cold. It’s up to scientists to develop the technology that keeps astronauts safe. Journey to Space: The Exhibition’s hands-on exhibits and immersive experiences give you a chance to not only see that amazing technology (including Neil Armstrong’s glove), but to try handling some of the challenges of space travel yourself.
Take a turn managing the energy of a simulated orbiting space station, operate a robotic arm, and find out how astronauts eat, sleep, and even go to the bathroom in space. See if you have “the right stuff” to deal with the disorienting environment of zero gravity as you step into a rotating chamber, inspired by the International Space Station’s Destiny Module, and feel what it’s like to be in a place where there is no up and no down. Designed with the help of astronauts and space scientists, Journey to Space: The Exhibition will inspire the astronaut, engineer and scientist in all of us.
(7) Juliet McKenna appeals for donations to the GoFundMe benefitting Rochita Loenen Ruiz —
Rochita Loenen Ruiz is a brave, generous and talented author and all round lovely person. She has suddenly, tragically lost her beloved husband, the father of her two young children, to an ultimately fatal heart attack.
We cannot comprehend her bereavement. But we can understand the practical challenges she and her family will face in the next little while. That at least is something we can help with.
A fundraising campaign has been set up by her closest friends via GoFundMe
As you will see on clicking through, an array of writers and publishers are offering rewards by way of thanks to those offering their support.
(8) Tom Knighton applauds Wil Wheaton’s refusal to let HuffPo post his stuff gratis.
Wheaton declined because he didn’t figure he needed the exposure. Frankly, I’m proud of him.
Any kind of creative type gets these “offers” all the time. Someone likes what you’re doing. They like it so much they want to utilize it in some way, either have your band play in their bar or run your blog post or something. “What do you pay?” you ask.
“Oh, we just pay in exposure,” they reply.
My reply? “Son, people die from exposure.”
Huffington Post is one of the biggest news websites out there. They can afford to pay for content. Yet they don’t. You know why? Because people will give it to them for free.
(9) Melinda Snodgrass will be executive producer overseeing the writing of Star Trek: Renegades.
Okay, so now I can talk about the work I’ll be doing for Star Trek: Renegades. As many of you probably know there has been a tradition of fans of the show making their own episodes and putting them up on-line. They range in quality, but some are produced by people in “the Industry” as we call it. Renegades is one of those.
I was approached by executive producer Sky Conway and asked if I would come on board. I said I would have to look at the pilot they had produced and also that they had to be a WGA signatory. I don’t work outside of my guild. I then went and watched Renegades and was very impressed.
A Kickstarter to fund production of Star Trek: Renegades episodes 2 and 3 is in progress. So far they have raised $100,535 of their $350,000 goal.
(10) If Alice Cooper has a middle name, it’s not “Humility.” Three of his own songs are in his Halloween Top 10.
There were monsters in rock songs before Alice Cooper surfaced in the early ‘70s with songs like “The Ballad of Dwight Fry,” “Dead Babies,” and “Killer,” But there weren’t monsters in rock. Cooper changed all that.
Yet despite his violence and gore, Cooper’s style of horror has always been akin to a carnival ride or a monster movie. The thrills are real, but the terror is not, which makes Cooper the ultimate character for Halloween tricks and treats.
Cooper recently talked to Yahoo Music about his 10 favorite Halloween songs, 30 percent of which happen to be his own. “I’m going to have a lot of songs in this top 10,” he explained, “because I’m the only one that really writes scary songs.”
(11) Today In History
- October 29, 1998 — In 1998, U.S. Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, who in 1962 became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth, returned to space aboard the shuttle Discovery. At 77, he became the oldest person to travel in space.
- October 29, 1969 — The first connection on what would become the Internet was made when bits of data flowed between computers at UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute.
(12) Today’s Birthday Boy
- Born October 29, 1947 — Actor Richard Dreyfuss, made famous by starring roles in American Graffiti, Jaws, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, is born in Brooklyn.
(13) Vox Day, in collaboration with artist Red Meat, has a new cartoon that explains the difference between the Ilk, the Dread Ilk, and the Vile Faceless Minions of Vox Popoli.
(14) Emperor Palpatine has been elected to a Ukranian city council; Chewbacca was arrested for campaigning for him…
A candidate who dresses as Star Wars villain Emperor Palpatine has been voted on to a Ukrainian city council despite standing as a joke.
According to fellow candidate Aleksandr Borovik, the man posing as Sheev Palpatine, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, won a place on Odessa City Council, in the south west of the country.
It comes after the local electoral commission revealed that 48 candidates from the Darth Vader Block political party were registered to stand in the local election.
It has been reported that Emperor Palatine won 54.4 per cent of the poll, causing Mr Borovik to speak of his disbelief, despite respecting the choice of voters
He told RT.com: ‘This is beyond my understanding. People, what’s wrong with you?’
(15) If you’re an optimist about there ever being a Pacific Rim 2, you’ll be glad to know that Guillermo del Toro has finished the script. He’s still looking for somebody to greenlight production, of course.
(16) According to “The definitive list of werewolf-friendly cities” Gregory Benford should beware – Irvine is #4 on this list. David Doering will be shocked to see which city is #1….
Werewolves, the cursed humans that turn into enormous beasts at the full moon, date back to the 15th century. Of old English folklore, supposed shapeshifters were put on trial in Switzerland in the 15th century, much like those believed to practice witchcraft.
In the spirit of Halloween, FindTheHome and FindTheCompany wanted to see where werewolves would live (if they do indeed exist) in the United States today. We looked at the following criteria to map likely werewolf haunts.
Cities deemed dog-friendly. Low number of gun shops and gunsmiths. Low prevalence of silver-producing companies (silver is rumored to be able to kill wolves).Low population density (where werewolves would be less easily found).
(17) Today is the day to see Son of Frankenstein at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.
[Thanks to Arnie Fenner, Will R., Mark-kitteh, Jonathan Olfert, Janice Gelb, John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Soon Lee.]
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Little old lady gotta cuppa tea late last night
Werewolves of Dublin again.
The one time I have sort of seen it was people saying how exciting it was to see Three Body Problem on the ballot, look at the way it demonstrates a new and exciting force in Science Fiction. The Puppies are horribly confused about TBP. They almost kept if off the ballot, but when the villainous Marko Kloos denounced them it got on, so that was somehow their doing. Teddy said how much he enjoyed it and thought it deserved to win, which explains why he almost kept it off.
Ultimately with Brad though, he’s got so many straw men that it’s very hard to tell when he’s off on a tangent or actually talking about reality.
Just seen a rec for The Vital Abyss by James S A Corey from Dozois via @SFEditorsPicks
Anyone read it?
@P J Evans
One of the workers on the new bridge took this picture of the fog over the river from above last month: http://www.dunfermlinepress.com/resources/images/4287203/
Apropos re-reading & the season, I’m re-reading Roger Zelazny’s “A Night in the Lonesome October”, recently reviewed by James Nicoll. It’s just delightful.
As Doctor Science mentioned Ivanhoe up-scroll, here’s a link to Conisbrough castle, which inspired the novel, for no other reason than it’s ten minutes down the road from me, and I happen to think the castle has a wonderful Norman keep (one of the best preserved in England). You’ll not be surprised to learn that Conisbrough has plenty of civic Ivanhoe references, including an Ivanhoe Community Centre and a Rowena Primary School.
http://www.conisbroughcastle.org.uk
I love _A Night In The Lonesome October_. I think I’ve read it three or four times.
@Susana:
“I’m reading it now, but have to report that I’m an old fogey of 44, and still get stopped in my tracks by perfectly valid sentences like this one: “the culturally potent literary subgenre of science fiction.”
I’m right there with you on that: “SF, you’ve certainly come along way!”
I feel compelled to delurk just to share with you all a song that I consider one of the creepiest ever. And so freaking tense. I love it so.
Slint, “Good Morning, Captain”
@Mark
Just finished The Vital Abyss and thought it was quite good. It’s essentially a character study of one of the individuals involved in the initial research on the protomolecule (and not a character who has thus far appeared in the main series). Tackles some heavy themes though, and there’s little of the humorous banter that takes the edge off in the novels, so not light reading by any stretch. But well written nonetheless.
@Brian V
Cheers. It’s cheap and short enough that I’ll happily give it a go then.
this picture of the fog over the river
It goes well with the pictures of the Golden Gate bridge in fog. (Which is also real fog – but it’s a summer thing.)
Re: Halloween music @Hampus
I was just listening to some Halloween music. I just sent one to some friends.
Do you have this one?
I’m surprised no one has mentioned John Carpenter and Alan Howarth’s soundtracks, particularly Halloween, although almost all of the material from the 1980’s would make great Halloween listening. In addition, The Birthday Party’s Release The Bats. Finally, there’s a lot of pre-swing jazz that has a spooky edge to it, Ellington’s St. Louis Toodle-oo comes to mind.
@ Simon Bisson
re: coywolves
Great article. I just saw a documentary about these animals a couple of weeks ago, actually a rerun carried by Netflix. I think it was a PBS project. Fascinating development.
I’ve also read/seen/heard that some paleoanthropologists hypothesize there was hybridization in the pre-human Australapithicine species that eventually gave rise to the homo genus. So we’re all mutts several times over.
The cartoon at #13 is actually quite amusing, at least in the claim that Teddy’s readers are like normal people, only smarter.
And it did clear up something I’d been mildly curious about for a while, namely what the difference (if any) between the Dead Elk and the Vile Tasteless Onions. (mildly curious, in this instance, not meaning “regarding as important enough to make any real effort to find an answer to”)
First up: Don’t forget to vote in round 1 region 4 of the live-action television bracket!
ETA: Next comment will have links to previous iterations of Round 1, Regions master list, and the bracket spreadsheet thingy, but it will get stuck in moderation for awhile.
ETA2: Oh hey the edit timer stays visible now! How exciting.
(Apologies for the interruption in service, apparently my body decided it needed to sleep all day. Body and I are not currently on speaking terms because of it, that morning schedule ruining bitch…)
Also, Amazon UK ebooks on sale:
As Mike Glyer says in his post, The Long Way to the Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers is on sale today. Lots of buzz from Filers, that one. Including this in case people miss the main post more than anything!
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
A favourite author with some Filers. Also part of my eternal quest to find something by him that I don’t get bored with very quickly. (Will this be the one?)
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
If anyone (else) needs to catch up on some classics or fill in their ebook copies to match (or replace) their physical bookshelves.
Fables, Vol. 1 by Bill Willingham
This is a critically acclaimed and fan-favourite comic book (the chatter during Willingham’s run on Robin was fascinating: “How can a writer so good ruin everything!?”), well-worth checking out if you’re looking to expand your comicsy knowledge whether from scratch or just away from the mainstream American superheroes. Fairy tale characters, but not how you usually see them.
The only Hugo-eligible work is the Becky Chambers, and from what I understand that might have a question mark over it. Still, some good stuff worth reading.
For Halloween songs, “Mrs. Ravoon”; criminally, there’s no recording of it online, but here’s the lyrics. On a more serious note, Zoe Mulford has a fine Samhain song called “Welcome In Another Year”.
Regions master list
Actual bracket spreadsheet voting thingy
Round 1 Region 1 results (Coreward region)
Round 1 Region 2 results (Spinward region)
Round 1 Region 3 results (Trailing region)
Scott was somewhat ambivalent about the past he wrote about. The treatment of the history of the kilt in Hobsbawm’s Inventing Tradition makes it clear that Scott knew about the ahistorical character of the clan tartan system, but basically didn’t say very much about it as it spread.
He was between the pulls of being a good antiquarian, with a just evaluation of the problems with the past he was presenting, and making money as a novelist (having been pushed out of his prior niche as a poet by Byron’s popularity) for a highly Romantic and sentimental audience which wanted a simple-valued story. In addition, he was explicitly creating a Scots historical consciousness (not with Ivanhoe, but the Waverley novels) and would shade details in favour of a nationalistic end.
Both Ivanhoe and The Talisman can be read as partial takedowns of the subjects they appear to be building up, presenting attractive set pieces but qualifying them with less appealing details.
He single-handedly creates the historical novel, which is the first real example of “genre” in the modern sense (as opposed to the rather different sense in which literary critics use the term) and is one of the primary drivers in the creation of the modern period consciousness, which can be seen as a prerequisite for thinking about the physical trappings of the future (not just the past) as different from those of the present. So in some ways he is a grandparent of modern science fiction. (Shelley’s Frankenstein, for all of its role in starting Science Fiction, is set in the author’s present.)
Brad’s not happy with the Wired article.
I’ve no idea what went on with that, but it’s probably good for them that she didn’t appear in the article. The last interview she gave included some startling claims that I will generously describe as not supported by currently known facts.
@Mark
I knew she would be slanting her coverage against Sad Puppies,
To Brad, anything that isn’t in complete agreement with him and the Puppies is “slanted coverage.”
I should qualify one claim – it could be argued that Walpole’s creation of the Gothic novel is an earlier instance of genre in the modern sense, though I’m not sure that it was seen as being as distinct from the normal run of novels as Scott’s historical novels were.
My recent reads:
Magic Lessons, by Justine Larbalestier. So far this trilogy is solidly written and a good read, although it’s nowhere near the level she’d eventually achieve with Liar. I’m looking forward both to finishing her backlist and picking up Razorhurst.
The Shambling Guide to New York City, by Mur Lafferty. This was … all right. I mean, it was fun, but I have to admit I’m getting kind of tired of certain Urban Fantasy genre conventions. I’d really rather have been reading a book about someone putting together a supernatural travel guide than about someone Saving The City. I will say that I enjoyed Lafferty’s Playing For Keeps when I read it, though.
The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin. Really good. On a spoilery (so rot13ed) sidenote, I am amused that this seems to be the year everybody wants to oybj hc gur zbba. It’s a definite possibility as a Hugo nomination, although it hasn’t shot to the top of my list. (I’ve got three near-definites, and now have … four to choose among for the remaining two slots. Of course, anything could happen yet, there’s plenty I haven’ read yet that might blow my mind.)
In terms of not-yet-reads, Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst arrived in the mail today, and I dropped by a bookstore and browsed the 3-for-2 deals, eventually picking up Touch by Clair North, The Bees by Laline Paul, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman, and some non-SFF titles (A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler and How To Be Both by Ali Smith).
Lauowolf:
Thank you!
Do you agree with my reading of Ivanhoe? Also, how old were you when you first read it?
I’ve been wondering if the highly selective 19th-C reading is due to it having been labeled a “boy’s book”, so that most of its fans were males who first read it when they were young — too young to really “get” sarcasm.
@ Mark
re: Publisher’s Weekly
I don’t usually read PW, is this the normal time for them to declare the best of? Maybe they’ve seen what’s coming out in the next 2 months and decided there are no potential upsets?
I agree with their novel picks, except The Red isn’t eligible for the Hugo and, although good, it didn’t quite give me the tingle 😉 , and I’d add Ancillary Mercy, of course.
Haven’t read Sorcerer of the Wildeeps yet, it’s on the Hugo pile. What did you think of it?
> “I don’t usually read PW, is this the normal time for them to declare the best of? Maybe they’ve seen what’s coming out in the next 2 months and decided there are no potential upsets?”
It does seem a little weird. I mean, there are some books that JUST came out. Slade House by David Mitchell, for example — did they really read that in the last three days?
Regarding PW timelines, they require books to be submitted for review I think 3-4 months prior to publication date, so anything from 2015 that they’d be considering, they’ve seen already.
@ Simon Bisson
Grrrrrrr….you get to read cool stuff now and I have to wait more than two weeks?!? NOT FAIR!
But thanks for the heads up on the anthology. I put a reminder in my calendar. I’m still miffed about the unfairness thing, though.
@junego
Couldn’t say on PW’s timing, I just saw a link somewhere and followed.
Wildeeps is worth a read. I primarily liked the world building, which is refreshingly not euro-centric high fantasy but an African-inspired science-fantasy. The science aspects are mostly background but intriguing. There were shades of The Black Company in the cast of characters.
My main criticism would be that the author tried to keep the prose rich and lush throughout, even at times when paring it back would have been better. That’s praising with faint damns though. I don’t see it as best novel against longer works with fuller development, but it could do well in novella.
If you want to try the author for free there’s this from 2014, although it’s a very different piece.
@Kyra, as one of the big review sites, PW would get review copies way in advance. They probably really have seen all of 2015 by now.
ETA so Heather Rose has already answered…
I’m several hours behind, but fyi Sorcerers of the Wild Deeps is $2.99 at iBooks, too. Thanks to all for the price heads-up and the mostly positive reviews.
@emgrasso ‘I refer to myself as “white” because of a total lack of cultural contact with the New Brunswick Abenaki, and because it is the best match for my basic skin tone, which is not so much “Caucasian” as “Vampiric Pallor”.’
I wish there was a ‘Like’ button for that one.
I can imagine nothing scarier than a Glasgow werewolf. But at least you would know when it changed to wolf form. It would become less hairy and have better language skills.
Offered in evidence: Billy Connolly
Since there’s a lot of Calvin & Hobbes fans here, I thought this tribute might appeal to some of you. 🙂
@Doctor Science
I read “Ivanhoe” in my thirties, and what sticks with me is the irony of a villain named “Front-de-Bœuf” who ends up being roasted. On the negative side, after pages of making us sympathize with the persecution of the poor Jews he abruptly shows us that they really are as rich and greedy as their enemies had claimed. That left me really unsure what message the man thought he was delivering.
Doctor Science on October 30, 2015 at 4:34 pm said:
Lauowolf:
Thank you!
Do you agree with my reading of Ivanhoe? Also, how old were you when you first read it?
I’ve been wondering if the highly selective 19th-C reading is due to it having been labeled a “boy’s book”, so that most of its fans were males who first read it when they were young — too young to really “get” sarcasm.
First read it in middle school – so somewhere around thirteen or fourteen, when I was in a mad Read All the Books phase.
I’d assume the problematic reading would have been a late-Victorian tidying up, but I don’t know it for a fact.
With perhaps also some initial Romantic strawman willful misreading along the way as well.
The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson: I kept veering wildly between “this is pretentious garbage” and “this is magnificent brilliance”, back and forth, back and forth. I ultimately came up on the “brilliance” side, but there are definitely those who will bounce hard off of this. Despite the fact that I think some kind soul needs to take away Wilson’s thesaurus, the overall story is a spectacular, layered achievement, and eminently Hugo-worthy.
A Borrowed Man by Gene Wolfe: I’ve seen multiple reviews bemoaning the “fact” that this story lacks Wolfe’s usual layers, expressing bewilderment that Wolfe put out such a simple and easy book, and sadly proclaiming that there’s really no reason to re-read this book. I’m . . . kind of surprised that people were so easily fooled. On the surface, this is a relatively straightforward tale, with a mystery that’s (more or less) neatly wrapped up at the end. And the given explanations do make sense . . . if you don’t think too hard about them. If you do, they fall apart rather quickly. And suddenly that straightforward mystery doesn’t seem quite so straightforward at all.
I have theories about what’s really going on here. For one example, qvq lbh abgvpr gung gur jbzna jub purpxrq R.N. Fzvgur bhg bs gur yvoenel jnfa’g ernyyl Pbyrggr Pbyqoebbx? I have suspicions about many other things, but I need to re-read to make sure those theories make sense.
There are some very interesting and timely ideas here about digital and print books and the commodification of authors. And overall, this book is very “readable”—unlike some of Wolfe’s more famous works, whose plotlines sometimes make little sense on the first read, you will have little trouble following the plot (well, what you assume is the plot) the first time around. But I would definitely recommend that you remember this is a Gene Wolfe book. And lies are supposed to sound plausible.
Touch by Claire North: The story took a little while to really ramp up, and I thought it lacked a strong degree of worldbuilding and depth. The book is long, and it feels long. Sometimes it felt like the author was recycling ideas from The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, but failing to flesh them out to the same degree or depth. Some parts were very interesting, but some parts felt as if they just didn’t live up to their potential. Overall, a decent read, but definitely nowhere near as wonderful as The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.
> “Regarding PW timelines, they require books to be submitted for review I think 3-4 months prior to publication date, so anything from 2015 that they’d be considering, they’ve seen already.”
> “PW would get review copies way in advance. They probably really have seen all of 2015 by now.”
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks!
Congrats, Red Wombat, on the PW listing!
Last call for voting in Round 1 Region 4 of the live-action television bracket! Voting ends in about an hour, so exercise your right to File770 democracy and get to it. 🙂
Quoting from Brad Torgersen’s response to the Wired article:
First, I don’t believe Brad’s account of the exchange between him and Wallace. We know from Juliette Wade’s interactions with Brad, both in her initial exchange that led to her being placed on the SP3 slate and his attempts to put words in her mouth here, that Brad cannot be trusted to accurately report on his interactions with other people. In short, Brad has a deserved reputation as a liar, and that makes pretty much everything he says suspect.
Second, Wallace’s article is slanted – in favor of the Puppies. Wallace was more than fair to the Puppy position in her article. It isn’t her fault that when they are reported accurately by quoting the Puppy proponents themselves, the Puppy talking points are shown to be completely mendacious bullshit.
Third, what would interviewing Hoyt have added? Brad seems to not understand the purpose of interviewing people. Wallace interviewed the creator of the Sad Puppies, the lead torchbearer of Sad Puppies Three, and the creator of the Rabid Puppies. She also interviewed two of the authors who had been nominated by the Puppies and withdrew their nominations. She interviewed Jemisin because she had been directly attacked by Beale, and Martin because he gave out the Alfies.
What would an interview with Hoyt add to the article? She’s not one of the Sad Puppy nominees. She’s wasn’t one of the organizers until the very recently launched and as yet unproved Sad Puppies Four. She’s just a fairly undistinguished author who happens to be sympathetic to the Pups. Does Brad think that she can articulate the Puppy talking points better than he or Correia? Exactly what does he think she brings to the discussion other than being a woman? Is he saying “Go talk to this woman who supports us, that proves we can’t be a group with sexist effect”? If that’s what Brad thinks is important, then that’s the kind of tokenism that gets Brad called a sexist.
Lauowolf:
Reading “Ivanhoe” as pure romantic chivalry was there from the start — especially in the southern states of the US, where it was *wildly* popular up to the Civil War and beyond. One of the commenters on Wachtell’s article wrote:
The commenter is, of course, from Atlanta — where Mr. Dr. Science, growing up, had to see that movie in school at least 4 times.
Interviewing Hoyt wouldn’t do much to persuade anyone that the Puppies aren’t a far-right group. Quite the opposite.
Sanderson or Paulk might have been better choices on Torgersen’s part; they were Fan Writer nominees and are Puppy enthusiasts. Perhaps Kary English, since she’s a lefty and didn’t withdraw, plus she got more respect than most Puppy nominees for the quality of her story. Probably not loyal enough for Torgersen, though.
Greg Hullender:
On the negative side, after pages of making us sympathize with the persecution of the poor Jews he abruptly shows us that they really are as rich and greedy as their enemies had claimed.
That’s not how I read it. Scott’s implied comparison was with Shylock, and there’s no “O my ducats! O my daughter!” from Isaac — he’s willing to part with a *lot* of ducats for the sake of his daughter.
Yes, the Jews are *really* rich, but their greed is for the safety that money might buy them. It seemed to me & Mr Dr Science (both Jewish) that Scott was saying, “how do you expect Jews to act, when you treat them like this?” Isaac is greedy, suspicious, lying, and usually spineless — but it’s a reasonable human response to the way the Christians treat him.
And I think the ending, when Rebecca — the most admirable person in the story — has to leave England, is intended to say that England, at that time, was *fundamentally* unfree because it was intolerant, because, like the Grand Master of the Templars, it wanted to be pure. It’s a kind of inverse-Bonhoeffer: if they can come for the Jews, then no-one is truly free. An England that has no place for Rebecca cannot call itself “hospitable, generous, and free”.
Doctor Science on October 30, 2015 at 6:55 pm said:
The commenter is, of course, from Atlanta — where Mr. Dr. Science, growing up, had to see that movie in school at least 4 times.?
It’s rather amazing to consider what movies were “educational.”
We were taken to the musical Camelot, for example.
And (seriously and utterly without irony) Gone With the Wind, this in Maryland.
I might have welcomed Ivanhoe.
Round 2 action begins in the live-action TV tournament and brackets, with four Coreward region and four Spinward region (mislabeled as also “Coreward”) underway.
“Werewolf of London” gets a lot love/attention, and while its more of thematic fit for Halloween, Zevon’s “Excitable Boy” seems to me the scarier/creepier song.
Posted in the wrong thread.
@ Mark
re: Kai Ashante Wilson
Whoa! That story, The Devil in America, is excellent and disturbing. Guess I’ll be moving The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps nearer the top of the Hugo pile. As you say, the fact it’s a potentially stunning novella is gravy since I need more possibles in that category.