Lions roar, kittens tweet, and other animals make noise in today’s Scroll.
(1) Recommended – Gregory Benford reviews Kim Stanley Robinson’s Aurora in “Envision Starflight Failing”.
Aurora depicts a starship on a long voyage to Tau Ceti four centuries from now. It is shaped like a car axle, with two large wheels turning for centrifugal gravity. The biomes along their rims support many Earthly lifezones which need constant tending to be stable. They’re voyaging to Tau Ceti, so the ship’s name is a reference to Isaac Asimov’s The Naked Sun, which takes place on a world orbiting Tau Ceti named Aurora. Arrival at the Earthlike moon of a super-Earth primary brings celebration, exploration, and we see just how complex an interstellar expedition four centuries from now can be, in both technology and society.
In 2012, Robinson declared in a Scientific American interview that “It’s a joke and a waste of time to think about starships or inhabiting the galaxy. It’s a systemic lie that science fiction tells the world that the galaxy is within our reach.” Aurora spells this out through unlikely plot devices. Robinson loads the dice quite obviously against interstellar exploration. A brooding pessimism dominates the novel.
There are scientific issues that look quite unlikely, but not central to the novel’s theme. A “magnetic scissors” method of launching a starship seems plagued with problems, for example. But the intent is clear through its staging and plot.
I’ll discuss the quality of the argument Aurora attempts, with spoilers.
Final countdown to Hugo voting deadline…http://t.co/EXPb3bWBbQhttps://t.co/xS8QE27S9G#HugoAwards #Sasquan@sasquansf @TheHugoAwards
— Soon Lee (@SoonLeeNZ) August 1, 2015
(2) Spacefaring Kitten is one of many people posting their Hugo ballot today, but one of the few who has an interesting analysis of my favorite category.
Best Fanzine
- Journey Planet
- Tangent SF Online
- Elitist Book Reviews
- No Award
- The Revenge of Hump Day
Journey Planet is easily the most interesting of these publications. Black Gate would have been able to put up a fight here, but they chose to withdraw because of Puppy-related embarrassment.
Tangent SF Online and The Revenge of Hump Day were probably on the Puppy ballots as a sort of payback for, respectively, the public outcry following Tangent’s umm… let us say fatherly review of the Women Destroy Science Fiction issue of Lightspeed and the disinvitation of Tim Bolgeo (the guy behind The Revenge of Hump Day) as a Fan Guest of Honor in Archon after accusations of racism. However, I chose to place Tangent second and well above No Award, because I think all venues in which short SFF fiction is discussed are important.
As far as I can see, Tangent’s short fiction reviews are quite good, even if the editor’s attitudes smell a bit aged. Take a look at their 2014 Recommended Reading List, for example. Tangent lists noteworthy stories in four categories (0, 1, 2 and 3 stars), and I couldn’t resist counting that together all the 14 Puppy finalists get four mentions and one star. In contrast, the five short story nominations I made myself (none of which made the final ballot, obviously) collect three mentions and eight stars. The Tangent seems like a useful resource for finding the sort of fiction I’d enjoy, and I plan to take a look at some of the three-star stories I haven’t read yet.
There was nothing terribly amiss with Elitist Book Reviews either, even though they seem to generally like books that I don’t and I found their practice of discussing recommended age and levels of offensive language, violence and sex amusingly over-protective. You don’t really have to be 16 to be able to read a curse word, do you? However, they’re number three.
(3) By now I think everybody has seen Adam Roberts’ cheery thoughts about the Hugos in the Guardian:
What the Puppies have done is within the rules of the awards, and key figures in the movement have already declared their intention to repeat the process next year. But this is larger than one set of awards. It is about the direction of science-fiction as a whole, and it poses larger cultural questions.
The truth is that this year’s Hugo awards are wrecked. Can you imagine anyone saying that of the Pulitzer, Man Booker, or Nobel? Yet here we are, and if the Puppies succeed in gaming the awards again in 2016 we may as well give up on the Hugos forever.
This is what is so frustrating about the Puppies’ campaign. Not that it has resulted in a bunch of frankly inferior works being shortlisted – although it has. And not that it values old-fashioned SF over more experimental, literary and progressive writing – that’s a matter of taste. What is so annoying is that it so ostentatiously turns its back on the global context out of which the best writing is happening today.
@damiengwalter … it's been 'let's have elaborate discussion about voting protocols to make block-voting harder to do'.
— Adam Roberts (@arrroberts) July 31, 2015
Can it be true that Roberts values rhetoric about diversity over rules changes that preserve it as a possibility?
(4) The Guardian article sure revived Larry Correia! Yesterday’s limp “fisking” of The New Yorker’s Delany interview has been succeeded his vibrant smackdown “Fisking the Guardian’s Latest Sad Puppy Article of the Week”. Correia’s remarks in boldface, Guardian text in regular text.
Considering that the Hugo awards hadn’t even ever nominated a single work of media tie in fiction until Sad Puppies came along, I don’t know where the hell you’re getting this idea that the insular little inbred cliques were combing the whole world for worthy new talent before. Hell, I believe the first ever INDY PUBLISHED novel nomination came from Sad Puppies, and you expect that little cliquish circle jerk of friends who’ve been taking turns giving each other awards, to suddenly teach themselves Spanish in order to check out the best sci-fi from Uruguay?
This whole train of thought is just a stupid diversion. The Guardian is just being its normal snooty self. Look at us, we read MOAR GLOBALLY (no, actually, they probably don’t. From inaccuracies in previous articles about various classics we’re already pretty sure Damien skates by reading Wikipedia synopsis of books and then pretending to be well read).
Science fiction, if it is about anything, is about hospitality to otherness,
Just not conservatives or libertarians, because screw those guys.
to the alien and the unusual, about freeing one’s mind and boldly going where no one has been before. It is, centrally, about diversity. Locking out women writers, writers of colour, gay and trans writers does a violence to the heart of the genre.
That concluding paragraph is just regurgitated tripe. We’re not the ones trying to lock out anyone. Female, “writers of colour” (oh how I hate that stupid racist term), gay, trans, left handed ginger pygmy wolf-riding garden squirrels, WE DON’T CARE. Write books. Entertain people. Fans get to judge books by the content of their pages rather than the author’s bio. Then give the really good ones awards.
This isn’t exactly rocket science, not that you jackasses didn’t literally try to make actual fucking rocket science all about sexism too.
If the Puppies win, nobody wins.
No. The Puppies would win. That’s sort of what the word win means, dumbass.
If you are voting on Hugo awards, time nearly up. Should stop doing Fan Writer award, collections of political screeds unrelated to books.
— The Dextrorotary DQH (@waelse1) August 1, 2015
(5) Sasquan guest astronaut Kjell Lindgren is at the International Space Station.
It's already been a week! Time is flying…and so am I! pic.twitter.com/YER1B5hIfB
— Kjell Lindgren (@astro_kjell) July 30, 2015
(6) Mark your calendars. Vox Day has announced the release date for his next project:
This is interesting. Apparently the SJWs are more than a little worried about my upcoming book, SJWS ALWAYS LIE: Taking Down the Thought Police….
Just wait until August 27th, the one-year anniversary of #GamerGate, which I plan to celebrate by publishing the book.
You read it here first. Or possibly second. But more likely first. Maybe you can leave town that day – does Kjell Lindgren have a spare cot?
(7) The Final Interview of C. S. Lewis, conducted by Sherwood Eliot Wirt, appeared in Decision magazine in September 1963.
From Part I —
Wirt: How can we foster the encounter of people with Jesus Christ?
Lewis: “You can’t lay down any pattern for God. There are many different ways of bringing people into his Kingdom, even some ways that I specially dislike! I have therefore learned to be cautious in my judgment.
“But we can block it in many ways. As Christians we are tempted to make unnecessary concessions to those outside the faith. We give in too much. Now, I don’t mean that we should run the risk of making a nuisance of ourselves by witnessing at improper times, but there comes a time when we must show that we disagree. We must show our Christian colors, if we are to be true to Jesus Christ. We cannot remain silent or concede everything away.
“There is a character in one of my children’s stories named Aslan, who says, ‘I never tell anyone any story except his own.’ I cannot speak for the way God deals with others; I only know how he deals with me personally. Of course, we are to pray for spiritual awakening, and in various ways we can do something toward it. But we must remember that neither Paul nor Apollos gives the increase. As Charles Williams once said, ‘The altar must often be built in one place so that the fire may come down in another place.’”
In Part II, Lewis answers questions about Heaven, Earth and Outer Space.
Wirt: Do you think there will be widespread travel in space?
Lewis: “I look forward with horror to contact with the other inhabited planets, if there are such. We would only transport to them all of our sin and our acquisitiveness, and establish a new colonialism. I can’t bear to think of it. But if we on earth were to get right with God, of course, all would be changed. Once we find ourselves spiritually awakened, we can go to outer space and take the good things with us. That is quite a different matter.”
[Thanks to JJ, Gregory Benford, and John King Tarpinian for some of these links. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day JJ.]
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We’re finally almost at the point where I’ve read at least one per category! But I’ll still have to abstain from most of them…
If everyone would please vote for the ones I have read, marked with an asterisk, AKA Amina’s slate, I might be able to participate in the next round.
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
*Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
*The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
Lud-in-the-Mist, Hope Mirrlees
Abstain. Read neither.
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford
*The Princess Bride, William Goldman
Abstain.
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
*Watership Down, Richard Adams
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
Abstain.
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
*Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
Abstain.
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling
Abstain.
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
*Little, Big, John Crowley
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
Abstain.
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
*The Golden Compass/Northern Lights, Phillip Pullman
Abstain.
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
*Taran Wanderer, Lloyd Alexander
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
Abstain.
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
*The Once and Future King, T. H. White
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
Abstain.
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Golden Compass/Northern Lights, Phillip Pullman
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
Correia’s tirade about media tie-in authors is a complete non sequitur.
Roberts: The Puppy campaigns ignore the increasingly international context of contemporary science fiction.
Correia: Nonsense. We nominated the first media tie-in work ever!
No, Larry! Red card for flagrant evasion!
It’s so bad I could almost believe Torgersen wrote it.
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Golden Compass/Northern Lights, Phillip Pullman
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
Kyra on August 1, 2015 at 4:06 am said:
And here we go!
1. The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
3. The Princess Bride, William Goldman
4. War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
5. Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. Write in: Villains by Necessity, Eve Forward
Oh, I just love this book and it pains me that I didn’t remember it until now. Undermines fantasy formulae in many ways but still “follows the script” of a typical quest. Includes one really bad pun. Apparent out of print now. 🙁
8. The Golden Compass/Northern Lights, Phillip Pullman
9. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
10. The Once and Future King, T. H. White
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
Lud-in-the-Mist, Hope Mirrlees
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
Watership Down, Richard Adams
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Little, Big, John Crowley
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
– no opinion
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
The Golden Compass/Northern Lights, Phillip Pullman
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Taran Wanderer, Lloyd Alexander
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
*grumble* No, Mr. Correia, you’re not even close to being the first to put Indy works on the ballot. Graphic Novel (which they are clearly deeply ignorant of) was won repeatedly by the Foglios, who self-publish the print volumes, and perennial nominee Schlock Mercenary was Indy, and the only reason there’s a small press name on Digger was because I said I wanted them there with me.
But oh wait, you didn’t actually fill the Graphic Novel slate, Brad just put on one of his friends and called it a day, so clearly it wasn’t on your radar.
And even so, Seanan McGuire beat you with “In Sea-Salt Tears.” So you are as wrong as a man can be.
It is at times like this that, in the absence of a prophetic pig, we are reduced to a dictionary, a thesaurus, and dice to try and parse the latest dispatches from Puppydum Central.
The I Ching would be more elegant, but I’m out of yarrow stalks…
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
Watership Down, Richard Adams
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Little, Big, John Crowley
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
Abstain
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Abstain.
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
Abstain.
It might help the Pup’s argument if the media tie in work they nominated last year hadn’t been the worst thing in its category, and well deserving of finishing below No Award.
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
I am torn here because while I never cared for Amber, Tea with the Black Dragon is an old favourite that hasn’t aged well.
Once more into the breach…
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
Watership Down, Richard Adams
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Little, Big, John Crowley
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
Tigana heads back to the pavillion after a good effort but this early flawed work by Kaye was outclassed by Le Guin’s masterful delivery
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
It’s Inconceivable there could be another result
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
Watership Down, Richard Adams
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S.Beagle
Prisoner has the best story of the HP franchise but the writing is still just okay.
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
Yay! A choice that doesn’t leave me conflicted.*
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
I do like The Golden Compass and its bold protagonist but can’t vote against the Riddle-Master
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
Damn you Kyra for making me choose between two books that crystalised important memes that infest my brain
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
So much pain here not voting for Diana
*This makes makes more sense when you realise l started from the bottom of the draw. Kyra may have been trying to deaden the potential pain ny habing less confilcting choices early, but for me on my phone – the worst came first
sez Stevie on August 1, 2015 at 8:34 am:
Surelty a hogshead of absinthe, or some equivalent neurotoxic hallucinogen, would be of some help, no?
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford
The Ricardian in me wins out.
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
Watership Down, Richard Adams
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
Less angst in this vote for me. The dice were kinder in their matchups.
Cat: Redshirts is not a media tie-in book. It doesn’t make sense unless you know Star Trek, that is true, but it is not a Star Trek adventure and most important of all it isn’t licensed to use the properties of that franchise.
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
abstain
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
War for the Oaks, Emma Bul
Love the bracket title, and I’ll take the Phouka and the rockersl
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
Zelazny by a hair
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
abstain
pre-emptive ow, ow, ow ow!
1. The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. Lud-in-the-Mist, Hope Mirrlees
3. The Princess Bride, William Goldman
4. abstain
5. Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
And of course the dragon turns up in “Raphael”, too.
6. The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. Tie! I won’t choose and you can’t make me!
8. The Golden Compass/Northern Lights, Phillip Pullman
9. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
10. The once and future king
@tintinaus: I just read your blog post and found it informative. Always interesting to me how other countries deal with issues that we face in the US.
From “The Pixel Chronicles – Bad Stories for a Better Age”
As extracted from from the story mines of Camestros Felapton (to who, I thus, apportion at least some small blame):
Zee is sentient don’t you know?
A symbol plotting for the throne.
When Eh the first place was crowned,
Zee itself would not bow down.
Marched, not slunked, to the end of the row,
To plot and scheme the upstarts overthrow.
In darkest night, with Kew and Ecks,
The outlaw letters thus did sprech:
“This vowel conspiracy shall not stand,
To this noble end we swear our band”.
Rebel symbols, they strike (based in foreign sourced words);
Their rightful place to earn, their voice – to be heard.
Hear them keening. Hear them, Oh!
Zee is sentient don’t you know?
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
Larry, have you talked to Brad about this?
@Will McLean
Another Black Knight “I am invincible!” moment from VD.
The Puppies are even now rehearsing how to slink off in triumph, tails between their victorious haunches.
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
Tigana, Guy Gavriel KayThe Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
Lud-in-the-Mist, Hope Mirrlees
Still not read Mirrlees; abstain.
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. FordThe Princess Bride, William Goldman
I hate your dice, Kyra.
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
Watership Down, Richard Adams
War for the Oaks, Emma BullI *really* hate your dice….
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoyNine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Little, Big, John CrowleyBridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
The Golden Compass/Northern Lights, Phillip Pullman9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Taran Wanderer, Lloyd AlexanderSmall Gods, Terry Pratchett
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
The Once and Future King, T. H. WhiteFire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
I just speedread through the Jones that Cally lent me. Really, really good novel.
(I’ll take that cold cloth now.)
Cold cloths! Get your lovely cold forehead cloths here! All proceeds go to buying Kyra a sledgehammer!
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
Lud-in-the-Mist, Hope Mirrlees
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
(Hah! My clever plan to make Fire and Hemlock win by loaning Cassy my copy is working! Now if I could only loan her Lud in the Mist, but I appear to have read that one from the library, as I don’t have a copy)
This is in several parts – consider it my thank you Kyra for the brackets. my writing does not compare to the talent displayed here but I hope you enjoy my bracket vote.
Our band of heroes face the blank rock door of some unnamed dwarven citadel, one of them bearing a burden of unimaginable power and evil. The weight of the slate tugs like a milestone. The steps of the group are slow and weary.
The silent watcher waits watching; it has feed well these past days due to the dice of the Dark Empress Kyra.
Night falls, and the moonlight illuminates a hidden eleven script on the door. Faces open in wonder as the words glow with a dim light.
Do you know how to read ?
No it is one of the black arts.
He nodded. But a useful omen
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
Le Guin speaks of artistry over commerce and passes within, the rest follow. The still pool of water erupts, tentacles reaching for the party, grabbing at some and others the party manages to wrest away from certain death. The party hastily enters into the depths of the underground city dragging their dazed comrades.
Notice this rent in my garment; I am at a loss to explain its presence ! I am more puzzled by the existence of the universe.
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
Vance is battered and confused but he is saved by the fellowship of the Brackett. The hallways are dark and mazy, the party halts in despair and states the obvious.
We’re not lost. We’re locationally challenged
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford (cheating not from the book but the author)
Determined to see their quest through the perilous depths, they regroup and argue about which path to take.
If the obligations of friendship are constraints, then I am so constrained.
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
Emma votes against splitting the party and they decide to take the fast way, the dangerous way. Passing through the depths they see a shrine to a fallen comrade with a hastily scrawled epitaph.
Have I got a sign on my back that says, ‘Kick me, I’m Highborn?’
God Stalk, PC Hodgell
There is much mourning, wailing, and rending of cloth. The party regroups and is about to press on before inadvertently mentioning EPH. The is a silent hush. Then drums in the deep – FUD, FUD, FUD echo, seeming coming from every direction in an overwhelming wave of terror and despair. The party rushes to cross the last bridge to safety.
Crossing the narrow bridge to the other side, the party halts in horror of a sight to make them despair. A formless, author-less mass of ill-conceived musings floats, ready to devour the stragglers. Corwin eyes it curiously, “I believe it is ‘The Wisdom from the Internets’ – I thought they had all been remaindered after the great Hugo Wars, a copy must have survived.”
“Tonight I will suck the marrow from your bones!” it said. “I will dry them and work them most cunningly into instruments of music! Whenever I play upon them, your spirit will writhe in bodiless agony!”
“You burn prettily,” I said.”
Guns of Avalon, Roger Zelazny
Corwin shrugs as he lets fall his can of petrol and mourns the loss of a good 2-cent bic lighter. The party continues on as the shrieks of the Internet die in distance.
The party emerges to sunlight and fresh air. But the way is not clear. A horde of faceless minions lead by a creature with three heads barred their way. “None shall pass” it hissed / blustered / bumbled.
The party, now battle tested, sprang into action. Words of power, axes, swords, and even puns were deployed with deadly aim. But the creature still stood, impervious to all, shifting and dancing before their eyes. It’s form breaking and reforming without logic or reason.
Two hastily confer.
Master Li, how are we going to murder a man who laughs at axes?” I asked.
We are going to experiment, dear boy. Our first order of business will be to find a deranged alchemist, which should not be very difficult. China,” said Master Li, “is overstocked with deranged alchemists.”
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
The great authors stand perplexed, the creature had already sustained deadly wounds but it remained. The faceless minions cheered.
Some start to offer counsel of understanding and compassion.
When you open your mind and hands and heart to the knowing of a thing, there is no room in you for fear
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
Then a blinding ray from the skies illuminates the creature, showing it to be hollow shell. Grey scholars adjust mirrors, making light where once there was shadow and confusion.
That’s why it’s always worth having a few philosophers around the place. One minute it’s all is truth beauty and is beauty truth, and does a falling tree in the forest make a sound if there’s no one there to hear it, and then just when you think they’re going to start dribbling one of ’em says, incidentally, putting a thirty-foot parabolic reflector on a high place to shoot the rays of the sun at an enemy’s ships would be a very interesting demonstration of optical principles.
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
Slain by mirrors, the creature dissolved unable to bear its own reflection. Three forms remained from its steaming mass and they stood and then fled the battlefield, pursued by their own imaginings. The faceless minions blurred, resolving into trufen. They looked over the battlefield and began to repair the damage of war.
They made me see that the world was beautiful if you were beautiful, and that you couldn’t get unless you gave. And you had to give without wanting to get
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
After all, there was a Hugo losers party hosted in Suite 770 that night !
All quotes the property of the authors and license holders.
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Taran Wanderer, Lloyd Alexander
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
FUD, FUD, FUD! I love it!
Also: God Stalk.
@Shambles: you are magnificent.
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
Watership Down, Richard Adams
My son just looked over my shoulder and insisted.
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Taran Wanderer, Lloyd Alexander
There are a few other Pratchetts that would have forced me to a tie here, but I’m going with my heart for Alexander, representing all of us who bear the double L in our names.
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
@BrianZ, @KestrelHill
Thank you, it was fun to write.
Cubist
I fear that exposure to puppidum is, in itself, neurotoxic; you go down the rabbit hole with a functioning brain, and after countless aeons find yourself hopefully searching for a dormouse who might have some glimmerings of insight on how to get out of there.
My mental soundtrack is usually reasonably light-hearted, but having waded through the sludge of the slates it’s the Doors doing the 16 minute version of ‘The End’ on auto-repeat…
Ok, I want to throw all the votes I’ve not cast in one large bolus AGAINST Harry Potter. I must be the only person who hated the classist series with the passion of a thousand flaring supernovae. Everything that is wrong with the British public school system writ large, the mystery motivation is trite, and, NOTHING CHANGES! (I read to the bitter end to find out what Snape’s problem was, and hoping against hope that at least at the end they would dismantle the four wizard houses, seeing as how well that had worked for them and all that.)
Also, I read Steerswoman and the way torture was treated put me off quite a bit. I finished the book, but not motivated to continue with the series.
Voting before I even look past the bracket entry. And expecting to feel some grave feelings, though I hope nothing quite on the order of watching one of my favourite writers crush my formative years under an eagle-propelled turtle. But it looks offhand like the easy votes will be far more noteable than the “Break my heart, won’t you?”
BTW, Kyra, how DO you count tie votes? half a point each, full points each or some other way? Because while I changed a tie vote to a decided choice in the last round and I think even the most painful choice here will stay a choice, I can anticipate using the option again.
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
abstain.
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
Watership Down, Richard Adams
…. oh dear. I think I left my heart on the floor again attempting that move. Nobody step on it, please before I can recover it?
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Tea with the Black Dragon, R. A. MacAvoy
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
1. REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM
The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Dragon Waiting, John M. Ford
To be truthful, I barely remember any of this book. But it got the vote over TPB because it’s such a crying shame that Mike Ford has been served so badly by his estate.
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Little, Big, John Crowley
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart
As flies to wanton boys are we to Kyra! Abstain.
8. HEAD TO THE NORTH!
The Golden Compass/Northern Lights, Phillip Pullman
I read the trilogy blind, without knowing anything about Pullman or his beliefs, or lack of them. I don’t see the preaching, or at any rate what preaching there is seems on a par with many works in the genre…
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
*cough* …case in point.
Apparently Tox Bay’s evidence that the SJWs are afraid of his book is that a mod on Reddit deleted a thread’s worth of posts about his book in a /r/kotakuinaction. It’s not even clear why the posts were deleted – there was unsubstantiated mention that the thread had been brigaded from somewhere. And the thread itself is still there, bringing the news of where this crust of bread can be found to that specific community of beggars.
Part of me continues to suspect that the SJWs don’t give a shit.
Hey, Brian, in case you missed it with the end of the last comment section, can you recommend one of the Chinese novelettes you thought was exemplary?
Shambles:
You are truly Worthy.
After my foray into the depths of the storage unit, I have discovered that I have *two* copies of Silverlock by John Myers Myers! Who knew? We also found the Trove of Ace Doubles originally bought by parental units in the 60s.
Thanks to the brackets and the discussion here at File 770, I have a ton of stuff added to Mount To-Be-Read. Which I will get to after Seveneves.
We’ve gotten to the point in the bracket where, if I’ve read both works, I can’t choose between them. My only preferences are supporting “The Last Unicorn” above Harry Potter and “Riddle-Master” above “Golden Compass”.
1. The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin
3. The Princess Bride, William Goldman
4. Watership Down, Richard Adams
5. Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. Little, Big, John Crowley
8. The Riddle-Master of Hed, Patricia McKillip
10. Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones
(the most painful vote of all, so far — spots ominous clouds on the horizon)
Shambles: I think you win an honourable mention for best Vote in the Bracket.
RE: the Hugos – I made my initial ballot over a month ago, and several revisions since, but true to form, I did my final vote about 11PM last night… it would have been later but I was desperately short of sleep and skipped the puppy fancasts. I’m sure someone will berate me now for insufficient dedication.
Fantasy bracket, Round the Second, my choices:
1)-Tombs of Atuan, which fills me with dread, because that was easy-too easy. Onward.
2)-I haven’t read the Mirelees and so I abstain. I hope I don’t regret abstaining.
3)-(whimpericon) The Dragon Waiting. Please don’t make me have to “reason” with your dice, Kyra.
4)-War For the Oaks, because I love it, as opposed to merely liking the Adams.
5)-MAMMOTH AAAAARGH!!!! Amber has to be my choice. Your dice should be sent to stay with Trelane!
6)-The Last Unicorn, because it’s great and the HP novel isn’t.
7)-(Silent fit of seething rage) TIE! I LOATHE THOSE DICE!!!
8)-The Riddle-Master of Hed, because it’s actually good.
9)-I haven’t read either one, so I must abstain. I doubt the Prachett needs my help in any case.
10)-The Once and Future King, because Merlin told me they must fall when Hobbits are in the bracket and not before. Who am I to argue with Merlin?
I’m going to lie down under a tree now! (Wanders away unsteadily, muttering to no one in particular).
Well done, Shambles. That was great.
2. RENEWAL AND DECAY
Lud-in-the-Mist, Hope Mirrlees
3. THE CONVOLUTED SCHEMES OF PLOTTING NOBLES
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
4. THE PHOUKA AND THE HLESSIL
War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
5. MUCH MORE THAN I SEEM
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
6. PRETTY GOOD MOVIES, TOO
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
7. ASCENDING TO OTHER REALMS
Little, Big, John Crowley
9. LEARNING PHILOSOPHY ON THE ROAD
Taran Wanderer, Lloyd Alexander
10. GROWING UP TO BECOME A HERO
The Once and Future King, T. H. White
shambles —
You definitely have my vote for most epic vote! Love the idea of using the quotes to tell a story.
@ JIm
“Part of me continues to suspect that the SJWs don’t give a shit.”
This particular reader (with SJW tendencies) certainly doesn’t. Once EPH gets passed and the RPs slink off again, I’d be perfectly happy not to waste any more brain cycles on VD. Unfortunately, since he has been incontinent over the Hugos, I have to pay some small attention for another year.
Lenora Rose — In the sci-fi bracket, I divided up a tie vote equally between the two candidates, but I didn’t much like that because except for adding to the vote score it’s functionally the same as an abstention. In the fantasy bracket I’ve actually been trying something slightly different, but if it’s OK there are a couple of reasons I’d rather not be more specific about it until after the bracket is done.
Shambles, that was fabulous!
(If there is a fierce outcry for transparency of course I would share, but if no one cares all *that* much I do have reasons for wanting to wait on that.)