(1) Today’s birthday boys:
Born 1866: H.G. Wells
H. G. Wells in 1943.
Born 1912: Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Born 1947: Stephen King
Born 1950: Bill Murray
Bill Murray
And as a bonus, also on This Day in History:
1937: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit published
(2) Grotesque parody news story of the day: “Game of Thrones Cast Murdered Following Emmy Victory”.
FANS of popular HBO fantasy series Game Of Thrones were this morning trying to get over last night’s shocking post-Emmy massacre, where virtually the entire cast and creative team were brutally murdered in cold blood.
… “One minute Peter Dinklage was standing with his Emmy and a big smile on his face, the next minute his head went sailing through the air,” said one eyewitness to what is now being referred to as the ‘Red Emmys’.
“Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner were stabbed through the heart, and the big lad who plays Sam got it in the neck. Even by Game of Thrones standards, it was fairly over the top”.
With so many members of the cast and crew slaughtered, fans are now fearing that next year’s season will focus mainly on Bran Stark as there’s basically nobody left at this stage.
(3) Constructed languages are the topic of a forthcoming documentary, Conlanging: The Art of Crafting Tongues .
Featuring an overview of the history of constructed languages up to and through the amazing creations and initiatives of those who actively invent new tongues today, this film tells the rich story that has expanded far beyond Tolkien’s “secret vice.” It’s being made by the people who know the craft intimately for language lovers and a general audience alike.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/130812323?color=faa302&byline=0&portrait=0
And All Things Linguistic has an interview with the creators of the documentary in the Conlangery #112 podcast.
(4) Add this to the list of “Han Solo in Carbonite” products — a huge vinyl sticker for your door.
(5) This year Gen Con featured another official beer, Drink Up and Prosper, from Sun King Brewing. According to the Indianapolis Star, not only was the brew available at the con, but it was put in cans and sold in stores.
This will be the fourth year the brewery has partnered with the world’s largest gaming convention, and the fourth beer brewed specifically for the event….
Previous beers included Froth of Khan (2014), Flagon Slayer (2013) and Ale of Destiny (2012).
(6) The Pittsburgh Pirates major league baseball team recently dressed up as superheroes “in the greatest baseball-themed comic book crossover of all-time.”
After the Pirates defeated the Dodgers, 4-3, the team dressed up as superheroes before boarding their flight to Colorado — like, for example, Superman with an expert hair curl hanging out with Bane that came complete with appropriate Zack Snyder lighting.
A squadron of Marvel’s cinematic heroes hung out with either a Na’vi or a really off-brand Nightcrawler: …
Costume selfie! (Via @El_Coffee on IG) pic.twitter.com/06VfkxqmZ1
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 21, 2015
(7) The Tor boycott continues to fade to invisibility as a news story. Here’s what I found searching Twitter for “Tor boycott” today.
PLEASE BOYCOTT THE #BBC TONIGHT. THEY WILL BE SHOWING A PROGRAMME AT 7.40PM (BST) GLORIFYING TERRORISM. THE DOC-TOR MUST BE EXTERMINATED!
— Ginger Dalek (@Ginger_Dalek) September 19, 2015
It was the hyphenated “Doc-Tor” that triggered the result.
(8) And by strange coincidence, Adam-Troy Castro has written some good advice in his new blog post, “Writers: The Long-Term Benefits of Not Being An Ass”.
For the vast majority of artists, being an asshole to the people who give you money is not a good career move. You are not indispensable unless you’re an eminence of such towering fame that they are willing to bend heaven and Earth to keep you. And sometimes not even then. Fame is fleeting.
So one guy I’m thinking of, who has come out and described himself as one of the greatest writers of his generation, who says that his work is reeking with literary virtues that any number of others would give their left tits to be even shelved next to, who has been abusing his publisher in public and attacking his editors as people and in general making himself a horse pill – I think he’s in for a surprise, sooner or later, probably sooner. Writers who can sell the number of copies he sells, or more, are not exactly thin on the ground, and the vast majority of them will not be rallying their readers to send hate mail.
But this is not about him. This is about you, the struggling artist. And to you I have some strong advice.
Be a sweetheart.
Be the kind of artist who, when dropping by the publishing house, brings cookies. Or if not cookies, then at least a warm smile and a gracious manner.
(9) The Clarion Foundation has received a $100,000 donation from a benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous. Clarion will use the donation to launch an endowment fund in support of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop, held annually at UC San Diego.
Karen Joy Fowler, president of the Clarion Foundation, expressed profound appreciation for this generous gift. “This is tremendously important to all of us who have worked with, for, and on behalf of Clarion over the years. For us, the workshop is a labor of love. Having these funds in hand allows us to plan for the future in a way we’ve never been able to before. This gift provides a solid foundation on which we can build.”
“Our global civilization is now embarked on an unconstrained experiment in long-term sustainability, which we have to get right for the sake of the generations to come,” says Clarion Foundation Vice President Kim Stanley Robinson. “Science fiction stories, ranging from utopian to dystopian, are what we do now to imagine outcomes that help us evaluate our present practices. The Clarion workshop nurtures and trains writers to change the ways we think about the future, and it helps to connect the sciences and the arts at UC San Diego and around the world. We’re thrilled with this gift, which enables us to continue that crucial work.”
The Clarion Foundation partners with UCSD in the delivery of the workshop, with the foundation managing faculty selection and the admissions process and UCSD managing the six-week summer workshop. The foundation has annually conducted fundraising campaigns that allow it to provide about $12,000 in scholarships each year and to cover expenses.
(10) Aaron French compares horror traditions in “Past and Future: Esoteric and Exoteric Philosophy in Weird Fiction” on Nameless Digest.
As with everything else, the philosophy behind dark, weird, and horrific fiction has evolved over time. This philosophical evolution of horror fiction arguably began in earnest with Edgar Allan Poe – though Poe also nurtured a sense of romantic love, which conquers, as well as defeats, his harshest poetry, e.g. “Alone.” Bleaker still, and more callous in disregard of the human race, is H. P. Lovecraft, grandfather of the grim, who described his philosophical position as the following: “…by nature a skeptic and analyst… [I] settled early into my present general attitude of cynical materialism.”
….But if we turn our attention to the postmodern, a new speciation occurs in the writings of Thomas Ligotti, representing a philosophy so hopeless, malicious, and unorthodox that it gives readers pause, unintentionally flipping mental levers and bringing about unwelcome psychological changes.
(11) Here’s somebody else who has definitely flipped his mental levers — “Man angers neighbors by shining ‘alien’ fighting spotlights”:
Neighbors in the Virginia Road area of Hermitage said Arthur Brown, 78, shines the spotlights outside his foil-wrapped house at all hours of the day and night because he is afraid of extra-terrestrial attacks.
(12) From June of 1992, a YouTube clip from Arsenio Hall with guests William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, who are too funny. Shatner enters using a walker and a nurse pushes Nimoy in a wheelchair.
James H. Burns further comments:
Shatner and Nimoy even pitch their convention appearances at the Creation cons of my old pals, Gary Bermand and Adam Malin–
And most amazingly, Shatner talks about his hopes for Star Trek Seven, which he later helped turn into a pretty good Trek novel!
[Thanks to James H. Burns, Will R., Martin Morse Wooster, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Rose Embolism.]
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Public service announcement:
For anyone who might have been interested by my description of the Limbus, Inc. shared-world anthologies, the first one is on sale – but I’m not sure for how long. I will say that I consider 99 cents to be a very good deal, though.
One word of caution: I strongly advise against buying this publisher (JournalStone)’s books on Kobo. For some reason, Kobo stocks their ebooks as PDFs instead of EPUBs. Go direct or buy through a different retailer, especially since Kobo isn’t showing the sale price.
(Disclaimer: I have no financial relationship with the editor, authors, or publisher.)
@Tasha Turner
You make a good point. If it helps at all, I’ve found your contributions here interesting and sometimes inflammatory. Two problems: particularly on this site, discussions often go by very quickly, or have basically been finished for hours before I see them; and, trolls do what they do to elicit responses. I’ve been trying to ignore obvious trolling, but I still occasionally take the bait.
As silly as it seems, the “like” button on FB is useful, as it lets you know when people have found something you’ve said interesting, helpful, insightful, etc.. There’s no way to do that here. I’ve tried once or twice to copy/paste quotes throughout several pages of threads into a single comment, but when I read those from other people, they’re hard to follow. Much of what’s best here I don’t comment on at all. It would definitely be nice to be able to receive social cues as to how one’s comments are received.
@Rev. Bob
Yes! Thank you very much for bringing that up! I’d forgotten about it (so many interesting recommendations here, I’m stoked to have retained 1/4 of them, if that). Purchased and added to my TBR pile!
@Tasha Turner
Aww, that happens to everyone. 🙂 Sometimes people just don’t have anything to say in response, even if they think something was interesting and worth reading. (For example, I read your award thingy but I’m a bit burned out on it at the moment, so I have nothing to say. Maybe later when I’m not just taking breaks inbetween finishing The Martian.) On the plus side, you never/rarely have to deal with the… Um… Intemperate responses that our resident trolls inspire.
Speaking of trolls…
@Kathodus
Don’t bother. Writing clearly isn’t something he wants to do, and he won’t. Trying to get him to do so is a gigantic waste of time and energy. Besides, if it’s the current thread you can’t even play trap-the-Brian-out-of-sight, which is at least useful for keeping the conversation clear of trollish dreck.
And I’m really enjoying the new Duran Duran album…
@ Mary Frances
A play reading only, but it was really fun. The summer Shakespeare course I was on used to include a semi-rehearsed reading of an adaptation of one of the plays we were seeing. This was my first hint that people actually rewrote Shakespeare. The readings generally showed just how much better the original was, but that Lear was so shattering that I really needed Cordelia NOT to die for once.
@ Leonora Rose
Good point! An an important change from the standard plot of, say, classical opera, in which she dies and he learns something important.
@ Tasha
Your proposal sounds positive and reasonable, as well as pointing out some important challenges. Are you making it to Maynard, or floating it here?
@ULTRAGOTHA:
Okay, gang, that was Cheerful Engagement and Presumption of Good Faith. Is that Bingo for anyone?
@Tasha Turner
I read your award thingy too. I have got to run and don’t have much to say but
1) I like your idea of rephrasing everything in a positive way (“Interesting” as opposed to “not boring” and so on.) Good guideline for Pups right there.
2) I like happy endings and hope as much as anyone. I don’t mind that other people like 1984 but I hated it with a powerful and (when prompted by my teacher) articulate hatred. It’s certainly SF–but it’s nothing I’ll ever read again. 🙂
So an award for upbeat stuff seems like a nice idea to me. Not that I felt like the Hugos was terribly short of that, but another one can’t hurt.
I’m going to a radio concert beginning of October. Duran Duran are headlining.
@Tasha Turner
I like your proposal quite a bit. When those principals are phrased in a positive form, they describe a class of story that I really do enjoy reading. I’m sure I would enjoy reading the winners of your hypothetical awards.
I have to say, though, I think you’re too good for Maynard. I really admire the way that you, Meredith, Hampus, Cat Valente, and others have tried so hard to engage on the substance when he can’t seem to stop insulting you without even realizing (apparently).
Msb: A play reading only, but it was really fun.
I’m still jealous. Damn, I’d love to see that done at any level. I also understand your response to that performance of Shakespeare: Lear is one of my favorite plays, but when it’s done well, the ending leaves me cold and shaking and gutted. Of course it’s supposed to do that, but. Still. Anyway. No one ever gives more than lip service to how different Tate’s version is, beyond the obvious “happy ending” sneer, and I do think that there’s a fascinating comparison to be made. In some ways, I’m actually more interested in the Fool’s absence than in Cordelia’s survival . . .
@Jim S
Honestly, I mostly focused on trying to get his communication sorted out rather than the proposal itself, since the proposal was getting attention from lots of smarter people than me. The others deserve praise, but I’m just trucking along being arrogant and know-it-all at him, really. 🙂
(I think he might have accepted that there’s a problem! I’m just not sure if he realises exactly what he was doing to cause it…)
@Tasha Your take on the awards strikes me as a really useful formulation. I like it both as a statement of how the “puppy” view appears from here and also, by contrast, how the Hugos are seen from this corner. I wonder how it would be received and would enjoy hearing an equally positive response.
@Msb I floated it over on his comments as well as here.
Thanks all for the support. You all rock. 😀
We’re all human. I make mistakes too just different ones. No ones perfect. Not that I’m excusing behavior. But I’ve been snarky on File770 about parts of his proposal which I’m sure has affected (effected?) how he responds to me.
I do know how hard it is to communicate when your angry. It’s also interesting to try to see things from a different point of view. I’m curious as to whether switching to positive captures what he’s been trying to say.
@Kathodus: (Limbus sale)
I was just checking the publisher’s site to see if there was any news on a third volume, and it seems they’re also having a half-off sale on the audio versions of both anthologies. Just use code Limbus123 at checkout; regular price is $9.99 each.
Unfortunately, no word on a third volume. The other two came out in 2Q 2013 and 2Q 2014, so I’ve been hoping for a new one since earlier this year.
@Tasha Turner
This didn’t work for me on Warcraft nearly as well, since there’s less time to think, but as I told Maynard my preferred method of dealing with feeling angry in a comment environment is to not fight it. I type my angry thing (preferably in a separate note because then there’s no accidental Post Comment incidents – I do that quite a lot when responding to multiple people anyway), then I delete it. Wash, rinse, repeat until I can type something that isn’t quite so MEREDITH SMASH as whatever I started with, and more closely resembles useful communication. It gets the poison out, and I don’t have to deal with the fall-out of RAWRing all over the place. Win-win. 🙂
Of course, first you have to recognise which parts of your comments are pissing people off, but I think he’s getting there. He’s had enough samples reflected back at him. Maybe we’ll see an improvement?
(Mind you, sometimes SMASH is appropriate anyway. It depends on the situation. For him, for this, I don’t think it’s been helpful, which is why I’ve been working on convincing him to tone it down.)
Oh and copying over my somewhat half-arsed (I’m going to finish The Martian if it kills me) commentary from Black Gate:
@Tasha Turner
I really like your framing of the criteria. All positivity, nothing that insults books that don’t fit into it, just talks about the aims and focus of the award. Good stuff.
I think the Best [Category] list might need tweaking, but that isn’t unexpected. There definitely needs to be another sci-fi category (Space Opera? Near Future?), and maybe the Fantasy one ought to be renamed High Fantasy (to contrast with Urban Fantasy)? Paranomal Romance, YA, Media Tie-in all look good, so does Series and Shared Universe, but I’m not sure those two need to be separate.
No opinion on the nomination and voting systems since there are so many flying around right now that I think they’d all need to be individually written up with pros/cons/interactions with other systems.
I sort of wonder whether starting with books the first year and then expanding to other media or fanac once you’ve ironed out the problems might be better. Start manageable and don’t burn out your volunteers/leaders in Year 1.
Funding needs a plan in place but the details of the award probably need to come first. Can’t fund something when you can’t define it.
@Tasha Turner, Meredith
You’re both doing something that I thought about and lacked the follow-through to actually do. For me, the key moment in the thread was the point where Cat Valente decided to walk away. All it took was 3 or 4 sentences from Maynard to move her from an enthusiastic participant to washing her hands of him. It was a complete failure of respect and civility on his part and I’m glad to see someone trying to help him understand what he’s doing to get that kind of reaction.
@Brian Z. I know you’re making a serious point here. I don’t necessarily agree, but I appreciate that you make me think. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you did some longer-form writing, I’d happily read it.
Conlanging is how I got into linguistics, in which I’m currently pursuing a degree.
It’s a lot of fun if you’re a giant language nerd like I am, and I still do it whenever I write fantasy.
@Whym I can’t blame my studying linguistics on conlanging, but it was definitely a factor. My main conlang underwent so many changes during those years! Where are you studying?
Tasha, I actually really like the sound of that award framework. The Heart Prevails Awards or some such.
Mary Frances
I should give fair warning on this; I read Combined Honours in Drama and Theatre Arts and Sociology, which is a very potent combination when it comes to wondering why, every so often, societies decide to clean up/cheer up the representations of art. I’m not quite as bad as the Ancient Mariner, but then I’m not really qualified to judge since I’m usually the one grabbing the wedding guests.
You have cited the classic example of ‘King Lear with a happy ending; Bowdler is the best known architect of cleaning up the dirty bits, though fortunately he missed quite a lot of them; to the pure all things are pure.
So, we know from history that from time to time societies do lurch into something similar to what the
supporters are trying to do, just as we know from history that even if they succeed, which seems eminent improbable in this particular case, it won’t last. So from our perspective It’s hard to get worked up about something we know to be doomed to failure.
Personally, I have have absolutely no problems with happy books for happy people, just as I have absolutely no problems with people setting up awards for said happy books for happy people, though I think it highly improbable that it would get off the ground.
Frankly, the fact that all of Greece’s greatest plays in their Golden Age would fail the purity tests, suggests that the people putting out this nonsense are profoundly ignorant of the history which has shaped the so-called ‘Western Culture’ they claim, untruthfully, to be upholding…
@Meredith I have similar rules when angry. Yours is great advice. 😀
Below is something created over several years with various friends and used as rules/suggestions for a number of groups I’ve been on and/or moderated:
How to Appear Intelligent on the Internet
Phrase your posts/comments with caution. Make your opinions known but don’t force them on others. Expel anger and frustration before typing. Always be clear and respectful. Remember that sarcasm doesn’t always come across the right way and some people may take genuine offense to a comment that was never meant to cause harm.
There are exceptions to the below rules. You may want to have someone you trust look at what you are responding to and your response prior to posting the response. I always have my husband check before I post if I am angry and/or passionate about something.
1. Always cite your source(s) as this makes you look like you really know your stuff and gives you back-up proof that you are correct.
2. Reread your posts (quietly to yourself out loud) while smiling. If you can’t read it with a smile on your face re-writing and/or rewording it will make it a better post (even if you are angry this is a good thing to do). If you cannot do this because you are too angry then you need to wait before posting and/or commenting.
3. If you are very angry – write-up your response – then keep it as a draft. Sleep on it for 24-72 hours then re-read the original post that upset you. Read your response out loud to yourself while smiling, and ask yourself “does this response make my point in such a way that I can be heard”. It never hurts to have someone else look at the post you are responding to and your reply before sending it. Also ask yourself how a lurker will view you in light of this response
4. If you’re angry and it seeps into your every post/comment/email — take a sabbatical from the group/blog/forum for a couple of days or a week.
5. Read all of what someone writes in a thread before responding as reading only part of a thread can lead to misunderstanding due to missing context or reiterating information and/or a question that has already been addressed.
6. Don’t “bait” and ignore those that try to “bait” you. Avoid the slippery slope into insults and focus on intelligent conversation instead. Insults lower your standing in the eyes of fellow posters and will lead to confrontation. Avoid them like the plague!
7. Respond in a quiet and respectful tone – especially to someone who you feel has insulted you – this helps to keep the conversation flowing and helps you in making your point without it being lost in the “fight”.
8. If after reading a post a few times you just can’t believe someone would say that, but think that questioning it in public might lead to bad feelings or might make you feel silly if you misunderstood something, you may want to write the original poster directly (and in a very friendly tone!) to see if you misunderstood.
9. Personal drama does not belong in public/professional forums/groups/blogs. By bringing personal drama into those places you decrease the respect others have for you.
10. Don’t post anything you would not want your mother/grandmother/children/boss/future boss to see on any electronic medium even if you think you’ve locked it between yourself and the one person you are sending it to (things can be copied & pasted/security systems fail/nothing said or written is truly private)
Edited addition: sometimes being angry is an appropriate response and should be used. Learn to know when so people listen when you use anger.
@Stevie — What I’m looking for are happy books for unhappy people, i.e., something that won’t further depress me. 😉
Seriously looking for suggestions of recent and/or upcoming sff that might be available as audiobooks.
(Note that I sneer at suggestions of discouraging the other kinds. I used to love dystopias and post-apocalyptic fiction. I just don’t want to read or listen to it right now.)
I have an Audible credit burning a hole in my pocket, and a possibility of getting another review copy from them. Suggestions, please!
@Tasha Turner
Another good rule to have is that if you screw up, be ready and willing to apologise. Along the same lines: If you’re wrong, acknowledge it and thank them for correcting you. Pride is less important than the conversational flow.
@Lis have you read the Miles Vorkosigan books by Bujold? Or any Georgette Heyer (I know it’s romance not SFF but it’s comedic and great worldbuilding and the women aren’t wilting flowers)
@Meredith you mean something like:
Proper apology
I’m sorry for…
This is/was wrong because…
In the future I will…
Please forgive me?
@Tasha — All the Vorkosigan books. All the Heyers, too. But yes, that’s exactly the kind of thing that would be perfect.
“Cozy” mysteries, too, especially if a dog or cat features prominently. (Although I harbor an irrational hatred for the works of Lillian Jackson Braun, who might seem like an obvious suggestion in that context.)
Lis
You are an entirely different kettle of fish; I have spent a hefty chunk of my life in a wide variety of hospitals; staying alive is something which has to be effected in both body and soul, and, since I have a lot of experience up close and personal of the nasty things which can happen to people, I really don’t need reminding of those nasty things. Neither do you, because you too know it up lose and personal…..
If you can get it then CJ Cherryh’s The Paladin is wonderful.
Round 4 of the current bracket coming up in a moment …
21ST CENTURY FANTASY, ROUND FOUR
1. EIGHT MILLION STORIES IN THE NAKED CITY
Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
2. THE SWORDSWOMAN AND THE PALADIN
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold
3. MOVING HOUSE
The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison
Coraline, Neil Gaiman
4. STORIES OF HISTORICAL FACT
Tooth and Claw, Jo Walton
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
@Lis Carey: If you haven’t read the Mrs. Pollifax books by Dorothy Gilman, those are fun. Written and set in the 70’s (for the early ones). Full of good-will and humor, and quite a bit of action. The main character is a retired woman who decides to offer her services to the CIA as a spy.
In SF, Karen Lord’s Best of All Possible Worlds operates as a mood-lifter for me. The voice of the main character is most of the reason why. She is warm and kind and generous. The bulk of the book is a travelogue going around to different settlements on the planet.
@Liz I missed the recent or upcoming – Heather Rose Jones – 2 books the 2nd in the series is eligible for Hugo 2016. Ilona Andrews has between 1-3 books coming out this year and I believe had 2-3 last year plus you might find some short stories. Patricia Briggs also has books out last year and this year. Tanya Huff’s stuff is hit or miss for level of upbeat; she has stuff out both last year and this year in SF and fantasy/UF – I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read. Daniel Jose Older has 2 books out this year – I’ve only read one and enjoyed it – his book of shorts is tough reading emotionally he really takes you places and some are dark so much as I love it I’d avoid it right now. Carrie Vaughn is fun I loved her Kitty Norville UF series. And of course Laura Resnick’s Esther Diamond UF is fun reading and last book came out within the last year I believe. Umm mostly UF I’m afraid. I like the comedy and having it based on the here and now and these authors all have hope. Gosh they might be eligible for “happy SFF awards”. LOL
I don’t do dystopian or apocalypse stuff.
@Lis
Have you read Zen Cho’s “Monkey King, Faerie Queen”? It’s a short story, so not available on Audible, but I found that it packed a whole lot of delightful into a small package.
Been years since I read Mrs Pollifax books but I remember loving them.
CENTURY FANTASY, ROUND FOUR
2. THE SWORDSWOMAN AND THE PALADIN
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold
Tie I will not have my soul torn apart by books. No!
3. MOVING HOUSE
The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison
Easy thank you. I’m not a Gaiman fan. I know tar and feather me.
4. STORIES OF HISTORICAL FACT
Tooth and Claw, Jo Walton
I had strong feelings about this book.
ROUND 4 STATISTICS –
Women move back ahead, and UK authors are CRUSHING it, reversing the stats for U.S. vs. UK this round to take a substantial lead. Perhaps related, although secondary world books are rising relative to “our world but different” books, the UK, whether modern or historical, maintains a substantial presence as a setting. However, some of the Napoleonic/Regency settings have at last met their match, with only one remaining standing. Similarly, only one Dragon book remains to represent the creature-focused offerings. However, it should be pointed out, in both cases, that one book in the final eight is 12.5% of the total all by itself.
Authors who are
Women: 62.5% (5/8)
Men: 37.5% (3/8)
Authors who are from
The U.S.: 37.5% (3/8)
The UK: 62.5% (5/8)
Books set at least partly in
Europe: 25% (2/8)
— Modern Day UK: 12.5% (1/8)
— Napoleonic Wars/Regency UK: 12.5% (1/8)
Books heavily featuring
Dragons: 12.5% (1/8)
Tasha
Not even Damnation Alley? I have a soft spot for Hell Tanner…
1. EIGHT MILLION STORIES IN THE NAKED CITY
Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
2. THE SWORDSWOMAN AND THE PALADIN
Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold
3. MOVING HOUSE
The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison
4. STORIES OF HISTORICAL FACT
Tooth and Claw, Jo Walton
Stevie: Frankly, the fact that all of Greece’s greatest plays in their Golden Age would fail the purity tests, suggests that the people putting out this nonsense are profoundly ignorant of the history which has shaped the so-called ‘Western Culture’ they claim, untruthfully, to be upholding…
Yes, well, there is that. Personally, I also think that an awful lot of people who demand Happy Endings Only are profoundly missing an understanding of the concept of tragedy, too. Or they’d understand that “meaningful” doesn’t mean “uplifting” OR “cynical & depressing”; it means meaningful, and that can be expressed in a wide variety of modes.
Lis Carey, Sylvia’s mentioning the Mrs. Pollifax books by Dorothy Gilman–I also recommend her The Tightrope Walker, if you can find it–reminded me of Charlotte Macleod’s mysteries. I especially recommend her first Peter Shandy mystery, Rest You Merry, which ought to delight bibliophiles anywhere.
21ST CENTURY FANTASY, ROUND FOUR
1. EIGHT MILLION STORIES IN THE NAKED CITY
Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
That was easy.
2. THE SWORDSWOMAN AND THE PALADIN
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold
Less easy, but…
3. MOVING HOUSE
The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison
Coraline, Neil Gaiman
Sorry. Easy.
4. STORIES OF HISTORICAL FACT
Tooth and Claw, Jo Walton
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
Mostly easy.
I suspect I am really really going to need cold cloths next round, though, as the ones I voted for are probably my four favorite fantasy books of the last 15 years.
> “I suspect I am really really going to need cold cloths next round, though, as the ones I voted for are probably my four favorite fantasy books of the last 15 years.”
My suspicion is this is going to be true for a lot of people. That’s where, no matter what the seeding, the Bracket Titans start fighting each other …
I think I missed a bracket…
In any case:
1. Night watch
2. Paladin of souls
3. Goblin emperor
4. Tooth and claw
What happened with JJ’s best novel poll/brackets/whatever it was?
@Lis Carey, sometimes I just want happy books that don’t make me think deeply (or at all). Going through my Kindle’s archives, I see books by Nancy Atherton, Juliet Blackwell, Debora Geary, Kevin Hearne, Darynda Jones, and Richard and Frances Lockridge, They are all the literary equivalent of a hot bath and a warm blanket, at least for me.
In other news, I actively disliked two of the eight in this round and have no opinion on a third entry, leaving:
3. MOVING HOUSE
The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison
4. STORIES OF HISTORICAL FACT
Tooth and Claw, Jo Walton
Haven’t read it.
And in HOLY FRAKKING SHIT news today – Ta-Nehisi Coates to Write Black Panther Comic for Marvel
I loved Priest’s Black Panther run, and would’ve gladly cut of someone else’s limb to have him back on it, but this? This is mindblowing to me. Coates is an excellent wordsmith, and a big ol’Mighty Marvel nerd. I’m reaaaaaly looking for ward to this.
21ST CENTURY FANTASY, ROUND FOUR
3. MOVING HOUSE
The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison
Coraline, Neil Gaiman
I really enjoyed both of these, but I was not as wowed by either of these as a lot of people obviously were. That said, Coraline, while innovative in some respects, still told a story that’s been told a thousand times and was somewhat predictable, whereas TGE went someplace new for me.
Eve, I think JJ is going to re-do it as IRV.
Mary Frances on September 22, 2015 at 4:34 pm said:
Oh, I’d forgotten Peter Shandy, those are great books!
Also the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters. We watched a documentary about Egypt the other day and I was nodding along… “Yep, I know that. Know that, too. Yes, I know all about that….” LOL
If you’re into mysteries, there’s the Sister Frevisse books by Margaret Frazer and I love almost every one of the Dick Francis books.
T. Kingfisher’s books are lovely. I especially liked Bryony and Roses.
21ST CENTURY FANTASY, ROUND FOUR
1. Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
2. Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold
3. The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison
4. Tooth and Claw, Jo Walton
21ST CENTURY FANTASY, ROUND FOUR
1. EIGHT MILLION STORIES IN THE NAKED CITY
Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
Night Watch, Terry Pratchett3. MOVING HOUSE
The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison
Coraline, Neil Gaiman