I almost wrote a few weeks ago to predict this, but I didn’t want to bother with politics. Now I find that it’s actually come true. Once entrenched, no government program will ever be repealed.*
*Note: I am neither pro-Republican nor pro-Democrat.
Author: Anders Monsen (Page 52 of 90)
The Libertarian Futurist Society announced this year’s finslists for the Prometheus Best Novel Award, for fiction published in 2009.
I have not yet read a single one of the nominees, though I admit to some surprise that Harry Turtledove has two books in the running. I have read only a handful of his books, and (my opinion only) I find them far from gripping and engaging in the manner I expect from an award winning novel. As for the other nominees, I read Card’s earlier novel, or rather, skipped huge chunks to get through it out of sheer sense of obligation. I enjoyed Doctorow’s Little Brother, but have read nothing else by him, and the Kollin brothers debut with their novel. Am I just losing touch with modern SF? I found the recent list of Hugo finalists also distressingly banal and uninteresting. It has been a long while since I truly enjoyed most of the new books I read, and I seem to read fewer each year. There is no sense of wonder in today’s SF, or maybe that’s just me. In movies, everything is a reboot. I expect more from books, but maybe the magic has faded. I get more out re-reading Jack Vance these days.
I finished Paul McAuley’s latest novel, Gardens of the Sun, his sequel to The Quiet War. I actually liked most of this novel better than the first. McAuley seemed more comfortable with his characters and the events of the story, although several main characters from the first book either died or underwent radical change. Excellent hard sf novel on a grand scale, so for the most part the characters played their parts and drifted off, exit stage left.
Gardens of the Sun
I also read Sarah Hoyt’s novel, Darkship Thieves, a book that focused very much on the characters, especially the female protagonist. This character tended to be unsympathetic almost until the end, while her male co-star sulked a great deal throughout the novel. The book was far from unfavorable, and I am planning a longer review in Prometheus, but I have not processed all my thoughts about this book yet.
Darkship Thieves
What a master of style and images. Just finished her novel, Nights at the Circus, about a half woman, half swan trapeze artist at the turn of the 19th into the 20th century, and the journalist who follows her across Europe and Siberia. Bawdy, breathtaking, funny, bizarre, and brilliant. I had read several of Carter’s short stories in her collection Burning Your Boats, but this was her first novel I tackled. I think I need to add her to the list of authors worth searching for at the local used book store.
I just finished re-reading Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, two stories I vaguely remember having read many decades ago. Since then my perceptions of the two stories have been clouded by movies, popular culture, and dim memory. I both stories very surreal, almost bizarre, with characters spouting nonsense and misdirection. Yet digging deeper there are some very interesting metaphysical notions, as well other critical insight into the workings of morals and language. I have not seen the new Tim Burton movie yet, but as for the stories, I think they are ones that are strange and curious, though I am not tempted to return there.
I first hear Tracey Thorn’s voice in early 1984, when I picked up Everything but the Girl’s debut record, Eden, which I still have. I bought pretty much everything I could find by Thorn and EbtG, until the late ’90s when they turned to dance music I failed to follow. Then just a few days ago I heard a song of hers on Pandora that I did not recognize. I turned to Wikipedia, or course, and discovered she had recorded a new record in 2007, and in May 2010 is coming out with another. Supposedly the link below will embed a Soundcloud audio player to hear the song, which is just superb. Check out her music at www.traceythorn.com. Her new single is sparse, her voice nonpareil, and the music just as good as it gets.
Yowza! Just read a great post by mystery and sf writer Sarah Hoyt over at <<Lensman’s Children>> that makes me want to run out and read all her books. Hoyt’s most recent novel is Darkship Thieves, published this month by Baen Books.
Good news for Firefly fans about a new collection of science fiction stories in Whedon’s universe over at <<SciFi Wire>>
Just found out about another Kickstarter project to fund a South American tour for Asobi Sesku, another band that I discovered this year through Pandora – http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/549811469/on-the-road-again-asobi-seksu-goes-on-tour Their latest album (Hush) is so far their best, in my opinion.
Stripmall Architecture, a new project from former members of Halou, launched a funding effort online to pay for the CD release of their new EP. I like their music, and find this method a far more personal way to participate in releasing good music than throwing $20 to Sony or EMI for the latest pop sounds or Beatles re-flog. You can check progress and listen to samples over at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stripmall/fund-the-new-stripmall-architecture-release
