Author: Anders Monsen (Page 58 of 82)

To hide my shame at not knowing how to link to YouTude directly, a nod to the fellow ERB fans over at Rebels of Mars.

This has to be The. Worst. Movie. Adaptation. Of. A. Book. Ever.

The fact that this was filmed in 1976, one year before Star Wars, speaks volumes for the horrible state of social effects at the time, but even the actors look woefully miscast.

I’m messing around with building an Amazon AStore. I found that I’ve never been able to keep up with linking to Amazon when I mention books, so instead I found I can create a single site with several categories. While still under construction, I have added titles for all past Prometheus Award winners, as well as the 2007 preliminary list of best novel nominees. Since a group of judges whittle down this list to five or six, and I know more novels are currently under consideration*, here’s a chance to see the list of early nominated books. I’m embarrassed to say I have read only two of the books of the current nine. I’m going to re-work this site over the next few days before the main categories are set in stone, and also I plan to add remarks to as many selections as possible.

*Full disclosure – I am not a member of the judges committee, although I do vote on the final selection.

Author Tamara Wilhite, whose fiction has appeared in Prometheus in both past issues and the forthcoming January 2007 issue, has a short available from Amazon.com in their Amazon Shorts program. Her story, Natural Talent, is available for download, and her collection of tales called Humanity’s Edge also is available.

The January 2007 issue of Prometheus has been shipped to the printer, and should be in the mail to subscribers and members of the Libertarian Futurist Society some time next week. Contents include a review of the Heinlein audio plays from the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, fiction by Tamara Wilhite, a review of John Scalzi’s The Ghost Brigades, a review of Jack Williamson’s The Humanoids, a review in poetic form of Sinclair Lewis’s novel, It Can’t Happen Here, a review of Brad Linaweaver’s political broadside, Post-Nationalism, and photos from the FreFan party at the 2006 WorldCon in Los Angeles.

If you’re interested in writing anything for Prometheus, please contact me at editor@lfs.org – the next issue is planned for April 2007, and I expect this one to be full of book reviews. Your contributions are most welcome.

L. Neil Smith talks about sequels to books that his fans dearly hopes he gets around to writing. I counted at least 15 planned books, which is an ambitious outline of ideas.

Sad but not unexpected, given his recent health issues. Robert Anton Wilson, author of numerous books and articles, including Illuminatus! (which was co-written by Robert Shea) died earlier today.

Via Locus Online an article in The American Spectator about Jim Baen, who died last year. Baen published Baen Books, and was noted for hard science and military science fiction novels (though it also published fantasy and non-military sf). The writer of this article, whether consciously or not, remembers the conservative military sf aspects of Baen Books, despite some libertarian and also non-political works published. Aside from other points raised about sf and politics, I take issue with the conservative, revisionist interpretation of Western values of the writer. Apparently instead of individual rights, America and Western Europe rest on “traditional Western values like honor, patriotism, chivalry, duty and military valor.” These could be applied to any other non-Western culture, such as China, Islamic nations, Russia, and Latin American nations. Baen, more libertarian than conservative, is being hijacked by conservatives as some sort of knee-jerk supporter of the military nation (with a conservative commander in chief, of course).

Here’s hoping that 2007 is a great year for everyone, with lots of good reading ahead.

I wrote another 1000 words for Prometheus last Thursday, including my poetic impressions on reading Sinclair Lewis’ novel, It Can’t happen Here, once again. Inspired by John Keats’ poem on re-reading Shakespeare’s King Lear, my poem follows the rhyming scheme, mimics the title and opening line, but then bears little resemblence (nor, I fear, does it even approach anything as well-written as anything by Keats). It took me 10 minutes to complete the first draft of the 14 line sonnet. Once I started words flowed surprising fast. I had jotted down a few notes while reading the book, and used some of these, but bypassed others, and the ending was not what I expected.

I have a mere 850 words left before the issue is done, all the words within one book review, and then the rewriting and proofing commences. All the artwork for the issue has been placed, and so far it looks good. There are several reviews where I could have written a lot more, but I planned specific word constraints for each article, and lacked space for one more book review that I planned to write. The one I’m currently work on is a little tough, so I’m re-reading the book to solidify my impressions.

I’ve been reading a lot from and about Clark Ashton Smith lately. Some new biographical stuff certainly jumped out of nowhere, especially his last few years and how he died. He’s enjoying a sort of ressurgence of attention lately, with new books of stories appearing quite often, and 2007 should see the first volume of a ‘complete’ edition of his works. It’s not realy complete, I learn, since it only covers fantasy stories, and leaves out his many science fiction tales, as well as almost all his poetry. Ah well, maybe next time. Smith is my second favorite writer, so I’m floating around a few thoughts for a brief article as to why. I’ve also learned through reading his letters that his political ideas could be classified as having libertarian leanings, though he tended to eschew politics.

I’d rather be watching Heroes right now, but my network connection this evening is spotty, and one second of video vs. three seconds to load the next one is something I only could take for ten minutes. I spotted several inconsistencies and questions with the show, but despite those issues, I think it’s the best thing on TV in ages. For now.

Pre-ordered F. Paul Wilson’s new novel today, the first day one could do so. Bloodline isn’t my favorite title, and after the last Repairman Jack book left me grumbling and depressed about certain events, I am not sure of the direction in the next book. Also learned today that FPW had open heart surgery in December ’06. Here’s wishing him a speedy recovery. I met him in early November, and probably came across like a total fan-boy, despite only being 20 year his junior.

And so, a rambling entry comes to an end with one more thought. After wrapping up my review of the ATRC audioplays by Robert A. Heinlein, I dug out all my Heinlein books from various shelves in my disorganized study. I think I own less than half his published books, though I’ve read almost all of his books (friends, libraries). I’m going to try to squeeze in some time to read a few of his short stories. I know that the next issue of Prometheus will require quite a few book reviews, and I have a stack of candidates sitting next to me, but it’s been a while since I read anything by RAH, so no time like the present.

Television. I hardly watch any more. First, I never have time. Then, there’s the glaring lack of quality, except on premium channels like HBO, which doesn’t need to stay within the FCC’s lines. And yet, there’s always the rage about ‘reality’ shows, laugh-track ‘comedy,’ and the corpse-fetish shows like CSI, or the current hot drama where the audience is as lost as the cast members. No doubt my tastes are too narrow.

A few people I know recommended Heroes, but due to timing I’ve oly been able to catch the last fifteen minutes of two episodes. I was able to watch 80% of the mid-season finale, and instantly got hooked. I could pay $1.99 for the recap from iTunes, or wait for reruns, but lickly NBC has posted all 11 episodes to date for a limited time. I’ve watched the first four, and while I don’t know how many more I can watch before the freebies are gone, I’m impressed beyond words at this show. I don’t know how long the magic can last, for in my opinion TV shows rarely sustain greatness beyond a couple of seasons, before writers get desparate for attention, and the worm eats itself.

I recently read an essay on lewrockwell.com expounding an ‘Austrian’ theory of culture, with which I have many, many disagreements. I am mulling over a reply and my own theory. The gist of this essay is the author’s embrace of TV as good culture, especially long-lasting shows and collaborative efforts (Gilligan’s Island, X-Files, and The Simpsons are the author’s favorites). I don’t know about the writers of Heroes, of the long-term plan of the show, but were only to last one season, say 22 episodes, that might be a better thing than drag on for five years. There are well-written shows on TV now and in the past where cast members solve things week after week, but a few hours after the show is over you’ve forgotten everything. Heroes instead layers question after question, with multiple story-arcs, and leaves me wondering after each one what will happen. In some sense I already know, as I read every word at the Wikipedia site, which is rife with spoilers. Perhaps I should have waited until after I saw the shows, but I didn’t think I would have that chance until several months from now with re-runs. Heroes is like a well-written novel, and indeed every show is entitled “Chapter X” (with a number instead of X), much like a novel. Perhaps it’s the geek in my, but the thread with Hiro Nakamura is my favorite. I almost wish the show was a long book, as so far this is the most novel like TV show I’ve ever seen.