Look Over There

[coalescent]

Still no actual content here, but there's good stuff elsewhere.

greengolux has three Worldcon panel reports:

At Worldcon I attended three particularly fascinating literary panels. The first two were on the aesthetics of science fiction and fantasy respectively, and the third was entitled 'Waiting for the Fantastic' and was about those pieces of fiction that never quite break out into explicit sf or fantasy, but feel like they could do at any moment. These three panels, in a way, formed the core of the convention for me. Between them they set out to explore the very heart of the real reason I was there in the first place, attempting to get to the bottom of what science fiction, fantasy, and other works that teeter on the brink of sf and fantasy are trying to do and how they set about doing it.

zarabee reports a question that China Mieville asked of Gary Wolfe and John Clute during their conversation:

He commented about the the naivety of SF, and the literal reading of things in SF, and asked whether the critical approach and the interpretation which criticism necessitated means that the naievety is lost. He wanted [Clute and Wolfe] to talk about about the battle between naivety and sophistication which ensues when we start to explore the metaphorisation and the meaning of it all.

Jonathan Strahan enthuses about two stories, one by Jeff Vandermeer and one by Geoff Ryman:

I got online this morning and downloaded the night's email. In amongst it was an email from Gordon with the December F&SF attached. I was delighted to see that there was a new Geoff Ryman novelette in the issue, a story called 'The Last Ten Years in the Life of Hero Kai'. From what I can tell, it's the cover story for the issue and is quite unusual. The story head note references something called 'monkpunk', and it's tempting to be glib and say this is it. But it would be glib. The story is a very subtle and quite powerful tale of a warrior monk who leads a revolt to save the country he loves, becomes what he detests and, possibly, is responsible for a change in the way the world works. It doesn't matter whether this story is SF or fantasy (my bet is SF, though I'd be curious to hear what Gordon thinks), but it was either going to be masterful or awful. Following so closely on the heels of his completely wonderful novel Air, it should come as no surprise, that it is far closer to masterful than not. A highlight in a year of stories.

Needless to say, I am jealous of Mr Strahan's early-reading privileges.

Comments

[chance88088.livejournal.com]

there's never going to be content again, is there?

(also jealous of early magazines - how come you didn't hit him up for shortform review copies at worldcon?)

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

There might be! I could have some free time, you don't know. At some point. Maybe.

Also, it would have been a bit tacky to ask for review copies given that I wasn't actually a subscriber at that point (I have since resubscribed).

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

Is there a limit to how many times you and Dan can have the same argument? :)

NO!

[chance88088.livejournal.com]

But then they'd have to find a new argument to have. This is far more efficient.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

You would hope so, wouldn't you?

[immortalradical.livejournal.com]

I tried to have it with other people this time. But Niall go jealous.

[veggiesu.livejournal.com]

It's the only way they have of dealing with all the UST sloshing around :-p

[snowking.livejournal.com]

Oooh, Planetary icons.

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

Yep, I made a whole new icon set of pretty pretty John Cassady pictures.

[snowking.livejournal.com]

Got any grumpy Elijah icons? *puppy dog eyes*

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

The one on the last comment isn't grumpy enough for you?

I can make more icons. Tell me if there's a specific scene you're thinking of (up to episode 20, which is what I have scans for).

[snowking.livejournal.com]

He's more angry than grumpy there.

I shall have to reread Planetary to decide. Oh noes!

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

Snap on the music.

Also apologies for any implied biocrit.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

'twas brassyn's recommendation. All hail her musical taste.

And please god don't you start with the small text.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

I was using small text before I even met knew internet-rubbed Hartland!

[immortalradical.livejournal.com]

Internet-rub?

[chance88088.livejournal.com]

it's a sad facsimile of what we have

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

And please god don't you start with the small text.

It's not like it could make him more disturbing.

[greengolux.livejournal.com]

Have just finished Air. Do you have a copy of The Child Garden I could borrow by any chance?

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I was about to say 'no', then I realised that I do, acquired from the fishlifters some time ago. Huzzah!

P.S. Wanna review Air for me? ;-)

[greengolux.livejournal.com]

Wanna review Air for me?

Oh, go on then. Was thinking of writing something up on it anyway.

off topic

[eldereft.livejournal.com]

If you are interested, I just made an lj syndication for Charles Stross' blog: charlies_diary.