Marginalia

[coalescent]

For the small elite set of people who like both Veronica Mars and the work of Kelly Link, despotliz has just made the best post ever.

In fact, it's very nearly as in-joke-tastic as the last part of Benjamin Rosenbaum's answer to the last question in this interview.

Brilliant character analysis of Captain Malcom Reynolds, with reference to Bufffy and Angel as well as Firefly.

Long but interesting article about the campaign to save Firefly, from an insider's viewpoint.

A Guardian review of Interzone 200.

megmccarron summarises the hard fantasy discussion.

Rich Horton has an analysis of short fiction award winners and their editors at Locus Online.

Why the inclusion of Watchmen in Time's Top 100 Novels list is a bad thing.

I've been reading Michael Swanwick's Periodic Table of Science Fiction this weekend. I'd never read the whole thing through before; I particularly like Titanium, Aluminium, Phosphorus, and perhaps most of all Meitnerium.

And finally: not quite 1066 and all that. "Ah, a student who learns visually."

Comments

[chance88088.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten how much fun the Periodic Table was. I wish Ellen would do another series of short shorts like that.

And so all things lead to Kelly Link now? (Though on a survival scale I have to rate his Zombie Contingency Plan about a 6.)

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

And there's a character in 'Magic for Beginners' called 'Jeremy Mars'. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!

[chance88088.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a global conspiracy to me.

[andrewducker]

I have to say, that much as I appreciate seeing Watchmen there, the guy has a point - it's not a novel. If they'd been writing a list of the top 100 'stories' then I'd agree it belonged. But there are no films, poems, plays or TV series there, so graphic novels probably don't belong either.

[veggiesu.livejournal.com]

I'm confused by the argument that including Watchmen on the list is a bad thing. The argument seems to be "people might buy it, and not appreciate it", or even "people might buy it, and not appreciate it properly" - and surely that argument applies to any of the book son the list? If I say to myself, "I enjoyed The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, therefore I will buy Lolita for I will surely enjoy it too" it's just as likely that I would be unappreciative of the Nabokov¹. In fact, it sounds suspiciously like "comic books are *mine*, and nasty prose readers shouldn't even know of their existence, becuase they won't appreciate them the same way I do". Or maybe I simply misunderstood the concerns?

1 - these are examples only; it doesn't represent my actual position towards either of those two books.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I think andrewducker has it right; the argument is that they're different reading experiences. You wouldn't call an epic narrative poem a novel, so why are you calling Watchmen a novel? And if you're calling Watchmen a novel, why only Watchmen?

Not saying I agree, but it's a valid point.

[snowking.livejournal.com]

Because DC released a really nice expensive version of it in time for Christmas. I TELL THEE.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Your cynicism humbles me.

Top 100

[applez.livejournal.com]

I think that was on my recent 100 books I read meme thingy I did.

[nwhyte]

1066 and Aaargh!

[sciamanna.livejournal.com]

I love the Nomadic French King. Thanks! :-)

[truecatachresis.livejournal.com]

"Kristen and I found ourselves essentially erased from Firefly's fandom story, and a goodly portion of the fans who would sell their mothers into a sex slave ring to score tickets to an early screening of the flick have never heard of either of us"

Wow, self-obsessed much? What a whiny article.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Self-obsessed, yes, but that's part of why it's interesting ... the sort of person it takes to organise that sort of campaign.

[dev-iant.livejournal.com]

Thanks for pushing Veronica Mars. Although I'd somehow got the mistaken impression that it was a genre series, I've really enjoyed it. I've become quite addicted with 5 programmes a week on Living. I'm starting feel deprived on those days without one. Am I in for cold turkey next week when series 1 finishes! I will not be using Liz's icons, however :-)