Coalescent

Locus Online has its usual brace of April Fool's articles: I like these two best. Also at Locus Online, but not an April Fool's: extracts from Soundings.

Meanwhile, LJ goes pirate.

Concussion has a provisional programme grid up. Play programme bingo! A prize to anyone who doesn't know and guesses which items I'm on. (Hint: four, plus one things that's not listed on that grid.)

Abigail Nussbaum is back from holiday: here's her overview of the second half of Battlestar Galactica's second season. (Someone else has a theory about the ending here.)

Now, this is really fix-up at the level of criticism.

Jonathan Strahan wonders if we need nineteen (n-n-n-nineteen!) year's best volumes.

Alasdair Gray has a blog.

Jon Courtenay Grimwood's Guardian column rounds up books by Tanya Huff, Adam Roberts, Sarah Micklem and Tom Lloyd.

And because the rest of this post hasn't been gonzo enough: Bruce Sterling's State of the World 2006. jonquil objects; someone who might be Sterling offers a rejoinder.

Beyond easy comprehension:

Every year, 8.5 million Chinese peasants move into cities. Most of their destinations are mere specks on western maps, if they appear at all. But their populations put them on a par with some of the world's megalopolises. Britain has five urban centres of more than a million people; China has ninety. A few - Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Nanjing - are well known around the world. The names of many others - Suqian, Suining, Xiantao, Xinghua, Liuan - are unfamiliar even to many Chinese. Nowhere is the staggering urbanisation of the world more evident than in Chongqing. Never heard of it? This is where the pace and scale of urbanisation is probably faster and bigger than anywhere in the world today. This is the Coketown of the early 21st century.

Also in the Guardian, Colin Greenland reviews Black Juice. Elsewhere, Paul Witcover says that Steph Swainston's "truest forebears are to be found in comic books". Not sure about that.

despotliz says smart things about drug testing.

Fascinating post by lasultrix about sexual equality in dystopian novels.

Itzkoff log, supplemental: Karen Joy Fowler writes about Octavia Butler for Salon (ye gods, the letters!), and in the process takes a swipe at Itzkoff. Michael Schaub responds. megmccarron comments here. And somehow nobody told Marusek about the fuss until now.

Oh, what the hell: just this once, I'm going to pimp something I wrote. It's about a book you should all read, obviously.

One for the fanzine designers: what your font says about you. [via Gwenda]

And finally: old news, but this demo of Spore is just astonishing. Half an hour long, and worth watching to the end. [via Jed]

I like this New Yorker piece [via] about Battlestar Galactica, because it seems to have a sense of the show as an exemplary piece of sf, rather than as something that transcends sf's perceived limitations:

If you switch to the term "speculative fiction," which many sci-fi writers prefer, the genre seems more interesting. In fact, the genre is so capacious that it’s not even very useful to call it a genre—at least, not as a put-down or a comment on its limitations. Stories that are geared to ask "What if?" and "What then?" and "Who are we?" and also have some life to them beyond the nuts and bolts of imagining an alternative reality are a genuine achievement. On the other hand, don’t feel bad if you don’t like watching shows filled with characters who have disturbingly shaped heads and faces. I myself am of the school that believes that frontal lobes belong inside the skull. I’m delighted when a character on TV has a brain—I just don’t want to see it.

Commentary on the most recent episode of Galactica here, here, and here.

James Lovelock thinks we are doomed. [via, links will probably become paid-only soon]

'The Faery Handbag' may become a film (scroll down a little).

Musings on evolving definitions of feminism. [via]

Obligatory pimpage of Strange Horizons reviews, part one: in a review of Christopher Priest: The Interaction, John Clute takes issue with the protocols of academic writing:

In following these shit-stupid protocols Hubble (and/or Butler) sedulously make near nonsense of a speculative historical argument, and they waste our time. I am very conscious that I too have, in a sense, been wasting our time as well with such a long excursus; but the dumb secret strength of the kind of protocols I've been attacking is that it takes a long time to explain how damaging their application is in each specific case. Hubble was my victim here, almost at random. There are dozens of similar dispiriting examples throughout Interaction, each so embedded in industrial practice that each would take a paragraph to describe. The cumulative effect is disastrous, both for the scholars locked into malpractice and for the readers who are baulked from accessing anything much of use in a book so compromised.

Obligatory pimpage of Strange Horizons reviews, part two: Graham Sleight and Tim Phipps debate the merits of 'The Christmas Invasion'.

And finally: a request for recommendations. I need recent (last 18 months or so) examples of either sf translated into English or sf written in English that is set in or engages with other cultures. Thanks!

If you somehow missed the news of SCIFICTION's imminent demise ... well, now you know. Sucks, doesn't it? Gwenda Bond has been collecting links to other commentary, and gives her own personal Best Of from the site. Emails of shock and disappointment should go to feedback@scifi.com.

The authors of Refracted Light respond to the earlier discussion about the site around these parts.

Meet The Literary Darwinists, who "read books in search of innate patterns of human behaviour."

white_hart reviews The Time-Traveler's Wife.

A call for submissions for an anthology of essays by and about Geek Girls.

filomancer posts about flow and entertainment in writing.

Last but not least, Catherynne M. Valente on how she learned to stop worrying and love being a fantasy writer.

Haven't done one of these for a while but hey, no time like the present:

Article in the Guardian about models of cognition and the portrayal of the mind in literature here:

Free indirect style, that fusing of third-person narrative with depictions of first-person consciousness, means that writers can state their characters' thoughts explicitly, as though they were utterances of speech, without having to describe their shape or character. Modern novelists' fondness for first-person storytelling, brilliantly exemplified in the embedded narratives of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, has often served as an excuse for writers merely to render thought, rather than getting to grips with its dynamics and complex simultaneities. For all their limitations, metaphors of mind give writers a handle on the ineffable qualities of cognition. When thought becomes no more than unspoken speech, fiction's gleaming reputation as a mirror of human consciousness will inevitably begin to tarnish.

Also links to this neato metaphor of mind databank. [via tom]

Interesting discussion of what 'hard fantasy' means (and what it should mean) in megmccarron's journal here. David Moles asks what bad hard fantasy would be.

The US cover for River of Gods. Pretty, but not, I think, quite as good for the book as either of the UK covers.

In other cover art news, Locus online has an extensive directory (read: large page) of 2005 cover art. Good resource for awards etc.

The official talking squids in outer space webpage. With a Stephen Baxter story, obviously.

And finally: The Periodic Table of Dessert. Yum. [via grahamsleight]

Hmm. Haven't done one of these for a while. Two important bits of news first:

1. Tonight's BSFA London Meeting guest is the critic Gary K. Wolfe. He will be interviewed by Andrew McKie. I sincerely hope.

2. Strange Horizons needs reviewers. Specifically, reviewers interested in a broad range of speculative media who can say a lot in a small space. I know there are people reading this who can and do do this on a regular basis: I want your submissions! And spread the word far and wide. If you've got questions, ask away.

On to the rest of the links. First up: interview bonanaza! Paul Witcover at Fantastic Metropolis, Kelly Link at One Story (focusing on 'The Great Divorce'), and Ian McEwan at The Morning News and Spiegel.

The Fountain, Darren Aaronofsky's next film, sounds interesting.

Dirk Benedict is a moron. In other Galactica-related news, if you loved the piece of piano music on the soundtrack to episode 2x02 as much as I did, you might be glad to know that it's by Philip Glass and that you can download it here.

Lucius Shepard reviews War of the Worlds.

David Kipen gave a mixed review to the latest Harry Potter and got an inbox full of vitriol for his trouble. He addresses some myths about criticism:

Myth No. 1: Critics shouldn't reveal anything about a book's plot.

Myth No. 2: Any critic who disagrees with you must not have read the book.

Myth No. 3: All critics are frustrated writers.

There's a wiki for everything, these days.

And finally: Hamlet: the text adventure [via matociquala]

EDIT: via auros, a timeline for Primer. If you haven't seen the film, don't look at the timeline. In addition, if you haven't seen the film, see it as soon as possible. Don't find out what it's about first, just trust me on this one.

'Smile Time': the comic.

The link to the dark cabal, an anonymous group blog devoted to reviewing short sf, has been bouncing around all over the sf blogosphere. I think nhw was the first to spot it, as part of his Hugo round-up; after I posted about it to shortform, Gwenda Bond picked it up, and subsequent commentary seen includes, but is not limited to: Justine Larbalestier here, Ben Peek here, Matt Cheney here (and more recently here), and this discussion at the Night Shade message boards.

If Molesworth went to Hogwarts [via dyddgu]

The Third Alternative is truly no more; from now on, the magazine will be known as Black Static. [via douglain]

A fantastic reinterpretation of Star Wars in the light of the prequels; and what happens when a 7-year old watches the old films after the new ones. [via swisstone and snowking]

Chance blogs about The Sparrow. And again. And again. And. Again. And then once more for luck.

Pretty pictures I'm nominating for the BSFA best artwork award: one, two, three.

Veronica Mars stuff: vonnielake talks about the pilot, and picklepocket has transcripts. Transcripts make me happy.

On the subject of the Global Frequency pilot: it turns out that Producer John Rogers has a blog, where he's made a couple of interesting posts about the show. One after the show got leaked; another about how the format of the comic would have been adapted for tv; and on the subject of a potential grassroots movement to get GF back on-screen somehow, this:

The odds of this working are way, way too small to take seriously.
[...]
On the other hand, the entire idea of Global Frequency is of ordinary people subverting the establishment and getting things done. The concept of a fan base for the show subverting the establishment and getting things done ... frankly that's a little irresistible.

And finally: Batman trained to be the best at everything, right? [via mattia]

An interesting interview with David Mitchell, in which he talks (among other things) about constructing novels around a 'secret architecture'.

benpeek has two interesting posts on Sword & Sorcery: definitions and recommendations.

A strangely calming (and actually, just fairly strange) flash animation.

For those who haven't read this year's Fountain Award-winning story, 'The Annals of Eelin-Ok' by Jeffrey Ford is now online.

An essay by John Kessel about Ender's Game: 'Creating the Innocent Killer'. Originally published in Foundation last year.

A Brief Brief History of Time. Like the movies in 15 minutes, but for science and therefore (to me) about a thousand times funnier.

And if you've been to see the Hitch-Hiker's movie and fancy a knitted Marvin ...

Who could have guessed that UKIP would have come up with the best party election broadcast? (via mr_snips)

Although this one gives it some competition.

The definitive Star Wars fan conversation. Featuring Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and Kevin Smith. Penny Arcade's all-too-plausible take on the mooted TV series should be read as well.

In the latest Asimov's, Cory Doctorow interviews Ray Kurzweil and discusses when the singularity is more than a literary device (the same issue appears to have a River of Gods-related (aeai are mentioned) novella by Ian McDonald, of which the opening is here).

An interview with Margo Lanagan.

A new nomenclature for flame wars.

Over at shortform, chance88088 and I discuss (well, mostly she says perceptive things and I prompt, but you know what I mean) Gavin Grant's excellent story 'Heads Down, Thumbs Up'. In addition despotliz reviews some of Nature's Futures, which get made publically available (with a few weeks' delay) at this page. I recommend Justina Robson's offering.

Speaking of shortform, I'm aware that I've been neglecting it quite shamefully over the past month. This month will be different. There will be discussion of the various Hugo short fiction lists, for starters; but more than that, I want to catch up on 2005's short fiction, because I've been lax about reading it as well as reviewing it. What should I seek out this month? What are the best stories you've read so far this year? Even better, go the community and write about them. :)

Last night was the monthly BSFA meeting, this month featuring Sean McMullen. Not an author I've ever read (or, to be honest, even heard of), but after hearing tales of how he built a model of a wind-powered submarine to check that it would work, and being filled in about the computer made of librarians, I'm inclined to pick up one of his books. Anyone got any advice as to where to start?

Most disconcerting moment of the night: learning that third row fandom has been chinese whispered into page 3 fandom. I don't think I'm speaking out of turn if I assure everyone that rumours of a 2005 calendar are greatly exaggerated.

Everyone and their mother has already linked to the Guardian science fiction supplement, but another hit won't hurt. It's slightly disconcerting to realise how much of a stranglehold the old authors have over peoples' opinions of the genre (as compared to what I read). Correct me if I'm wrong, but of their ten best authors only Clarke, Bradbury and Le Guin are still alive, and only Le Guin seems to still be producing important work. I'm also slightly surprised at the high showing for Fred Hoyle.

The Booker longlist is out; three cheers for the presence of David Mitchell and Susanna Clarke. There' s some discussion on instant_fanzine, but it mostly consists of us wondering who the other people on the list are. If anyone out there can help out, please do!

The Agony Column has an interview with Ian McDonald. Best quote: " I've always thought of River of Gods (from an overheard at a UK Eastercon) as 'Khyber-punk'. Khyberpunk being to cyberpunk what Bollywood is to Hollywood..."

If I had more time I'd write a full post in response to this discussion about humour on white_hart's journal. But I don't, so I'll just say that I think she's nailed some things about my sense of humour that I hadn't quite realised myself.

Paul Brazier is setting up a new online magazine, Quercus SF. His approach is ... interesting. I can see the merits of the workshop side - pro authors can submit as normal; new authors can submit for a five pound fee, but get a full crit whether or not their story is accepted - and I like the idea that the fiction will be published first on the web, then collected into books twice a year. However ... sixty pounds is a hefty subscription fee for any magazine, much less a brand-new one. I certainly can't afford it.

fba was just here and finally got me watching some Doctor Who: the Peter Davison-starring 'Caves of Androzani'. I'm right there with them on the concept, really I am, but ... well, I have a theory about special effects, which is that the level to which you are exposed as a child is the lowest level from which you can suspend your disbelief. 'The Caves of Androzani' fell just below that level for me, so although the warring-factions backstabbing-mayhem was quite nicely done (no good guys here), I kept being jarred out of the story somewhat. It didn't help that Sharaz Jek came off as somewhere between the Phantom of the Opera and a poor man's Scorpius (and I can start to believe pikelet when he talks about the books being better than the tv series). Still, like I say, I think the concept is strong, and I'm interested to see where Russell T Davies takes the franchise.