A new (possible) beginning...

It's been many years since my last post.  I'm not making any guarantees but I hope to start doing short reviews.

You can see what I have been reading in the 2020 tabs near the top of the page.  In the next couple of days i plan on updating my short stories read page.

Until next time...

Return of the Blog

Once again, health issues and personal life have prevented me from posting on this blog.  Things in general have finally settled down.  The doctor have my Raynaud's Disease under control so I plan on returning to blogging for 2017.  I am already working on some posts so I can start the year off on the right foot.

Forever Magazine #16, May 2016

If you have not checked out Neil Clarke's reprint magazine, now is the time to do it.  In the sixteenth issue (May 2016) Neil is featuring a long time favorite story of mine-"Hawksbill Station" by Robert Silverberg.  In addition to getting this classic story Silverberg contributes an article called "About Hawksbill Station".

I recommend supporting this magazine so that Clarke can continue to reprint other deserving stories.

Surprising Announcements

First off, the biggest announcement of the past week is that SF Signal is closing down.  I was disappointed because they have been my go to source for science fiction news.  Upon reading the article I can understand and sympathize with the crew.  I wish them the best in their future endeavors.  They will be missed.  

The good news is that one of the podcasts (The Three Hoarsemen) will be continuing.  If you have not been following this podcast I recommend that you give it a try.  The latest one on the fiction of C. J. Cherryh is long overdue.  Many readers do not realize the impact that her writing has had on the field.  I was glad to see that she is the latest winner of the Grandmaster award.  We should all take the time to read (and discuss) more of her works.

Adam, of the Wertzone fame, has an excellent article about blogging that was inspired by the SF Signal announcement.  Take the time to go over and read "Blogging in Age of Austerity".  Reading has given me an even greater appreciation for the efforts of the bloggers I follow.

Andrea (The Little Red Reviewer) wrote a great article about another way of looking at the SF Signal announcement.  I like her perspective of considering this a "Graduation Day".  I plan on taking this advice to heart.

Stop over and leave a note of appreciation to the SF Signal gang.  And then, let us all contribute to their legacy by stepping up our game and contributing more than ever to the SF community.  It is our turn now.

Children of Earth and Sky (Excerpt)

CHILDREN OF EARTH AND SKY

By Guy Gavriel Kay

The bestselling author of the groundbreaking novels Under Heaven and River of Stars, Guy Gavriel Kay is back with a new novel, Children of Earth and Sky (NAL Hardcover; May 10, 2016; $27.00), set in a world inspired by the conflicts and dramas of Renaissance Europe. Against the tumultuous backdrop the lives of men and women unfold on the borderlands – where empires and faiths collide.

From the small coastal town of Senjan, notorious for its pirates, a young woman sets out to find vengeance for her lost family. That same spring, from the wealthy city-state of Seressa, famous for its canals and lagoon, come two very different people: a young artist traveling to the dangerous east to paint the grand khalif at his request – and possibly to do more – and a fiercely intelligent, angry woman posing as a doctor’s wife but sent by Seressa as a spy.

The trading ship that carries them is commanded by the accomplished younger son of a merchant family, ambivalent about the life he’s been born to live. And farther east a boy trains to become a soldier in the elite infantry of the khalif – to win glory in the war everyone knows is coming.

As these lives entwine, their fates – and those of many others – will hang in the balance when the khalif sends out his massive army to take the great fortress that is the gateway to the western world.

ABOUT GUY GAVRIEL KAY

Guy Gavriel Kay is the international bestselling author of twelve previous novels and a book of poetry. He has been awarded the International Goliardos Prize for his work in literature of the fantastic and won the World Fantasy Award for Ysabel in 2008. In 2014 he was named to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honor. His work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages.

For more information, please visit brightweavings.com and follow Guy Gavriel Kay on twitter @GuyGavrielKay

Follow the link to the next page to read an excerpt:

Catseye

Author:  Andre Norton

First Publication:  1961
Edition being reviewed:  2015

Publisher:  Open Road Media

Andre Norton is a classic writer for my generation.  When I discovered science fiction and went exploring the library, it was easy to find many of her books.  She consistently delivered what was then considered juvenile books.  In today's movie language they would be rated "PG".  She was a safe author that parents did not have to worry about letting their kids read.  Norton was one of the authors who constantly delivered quality adventure stories, good characterization, interesting ideas, all rolled into an exciting story.

"Catseye" is one of my favorite Norton books.  She incorporated many themes that would appear in her other works.  Themes such as a young man who was a loner growing up under less than ideal conditions, animals, and mysteries that are slowly unraveled as the story progresses.  

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good science fiction adventure book.

Short Story Quest: The Beginning of a Quest

A long standing tradition in the fantasy field is the quest story.  Often, it involves a hero or heroine who has lost something.  Either a loved one is taken from them, they are taken from their home, or their kingdom is lost to an enemy.  Many stories have been written with a variation of this theme.  One of my favorite authors, Roger Zelazny, has been known to explore these themes in many of his works.  Among my favorites are the Amber series (in which the hero looses his memory and kingdom), "Jack of Shadows", the Changling series, and too many others to list here.  This time, I will take a look at the beginning of another one of his quest stories, "Dilvish the Damned"...

Harry Potter Read-Along

I have been a big fan of the Harry Potter movies since the first one came out.  Over the years I have lost count of how many times I have watched them.  Every year I keep thinking about reading the books but somehow never get around to them.  Then I saw that Michelle was hosting a read-along and decided now is the time.

So far, I have only read the first chapter of the book that started it all "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone".  Already, I can see why fans love them.  Some of my favorite parts of the first chapter are those with Hagrid.  The scene where he rides in on Sirius Black's motorcycle was amazing.  I can't wait to read the rest of the book. The rest of my comments will appear next week when I finish the novel.

"Black Dog" by Neil Gaiman

"Black Dog" by Neil Gaiman

First Publication:  Trigger Warning:  Short Fictions and Disturbances

I have a confession to make.  I started reading Neil Gaiman when he did “Sandman” for DC Comics.  His work on it impressed me.  Somehow I never made the time to read much of his prose.  Since then I have started to work my way through them.  “The Graveyard Book” is one of my favorites.  I have also read “Odd and the Frost Giants”.  “American Gods” and his other novels are making their way to the top of my reading stack.

“Black Dog” is a follow up to “American Gods” that takes place a few years after the novel.  Shadow Moon is in England and meets a woman in a small-town pub.  Of course, this is just the beginning of his nightmare.  The Black Dog of the title is a local myth of a large dog that appears to people when they are about to die.  Gaiman starts the story with an uneventful easy pace that slowly builds in suspense as the American God Shadow is drawn into an adventure that could lead to his death.  Another solid effort from Gaiman.

Recommended, especially to fans of “American Gods”.

I read this as part of the Short Story Quest of Once Upon a Time X.

Trying Something Different...

I miss blogging but due to some health issues I have not been able to type much over the last few months.  Basically, I was struggling just to get through my workday.  Things finally seem to be turning the corner.  I realized how much I missed writing and reviewing when I missed 2 of my favorite challenges in December and January.    After my “sabbatical”, this is a good time to change things up.

The Little Red Reviewer published a post on February 1 explaining why she is switching to a “reading diary” type of regular posting.  I like this idea so I will be trying it.  I will be posting regular updates on my reading.  In addition I will put up reviews of the books I read and shows I watch.  The other part of the plan is to do more opinion pieces.

The other change concerns something I have changed my mind about a few times.  I am shutting down my “Comic Book Focus” blog and combining it with the “Science Fiction Times”.  This harkens back to the Jim Baen “Galaxy Science Fiction” magazine.  “Worlds of IF” was being cancelled so Baen combined it with the continuing “Galaxy Science Fiction”.  Some of the features and style of stories was incorporated into “Galaxy Science Fiction”.  In my opinion, it made for a better reading experience.  Although, to be honest, I did miss “IF”.

Tabs will be added for tracking my different types of reading.

The other advantage of the reading diary is that it will show that I tend to read many things at the same time.  Sometimes I get distracted by reviews I read.  Other times by what my friends are reading.  They start telling me about the book they are reading and I want to read it at the same time.  So you will see how this affects my reading.

Anthopology 101: Reflections, Inspection, and Dissections of SF Anthologies

Author:  Bud Webster

First Publication: August 2010

Publisher:  Merry Blacksmith Press

Source:  Kindle

Challenge:  42 Challenge 2015

I have always been a big fan of science fiction anthologies.  Among the ones I have read are Donald Wollheim and Terry Carr “World’s Best SF”, many of Groff Conklin’s classic collections, Roger Elwood’s “Continuum” series, and Roy Torgeson’s lesser known “Chrysalis”.  One look at my shelves show many rows of unread anthologies.  My Kindle contains all 18 volumes of David Hartwell’s “Year’s Best SF” and the last 3 of Gardner Dozois’ “The Year’s Best”.  I was counting down the days until volume 32 of Gardner’s series was released today.  One of my many goals is to start reading more anthologies.  Only time will tell if I am successful.

 That brings me to this book. Periodically, I enjoy reading a non-fiction book about science fiction.  When I saw this one I had to pick it up.  I bought and downloaded the Kindle and was hooked.  Bud Webster’s collection of essays he wrote about the history of the science fiction anthology was a fun trip through time to revisit favorites from my younger days.  The short articles made for great reading and filled me in on the history of some classics.  I hope that Webster will continue and write more along this line.


Highly recommended for fans who want to learn more about the subgenre.

Star Trek: The Original Series: Shadow of the Machine

Author:  Scott Harrison

First Publication:  March 2015

Publisher:  Pocket Books

Source:  NetGalley

Cover Artist:  ???

Challenge:
42 Challenge 2015

One of my favorite Next Generation stories was the one that showed how Picard dealt with being turned against the Federation by the Borg.  It showed him returning to Earth and visiting his brother’s family.  Many times we see a big event but do not get to see how the characters deal with the repercussions.  “Shadow of the Machine” is done in a similar style.

The crew returns to Earth after the first movie encounter with V’Ger.  The Enterprise needs repairs and it is the perfect time for shore leave on the homeworld.  As Scott Harrison shows us, the crew is not perfect.  Take a look at how things go wrong for Sulu when he visits his daughter.  Kirk is hesitant about visiting his nephew (who is struggling with the death of his father).  I give Harrison high marks for capturing the voice and personality of the various characters.  While the stories are not a threat to the Federation, they are very important to the crew.  It is the personal stories he touches on that make this one of my favorite Trek books of recent years.  And the shorter length is perfect for this story.


I will be looking for more stories by Scott Harrison.  Highly recommended.

Slow Bullets

Author:  Alastair Reynolds

First Publication:  June 2015

Publisher:  Tachyon Publications

Source:  NetGalley

Cover Artist:  Thomas Canty

Challenge:
42 Challenge 2015

The author is one of my favorites of the “new space opera” movement.  His “Revelation Space” series is a favorite of many readers.  Which reminds me that I need to get back to reading it.  So far, I have only read the first book.  I have read a few of Reynolds’ short stories that were very good.  “Slow Bullets” is a novella published by Tachyon Press.  At 192 pages, it is more the length of many of the science fiction books I read in the seventies.  The novella is one of my favorite story lengths.  It has more meat to it than the short story but is not overly padded to reach the massive length of many of today’s novels. 

“Slow Bullets” features Scur from the “Revelation Space” series.  She is a soldier at the end of the war when she is captured by a sadistic enemy, injected with a slow bullet, and left to die.  The slow bullet was created as a futuristic dog tag that can be destroyed and kill the soldier.  Her enemy puts it on a path to slowly make its way to her brain and painfully kill her.  Scur wakes up on a spaceship and that is when this adventure begins.  Her tormentor is also on the ship which helps set the stage for the conflict.

Reynolds’ tells the story from Scur’s point of view.  The reader is not sure if she is a reliable narrator or not.  While not as good as “Great Wall of Mars” it is still a very good story.


Highly recommended.

Missing in Action

Yes, I have been missing in action.  Or, more appropriately, missing “in-action”.  Due to some health issues I have not been able to type, it has been a struggle being able to type enough to get through a work day.  Now, with physical therapy and medicine, I am getting back to being able to type some at night.  Hopefully I will be back to somewhat close to normal in the next couple of months.  On the bright side, I have been reading more than ever.  So you will start seeing reviews appear again.

A picture of  the sound at Duck, North Carolina taken by my son Joel

Last week we spent at the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  It was a great time to unwind and rest while spending quality time with the family.  One of the afternoons, I caught the end of one of the original Star Trek movies.  This made me realize that I missed reading the original series books.  So it was off to the bookstore and I picked up three consecutive books from last year.  And once I finished two books that I was reading (reviews coming shortly), I started on the first of these called “Devil’s Bargain” (a Star Trek:  Original series book) by Tony Daniel.

The Very Best of Kate Elliot

Author:  Kate Elliot

First Publication:  February 2015

Publisher:  Tachyon Publications

Source:  NetGalley

Cover Artist:  Julie Dillon

Challenge:
42 Challenge 2015

I enjoy reading anthologies, fiction magazines, and single author collections.  Whenever I see a "Best of..." collection it is on my radar.  "Best of..."  collections are a great way to try out an author that I have not read before.  The first tme I heard of Kate Elliot, the pen name of Alis Rasmussen, was with the publication of her book "Jaran".  And yes "Jaran" and its sequels are now on my to be read stack.  

The fiction stories are very good.  I found them to be good character studies built around interesting plots.  The list of fantasy stories selected for this volume are:

The Queen's Garden
Leaf and Branch and Grass and Vine
Riding the Shore of the River of Death
Sunseeker
The Gates of Joriun
Making the World Live Again
Morlan
With God to Guard Her
A Simple Act of Kindness
To Be a Man
The Memory of Peace

My Voice is My Sword

Also included is a new story in her "Crossroads" series that is called "On the Dying Winds of the Old Year and the Birthing Winds of the New".

The stories are top rated but what caught my attention were the non-fiction essays.  Elliot does an excellent job of covering the role of women in fiction in addition to what it is like to write about fully realized females in a traditionally male dominated market.

And the cover by Julie Dillon is out of this world.  She is an amazing artist who needs more recognition in the field.

Highly recommended.

"Someday" by Isaac Asimov

Magazine:  Infinity Science Fiction
First Publication:  1956
Cover Artist:  Ed Emsh

Challenge:
42 Challenge 2015

First Line:  Niccolo Mazetti lay stomach down on the rug, chin buried  in the palm of one small hand, and listened to the Bard disconsolately.

Niccolo Mazetti has an old fashioned bard that he is ashamed of.  Old models tell variations of fairy tales and only have audio capabilities.  The new models incorporate video and use modern storytelling.  His friend is considered a higher intelligence and offers to do an upgrade on Niccolo's bard.  But the bard might be more than it appears to be.

"Someday" appears to reflect Asimov's thoughts concerning video media such as movies and television.  Radio might be more advanced than it is given credit.  Storytelling combined with your own imagination can make a story more spectacular than what is shown on a screen.  The combination of the twist at the end, the story taking place in basically one room, and a small cast would have made this a good candidate for a "Twilight Zone" episode.  

I highly recommend this story.  A great short tale by the "Good Doctor".

Side note:  Due to one small reference, this story is part of the Multivac universe where Asimov placed a lot of stories.  They dealt with a super computer that helped to run the world.

Other notable authors in this issue were Harlan Ellison, Damon Knight, Randall Garrett, and Robert Silverberg.  Ellison's story was part of his "Earth-Kyba War" series.

The Man in the High Castle (Pilot Episode)

The Big Debate

Up until the time I left for college, I only had one friend who read science fiction and fantasy.  We drifted apart and do not stay in contact.  But in college I met, and eventually became a roommate with, my second science fiction and fantasy friend-Terry Kissinger.  We still talk and email on a regular basis.  Most years we meet up at conventions.   The first friend and I had similar tastes in authors.  We both liked Isaac Asimov.  To a lesser extent he also liked Roger Zelazny.  When I met Terry, in many ways I had found a kindred spirit.  In addition to those authors, his favorites were Frank Herbert and Philip K. Dick.  We spent many hours debating who was better.  We had similar debates in comic book authors.  I was a Marv Wolfman fan while he preferred Chris Claremont in the heyday of the X-Men and Teen Titans.  Our friendship is such that we both like all of the authors I named but we liked to debate which was the best.  During our debates, Terry introduced me to the work of PKD (Philip K. Dick).  In many respects, PKD is an amazing writer who seems more popular now than ever before.  Although I have read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" three times and enjoyed it every time, I still have many of his novels to read.


A Short History

Despite having published 44 novels and roughly 121 short stories.  Unfortunately, for him, his stories did not start earning big money until after his death.  Since then 11 movies have appeared based on his work (Blade Runner, Total Recall, The Adjustment Bureau, Next, Paycheck, and others).  More are in the works included an Disney animated production of his short story "The King of the Elves", a live action adaptation of UBIK, and the television series I am getting around to discussing.


Through a Glass Darkly

Many moons ago, I remember being mesmerized by Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner".  It was a loose adaptation of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?".  The stories were different but Scott gave us a great movie, in my opinion.  Skip ahead to 2010 when rumors came out that Ridley Scott was working on a BBC production of "The Man in the High Castle".  It ended up with Amazon's new production company as part of the 2015 Pilot Season.  The pilot debuted last week to very good reviews.

I watched it over the weekend and would love to see it become a series.  Scott is working with Frank (X-Files) Spotnitz.  Spotnitz wrote the pilot.  The basic idea of it being an alternate history where the Axis won World War II is still there.  Nazi Germany controls the eastern part of the United States, Japan the west coast, and a neutral zone is the buffer between them.  One of the main characters is given a copy of a news real film (the story takes place in the 60s).  The film shows our history.  Some in the story think it is a fantasy propaganda piece.  Others think differently and are willing to kill to get it.  

New York City in "The Man in the High Castle"

The pilot does a great job of establishing the characters while telling a compelling story that starts to reveal this world to us.  I recommend watching the pilot.  If, like me, you enjoy it you will be voting to continue the series.




Challenges

42 Challenge 2015

The 2015 Sci-Fi Experience

"Shattered Like a Glass Goblin" by Harlan Ellison

First Publication:  1968
Cover Artist:  Paul Lehr

Challenges:
Deal Me In Short Story Challenge
42 Challenge 2015
The 2015 Sci-Fi Experience
Vintage Sci-Fi Challenge


First Line: "So it was there, eight months later, that Rudy found her; in that huge and ugly house off Western Avenue n Los Angeles;  living with them, all of them;  not just Jonah, but all of them."

"Shattered Like a Glass Goblin", on the surface, is about a man named Rudy who gets out of the army on a medical discharge.  He goes in search of the woman he is to marry.  Meanwhile, Kris has moved to a house filled with drugged out people.  Kris will not leave so Rudy joins the group.  The rest of the story graphically describes Rudy's descent.  Are the people strung out on drugs...or are they something else?

"The Callistan Menace" by Isaac Asimov

First Publication:  April 1940
Cover Artist:  Binder

Challenges:
Deal Me In Short Story Challenge
42 Challenge 2015
The 2015 Sci-Fi Experience
Vintage Sci-Fi Challenge

First Line:  "Damn Jupiter!" growled Ambrose Whitefield viciously, and I nodded agreement.

The Story Behind the Story

The first story written by the "Good Doctor" (Asimov's nickname) was named "Cosmic Corkscrew".  It was rejected, put in a drawer, and lost during one of the times he cleaned up his desk.  By the time it was rejected, he had already written a second story that he called "Stowaway".  He personally took the story to John W. Campbell's office on July 18, 1938.  According to his diary he received the rejection letter on July 22.  But something was different with this one.  "...it was he nicest possible rejection letter you could imagine."  Campbell told him that the idea was good and the plot was decent.  The dialog and handling were professional but it had an air of amateurishness.  Asimov was told that he just needed some more experience.  This fired up the author.  While "Astounding" was the king of the market, he decided to go to the next best markets ("Amazing Stories" and "Thrilling Wonder Stories").  It was promptly rejected.  Asimov had meanwhile moved on to writing a third story that would quickly go to publication.  The story received a couple of more rejections and it would have died except the science fiction magazine market experienced a boom time.  

New magazines started to appear.  One such magazine, "Astonishing Stories", was edited by a young 20 year old fan who happened to be a friend of Asimov's.  That young fan's name was Frederik Pohl.  On November 17, 1939 Pohl accepted "Stowaway" for the second issue.  Pohl was famous for changing names of stories so "Stowaway" became "The Callistan Menace".  Other famous authors who appeared in this issue are Clifford D. Simak and C. M. Kornbluth.

One of the main characters was named after Isaac's brother Stanley.

The Story

"The Callistan Menace" is a well told tale.  It has what is considered a staple of the field.  Multiple missions have been sent to Callisto.  None have returned.  The latest group is put together and are in transit when they discover a stowaway.  A young boy named Stanley hid on the ship so he could go on an adventure in space.  

The crew lands near one of the previous missions.  Exploratory missions are sent out and disaster strikes.  I don't want to spoil the story for anyone who wants to read "The Callistan Menace" so I will not reveal what happens.  All I will say is that the crew's salvation rests on the shoulders of the young stowaway.

I cannot argue with Campbell's assessment.  It is a professional story that seems to be missing something but is worth reading.  The easiest way to buy it is to pick up the collection "The Early Asimov, or, Eleven Years of Trying".  

If you are a fan of Asimov's work, I would definitely recommend hunting down a copy of this collection.  It is interesting to see him develop as a writer.

Walkers on the Sky

Richard Hescox

Author:  David J. Lake

First Publication:  December 1976

Publisher:  DAW Books

Source:  Used book store

Cover #1:  Richard Hescox
Cover #2:  Roy Ellsworth

Series:  Book 1 of the "Breakout" series.

Challenges:
The 2015 Sci-Fi Experience
2015 Vintage Sci-Fi Challenge
42 Challenge 2015

From the back cover:  

Sometimes the sky held only clouds, but at other times it could get quite busy.  It could be full of sailing ships or bands of mounted warriors or even single figures strolling carefully across the empty air.

From the viewpoint of those below they were either apparitions or gods, but in any case to be ignored.

From the viewpoint of the sky walkers, those below were neither phantoms nor gods, yet certainly always beneath their notice.

Both viewpoints were wrong.

Because the time had come when one of the sky walkers was going to do the incredible-fall through.  And when that happened, all hell was going to break loose.  And did!

It's not fantasy.  It's science fiction, and you never read another novel like it!

Why did I read this book?

I am a fan of the old DAW yellow spined books.  Donald Wollheim was one of the first editors I started following.  He seemed to find and publish many authors I enjoyed.  He was the first book publisher to print the works of C. J. Cherryh among many other favorites.