2011 Mind Voyages Challenge

 

I am still debating as to what level I will participate in the Mind Voyages Challenge.  This posting will be updated and track my progress during the year.

2011 Graphic Novels Challenge

In addition to speculative fiction, I love reading comics and graphic novels.  My comic book reviews appear at Comic Book Shelf Review.  I plan on completing the "expert" level of this challenge.  For the expert level, I will read and review 10+ books.  So far, I have read three that need reviewed.  As the reviews are posted, I will add links to the list.

1.  Tomb of Dracula Vol. 1
2.  Ex Machina Vol. 1:  The First Hundred Days
3.  Y:  The Last Man Vol. 1:  Unmanned
4.  Kevin Smith's Green Hornet Vol. 1:  Sins of the Father 
5.  We3
6.  Daytripper
7.  Fantastic Four 1 2 3 4
8.  Zenith Book 1
9.
10.
11.
12.

The Dystopia Challenge 2011

 

This is a new challenge that caught my eye.  I have not read many dystopia novels over the years so I thought this was a good opportunity to see what is out there.  I will be participating in the "Asocial" level.  The requirement for it is to read 5 novels.  My progress will be tracked on this posting.

1.  V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
2.  Anthem by Ayn Rand
3.  Sos the Rope by Piers Anthony
4.  Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny
5.   

Speculative Fiction Challenge 2011

 

As I look over the reading challenges that are available this year, here is one that is a natural fit for this site.     To participate, you need to read a minimum of 12 speculative fiction books.  I will keep track of my progress on this posting.

1.  Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

2.  A Short, Sharp Shock by Kim Stanley Robinson

3.  Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

4.  Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys

5.  Monument by Lloyd Biggle, Jr. 

6.  Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson

7.  Dune by Frank Herbert

8.  Summertide by Charles Sheffield

9.  Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow

10. Quartet & Triptych by Matthew Hughes

11.

12.

The Sci Fi Experience 2011

It's that time of the year again.  Time for the annual Sci Fi Experience hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings.  I have enjoyed the two month focus on science fiction that all of the participating blogs present.  This is my favorite challenge of the year.

The following list shows my target list for this year.

Novels
"Quartet & Triptych" by Matthew Hughes
"Rogue Moon" by Algis Budrys
"Revelation Space" by Alastair Reynolds
"The Winds of Gath" by E. C. Tubb
"The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi
"The Caryatids" by Bruce Sterling
"Enterprise-Stardust" by K. H. Scheer
"The Naked Sun" by Isaac Asimov
"Captives of the Flame" by Samuel R. Delany
"And Strange at Ectaban the Trees" by Michael Bishop
"A Short, Sharp Shock" by Kim Stanley Robinson
"Heads" by Greg Bear

Graphic Novels
Y:  The Last Man Vol. 1:  Unmanned

Television
Doctor Who:  A Christmas Carol

January also sees the return of Short Story Sundays.

Will I finish the whole list by the end of February?  Only time will tell... 

List of reviews for this challenge...
1.  Short Story Sunday Jan.9 , 2011
2.  Wonderworks by Michael Whelan
3.  DAW Books = sf or How I Corresponded with Donald A. Wollheim 
4.  Short Story Sunday Jan. 16, 2011 
5.  Do You Know? 
6.  Short Story Sunday Jan. 23, 2011 
7.  Short Story Sunday Jan. 30, 2011
8.  A Short, Sharp Shock by Kim Stanley Robinson
9.  Short Story Sunday Feb. 13, 2011 
10.  The Art of Science Fiction:  Frank Kelly Freas 
11.  Farscape Season 1:  Episode 1:  Pilot

New Year Visions

As 2011 begins, it is time to reflect on 2010 and take a look at what changes are in store for the upcoming year.

A look back at 2010...

I only managed a disappointing 23 posts.  This was due to a combination of my workload at my day job and the deteriorating health of my mother.  Work is settling into a more normal routine.  We now have my mother situated in a facility that specializes in her condition.  I should be in a better position to blog regularly in 2011. 

2010 Summary


Novels             6
Short Stories   14


Blogging on other sites...


I have been regularly reviewing comics for the Comic Book Revolution.  I have not been keeping track of my postings on CBR but that will be changing.


Stepping into 2011 (or the Times They Are A'Changing)


One of the first changes you will notice here is the style.  I plan on making SFT more of a commentary site.  My short story reviews will stay as a regular feature.  Some novels will be reviewed here.  The bulk of my novel reviews will be appearing on another site.  I will make an announcement once it is revealed on the other site.  I plan on adding updates of my postings on other sites (including Comic Book Revolution).  Another new feature will be reviews of television series and movies.  At the end of each month (and again at the end of the year) I will publish a summary of my reviews.


Overall, you will be seeing more content appearing on this site.  I already have 6 short story reviews I am working on for this site.  My first novel review for the mystery site is being finished and sent off this week.  


Since science fiction is a field of change, I hope you will join my on this journey.







 

"The Second Kind of Loneliness" by George R. R. Martin

First Printing:  Analog, December 1972

“The Second Kind of Loneliness” is one of my all-time favorite short stories. The author chose to tell the story in the form of diary entries. While I would not want to see this used on a regular basis, it was the right choice for this tale.

Martin’s classic is about the solitary man who works on a stargate station.  His job is to activate the gate and help ships navigate through it. Long spells between ships can make for lonely times. When the ship that is supposed to take him home does not show up on time, the operator starts to panic.

The story showcases the emotions and thoughts of the operator with skill. It reminds me of the tales of lighthouse keepers in the days of the sailing ships.  Martin pulled me into the mindset of the protagonist. I started to feel the same concerns as the main character. I think it helped that I read this while sitting on a beach when my wife and I were in Delaware. We were there in September and the beach was relatively empty.  Looking out at the ocean with few people around helped me sympathize with the protagonist.

If I had to compare this to a similar story I would suggest “Flowers for Algernon”.  The two stories are very different but both authors create similar emotions.

Highly recommended.