Lunacon schedule
I’ll be attending Lunacon next month (March 14-16), and just got my panel schedule. Here it is:
FRIDAY, MARCH 14TH
Track: Craft of Writing
Start Time: 03/14/2008 8:00:00 PM End Time: 03/14/2008 9:00:00 PM
Room: Poplar
Title: The Art of Criticism
Description: Experts review the state of the "art" of fantasy review and criticism. Is there too much out there? Too little? Are reviews helping or harming the field? Where can a reader go for reliable reviews? And, of course, what practical things can a writer do to insure a fair review? If you write
reviews, what is the best way to give an honest review without alienating either the readers or the author in question?Participants: John Joseph Adams, Peter Heck, Kim Paffenroth, Steven Sawicki [M], Ian Randal Strock,
SATURDAY, MARCH 15TH
Track: Track 51
Start Time: 03/15/2008 3:00:00 PM End Time: 03/15/2008 4:00:00 PM
Room: Odelle
Title: How I Learned to Stop Worrying, and Love the Post-Apocalyptic Story
Description: John Varley said "We all love after-the-bomb stories. If we didn’t, why would there be so many of them? There’s something attractive about all those people being gone, about wandering in a depopulated world, scrounging cans of Campbell’s pork and beans, defending one’s family from
marauders." Why *do* we all love after the bomb stories? What is it that makes them so compelling? Subconscious cultural anxiety? Is it Thanatoses,
schadenfreude, or something else entirely? There is no track 51. Move along.Participants: John Joseph Adams, Terri Osborne, John J. Pierce [M]
SUNDAY, MARCH 16TH
Track: Media
Start Time: 03/16/2008 1:00:00 PM End Time: 03/16/2008 2:00:00 PM
Room: Maple
Title: The Golden Age of Piracy
Description: The 18th century–the so-called Golden Age of Piracy–saw many parts of the world (not just the Caribbean) subject to merciless raids, unthinkable violence, and paralyzing terror. Today, we are living in another kind of Golden Age of Piracy–a Golden Age of Pirate Entertainment. Movies, novels, TV, video games–pirates have infiltrated seemingly every medium. Why is it pirates have so captured the imagination of genre writers, and what are the best examples of such fiction and/or film?Participants: John Joseph Adams, Ellen Asher, Andrea Kail, Alex Wittenberg [M]
Yay for pirates and post-apocalyptic panels!
Anthology: Seeds of Change
Here’s the cover copy and the full table of contents of my forthcoming original SF anthology for Prime Books, Seeds of Change.
Imagine the moment when the present ends, and the future begins–when the world we knew is no more and a brave new world is thrust upon us. Gathering stories by nine of today’s most incisive minds, Seeds of Change confronts the pivotal issues facing our society today: racism, global warming, peak oil, technological advancement, and political revolution. Many serve as a call to action. How will you change with the future?
These nine stories sow seeds of change across familiar and foreign territory, from our own backyards to the Niger Delta to worlds not yet discovered. Pepper, the mysterious mercenary from Tobias S. Buckell’s Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin, works as an agent for change—if the price is right—in “Resistance.” Ken MacLeod envisions the end-game in the Middle East in “A Dance Called Armageddon.” New writer Blake Charlton imagines a revolutionary advance in cancer research in “Endosymbiont.” Award-winning author Jay Lake tackles technological change and the forces that will stop at nothing to prevent it in “The Future by Degrees.” Other stories by K.D. Wentworth, Jeremiah Tolbert, Mark Budz, Ted Kosmatka, and Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu range from the darkly satirical to the exotic. All explore the notion that change will come.
Will you be ready?
Table of Contents:
- Introduction by John Joseph Adams
- N-Words by Ted Kosmatka
- The Future by Degrees by Jay Lake
- Drinking Problem by K. D. Wentworth
- Endosymbiont by Blake Charlton
- A Dance Called Armageddon by Ken MacLeod
- Arties Aren’t Stupid by Jeremiah Tolbert
- Faceless in Gethsemane by Mark Budz
- Spider the Artist by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu
- Resistance by Tobias S. Buckell
The cover features a very nice blurb provided by Robert J. Sawyer, which says “A first-rate anthology of provocative stories.” Which was redacted down from:
“Isaac Asimov said science fiction is the branch of literature that deals with the responses of human beings to changes in science and technology. His definition put humans in a reactive role, and essentially had science and technology changing on their own. But we can also be proactive, actively making the future what we want — or what we dread. A first-rate anthology of provocative and disturbing stories gathered by the always reliable John Joseph Adams.” — Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of HOMINIDS
Now available! Visit the website at www.seedsanthology.com.
Organize Me
Does anyone have any good recommendations for keeping track of notes and/or task management? Basically, my problem is this: I take a lot of notes during the day, usually when I’m reading slush, because a thought will pop into my head and I jot it down so I don’t forget. Sometimes this is something I need to remember to do later, sometimes it’s just some idea to follow up on. But the thing is, I end up with all these pages of notes on my desk when I get home, and I want to get rid of them, but I don’t always have time to cross off every item on a list. And as a result, I end up with more paper on my desk than necessary, which leads me to sometimes forget to actually take care of items on my list that were more important.
So, what to do? Transcribe the list onto the computer when I get home? Using what? I’ve tried doing that with Outlook’s "tasks" feature, but it doesn’t work — I end up just ignoring everything that’s in there. Similarly, I’ve tried using the Google Notebook feature, which doesn’t seem to work for me either, despite the fact that I can keep it open in a tab at all times.
Alignment — good or evil?
Not that kind of alignment, D&D players. What I’m talking about is text alignment.
One of the annoying variances in manuscript formatting that tends to annoy me as an editor–or rather as a reader who happens to be reading something in manuscript format–is when writers put their name and/or any other information in the header aligned to the left margin. You see, there is a reason that standard ms. format dictates you put your name/title of the story/page count, etc. on the right. Well, there might actually be more than one reason, but the one that seems obvious to me, having read so many thousands of mss. over the years is that when that information is left-aligned, the reader trips over it every time he/she turns the page. If you look, you’ll notice books never do that either–so when you flick your eyes to the top of the next page, the first words you see are the continuation of the text, rather than being interrupted by the title of the story or the name of the author.
Books Received
|
ISBN: 1597801259 |
Implied Spaces: Walter Jon Williams: Books|
ISBN: 1597801240 |
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Vol. 2: Jonathan Strahan: Books|
ISBN: 0385520697 |
Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel: Michio Kaku: Books|
ISBN: 0765318148 |
Anvil of Stars: Greg Bear: Books|
ISBN: 0765316536 |
Reaper’s Gale: Book Seven of The Malazan Book of the Fallen: Steven Erikson: Books|
ISBN: 0345501594 |
Tigerheart: Peter David: Books|
ISBN: 0553384171 |
Iron Angel: Alan Campbell: Books|
ISBN: 1591026415 |
Before They Are Hanged (The First Law: Book Two): Joe Abercrombie: Books
The Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company: Glen Cook: Books
ISBN: 0765320665
ISBN-13: 9780765320667
|
ISBN: 034549993X |
Cosmos Incorporated: Maurice G. Dantec: Books|
ISBN: 0441015999 |
Grimspace: Ann Aguirre: Books|
ISBN: 0765317095 |
Escapement: Jay Lake: BooksWhen the (Slush)Gods Came
My Facebook doppelganger got me thinking about John Adamses again, and I remembered that in the course of my research of post-apocalyptic fiction, I came across a book by one John Adams published in 1967 called When the Gods Came. I bought myself a copy of it, but haven’t read it yet. Here’s the cover copy:
Men had fought wars throughout history, but never such a war as the one which destroyed the cities of earth and turned vast areas into badlands, stretches of intense radioactivity where nothing could grow and no one could live. It also produced the deviates, mutants who had warped bodies and strange talents.
But there were others who had still stranger talents, mental powers exceeding those of the mutants, and whose bodies did not bear the sign of the deviate. Their origin could not be traced to an atomic war; even they themselves had no idea whence they came.
Forced to take part in the abortive war between the Eastern and Western Federations, one man and one man eventually escaped and discovered creatures similar to themselves. But to discover their origin they had to go back five thousand years; and the answer lay not on earth, but somewhere in the stars.
ARCADIA HOUSE 419 Park Ave. South, New York 10016
Looks like it’s going for a pretty steep price on Amazon at the moment ($99). It originally cost $3.50, so that’s quite a markup. I don’t recall what I paid, but I’m sure it wasn’t in that neighborhood.
UPDATE: My pal Rightcoast said, in an LJ comment: "John Adams was a pen name for prolific British author Johns S(tephen). Glasby. He wrote a few stories within the Cthulhu Mythos and a ton of other stuff in all genres."
Links:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/john-s-glasby/
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?John_S._Glasby
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glasby
Unintentional Hiatus
Books Received
Orphan’s Journey (ARC)
Author: Robert Buettner
Book Description: In the years since the last Slug War, Jason’s command style hasn’t made him any friends in the Army.Now, in an effort to keep him out of trouble, the Army has sent Jason to the vast, Earth-orbiting resort called New Moon.At the core of this enormous space station is a starship, a relic from the last war. When a test run of the ship goes wrong, Jason, along with a handful of others, will be torn from orbit and thrust into space.Now, stranded on an alien planet, Jason realizes that not only are his friends are looking to him for rescue, but an entire planet sees him as their only hope.
The Host (ARC)
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Book Description: The author of the Twilight series of # 1 bestsellers delivers her brilliant first novel for adults: a gripping story of love and betrayal in a future with the fate of humanity at stake. Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie’s body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body’s desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she’s never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.
Marseguro (mass market paperback)
Author: Edward Willett
Book Description: A BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL ON A DISTANT WATER WORLD | After a worldwide disaster strikes Earth, the planet is taken over by a fanatical religious theocracy. Scientist Victor Hansen flees with a staff of non-genetically modified humans and young members of his newly created race, the Selkies, to Marseguro, a distant water world. But their peace and freedom is threatened when a traitor calls forth a strike force from Earth, and Victor’s own grandson, Richard, is with them. What Richard Hansen discovers may alter not only his own destiny but that of Marseguro and Earth as well.
Mystery Date (mass market paperback)
Editor: Denise Little
Book Description: Flirt with the unknown in 17 unusual tales of blind dates | When people embark on blind dates, they never quite know what they will find-and the dates in these mostly modern- day urban tales go far beyond the usual expectations. Here, these 17 romantic hopefuls encounter surprise first dates with the likes of Zeus and William Shakespeare; Medusa wreaks havoc upon Internet predators; a woman is cursed to see the truth about her dates after drinking a little wine; and more. | All of these very different dates begin with the hope that romance will result. Some will find a happily ever after, while for others there will be no "ever after" at all…
Pebble in the Sky (hardcover)
Author: Isaac Asimov
Book Description: One moment Joseph Schwartz is a happily retired tailor in Chicago, 1949. The next he’s a helpless stranger on Earth during the heyday of the first Galactic Empire. Earth, as he soon learns, is a backwater, just a pebble in the sky, despised by all the other 200 million planets of the Empire because its people dare to claim it’s the original home of man. And Earth is poor, with great areas of radioactivity ruining much of its soil–so poor that everyone is sentenced to death at the age of sixty. Joseph Schwartz is sixty-two. This is young Isaac Asimov’s first novel, full of wonders and ideas, the book that launched the novels of the Galactic Empire, culminating in the Foundation series. This is Golden Age SF at its finest.
Poison Sleep (ARC)
Author: T.A. Pratt
Book Description: The bad girl of the magical underworld is back and badder than ever | Someone wants Marla Mason dead. Usually that’s not news. As chief sorcerer of Felport, someone always wants her dead. But this time she’s the target of a renegade assassin who specializes in killing his victims over days, months, or even years. Not to mention a mysterious knife-wielding killer in black who pops up in the most unexpected places. To make matters worse, an inmate has broken out of the Blackwing Institute for criminally insane sorcerers—a troubled psychic who can literally reweave the fabric of reality to match her own traumatic past. | With her wisecracking partner Rondeau reluctantly in tow, Marla teams up with a “love-talker” whose dangerous erotic spells not even she can resist. Together they’re searching the rapidly transforming streets of Felport for a woman who’s become the Typhoid Mary of nightmares, infecting everything—and everyone—she touches with a chaos worse than death itself.
The Lost Ones (ARC)
Author: Christopher Golden
Book Description: Bestselling author Christopher Golden brings his epic, innovative trilogy, the Veil, to an astonishing conclusion as the mythic realm of heroes and monsters becomes the site of humanity’s last—and greatest—showdown. | In the world of the legendary, every myth and folktale is real. That is what Oliver Bascombe learned on the other side of the Veil, where humanity’s legends have hidden away for centuries. But even legends have legends, and Oliver has learned of a prophecy that many believe he and his sister, Collette, have come to the Two Kingdoms to fulfill. Before they can discover the truth, the Bascombe siblings must help to stop an apocalyptic war that threatens to destroy the Two Kingdoms, unravel a conspiracy, and prevent a powerful sorcerer from severing the world of humans from the realm of the legendary forever. | But first Oliver will have to plot an escape from an impregnable palace dungeon where he and his allies have been imprisoned . . . for regicide. | As old heroes and friends ally themselves for one last battle, even older enemies stand arrayed against them. Is humanity ready to face its legends head-on? For Oliver Bascombe, the price may be dearer than even he could ever imagine.
New Earths
Check this out: There may be more Earth-like planets right here in our own Solar System, out on the edges in the Oort Cloud. From BBC News:
Rocky planets, possibly with conditions suitable for life, may be more common than previously thought in our galaxy, a study has found. New evidence suggests more than half the Sun-like stars in the Milky Way could have similar planetary systems. There may also be hundreds of undiscovered worlds in outer parts of our Solar System, astronomers believe. [via io9]
I’d love to see some stories that explore this idea. (Hint, hint.)