Category: GENERAL
Rediscovering Cordwainder Smith
I picked up a copy of the excellent NEFSA Press Corwainer Smith collection, The Rediscovery of Man. Much to my shame, I’d previously only read what are Smith’s two most well-known stories, “Scanners Live in Vain” and “A Game of Rat and Dragon.” I’m never sure how I’ll react to a collection like this one, but I’m quite enjoying it thus far; I’m only a quarter of the way through with it, but I’ve already found several stories that I thought to be the equal of the two aforementioned celebrated tales. I especially liked “The Lady Who Sailed The Soul” and “Think Blue, Count Two.” If you want to learn more about Smith, check out his official website, maintained by his daughter, at http://www.cordwainer-smith.com/index.htm. You can even order a Cordwainer Smith t-shirt!
But speaking of “Scanners Live in Vain,” what’s the deal with that word, “Scanners,” anyway? There are at least three prominent examples I can think of it being used in SF: “Scanners Live in Vain,” Phil Dick’s A Scanner Darkly, and David Cronenburg’s film, Scanners. None of these stories are related in any way, yet they all use this same term. Isn’t that odd?
NYRSF Reading: Chip Delany & John Langan
On Monday, I went to a reading in the city, part of the New York Review of Science Fiction reading series, held every month at The South Street Seaport Museum’s Melville Gallery. I attended the reading to see my friend and colleague John Langan, but much to my delight the other reader on the ticket turned out to be none other than Samuel R. Delany, so that was a nice surprise.
John read a section from one of his novels-in-progress (he’s working on two simultaneously…I really want to read the first one but he’s put off finishing it to work on this new one, grumble grumble). Chip Delany, meanwhile, gave a rousing performance of his classic from Dangerous Visions, “Aye, and Gomorrah…”
Afterward, a few of us went out for dinner. Chip couldn’t make it, but Gordon, David Barr Kirtley, Amy Goldschlager, Jim Freund, John Langan, and I all went to a little Irish pub around the corner. Topics of discussion included Jeff VanderMeer’s non-fiction collection, the merits of Michael Chabon, and the possibility of digitizing Jim Freund’s incredible audio history of SF…which is all stored on old analog reels in his basement.
Tidal Wave in Sri Lanka
I woke up this morning to the news radio informing me of the tidal wave in Asia that killed more than 20,000 people. Needless to say, a great tragedy.
We in the SF community can at least be thankful that Sir Arthur C. Clarke was unharmed (he lives in Sri Lanka). Both Josepha Sherman and Allen Steele reported on SFF.net that they’d received word that Clarke was okay. I know a lot of people have expressed concern for him on various message boards, so please do pass along the news.
December Acquisitions
So, this month we acquired new stories from Matthew Hughes (a new Henghis Hapthorn adventure), two new pieces by Robert Reed, a hard SF story from Mary Rosenblum, a literary tale of quantum mechanics from Eugene Mirabelli, and another new story from last month’s slush survivor Mike Shultz, who seems to be striking while the iron is hot.
Nothing else new to report. Happy holidays, everyone!
Favorites of the Year
On the Nightshade Message Board, Jonathan Strahan posted his favorites of the year, which prompted me to do the same. I reproduce my comments here for further discussion. I’ve expanded my list a bit to include a few more categories.
Note that I’ve chosen not to include F&SF stories in my list in the interest of fair play, but feel free to include them in your own lists, which I hope to see posted in response to this one.
Favorite Novel
Market Forces, Richard K. Morgan (Gollancz)
Favorite Collection
Trujillo, Lucius Shepard (PS Publishing)
Favorite Anthology
The Faery Reel, Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling eds. (Viking)
Favorite Fantasy Short Story
“The Annals of Eelin-Ok” by Jeff Ford (The Faery Reel)
Favorite Science Fiction Short Story
“Shadow Twin” by Gardner Dozois, George R. R. Martin, & Daniel Abraham (SciFiction)
Favorite Horror Short Story
“Hands Up! Who Wants to Die” by Lucius Shepard (Night Terrors 11)
Favorite SF/F/H Publication
SciFiction, Ellen Datlow, ed.
New Slush Survivor
Oh, one more quick thing to report…
There was a slush discovery this month. We bought “Old as Books” from Mike Shultz, a newish writer who has had one previous sale to Black Gate. So I guess I can’t claim all the credit for discovering him, but I did read the story, saw that it was good, and passed it along to the man who signs the checks.
Sorry to disappoint those who thought that the title of this post was referring to a new reality TV show in which slush writers try to out-write, out-revise, and out-format each other (with the winner, of course, not winning a million dollars, but publication in a fine literary journal of the fantastic).
Divine Intelligence
I was reading something this weekend that got me interested in Mensa. I was curious just how smart you needed to be to get into it. It’s pretty intimidating — only like the top 2% of the highest IQs get in.
On their website, there’s a “workout” quiz, which you can take as practice before taking a real IQ test, and you can use it to gauge how well you might do. It’s at http://www.mensa.org/workout.php.
I did better than I thought I would. I’ve never considered analytical thinking to be the strongest part of my intelligence (I always thought of myself as more of a knowledge guy). But I got 24 out of 30 correct, and the results page said “That is a very good score, you would have a good chance of passing the Mensa test.” I was pleased at how some of them came to me almost instantly, and then satisfied when I worked out some of them that I didn’t immediately recognize. I think the only sad thing about it is that three of the questions I missed were word-related (not math-related). Two were straight up word scrambles, and one was a different sort of scramble, and I just didn’t even really understand how I was supposed to unscramble it (once I saw the answer sheet, it made complete sense, and I felt slightly stupid).
I used a calculator to help me with the math problems, assuming that was okay. If it’s not, I don’t think I’d be able to pass it (I can’t do complex math functions in my head, or perhaps I’m just too lazy to do it). Oh, and it says to take 30 minutes to do it, and to time yourself and be honest. Well, I totally blew the time limit. Took me about an hour actually to do it. What? It isn’t enough to be smart, but you have to be smart *fast* too? Sheesh.
Kinda made me want to play Trivia Pursuit or something.
Oh, and yes, I realize I haven’t blogged in a quite a while (sorry, kittens!), and that a ramble about Mensa is not what you folks are looking for from me. But hopefully more will be forthcoming soon.
KGB
I’m
just back from the monthly Fantastic Fiction
reading at the infamous KGB Bar on East 4th
St. in Manhattan. Lucius Shepard read from his
new novel,
A Handbook of American Prayer, and Scott Westerfeld read from his new novel,
So Yesterday.
Scott went first and did a great job with his reading.
Lucius followed; he seemed a bit uncomfortable up there reading, and he had some
trouble with his vision and the lighting so he had a difficult time. But
both novels seem really compelling. I’d already been planning to read
Lucius’s novel, but now I’m going to have to read Scott’s too.
If you’re interested in Scott’s novel, you can read the
same excerpt he read at KGB tonight on the cool
photo blog he’s got
posted to his website. Of course, you could also go
buy it.
If you’re interested in Lucius’s novel, you can read a
brief excerpt
here. Or, you could go
buy it.
Of course, one of the fun things about the KGB Fantastic
Fiction reading series is getting the chance to hang out and chat with folks in
the SF community. Among those I saw and chatted with were John Douglas and
Andy Porter (the current and former editors of Chronicle [formerly Science
Fiction Chronicle]), Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link/Gavin Grant, Paul Witcover, Rick
Bowes, among others.
After the readings, much of the group goes over to a
nearby Indian restaurant to eat a late dinner. That happened this time
too, but there was a space issue, so me,
David Barr Kirtley,
Helen Pilinovsky,
and Deb Green gallantly gave up our table so that our betters could remain, and
went off in search of nourishment elsewhere. We ended up in a sushi place
called Koi, where I alone did not partake of the raw fish and had chicken
teriyaki instead (which was quite good, despite being the only non-fish item on
the menu).
Gordon was at KGB too, but he bailed after the reading; I
don’t think he was feeling well or something. But anyway, that left me
alone to fend for myself in the big city, which is always an adventure for a
lost-prone fellow like me. The strange thing is, I knew that the PATH
station was at 9th St. and 6th Ave., but I somehow still had trouble finding it.
They need like bigger signs or something, because I walked right past it and
didn’t even notice the entrance was there. Plus, there is a small sign
that says "PATH" on it nearby, but it doesn’t really point in the direction of
the entrance. It kind of points toward 10th St., actually. Grumble,
grumble.
Five Minutes After The Day After Tomorrow
Saw The Day After Tomorrow. Bleh.
So what does Roland Emmerich have against New York City anyway? He’s destroyed it in at least three of his movies now (The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, and Godzilla).
Oh, and did anyone else find it highly unlikely that a gigantic Russian cargo freighter could traverse the streets of NYC until it ended up parked right outside the NY Public Library? If objects sink when they weigh more than the water they displace, wouldn’t the thing just sink once it left the gigantic body of water that is the ocean?
But I suppose there are numerous examples of erroneous science in that movie, so I guess there isn’t much point in singling out just one.