FSFS

Stardust: Gaiman and the Silver Screen

2007-07-31T22:37:00.001-05:00

USA Today featured a story on Neil Gaiman. Many big-name actors and actresses will most likely propel this adaptation into a major main stream flick. See the full story: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-07-30-neil-gaiman_N.htm

Gliese 581

2007-05-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

For those who missed the news, here's a good San Francisco Chronicle story on the discovery of a possibly habitable planet outside the solar system -- orbiting the "red dwarf" star Gliese 581, in the constellation Libra, "only" 20 light-years away. Click on the artist's rendering.

The Laws of Roombotics

2007-04-18T12:55:00.000-05:00

I often tell my students that The Onion is one of the best sf/fantasy magazines around (right up there with Asimov's and the Weekly World News). Take, for example, this week's Isaac Asimov spoof.

Author Kurt Vonnegut Dies At 84

2007-04-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to CBS News, and here is a link to Douglas Brinkley's musings.

What to read next?

2007-04-06T14:41:00.000-05:00

Since it was left up to me to pick the next FSFS book.... I thought I had better throw some choices up here so we can get reading (seeing as how April is movin' right along).

Inspired by Andy's reference to Victorian Robots, perhaps we'd like to read a bit of Steampunk this month?

I highly recommend Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines, an ALA Notable Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Washington Post Book World Best Book of the Year, Nestle Smarties Book Prize Gold Award, and maker of the Whitbread Children's Book Award Shortlist. Don't let the "youthfulness" of these awards make you shy away from this book. It is an excellent read for adults as well.

Otherwise, I am not sure what else to recommend beyond, perhaps, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine. This book earned 3/5 stars on Amazon.com but the reviews I read weren't particularly promising.

There are also some classics out there, like K.W. Jeter's Morlock Night and Michael Moorcock's The Warlord of the Air, but I am not sure about the availability of these titles.

As far as the date for the next meeting, I suggest sometime during the week of April 22 - 28 as a possibiliy.

Questions? Comments? Joys or concerns?

Victorian robots at the Carriage Museum

2007-03-29T21:26:00.000-05:00

The Thrasher Carriage Museum in Frostburg, down the hill from Main and across from the depot, debuts a new exhibit on Saturday, April 14: "Meet the Driver: From Coachman to Victorian Robots." (The full name doesn't appear online, but in an ad I saw in the Times-News.) That's all I know, but it certainly sounds like steampunk, doesn't it?

Lunch with the Arts and Andy

2007-03-29T21:05:00.000-05:00

I'll be talking about my fiction writing as the guest speaker at Lunch with the Arts, noon-1 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at the Culinaire Cafe in downtown Cumberland. The cost is $10, which includes a box lunch; to register, call Allegany College of Maryland, (301) 784-5341. Lunch with the Arts, a weekly series in April, is sponsored by the college and by the Allegany Arts Council.

sf fiction reading group meeting

2007-03-26T17:23:00.000-05:00

just a reminder that the discussion group for the book "The Man Who Melted" will be held tuesday night March 27th at The Draft Zone. the meeting will start at 8:00 pm. see you there.

David Eddings news

2007-03-20T19:51:00.000-05:00

Fantasy novelist David Eddings, alas, has made Chuck Shepherd's March 18 "News of the Weird" column, under the standing headline "Least Competent People":

Novelist (27 books) David Eddings, 75, accidentally destroyed his Carson City, Nev., garage and part of his next-door office in January while he was flushing out the gas tank of his idle sports car. He said later that his intention was to remove the gasoline from the car to reduce the fire risk, but then he saw that some fluid had leaked onto the garage floor. For some reason, Eddings' curiosity about the leak (water or gasoline?) caused him to light a piece of paper and toss it onto the puddle, just to find out. "One word comes to mind," he later told the Nevada Appeal. "Dumb." [Nevada Appeal, 1-26-07]

Sadly, only a month later, Eddings' wife and collaborator, Leigh Eddings, died of a series of strokes, according to Locus Online (scroll down to the March 5 update).

Win a trip to the Nebulas

2007-03-20T19:19:00.000-05:00

AbeBooks.com and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America are giving away tickets to the Nebula Awards weekend in New York City in May, plus two nights at the awards hotel. Here's the info, with a link to the entry form.

Frostburg Book Giveaway

2007-03-12T19:17:00.000-05:00

It looks like this year's ginormous Book Give Away will be held (approximately) from Friday, April 20 - Wednesday, April 25, or until the books are all gone. The giveaway will be located at Frostburg's City Place on Water Street. All books are free (and there are usually over 150,000 shipped in to choose from) with a good bit of everything from textbooks to novels, gardening to home improvement. I offer no guarantee that there will be large numbers of sci-fi specifically - every year is different. I have picked up a number of good titles in years past. Those who volunteer to unload trucks and help set up have first crack at the selection. Call FSU's Center for Volunteerism for more information or to volunteer (301) 687-4210.

Planning your next vacation

2007-03-06T11:49:00.000-05:00

While you're making those summer vacation plans, you may want to consider Providence, RI, home of H.P. Lovecraft. I was surprised to find this article on the travel portion of CNN. com.

book group change

2007-03-02T14:22:00.000-05:00

sorry folks but it looks like we will have to change the book for the spring sf read. "LIGHT" is currently between printings and will not be available till june (perhaps we can read this in the summer). so...... i spoke with andy and we decided to go with the novel "THE MAN WHO MELTED" by jack dann. the book will be available at main st. books by wednesday for those who need a copy and fred will still give us a 10% discount. is everybody agreeable with just calling march 27th at 8pm the meeting date?

1st sf reading group proposal

2007-02-19T18:47:00.000-05:00

here is my idea. for a first reading group selection i propose the novel "Light" by M. John Harrison. this novel recieved strong critical attention upon its release and seems as good as any contemporary novel to start with (besides i've been pushing it for years on science fiction readers who stop into Main Street Books and am anxious to take some of my own medicine).
and here is the rest of the idea...... we meet either march 26th or 27th at 8pm (which date works better?) at the Draft Zone on Main Street. in addition to any book discusion going down better with a bit of lubrication, the Draft Zone folks offer a smoke free social space, good beer, and the best bar food in town. monday and tuesday are usually quiet nights so noise should not be a problem.
if anyone needs a copy of the book we will carry some extras at Main Street Books. since this will be a book for a reading club it will come at a 10% discount. so stop in if you are in need.

Pan's Labyrinth

2007-02-15T14:41:00.000-05:00

Pan's Labyrinth, of which Sydney and I are proud co-sponsors, is this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16-17, at Frostburg's irreplaceable Palace Theatre on Main Street. Showtime each night is 8. Sydney and I are going to Friday night's show, and may even take some FS² fliers with us, if I have time to make any. Maybe some of us could get together after the show, or at least in the lobby beforehand?

A good reading list

2007-02-08T21:38:00.000-05:00

I love reading lists, especially science fiction/fantasy reading lists, and while looking through the latest Science Fiction Book Club mailing tonight, I was impressed by the roster of reprint titles in the club's 50th Anniversary Collection. So far there are four series, each one reprinting eight titles from a different decade.

The '50s
City by Clifford D. Simak
The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke
The Door Into Summer by Robert A. Heinlein
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov
The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
Under Pressure by Frank Herbert

The '60s
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
The Dream Master by Roger Zelazny
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith
Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer

The '70s
Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Gloriana by Michael Moorcock
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge
Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

The '80s
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
Blood Music by Greg Bear
Courtship Rite by Donald Kingsbury
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling
Startide Rising by David Brin

"Science Fiction Down the Tubes"?

2007-02-07T22:03:00.000-05:00

Jeremy's post "Science Fiction Down the Tubes" at The Voltage Gate drew several responses recommending current sf writers who do, indeed, write about science: Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, David Brin, Greg Egan, John Kessel, Geoffrey A. Landis, Wil McCarthy, Alistair Reynolds, Kim Stanley Robinson, Joan Slonczewski and Charles Stross. To those I would add, off the top of my head, Stephen Baxter, Mike Brotherton, Ted Chiang, Cory Doctorow, Nancy Kress, Syne Mitchell, Christopher Rowe and Rudy Rucker. The magazines Analog, Asimov's, Interzone and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction are full of the stuff, as are the annual volumes The Year's Best Science Fiction, edited by Gardner Dozois, and Year's Best SF, edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer. Hartwell and Cramer also co-edited a couple of enormous honking recent anthologies that include much recent material as well as "classic" stuff: The Space Opera Renaissance and The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF. I think more good sf is being written and published now than ever was published in any other decade. Does it sell well? Not as well as fantasy. Are its authors household names? No. Can you tell the good books from the bad by looking at their covers? No. Best resources for pointing the way to new writers: the frequent New Books updates at Locus Online and the book reviews published monthly in the print version, Locus, to which every serious sf reader should subscribe (along with at least one of the magazines listed above).

I'm curious, Jeremy, why you write of Neil Gaiman: "Gaiman is considered science fiction without any semblance of science incorporated into his work." Is Gaiman considered science fiction? This is news to me. I thought he was considered a fantasist. Maybe you're annoyed that his books are shelved under Science Fiction? That bookstores and libraries shelve fantasy and science fiction together is old news, and entirely forgiveable old news at that. Most science fiction writers write fantasy, too, and vice versa, and 'twas ever thus, and the same magazines and publishers publish both, and 'twas ever thus, and the Science Fiction Writers of America changed its name to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America years ago, and I can't even keep the genres separate on my own shelves, so why should Main Street Books make the attempt?

Rocket boys and girls

2007-02-04T14:50:00.000-05:00

The Jan. 21 issue of Parade has an article by NASA engineer and Rocket Boys author Homer Hickam about the National Association of Rocketry, which encourages young people to get interested in science and engineering through model rockets. The chapter nearest us seems to be Mountaineer Rocket Club 641 in Morgantown, W.Va., about an hour west of Frostburg, run by Jerry Steketee. Here's his e-mail address, if anyone's interested in a launch schedule.

Nobody tells this wookie what to do

2007-02-03T17:02:00.000-05:00

Alas, it's a doomed world when even our most beloved alien figures start headbutting innocent tourists:
Churlish Chewbacca.

Highly interesting fantasy artist -- and local!

2007-02-02T08:14:00.000-05:00

I see in today's Times-News that works by fantasy artist James Odbert, a.k.a. Nybor, will be on exhibit through March 3 at the Brickhood Hearth restaurant on Main Street in Romney, W.Va., which is about 27 miles south of Cumberland on Route 28. The exhibit opens with a reception tonight (Feb. 2) at 7:30. Moreover, Nybor lives in Keyser, W.Va., about 22 miles south of Frostburg.

I don't see a website for Nybor, but googling around, I see that his art appeared in 1970s fanzines alongside Phil Foglio and Tim Kirk; that in the 1980s he did illustrations for Analog magazine, covers for books by Gordon R. Dickson and Theodore Sturgeon, and (apparently) the original maps for Robert Asprin's Thieves' World series; and that his painting Kiss of Ages was a Judges' Choice at the Millennium Philcon, the Philadelphia World Science Fiction Convention of 2001.

Dickson raved about Odbert's cover and interior illustrations for the 1978 edition of his novella Home from the Shore, calling it "something not merely entirely new in publishing but in artistic concept ... The result is something more than a book. It is a mechanism for the imagination."

In recent years, Nybor has been very active in occult circles. The Witches' Voice calls him "one of the community's most respected elders"; scroll down to see a great photo of him by Bill Kilborn. (In the photo, he reminds me of the late Georgia outsider artist Eddie Owens Martin, a.k.a. St. EOM.) Nybor also is on the Grey Council, the faculty of the online Grey School of Wizardry (which claims 612 students). Here's his faculty bio:

A graduate from the Minneapolis School of Art, Nybor has owned and operated art studios in Minneapolis and New York City and is most renowned for his black and white science fiction art, including book and magazine covers and interiors. In the 1980’s, Nybor was freelancing in New York, designing logos and knocking out magazine illustrations for a variety of publications. He was busy, prosperous, and developing ulcers in the fast-lane society. In 1985, he gave up the tie, tails, and “cocktail crowd” for a humbler, more peaceful life in the West Virginia mountains where he could dedicate himself to creating the art he wanted to create. When you look at the detailed and colorful works of Nybor, you would never know that this artist has been colorblind since birth.

Nybor's "major lifework" is the Nybor Tarot Deck, published in 2001; here are some samples.

As Mel Allen would have said: How about that?

Which science fiction writer are you?

2007-01-29T20:23:00.000-05:00

Take the quiz here.

Turns out I'm Samuel R. Delany, but y'all can call me Chip.

Harry Potter Introduced Me to Satan

2007-01-26T13:49:00.000-05:00

It was like looking in a mirror. Anyone seen this:

She's Back! Laura Mallory, OFF/beat's 2006 Idiot of the Year, appears undeterred in her quest to banish Harry Potter books from school libraries. The suburban-Atlanta mother announced, Wednesday, that she plans to appeal a Georgia court's dismissal of her contention that the best-selling novels are "evil" propaganda aimed at indoctrinating youngsters into witchcraft. Despite having never read the books herself, Ms. Mallory persistently maintains that she is "tak[ing] a stand for truth."

Mallory wrote a long op ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today about her Crusade against Potter and Rowling. I like the fact that her truths and her myths are both derived from myth:

Myth: Witchcraft is just harmless fantasy.

Truth: This is perhaps the greatest myth of all. America's desensitization to the occult is not only sad, but dangerous. We are in serious need of revival and a return to the traditional Judeo-Christian roots upon which our blessed country was founded.

I cannot count the times I have been told that these books are "just fantasy." But if you would like to know the truth, please keep reading and do your own research. Not only is witchcraft a real religion, subtly intriguing and luring our children and teens in unprecedented numbers, but it is also a dangerous one, often leaving its followers in darkness, depression and even suicidal. This was verified by a teenager from Lawrenceville and Mrs. Marsha McWhorter, a registered nurse and certified marriage and family therapist, both of whom testified at the Gwinnett County hearing on April 20, 2006, coincidentally, the anniversary of the tragic shootings at Columbine High School.
___snip___
When the Bible and prayer were removed from our schools, in effect, God was expelled. So we've raised a generation not to know him. Now our schools and society are filled with violence, drugs, gangs, addictions, perversions, and we wonder why?

We need God in America again. He's the one who says don't lie, steal or murder — for our own good. Likewise, He's the one who says witchcraft, including the casting of spells, is an "abomination," meaning: detestable, repulsive, loathsome, vile, abhorred, (Deuteronomy 18:10-13), and we call it good reading material?

Last time I checked, every society since the beginnings of recorded history has been filled with violence, drugs, gangs, addictions and perversions, mostly due to xenophobic, superstitious nitwits like Mallory. And there was (were) even more god(s) in those eras.

*The painting above depicts the infamous Siege of Antioch, the first known battle in which the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch was used.

FSFS

2007-01-24T22:05:00.000-05:00

I heard Andy webcasting this afternoon with his students about Neil Gaiman's Coraline, a fabulous book about a young heroine who crosses into another world. Since I'm hip-deep in writing a conference paper about Dorothy Gale of Kansas, I'm also thinking about other young female world-striders, like Lyra in the
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Brilliant books, those, and I'm aflutter waiting for The Golden Compass, due out in December 2007.

Speaking of traveling heroines, let us not forget that Pan's Labyrinth will at the Palace in Frostburg in February. We should try to set up a F2F meeting of FSFS.

Edgar Allan Poe: See and Hear!

2007-01-19T12:53:00.000-05:00

FSFS
This is for all EAP fans!

Excellent, teeth-chattering, spine-tingling renditions. This site indexes radio broadcasts of Poe’s tales, complete with foley effects and incidental music. Highly recommended! You can access “Fall of the House of Usher” for free. http://www.otrcat.com/edgarallanpoe.htm
The site also has a catalog for sci-fi broadcasts: http://www.otrcat.com/scifi.htm
Note: If you purchase Poe, Vincent Price reads “The Imp of the Perverse.”

Tim Burton’s “Vincent”: a short, animated film in which Vincent Price narrates. Highly recommended! http://www.pistolwimp.com/media/44828/
Other works are also available through this site: http://www.milkandcookies.com/keywords/edgarallenpoe/
Check out this Oscar-nominated film version of the “The Tell-Tale Heart”: http://www.pistolwimp.com/media/49817/

I also thoroughly enjoy and highly recommend Closed on Account of Rabies: Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe.
You can access samples at http://www.amazon.com/Closed-Account-Rabies-Poems-Tales/dp/B000003ZVR
The CDs contain:
Alone - Marianne Faithfull
The Raven - Christopher Walken
The Tell-Tale Heart - Iggy Pop
The Conqueror Worm - Ken Nordine
The Black Cat - Diamanda Galas
For Annie - Gavin Friday
To Helen - Ed Sanders
The Haunted Palace - Ed Sanders
Ulalume - Jeff Buckley
Berenice - Dr. John
The City And The Sea - Deborah Harry and the Jazz Passengers
Annabel Lee - Marianne Faithfull
The Masque Of The Red Death - Gabriel Byrne
The Raven (excerpt) - Abel Ferrara

Miscellaneous audio clips:

“The Pit and the Pendulum” read by Basil Rathbone. http://www.salon.com/audio/2000/10/05/poe/index.html

More dramatic readings by Basil Rathbone indexed at the Glowing Dial: http://www.glowingdial.com/net37_detail.htm

“The Raven” read by Chris Goringe.
http://librivox.org/the-raven-by-edgar-allan-poe/

Edgar Allan Poe New Media Book. Collection of stories with Flash player (even using high-speed, I had difficulty getting these to download):Tales marked for “Horror and Mystery” are posted and “Fantasy” is coming soon. http://www.netspun.com/mbook/poe/index.htm

Project Gutenberg: The Works of EAP
The first few links include copyright information and a reading of contents.
The drawback is that this is read by a ‘computer’ voice – no inflection.
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/9514

The Science of Sleep this weekend

2007-01-19T09:27:00.000-05:00

Sydney and I have a conflict Saturday night, so we plan to see The Science of Sleep tonight, at the invaluable Palace Theatre on Main Street in Frostburg. So if any (FS)² fellow travelers are in attendance, please let us know via the secret handshake, whatever that is.