Stardust: Gaiman and the Silver Screen

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

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

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

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

What to read next?

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

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

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

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.