io9 asks What’s the difference between space opera and military sci-fi? I won’t tell you their answer, but mine involves the fact that straight military sci-fi almost always bores me to death. You?
Dunc reads: Books from March
Sorry to be so late, but I assure you, these are indeed all the books I read last month. If this has taught me nothing else, it’s that I read a lot less books than I thought I did… Continue reading “Dunc reads: Books from March”
Five blogs you should be reading (and their friends)
So Livejournal is going down today for a few hours, leaving many fandomers bereft of one of their main sources of information. My Livejournal friendslist is one of the first things I read every morning and perhaps my main pipeline of internet goings-on (Which I then filter for you here! And here!) And by the time I wake up, it will be down for the duration.
But luckily, I also have about a bagillion bookmarks. So here, for you, are five blogs that are of vital importance to the cause, worth checking out while LJ is incommunicado. (And that you might not already know – for the obvious, just see the blogroll.)
Whatever
The Whatever is the blogging fortress of science fiction author John Scalzi. If you only read one personal blog of a science fiction personality, you could do worse. (Plus he’s supremely snarky – we love those types around here.) See also: Tor, Neil Gaiman, Antick Musings.
TV Tattle
The blog as information disseminator in the most basic form (it doesn’t even have an RSS feed!) Generally I have at least a half-dozen blogs for any given topic, but TV Tattle is quite literally the only TV blog I check on daily basis. See also: It’s all you need, really. But if you’re obsessed with just one particular show or creator, best look for a site devoted to the topic, ala Whedonesque.
io9
When Gawker starts a blog that covers your area of interest, you pretty much have to read it, at least on my end. Even if they do sometimes post some seriously stupid shit. See also: ‘The lady Gawker,’ Jezebel, Boing Boing, Topless Robot.
SF Signal
Serious about genre? This is the place. They are strong in the art of finding everything that could possibly be of interest, and their features are top-notch stuff. Seriously, no complaints, and sometimes they link us! See also: Big Dumb Object, Underwire, Binary Bonsai.
/film
There are a lot of movie blogs out there, but /film is my favorite. They hit the major stuff without making me having to slog through a dozen pages for a single day, with a great eye for video and random ‘cool stuff.’ And yes, this is fanboy territory. Be strong. See also: Cinematical, The Movie Blog, MTV Movies.
Want to contribute? Link your own favorites in the comments! (Yes, basic HTML works, though if you have a lot of URLs your comment may be held for approval.)
Michael Crichton passing
Author Michael Crichton died Tuesday of cancer at the age of 66.
Best known for the movies based on his novels, the novels themselves were a satisfying dip into the pool of science fiction. Such titles as Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, and Timeline have been enjoyed by many over the years. He was also the creator of the long running series ER on NBC and the screenwriter of Twister.
Still owning the shame, now with Star Wars
So last time, the traffic killed his server, but now he’s back with the third and final installment… Plus Zahn.
New Hitchhiker novel to come
Hyperion books is announcing today a new novel in the beloved Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. The new novel is to be written by the author of the Artemis Fowl series, Eoin Colfer. The title of the new book is And Another Thing… The project is endorsed by Adams’ widow, Jane Belson.
The new book is scheduled for release in October of 2009, so we have a year of debate ahead of us if this is a good idea or not.
Poll: Did Star Wars novels get you started on genre?
A point that’s often made when arguing the merits of media tie-in novels is that they bring additional readers to the science fiction/fantasy genre. My own experience runs completely counter to this: Star Wars didn’t get me into SF/F; SF/F got me into Star Wars. Granted, I grew up in a family of readers, and Heir to the Empire was not the first genre novel I borrowed from my parent’s bookshelves before I was old enough to drive. So, I admit, I get a little miffed at the notion that reading these things makes us knuckle-draggers. (What’s wrong with an intelligent reader enjoying a little melodramatic space trash, huh? Wait, don’t answer that.) So, for the sake of science random internet polling: Continue reading “Poll: Did Star Wars novels get you started on genre?”
Mind meld, tie-ins, and a lot of Star Wars people
I had no idea when SF Signal asked me to participate in their latest Mind Meld on tie-ins that they’d get so many actual writers who had written Star Wars (Sean Williams, William C. Dietz, Kevin J. Anderson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Walter Jon Williams.) Plus many other names familiar to genre readers and the blogosphere. And me. It’s a little unsettling. Really cool, but unsettling.
Bujold Guest Blogs – New Vorkosigan Confirmed Again
Bibliophile and (former?) Stargate Atlantis producer Joe Mallozzi recently convinced Lois McMaster Bujold to come answer questions on his blog after her book Cordelia’s Honor was selected as one of his Books of the Month. (A large percentage of CJers are rather insane for this woman’s writing.)
Interesting insights into the Vorkosigan and Chalion sagas. And she confirmed, again, that she’s working on another Vorkosigan book for 2010. Yays!
Well, I’m shocked
The most surprising thing about Entertainment Weekly’s list of 17 sci-fi misfires? None of the Star Wars films are on it – although Blade Runner is. Huh.