The Steampunk Kerfuffle and Going Beyond the Zeppelins

Any rising genre ends up getting attacked after it gets to a certain level of popularity/notoriety. Remember all the debate about Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Vampires? Wait that is all still going on. But now it is Steampunk's turn apparently again. I've been feeling the tide coming against Steampunk recently and it was finally set to a fever pitch a couple weeks back by Charles Stross.

Stross set everything off with:

I am becoming annoyed by the current glut of Steampunk that is being foisted on the SF-reading public via the likes of Tor.com and io9.....

Which made me go why pray tell? What has Steampunk ever done to you? He goes on:

Contemplating the numerous errors of the zombies'n'zeppelins fad in SF makes me twitch, for reasons that parallel China Mieville's denunciation of The Lord of the Rings (except that I have the attention span of a weasel on crack and am besides too lazy to anatomize the errors of a generation at length in such an essay: personally, I blame the internet). The romanticization of totalitarianism is nothing new (and if you don't recognize the totalitarian urge embedded in the steampunk nostalgia trip, I should like to remind you that "king" is a synonym for "hereditary dictator" and direct you to the merciless skewing Michael Moorcock delivered to imperial hagiography in his Oswald Bastable books). Nevertheless, an affection for the ancient regime is an unconsidered aspect of the background of most steampunk fiction: much like the interstellar autocracies so common in space opera (and again, let me cite Michael Moorcock on Starship Stormtroopers). The Science! in steampunk (which purports to be science fiction, of a kind ... doesn't it?) is questionable at best (Cherie Priest, I'm looking at your gas-induced zombies) and frequently flimsier than even the worst junk that space opera borrows from the props department, because, as it happens, the taproots of steampunk lie prior to the vast expansion in the scientific enterprise that has come to dominate our era. But that's just about forgivable, inasmuch as much modern SF doesn't even like to pretend that sometimes a spaceship is just a spaceship, and not a metaphor. That leaves the aesthetic ... which I can't find anything intrinsically wrong with, as long as steampunk is nothing more than what happens when goths discover brown. Viewed as a fashion trend for corsets and top hats, steampunk is no more harmful than a fad for Che Guevara tee shirts, or burkas, or swastikas; just another fashion trend riffing thoughtlessly off stuff that went away for a reason (at least in the developed world).

So he goes on to lambaste Cherie because her science isn't right in regards to zombies. What kind of nonsensical comment is that? Maybe Stross should think about writing The Science of Zombies so all the writers out there can get it "right" according to him. Because writers need guidelines to work with if they're going to please Stross. That's what most authors want isn't it? To be told how their stories should have been?

Priest fired back:

OMG YOU GUYS it has come to my attention that SOMEONE on the internet is saying that my fictional 19th century zombies are NOT SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND. Naturally, I am crushed. To think, IF ONLY I’d consulted with a zombologist or two before sitting down to write, I could’ve avoided ALL THIS EMBARRASSMENT.

If you’ve been heretofore unaware of my EGREGIOUS CRIMES against reason and scientific probability, but you too would like to criticize my technique when it comes to MAKING SHIT UP about the pretend undead … then boy, have I got a proposal for YOU!

I think she let it off a little lightly, but many others have taken up the cause to take on Stross. Scott Westerfeld came to the defense of Steampunk:

Yes, the current emblematic book of steampunk is totally Dickensian, but no one pays attention to that because it’s got zombies and airships, and therefore must be a madcap lark. Because this whole conversation has been about flap copy, not actual texts.

By the way, I think I’m the first person in this whole internet kerfuffle to quote text from AN ACTUAL STEAMPUNK BOOK. And thus I win.

.....

Not to go flat out into Sturgeon’s Law mode here, but space opera is a subgenre of which an astonishing percentage is crap, both aesthetically and politically, and which gluts the bookshelves far more than steampunk. But no one will be declaring how much they hate it, because it’s been around long enough that old people aren’t bothered by it.

And yes, this is about YOU being OLD, steampunk-haters. (In spirit, not in years.)

THIS is why I don’t write for adults. Their heads are all full of genre cooties and “Taj Mahal? Nah, don’t like tombs.” Whereas a kid will come home from the library with a mystery, an sf novel, an autobiography, and three books about sharks. That’s how kids read, and when something’s cool and fun and awesome (or weird and gnarly and thought-provoking), they don’t worry about how many times it’s been mentioned on io9, or whether it’s that-genre-Fortnight on Tor.com.

Catherine Valente than entered the fray as a Steampunk detractor saying:

Steampunk is starting to look a lot like the endless dragons and maidens covers of old extruded product fantasy. Sameness is never exciting, and steampunk

......

When I look at steampunk books and how they're marketed to us, all I see is surface. Look! The megasitesthings that either sparkle or blow up strung together on the hope that some kind of magic will happen and a zeitgeist will be capitalized upon.

Others have gone to bring up very good and pertinent points even if they aren't necessarily falling head over heels for the genre such as:

The most interesting thing to me about steampunk (though I’m not really an enthusiast, more of a vaguely interested observer) is that it isn’t a literary movement at all. It’s very much a mixed media movement with a huge emphasis on artwork, craftsmanship and costuming. That’s where the greater passions of steampunk seem to lie, with the literary aspect desperately trying to catch up. There’s a flashmob sensibility to it, rather than a single line of influence. Many people in the comments of Catherynne’s post preferred to define steampunk as an aesthetic, rather than a literary movement or sub-genre.

So it seems more people are upset by the dress-up factor of Steampunk than anything else. But Cosplay has been going on for decades. In fact it had its origin in modern culture with Sci-Fi. Star Trek conventions anyone?

Valente than came back with a good piece on what she actually likes about Steampunk:

I like how steampunk is a deconstructive genre, or at least has the potential to be so. I see this lately in costuming, where the insides of the bustles and corsets can be worn on the outside, (hell, corsets themselves were never meant to be worn on the outside), the workings of the clothes made explicit. That's one of the things I like best in books of any type, and I'll be interested to see how it trickles down--or up--into literary steampunk, showing the workings of the novel, the culture, the history, the insides on the outside. I love postmodernism, and sometimes it looks an awful lot like pre-modernism.

So what does this all add up to? It all comes down to if you don't like it have you actually read it? Because it doesn't seem like most of the haters have actually read much of what is going on in Steampunk. Sure some is fluff, but there are a lot of amazing stories going on. And aren't fiction books for entertainment? For the detractors out there go out and read more in the genre to see what it is you "think" isn't good. I did the same a few years ago with Urban Fantasy and now I'm a big fan. Sure there is crap out there, but there is in every genre.  I'm not in them for a history lesson and while that can be a nice bonus with some books it is not something I'm after as a fan and reader. If you actually want to find out what Steampunk is about than read Shweta Narayan's short clockwork bird stories, Felix Gilman's The Half-Made World, or Steampunk Reloaded edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer just to get a taste of what is out there beyond the zeppelins.


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Reading Habits Poll Results

I was very happy so many people decided to participate in the polls I ran last week. A few more would give a better basis for analysis, but there were some minor hiccups such as no one being able to vote for part of the first day.  I'm still not sure why that was. But the results are in and I have gleaned a few interesting facts given the amount of data I have to work with. First the raw data.

How often do you read outside of SFF?

Nearly every other book    31    (41%)
Once every couple of months    32    (43%)
Once or twice a year    9    (12%)
Never    2    (2%)
Voters: 74

So more than 80% of poll takers do vary their reading quite regularly, which is quite a bit than I expected.  Only a few people rarely step outside the genre. My earlier theory that most speculative fiction readers keep to their own is totally blown out of the water by this. Now on to what exactly are we reading other than SF/F.

Besides SFF what other kinds of books do you read?

Thriller 36 (53%)
Mystery 42 (62%)
General Literature 45 (67%)
Science 22 (32%)
History 39 (58%)
Travel 9 (13%)
Humor 15 (22%)
Bio/Memoirs 15 (22%)
Romance 9 (13%)
They publish books outside of SFF? 3 (4%)

Votes: 67

There's quite a bit of interesting data to glean here. First, a large portion of voters are Mystery and Thriller fans. Not too much of a surprise given the popularity of the genres.  Secondly, more than half of voters are avid History readers.  That makes a lot of sense as much of Fantasy and Science Fiction is steeped in History by some stroke whether borrowing from cultural stylings, actual events such as battles, or royal dealings. The lack of Romance readers took me a back a little. I'm not sure if this is indicative of a low female readership here or simply that the ladies stopping by are more Urban Fantasy fans nowadays.  Sales numbers of UF books would certainly show a large slope going that way.

This section of the poll also makes me want to review more Travel Narratives here as I think speculative fans are missing out of some real life adventures.  Travel books often have a sense of hyper-reality about them anyway and most show a good journey for those Epic fans out there.

Is there anything I missed about the results?


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How often do you read outside of SFF?

You'll notice two polls in the upper right. Yesterday's cover post made me think about this since it was the first non-genre cover I've put up here. Most other SFF fans I'm friends with read mostly SFF and hardly ever step outside that box, which brings me to the polls as I would like to get a handle on other people's reading habits.

Fantasy and Science Fiction have always been my mainstay reads since I was little, but I've always considered myself a pretty varied reader on the whole. Although, I don't normally talk about it here, if much at all, given the standard purview of this blog I've been an avid reader of most every section of the bookstore except for Romance and Westerns. Something about frilly dresses and cowboy hats generally don't do much for me.

I've read a heck of a lot of what I'd call fun yet informative History books such as 1491, A History of the World in 6 Glasses, The Little Ice Age, and Guns, Germs, and Steel. Arm chair Science books also pique my attention from time to time. The World Without Us is more eye opening than most other apocalyptic novels and makes humanity seems so fragile and insignificant in comparison to the world, which will endure in some form. I've been in love with Edge.Org's series of short essay books the last few years with What's Your Dangerous Idea? being the best. And than there are the books that my wife and I enjoy together, which tend to be travel narratives and memoirs from odd people or people in at least an unusual situation. Think Bill Bryson, who I can't get enough of and if you haven't read J. Maarten Troost's The Sex Lives of Cannibals, get on with it! There are also my guilty please reads about Secret Societies, Pyramids, and Ancient Mysteries that I sneak from time-to-time. You won't regret it.

I also like my normal fiction as well often called Literature, but isn't it all literature? I can't go on vacation without at least one Nick Hornby type book. Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia was the first book I ever lent the woman who would go on to become my wife and to this day I think that is what sealed the deal on our relationship. It was exactly the type of book she loves that has odd characters placed in questionable sexual situations.

These sorts of non-SFF spurts have happened less and less the past couple of years, partially due to the blog I'm sure, but I still can't go too long without a romp on the wild side. Sometimes I read a non-SFF just as a palette cleanser as I try not to read the same type of book back to back, which is why you see me going from a Fantasy review to a Sci-Fi to Urban Fantasy to Steampunk and than a Epic Fantasy.  I've gotta mix my reading up lest it all seem the same.


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Confessions of a Bibliomaniac (My book flood and book buying pledge for the next 6 months)

This has been a long time coming. Ever since I flew the coop and had a place of my own to live I've been amassing books. A few at first and than slowly 2 or 3 at a time or whenever I happened by a bookstore. Than the list making began of books I wanted or knew were coming out and things started to get a bit more out of hand. I've always been a fast reader so I never minded having a lot of unread books around the house even when it started getting in the hundreds of titles. I like choice.

As a child my family didn't have much money so I was a library regular since I was 7 or 8. I knew all the librarians and they knew me. I even slipped up and called one mommy one day by accident because I was so use to being there and asking for something. I think the librarian got a kick out of that, but my cheeks turned quite red when I realized what I had done. In middle school my obsession was so widely known instead of study hall I was assigned as a library helper for a period every day.

Well now I still have hundreds of unread books lying around and buy often and now with blogging for more than a year quite a few publishers send me books regularly with a mix of some requested and some surprises. Which brings me to the point of the article. I am going on a book buy hiatus of sorts*. I am limiting myself to buying only 10 more books this year starting at the end of June**.

Why is this you may be asking? When I first started blogging I'd get a review book every once in awhile , which was very nice. Still is. Now I sometimes come home to 3 or 4 packages any given day, which my wife refers to as "The Book Flood." I've come to the realization that between the books I own and want to read and the books that I get for review I am running out of space. So this isn't a monetary issue. Merely a pragmatic decision. I don't have much more space to fill. My wife and I might be moving in the next year or two and we don't want to buy more bookcases because we'll probably be moving to a slightly smaller place or of similar size where they couldn't fit any better. Also, this will force me a bit more to read what I have and clear some space by either lending more read books to friends or getting rid of the ones that won't ever be re-read***.

Another reason this is coming up is the first half of 2011 is looking absolutely amazing in terms of new releases many of which will need to find a home on my shelf's of honor****. We've got a new Abercrombie (The Heroes), Lynch (The Republic of Thieves), and Rothfuss (The Wise Man's Fear) just to start. Than we have a new Christopher Moore (The Griff), Jasper Fforde (One of Our Thursdays is Missing), Jim Butcher (Ghost Story), Daniel Abraham (The Dragon's Path), and Jesse Bullington (The Enterprise of Death). So 2011 will already be a packed year and most publishers haven't even announced the majority of books on the docket.
*Any books already ordered or pre-ordered do not count. I believe I have 6 books on preorder at the moment, but I could be off.
** My birthday is coming up at the end of the month and I'm doing a last hurrah visit at The Strand with a friend. This obviously doesn't count, but I'll hold myself in check to a degree.
*** What? It happens. Sometimes.
****You know where you keep all your favorite books front and center so you can stare and visitors can drool.

You're probably a little interested in what these 10 will be. So here is what is on the must buy list:

China Mieville's Kraken - Have to grab this especially after all the great reviews coming along. For god's sake it has giant squids in it!

Catherynne Valente's The Habitation of the Blessed - Not much has been mentioned about this book yet, but it sounded intriguing and I've liked a lot of Valente's short work. The Prestor John mythos has always intrigued me as well. There's just something about lost/mythical cities that always pulls me in.

Jim Butcher's Side Jobs - Dresden collection. 'Nuff said.

Richard Kadrey's Kill the Dead - Sequel to the fabulously grungy Sandman Slim.

Ted Chiang by Stories of Your Life - I keep hearing how amazing Chiang's writing is and Small Beer Press is reprinting this hard to find short story collection later this year.

Ekaterina Sedia's The House of Discarded Dreams - New Sedia. 'Nuff said.

Tim Akers's The Horns of Ruin - I was intrigued by what Akers tried to do with Heart of Verdion and I want to see what how he is developing his Noird style. And that cover is rockin'.

Notice there are only 7 books mentioned? Well I have to leave room for impulse. Especially with the way Sub Press does things. You never know when they'll announce an awesome new book. Plus I could always read a series book and need the next immediately as keeps happening with Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt casebooks. And I am starting on a collective blog project that you'll be hearing more about in the coming months that may require me to buy a book or two. Let me just say it will be monumental in terms of book blogging.

There are some other books that should have been on this list as well, but I'm fairly sure review copies will show up. Heck some of the above might. Plus anything coming out in December might show up under the Christmas tree.

Wish me luck! Who wants the under/over on whether I can pull this off?

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OPINION | What Kind of Connections Do You Make With Books? Or why I didn't want to buy it online?

In my recent procurement post the other day I mentioned my desire to buy Gene Wolfe's Shadow & Claw in a bookstore instead of online. Or to be more precise:

I've been looking for this book on and off for the last couple of years, but whenever I think of it the store I'm in only seems to have the second volume. For some reason there are some books I want to buy in a store and some I'll buy online. In this case I wanted to grab it in store.

Now this essay could have easily focused on the fact that most bookstores have a poor stocking of backlist books (that's publisher jargon for older books), but I felt the less trod upon idea is one of personal memories made with said books. The more I& pondered about this thought the more I wanted to discover the why. Not about why I like a certain book or why I buy a particular book, but more on why I buy them where I do and what types of associations I make with these books.  Sometimes a book doesn't evoke memories of the story, but the story of your life at the time when you read it or where you found it.

(no books were actually harmed in the
montaging of this image)

Like most people I obtain my books from a wide swathe of sources. Of course I receive a good number of review copies from publishers, but I'm still a big book purchaser. I have to go to a real bookstore at least every two weeks (more often if I can), but I also buy online regularly, especially pre-orders and I've even been known to use PaperBackSwap.com and BookCrossing.com from time-to-time. However, there are some books I need to buy in person to get the right satisfaction out of the purchase. A lot of this also has something to do with the inner hunter spirit trying to get out from the cave I've sequestered it in to spear that elusive white rhino. To get that special find in your cross hairs you've been desiring for awhile along with the instant satisfaction and feel of it in your hands. To know you put in more effort than a couple clicks of the mouse and a few key strokes.

The proliferation of internet buying has taken the fun somewhat out of a good book hunt. I can remember only 6 or 7 years ago calling around to bookstores to find a particular book and making the trek there or even doing mail order a couple times if the book in question was nowhere to be found around me. Also, it gives certain bookstores good street cred in my eyes if they have a book I've been scouring for and this fact will make me go back to that store even if it's out of the way. And don't tell me about special ordering the book in a particular store. That takes all the fun out of it.  One habit I have is when I travel for vacation or work is to always drop by a local bookstore and pick-up a book. I nearly always remember where I bought said book, which is accompanied by memories of the place.

Traveling into those old dusty bookstores where you just want to pitch a tent and camp out for days because you never know what you're going to come upon is what I'm after. To find my personal Cemetery of Forgotten Books. There is one store in particular that comes to mind: Dauphine Street Books in the French Quarter of New Orleans. I've been to NOLA at least a half dozen times before, but they were the find on the last trip as one thing you do in New Orleans is wander about the Quarter. What caught my eye was a women putting out a box of books on a stoop with a little "$1 each - Pay& Inside" sign. I look up and what do I see but the glorious sight and musty smell of a store so packed with books you can barely move around in it because of the waist height piles in every already narrow aisle.

I spent 2 hours in that tightly packed store and had 8 books at one point, but winnowed it down to 4 because tough decisions must be made when traveling. Of those I can't remember one, but two others have become very cherished in my collection with the last still unread. The two cherish volumes are my numbered edition of Adventures in the Dream Trade by Neil Gaiman, which was a steal at $50 especially since I had never seen it before and The Bear Who Went Over the Mountain by Walter Kotzwinkle, which turned out to be one of the funniest books I've ever read. What happens now every time I look at these books is a memory of  the good times I spent in that bookstore and by extension my vacation. And also the beignets  Can't forget those delicious puffs of fried dough... drool....

Than we have the idea of how where you first read a book can ingrain itself in you. For me the foremost example of this is Chronicles by Bob Dylan. I bought it right before I went on my honeymoon. I see it every time I look at my bookshelf where the memories flood back of sitting on the most perfect beach while reading along side my wife and the adventures we had on that trip. All of this has to do with creating more of a real connection to the experiences had while reading the book and not just the story. Not that they aren't important too.

Feel free to chime in with books and stories that bring back your most vivid memories.


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OPINION | To Read, or Not to Read Stephen King's Under the Dome

Okay, firstly I should say I'm not the biggest King fan.  Not that I don't like his work.  I, like most people have read more than a few Stephen King books over the years.  My first taste was The Eyes of the Dragon, which was King's first and to my knowledge only long form YA effort.  Eyes greatly influenced my early teen reading habits and I probably devoured  it 5 times by the time I was 12 in addition to being one of the first Fantasy books I had to own.  I've also enjoyed The Stand, Tommyknockers, parts of The Dark Tower saga, Pet Cemetery, and It.  There were probably a couple others as well, but these are the ones that come to mind.  However, other than It and Cemetery I haven't read too many of King's more standard Horror fair, as they aren't really my thing.  It particularly screwed with my teenage head a bit much to the point where I still have an aversion to clowns.  So it is safe to say I'm more a fan of his Fantasy/Epic related works more than anything else.

However, in my eyes King has been going downhill for a long time.  Especially, since his Publishers have essentially stopped editing him.  Granted there are parts of The Stand, Uncut Edition that could have been left in the original release, but still some of it should have been trimmed.  Now it is almost verboten to do anything to his text, while most of his books could stand to lose at least a few dozen pages.  The last King book I read was Cell, which had a nice zombie-ish plot about the foibles of technology engraining itself in humanity and how it could turn itself on us.  Sounds decent right?  It was at first, but the cop out ending totally ruined it.  I'm sure there are plenty of people who enjoyed Cell so I'm not looking for flaming comments about how wrong I am.  This is just how I view it.  Since Cell I've vowed to stay far away from any new King novel, although I've re-read some of his older work and he is still pretty good with short stories.  Now comes Under the Dome, which King has been working on and off for a couple decades in some form.  Here is the description:

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener’s hand is severed as “the dome” comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when—or if—it will go away. Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens—town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing—even murder—to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn’t just short. It’s running out.

Sounds pretty great to me.  From what little I've read Under the Dome could be his best Epic since The Stand.  It is also his third longest book ever following The Stand and It.  And as my readers know I like my books like I like my burgers: big and fat.  Also, the cover is wonderful and a departure from all King's past covers.  Here is the wrap around which shows a lot of interesting detail.

Dan Simmons also had some very nice things to say about Under the Dome last year:

What’s amazing to me is that Under the Dome is the kind of huge, generous, sprawling, infinitely energetic novel that we (or at least I) associate with gifted young novelists in their 20’s—all energy and enthusiasm, the young author having not yet learned a long-distance novelist’s greedy trick of holding back characters or plot or techniques for future novels—and yet here with a master’s total control of the telling, myriad of characters, tone, and effects.

I take this as a huge vote of confidence as Simmons is one of modern masters of Epics.  So do you think I should give Under the Dome a shot?  Will you be reading it?

NEWS | FTC Will require bloggers to clearly disclose any freebies

According to the Associated Press:

The Federal Trade Commission will require bloggers to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products.


It is the first time since 1980 that the commission has revised its guidelines on endorsements and testimonials, and the first time the rules have covered bloggers.

Bloggers who don't comply could face a fine of up to $11,000.  This is a bit surprising.  Do Newspapers and Magazines disclose what they receive for free?  I've never received any sort of payment for a review and no one has offered either.

A very common practice, albeit one not discussed much, is that Magazines and Newspapers are much more likely to review a publisher's books if they advertise.  This stinks a bit more to me than a blogger not mentioning where a book is from.  However, I've been toying with the idea of mentioning the source of the books I review at the end of the review anyway so it looks like it will happen.  Of the last 12 books I've reviewed 4 were review copies sent to me and 2 were picked up at Book Expo.  Of those 6 I was planning on buying copies anyway and still may of certain titles.  Also, on the left side of my site there is a Recently Procured section and of the 14 books listed there 4 are review copies I've received.  Maybe I'll start denoting a review copy with an * on the sidebar.

MEME | Reading Habits

I saw quite a few bloggers participating in this reading meme from Book Blogger Appreciation Week including Fantasy Cafe and Only the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy.  I meant to do this a while ago, but vacation, work, and conducting interviews kept getting in the way.   So here is my take.  Please feel free to add your own answer to any of these questions.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

Sometimes.  Probably chocolate covered pretzels.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

No one should ever write-in or mark a book unless it is for a class.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?

I usually have a bookmark of some kind or a postcard. For long awaited reads I pull out a green leather bookmark I picked up in Ireland.

Laying the book flat open?

Never on purpose. Some of my friends comment that when I lend them a book it looks like the spine isn’t even cracked.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

Mostly Fiction, but I do like to mix it up from time to time.   A couple years ago I went through a long bout of Science and History books and no Fiction. 

Hard copy or audiobooks?

Hard copy. I’ve only tried audio shorts so far.  I read my first book on a borrowed Kindle over vacation.  It was an okay experience, but I still prefer hardcopy.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?

I can put a book down at any point, but if I can I’d rather read to the end of a chapter.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

Not usually. Rarely do I run across a word that I can't intuit the meaning.

What are you currently reading?

Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks. I read the first two Night Angel books soon after they came out and liked them quite a bite, but for some reason never went back for the third. This has happened with C.C. Finlay’s Traitor to the Crown series as well. My goal is to finish up any trilogies I’ve started, but haven’t finished before the end of the year. That is if they are all available.

What is the last book you bought?

That’s tough just because I got a couple books recently, which I pre-ordered months back. So I guess it would be Metatropolis ed. by John Scazli or The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ed. by John Joseph Adams if you went by most recently received. The last books I purchased were Heart of Veridon by Tim Akers and The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.  Thank you Borders Bucks.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?

I only read one book at a time. Although, I might break it up a little by reading a graphic novel at some point in between. Also, I have no compulsion about finishing a book and starting another within minutes.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

Anywhere is fine, but in bed on a Sunday morning is bliss.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

Yes, please! I am probably more of a series fan, but I like standalones as well. Big and fat preferred.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

Not just one, but the same names do keep coming up. Zafon, Rothfuss, Abercrombie, Lynch, Fforde, and Moers are always at the tip of my tongue.  Usually I ask what authors someone likes and base a recommendation on that.  I've turned a lot of people on to Forever by Pete Hamill and The Shadow of the Wind.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

No, but I keep saying I will. My favorite authors/books do occupy the waist levels of my shelves along with my limited and signed edition, but that is about it. Oh, my travel narratives are almost all together, but that was mostly because of a request from my wife. My dream is to have a library/reading room at some point, which is well organized by genre.

VIDEO | Mieville, Ringo, and Link Sci-Fi Discussion from Book Expo 2009 and

Book Expo has now posted a whole bunch of the discussions taped at the show here.  During my trip to BEA I really wanted to go to the Sci-fi discussion with John Ringo, China Mieville, and Kelly Link but I only managed to catch the last 15 minutes or so.  Now we can see the whole discussion moderated by Del Rey editor Chris Schluep in which China Mieville sounds smart and John Ringo makes good points while wearing a Utilikilt:



Here is the Scott Westerfield, Holly Black, and Cassie Clare discussion about Alternative History:



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OPINION | Science Fiction Where Have You Gone?

I began this article after I was trying to pick out my vacation to read pile. I've since changed my stance a little as will be evident from some other forthcoming posts, but many of the same feelings still apply. Plus I thought it would be a waste of a decent diatribe to just delete it. This blog is after all supposed to be an outlet for my thoughts on books. Since I usually read at least 5-7 books on a week long vacation I bring 10 books as I'm a man who likes choice for his reading material even away from home. I started culling the stacks and when I finished I noticed I hadn't picked out a single Science Fiction book. I had to stop and ask myself why? Well, the reason is none of the Sci-fi books I had were jumping out at me saying "You've been looking forward to me for months! I won't let you down on your vacation! I promise I'll be good as you look out at the sand!" 

When I was growing up I always considered myself more of a Science Fiction reader than a Fantasy reader, but over the years I've noticed that has changed drastically as is especially evident since I started this blog. I should also mention I haven't reviewed every book here that I've read, so there are a couple Sci-fi books not mentioned on this site, which I have enjoyed in recent months.

Sure there are still good Sci-Fi authors out there such as Robert Charles Wilson, Robert J. Sawyer, Joe Haldeman, and Richard K. Morgan(on hiatus for Fantasy), however the problem is most new Sci-Fi offerings just don't excite me as much, which saddens me to no end. I have found myself being taken in by the Urban Fantasy behemoth that has been going on the last few years. For me those are pure escapism as is more traditional Fantasy in most senses. Well done and sometimes not so well done Urban Fantasy is my crack of choice, but I could certainly see being burned out on most of it in the next couple of years. There are only so many Vampires in Manhattan stories anyone should be able to stomach in a given amount of time no matter how enjoyable.

One thing I've noticed is the majority of the Science Fiction published lately is either a media tie-in books such as Tobias Buckell's Halo entry, Gears of War, or the proliferation of the Warhammer series all of which do not interest me in the least. However, maybe the problem with Science Fiction is me. Science Fiction was always what I read when I wanted to go to the future and now as I get older I feel like I'm fine just where I am and often look upon the past fondly. Also, I generally find Sci-Fi much more thought provoking and philosophical than most Fantasy and since I have a job where I read a lot of dry material I'm in the mood for some lighter fare than a heavy thought piece.

Another problem could be the majority of Science Fiction seems all too here and now with it permeating everyday life more and more. Now when I want a good infusion of science I'll pick-up Wired or Discover magazine. Technology has been growing by leaps and bounds and having an AI trying to dominate humanity is more of reality than ever and part of the reason to read these type of books is to escape reality and explore all the big what ifs. So is it just me or are the best Science Fiction books behind us? Does anyone have any recommendations to reignite my interest?


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Book Cover Brawl

I'm always intrigued by the differences between covers whether it be US vs. UK or Hardcover vs. Paperback. Below are a couple that caught my eye by two of today's best known SF authors.

First up is This is Not a Game by Walter Jon Williams:

Original hardcover release from Orbit US.

Orbit paperback release planned for a January 2010.

The hardcover design never did a lot for me as the type was a bit overwhelming, but it did give a more of a virtual feel with the coloring than the mass market. Yet I find the mass market cover more appealing. Eyes always seem to draw me in, especially when colored oddly.

Next up is Cory Doctorow's Makers:

Hardcover release from Tor US.

Hardcover release from HarperVoyager UK.

The image on the US release is quite interesting. but the hands down winner for me is the UK version. It is very original and makes me want to pick it up to breakout the individual pieces.

Thoughts Opinions?

Mishmash | Orbit Bad Cover Contest Update, Blogger Appreciation Week, and Book Reviewers Linkup Meme

One of my entries for Orbit's The Worst Ever Cover Contest made it to the final five. I guess that means I know a thing or 2 about bad SF/F tropes. They are taking votes to see which one will make it to the final cut to actually get designed. Check out the full list here. You can vote for your favorite here. My entry is (nudge, nudge): An Old Dragon, A Dead Witch, and a Fat Guy: The Third Book of Stories that Go Nowhere Who wouldn't want to see something this awesomely bad? Although I am against some stiff competition with other entries like The Thing with the Glass Buttock. John at Grasping for the Wind is looking for SF/F bloggers to register and do a link up post. Check out the details here. I also signed up for Book Blogger Appreciation Week and I encourage you all to cast your votes for your favorite book blogs. There are a lot of categories, but you don't have to pick one blog for each category. Just vote for the areas you read blogs for such as Best Speculative Fiction Blog and Best Literary Blog. They also have nominations for best designed blog in addition to a whole host of other things. Here is a little more info: Last year over 400 blogs came together to celebrate the art of book blogging during the first ever Book Blogger Appreciation Week! I am so pleased to announce that the second annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week will be taking place September 14-18. WHO Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week! WHAT A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recognizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways. WHEN September 14-18, 2009 WHERE Here at the new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.) WHY Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word. I, Amy, the founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week love this community of bloggers and want to shower my appreciation on you!

Look what the cat dragged in

I think my mail person hates me or at least the number of packages I get. Pyr has answered my call for some new sci-fi with The Quiet War and Diving Into the Wreck, which I'll have to get to sooner than later. Orbit was very kind to send me a copy of The Prodigal Mage, which I have been hotly anticipating as Kingmaker, Kingbreaker is one of my favorite series from 2007. Look for a review in the not too distant future in addition to an interview with Karen Miller. If I wasn't already 150 pages into Warbreaker I'd jump right to Prodigal, but I'm enjoy Warbreaker too much to set it aside. My copy of the next Felix Castor series Dead Men's Boots turned up as well in addition to a few other good looking titles. Also, not pictured is Sandman Slim which I was just handed. It is an oddly cute size. I wouldn't have thought of describing anything by Kadrey as cute, but here we are.

Free Reading & News Mishmash | Jay Lake & Richard Kadrey Oh My!

Trial of Flowers by Jay Lake is available as a downloadable ebook from Night Shade Books. There are also a couple other Jay Lake stories available at the same link for free. Also, I've mentioned Richard Kadrey's Butcher Bird here a few times. Well I keep forgetting to mention Night Shade has had the complete book available for free download for quite a while. If you are an Urban Fantasy fan go and check it out.

Download Richard Kadrey’s novel Butcher Bird from Night Shade: PDF - HTML - Rich Text Format - Plucker - Mobipocket

Also, Pat found out that we won't be seeing the 3rd Scott Lynch this book, which we all suspected in addition to some more sad news.

According to SFScope Simon R. Green sold the first three novels in a new series to Ace Books. The series will most likely be called Ghost Finders and "will deal with the adventure and interaction of competing groups investigating the paranormal in modern London." His agent also said the fourth Eddie Drood novel, From Hell with Love, has been submitted to his publisher. The new series sounds promising. I still have to make my way through the Drood books though.

According to Winter is Coming Sean Bean has been cast as Eddard Stark in the Song of Fire & Ice HBO series. He was Boromir in the Lord of the Ring movies if he doesn't sound familiar. ScifiGuy has a good interview with Mike Carey to celebrate the US release of Dead Men's Boots the 3rd Felix Castor novel. See my review of the second book Vicious Circle here.

Upcoming Interviews, Notes, & News

There is a lot brewing on this end so I thought I'd share what is to come here on Mad Hatter's Bookshelf & Book Review over the next couple of months. Here are some highlights:

An interview with Lev Grossman author of The Magicians; An interview with Chris Evans author of A Darkness Forged in Fire (Iron Elves series); An interview with Karen Miller author of The Prodigal Mage and the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker Duology;

I should have another interview or 2, but these haven't been confirmed yet. There will be a couple giveaways during this time as well. Another author guest post/article is in the works too. I'm also working on a new article that I hope to turn into a regular feature regarding a few different series. This will mostly focus on established series that I've been behind the curve on so instead of reviewing book 4 in a series I haven't discussed here it will give me an opportunity to share what I love about them. Hopefully it will entice readers to give the series discussed a chance. As always you'll see 2 new book reviews a week if I can keep the place up. I just started The Angel's Game and so far it is living up to expectations. I tried not to have them too high though so I wouldn't be let done as The Shadow of the Wind is one of my favorite books of all time. I liked Shadow so much I purchased the gorgeous limited edition from Subterranean Press. The edition of The Angel's Game I have is a signed and numbered from Random House as discussed in an earlier post. For the collectors out there I got number 2 out of 50, which I was very pleased with. The book itself is wonderfully put together. The jacket removes to reveal a beautiful library painting. I urge everyone to sit down in a bookstore and just read the first 10 pages. You'll be pulled in immediately. Tor.com is serializing Cory Doctorow’s Makers in 81 posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Check out the announcement here. The first 3 chapters have already been posted: 1, 2. 3. The Subterranean Press signed-limited edition of The Blade Itself has been put up for pre-order. They also announced Peter V. Brett’s The Great Bazaar and Other Stories, which is supposed to expand the world of The Warded Man/The Painted Man with "outtakes from the first novel in the series — really, standalone short stories themselves — as well as additional material to flesh out Brett’s bravura storytelling." Time magazine's Nerd World blog has an interview with Michael Moorcock here. Time also discusses the A Song of Fire & Ice HBO series here. Although it didn't have anything new to add it is nice to see a major publication spreading the word.

10 speculative fiction books I consider among the best ever

This is from a challenge from Larry over at Of Blog of the Fallen:

What are 10 speculative fiction (the definition of which is left up to you, of course) would you say are among the best ever?

Here is my attempt in no particular order:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Forever by Pete Hamill

Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Fool on the Hill by Matt Ruff

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

Lost Horizon by James Hilton

Please note Larry said "among the best ever" in his challenge not "the best" as this is more of an off the cuff list than anything else and is by no means comprehensive. I also do not define favorite as "best." If I did this list would be very different and would include the likes of Christopher Moore, Tom Robbins, and Walter Moers. Also, it was tough for me to leave out The Shadow of the Wind, but there is very little that ends up being speculative in the work. For me to be among the best there are a few qualifiers:

a: A work I have or would re-read. b. A work which is incredibly inventive. c. A work that is superbly plotted. d. A work I would highly recommend to anyone. e. A work with believable characters. f. A work that has made me think.

Which fantasy writer are you? Apparently I am Lian Hearn

Neth's posting alerted me to this one. I actually took this over a week ago, but after first seeing the results I didn't agree. Re-reading the description it is actually pretty accurate of my tastes in general. I think I was thrown off being called Lian Hearn. I read Lian Hearn's first Otori book and I thought it was decent, but not enough to read further into the series. Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart was a better use of Asian mythology. Well here are my results: Lian Hearn (b. 1942)

-3 High-Brow, 3 Violent, 29 Experimental and 17 Cynical!

Congratulations! You are Low-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical! These concepts are defined below.

Lian Hearn is the pen name used by Australian author Gillian Rubinstein when writing the Tale of the Otori series, beginning with Across the Nightingale Floor (2002). The trilogy (which has spawned a sequel and a prequel) was a great success, becoming bestsellers world-wide and being published in more than thirty countries. Part of the reason for the series' success is probably that it is traditional fantasy but with a twist: The books are set in a country resembling feudal Japan, rather than some vaguely European environment. This setting gives Hearn a great opportunity to explore themes such as war, revenge, power hunger and clashes between cultures, all of which makes for an occasionally very violent tale, where nothing is ever coated in sugar. The books also feature at least one strong and very believable female character. While there have been Japanese-style fantasy written by Westerners earlier (such as the Book of Years series by Peter Morwood), Hearn uses the brilliant technique of describing her world from inside, calling typical Japanese phenomena by generic names rather than exorcising Japanese terms. Thus, swords are called swords, not katanas, we hear of wrestlers and realize that they are sumo wrestlers, characters eat bean curd rather than tofu, etc. All in all, Hearn has successfully expanded the borders of what can be done within the genre, while still writing for a mass audience!

You are also a lot like C S Lewis.

If you want something more gentle, try Orson Scott Card.

If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, Susan Cooper.

Your score

This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.

High-Brow vs. Low-Brow

You received -3 points, making you more Low-Brow than High-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, while a typical low-brow would favour the best-selling kind. At their best, low-brows are honest enough to read what they like, regardless of what "experts" and academics say is good for them. At their worst, they are more likely to read what their neighbours like than what they would choose themselves.

Violent vs. Peaceful

You received 3 points, making you more Violent than Peaceful. Please note that violent in this context does not mean that you, personally, are prone to violence. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you are, and you do, then you are violent as defined here. At their best, violent people are the heroes who don't hesitate to stop the villain threatening innocents by means of a good kick. At their worst, they are the villains themselves.

Experimental vs. Traditional

You received 29 points, making you more Experimental than Traditional. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, experimental people are the ones who show humanity the way forward. At their worst, they provoke for the sake of provocation only.

Cynical vs. Romantic

You received 17 points, making you more Cynical than Romantic. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, cynical people are able to see through lies and spot crucial flaws in plans and schemes. At their worst, they are overly negative, bringing everybody else down.

Author picture from http://www.lianhearn.com/, used by kind permission. Take Which fantasy writer are you? at HelloQuizzy

George R.R. Martin Breaks His Silence on A Dance With Dragons

Martin recently comment about his progress with A Dance With Dragons:

"I almost hate to say anything here, for fear of jinxing it... but for what it's worth, the last six weeks or so have been the most productive period I've had on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS in... well... a year at least, maybe several."

He has miss his self-imposed deadline of the start of June to ensure an October publication, but this is still wonderful news that he is getting there. I'll still keep pushing back my re-read of A Song of Fire Ice until he says the manuscript is off to his Publisher though. Also, I'm about a third of the way through The Affinity Bridge by George Mann. Very good stuff so far.

FUTURAMA is Returning!!!!

Starting in mid-2010 we will have all-new episodes of FUTURAMA to enjoy on Comedy Central. This goes to show that Fox doesn't really know what they are doing. FUTURAMA was definitely canceled before their time so I'm sure the creators have plenty of material to go with. Unlike The Simpson which should really hang it up before they totally tarnish themselves as they are just about there. If you haven't checked out the FUTURAMA movies give yourself a treat and do so. I'd recommend starting with Bender's Big Score.

Here is the press release:

NEW YORK, June 10, 2009 -- 20th Century Fox Television, the animation powerhouse that brought "Family Guy" back from the dead five years ago, has done it again: Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's brilliantly subversive animated sci-fi comedy "Futurama" will return to production on 26 new half-hour episodes more than six years after the series aired its last original episode. "Futurama" was a staple of Fox's Sunday night animation block from 1999 to 2003 before ceasing production on original episodes. In June 2006, COMEDY CENTRAL acquired the rights to the existing 72 episodes of the series, which the channel began airing in January 2008, and four recently-produced extended length "Futurama" adventures: "Bender's Big Score," "The Beast with a Billion Backs," "Bender's Game" and "Into the Wild Green Yonder," which enjoyed enormous success both on COMEDY CENTRAL and in DVD release. This new deal marks the show's return to episodic series production on original episodes. "Futurama" becomes only the second series in the history of the medium to go back into production based on the strength of its DVD sales and repeat airings on cable. The new episodes will be available in mid 2010 to be shown on COMEDY CENTRAL. Twentieth Century Fox Television retains the option to license the original runs of the new episodes to a broadcast network. Quipped Matt Groening, "We're thrilled 'Futurama' is coming back. We now have only 25,766 episodes to make before we catch up with Bender and Fry in the year 3000." Added David X. Cohen, "We're excited and amazed that the show is coming back, perhaps due to some sort of mysterious time loop. We look forward to working with COMEDY CENTRAL and 20th Television to make this the best iteration of the loop yet!" "When we brought back 'Family Guy' several years ago, everyone said that it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing - that canceled series stay canceled and cannot be revived," commented 20th Century Fox TV Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden. "But 'Futurama' was another series that fans simply demanded we bring back, and we couldn't have been happier when Matt and David agreed that there were many more stories yet to tell."

What Author Haven't You Read But Should? Or What is Your Greatest Shame?

A little while back I was following a post and comments at Tor about What Books Haven't You Read? The post mostly got involved with classics people tried but couldn't get through. I'd like to repurpose the question to "What Author Haven't You Read, But Know You Should?" This could include more modern authors, but try to leave out anything newish like debut authors of the last year or so such as Patrick Rothfuss or Joe Abercrombie. It should be authors you've been recommended or thought about reading multiple times. Please list the top 2 authors you have criminally missed or ignored in the Speculative Fiction arena and try to give a reason. Try to refrain from trouncing on people for their misses as they are at least admitting them and maybe this will inspire them to rectify the situation.

Here are my great shames:

Charles de Lint: I've been reading online for years about how much of an influence de Lint was on Urban Fantasy and Neil Gaiman in particular. You'd think those reasons alone would be enough to get me off my duff. I haven't read him because for quite sometime I just kept forgetting his name when I was in a bookstore. Finally when I had it down I couldn't figure out where to start. I'd be flipping through the books on the shelves and not know which was a series or standalone since de Lint has a habit of using the same characters in a lot of books. Most people say start with Newford, but which? The short story collections? The standalones? Since the Newford series is with a couple different publishers and many books have a lot of editions which makes it difficult to tell what order they should be read in. I hope to rectify the situation soon as I picked up Dreams Underfoot and Memory & Dream from the Newford series in a used book shop just last week. 2 books for $7 was hard to turn down.


R. Scott Bakker: I don't have a clear reason for not trying The Prince of Nothing series. Maybe because it is one of those series I've heard you love or completely hate. I've heard them called literary fantasy, which might have turned me off. However, I do enjoy literary fantasy so again not a good excuse. I've also been told they are bleak and sometimes I'm just not in the mood for that type of thing. I always associate bleak with depressing and usually shy away yet I have made many, many exceptions. I don't really care for the covers on Overlook's new editions though. Maybe I'll give them a shot later in the year.

Terry Pratchett: I include Pratchett only in regards to the Disc World series. I've actually read Nation, The Carpet People, and The Bromeliad Trilogy all of which I enjoyed thoroughly. Long have I been told to read Disc World, but I haven't wanted to get involved with a 30+ long series. Knowing me I'd want to read them all straight through if I started and also knowing me I'd want to buy them all. I'll probably read them someday. Maybe even in the next couple of years, but for now it will have to wait as my shelves are already overburdened with unread books as is.

Some smaller shames: Terry Brooks could have been on the list as well, but I honestly don't think I am missing anything. I tried to read the first Shannara book when I was a teen and just didn't care at all. I picked William Gibson's Neuromancer up while reading Snow Crash and summarily lost interest with cyberpunk because I don't think it could be done better than Stephenson. Neuromancer has now been sitting on my shelf for quite a few years and probably will for a few more. Gene Wolfe is another I should get to at some point although I have read and enjoyed his short fiction from time to time.

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