The Sci Fi Catholic: A Couple of Links

Saturday, February 23, 2008

A Couple of Links

Readers have sent me a couple of things I need to pass on to you. Peter Gardner of Martian Monastery has sent us a link to the Orthodox rite chanted in time of attack by aliens. Seems like a handy ritual to me. In particular, I like this part:

With thy mighty arm destroy the army of aliens which now besetteth us, O Mistress, as the army of Sennecherib was destroyed.

Also, Simon Owens of the interestingly named Bloggasm has noticed our post on free online books. He has a more extensive article on why Tor is offering free books and what that might mean for online publishing.

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Currently Reading

D.G.D.: McKee has with this book established himself as the master of all things science fiction + religion. If you have an interest in the admittedly narrow subject, you read this book. It is an easy and entertaining read that shows an awesome breadth of knowledge of sf. But just for the record, I disagree with his interpretation of At the Mountains of Madness; the Great Old Ones were not monstrous evil gods, but great men, even supermen. They appear monstrous and evil to the average reader because the average reader has a healthier view of things than Lovecraft did.

D.G.D.: This is so far a depressing steampunkish work depicting an alternate Wild West in a world where the land westward is not just unexplored but literally half-made or unmade (though it's not clear yet who's making it or how it gets made) and locked in a potentially endless war between the human pawns of demon-possessed six-shooters and demon-possessed choo-choo trains. That sounds awesome, but the book is so far proving humorless, grim, vulgar, and a little snide: A little too much modern fantasy and not enough old-fashioned hayburner.

D.G.D.: William Hope Hodgson's classic is both as good and as bad as they say, a story of love in a far-flung future when the sun and all the stars have gone black and strange soul-devouring monsters have risen out of the darkness to await the day when man's last defenses fail and night reigns supreme, in which a young man braves the Night Land to rescue his reincarnated beloved, whom he has sought in vain across countless lifetimes. It contains brilliant flights of imagination, but is written in an obnoxious style and has no characterization to speak of. A must for fans of sf, but not always a pleasant read.

Currently Watching

Snuffles: Recently finished all eleven episodes of Usagi Drop, based on the popular manga published in English as Bunny Drop. The show is currently available, as far as I know, only on Crunchy Roll. A quiet, meditative series about thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi who unexpectedly finds himself taking care of his late grandfather's six-year-old illegitimate daughter, Rin, it's gentle and heartwarming. Also mixes in elements of romance with a single mom, who is mother of Rin's best friend. So if Rin is Daikichi's aunt, and if she grew up and married Koki, and if Daikichi married Koki's mom . . . yes, I think that would work: Daikichi could be HIS OWN GRANDPA! Everybody sing . . .