The Sci Fi Catholic: News from the Fishbowl

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

News from the Fishbowl

Hi, it's Lucky. I'm a day late, but I'm here, and I'm finally over my cold. I'd like to thank Phenny the Phoenix, who kindly dribbled chicken soup into my bowl while I was sick. Deej, on the other hand, just ignored me.

Here's my lastest news gatherings:

NEW GENE WOLFE COLLECTION

A more-or-less new collection of Gene Wolfe's short fiction, The Best of Gene Wolfe, is out (it's been out for a few months, but we move slow here). You can read a review at Boston.com.

FINALISTS FOR BRITISH FANTASY AWARDS

The list is out and available over at Locus.

BEN BOVA ON ETHANOL

According to Ben Bova's column, ethanol derived from corn, when used for fuel, produces more carbon-dioxide than gasoline. When I told the Deej, he nodded and said, "There's only one thing I want to do with ethanol."

BORDERS SF BLOG

Borders, as in the bookstore, has a new blog on science fiction. An article on the subject is here at PR Newswire, and the blog itself is here.

DOMING HOUSTON

Slow news day? Associated Content discusses what it would take to put the city of Houston under a dome. I thought Atlanta was supposed to be the southern city to get a dome.

blog comments powered by Disqus

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

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 . . .