"I am Locutus of Borg."
Captain Picard
Star Trek: the Next Generation
"The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1"
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Quote
There's no such thing as a bad idea. Just poorly executed awesome ones."
Damon
Vampire Diaries
"The Dinner Party"
Damon
Vampire Diaries
"The Dinner Party"
Monday, December 5, 2011
Quote
"Pardon me, by why is Lieutenant Barclay being referred to clandestinely as a vegetable?"
Data
Star Trek: The Next Generation
"Hollow Pursuits"
Data
Star Trek: The Next Generation
"Hollow Pursuits"
Friday, November 25, 2011
The Muppets
The Muppets is either a charming, sweet movie brimming with the best kind of nostalgia, or a rather disturbing look into Jason Segel's mind.
Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Sad
Anne McCaffrey 1926-2011
Anne McCaffrey was without doubt one of the five writers who most influenced my reading of science fiction and fantasy. Where many people see Pern as fantasy dressed up as science fiction, (with an implicit sneer, as if that's a bad thing) I see fantasy transformed into the science fiction idiom, with all the necessary rigor that entails.
This is particularly true in the earliest Pern stories and books, which feature not only science, but sophisticated politics and characters who need cunning, not magic, to save themselves. If you start with the The Dragonriders of Pern, you find yourself plunked into a medieval society sorely in need of scientific advancement and, dare we say, enlightenment. Just look at how poor Menolly is treated at the beginning of the Harper Hall trilogy.
Along with the Pern books, I most fondly remember Crystal Singer and Killashandra, two lovely and original science fiction romances.
She will live on in the pantheon of the greats.
Anne McCaffrey was without doubt one of the five writers who most influenced my reading of science fiction and fantasy. Where many people see Pern as fantasy dressed up as science fiction, (with an implicit sneer, as if that's a bad thing) I see fantasy transformed into the science fiction idiom, with all the necessary rigor that entails.
This is particularly true in the earliest Pern stories and books, which feature not only science, but sophisticated politics and characters who need cunning, not magic, to save themselves. If you start with the The Dragonriders of Pern, you find yourself plunked into a medieval society sorely in need of scientific advancement and, dare we say, enlightenment. Just look at how poor Menolly is treated at the beginning of the Harper Hall trilogy.
Along with the Pern books, I most fondly remember Crystal Singer and Killashandra, two lovely and original science fiction romances.
She will live on in the pantheon of the greats.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Quote
"Fantasy, unlike science fiction, relies on a moral universe: it is less an argument with the universe than a sermon on the way things should be..."
Rhetorics of Fantasy
by Farah Mendlesohn
2008
Rhetorics of Fantasy
by Farah Mendlesohn
2008
Friday, November 18, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Hestia's Geek Bucket List #1
1. Say goodbye to a first love/long-lost love/short-lived infatuation in the transporter room before he transports away to save a planet/make a scientific breakthrough/sacrifice himself to restore the space-time continuum.
Look, I'm not picky, as long as it involves love, a goodbye, and a transporter pad.
Look, I'm not picky, as long as it involves love, a goodbye, and a transporter pad.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Thought
To anyone who is worried about the effect Twilight may be having on our impressionable young women, I have four words:
Flowers. In. The. Attic.
Flowers. In. The. Attic.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Quote
"Because the only thing I hate more than hippy, neo-liberal fascist anarchists are the hypocrite fat cat suits they eventually grow up to become."
Casey
Chuck
"Chuck vs. the Beard"
hippy, neo-liberal fascist anarchists!
Casey
Chuck
"Chuck vs. the Beard"
hippy, neo-liberal fascist anarchists!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Quote
"I think of it as a sort of Questynge Beste: it hath a head like literary fiction, feet like a graphic novel, a body like somebody's diary and a tail like a text message, and maketh a noise like a cafeteria full of twelve- to eighteen-year-olds."
-- A description of young adult literature by Sofia Samatar
Strange Horizons web magazine
-- A description of young adult literature by Sofia Samatar
Strange Horizons web magazine
from a review of Margo Lanagan's collection Yellowcake
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Quote
"She tricked my son with her carnal manipulations and he fell right into her vagenda."
Walter Bishop
Fringe
"Entrada"
2010
New favorite word!
New favorite word!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Book note
Briarpatch
by Tim Pratt
2011
Briarpatch is my favorite kind of urban fantasy: an original stand-alone novel where the characters are not overwhelmed by greater powers and do battle with wits instead of physical skill or luck. The main characters are two sad souls wandering through the world, often feeling like the deck is stacked against them -- which, in fact, it is.
Darren and Orville, the main characters, are troubled young men who discover, in the aftermath of tragic events, a world that exists alongside our own. The Briarpatch, as others have labeled it, exists in a state of improbability, and few can see it, much less navigate it.
Briarpatch is an enjoyable read filled with genuine wonders and horrors. I liked Orville a bit more than Darren, for whatever reason, so I would have liked more from his perspective. But I would love to read more urban fantasy like this.
by Tim Pratt
2011
Briarpatch is my favorite kind of urban fantasy: an original stand-alone novel where the characters are not overwhelmed by greater powers and do battle with wits instead of physical skill or luck. The main characters are two sad souls wandering through the world, often feeling like the deck is stacked against them -- which, in fact, it is.
Darren and Orville, the main characters, are troubled young men who discover, in the aftermath of tragic events, a world that exists alongside our own. The Briarpatch, as others have labeled it, exists in a state of improbability, and few can see it, much less navigate it.
Briarpatch is an enjoyable read filled with genuine wonders and horrors. I liked Orville a bit more than Darren, for whatever reason, so I would have liked more from his perspective. But I would love to read more urban fantasy like this.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Quote
"One is my name. The other is not."
Lieutenant Commander Data
1988
Lieutenant Commander Data
Star Trek: The Next Generation
"The Child"1988
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Book note
From Doon with Death
by Ruth Rendell
1964
This is the first Inspector Wexford novel, and while it isn't as fully formed as some of her later books, it's still a good one. A dull housewife is found in the woods, violently murdered in an apparent crime of passion. Though at first few claim to remember her, the investigation turns up a series of strange relationships with the victim.
Even once you've figured out the trick, (which you will; it may have been missable in 1964, but it's a pretty easy one now) Rendell has one decent red herring left. You'll still figure it out by the end, but Rendell always makes for a good story along the way.
The second Wexford novel, Sins of the Fathers, strikes me as a degree of magnitude better; it has a fairly unconventional ending for a mystery novel, and some squirmy philosophical questions in the mix. Rendell, who started off writing good, solid stories, was apparently a quick study in the art of mystery novels.
by Ruth Rendell
1964
This is the first Inspector Wexford novel, and while it isn't as fully formed as some of her later books, it's still a good one. A dull housewife is found in the woods, violently murdered in an apparent crime of passion. Though at first few claim to remember her, the investigation turns up a series of strange relationships with the victim.
Even once you've figured out the trick, (which you will; it may have been missable in 1964, but it's a pretty easy one now) Rendell has one decent red herring left. You'll still figure it out by the end, but Rendell always makes for a good story along the way.
The second Wexford novel, Sins of the Fathers, strikes me as a degree of magnitude better; it has a fairly unconventional ending for a mystery novel, and some squirmy philosophical questions in the mix. Rendell, who started off writing good, solid stories, was apparently a quick study in the art of mystery novels.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Quote
"The human fascination with 'fun' has led to many tragedies in your short but violent history. One wonders how your race has survived having so much 'fun.'"
Tuvok
Star Trek: Voyager
"Flashback"
To which my husband adds, "This is what we sound like to the Vulcans: 'Hey, Bubba, watch this!'"
Tuvok
Star Trek: Voyager
"Flashback"
To which my husband adds, "This is what we sound like to the Vulcans: 'Hey, Bubba, watch this!'"
Friday, September 2, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Book note
The City and the City
by China Mieville
2009
The City and the City is an absorbing mystery, both on the mystery-mystery level and the what-the-hell-are-these-cities mystery level. Like stories of its type, it solves the superficial mystery, gives you a good sense of the background, but you know all the while that there is much Borlu doesn't tell you -- or possibly doesn't realize himself. And you know this is coming, because it's that kind of book.
Like Avice, Borlu has truck-sized blind spots. Like Avice, he gets some better, though of course it comes with a price.
by China Mieville
2009
The City and the City is an absorbing mystery, both on the mystery-mystery level and the what-the-hell-are-these-cities mystery level. Like stories of its type, it solves the superficial mystery, gives you a good sense of the background, but you know all the while that there is much Borlu doesn't tell you -- or possibly doesn't realize himself. And you know this is coming, because it's that kind of book.
Like Avice, Borlu has truck-sized blind spots. Like Avice, he gets some better, though of course it comes with a price.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Quote
"He walked with equipoise, possibly in either city. Schrödinger's pedestrian."
The City and the City
by China Mieville
2009
The City and the City
by China Mieville
2009
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Book note
Palimpsest
by Catherynne M. Valente
2009
I am not a particular fan of overwrought prose. I often find that writing that is praised to the moon for its lyrical beauty (oh dear lord, how I hate that word: lyrical) is needlessly baroque while adding nothing to the story. On at least one occasion, I've had the unpleasant feeling that an author is simply shouting, "LOOK AT THE WORDS I KNOW! LOOK WHAT PRETTY SENTENCES I CAN MAKE WITH THEM!" (I'm looking at you, The Witches of Eastwick.)
But I loved this book. I found the writing so beautiful that I would pause over phrases to enjoy the precise structure and vocabulary before moving on. But the prose doesn't try to carry the story on its own (one of the downfalls of bad literary fiction, in my experience.) The prose is the story, completely integrated. The way she uses words builds the imagery, which builds the city. If it is all delightfully strange (and it is) it is also consistent, and controlled. Palimpsest has exactly the moment-to-moment enjoyment I look for in a keeper.
by Catherynne M. Valente
2009
I am not a particular fan of overwrought prose. I often find that writing that is praised to the moon for its lyrical beauty (oh dear lord, how I hate that word: lyrical) is needlessly baroque while adding nothing to the story. On at least one occasion, I've had the unpleasant feeling that an author is simply shouting, "LOOK AT THE WORDS I KNOW! LOOK WHAT PRETTY SENTENCES I CAN MAKE WITH THEM!" (I'm looking at you, The Witches of Eastwick.)
But I loved this book. I found the writing so beautiful that I would pause over phrases to enjoy the precise structure and vocabulary before moving on. But the prose doesn't try to carry the story on its own (one of the downfalls of bad literary fiction, in my experience.) The prose is the story, completely integrated. The way she uses words builds the imagery, which builds the city. If it is all delightfully strange (and it is) it is also consistent, and controlled. Palimpsest has exactly the moment-to-moment enjoyment I look for in a keeper.
Quote
"He is a relic of tigerhood, a bygone age when great cats knew calculus and dactylic hexameter and held a court of dreams in the jungle."
Palimpsest
by Catherynne M. Valente
2009
Palimpsest
by Catherynne M. Valente
2009
Quote
"He liked to think about the Vestals in their great round house, which always looked to him like a salt mill, tending their little fires and writing diaries forever lost, diaries of quiet lives spooled out into virginity and the contemplation of a goddess of whom no stories were told at all."
Palimpsest
by Catherynne M. Valente
2009
Palimpsest
by Catherynne M. Valente
2009
Friday, August 19, 2011
Quote
"See, now you're just stringing words together."
Sheriff Carter to a technobabbling Dr. Grant
"Crossing Over"
Eureka
8/6/2010
Sheriff Carter to a technobabbling Dr. Grant
"Crossing Over"
Eureka
8/6/2010
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Quote
"Sei had never been comfortable in the presence of books. Their natural state was to be shut, closed, to grin pagily from shelves, laughing at her, promising so much and delivering such meanness, such thinness."
Palimpsest
by Catherynne M. Valente
2009
"Pagily" is my new favorite word.
Palimpsest
by Catherynne M. Valente
2009
"Pagily" is my new favorite word.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Quote
"Once, on this spot, one thousand and twelve hearts stopped without a gasp."
Palimpsest
Catherynne M. Valente
2009
Palimpsest
Catherynne M. Valente
2009
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Story notes
A couple of kindle freebie stories:
"Of Swine and Roses"
by Ilona Andrews
A cute story about a girl, a pig, and a literal pig.
(I had no idea Ilona Andrews was a husband and wife team.)
"Martian Invaders Meet Mom"
by Rebecca and Alan Lickiss
Another husband and wife team, this one clearly labeled, with a silly story about aliens and raising children, and how alike these things are.
"Of Swine and Roses"
by Ilona Andrews
A cute story about a girl, a pig, and a literal pig.
(I had no idea Ilona Andrews was a husband and wife team.)
"Martian Invaders Meet Mom"
by Rebecca and Alan Lickiss
Another husband and wife team, this one clearly labeled, with a silly story about aliens and raising children, and how alike these things are.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Quote
"I'd like to find your inner child/and kick its little ass."
"Get Over It"
Hell Freezes Over
The Eagles
"Get Over It"
Hell Freezes Over
The Eagles
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Quote (Classic)
"That was the end of Grogan. The man who killed my father, raped and murdered my sister, burned my ranch, shot my dog, and stole my Bible."
Joan Wilder
Romancing the Stone
Joan Wilder
Romancing the Stone
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Book note
Boom!
by Mark Haddon (who also wrote The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time)
Children's book.
After Jim's big sister tells him he's being sent to the "special" school because of his poor school habits, he and his friend Charlie put a walkie-talkie in the teacher's lounge to see if it's true. (Although Charlie seems to have his own motivations.)
At first, they are bored, but suddenly they hear two of their teachers speaking a different language that they can't identify. When they investigate further, strange things begin to happen. Could their teachers possibly be aliens?
This is a fun tale -- outrageous and often silly, with kids who act like kids.
Note: There is an alien who calls itself Britney; I wonder if this is a nod to J.Lo in Adam Rex's The True Meaning of Smekday, or if great minds just think alike?
by Mark Haddon (who also wrote The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time)
Children's book.
After Jim's big sister tells him he's being sent to the "special" school because of his poor school habits, he and his friend Charlie put a walkie-talkie in the teacher's lounge to see if it's true. (Although Charlie seems to have his own motivations.)
At first, they are bored, but suddenly they hear two of their teachers speaking a different language that they can't identify. When they investigate further, strange things begin to happen. Could their teachers possibly be aliens?
This is a fun tale -- outrageous and often silly, with kids who act like kids.
Note: There is an alien who calls itself Britney; I wonder if this is a nod to J.Lo in Adam Rex's The True Meaning of Smekday, or if great minds just think alike?
Quote
"'Hang on,' I said. 'They're going to populate a whole planet with sci-fi fans? Is that sensible?'"
Boom!
by Mark Haddon
2009
Boom!
by Mark Haddon
2009
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Quote
"Would you just stop being annoying and enigmatic!"
Eli Stone to Dr. Chen
"Soul Free"
Eli Stone
Eli Stone to Dr. Chen
"Soul Free"
Eli Stone
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Sad
Author William Sleator (1945-2011) has died.
Sleator's House of Stairs was one of my defining reads in middle-school, and no doubt had a lot to do with my interest in sff later. The grim story is about a group of teenage orphans who are kidnapped and dumped in the "house of stairs,"(an Escherian disaster meant to throw the kids off-balance) in a rather brutal attempt at brainwashing.
I reread this one not all that long ago, and found it as compelling as when I was 12. The characters were -- and still are, a bit -- unusual for young-adult literature: the narrator, Pete, is mildly autistic (I think) and Lola is quite aggressive, and not in the cutesy, punky way so many are now.
With the resurgence of dystopian YA, House of Stairs should still be a huge success, but maybe it isn't a pretty enough dystopia.
Another of Sleator's books that I remember fondly is Into the Dream, which I read when I was younger. Classmates Paul and Francine find that they are having the same nightmare, a vision filled with dread that leaves them exhausted and terrified. They follow clues from the dreams to find a damaged little boy and a mysterious event that ties the three of them together. It's a fine example of old-fashioned suspense.
Rest in peace.
Sleator's House of Stairs was one of my defining reads in middle-school, and no doubt had a lot to do with my interest in sff later. The grim story is about a group of teenage orphans who are kidnapped and dumped in the "house of stairs,"(an Escherian disaster meant to throw the kids off-balance) in a rather brutal attempt at brainwashing.
I reread this one not all that long ago, and found it as compelling as when I was 12. The characters were -- and still are, a bit -- unusual for young-adult literature: the narrator, Pete, is mildly autistic (I think) and Lola is quite aggressive, and not in the cutesy, punky way so many are now.
With the resurgence of dystopian YA, House of Stairs should still be a huge success, but maybe it isn't a pretty enough dystopia.
Another of Sleator's books that I remember fondly is Into the Dream, which I read when I was younger. Classmates Paul and Francine find that they are having the same nightmare, a vision filled with dread that leaves them exhausted and terrified. They follow clues from the dreams to find a damaged little boy and a mysterious event that ties the three of them together. It's a fine example of old-fashioned suspense.
Rest in peace.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Book note
Embassytown
by China Mieville
2011
A chewy and enjoyable alien/human communication story (not first contact, though sometimes it feels like it.) Avice has returned to her home of Embassytown on an alien planet. She becomes entangled, first, in the dilemmas of an alien species reaching out for a human quality it doesn't understand, then in the fallout of a dangerous human contaminant that could well destroy the aliens (and the Embassytown humans with them.)
The plot is grand and sweeping, with change threatening on a planetary scale. It feels like old-fashioned science fiction: an attempt to create an entirely new alien contact problem that needs to be solved with human ingenuity. All the while playing with the net up. Nice to see.
Quibbles: false flags on Avice's reliability as a narrator distracted me; there is something in Avice's personality or history that seems a little off -- I still can't tell if that's a feature or a bug. And I would have really liked to see Scile's transformation, instead of hearing third-hand snippets about it.
by China Mieville
2011
A chewy and enjoyable alien/human communication story (not first contact, though sometimes it feels like it.) Avice has returned to her home of Embassytown on an alien planet. She becomes entangled, first, in the dilemmas of an alien species reaching out for a human quality it doesn't understand, then in the fallout of a dangerous human contaminant that could well destroy the aliens (and the Embassytown humans with them.)
The plot is grand and sweeping, with change threatening on a planetary scale. It feels like old-fashioned science fiction: an attempt to create an entirely new alien contact problem that needs to be solved with human ingenuity. All the while playing with the net up. Nice to see.
Quibbles: false flags on Avice's reliability as a narrator distracted me; there is something in Avice's personality or history that seems a little off -- I still can't tell if that's a feature or a bug. And I would have really liked to see Scile's transformation, instead of hearing third-hand snippets about it.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Book Note
The Quantum Thief
by Hannu Rajaniemi
2011
Despite an irritating beginning and the lack, really, of a satisfying ending, The Quantum Thief is a lot of fun. As in most post-human books, it isn't about post-human life, it's about throwbacks who still approximate humans. That's what we find on the moving Martian city, Oubliette, where legendaryish thief Jean le Flambeur must go to track down his missing memories. There are hints, of course, that he may be/have been something much greater, hints that point to Sequels Yet to Come.
by Hannu Rajaniemi
2011
Despite an irritating beginning and the lack, really, of a satisfying ending, The Quantum Thief is a lot of fun. As in most post-human books, it isn't about post-human life, it's about throwbacks who still approximate humans. That's what we find on the moving Martian city, Oubliette, where legendaryish thief Jean le Flambeur must go to track down his missing memories. There are hints, of course, that he may be/have been something much greater, hints that point to Sequels Yet to Come.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Quote
"When they landed, they fractured the world's rules as well as its surface."
The Scar
by China Mieville
2002
The Scar
by China Mieville
2002
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Book note
When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition
by Jack Zipes
1999
A concise history of fairy tales, concentrating on major fairy tale movements in various countries and a few singular personalities (Grimms, Hans Christian Andersen, Baum.) Connects places and times where fairy tales flourished with historical and personal contexts. A no-nonsense history, smoothly presented; also includes a helpful bibliography including numerous primary and secondary sources.
by Jack Zipes
1999
A concise history of fairy tales, concentrating on major fairy tale movements in various countries and a few singular personalities (Grimms, Hans Christian Andersen, Baum.) Connects places and times where fairy tales flourished with historical and personal contexts. A no-nonsense history, smoothly presented; also includes a helpful bibliography including numerous primary and secondary sources.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Book note
What I Saw and How I Lied
by Judy Blundell
2008
What I Saw and How I Lied is a languid thriller set in 1947, haunted by the war and its aftereffects. Evie Spooner is an innocent 15-year-old happy to travel with her movie-star-gorgeous mother and successful stepfather on their vacation to Florida. But the past is following them, and Evie must make an abrupt transition from innocent child to wise adult if she is to survive.
Nicely written, with a sense of dread that builds throughout the story, this is a quality young adult choice that adults can enjoy, too. It has an old-fashioned sensibility about it, not just of the time period, but from the compact, careful telling of the story.
by Judy Blundell
2008
What I Saw and How I Lied is a languid thriller set in 1947, haunted by the war and its aftereffects. Evie Spooner is an innocent 15-year-old happy to travel with her movie-star-gorgeous mother and successful stepfather on their vacation to Florida. But the past is following them, and Evie must make an abrupt transition from innocent child to wise adult if she is to survive.
Nicely written, with a sense of dread that builds throughout the story, this is a quality young adult choice that adults can enjoy, too. It has an old-fashioned sensibility about it, not just of the time period, but from the compact, careful telling of the story.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Quote
"Bes came over with Lenin's head tucked in the crook of his arm. He'd obviously been having a nibble, as Lenin's forehead was missing -- victim of a frontal choco-lobotomy."
The Throne of Fire
by Rick Riordan
2011
The Throne of Fire
by Rick Riordan
2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Quote
"However, due to the Puritan hostility toward amusement during the seventeenth century, the fairy tale as a genre was not able to flourish in England."
When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition
by Jack Zipes
1999
When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition
by Jack Zipes
1999
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