Jeff VanderMeer's Blog, page 114

Does it make a difference when authors step into another's shoes?

Guest blogger Jason Sanford often rants on his website at www.jasonsanford.com. His fiction has been published in Interzone, Year's Best SF 14, Analog, Intergalactic Medicine Show, Pindeldyboz, and other places, and has won the 2008 Interzone Readers' Poll and a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship.

So a month back I wrote a snitty little post on why I wouldn't read And Another Thing… by Eoin Colfer, which is the newly authorized sequel to Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I ...

Dying Earth?

Guest blogger Felix Gilman is the author of the novels Thunderer and Gears of the City, and A History of the Half-Made World, coming next year from Tor.

Dying Earth, you say? I got yer Dying Earth right here.

These photographs of albatross chicks were made just a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks...

Mansfield Park and Mummies and Lord Dickens's Declaration

Did you survive Black Friday?  Did you venture out into the chaotic mayhem and brave the bloodthirsty retail workers or stay at home with windows barred and doors double bolted?  For shop-weary folks on both sides of the dead/undead spectrum, lemme offer a couple suggestions that even unbeating hearts can feel warm about giving.  And you can procure both from the safety of your computer chair.

Mansfield Park and Mummies: Monster Mayhem, Matrimony, Ancient Curses, True Love, and Other Dire...

What's your geekiest moment?

A few years ago I had breakfast with my friend Nir. I was trying to get the attention of the waiter, who ignored me completely, and so I turned to Nir - quite a large gentleman, with a shaved head – and asked for his help.

Nir raised one very large hand and in a bellowing voice shouted: "Waiter! Here! Now!"

And as if by magic, the waiter, looking rather nervous, materialised by our table. Nir turned to me and barked: "Order!"

And so it was that, after I ordered, and the frightened waiter...

Sculpture Fest: A Surreal, Fascinating Experience

Our friend Eric Schaller took Ann and me to the remains of Sculpture Fest outside of Woodstock, Vermont, over the weekend. Some of it had already been dismantled, but the stuff still there was fascinating. Enjoy the slideshow, which you can make full-screen.

Review: Soulless, book one of the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger (Orbit, 2009)

When I first laid hands on Gail Carriger's Soulless (Orbit, 2009), I began to wonder if the book had been written specifically to irritate me.

1. To start out, the novel is urban fantasy. Already we're on bad terms.

2. Also, there are vampires.

3. Too, werewolves.

4. And romance!

5. In case that's not enough, Carriger mixes in a Victorian setting and a hint of steampunk. Neither of these inherently annoy me, but combined with items 1-4:

6. The novel is heavily weighted down by trendy genre...

National NPR on the Reality of Fantasy: The VanderMeers Dish

National NPR's feature on, erm, Ann and me ran on Weekend Edition today, with bits by Jacob Weisman, too! Theoretically there will also be photos on the site. But for now, here's one that puts things in perspective. Eeek!

But go comment–the more people who visit, the more likely they are to do more features of this type.

Thanksgiving Weekend Book Review: House of Cards by David Ellis Dickerson

Thanksgiving is a greeting card holiday, right? (Front: Picture of sad turkey. Inside: "Hope your Thanksgiving isn't a turkey!" General guffaws.) So it must be an appropriate time for a greeting-card-themed book review.

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When Hallmark lured David Ellis Dickerson to a Kansas City interview, they offered him a potential starting salary of $27,000. After interviewing him in person, they upped their offer to $32,000. "To this day," writes Dickerson, "I am convinced that in person, I am $5,000...

Finch Reading in Boston, Wall Street Journal Holiday Reading

Gosh–I just will not go away. Check out the Wall Street Journal's exceedingly quirky and delightful approach to holiday reading recommendations, which includes Finch under the "young artist who enjoys SF and highbrow fantasy" tab. Below, via the Crotchety Old Fan, find my Boston reading. He has more video on his site.

How Did You Find It?

Will Hindmarch is a freelance writer, graphic designer, and game designer. He also blogs at Gameplaywright and The Gist. Look for him at Jeff VanderMeer's reading in Atlanta at 8pm on December 11th at Manuel's Tavern.

How did you find the book you're reading now?

I first found Jeff VanderMeer's books through this very instrument: the blog. First I discovered the writer, then I discovered his works. So I was a fan of Jeff's before I was a fan of Ambergris. I read him, once, as the future king...