Jeff VanderMeer's Blog, page 50
August 5, 2011
Doctor Mormeck: Teasers and Pleasers
(Gosh, that's a lot of komodos. Are they having a scrum?)
Note: Been reading this serialized long story/novella? Please support a full-time writer. Paypal to vanderworld at hotmail.com—much appreciated! Donations above $21 will entitle you to a free copy of initial anthology or stand-alone book appearance.
Living on a far-distant planet, Doctor Mormeck works for strange beings that might or might not be angels by conducting surveillance across a hundred thousand alt-Earths. Complicating things are a transdimensional race of intelligent komodos wreaking chaos throughout the worlds. When an avatar of Mormeck is sent to a war-torn winter city to investigate a mysterious Presence, the doctor will become embroiled an ever-widening conflict.
Archive is here, Journals of Mormeck, and first entry is here.
Some of you may have noticed that The Journals of Doctor Mormeck aren't moving very quickly. Well, rest assured, they're getting written in my head and just as soon as we turn in the final front and end matter for our mammoth The Weird antho, I'll get right back to it. I've got scads and scads of notes for scenes, but the Avatar thread requires more thought than the Mountain Mormeck thread and the next scene requires me to spend some time visualizing (diving into some architecture books for that). So, until next week I'll thank you for your donations—very much appreciated and needed—and leave you with some teasers…
(How does this photo figure into the story? What is that band of red lights signify? Who is the shadowy presence? Is it related to the Grim Lighthouse I alluded to on facebook?)
(Fortresss? Monastery? Both? Only I know for now…)
(In an example of synchronicity, I discovered this CD just as I was trying to figure out how to destroy some angels…or de-story some angles.)
(And, finally, is it true mecha-komodos will make an appearance in the story?! Stay tuned to find out.)
Doctor Mormeck: Teasers and Pleasers originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on August 5, 2011.
Shared Worlds Book Haul: Hub City Bookstore, You're The Best
(Ann bought me the sea slime book as a b-day present…)
During two readings at the Hub City Bookstore in Spartanburg, the Shared Worlds teen writing camp students bought a ton of books—just like last year, when Hub had only been open a few weeks. It's just an amazingly good bookstore, mostly because the staff does such a great job of selecting the right books. When I walk in there it's almost as if they've been reading my mind.
And now comes the news via Publishers Weekly that they've outstripped projected first-year sales by quite a sum. Nice job. Such a great place for a reading, too, and such a great resource for the students.
So the students weren't the only ones to come away with a book haul. Here's what I bought, with a few books thrown in that came from the Blue Bicycle in Charleston.
Which ones should I read first? Which have you read and recommend?
(Some of the ones below came from Blue Bicycle.)
Shared Worlds Book Haul: Hub City Bookstore, You're The Best originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on August 5, 2011.
August 3, 2011
Doctor Mormeck and Sources of Inspiration
(At night, scribbling furiously on pieces of paper, in front of this fountain.)
"The Journals of Doctor Mormeck" serial fiction will continue on my blog by tomorrow. As you might expect, teaching at the Shared Worlds SF/F teen writing camp—and also helping manage things—takes a lot out of you. So I didn't do much writing while there.
However, the trip back through Raleigh-Durham, Charleston, and Savannah proved that Doctor Mormeck is alive in my mind. It's the kind of story where everything you encounter can be transformed. That's true of many different kinds of fictions, but doubly true for Mormeck since it involves parallel universes. I entered this kind of state of reverie in which everything around me was being converted and reimagined as part of a parallel universe, even the fountains above. Part of it is the sensory overload of encountering so much cool real-world stuff all at once, part of it was being away from Mormeck for about two weeks and lots of material suddenly coming to the surface all at once. But basically I spent a great deal of time just wandering aimlessly at night, being fed scraps of paper to write on by my wife and our friend S.J. Chambers.
A mosquito smashing into my eye like a tiny electric shock not once but twice. An encounter with an odd building and a grim lighthouse. All of these things sparked all kinds of ideas. It's exciting to me because I'm truly post-Ambergris now.
So it's safe to say that Mormeck is alive and well in my imagination—even more so than before Shared Worlds. Some of it is making my jaw drop in anticipation of writing it, and as always I'm mystified as to where all of this stuff comes from, but I try not to question it but just get it all down and worry about editing and control later. There are marvels and wonders ahead, along with hearbreak and despair…as always.
Doctor Mormeck and Sources of Inspiration originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on August 3, 2011.
July 28, 2011
The Third Bear Up for Best Collection–World Fantasy Award!
Full ballot here.
Both the novel and collection categories are pure bliss, although I haven't read the Kay. Everything else would've been on my own ballot. It's a jump-for-joy ballot! (Would've only been more jump for joy of Avjaz and Michael Cisco could have joined them.) The Lord, Okorafor, and Jemisin were all on my own Amazon top 10 list for last year, and Beukes except for a pub date thing re the US would've been, too. The Joyce is amazing and would've been on my Amazon list if I'd read it soon enough.
In collection…wow, those are all extraordinary. For personal reasons and because it's underrated, the Slatter collection gets my nod.
Best Novel
•Zoo City, Lauren Beukes (Jacana South Africa; Angry Robot)
•The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
•The Silent Land, Graham Joyce (Gollancz; Doubleday)
•Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay (Viking Canada; Roc; Harper Voyager UK)
•Redemption In Indigo, Karen Lord (Small Beer)
•Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor (DAW)
Best Story Collection
•What I Didn't See and Other Stories, Karen Joy Fowler (Small Beer)•The Ammonite Violin & Others, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean)
•Holiday, M. Rickert (Golden Gryphon)
•Sourdough and Other Stories, Angela Slatter (Tartarus)
•The Third Bear, Jeff VanderMeer (Tachyon)
The Third Bear Up for Best Collection–World Fantasy Award! originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on July 28, 2011.
July 26, 2011
Shared Worlds, 24-7 Redux: Week Two
It's a great week two here at the Shared Worlds teen SF/F writing camp at Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC). We've got Ekaterina Sedia and Minister Faust as guest writers, along with my wife Ann VanderMeer. Over 40 students, building worlds and writing in them. The job here is intense and very satisfying, and it means I won't be blogging much until next week.
Feel free to tell me what you're up to in the comments thread—i.e., plug your latest project, book, or something recent you loved.
If you're not my facebook friend, send me a friend request if you want to see photos and whatnot from Shared Worlds. I'm mini-blogging there since it isn't as time-intensive as "real" blogging.
Shared Worlds, 24-7 Redux: Week Two originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on July 26, 2011.
July 23, 2011
The Journals of Doctor Mormeck: Reader Art
You'll recall that Mo Ali did a great rendition of Mormeck, the living mountain (above) a couple of weeks ago. Now I've received two more awesome things: a great old-school interpretation of Doctor Mormeck by Noel Tanti and a cool version of Mormeck's avatar, as komodo meeting with Pavlov, by Anne and Phil Barringer. Thanks very much! And keep them coming. It's important that there be more art than less since in the process of writing I want to keep the characters in my mind's eye fluid, not locked into any one particular expression of them. I'm flattered we already have three!
Mormeck entries will return next week, although expect them to be slow until after the Shared Worlds' writing camp. I am coming up with new ideas, though, and scribbling them down.
The Journals of Doctor Mormeck: Reader Art originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on July 23, 2011.
July 22, 2011
Bull Spec Interview, Full Steam Brewery, and You on July 30
This is just one of the coolest covers ever–Jeremy Zerfoss at Bull Spec editor Samuel Montgomery-Blinn's request doing something that's a kind of cabinet of curiosities based on our books. Really thoughtful. It's in support of the Bull Spec/Regulator Bookstore Cabinet of Curiosities event at Fullsteam Brewery in Raleigh-Durham July 30–with all kinds of special guests, including Ekaterina Sedia, Mur Lafferty, SJ Chambers, etc. (More info in a separate blog post soon.)
Larry Nolen did the equally thoughtful interview, which isn't just in Q&A format. Layout is quite nice.
Bull Spec Interview, Full Steam Brewery, and You on July 30 originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on July 22, 2011.
July 21, 2011
Shared Worlds: Totoro versus Moomins
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Many at the Shared Worlds teen SF/F writing camp here at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, know about Totoro but not as many know about the Moomins. So I have created this handy and totally arbitrary guide that compares and contrasts them. – JV
***
Totoro is a giant creature featured in the movie My Neighbor Totoro. It can fly but sometimes likes to just stand by a bus stop so it can use unusual forms of public transit.
…or sometimes it just is a person in a sweaty mascot outfit waiting for a real bus.
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THIS…is wrong. Very wrong.
Meanwhile, the Moomins are a family of large hippo-like trolls created by author Tove Jansson and written about in comics and books.
People in Moomin costumes aren't often seen waiting at bus stops.
Totoro seems to be happy enough to be around people, but that stare indicates Totoro would also be fine without them. Totoro seems to have friends, but not a whole lot of them.
Moomins have their family and friends and a lot of other people and animals that interact with them. If you sat down with a Moomin you might get a slice of berry pie. If you sat down with Totoro, he might give you a scary but exciting ride through the night sky….but you wouldn't get any pie, just some stray acorns from between his toes. Totoro doesn't appear to know how to cook…or care at all about cooking.
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Moomin are deceptively cute…which means they tend to be very wise and if you are hoodwinked by their cute factor you might miss the wisdom. (Well, okay, sometimes Moominpappa isn't so wise.) Honestly, I wouldn't play cards with Moominmamma, either.
Sometimes, you get the sense that Totoro might be hiding a little bit of a temper…
Angry Moomins are rare, but because of that fact angering a Moomin doesn't seem like a good idea. If you anger a Moomin, you would probably get punished within the confines of the law, and have a fair trial, because that's what the Moomins would approve of. But that Moomin would make darn sure he or she had an iron-bound case against you and your ass would be in jail for a long time for whatever offense you had committed.
Many have wondered what would happen if Totoro and Moomins came into conflict. (Well, okay, just me.) These fingers found randomly on the internet indicate Moomins might at first be outnumbered.
This photo indicates that Totoro might spawn dozens of tasty Cupcake Totoros to infiltrate Moomin territory…
This might lead the Moomins, especially given Totoro's superiority in the air, to temporarily retreat via boat to a remote island with a lighthouse.
But this photo reveals that the Moomins eventually would counter with an army of cardboard robots built out of hundreds of discarded whisky boxes.
The Moomins would also find a way to unleash their reluctant secret weapon The Groke…
…before inviting Totoro over for tea so that the Moomins could talk some sense into Totoro.
…or attempt to cook him (in a respectful way)….
…which would only infuriate Totoro and his allies and lead to more bad blood.
…like this propaganda film created by Totoro wishing ill-will toward Moomins, deliberately spelling their name wrong, too.
Regardless of how this conflict made up in my head turns out, one thing is for sure: they both look good on a t-shirt!
Shared Worlds: Totoro versus Moomins originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on July 21, 2011.
The Journals of Doctor Mormeck–Entry #15
Note: Been reading this serialized long story/novella? Please support a full-time writer. Paypal to vanderworld at hotmail.com—much appreciated! Donations above $21 will entitle you to a free copy of initial anthology or stand-alone book appearance.
Living on a far-distant planet, Doctor Mormeck works for strange beings that might or might not be angels by conducting surveillance across a hundred thousand alt-Earths. When an avatar of Mormeck is sent to a war-torn winter city to investigate a mysterious Presence, the doctor will become embroiled an ever-widening conflict.
Archive is here, Journals of Mormeck, and first entry is here.
I have become two detectives suddenly, over the past few days. One rigorously surveils Marty and her lighthouse, her daily meetings with strangers for a single kiss. The other surveils the angels who live in the laboratory atop my head. Neither detective is entirely satisfied with the arrangement, but for now it suffices, like a jury-rigged system that will break-down if isn't fixed.
Nothing in my observations of Marty has done anything but intensified my sense of having found a…friend? A…what? There is an immense and ponderous sense of projection, of filling in the gaps caused by not being able to sit down and have a conversation with her. I know just about everything someone can know about another being, but somehow that is not the same. And mixed in with these thoughts are the growing feelings of shame at watching her at all, and of knowing that Mormeck Mountain is more "peeping tom" as the alt-Earths almost universally put it than friend to her.
As for the angels, they have grown sloppy in their trust of me, which isn't surprising. For too long I have accepted everything they told me the way a child will accept what their parents say. But I'm a mountain, not a hill, and the time for that is past.
I continue to, one by one, access their documents and to piece together information from them, all the while pretending to Gabriel and the others that nothing has changed.
This one, for example, interests me. It has no attribution as to the source. But it suggests a possible vulnerability on the part of the angels…
"BATEMAN GLAND, THE – The bateman gland is a twenty-second century adaptation in several alt-universes that manifests as a hole in the left side of the human body, below the ribcage. It is an attempt by the human body to make the camera phone superfluous. Photos are developed in the small intestine and come out in curled form from the navel, through an ingenious re-plumbing effort. This is mostly due to the propensity in these alternative universes for humans to change their bodies to fit the common gestalt. Therefore, it took several million people earnestly wishing with all of their thoughts and prayers that their bodies could take photographs, thus making their camera phones irrelevant, before this adaptation could take place. Those without this ability were suddenly rendered pariahs and deleted in the great purges of 2252 (by AD of the old calendar). An unexpected effect of the bateman gland? It causes periods of intense crying jags as well as a nostalgia for a time before camera phones.
"In the trans-dimensional komodo dragon, the clicking of a bateman gland—the act of taking the photograph—causes a kind of existential rage that dulls upon repetition. Thus, the number of cases of young komodo dragons going insane in neighboring realities. And the scar tissue around the sides of older komodo dragons' heads. The side effect of the side effect? Like a watermark, you can see the faint ghosting outline of komodo heads in most of the photos taken by bateman glands. The exact connection—the kind of extra-dimensional—residue—that causes this "ghost manifestation" is unclear. But rogue angels now use the communal power of this chaotic uncertainty, combined with extracts of komodo poison and komodo rage, to amplify their power to jump between universes. It also creates an incredible burst of endorphins or endorphin equivalent in the users."
What to make of this account entire—are pieces of it fanciful? Is it both fiction and nonfiction—is hard for me to determine. But it has helped me to direct my subtle inquiries through the angel's files in certain directions I had not thought of before.
More viscerally, this mention of "ghost manifestations" has a sudden personal aspect. Since yesterday, there have been sudden manifestations of ghost frogs on my lower flanks. They follow my presence down here to the jungle to write in my journal and watch me with their translucent throats throbbing in silent frog-song, in such numbers that the jungle floor is turned into an ectoplasmic surge of small bulbous bodies, their large eyes oddly more luminous and less ethereal than the rest of them, so near dusk their bodies seem to fade away entirely and it is just an army of glowing silver eyes advancing across the dark green. Thus, they become a kind of army that attends to my local avatar despite me wanting discretion when I come here. At least they stay at my flanks otherwise, and if the angels have noticed them, it seems not to cause them concern.
But I don't know what it means, even as I feel vaguely responsible for them. The only reference I've found in the records to ghost frogs is that they serve sometimes as the sentinels of komodos. But I am not a komodo.
Regardless of this development, this new information, I remain caught in stasis. I must watch Marty. I must spy on the angels. I feel as if I am in a cage when all I want to do is burst out, to follow my instincts, to escape all of this and travel to a lighthouse by the sea.
The Journals of Doctor Mormeck–Entry #15 originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on July 21, 2011.
July 19, 2011
Shared Worlds: 24-7
Light blogging here for awhile, as I'm completely immersed in the Shared Worlds SF/F teen writing camp. Still, above is the cover art for the SW teen writing book and below a couple of photos. More soonish.
Shared Worlds: 24-7 originally appeared on Ecstatic Days on July 19, 2011.
