Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 452

July 28, 2013: Summer in Vancouver; Christmas in Tokyo!

Vancouver is beautiful in the summer and, given the choice, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.  Of course, a couple of months down the line, and things change.  Mainly, the weather.  September kicks off “the rainy season” here that runs through, well, most of the year, ending sometime in May, April if you’re lucky.  Yes, May to August are great times to be in Vancouver.  September to April are great time to be anywhere -

Like, say, Tokyo!  Now my favorite time to travel to Tokyo is right around Christmas because NOBODY does Christmas like the Japanese: the streets festive lights lining the streets, the trees and decorations adorning the the storefronts bedecked with trees, the endless sidewalk serenade of festive tunes.  It puts us all, on this side of the pacific, to shame.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I’ll be there in December.  Unless Akemi’s sister changes her wedding date (which Akemi informs me is highly unlikely).  Nope, we’ll be in Tokyo for the middle of November.  I booked our flight and hotel the other day and we have already started our restaurant research.  More importantly, we have also started our dog-sitter research.  Seriously, who knew it would be this hard to pay someone to live in your house, drink your booze, and watch your library of dvd’s on your big screen home theater!

Okay, pending one more phoner, Paul and I begin narrowing down our choices for a potential producing partner.  First Paul and I will discuss between the two of us, then we’ll dial in our Canadian agent who will offer his take on the pros and cons of various candidates, then we’ll dial in our American agent who will do the same, then we’ll decide on who we’d like to work with (including an alternate, like in the grand tradition of the Miss America Pageant), we’ll discuss with the broadcaster and hopefully come to an agreement, and then we turn things over to lawyers who will no doubt wrap up the deal in no time so we can actually begin work on a series bible and second episode script.

The nice thing about waiting around for things to happen is that it gives you more time flesh out some of the creative – while you’re having dinner or showering or lying in bed.  But, truthfully, I do my best writing when I’m driving.  I figured out the solution to an issue that had been plaguing me for days while I was driving my dogs back from doggy daycare on Friday.  If the broadcasters require anything more beyond what they’re asking for now, I might just take a road trip to Seattle.  By the time I get back, I’m confident I’ll have episodes 3, 4, and 5 broken as well.

July 27, 2013: Books! Dogs! And foodtrucks!

My latest book haul.  As I mentioned in yesterday’s entry, my days of shopping at the local Indigo/Chapters mega-chain are a thing of the past.  Instead, I’m supporting the smaller, independent bookstores – in this instant, White Dwarf Books (WHITE DWARF BOOKS – Dead Write Books) over on 10th Avenue.  It’s your one stop shop for SF, fantasy, horror, and mystery.  Oh, and, apparently, laid-back basset hounds…

I bet he’s angling for one of her special bento boxes like the one she sends our dogs off with every time they go to doggy daycare…

On the subjects of dogs, blog regular Deni gave me the heads up that a friend of her has published a dog-related book.  It’s a true story of the challenges one family faces when they take in an orphaned dog: http://www.amazon.com/Sandy-A-Tail-Love/dp/147726096X

So, the other day, Akemi and I got together with our friend Simon (who was in town visiting family before heading back to London) to check out some of the latest additions to the Vancouver food truck line-up…

Simon is a science fiction fan.  Oh, you can tell?

Intriguing…

Philly style duck confit.  The best thing we ate on the tour.

Pork belly with avocado and cucumber sandwich.  The second best thing we ate on the tour – no matter how much Akemi loved her salad. 

We also checked out Aussie Pie Guy which offers up an assortment of pies, both sweet and savory.

Braised short rib with mashed potato pie.  Okay but the pies suffer from sitting a little too long.

Simon brought dessert from Chez Christophe, a new patisserie that opened in Burnaby…

Great croissants. chocolate and almond, and -

A killer bread pudding studded with boozy cherries.

Finally – Akemi will often post video recipes over on her blog.  Today, it’s my turn to offer up my recipe for the very complex Chocolate and Tennessee Honey Whisky Milkshake: http://youtu.be/_e6CU9DrRgM

July 26, 2013: It’s simple really. Just don’t get on my bad side…

“How long are you going to be?”asked Akemi as I parked the car.

“Ten, fifteen minutes,”I said.

“Okay,”she said.  ”I’ll wait in the car.”

“No, you’d better come with me,”I said and then proceeded to tell her about the article I read this morning concerning a woman who was charged with animal cruelty for leaving her dog in a car while she went off to run some errands.  Despite the fact that she had left the window open, the internal temperature inside the vehicle climbed so high that the dog passed out.  Fortunately, a police officer happened by, broke into the car and saved the dog who made a full recovery.  Still, the owner was found negligent, fined, and prohibited from owning a pet for ten years.

“I don’t want to run the risk of something similar happening,”I explained.  ”I run late, you’re left alone for an hour and then, the next thing I know, I get fined and I’m not allowed to date a Japanese girl for another ten years.”

“I think that’s a good rule,”she murmured as we headed into the building.

A couple of hours later, we were talking about a different set of rules – those unspoken rules we live our lives by.  I was on the phone, talking to a friend.  He was in a bit of a jam so I tried to help him out by offering him some of my airmiles.  After I hung up, Akemi noted: “You must really like him.”

“Well, of course,”I said.  ”He’s my friend.”

She threw me one of her curious sideways glances, sizing me up, then concluded: “You’re like that.”

“Like what?”

“Good to people you like.  If you like someone, you treat them very well.  Loyalty is very important to you.  And not just with your friends. With stores, restaurants.  If you had a good experience, you always go back.  If not…”

True, true, and true.  Lately, I’ve been going out of my way to do my book shopping at The Book Warehouse and at second hand bookstores around town because Chapters (Indigo) pissed me off.  I will never own a BMW, Mercedes, or Blackberry product.  The fact is, I’m a huge grudge holder.  Nobody holds a grudge like me.  On the flipside, don’t piss me off and I can be downright delightful.  I’m steadfast in my support of those that do right by me.

It’sI have a long memory for these things.

July 25, 2013: Six-Eyes, YoYo and The Spider!

Yo, Six-Eyes! What’s up?

Lately, Akemi, presumably too bothered to put in her contacts, has taken to wearing her glasses when she’s out and about – and, on sunny days, her sunglasses as well.  That’s “as well” as in “in addition to” rather than “instead of”.  As a result, I’ve taken to calling her Six Eyes.

Which brought me back to yesterday’s post – those childhood pics (keep ‘em coming!) – and growing up in general.  Today, I’m known as Joe, occasionally Joseph.  Back in the day, I was known as Joey, the more juvenile variation of my name still used by my mother, some of my relatives, and certain readers of this blog.  My cousins used to call me YoYo.  Not because I was possessed of a resilient personality that would see me spring back up from the lowliest of depths, or my ability to regale them with astounding tricks, but simply owing to the fact that YoYo was a lot easier for a 3-5 year old to pronounce than Joey. As far as nicknames went, that was about it.  I remained fairly nicknameless – until high school when my drama teacher dubbed me “The Spider”.  Unlike YoYo or Joey, I quite liked The Spider and kind of wished it had stuck into adulthood.  ”How do you do.  I’m The Spider. No, just call me Spider.”     Can you imagine how many more people in the industry would have stood up and taken notice if they’d seen Executive Producer The Spider flash up onscreen?

An enormous opportunity missed.  Instead, I’ll have to make do with Joseph Mallozzi and rely on my writing, rather than a cool name. Although, just between us, if one of these projects in development doesn’t get greenlit before year’s end, I’m going to give The Spider a go.

Hey, speaking of those “projects in development” – no word on Dark Matter or the urban fantasy pilot, but we’re close to deciding on a production partner for that rare non-genre series I wrote a pilot for a couple of months back.  We have a hugely supportive broadcaster that loves the project and now, all we need to do is lock up a deal, write a bible (I really hate writing bibles) and episode #2 (which I’ve already more or less broken).  And, after that…nope, not going to say it.  Let’s simply hope for the best. 

July 24, 2013: Your embarrassing childhood photos!

When Akemi sent me the above pic, my initial reaction was: “Who’s that goofy pudgy boy on the left?”.

Well, I’m sure you can guess.  That goofy pudgy boy blossomed into this – not so pudgy though no less goofy girl:

Yep.  People change A LOT between ages 2-5 and 21+.  A quick visit to the photo album section of my sister’s facebook page confirmed as much -

Sis: “It’s so fluuuffffy!”

Clearly green is not me.

Ah, the seasonal sweater, as dazzling as a Christmas tree.  What’s with the Colonel Sanders cravat?

Speaking of Christmas trees, I miss that silver rod and tinsel monstrosity that seemed to celebrate the fact that it wasn’t a real tree, not even close.

[image error]

The Wild Bunch. Me, second one from the right with what Akemi has coined “chopsticks legs” – and Gilligan hat.

And now -

Chopsticks legs but no hat. I’ve come a long way.

Okay.  Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to provide a link to an embarrassing childhood photo!

Come on.  Don’t be shy.  I’m sure you were adorable.

Today’s blog entry is dedicated to PBMom.

July 23, 2013: Akemi on a culinary tear! And Cookie Monster’s next movie review will be…

This morning, I woke up to this:

And, later, came home to these:

These delectable chocolate ganache macarons are just the latest in the long line of culinary creations Akemi has put her little heart into.

Check ‘em out…

Chocolate mousse with coffee jelly.

Silky dark chocolate mousse

Her version of salmon oshi zushi.

Market fresh tomato and basil salad.

Roasted clams with garlic, parsley, and olive oil.

Homemade hummus

Broiled lobster heads.

Leek risotto

Her version of Jose Andres’ 63 degree egg with whipped potatoes and garden chives.

Soft shell crab

Fried plantain

Cheese and tomato tart

I feel fortunate that her interests don’t run to less delicious pursuits like macrame or the violin.

In other news, looks like we have our next movie for our Alternating Superhermovie/Regular Movie of the Week Club.  This one wasn’t even close.  Next week, this blog’s resident film critic, Cookie Monster, will review:

Stargate, the original movie (not to be confused with that t.v. show)!

Anyone here happen to see it?  Any good?

DON’T answer!  Cookie Monster will be the judge of that!

July 22, 2013: The Supermovie of the Week Club Reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews Despicable Me!

It happen to monster all de time.  Me have fond memories of a movie or t.v. show, someting from way back in de day when monster have more fur on top and much less on de bottom (if you know what me mean) but, invariably, when me sit down for a rewatch, monster always end up more disappointed den a client of Grover’s Male Escort & Drywalling Services Inc. (He not always get all de corners.  And me not talking about drywalling).  Scary movies be less scary, funny movies less funny, and sad movies downright cheesy.  Monster call dis de Law of Diminishing Returns on Returns.  And de further back you go, de more disappointing it get.

Which be why monster kind of confused wit Despicable Me.  It only tree years old and yet it come highly recommended from people who say it a GREAT movie!  HILARIOUS!  Well, dis movie be good, but nowhere near great, and more fitfully amusing den hilarious.  It be a perfektly “fine” movie.

Oh, me know, me know.  Why be so critical, monster?  After all, dis be a movie for kids, brain-dead parents, and people who just woke up from vegetative state.  Sure, but just because dat de case not mean it have to be half-ass.  Remember The Incredibles?   Toy Story?  Cookie Monster’s European Vacation and Toy Tie-In Extravaganza?

Supervillains = super dads.  Studies have shown.

Gru, a bald supervillain wit an almost incomprehensible accent, feel irked when a rival supervillain pull off pyramid heist.  So, he decide to go one better by stealing…de moon!  All he require = 1. One shrink ray, and  2. Money.  For some reason, nabbing de shrink ray be easy, but stealing cash prove an insurmountable problem for him.

And it only get worse for Gru when rival supervillain, Vector (imagine a slightly geekier, slightly eviler Bill Gates) steal his stolen shrink ray.

Testing new operating/doomsday system: Windows Armageddon 2.0

Gru adopt tree cute orphan girls and use deir door to door cookie business to infiltrate Vector’s headquarters and steal back stolen shrink ray stolen from him.

Cute as buttons.  Wait.  What you mean you not find buttons cute?

Of course, orphans end up growing on Gru and, when dey get kidnapped by Vector, he give up his moon-napping plans to save dem!

Little scene stealers.

Me not want to give anyting away, but it all end pretty much exaktly as you would expekt.  Still, dere be plenty of cute moments, mostly tanks to Gru’s adorable yellow minions and littlest kid who reminiscent of a young Elmo before he get all full of hisself and start speeding around Calabasas in his porsche.  Dese elements make monster want to check out de sekwel, Despicable Me 2.  Dese elements AND friends who highly recommend it.  According to dem, it be GREAT!  HILARIOUS!  Monster can’t wait!

Verdikt: Better den a punch to de head.  And Shark Boy and Lava Girl. But not Megamind.

Rating: 6.5 chocolate chippee cookies.

Tagged: Cookie Monster reviews Despicable Me, Despicable Me, film reviews, movie reviews, superhero movie of the week

July 21, 2013: A 17 (actually, 21) Question Science Fiction Book Meme!

The gang at http://www.sfsignal.com/ have launched another one of those irresistible SF-themed memes, what they’re calling a “ 17-question science fiction book meme for a lazy Sunday”.  I wrestled over a few of my responses, struggling with the relative worthiness of some of the titles, and finally decided to solve the problem by adding four extra questions to the meme (17 to 20) to round it out to an even twenty.  Er, plus one.

What follows are my responses.  Answer as many of the following as you can, in the comments section of this blog and over here: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2013/07/a-17-question-science-fiction-book-meme/#more-79721.  They’d love to read your feeback!

1. My favorite alien invasion book or series is…?

The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley

It’s not an alien invasion story in the traditional sense of the term but an alien invasion does precipitate the events leading up to another (indirect) alien invasion in this thoroughly engaging novel about cloning, restored memories, and a mysterious radio signal from distant space.

2. My favorite alternate history book or series is…?

Watchmen by Alan Moore.

To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of Alt. History scifi and yet, Alan Moore’s non-linear, iconoclastic take on the superhero genre stands out as one of my favorite works crossing several genres.

3. My favorite cyberpunk book or series is…?

Glasshouse by Charles Stross

Okay, it includes enough cyberpunk elements for me to make it my selection in this category.  A twisty, turny, scifi thriller with plenty of humor and suspense.

4. My favorite Dystopian book or series is…?

Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.

Unrelentingly grim yet possessed of a spirit and hope embodied by its determined protagonist.  I’d recommend it over the similar-themed, better-known The Road.

5. My favorite Golden-Age sf book or series is…?

Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke

When I was a kid, my mother encouraged me to read by buying me a bunch of classic SF – Asimov, Ellison, Niven – but my favorite was Arthur C. Clarke,  and Childhood’s End is my favorite Arthur C. Clarke book.  A race of mysterious extraterrestrials visit Earth.  They bring an end to war, poverty, disease, and help usher in a golden age of peace and prosperity.  But what future plans do these alien, dubbed The Overlords, have for humanity?

6. My favorite hard sf book or series is…?

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

I could have just as easily placed this novel in the space opera category and Iain M. Banks’s Culture series here as the works of both authors share common elements: breathtaking narratives spanning the universe peopled with colorful characters, fantastic alien races,  and mind-bending technologies. Big, brilliant ideas.

7. My favorite military sf book or series is…?

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi.

Not only my favorite military SF book or one of my favorite SF books in general but one of my very favorite books.  Period.  Every person I’ve recommended this novel to has become a John Scalzi fan.

8. My favorite near-future book or series is…?

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon.

Maybe a bit of a cheat in that it may not have enough scifi elements to please the average SF enthusiast, but it’s got enough – the near future setting and medical breakthroughs – for me to include this poignant, inspiring, beautifully written novel here.

9. My favorite post-apocalyptic book or series is…?

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

A “far down the road” post-apocalyptic science fiction novel in the guise of a fantasy novel chock full of allegory, literary allusions, and elusive subtext.  A challenging read, but well worth the time and effort.

10. My favorite robot/android book or series is…?

In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker.

Not robot or androids per se but immortal cyborgs, employees of The Company, charged with the task of traveling back in time in order to locate and safeguard (read: hide) artifacts and valuable items for sale in the 24th century (when/where they will be discovered). Complications arise when our heroine, Mendoza, falls in love with a 16th century Englishman.  And mortal no less!

11. My favorite space opera book or series is…

Iain M Banks’ Culture series.

Grand, brilliant, staggeringly inventive and, yes, operatic, the Culture Series stands out as a marvelous literary accomplishment.

12. My favorite steampunk book or series is…?

The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes

A washed-up illusionist and his imposing assistant battle to save London from dark forces in Jonathan Barnes’ witty, macabre, and all-out-bizarre novel.  There are surprises a plenty in a book in which no one can be trusted, least of all our narrator.

13. My favorite superhero book or series is…?

The Superior Foes of Spiderman by Nick Spencer

Hmmm.  Though.  This changes week to week but, right now, coming off a highly entertaining first issue, this is the series I’m most excited about.

14. My favorite time travel book or series is…?

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.

An exceptional treatment of time dilation makes this one the runaway winner in this category.

15. My favorite young adult sf book or series is…?

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

A seminal work of science fiction whose appeal extends well beyond young adult readers, this coming-of-age tale is set at a Battle School where, amid the training, the games, and the youthful interrelations, not all is as it seems…

16. My favorite zombie book or series is…?

Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead.

Before The Walking Dead television series became a breakout hit, there was the comic book series – smarter, grimmer and far more character-driven than the show.

17. My favorite ship-based sf book or series is…?

The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank M. Robinson

Having grown up on ship-based science fiction (and worked on a ship-based SF series for two years), I couldn’t help but include this category – and this delightfully engaging novel centered on a shocking shipboard mystery.

18. My favorite New Wave sf book or series is…?

Camp Concentration by Thomas M. Disch

If we’re going to have a Golden Age category, I only think it fair we include a New Wave category as well and, as much as I loved Flowers for Algernon, Camp Concentration gets the nod here.  His refusal to enlist in military service lands our protagonist, a poet and pacifist, in a prison whose inmates are subjected to bizarre, brain-altering experiments.

19. My favorite Future Tech sf book or series is…?

Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover

Science fiction AND fantasy.  Heroes Die offers the best of both worlds in a rip-roaring adventure that explores the effects of developed entertainment technology on eager consumers – and, in turn, the media conglomerates calling the shots.

20. My favorite Otherworldly sf book or series is…?

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

By “otherworldly”, I mean a story that takes place on a planet other than Earth – like, for instance, the colony world setting of this novel that gets taken over by the power mad former crew of a spaceship who use technological and physical enhancements to transform themselves into gods.  Fans of Stargate, take note!

21. The 3 books at the top of my sf/f/h to-be-read pile are…?

Okay.  One of each…

The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang

One of my favorite SF writers.  He’s not all that prolific but his work is consistently great.

Red Country by Joe Abercrombie

If you like your fantasy dark, darkly humorous, and action-packed, then look no further than the works of Joe Abercrombie.

A Terror by Jeffrey Ford.

A new release by one of the most wildly imaginative authors writing today.

Okay, those were my answers.  Let’s see yours!

Tagged: A Terror, Alan Moore, Alastair Reynolds, Arthur C. Clarke, Camp Concentration, Charles Stross, Childhood's End, Elizabeth Moon, Ender's Game, Frank M. Robinson, Gene Wolfe, Glasshouse, Heroes Die, House of Sons, Iain M. Banks, In the Garden of Iden, Jeffrey Ford, Joe Abercrombie, Joe Haldeman, John Scalzi, John Varley, Jonathan Barnes, Kage Baker, Lord of Light, Matthew Woodring Stover, Octavia Butler, Old Man's War, Orson Scott Card, Parable of the Sower, Red Country, Robert Kirkman, Roger Zelazny, Ted Chiang, The Book of the New Sun, The Culture Series, The Dark Beyond the Stars, The Forever War, The Lifecycle of Software Objects, The Ophiuchi Hotline, The Somnambulist, The Speed of Dark, The Walking Dead, Thomas M. Disch, Watchmen

July 21, 2013: A 17 (actually, 21) Science Fiction Book Meme!

The gang at http://www.sfsignal.com/ have launched another one of those irresistible SF-themed memes, what they’re calling a “ 17-question science fiction book meme for a lazy Sunday”.  I wrestled over a few of my responses, struggling with the relative worthiness of some of the titles, and finally decided to solve the problem by adding four extra questions to the meme (17 to 20) to round it out to an even twenty.  Er, plus one.

What follows are my responses.  Answer as many of the following as you can, in the comments section of this blog and over here: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2013/07/a-17-question-science-fiction-book-meme/#more-79721.  They’d love to read your feeback!

1. My favorite alien invasion book or series is…?

The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley

It’s not an alien invasion story in the traditional sense of the term but an alien invasion does precipitate the events leading up to another (indirect) alien invasion in this thoroughly engaging novel about cloning, restored memories, and a mysterious radio signal from distant space.

2. My favorite alternate history book or series is…?

Watchmen by Alan Moore.

To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of Alt. History scifi and yet, Alan Moore’s non-linear, iconoclastic take on the superhero genre stands out as one of my favorite works crossing several genres.

3. My favorite cyberpunk book or series is…?

Glasshouse by Charles Stross

Okay, it includes enough cyberpunk elements for me to make it my selection in this category.  A twisty, turny, scifi thriller with plenty of humor and suspense.

4. My favorite Dystopian book or series is…?

Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.

Unrelentingly grim yet possessed of a spirit and hope embodied by its determined protagonist.  I’d recommend it over the similar-themed, better-known The Road.

5. My favorite Golden-Age sf book or series is…?

Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke

When I was a kid, my mother encouraged me to read by buying me a bunch of classic SF – Asimov, Ellison, Niven – but my favorite was Arthur C. Clarke,  and Childhood’s End is my favorite Arthur C. Clarke book.  A race of mysterious extraterrestrials visit Earth.  They bring an end to war, poverty, disease, and help usher in a golden age of peace and prosperity.  But what future plans do these alien, dubbed The Overlords, have for humanity?

6. My favorite hard sf book or series is…?

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

I could have just as easily placed this novel in the space opera category and Iain M. Banks’s Culture series here as the works of both authors share common elements: breathtaking narratives spanning the universe peopled with colorful characters, fantastic alien races,  and mind-bending technologies. Big, brilliant ideas.

7. My favorite military sf book or series is…?

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi.

Not only my favorite military SF book or one of my favorite SF books in general but one of my very favorite books.  Period.  Every person I’ve recommended this novel to has become a John Scalzi fan.

8. My favorite near-future book or series is…?

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon.

Maybe a bit of a cheat in that it may not have enough scifi elements to please the average SF enthusiast, but it’s got enough – the near future setting and medical breakthroughs – for me to include this poignant, inspiring, beautifully written novel here.

9. My favorite post-apocalyptic book or series is…?

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

A “far down the road” post-apocalyptic science fiction novel in the guise of a fantasy novel chock full of allegory, literary allusions, and elusive subtext.  A challenging read, but well worth the time and effort.

10. My favorite robot/android book or series is…?

In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker.

Not robot or androids per se but immortal cyborgs, employees of The Company, charged with the task of traveling back in time in order to locate and safeguard (read: hide) artifacts and valuable items for sale in the 24th century (when/where they will be discovered). Complications arise when our heroine, Mendoza, falls in love with a 16th century Englishman.  And mortal no less!

11. My favorite space opera book or series is…

Iain M Banks’ Culture series.

Grand, brilliant, staggeringly inventive and, yes, operatic, the Culture Series stands out as a marvelous literary accomplishment.

12. My favorite steampunk book or series is…?

The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes

A washed-up illusionist and his imposing assistant battle to save London from dark forces in Jonathan Barnes’ witty, macabre, and all-out-bizarre novel.  There are surprises a plenty in a book in which no one can be trusted, least of all our narrator.

13. My favorite superhero book or series is…?

The Superior Foes of Spiderman by Nick Spencer

Hmmm.  Though.  This changes week to week but, right now, coming off a highly entertaining first issue, this is the series I’m most excited about.

14. My favorite time travel book or series is…?

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.

An exceptional treatment of time dilation makes this one the runaway winner in this category.

15. My favorite young adult sf book or series is…?

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

A seminal work of science fiction whose appeal extends well beyond young adult readers, this coming-of-age tale is set at a Battle School where, amid the training, the games, and the youthful interrelations, not all is as it seems…

16. My favorite zombie book or series is…?

Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead.

Before The Walking Dead television series became a breakout hit, there was the comic book series – smarter, grimmer and far more character-driven than the show.

17. My favorite ship-based sf book or series is…?

The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank M. Robinson

Having grown up on ship-based science fiction (and worked on a ship-based SF series for two years), I couldn’t help but include this category – and this delightfully engaging novel centered on a shocking shipboard mystery.

18. My favorite New Wave sf book or series is…?

Camp Concentration by Thomas M. Disch

If we’re going to have a Golden Age category, I only think it fair we include a New Wave category as well and, as much as I loved Flowers for Algernon, Camp Concentration gets the nod here.  His refusal to enlist in military service lands our protagonist, a poet and pacifist, in a prison whose inmates are subjected to bizarre, brain-altering experiments.

19. My favorite Future Tech sf book or series is…?

Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover

Science fiction AND fantasy.  Heroes Die offers the best of both worlds in a rip-roaring adventure that explores the effects of developed entertainment technology on eager consumers – and, in turn, the media conglomerates calling the shots.

20. My favorite Otherworldly sf book or series is…?

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

By “otherworldly”, I mean a story that takes place on a planet other than Earth – like, for instance, the colony world setting of this novel that gets taken over by the power mad former crew of a spaceship who use technological and physical enhancements to transform themselves into gods.  Fans of Stargate, take note!

21. The 3 books at the top of my sf/f/h to-be-read pile are…?

Okay.  One of each…

The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang

One of my favorite SF writers.  He’s not all that prolific but his work is consistently great.

Red Country by Joe Abercrombie

If you like your fantasy dark, darkly humorous, and action-packed, then look no further than the works of Joe Abercrombie.

A Terror by Jeffrey Ford.

A new release by one of the most wildly imaginative authors writing today.

Okay, those were my answers.  Let’s see yours!

Tagged: A Terror, Alan Moore, Alastair Reynolds, Arthur C. Clarke, Camp Concentration, Charles Stross, Childhood's End, Elizabeth Moon, Ender's Game, Frank M. Robinson, Gene Wolfe, Glasshouse, Heroes Die, House of Sons, Iain M. Banks, In the Garden of Iden, Jeffrey Ford, Joe Abercrombie, Joe Haldeman, John Scalzi, John Varley, Jonathan Barnes, Kage Baker, Lord of Light, Matthew Woodring Stover, Octavia Butler, Old Man's War, Orson Scott Card, Parable of the Sower, Red Country, Robert Kirkman, Roger Zelazny, Ted Chiang, The Book of the New Sun, The Culture Series, The Dark Beyond the Stars, The Forever War, The Lifecycle of Software Objects, The Ophiuchi Hotline, The Somnambulist, The Speed of Dark, The Walking Dead, Thomas M. Disch, Watchmen

July 20, 2013: Some opinions on things…

THE SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDERMAN

A terrific first issue by writer Nick Spencer and artist Steve Lieber focuses on the flip side of superheroics = the lives, both personal and professional, of their colorful counterparts.  Try as they might, supervillains just can’t seem to catch a break and, in this book, we find out why.  Bad choices, from costumes to heists to the company they keep, all converge to assure their inevitable defeat.  Very funny and very clever.

ATTACK ON TITAN

Humanity has been reduced to a pocket of survivors.  From within the walls of a fortified city, they venture out for food and resources, constantly under threat of the giant, flesh-eating titans that now roam the Earth.  A half dozen episodes in to this shocking, well-paced, action-driven series, I was ready to put it on my Top 10 list.  Then, around episode 9, things grind to a halt.  Nothing happens for episodes on end as every dramatic moment is milked to death.  What a letdown after such a great start…

FLOWERS OF EVIL

What, at first blush, appears to be another entry in the J-horror genre turns out to be a creepily effective psychological drama in a high school setting.  Isolation, alienation, humiliation and blackmail all figure into the mix in an anime that makes for some uneasily engaging viewing. The pacing here is a slow burn, suspensefully so, and any squirming you do will be in response to the often uncomfortable narrative developments.  Overall, I liked it a lot, although I did take issue with some of the out-there choices our characters make.

I really liked the movie Drive and was looking forward to checking out director Nicolas Winding Refn’s latest collaboration with actor Ryan Gosling, Only God Forgives – but there’s no way it’s topping THIS review: REX REED: Gosling Movie One of Worst Ever Made… ”Ultra-violent, demented, plotless, creepy, meat-headed and boring, this is nothing more than a depraved travesty of abstract expression that wastes the film it’s printed on.”  Back in the day, my writing partner and I used to do a Bad Movie Night where we screened the likes of Showgirls, Color of Money, Barb Wire, Boxing Helena, and Battlefield Earth.  I think we may have to reconvene just for this film.

Meanwhile, the box office bombs continue to drop: BOXOFFICE DISASTERS CONTINUE….  It’s interesting that, only last month, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas warned the industry that something like this would happen: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas warn Hollywood heading for ….  Meanwhile, the movie I’m most looking forward to checking out is the modestly budgeted The Way, Way Back. 82% on Rotten Tomatoes (The Way, Way Back – Rotten Tomatoes). Unique for, among other things, being one of the few summer comedies that hasn’t used Icona Pop’s “I Love It” as part of its marketing campaign.

Hey, look who’s on the cover of the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine.  It’s murderer, child-killer, maimer, and terrorist Dzohkhar Tsarnaev.  Doesn’t he look positively dreamy?  The editors of Rolling Stone sure seem to think so, giving him the full rock star treatment. Why, if you were giving the mag a cursory glance, you might even mistake him for Jim Morrison or Adrian Grenier.  Following outraged response (much from Boston, the site of the terrorist attack) and a mounting boycott, Rolling Stone released a statement in which they essentially stood behind their story.  Only problem is NOBODY’S CRITICIZING THE STORY!  THEY’RE CRITICIZING THE PICTURE ON THE COVER!  Oh.  In that case, Senior Editor Christian Hoard offers this flip response to those whiney complainers via twitter:

Yes, Christian.  Exactly.  You should have drawn a picture of yourself on his face.  Or something.  Perhaps realizing he was being an utter douchebag, Mr. Hoard deleted the post and issued an apology. Meanwhile, associate editor Simon Vozick-Levinson weighed in with his own defense, again via twitter:

Again, I haven’t heard anyone criticize the story.  Maybe these editors should do a better job of reading the various articles that have criticized their bonehead decision.

Walmart fires employee for asking customer not to leave dog in hot car. According to Walmart, she wasn’t fired for asking a customer not to leave his dog in a hot car.  She was coincidentally fired for reasons unrelated to that incident – even though Walmart won’t offer details (for “privacy reasons”) and the fired employee still maintains she was fired for asking a customer not to leave his dog in a hot car.  According to Walmart, she was rude to a customer.  I wonder what she did? Maybe something like…ask a customer not to leave his dog in a hot car?