Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 55

Feeding

Some notes on what I’ve been viewing. The Feed, on Amazon, is about a phone-free future in which practically everyone has social media implanted in their heads. Not only are they online all the time, but the Feed records their lives continually on “mundles” (which I’m guessing is a portmanteau of “memory bundles”) so that you can review the high points of your life whenever you want. It’s like Facebook, except you can’t turn it off! Absolutely nothing can go wrong with this, right? There are...

Reviews Too Late: Witcher

This is probably the most gratuitous review ever, because if you gave a damn about Witcher you’ve already seen it and formed your own opinion. Probably a lot of you never got past the first episode, which had by far the worst writing of any episode of the series, and made no attempt to clarify the series’ three separate timelines. So if you hated that first episode, you had every right to do so. (And why three separate timelines, you ask? Because another show had three separate timelines and...

Your Ears, Forever Feasting

Much though I hope you’ll all go out and buy audio books ofQuillifer the Knight, I feel I should remind you that 2019 was a big year for me, audio book-wise. I can personally recommend the audio versions ofMetropolitan andCity on Fire, both read by the terrific Emily Woo Zeller. She’s absolutely great at bringing Aiah to life. Likewise, I can strongly recommend Kevin Kenerly’s reading ofImplied Spaces.He got the sly humor that permeated the narrative. Due to some technical issues I was unable...

P/r/e/o/r/d/e/r Now!

The audio book ofQuillifer the Knight is no longer available for pre-order, because it’s just plain available! It’s narrated by the wonderful Ralph Lister, who narrated the first book in the series. Give yourself a treat, and have a listen. (Also, I note that they’ve got my names in the wrong order. Ignore that. You know who I am.)

Preorder Now!

The audio book ofQuillifer the Knight is available on pre-order from Audible, which is to say Amazon. It’s narrated by the wonderful Ralph Lister, who narrated the first book in the series. Give yourself a treat, and have a listen. (Also, I note that they’ve got my names in the wrong order. Ignore that. You know who I am.)

Reviews Too Late: 1917

I’ve been wanting to see 1917 and various other recent movies, but life has been too hectic to see any entertainment that’s running on a theater’s schedule and not my own. But today was the first day in ages I haven’t been dashing from Pillar A to Post Z, so I decided to celebrate by spending a couple quiet hours in the cinema, entranced by someone else’s problems. Since the movie’s been out for weeks I’ve had ample time to read the reviews, and I knew that it was based on First World War...

Another Fine and Splendid Review

Gary K. Wolfe has reviewedQuillifer the Knight. Nice analysis here, if I say so myself.

Speaking at Length

The latest issue ofClarkesworld magazine features an interview with me, conducted by Arley Sorg. (I seem to come off as a sort of punch-drunk, heavily scarred boxer staggering around the ring saying, “ME WIN? ME WIN?” Which may be very close to the truth, for all I know.)

Consider the Evidence

Over the last month, I’ve posted ten novel-length (or longer) reasons why, if you want to write SF or fantasy, you should apply to this year’s Taos Toolbox workshop. Our veterans are writing and publishing, being nominated for awards, and building their careers. I’ve mentioned ten novels (or series), but these are only the novels I know about. Others may have escaped my attention. And I haven’t even begun to mention the short stories, by steady sellers like Evey Brett and Larry Hodges. There...

Gifts for R/e/a/d/e/r/s/ Gamers #10: Slaughter in a Box

Taos Toolbox veteran Eric Kelley has spent a lot of time in the gaming field. In 2019 three of his games saw the light of day,Munchkin Dungeon,Trudvang Legends,and Zombicide . InMunchkin Dungeon, you delve into the dungeon, vanquish the monsters, backstab your buddies, and grab the loot! (Can’t miss with that, now can you?) InTrudvang Legends, you enter a rich fantasy world, based on Norse myths and sagas, where no gamemaster is needed to experience story-driven adventure! And as forZombicide,...