Peadar Ó Guilín's Blog, page 19
December 19, 2012
Recent Watching
Well, yes, I'm supposed to be staying away from here so I can keep writing. However, I've done a good stint for the day already. I've been, and will continue to be, a good boy.
So, what have I been watching lately?
I thought I'd mention Boardwalk Empire first before I forget it, because I will forget it and deservedly so. Series One flopped for me due to non-existent conflict. Series Two improved the mix considerably and I found myself really looking forward to Season Three.
Too bad! It started out well. The conflict was there in spades along with some good character developement for all concerned. But somewhere along the line, I soured on the whole thing as it became increasingly predictable and sometimes even ridiculous and downright clumsy.
I remember one particular episode where three characters are killed. Each time, I found myself accurately predicting what would happen to them in spite of a few pathetic attempts on the part of the writers at misdirection. Unlike the truly great shows, such as The Wire and The Sopranos, every event here, every character, exists purely to serve a clichéd plot.
What a shame! If I can paraphrase The Princess Bride: "You mean you've come all this way only to fail now? I think that's the saddest thing I've ever heard."
However, all is not lost.
The same Sky Atlantic that had me yawning in the aisles with its Nucky Thompson, also brought considerable cheer with its comedy, Girls.
Girls is more about sniggering than laughing out loud. It's a conscious mockery of the awful Sex and the City*, while still having a spirit all its own.
We have four young women coping pretty badly with life in New York. They manage to be interesting and fun without any of the vacuous and smug consumerism of you-know-what. A few of them are even, gasp!, ordinary looking people such as you might meet in real life.
Even better, the actress playing the main "Carrie" character,
Watch it if you can! Although it may contain a huge number of scenes of a sexual nature...
*To me, dear friends, to me. I hated it, 'though you may not...
So, what have I been watching lately?
I thought I'd mention Boardwalk Empire first before I forget it, because I will forget it and deservedly so. Series One flopped for me due to non-existent conflict. Series Two improved the mix considerably and I found myself really looking forward to Season Three.
Too bad! It started out well. The conflict was there in spades along with some good character developement for all concerned. But somewhere along the line, I soured on the whole thing as it became increasingly predictable and sometimes even ridiculous and downright clumsy.
I remember one particular episode where three characters are killed. Each time, I found myself accurately predicting what would happen to them in spite of a few pathetic attempts on the part of the writers at misdirection. Unlike the truly great shows, such as The Wire and The Sopranos, every event here, every character, exists purely to serve a clichéd plot.
What a shame! If I can paraphrase The Princess Bride: "You mean you've come all this way only to fail now? I think that's the saddest thing I've ever heard."
However, all is not lost.
The same Sky Atlantic that had me yawning in the aisles with its Nucky Thompson, also brought considerable cheer with its comedy, Girls.
Girls is more about sniggering than laughing out loud. It's a conscious mockery of the awful Sex and the City*, while still having a spirit all its own.
We have four young women coping pretty badly with life in New York. They manage to be interesting and fun without any of the vacuous and smug consumerism of you-know-what. A few of them are even, gasp!, ordinary looking people such as you might meet in real life.
Even better, the actress playing the main "Carrie" character,
Watch it if you can! Although it may contain a huge number of scenes of a sexual nature...
*To me, dear friends, to me. I hated it, 'though you may not...
December 17, 2012
Dark Eden: An Extraordinary Book
It's true -- I won't waste your time denying it -- I haven't been around here for a while and might stay away a bit longer. I'm working, you see? Desperate to reach the end of a first draft of a book that may be called "The Traitor", "The Betrayal", "The Betrayer"... or something else. It's going to close off the trilogy begun in The Inferior, setting me free to work on other projects that have been nagging at me for years.
But I've been reading too. Some tremendous stuff. Daniel Kahnemann's Thinking Fast and Slow blew my mind several times over. And life has been treating me well on the fiction side of the house too. My most recent read, Chris Beckett's Dark Eden kept me up late more than once with ideas fizzing through my little brain.
So, what's it about, Peadar? No spoilers, please!
Well, he starts with the same SF trope I used in The Inferior. A tribe of savages whose ancestors were starfaring humans, are stuck on a fascinating world, dreaming of a rescue that just isn't coming.
We have the usual, expected cast of characters: the visionary young man with a destiny; the loyal sidekick; the beautiful girl who falls in love with the hero...
So far, so ordinary, right? Sounds like a thousand books you read before? Sure, sure, except that none of the characters turn out exactly as we expect. They are far deeper and more subtle than they appear to be and their adventure is beautifully told, full of wonderful and terrifying moments. As I was reading it, I kept thinking to myself, "This is what it was like for our most distant ancestors when they migrated out of Africa. Exactly like this."
I loved it, although not completely uncritically. The main problem I had -- and I wasn't alone, REG from Westeros made the same complaint -- was that there's a point about half-way through when the story slows to an absolute crawl as the characters recount the history of their tribe in a bit too much detail.
But from then on, it was one wild ride. Highly recommended.
But I've been reading too. Some tremendous stuff. Daniel Kahnemann's Thinking Fast and Slow blew my mind several times over. And life has been treating me well on the fiction side of the house too. My most recent read, Chris Beckett's Dark Eden kept me up late more than once with ideas fizzing through my little brain.
So, what's it about, Peadar? No spoilers, please!
Well, he starts with the same SF trope I used in The Inferior. A tribe of savages whose ancestors were starfaring humans, are stuck on a fascinating world, dreaming of a rescue that just isn't coming.
We have the usual, expected cast of characters: the visionary young man with a destiny; the loyal sidekick; the beautiful girl who falls in love with the hero...
So far, so ordinary, right? Sounds like a thousand books you read before? Sure, sure, except that none of the characters turn out exactly as we expect. They are far deeper and more subtle than they appear to be and their adventure is beautifully told, full of wonderful and terrifying moments. As I was reading it, I kept thinking to myself, "This is what it was like for our most distant ancestors when they migrated out of Africa. Exactly like this."
I loved it, although not completely uncritically. The main problem I had -- and I wasn't alone, REG from Westeros made the same complaint -- was that there's a point about half-way through when the story slows to an absolute crawl as the characters recount the history of their tribe in a bit too much detail.
But from then on, it was one wild ride. Highly recommended.
November 19, 2012
Beleaguered Succour
Seriously, you TV interviewers, you English-speaking monoglots*, have *some* pity when you're inflicting questions on people with a different mother tongue. Tonight, I witnessed the otherwise excellent Jon Snow of the UK's Channel4 News ask an Egyptian lady what her country had done to "succour the beleaguered Palestinians..."
When the lady seemed a bit puzzled, he rephrased the question, but still used the same ridiculously obscure terminology. Would it really have been so hard to use the word "help" instead of "succour"?
This is not the first time I have witnessed such cruelty from newsies. I doubt they do it on purpose, but isn't there some kind of training they could give presenters?
And you Arabs. I've personally met plenty of you who speak perfect English. And yet, whenever there's a debate about the I/P conflict, the Israelis put up a handsome, dapper English perfectionist and you supply a learned, but unshaven and barely comprehensible sweaty old man. You don't stand a chance, guys.
*They may well speak a dozen languages for all I know, but this is one possible explanation...
When the lady seemed a bit puzzled, he rephrased the question, but still used the same ridiculously obscure terminology. Would it really have been so hard to use the word "help" instead of "succour"?
This is not the first time I have witnessed such cruelty from newsies. I doubt they do it on purpose, but isn't there some kind of training they could give presenters?
And you Arabs. I've personally met plenty of you who speak perfect English. And yet, whenever there's a debate about the I/P conflict, the Israelis put up a handsome, dapper English perfectionist and you supply a learned, but unshaven and barely comprehensible sweaty old man. You don't stand a chance, guys.
*They may well speak a dozen languages for all I know, but this is one possible explanation...
November 12, 2012
James Enge as Parasite
After years of reading the Morlock stories of
jamesenge
, I finally met the old reprobate himself at WorldCon in Chicago. Yes, he's funny, curse him. And learnéd and Latined. The whole kaboodle. I knew all that before ever I set eyes on him. But the real revelation was hearing him read one of his tales aloud -- "The Singing Spear" from the Swords and Dark Magic anthology.
"Wry" was the only word for it. James has a calm demeanor and a quiet, but forceful voice such as the drunken wizard/scientist Morlock himself might use. Previously unseen ironies became obvious, highlighting the laughs that might have gone unnoticed by the ignorant reader that I had been.
So yes, I enjoyed his performance immensely and I promised at the time to read another of his novels soon.
I ordered Wolf Age. It's not the book I was supposed to get, but the Morlock stories can be read in any order that takes your fancy, so I didn't worry about it too much. Sure enough, in less than a page, I found myself in familiar territory... but then, there came a surprise.
Enge! It was James Enge's voice in my head and not my own. I used to enjoy Morlock stories for the crazy adventure. This time, I found myself laughing a lot more; spotting weird and clever references.
I'm sure I've spoken on this blog before about the powerful connection between the success of comedians and the confidence of their audiences and this is what had happened to me. Having met James and having basked in his sense of humor, a whole new world stood revealed. Was there really a name-check of the children's classic "Good-Night Moon" in the middle of a medieval werewolf fantasy? Or the Dick and Jane books? Probably not. Surely not. But for a while there, I imagined it was so and had a good chuckle to myself.
They say you shouldn't meet your heroes, but anti-heroes, like Morlock, are well worth getting to know.
My advice is to check out one of the free short stories to see if it's for you.
More soon.
jamesenge
, I finally met the old reprobate himself at WorldCon in Chicago. Yes, he's funny, curse him. And learnéd and Latined. The whole kaboodle. I knew all that before ever I set eyes on him. But the real revelation was hearing him read one of his tales aloud -- "The Singing Spear" from the Swords and Dark Magic anthology."Wry" was the only word for it. James has a calm demeanor and a quiet, but forceful voice such as the drunken wizard/scientist Morlock himself might use. Previously unseen ironies became obvious, highlighting the laughs that might have gone unnoticed by the ignorant reader that I had been.
So yes, I enjoyed his performance immensely and I promised at the time to read another of his novels soon.
I ordered Wolf Age. It's not the book I was supposed to get, but the Morlock stories can be read in any order that takes your fancy, so I didn't worry about it too much. Sure enough, in less than a page, I found myself in familiar territory... but then, there came a surprise.
Enge! It was James Enge's voice in my head and not my own. I used to enjoy Morlock stories for the crazy adventure. This time, I found myself laughing a lot more; spotting weird and clever references.
I'm sure I've spoken on this blog before about the powerful connection between the success of comedians and the confidence of their audiences and this is what had happened to me. Having met James and having basked in his sense of humor, a whole new world stood revealed. Was there really a name-check of the children's classic "Good-Night Moon" in the middle of a medieval werewolf fantasy? Or the Dick and Jane books? Probably not. Surely not. But for a while there, I imagined it was so and had a good chuckle to myself.
They say you shouldn't meet your heroes, but anti-heroes, like Morlock, are well worth getting to know.
My advice is to check out one of the free short stories to see if it's for you.
More soon.
November 6, 2012
The Trouble With Beauty
Having been burdened with great beauty my whole life, I can never ignore its effects. Walking down a street, everybody is looking at me, pointing, covering their mouths as if they want to throw up with jealousy. Women constantly pretend they don't fancy me or are even disgusted by my deliciously pasty flesh.
Beauty has a very real impact on my life and on the world in general, so why must TV programs always get it so wrong?
Part of it is your fault: the ordinary-looking, viewing public. For some reason, you prefer to rest those gazes so beloved of advertisers on attractive actors and actresses. This in turn leads to ridiculous situations where even the meanest of roles requires a supermodel to play the part. We end up with movies like Frankie and Johnny where Michelle Pfeiffer, at the peak of her world-famous physical beauty, is drafted in to play the part of a supposedly plain woman, courted by an equally nondescript Al Pacino.
Stories set in medieval times also consist of supermodels. Beggars of 60 with perfect teeth. Villages of cute, rickets-free children. Modern stories, set in modern cities where nobody is ever overweight.*
All of this can be ignored if it is just a question of decoration, but when it actually interferes with the plot, or when it should interfere with the plot, but doesn't... I just find myself shaking my head and wondering if I'm the only person in the world who gets annoyed by such things.
Some recent examples I have come across:
Episode 3 of Continuum. The unbelievably gorgeous main character meets a geeky mortician, who doesn't even notice her. By that I mean, there is no "looking" nor any attempt to "not look". It's as if she were, I don't know, completely ordinary. In a Hollywood escapist world, that's probably what she is.
In Episode 1 of Lie to Me, one of the characters, Eli Loker, laments the fact that there is nobody working in the office worth fantasizing about. The words are barely out of his mouth when the office secretary walks up behind him to deliver a message. Have a guess at what she looked like. Just one guess. Gorgeous. And not in a "girl-next-door" kind of way, but more in a "you should be on telly" kind of way. Oops.
I don't mind, really I don't, if my screen fills with people who are almost as lovely as me. But producers, I'm begging you, I really am, please don't ruin all your plotting and all your worldbuilding over it. A bit of realism among the rest of the cast will allow your stars to stand out, as they should.
Boy, some days I really miss Deadwood.
*Or even of average weight by today's standards.
Beauty has a very real impact on my life and on the world in general, so why must TV programs always get it so wrong?
Part of it is your fault: the ordinary-looking, viewing public. For some reason, you prefer to rest those gazes so beloved of advertisers on attractive actors and actresses. This in turn leads to ridiculous situations where even the meanest of roles requires a supermodel to play the part. We end up with movies like Frankie and Johnny where Michelle Pfeiffer, at the peak of her world-famous physical beauty, is drafted in to play the part of a supposedly plain woman, courted by an equally nondescript Al Pacino.
Stories set in medieval times also consist of supermodels. Beggars of 60 with perfect teeth. Villages of cute, rickets-free children. Modern stories, set in modern cities where nobody is ever overweight.*
All of this can be ignored if it is just a question of decoration, but when it actually interferes with the plot, or when it should interfere with the plot, but doesn't... I just find myself shaking my head and wondering if I'm the only person in the world who gets annoyed by such things.
Some recent examples I have come across:
Episode 3 of Continuum. The unbelievably gorgeous main character meets a geeky mortician, who doesn't even notice her. By that I mean, there is no "looking" nor any attempt to "not look". It's as if she were, I don't know, completely ordinary. In a Hollywood escapist world, that's probably what she is.
In Episode 1 of Lie to Me, one of the characters, Eli Loker, laments the fact that there is nobody working in the office worth fantasizing about. The words are barely out of his mouth when the office secretary walks up behind him to deliver a message. Have a guess at what she looked like. Just one guess. Gorgeous. And not in a "girl-next-door" kind of way, but more in a "you should be on telly" kind of way. Oops.
I don't mind, really I don't, if my screen fills with people who are almost as lovely as me. But producers, I'm begging you, I really am, please don't ruin all your plotting and all your worldbuilding over it. A bit of realism among the rest of the cast will allow your stars to stand out, as they should.
Boy, some days I really miss Deadwood.
*Or even of average weight by today's standards.
October 30, 2012
October 9, 2012
Watching, Reading
READING
Reading Gardner Dozois' The Year's Best Science Fiction 29. Normally, I don't find much to enjoy in these collections, as my personal taste is way out of step with the editor's. However, there have been a few really good stories so far and one piece of absolute magic from Michael Swanwick. Why the Americans have not bowed down before this man and made of him a God, I'll never know.
Anyway, check the story out for yourself -- it's free on tor.com!
WATCHING
I've seen two episodes of the SyFy channel's Continuum. Why? you ask, bewildered, disappointed in me.
It looks like the usual crap -- ridiculously attractive protagonist takes down "bad guys" in one thinly-plotted episode after another. Heck it *is* the usual crap. The story follows a future super-cop in her pursuit of terrorists back through time to the current day. Here, she must fight to stop them changing the future to their own advantage.
Sounds awful, right?
Except... except... The good-girl cop is protecting a corporate dictatorship from bat-shit evil murderers who are fighting to restore democracy. The cop, in our time, keeps reassuring her geek ally, "Don't worry, I know how it all turns out," and he has no idea that she means dictatorship.
I can't help being intrigued. Will she see the error of her ways? Or is the show a trojan horse trying to convince the viewers that a Corporate Dicatorship would be great for all? I need to keep watching.
Reading Gardner Dozois' The Year's Best Science Fiction 29. Normally, I don't find much to enjoy in these collections, as my personal taste is way out of step with the editor's. However, there have been a few really good stories so far and one piece of absolute magic from Michael Swanwick. Why the Americans have not bowed down before this man and made of him a God, I'll never know.
Anyway, check the story out for yourself -- it's free on tor.com!
WATCHING
I've seen two episodes of the SyFy channel's Continuum. Why? you ask, bewildered, disappointed in me.
It looks like the usual crap -- ridiculously attractive protagonist takes down "bad guys" in one thinly-plotted episode after another. Heck it *is* the usual crap. The story follows a future super-cop in her pursuit of terrorists back through time to the current day. Here, she must fight to stop them changing the future to their own advantage.
Sounds awful, right?
Except... except... The good-girl cop is protecting a corporate dictatorship from bat-shit evil murderers who are fighting to restore democracy. The cop, in our time, keeps reassuring her geek ally, "Don't worry, I know how it all turns out," and he has no idea that she means dictatorship.
I can't help being intrigued. Will she see the error of her ways? Or is the show a trojan horse trying to convince the viewers that a Corporate Dicatorship would be great for all? I need to keep watching.
October 2, 2012
Black Gate Publishing Weekly Short Stories Online
Yet another blog post that does exactly what it says on the tin... The wonderfully adventurous, the deliciously pulpy Black Gate has started publishing short stories every Wednesday on their site. This week is The Duelist by Jason E. Thummel.
"A fast-paced tale of action in a violent city".
And, in non-violent, non-city news, here are some deer I spotted at Glendalough:
"A fast-paced tale of action in a violent city".
And, in non-violent, non-city news, here are some deer I spotted at Glendalough:
October 1, 2012
Guest Blog Post Now Up at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
As it says in the title, I have a guest post up on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist. If you are just dying to read about Home Cities and the Death of the Short Story, go right on over there. People who frequent this journal or who know me well, will have heard a lot of it before...
On the other hand, if you'd prefer to stay here, doing nothing and raiding my fridge... well, I will not be best pleased!
September 24, 2012
TitanCon Report and a German Write Up of The Inferior
TitanCon Report
If I may butcher Hardy for a moment... I have just come back from Belfast with magic in my eyes, all marked with mute surmise, my radiance rare and fathomless...
That is to say, I had a blast at TitanCon: 2.5 days dedicated to a mix of the Game of Thrones TV show and more general Fantasy and Science Fiction. I was in a privileged position in that I got to interview some of the stars of the show and to share drinks and jokes with great writers such as Ruth Frances Long, Leigh Bardugo, Ian McDonald and Ken Magee.
Friday
The first night -- 'twas a Friday, arrr -- we had readings from some of us authors in McHugh's Pub. Drinks followed, then a visit from young actor and All-Ireland-Final-Ticket-Holder Art Parkinson with some members of his lovely family. Fan favorite Miltos Yerolemou arrived not long after, grinning and back-slapping.
Finally, we had some great live music from our own Johannah Playford and her band, all of whom turned up in medieval costume. Do I remember the name of the band? No, I don't. It was late and I was intoxicated with friendship.
Saturday
The next day is little more than a blur in my memory. I took part in panels with my fellow authors. I moderated questions with talented actors such as the musical Ron Donachie; the dextrous Miltos Yerolemou; footballing genius, Callum Wharry; charismatic Aimee Richardson and the crafty Emma Andrews. Audiences saved my bacon* at every stage of the day and helped everybody involved to keep their energies high.
Next, I had the great privilege of MCing the masquerade. Home-made costumes amazed and enthralled the audience, even if some of them were a little too disturbing for my delicate sensibilities. Be a Frey. Be very a Freyed.
The masquerade judges, while young, turned out to be wise and kind:
Isaac Hempstead Wright
Aimee Richardson
Art Parkinson
Last of all, we had an official closing ceremony. TitanCon was absolutely brilliantly run from start to finish, so, when Phil, boss of bosses, called for the volunteers to come up on stage, it was no surprise to see half the audience get to their feet to accept the applause of the other half. A beautiful moment, that!
Teasers for soon-to-be-made movies followed: Vampires Vs. Leprechauns looked strangely tasty...
And finally, we had a party with remixed SF theme tunes courtesy of Johannah Playford. This is the point where I crashed. Sweet oblivion took me down its dark well and I won't bore you with the bleak dreams I had of tentacled lords in vast emptiness.
Sunday
I won't say too much about the tour of filming locations, or the banquet, or the GoT inspired music. Or the weather. Or the re-enactments, jousting and so on. It was all wonderful. For me, it was a chance to chat to lots of people I hadn't had the chance to meet before over the weekend. That was a real highlight.
Perry Rhodan Says Nice Things About The Inferior
The most SF series of books anywhere in the universe, is the German Perry Rhodan. I'm no expert, but it seems to still be huge over on the continent. They have written a very nice editorial about The Inferior (Die Kuppel in Germany). I'm honoured as well as thrilled.
*even Vegans have bacons that need saving.
If I may butcher Hardy for a moment... I have just come back from Belfast with magic in my eyes, all marked with mute surmise, my radiance rare and fathomless...
That is to say, I had a blast at TitanCon: 2.5 days dedicated to a mix of the Game of Thrones TV show and more general Fantasy and Science Fiction. I was in a privileged position in that I got to interview some of the stars of the show and to share drinks and jokes with great writers such as Ruth Frances Long, Leigh Bardugo, Ian McDonald and Ken Magee.
Friday
The first night -- 'twas a Friday, arrr -- we had readings from some of us authors in McHugh's Pub. Drinks followed, then a visit from young actor and All-Ireland-Final-Ticket-Holder Art Parkinson with some members of his lovely family. Fan favorite Miltos Yerolemou arrived not long after, grinning and back-slapping.
Finally, we had some great live music from our own Johannah Playford and her band, all of whom turned up in medieval costume. Do I remember the name of the band? No, I don't. It was late and I was intoxicated with friendship.
Saturday
The next day is little more than a blur in my memory. I took part in panels with my fellow authors. I moderated questions with talented actors such as the musical Ron Donachie; the dextrous Miltos Yerolemou; footballing genius, Callum Wharry; charismatic Aimee Richardson and the crafty Emma Andrews. Audiences saved my bacon* at every stage of the day and helped everybody involved to keep their energies high.
Next, I had the great privilege of MCing the masquerade. Home-made costumes amazed and enthralled the audience, even if some of them were a little too disturbing for my delicate sensibilities. Be a Frey. Be very a Freyed.
The masquerade judges, while young, turned out to be wise and kind:
Isaac Hempstead Wright
Aimee Richardson
Art Parkinson
Last of all, we had an official closing ceremony. TitanCon was absolutely brilliantly run from start to finish, so, when Phil, boss of bosses, called for the volunteers to come up on stage, it was no surprise to see half the audience get to their feet to accept the applause of the other half. A beautiful moment, that!
Teasers for soon-to-be-made movies followed: Vampires Vs. Leprechauns looked strangely tasty...
And finally, we had a party with remixed SF theme tunes courtesy of Johannah Playford. This is the point where I crashed. Sweet oblivion took me down its dark well and I won't bore you with the bleak dreams I had of tentacled lords in vast emptiness.
Sunday
I won't say too much about the tour of filming locations, or the banquet, or the GoT inspired music. Or the weather. Or the re-enactments, jousting and so on. It was all wonderful. For me, it was a chance to chat to lots of people I hadn't had the chance to meet before over the weekend. That was a real highlight.
Perry Rhodan Says Nice Things About The Inferior
The most SF series of books anywhere in the universe, is the German Perry Rhodan. I'm no expert, but it seems to still be huge over on the continent. They have written a very nice editorial about The Inferior (Die Kuppel in Germany). I'm honoured as well as thrilled.
*even Vegans have bacons that need saving.
