Peadar Ó Guilín's Blog, page 21
June 1, 2012
Lore Gets A Great Review and I Give One...
My story "Fairy Gold" was singled out for special praise by Tangentonline in what was an excellent review overall for Lore Magazine:
"The story is filled with wonderful weirdness, but it's all there for a reason and an ending that's surprising and logical. Definitely a highlight in any magazine."
You can read the rest here.
SWALLOWING HUGO MOANS
I was complaining only yesterday how the novella and novelette categories of this year's Hugos were letting me down. However, the very next day -- today! -- I started one that I'm really enjoying. I take it all back. Well, some of it... I'll name and praise tomorrow if it continues to fill me with joy...
"The story is filled with wonderful weirdness, but it's all there for a reason and an ending that's surprising and logical. Definitely a highlight in any magazine."
You can read the rest here.
SWALLOWING HUGO MOANS
I was complaining only yesterday how the novella and novelette categories of this year's Hugos were letting me down. However, the very next day -- today! -- I started one that I'm really enjoying. I take it all back. Well, some of it... I'll name and praise tomorrow if it continues to fill me with joy...
May 31, 2012
The Hugos: The Case for No Award
Not all of my Hugo reading outside of the novel category* has been deeply disappointing. Just most of it, so far. Beautifully written stories? Yes. Competent? For sure. But most of these finely constructed tales have left me cold. I won't be grabbing friends and begging them to read one or the other. There'll be no lack of sleep, my mind bubbling over with, or disturbed by, alien concepts too large for it to hold.And that's what SF should be about, in my opinion: big ideas. Twist my brain until it goes 'pop!' Broaden my imagination; make me *feel* something, anything at all. I'm going to take it as a given that any story on the shortlist is written in a language I can understand and is clear enough for me to follow what's going on. Apart from that, here are the criteria, in order of importance, that will win my single vote:1) Sensawunda. Blow my mind with your big ideas. Do what Ted Chiang did in The Story of Your Life, or borrow just one drop of the insight that made Bruce Sterling's Schismatrix so great.2) Filter the world. Make it impossible for me to see anything the same way again. Ursula Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" infected me at a young age and I've yet to find a cure.3) Make me feel something. Flowers for Algernon, anyone? Silver Metal Lover? The distant, the passionless, need not apply. There's far too much of that about this year.4) Take me somewhere extraordinary. Call it escapism, if you like, except that some of the places aren't so pretty. Ian Watson's "The People of the Precipice" comes to mind. Eugie Foster's Nebula winner from last year, "Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest" was brilliant in that regard.If you can do any one of the above, you'll probably get my vote as well as my advocacy of your work for the rest of eternity.** And after all of that? Sure, why not, I'll put it in here for you:5) Literary merit. A nice, finely balanced story. Judging by what I've read so far, most people only have room on their lists for number 5. That makes me sad.
*I was a lot happier with the nominees on the novel shortlist.**Terms and conditions apply.
*I was a lot happier with the nominees on the novel shortlist.**Terms and conditions apply.
May 29, 2012
What I've Been Watching
JERICHO
A few weeks ago, I condemned the TV series Jericho as insipid trash. Here's a quick recap: it's the touching story of a small Kansas town that is cut off from the outside world by an apparent nuclear holocaust.
It had all the hallmarks of the bad US drama*: 2 dimensional characters; "I love you dad" schmaltz in every episode; easy outs for hard decisions; love triangles where nobody gets hurt. In addition to these problems, there seemed to be numerous betrayals of the fascinating premise that made me watch the thing in the first place. Why was everybody still driving their cars everywhere when they should be running out of petrol already? Why was nobody really starving?
But I'm going to have to eat some of the words above, because, about halfway through the first season, a strange thing happened: some of the characters grew a third dimension. And then, two genuinely outstanding episodes -- 14 and 15 arrived together. Finally the gas and the food begin to run out. Finally, hard decisions with real consequences have to be taken. The post apocalyptic world is starting to kill some of the characters off in a way that makes you think, maybe, this isn't a cartoon after all, where everybody gets to go home before the credits roll.
I'm not going to apologize to the makers of Jericho -- plenty of TV series work hard to build appreciation early on. But I will recommend my fellow NetFlix users give it a decent chance. Get past the halfway mark and you might just start to love it.
GAME OF THRONES
Episode 9 of series 2 was absolutely excellent and dealt exclusively with the Battle of the Blackwater.
Personally, I love battle scenes for their own sakes, the spectacle etc, But lots of people I know are bored by them.
This episode, however, should do a lot to convert the haters. It gets to the very heart of what makes war intrinsically interesting, i.e. the lives of real people, people we care for, are in the balance and we don't know, we can't know (unless we've read the books), who is going to make it out alive and how their fortunes will be changed. Every blow struck in this wonderful episode, seemed to have a direct bearing on important characters, the hated and the loved in equal measure. Great stuff.
HIT AND MISS
Sky Atlantic's series about a pre-op transexual hitman had a really promising opening episode. Chloe Sevigny was wonderful as the lead. The only false note for me was the training scene where her punching looked so unconvincing. No biggie. I look forward to episode 2 tonight.
What are you guys watching? Anything good?
*Especially damning in this, a golden age of American television
A few weeks ago, I condemned the TV series Jericho as insipid trash. Here's a quick recap: it's the touching story of a small Kansas town that is cut off from the outside world by an apparent nuclear holocaust.
It had all the hallmarks of the bad US drama*: 2 dimensional characters; "I love you dad" schmaltz in every episode; easy outs for hard decisions; love triangles where nobody gets hurt. In addition to these problems, there seemed to be numerous betrayals of the fascinating premise that made me watch the thing in the first place. Why was everybody still driving their cars everywhere when they should be running out of petrol already? Why was nobody really starving?
But I'm going to have to eat some of the words above, because, about halfway through the first season, a strange thing happened: some of the characters grew a third dimension. And then, two genuinely outstanding episodes -- 14 and 15 arrived together. Finally the gas and the food begin to run out. Finally, hard decisions with real consequences have to be taken. The post apocalyptic world is starting to kill some of the characters off in a way that makes you think, maybe, this isn't a cartoon after all, where everybody gets to go home before the credits roll.
I'm not going to apologize to the makers of Jericho -- plenty of TV series work hard to build appreciation early on. But I will recommend my fellow NetFlix users give it a decent chance. Get past the halfway mark and you might just start to love it.
GAME OF THRONES
Episode 9 of series 2 was absolutely excellent and dealt exclusively with the Battle of the Blackwater.
Personally, I love battle scenes for their own sakes, the spectacle etc, But lots of people I know are bored by them.
This episode, however, should do a lot to convert the haters. It gets to the very heart of what makes war intrinsically interesting, i.e. the lives of real people, people we care for, are in the balance and we don't know, we can't know (unless we've read the books), who is going to make it out alive and how their fortunes will be changed. Every blow struck in this wonderful episode, seemed to have a direct bearing on important characters, the hated and the loved in equal measure. Great stuff.
HIT AND MISS
Sky Atlantic's series about a pre-op transexual hitman had a really promising opening episode. Chloe Sevigny was wonderful as the lead. The only false note for me was the training scene where her punching looked so unconvincing. No biggie. I look forward to episode 2 tonight.
What are you guys watching? Anything good?
*Especially damning in this, a golden age of American television
May 21, 2012
Children's Books Ireland, Reading, Multiple Variosities
CBI CONFERENCE
I had a wonderful time at the Children's Books Ireland conference yesterday. I shared a podium with some fabulous writers in front of a friendly and expert audience. Sitting in the high seats, in no particular order, were:
Conor Kostick (moderator)
Sally Nicholls,
Brian Gallagher,Nicola Pierce
Mise
IN MEMORIAM
I often bring up my current enthusiasm when I'm on a panel. This time, I couldn't help burbling on about the late Brian McNaughton. Lore Magazine (in which, I too, have a story called "Fairy Gold") has printed his final, never-to-be-completed novella, "The Deposition of Leodiel Fand". It is set in the same world as the World Fantasy Award winning, The Throne of Bones (TToB). I thought the editors were just publishing it for reasons of nostalgia, in memory for a lost friend. How wrong I was. It's fantastic, even without an ending.
BLUE VELVET
Once upon a time, when I was, maybe 18, my cousin and I went to the cinema to watch a movie together, called Blue Velvet. For the first half an hour, I thought it was the stupidest thing I'd ever seen. Horrendously wooden acting; ridiculous melodrama; special effects that a child would find offensive. But then, I noticed something. My cousin (of similar age) was almost dying with laughter beside me. He said the whole movie was nothing but an elaborate, deliberate joke*.
The scales fell from my eyes and I SAW. It clicked. I too started chortling until the tears were rolling down my face.
The writings of Brian McNaughton are like that.
When I read TToB years ago, I found it haunting and sad and horrific. My only gripe was that the author always went too far into the GrimDark. It seemed... well... adolescent to me and I forgave it because of all the other talents he brought to the table. But with this new story, I experienced another Blue Velvet moment. The parts I found stupid, are so obviously intended to be humorous, I can't believe I never saw it before. He has an AMAZING turn of phrase, and the jokes are, now that my slow brain has allowed me to see them, brilliant.
I've got to reread The Throne of Bones as soon as possible, except...
HUGO PACKET
...it's that time of year again and all those books and stories nominated for the Hugo Awards are available to anybody with the vote. $50 will get you that vote, so it's well worth it. I've read a lot of the nominees already, but not Jo Walton's Among Others, which I started last night.
More soon.
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*Actually, it's more than that, but that's another story.
I had a wonderful time at the Children's Books Ireland conference yesterday. I shared a podium with some fabulous writers in front of a friendly and expert audience. Sitting in the high seats, in no particular order, were:
Conor Kostick (moderator)
Sally Nicholls,
Brian Gallagher,Nicola Pierce
Mise
IN MEMORIAM
I often bring up my current enthusiasm when I'm on a panel. This time, I couldn't help burbling on about the late Brian McNaughton. Lore Magazine (in which, I too, have a story called "Fairy Gold") has printed his final, never-to-be-completed novella, "The Deposition of Leodiel Fand". It is set in the same world as the World Fantasy Award winning, The Throne of Bones (TToB). I thought the editors were just publishing it for reasons of nostalgia, in memory for a lost friend. How wrong I was. It's fantastic, even without an ending.
BLUE VELVET
Once upon a time, when I was, maybe 18, my cousin and I went to the cinema to watch a movie together, called Blue Velvet. For the first half an hour, I thought it was the stupidest thing I'd ever seen. Horrendously wooden acting; ridiculous melodrama; special effects that a child would find offensive. But then, I noticed something. My cousin (of similar age) was almost dying with laughter beside me. He said the whole movie was nothing but an elaborate, deliberate joke*.
The scales fell from my eyes and I SAW. It clicked. I too started chortling until the tears were rolling down my face.
The writings of Brian McNaughton are like that.
When I read TToB years ago, I found it haunting and sad and horrific. My only gripe was that the author always went too far into the GrimDark. It seemed... well... adolescent to me and I forgave it because of all the other talents he brought to the table. But with this new story, I experienced another Blue Velvet moment. The parts I found stupid, are so obviously intended to be humorous, I can't believe I never saw it before. He has an AMAZING turn of phrase, and the jokes are, now that my slow brain has allowed me to see them, brilliant.
I've got to reread The Throne of Bones as soon as possible, except...
HUGO PACKET
...it's that time of year again and all those books and stories nominated for the Hugo Awards are available to anybody with the vote. $50 will get you that vote, so it's well worth it. I've read a lot of the nominees already, but not Jo Walton's Among Others, which I started last night.
More soon.
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*Actually, it's more than that, but that's another story.
May 14, 2012
Rough Reading
I've been rereading my own novels lately as an aid to my writing of the third and final book in the series. It almost certainly inspired a bizarre dream I had on Friday night wherein I was being chased by an ostrich. When I asked why, I was assured it was nothing to worry about. "At this time of year, they just need a bit of meat in their diet."
Anyway, I'm reading other stuff too. Guy Haley's Champion of Mars was particularly enjoyable, as it pulled me through 70,000 of glorious and tragic Martian Civilization. Recommended to those who have missed traditional SF with its mix of adventure and sensawunda. Both are delivered in spades here along with tremendous world-building.
I've also been working my way through Lore Magazine Volume 2, Issue 1, which contains my own story "Fairy Gold". It's great so far and I'll probably polish it off before I go on to...
...The Dodo Dragon and Other Stories by my friend Sheila Crosby. She's a talented short story writer, so I'm expecting to enjoy this one.
Anyway, I'm reading other stuff too. Guy Haley's Champion of Mars was particularly enjoyable, as it pulled me through 70,000 of glorious and tragic Martian Civilization. Recommended to those who have missed traditional SF with its mix of adventure and sensawunda. Both are delivered in spades here along with tremendous world-building.
I've also been working my way through Lore Magazine Volume 2, Issue 1, which contains my own story "Fairy Gold". It's great so far and I'll probably polish it off before I go on to...
...The Dodo Dragon and Other Stories by my friend Sheila Crosby. She's a talented short story writer, so I'm expecting to enjoy this one.
May 8, 2012
I've Been Away
I may have missed some major life-changing events here on LJ over the past week, as I've been chasing the Nork around Switzerland and other places. But I'm back now. I'll have a few updates for tomorrow, I hope.
May 2, 2012
You Know it's Summer When...
I just skidded in mud and fell back into a lovely soft cushion of nettles. Sadly, my shirt wasn't tucked in properly and I got myself a nice refreshing cluster of stings.
How do you normally begin your summer?
How do you normally begin your summer?
April 30, 2012
Yes, Netflix is Worth €7 a Month. For Now.
OUR HERO JOINS NETFLIX
So, yes. For reasons I won't bore you with, we were suddenly desperate to watch a movie in Italian for reasons, and this led to me, finally, joining Netflix.
"So," you might ask, "what was the selection like?"
Apparently, in the US, it's great. Here in Ireland and over in the UK, it's pretty appalling. As I said, we went looking for an Italian movie and found a grand total of 11, many of them absolutely ancient. The same paucity of choice goes for any other genre in which you might be interested. Sparse, I would call it.
On top of that, Netflix suffers from a dodgy search function. Dodgy because half the time it reports itself to be unavailable and suggests you try again later. But don't worry. There are few enough movies that you can scroll through everything in a given genre in minutes.
"Ooooookay, so, Peadar, you think we should steer well clear of Netflix if we don't live in the Western Hemisphere?"
Actually, that's not what I'm saying at all. You need to look on Netflix as a small DVD rental store. They will not have the movie you want. I can guarantee it. But there is always something good to watch. The service pays for itself if you stream even two movies a month. See below for my mini-reviews of the last two nights viewing.
So yes, the stock may be sparse, but even at that, there should be enough good stuff to last most of us several months at least. By then, Netflix should have acquired a lot more properties. If not, they'll lose all of their customers very quickly indeed.
I'M NOT SCARED (IO NON HO PAURA)
This was one of the 11 Italian movies on Netflix and it's an absolute beauty. Set in the 70s, somewhere in the deep south, the scenery, the acting and the characterizations will blow you away. The movie focuses on the life of a young village boy who makes a gruesome, but fascinating discovery. If there were any supernatural elements I'd compare it to a Steven King story. Well worth seeing.
NO IMPACT MAN
This frank documentary follows a New York family as it tries to eliminate all waste and to live sustainably. Enjoyable, but not essential.
JERICHO
I watched three episodes of this TV series, which follows the lives of those living in a small town cut off by multiple nuclear strikes against the US. It's watchable in a popcorn sort of way, but it could have been so, so much better. The male lead is supposed to be an enigma, but I really don't care very much. He is always popping up everywhere and saving everyone. It's a bit yawn-inducing to be honest. The female leads have even less character to them. Only Hawkins with his shady background elicits any real interest.
Most disappointing of all, is the fact that this series was made well-after 9/11. I remember my shock when the planes hit the towers, watching it on TV. I remember how the numbness lasted for days and how nothing seemed real. That feeling must have been ten times worse in the US and a hundred times worse in New York.
Now, imagine how you would feel if you saw Denver wiped off the map and suspected that the same had happened to every other city in North America... The inhabitants of Jericho are so strong-willed, it barely seems to affect them at all. Sure, there are scenes of mourning etc., but it sits on them no more heavily than a little puddle on the road. They should be washed away by it IMHO.
So, why have I kept watching? Well, the situation itself has so much dramatic potential and it has yet to sink to such depths that I throw the book at the wall.
Not that it's a book, you understand? Maybe that's the problem ;)
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So, yes. For reasons I won't bore you with, we were suddenly desperate to watch a movie in Italian for reasons, and this led to me, finally, joining Netflix.
"So," you might ask, "what was the selection like?"
Apparently, in the US, it's great. Here in Ireland and over in the UK, it's pretty appalling. As I said, we went looking for an Italian movie and found a grand total of 11, many of them absolutely ancient. The same paucity of choice goes for any other genre in which you might be interested. Sparse, I would call it.
On top of that, Netflix suffers from a dodgy search function. Dodgy because half the time it reports itself to be unavailable and suggests you try again later. But don't worry. There are few enough movies that you can scroll through everything in a given genre in minutes.
"Ooooookay, so, Peadar, you think we should steer well clear of Netflix if we don't live in the Western Hemisphere?"
Actually, that's not what I'm saying at all. You need to look on Netflix as a small DVD rental store. They will not have the movie you want. I can guarantee it. But there is always something good to watch. The service pays for itself if you stream even two movies a month. See below for my mini-reviews of the last two nights viewing.
So yes, the stock may be sparse, but even at that, there should be enough good stuff to last most of us several months at least. By then, Netflix should have acquired a lot more properties. If not, they'll lose all of their customers very quickly indeed.
I'M NOT SCARED (IO NON HO PAURA)
This was one of the 11 Italian movies on Netflix and it's an absolute beauty. Set in the 70s, somewhere in the deep south, the scenery, the acting and the characterizations will blow you away. The movie focuses on the life of a young village boy who makes a gruesome, but fascinating discovery. If there were any supernatural elements I'd compare it to a Steven King story. Well worth seeing.
NO IMPACT MAN
This frank documentary follows a New York family as it tries to eliminate all waste and to live sustainably. Enjoyable, but not essential.
JERICHO
I watched three episodes of this TV series, which follows the lives of those living in a small town cut off by multiple nuclear strikes against the US. It's watchable in a popcorn sort of way, but it could have been so, so much better. The male lead is supposed to be an enigma, but I really don't care very much. He is always popping up everywhere and saving everyone. It's a bit yawn-inducing to be honest. The female leads have even less character to them. Only Hawkins with his shady background elicits any real interest.
Most disappointing of all, is the fact that this series was made well-after 9/11. I remember my shock when the planes hit the towers, watching it on TV. I remember how the numbness lasted for days and how nothing seemed real. That feeling must have been ten times worse in the US and a hundred times worse in New York.
Now, imagine how you would feel if you saw Denver wiped off the map and suspected that the same had happened to every other city in North America... The inhabitants of Jericho are so strong-willed, it barely seems to affect them at all. Sure, there are scenes of mourning etc., but it sits on them no more heavily than a little puddle on the road. They should be washed away by it IMHO.
So, why have I kept watching? Well, the situation itself has so much dramatic potential and it has yet to sink to such depths that I throw the book at the wall.
Not that it's a book, you understand? Maybe that's the problem ;)
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April 26, 2012
New Lore Cover is Beauteous and Vile
The soon-to-be-reborn Lore Magazine has a new cover up by the great Richard Corben. Personally, I love it, and it makes me even more proud to be involved. The table of contents is here.
Black Gate also has an interview up with one of the editors.
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Black Gate also has an interview up with one of the editors.
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April 23, 2012
No. The Short Story Will Not Triumph in the End
The golden age of short stories is long past. Once upon a time, say, back in the 1930s and '40s, a young go-getter could make a good living out of writing them. Nowadays, however, forums are full of people who claim to only ever read novels. Publishers steer clear of anthologies. Collections are a tough sell and even well-known editors in the genre fields seem to have to paddle very, very hard just to stay afloat.
And yet, with the rise and rise of ebooks, I've come across several people over the past few years who claim that short-story salvation day is juuuuuust around the next corner. In these fast-paced times, they argue, a short story is perfect for dipping in and out of. It's exactly the right length for commuters or for those whose attention spans have been decimated by video games and the internet. Also, the purchase of a single short story, or finding one for free on the web, has never been easier.
Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I would argue that if the general populace struggles to concentrate these days, then the peril in which the shorter form finds itself is even more dire than that of its longer sibling.
You would know this to be true if ever you went swimming off the coast of Ireland.
The sea is cold here. Actually, no. It feels freezing when you first step in and only gets worse as it rises about your neck, numbing your body and causing your ears, which have yet to be submerged, to ache abominably.
Unlike a swimming pool, where this feeling lasts mere seconds, it takes a full two minutes for an evolved ape like myself to adapt to the Irish marine environment. And after that? Why, after that, it's lovely! Your body is in such shock that it starts to think it's nice and warm and the whole experience becomes enjoyable. Hurray!
We readers of fantastic fiction plunge into a disturbing new environment every time we start a story, and sure, it's nowhere near as awful as a winter swim in Donegal or wherever, but learning the ground rules and getting to know the characters definitely costs a certain amount of mental effort. With a novel, or better yet, with a series, this price of entry, need only be paid once and after that, it's enjoyment all the way.
I don't know about you, but when I am reading a collection, the good stories make me want to linger in their world, while the bad ones, only make me reluctant to start another.
What do you think? Am I talking out of my backside? I love short stories, both reading and writing them. I am a buyer of anthologies, but I wonder how much of an endangered species I am?
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And yet, with the rise and rise of ebooks, I've come across several people over the past few years who claim that short-story salvation day is juuuuuust around the next corner. In these fast-paced times, they argue, a short story is perfect for dipping in and out of. It's exactly the right length for commuters or for those whose attention spans have been decimated by video games and the internet. Also, the purchase of a single short story, or finding one for free on the web, has never been easier.
Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I would argue that if the general populace struggles to concentrate these days, then the peril in which the shorter form finds itself is even more dire than that of its longer sibling.
You would know this to be true if ever you went swimming off the coast of Ireland.
The sea is cold here. Actually, no. It feels freezing when you first step in and only gets worse as it rises about your neck, numbing your body and causing your ears, which have yet to be submerged, to ache abominably.
Unlike a swimming pool, where this feeling lasts mere seconds, it takes a full two minutes for an evolved ape like myself to adapt to the Irish marine environment. And after that? Why, after that, it's lovely! Your body is in such shock that it starts to think it's nice and warm and the whole experience becomes enjoyable. Hurray!
We readers of fantastic fiction plunge into a disturbing new environment every time we start a story, and sure, it's nowhere near as awful as a winter swim in Donegal or wherever, but learning the ground rules and getting to know the characters definitely costs a certain amount of mental effort. With a novel, or better yet, with a series, this price of entry, need only be paid once and after that, it's enjoyment all the way.
I don't know about you, but when I am reading a collection, the good stories make me want to linger in their world, while the bad ones, only make me reluctant to start another.
What do you think? Am I talking out of my backside? I love short stories, both reading and writing them. I am a buyer of anthologies, but I wonder how much of an endangered species I am?
Tweet
Give 10
