S.C. Butler's Blog, page 3

Shameless Self Promotion

Author Michael Ventrella has interviewed me at his blog. Seek our wisdom here:

http://michaelaventrella.wordpress.com/

Sam-Who-Likes-Nothing - The Sportswriter

Pretentious. Pompous. Overwritten.

Boring.

At least the first five pages. I couldn't get into Richard Ford's The Sportswriter any farther .

I used to like literature. I did. I was a lit major in college. Read everything I could get my hands on. Didn't like all of it, obviously, or I wouldn't be the reader I am today, but I liked a lot. Faulkner. Austen. Flaubert. Twain.

But there is something so patronizing about most modern literature. I'd rather read Conan, and I'm not much of a...

My Latest Post Is Up at SFNovelists

Begging Ms. Le Guin's pardon.

Sam's Words of Stock Market Wisdom

The Market is full of Idiots. I'm not saying I'm any smarter, but at least I know I'm an idiot.

A Sobering Assessment of America's Red/Blue Divide

Or, to be glib, why Blue States are more likely to achieve what Red States preach.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/socialstudies.php

Sam-Who-Likes-Nothing - Avatar

What everyone else who didn't like it said. All movies are now video games.

Heroines Who Don't Kick Ass

My latest post, Heroines Who Don't Kick Ass, is up at SFNovelists.

Department of Weirdness Department - Conspiracy of Calaspia

Anyone ever hear of Conspiracy of Calaspia? Apparently it's the Eragon of India. In English, of course. I've followed a few of the links posted at the end of the Wikipedia article - either this is the greatest deadpan spoof in the history of epic fantasy, (which isn't saying much), or the authors put ALL of their creative energies into their writing. Cause there ain't no imagination evident anywhere else.

Two Great Books Are Out Today

One, Ian Tregillis's Bitter Seeds, is a debut. Scientifically enhanced German supermen against magically enhanced English warlocks. During WW II. Very cool.

The other is Melinda Snodgrass's second Edge book - The Edge of Ruin. Monstrous (literally) religion vs secular reason, with swords. Also very cool.

Buy them both!

Sam-Who-Likes-Some-Things - Zombieland

Definitely one of the better zombie pics out there. For a while, during the Bill Murray scenes in the middle, I thought the flick might transcend the genre completely. But it didn't. Still. a fun movie.