Sable Aradia's Blog, page 39
April 26, 2018
Book Review: Dr. Bloodmoney by Philip K. Dick
Dr. Bloodmoney by Philip K. Dick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Read for the Second Best Challenge, the Apocalypse Now! Challenge, and the SF Masterworks Challenge.
Method of the world’s destruction: nuclear war
I am not a fan of PKD; I think those who follow my reviews probably know that by now. I don’t really get the hype. He’s a good writer, but I just can’t wrap my head around why everyone thinks he’s such a genius. It seems to me he takes ideas that have been done by other people (with a couple of exceptions) and re-writes them in a literary style.
Also, he clearly hates women, and that irks me. It’s not a standard of the time issue – as people who follow my reviews probably know by now as well, I note these problematic dated bigoted elements, but I don’t let that decide my opinion of a book. Nor do I assume the characters represent the views of the author, and this book was full of racism and ableism as well, which I’m not calling him on. It’s in the way he writes women. They’re all sluts, virgins or harridans.
But, despite all that, I really liked this book. For the PKD books in the SF Masterworks challenge, in general I’ve been trading them in when I’ve finished them because I know I won’t read them again. But I think I’m holding on to this one.
At first I thought this book was a 70s updated version of Alas, Babylon. The premise is very similar: a cast of quirky characters survives nuclear war, and then try to make their way in the blasted, irradiated world that is left. Like Alas, Babylon, its science is out-of-date, and that can be hard to wrap one’s head around for modern readers. I saw a strong satirical element as well, maybe like Dr. Strangelove or something Vonnegut, Kurt would write.
But I was wrong. This book started out as Alas, Babylon and ended up as More Than Human with some wacky surreal curlicues. I’m not going to say any more than that, because it would be a terrible spoiler to tell you, but it surprised me, and that was delightful. Also, there were places where I could not tell if what people thought was going on was their perspective, or what was actually happening. It was surreal and weird and beautifully done.
Unfortunately he also used an idea I had, which I didn’t know he’d done (rats!) so now I can’t use it, but this is definitely a unique take on the apocalypse, and despite its flaws (and yes, there are several) I would recommend it.
April 25, 2018
Author Spotlight: Homefront
Welcome to another Friday Author Spotlight! This week Diane Morrison is here to tell us about her novel, Homefront, which is part of the On the Horizon Bundle. She’ll also be sharing an excerpt from her book, so keep reading!
Diane Morrison lives with her partners in Vernon, BC, where she was born and raised. She likes pickles and bluegrass, and hates talking about herself. An avid National Novel Writing Month participant and gaming geek, she is proudly Canadian and proudly LGBTQ. She is currently managing the official SFWA YouTube channel, where she gets to interview some of her favourite authors and other interesting people in the SFF field. Under her pen name “Sable Aradia” she is a successful Pagan author, a musician, and a professional blogger. After a lifetime of putting the needs of her family first, she is striking out to become what she always wanted to…
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April 24, 2018
Are We Ready for War in Space?
When you hear the phrase “space war”, it is easy to conjure images that could have come from a Star Wars movie: dogfights in space, motherships blasting into warp speed, planet-killing lasers and astronauts with ray guns. And just as easy to then dismiss the whole thing as nonsense. It’s why last month’s call by President Trump for an American “space force”, which he helpfully explained was similar to the air force but for err… space, was met with a tired eye-roll from most. But there is truth behind his words. While the Star Wars-esque scenario for what a space war would look like is indeed far-fetched, there is one thing all the experts agree on.
“It is absolutely inevitable that we will see conflict move into space,” says Michael Schmitt, professor of public international law and a space war expert at University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.
Read the full article at The Guardian.
April 23, 2018
Morally Grey But Still Likable?
@coinsanddeadlypoisons asked:
Do you have any tips about writing from the point of view of a manipulative character? I don’t want him to be an asshole but i am afraid the readers would see him as such.
The large majority of the characters in The Warlord’s Contract are morally grey in one way or another, with one in particular being rather manipulative, and I’ve found that the same basic principles and tricks apply to them all, no matter which negative “asshole” attributes they exhibit.
Read the full article at Wheat is Wheat.
April 22, 2018
April 21, 2018
Ghostly Galaxy May Be Missing Dark Matter
By Mary Halton
Science Reporter, BBC News
An unusually transparent galaxy about the size of the Milky Way is prompting new questions for astrophysicists.
The object, with the catchy moniker of NGC1052-DF2, appears to contain no dark matter.
If this turns out to be true, it may be the first galaxy of its kind – made up only of ordinary matter. Currently, dark matter is thought to be essential to the fabric of the Universe as we understand it.
The study is published in Nature.
Read the full article at BBC News.
April 20, 2018
25 Steps to Being a Traditionally Published Author
By Delilah S. Dawson
This is like that Couch to 5k thing people do to gear up for a marathon. Except you can do it without leaving your couch. And for me, a book is a better souvenir than a popped-off toenail.
What follows is the quickest, dirtiest, most simple route to writing a novel and getting it published by a traditional publisher, which I accomplished from my own couch in Atlanta while nursing a baby and having neither an MFA nor any previous contacts in publishing. The following advice is based on my own personal experience that began with writing a seriously shitty book (about accidentally banging Zeus) in 2009 and seeing my third book (about steampunk vampire circuses) on the shelf in B&N in 2012. Everything I learned came from Google.
Is this advice perfect? No. Is it gospel? No. Is it universally applicable and the same for every writer, ever? JESUS, NO. Will your mileage vary? Yes. Widely, even with Chevron with Techron. But if you’ve never written a book, hunted for an agent, or signed a contract, I hope it will be a good place to start. If not, just read… oh, Chuck’s entire blog. And then hit Google.
Read the full article at Chuck Wendig’s blog, TerribleMinds.
April 19, 2018
April 18, 2018
Plot Holes & Pot Holes
By Ruth Harris
We all come face to face with them, those pesky glitches, oopsies, OMGs and WTFs that ruin a story, turn a reader off, guarantee a slew of one-star reviews—and kill sales.
Beta readers will often point them out. Editors are professional fixers, always on the lookout for booboos. You will realize them yourself when you wake up at 3AM sudden realizing that the MC’s beloved pet who started out as a friendly, tail-wagging Golden Retriever, has somehow become a snarling, saber-toothed attack dog.
These unforced errors range from plot holes, small and economy-size, to lapses in logic. They also include poorly conceived characters, blah settings, pointless dialogue, and momentum-killing info dumps. Even a few will make your book—and you—look like a loser on amateur night.
You need to find them—and fix them—before readers do.
Read the full article at Anne R. Allen’s blog.
April 17, 2018
Indian Space Agency: Moon-Domes
By Tess
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is reportedly exploring the possibility of creating 3D printed lunar habitats on the moon. The space agency joins NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and Russia in the race to settle on the Earth’s only permanent natural satellite.
Long has the idea of settling on the moon appealed to humans, but only in recent years has the notion gone from complete sci-fi to something that is potentially feasible. This feasibility is thanks in large part to new technologies, including 3D printing, which are taking us closer to actually establishing and building on the moon’s surface.
According to ISRO, it is planning to build “igloo-like” structures on the Moon’s surface in the relatively near future, and plans to use 3D printers and robots to build the habitats from materials sourced from the moon.
Read the full article at 3Ders.org.
