Sable Aradia's Blog, page 54
November 11, 2017
The Soldiers’ Pocket Books
Even though pamphlets and softcover books have been available in Europe since the 16th century, US readers looked down on them until well into the 20th century. As a recent Atlas Obscura post by Cara Giaimo explains, without a mass-market distribution model in place, it was difficult to make money selling inexpensive books.
Although certain brands succeeded by partnering with department stores, individual booksellers preferred to stock their shops with sturdier, better-looking hardbacks, for which they could charge higher prices. Even those who were trying to change the public’s mind bought into this prejudice: one paperback series, Modern Age Books, disguised its offerings as hardcovers, adding dust jackets and protective cardboard sleeves. They, too, couldn’t hack it in the market, and the company folded in the 1940s.
Wartime Reading
Soldiers in Virginia wrangle with hardcover books donated through the VBC. Image via Atlas Obscura.
Then, war came. In September of…
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November 10, 2017
Putting Archaeology to Work in Fantasy Fiction
By Alter S. Reiss
“Getting the archaeology right” doesn’t actually matter that much when it comes to fantasy. The fact is, when it comes to secondary worlds, a lot of the absolutely basic assumptions don’t make any sense. Why are there people in this world, whose history—whose natural history—is so different from ours? If dragons and elder gods and all that were around for hundreds of thousands of years, why are the horses and carrots and stews and pie in that world exactly the same as ours?
Once you’re willing to swallow that horses are the same despite gryphon-related predation pressures, why strain at faceted diamonds a few centuries too early?
Even if something is set in an actual time and place, the sort of mistakes that archaeologists notice don’t matter that much. Writing about anything—mainly horses and guns, but really, anything—will upset people who know the subject well, but there are very few works that fail artistically because they annoyed experts.
Read the full article at Tor.com.
November 9, 2017
Scientists Are Rewriting the History of Photosynthesis
By Jordana Cepelewicz
RESEARCHERS HAVE CAUGHT their best glimpse yet into the origins of photosynthesis, one of nature’s most momentous innovations. By taking near-atomic, high-resolution X-ray images of proteins from primitive bacteria, investigators at Arizona State University and Pennsylvania State University have extrapolated what the earliest version of photosynthesis might have looked like nearly 3.5 billion years ago. If they are right, their findings could rewrite the evolutionary history of the process that life uses to convert sunlight into chemical energy.
Read the full article at Wired.
November 8, 2017
Poisons in SF & Fantasy
This article is part of the Science in Sci-fi, Fact in Fantasy blog series. Each week, we tackle one of the scientific or technological concepts pervasive in sci-fi (space travel, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, etc.) with input from an expert.
Please join the mailing list to be notified every time new content is posted.
About the Expert
Since getting her Ph.D. in Toxicology in 2015, Megan Cartwright Chaudhuri has worked as a freelance medical writer and editor. Her science non-fiction has appeared in Slate and Visionlearning, while her science fiction has appeared in Analog, Crossed Genres, and the forthcoming Futuristica Volume 1. Megan lives near Seattle with one husband and two cats.
Read the full article at Dan Koboldt.
November 7, 2017
Writing SFF Horses: Notes on Breeds and Riding
By Judith Tarr
Every so often when I put up an article in this series on SFF Equines, the commenters give me all kinds of ideas for new articles. And they ask great questions. Last time was no exception.
This batch of questions centers around a couple of common themes, namely horse breeds and riding. I’ll take the shortest one first, and then circle out from there.
Before I begin, I (who suck mightily at tooting my own horn) should disclose that I have written an ebook that answers most of these questions in greater depth, and offers a primer on horses in general. It’s called Writing Horses: The Fine Art of Getting It Right, and it’s available from most ebook outlets. There’s even an audiobook. (The link goes to the publisher’s website.)
Still, we all know it’s a lot easier to read specific answers to one’s specific questions. Also, a lot more fun.
Read the full article at Tor.com.
November 6, 2017
#NaNoWriMo Live Blog
So this year I’m live blogging my National Novel Writing Month experience on my Facebook page and my YouTube channel. Here’s the playlist so far! Subscribe to my channel or follow my page to keep up-to-date throughout the month! I’ll be sharing tips, tricks, word counts, and my feelings on the experience and the process.
November 5, 2017
New Cover Image for A Few Good Elves!
Hey gang! I’m pulling my head up from NaNoWriMo for a moment to post this brand-new awesome image which, if I self-publish, will be the cover for A Few Good Elves! If not, it’s official art by the awesome Aaron Siddall! Check it out!
November 4, 2017
November 3, 2017
Stepping Out – Writing Across Genres
Some writers write in more than one genre, for example, a writer might dally in detective stories, romances, YA, and other types of fiction. Others, like me, seldom step outside our comfort zone. All my stories are set in the same world, with a science fiction feel. I don’t understand how writers can write stories across multiple genres. To help me understand, I asked some friends to share their thoughts on this topic.
Here’s what Diane Morrison told me: “You might not think that Western and sci-fi/fantasy blend well, but they really do. Both genres depend upon ancient mythological tropes of heroism; the Hero’s Journey, as it were; especially if you’re going to draw from spaghetti western movies, which I do. They were, in and of themselves, a blended genre; they exist because Italian directors wanted to make westernized samurai movies. To me, this only demonstrates how some themes, like…
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November 2, 2017
Book Review: Fluffy Bunny by Sarah Buhrman
Fluffy Bunny by Sarah Buhrman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for a fair review.
I enjoyed Too Wyrd, the first book in this series, thoroughly (see my review here) so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on book 2. I think it’s fair to say I was primed to enjoy it, but fearful that I wouldn’t like it as much as I liked the first one.
There was nothing to fear. In book 2, we resume the story of Nicola, reluctant chosen hero of the Norse gods, charged to stop Ragnarok by obtaining the Runespells; bindrunes in physical form that represent the true power of the runes as shown to Odin after his ordeal on Yggdrasil.
Read the full article at Patheos.com.
