Lena’s Comments (group member since Nov 17, 2014)

Lena’s comments from the Spells, Space & Screams: Collections & Anthologies in Fantasy, Science Fiction, & Horror group.

Yes, i shuddered at the end when I thought about how many times he had brought her back, wiped of the last few weeks when she decided to leave him.

Canavan wrote: "Graeme said: Highlander reboot with Henry Cavill in 2025

I’m struggling to Cavill in that role."
That movie is a favorite, and dido. That strange accent Christopher Lambert had helped sell his timelessness. Then again, I also enjoyed the Adrian Paul series.

Eros, Philia, Agape by Rachel Swirsky ★★★★☆
This is the second time I’ve read this story. My opinion has not changed, though this time I found the her choice in Lucian having her father’s form, her abusers form, disturbing.

Another beautiful, painful, story by Rachel Swirsky. She gives you a slice of life, of understanding, it’s thought provoking without having a moral. My favorite of her stories was Grand Jeté (The Great Leap).

Unicorn Variations is a collection of stories and essays by author Roger Zelazny, published in 1983. The title story, "Unicorn Variation", was written as a result of Zelazny having been asked to contribute to two different upcoming anthologies — one collecting stories set in bars, and one collecting stories about unicorns. When Zelazny mentioned these requests to his close friend George R. R. Martin, the other told Zelazny of a third upcoming anthology — one which would collect stories about chess — and jokingly suggested that Zelazny write a story about playing chess against a unicorn in a bar, so that he could sell the story three times. Zelazny did just that and then went on to win a Hugo Award for the story!

Math was an expression of God in that story, or at least for the main character.

I’m cheered we are both reading the physical copy. I’m trying to do that more often this year.

That’s a better answer than hoped for, thanks.

I never googled it but Canavan do you know why some was color and some black and white?

Digital imax on a ginormous screen is wonderful for science fiction or action movies but it’s not important for dramas. I don’t need to count Cillian Murphy’s freckles. The physical old imax was only available, near me, at an outdated theater.

I liked Oppenheimer the movie well enough just not the experience the director was going for. I bought one of those exclusive ‘real film’ imax tickets. The theater hasn’t been updated since the 90s. I’m on the short side yet my knees were nearly hitting the seats in front of me. It was at night, downtown, and an unpleasant ride home late on a Monday. Unless it’s side by side with alternatives the specialness of the format is lost on me. And I was the only one laughing at any of the jokes. It’s weird laughing alone in a crowded cramped old theater. The only thing I didn’t like about the movie was the off putting suddenness of Pughs nudity. There would be chatting then titties, walking then titties. It was odd, at least kiss or something.

Tenet is getting a rerelease: https://youtube.com/watch?v=KJP5RunZU...
I think I will try it on - it was not on my Covid Year agenda and I have nothing against Nolan even if my Oppenheimer “experience” left much to be desired.

The Gambler by Paolo Bacigalupi ★★★½☆
A sad troubling story about news based on clicks and what that means for important, but depressing, occurrences.

Löyly Sow-Na by Josh Malerman ★★★★☆
A pianist meets his girlfriend’s Finnish family and finds his truth, unwillingly, in the sauna. Löyly means steam :)

All the Pretty People by Nadia Bulkin ★★★☆☆
Fake friends at a Festivus party in D.C. are exposed for the rotten people they are.

Our Recent Unpleasantness by Stephen Graham Jones ★★☆☆☆
I have no idea what this was about. Just a guy slowing going nuts and seeing severed heads after being cuckold.

Rogue Form by Charles Stross ★★★★☆
Wow. That was an impressively odd vat grown future. In a depopulated world of space, options, and technology there are still people who much prefer to do without and live in old school ways. This sometimes brings them into murderous conflict with the bioform-collective-spacefaring humans.

God that looks terrible, I almost want to see it.

It looks like a touchy feely version of Dark City.

The Ghosts of Christmases Past by Richard Kadrey ★★★★★
“What will you do now that you don’t have [to be] afraid of anyone?”
“I’m not really sure. I only know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m very hungry.”

What a wicked little story. You could hear some Billy Eilish in the background as Laura looked into the mirror. I’m the bad guy.

Infinities by Vandana Singh ★★★☆☆
The musings of a Muslim mathematician in India. It recounts his life and studies during times of religion induced violence.

Last Drinks at Bondi Beach by Garth Nix ★★★★☆
Tasty little vampire origin story.

Return to Bear Creek Lodge by Tananarive Due ★★★½☆
One of the first black Hollywood starlets runs away for years to the woods to recover from the price of fame. But it’s the price of the woods that wrecks her family. I’m not clear if this was a really a werewolf story or a golem/ghost story, but it was interesting.