In July we have seven books, though five of them are in two separate series compilations put out by the Science Fiction Book Club. These kinds of volumes are the best thing the SFBC does, and I've pretty much reduced my purchases from them to these sorts of compilations. This is mostly because single volume books from them are more expensive than mass market paperbacks, and they take up too much space. So, if you are listening SFBC people, more multi-volume compilations, please!
The Audran Sequence -- George Alec Effinger: 7/7/09 - 7/18/09
This is a SFBC compilation of three excellent novels originally published in the mid 80s - early 90s: When Gravity Fails; A Fire in the Sun; and The Exile Kiss. I read them when they first came out, and jumped at the chance to own them in a nicer format. They're sort of Arabic-cyberpunk-hardboiled crime-soap opera novels.
Virga 1.2 -- Karl Schroeder: 7/19/09 - 7/26/09
Another SFBC compilation, this time of two novels: Sun of Suns; and Queen of Candesce. The world is a gigantic gasbag where people sail around on currents generated by hot air. Sort of like Congress... Awesome adventure tales filled with cool SFnal ideas.
The Vondish Ambassador -- Lawrence Watt-Evans: 7/26/09 - 7/26/09
A naive ambassador from an obscure land comes to the court of the ruler of the world's most important city with a secret mission. Coming off the boat, he hires the first dude he sees as his assistant. The world's most incompetent spies try to stop him. Hijinks ensue.
Star Dragon -- Mike Brotherton: 7/30/09 - 8/3/09
Oh, hey, we just found the only known life forms outside of our solar system living on the surface of a nearby star! Let's send a crew of psychopaths on a nuclear armed spacecraft to go see if these unique beings are worth exploiting commerically. Oh yeah, the trip takes years (sorry, no FTL here!) and the only forms of recreation for the crew are boning each other and extreme cosmetic body modifications. Ugh, stay away from this book.
So, seven books, 5 as SFBC multi-volume compilations, and two on the Kindle (the last two onthe list, in case you weren't keeping track). A good month for reading books in alternatee formats.
Sidereal
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
New Word: facon
Facon: noun. a substance assuming bacon-like qualities (e.g. coloration, shape, texture) without capturing any of the true essence of bacon.
Examples:
and
Sidereal
Examples:
and
Sidereal
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
WWJB (Who Would Jesus Bill?)
For all my fellow citizens (notice how I didn't refer to you as my fellow taxpayers?) who are of right leaning political persuasions and who claim to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, I have the following questions:
When Jesus healed the sick, did he check first for proof of insurance? To whom did He send His bill?
Sidereal
When Jesus healed the sick, did he check first for proof of insurance? To whom did He send His bill?
Sidereal
Friday, August 28, 2009
New Word: fixel
Fixel: noun. a fixture element. The fix for a problem the requires the least possible amount of work. Sometimes fixels do not actually solve the problem, but give the appearance of having solved the problem, at least for long enough time that the responsible party can flee the scene.
Many common fixels involve the liberal application of duct tape, or wood putty, or baby wipes, or all three simultaneously. IT personnel often use the word "workaround" as a synonym for fixel.
Sidereal
Many common fixels involve the liberal application of duct tape, or wood putty, or baby wipes, or all three simultaneously. IT personnel often use the word "workaround" as a synonym for fixel.
Sidereal
Saturday, August 22, 2009
A Failure of Truth in Advertising.
I have a hard time taking anyone with this license plate on their car seriously, as the residents of the state of New Hampshire failed to collectively off themselves at any time between 2001 and 2009.
Sidereal
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Further Conversations with Sidereal Jr.
In which an alternate explanation for the disappearance of the dinosaurs is posited.....
S. Jr.: Daddy, are the dinosaurs all gone from the Earth?
S.: Yes, they are.
S. Jr.: Are they dead?
S.: Yes, they died a long, long time ago.
S. Jr.: Why are they all dead?
S.: I don't know. Maybe they got sick?
S. Jr.: Or maybe they all went to the Sun!
He's at the forefront of both astronomy and paleology!
Sidereal
S. Jr.: Daddy, are the dinosaurs all gone from the Earth?
S.: Yes, they are.
S. Jr.: Are they dead?
S.: Yes, they died a long, long time ago.
S. Jr.: Why are they all dead?
S.: I don't know. Maybe they got sick?
S. Jr.: Or maybe they all went to the Sun!
He's at the forefront of both astronomy and paleology!
Sidereal
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Books I Read in June
Okay, so July was pretty much a loss as far as blogging goes. But at least I was active in ways that were financially rewarding. And I managed to do a lot of reading. But first I need to cover June's reading list, so here goes, along with the usual comments of varying degrees of snark:
Poison Sleep -- T.A. Pratt: 6/3/09 - 6/4/09
Good book. Bad dreams become real as living nightmares walk the streets. The Forces of Good must stand together to defeat Evil once and for all. No, wait a minute, that sounds like our world, from January 2001 to January 2009.... At least in our world the Forces of Good finally triumphed.
Dead Reign -- T.A. Pratt: 6/5/09 - 6/6/09
Death comes calling, literally. And what's worse, he wants Marla Mason to return his magic Swiss Army Knife of Doooooom! But without it she can't be the top dog sorceress anymore. Plot ensues.
Spell Games -- T.A. Pratt: 6/7/09 - 6/8/09
Marla's dead beat brother comes looking her up wanting to patch up their bad relationship. And the fact that she's now fabulously wealthy has nothing to do with it, no sirree. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the fungus god of the Pacific Northwest (ahh, that explains Starbucks.....) decides to invade Marla's city in search of magic mushroom spores.
Daemons are Forever -- Simon R. Green: 6/9/09 - 6/11/09
Number two in Green's series about Eddie Drood, magical secret agent whose family has been protecting us from Lovecraftian horrors for centuries, while also exploiting us lesser mortals. Despite the fact that all the entries in this series so far have been puns on the titles of James Bond novels, they have absolutely none of the feel of Bond, at least the movie version.
The Sharing Knife: Passage -- Lois McMaster Bujold: 6/12/09 - 6/15/09
I get the feeling that I read this book back in third grade, when we covered settling of the Midwest USA, only back then it didn't have a 60 year old guy shacking up with an underage girl.
If you liked the first two, you'll probably like this one.
Ragamuffin -- Tobias Buckell: 6/19/09 - 6/22/09
More good space Jamaicans only this time they are versus fewer evil space Aztecs, but have some eeevil space Chinese to be versus against. It is a follow-up to Crystal Rain, and has some of the same characters, but they show up only about halfway through the book. Ragamuffin really expands Buckell's future history, and it has a pretty unique feel to it. Recommended.
Sideways in Crime -- ed. Lou Anders: 6/25/09 - 7/6/09
An anthology of mostly good alternate history crime stories. In some cases the term "crime story" is pretty loosely defined, but that's okay. I heard somewhere that the publishers went ahead with this book only after shooting down the companion book: Sideways in Dentistry.
So, seven books in June. Not bad. Of the seven, the first four were read on my Kindle. The first three of those were purchased directly as a result of reading the first book in the series as a free e-book. Ragamuffin was also bought because I enjoyed the first book for free. Sadly in the case of Ragamuffin, books 1 and 3 can be had in e-book form, but not book 2. But four sales made directly as a result of free e-books, in June alone. I hope all your marketing people are taking notes.....
Sidereal
Poison Sleep -- T.A. Pratt: 6/3/09 - 6/4/09
Good book. Bad dreams become real as living nightmares walk the streets. The Forces of Good must stand together to defeat Evil once and for all. No, wait a minute, that sounds like our world, from January 2001 to January 2009.... At least in our world the Forces of Good finally triumphed.
Dead Reign -- T.A. Pratt: 6/5/09 - 6/6/09
Death comes calling, literally. And what's worse, he wants Marla Mason to return his magic Swiss Army Knife of Doooooom! But without it she can't be the top dog sorceress anymore. Plot ensues.
Spell Games -- T.A. Pratt: 6/7/09 - 6/8/09
Marla's dead beat brother comes looking her up wanting to patch up their bad relationship. And the fact that she's now fabulously wealthy has nothing to do with it, no sirree. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the fungus god of the Pacific Northwest (ahh, that explains Starbucks.....) decides to invade Marla's city in search of magic mushroom spores.
Daemons are Forever -- Simon R. Green: 6/9/09 - 6/11/09
Number two in Green's series about Eddie Drood, magical secret agent whose family has been protecting us from Lovecraftian horrors for centuries, while also exploiting us lesser mortals. Despite the fact that all the entries in this series so far have been puns on the titles of James Bond novels, they have absolutely none of the feel of Bond, at least the movie version.
The Sharing Knife: Passage -- Lois McMaster Bujold: 6/12/09 - 6/15/09
I get the feeling that I read this book back in third grade, when we covered settling of the Midwest USA, only back then it didn't have a 60 year old guy shacking up with an underage girl.
If you liked the first two, you'll probably like this one.
Ragamuffin -- Tobias Buckell: 6/19/09 - 6/22/09
More good space Jamaicans only this time they are versus fewer evil space Aztecs, but have some eeevil space Chinese to be versus against. It is a follow-up to Crystal Rain, and has some of the same characters, but they show up only about halfway through the book. Ragamuffin really expands Buckell's future history, and it has a pretty unique feel to it. Recommended.
Sideways in Crime -- ed. Lou Anders: 6/25/09 - 7/6/09
An anthology of mostly good alternate history crime stories. In some cases the term "crime story" is pretty loosely defined, but that's okay. I heard somewhere that the publishers went ahead with this book only after shooting down the companion book: Sideways in Dentistry.
So, seven books in June. Not bad. Of the seven, the first four were read on my Kindle. The first three of those were purchased directly as a result of reading the first book in the series as a free e-book. Ragamuffin was also bought because I enjoyed the first book for free. Sadly in the case of Ragamuffin, books 1 and 3 can be had in e-book form, but not book 2. But four sales made directly as a result of free e-books, in June alone. I hope all your marketing people are taking notes.....
Sidereal
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