Nebula Nominated Short Stories 2013

I haven’t been in much of a science fiction/fantasy mood lately so I only got through the Nebula nominated short stories this year. The winners will be announced May 18th at SFWA’s annual banquet.

SHORT STORY Nominees

• “Robot“, Helena Bell (Clarkesworld 9/12) – I may be at an age when I don’t want to read YA fiction, but I don’t want to read Old People fiction either. Or having recently lost my grandparents, this hit a little close to the bone.
• “Immersion“, Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld 6/12) – Had a hard time getting into this story, but it was worth the work.
• “Fragmentation, or Ten Thousand Goodbyes“, Tom Crosshill (Clarkesworld 4/12) – This is very much a “middle age” fiction, and I’m happy to have some of those issues being addressed in speculative works.
• “Nanny’s Day“, Leah Cypess (Asimov’s 3/12) – I found the sci-fi technology elements distracting. Would it have been better without them?
• “Give Her Honey When You Hear Her Scream“, Maria Dahvana Headley (Lightspeed 7/12) – Best line I’ve read in a while: “He looks at the crow’s feet around her eyes. Side effect of smiling. Crows walk on those who laugh in their sleep. He tried to tell her, but she did it anyway.”
• “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species“, Ken Liu (Lightspeed 8/12) – Read this one back in August of 2012. Enjoyed it quite a bit, especially interesting in this age of books vs. ebooks. “Everyone makes books.”
• “Five Ways to Fall in Love on Planet Porcelain“, Cat Rambo (Near + Far) – “Were there any sorrows, any passions that might lead her thoughts along the same groove till it gave, eroded into madness?” Cat Rambo is also becoming one of my favorite authors.

(Links courtesy SF Signal)

As a general thing, I liked that many of these stories were geared more toward an older age group. I have nothing against YA fiction, but its characters do deal with a certain set of problems that are the problems of young people. This is why Dune, despite the young protagonist, isn’t YA fiction. Paul Atreides deals with problems that aren’t related to his age. The majority of these short stories deal with the problems of middle age (or at least past YA or even past NA): cheating spouses, the decline of parents’ health, custody of children, aging in general. It’s actually sort of refreshing. Despite that, I like Ken Liu’s “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” the best. I’m a sucker for meta fiction about storytelling.

Also, I really hope Looper wins the Ray Bradbury Award for dramatic presentation. I liked Avengers and Cabin in the Woods, but I think Looper may be the best time travel movie out there and a damn nice stab at an interesting SF world.

Saturday Cinema ~ Rian Johnson

Rian Johnson is currently one of my favorite writer/directors. Of course, with only three feature films on his resume, it could be argued that he hasn’t had the chance to let me down. Whatever the case, Johnson’s three films are all a bit on the risky side, but definitely worthwhile. He works with many of the same people across projects which gives the trio consistency. His other directing work includes an episode of Terriers (a TV show I adored) and several episodes of Breaking Bad.

Rian Johnson’s website includes the scripts of his movies.

Brick (2005)

A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. (via IMDB)

Brick is undeniably noir. The dialogue is sharp and stylishly overwrought. The world is relatively empty; only characters that concern us get time on-screen. Steve Yedlin, the cinematographer on all of Johnson’s movies, can imbue bright a football field with certain menace. While set in a high school, the movie is rated R, which might have made it a hard sell demographic-wise. I’ll admit that I was dubious of the film for that reason, and it requires a certain suspension of disbelief to accept the incongruity of the plot and the setting. After the first time I watched this movie, I wasn’t entirely sure I liked it, but I did want to watch it again.

The Brothers Bloom (2008)

The Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they’ve decided to take on one last job – showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world. (via IMDB)

Honestly, it would have been hard for me to not like this movie. A heist with Rachel Weisz? Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody as con men? Quriky style? Aside from Ghostbusters, there might not be a film more perfectly suited to me. The world of The Brothers Bloom isn’t quite reality. The entire film feels like an elaborate magic trick, skipping  in tone from a 40s familiar pick-a-card  slight-of-hand to 80s slick set-piece illusions and back again. It’s a great looking, slightly absurd movie that I don’t think enough people have seen.

Looper (2012)

In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to ‘close the loop’ by transporting back Joe’s future self. (via IMDB)

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, this is by far Rian Johnson’s most well-known movie. While its “present” is our future, like Brick, Looper has a noir sensibility. Much of the movie’s set-up is given to us in voice-over by Joe. He tells us about blunderbusses, gat men, and how one “closes the loop.” There is a conscious nod to the past. “How can you kids stand to wear those chokers?” asks Abe, a man from the future, referring to the current (future) fashion of wearing ties. “The movies that you’re dressing like are just copying other movies.” Looper itself might borrow from other movies, but Johnson creates a interestingly rendered future and a well put together time travel flick.

Throwback Thursday ~ Dune

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books!

Noting that book blogging often focuses on new releases, here’s how Throwback Thursday works:

1. Updated! Pick any media (or non-media item) released more than 5 years ago. Remember to keep it book-related!
2. Write up a short summary of the book (include the title, author, and cover art) and an explanation of why you love it.
3. Link up your post at The Housework Can Wait or Never Too Fond of Books.
4. Visit as many blogs as you can, reminisce about books you loved, and discover some “new” books for your TBR list!

Checkout today’s Throwback Thursday link up for details on the TT giveaway!

Dune by Frank Herbert

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Maud’dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family—and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream. (via Goodreads)

This is what I wrote about it on June 30, 2005:

My mother read all the Dune books. I tried reading Dune in 8th grade. I got to page 100 before becoming completely confused. I watched the 80s movie. That didn’t help. In college I watch the movie again and got a little more out of it. I stole my mom’s copy and vowed to read it one day. (That was probably ten years ago. I’ll bring her book back when we visit.) Eric recommended Dune to me. That was probably a good six or seven year ago. I finally read it, and my adult brain gets it. It is good, very good.

It’s been a very influential book for me as a writer. Herbert was a journalist and wrapped subjects he knew in science fiction paper. The novel was different for its time and that’s always encouraging. There have been two major film adaptations. David Lynch’s 1984 movie has a very interesting feel, though is only kinda-sorta based on the book.

The Sy Fy Channel’s 2000 set of mini-series is closer to the books, but still doesn’t quite get a few things right.

Both are good viewing, and the book is excellent.

Throwback Thursday ~ Horus Rising

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books!

Noting that book blogging often focuses on new releases, here’s how Throwback Thursday works:

1. Updated! Pick any media (or non-media item) released more than 5 years ago. Remember to keep it book-related!
2. Write up a short summary of the book (include the title, author, and cover art) and an explanation of why you love it.
3. Link up your post at The Housework Can Wait or Never Too Fond of Books.
4. Visit as many blogs as you can, reminisce about books you loved, and discover some “new” books for your TBR list!

Special Announcement from the Throwback team:

NEXT WEEK, we will put up a list of Throwback Book/DVD combo prize packs. No, I’m not telling you what the selection will be yet, but trust me, there will be something for everyone. There will be a Rafflecopter to enter. The giveaway will run for one week, and when it ends, the winner will get to pick the prize pack of their choice.

ALL THROWBACK THURSDAY POSTS AND COMMENTS FROM JANUARY WILL QUALIFY AS ENTRIES. There will be space on the Rafflecopter to let us know how involved you’ve been in Throwback Thursday this month. The more you participated, the better your chances.

So what are you waiting for? Link up, and we can’t wait to unveil our prize packs next week!

Horus Rising by Dan Abnett

I originally reviewed this book on April 20, 2010:

I’m always a little wary of tie-in books. Like many of the trendy 80′s TV series movie remakes, tie-in books are often commissioned to take advantage of a brand. They aren’t necessarily of good quality. I’ve read enough Star Trek and Star Wars novels to know this to be true. There is also some pretty good tie-in fiction out there. Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy probably did more to reinvigorate the Star Wars franchise than he’s given credit for, due in part to the solid nature of his work. But don’t think I encountered a tie-in that could stand alone until now.

I know a bit about the Warhammer 40K universe, but not much. … I’ve previously read a 40k novel. That novel was pretty disappointing. Still in my search for palatable military SF, I figured I’d give 40K a second try with a series recommended by Chris Morgan. The Horus Heresy novels are set 10 millennium before Warhammer 40K (the 40K here referring to the human race in the year 40,000) and sets up some of the conflict that pervades that universe. Abnett does a wonderful job in doing that, even though this novel (the first in the series) only really sets up that setup.

I enjoyed this novel a great deal. It has great writing, solid characters who don’t do stupid things, and lots of ambiguity. Abnett questions the concept of the righteous war against the backdrop of 40K’s nature vs chaos themes. He also presents the value of historians and journalists in such actions; an aspect of the story which I hadn’t expected. In many ways, this is a great war novel, but not such a great sci-fi novel. Much of that is due to the 40K setting. I question some of the lack of technical advancement in such a far-future setting. Only so much of that can be accounted for by technological dark ages. On the whole, I can overlook those things when the narrative is compelling enough.

Writing-wise, Abnett doesn’t go out of his way to explain technology, and I don’t feel that lack. The battle scenes are something to study. They are fluid and clear. He also plays with the chronology of narrative and does so effortlessly. These things can be done. You just have to do them well.

I plan on reading #4 in this series later on this year. As a note: this was a novel I read as part of the very first read-a-thon I took part in.

Man in the Empty Suit

Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Ferrell

Say you’re a time traveler and you’ve already toured the entirety of human history. After a while, the outside world might lose a little of its luster. That’s why this time traveler celebrates his birthday partying with himself. Every year, he travels to an abandoned hotel in New York City in 2071, the hundredth anniversary of his birth, and drinks twelve-year-old Scotch (lots of it) with all the other versions of who he has been and who he will be. Sure, the party is the same year after year, but at least it’s one party where he can really, well, be himself.

The year he turns 39, though, the party takes a stressful turn for the worse. Before he even makes it into the grand ballroom for a drink he encounters the body of his forty-year-old self, dead of a gunshot wound to the head… (via Goodreads)

Time travel. It’s basically a set up for narrative failure. Usually, a paradox is involved. A paradox is defined as “an argument that produces an inconsistency, typically within logic or common sense.” Those are things that a writer tries to avoid when writing. Time travel stories are usually saved by their fantasy quality. The technology is so far out that belief is pretty quickly suspended. Really, as long as a time travel story isn’t overly confused or obfuscatory, I’m good with it.

Sean Ferrell does a really good job writing a fairly complex time travel story without it getting muddled. For the first third of the story, the only character is the main character–or rather versions of himself. Yet, interactions between the character are clear and surprisingly interesting. Similarly, events that are repeated are given enough of a twist to keep them fresh. Ferrell is at his best when writing tense, paranoid, cat-and-mouse interactions. Basically, this book is most enjoyable when its being a noir mystery. After the first third, the book takes a bit of turn–out of the shadows and into the sun, if you will. It’s narratively important to move on to this, but not quite as interesting. There were points in the story when I really wanted beat the main character with a bat, but the ending of the book is good.

Man in the Empty Suit is slated for release on Feb. 5th from Soho Press.
(First book I read this year, third review.)

Genre: Sci-Fi Noir
Why did I choose to read this book? Saw it on NetGallley, sounded interesting.
Did I finish this book? (If not, why?) Finished! It was the first book of the year.
Craft Lessons: It’s okay for a character to be unlikeable as long as what’s going on around him is interesting.
Format: Kindle eBook, read mostly on my Kindle
Procurement: NetGalley

Throwback Thursday ~ The Caves of Steel

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books!

Noting that book blogging often focuses on new releases, here’s how Throwback Thursday works:

1. Updated! Pick any media (or non-media item) released more than 5 years ago. Remember to keep it book-related!
2. Write up a short summary of the book (include the title, author, and cover art) and an explanation of why you love it.
3. Link up your post at The Housework Can Wait or Never Too Fond of Books.
4. Visit as many blogs as you can, reminisce about books you loved, and discover some “new” books for your TBR list!

ATTENTION! Next week, Mandi and Lauren will be hosting a Throwback Giveaway! That’s right, you will be able to WIN THINGS!

But here’s the catch: You will have the best chance of winning if you participate in Throwback Thursday. And comment on other people’s Throwback Thursday posts. You can do this after the giveaway goes live, but EVEN OLD THROWBACK THURSDAY POSTS WILL COUNT AS ENTRIES. In other words, browse your bookshelf or DVD collection, find something you loved, and HOP TO. RIGHT NOW. Get a leg up on the slackers.

The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov

A millennium into the future two advancements have altered the course of human history: the colonization of the galaxy and the creation of the positronic brain. Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels chronicle the unlikely partnership between a New York City detective and a humanoid robot who must learn to work together.

Like most people left behind on an over-populated Earth, New York City police detective Elijah Baley had little love for either the arrogant Spacers or their robotic companions. But when a prominent Spacer is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Baley is ordered to help track down the killer. The relationship between Lije and his Spacer superiors, who distrusted all Earthmen, was strained from the start. Then he learned that they had assigned him a partner: R. Daneel Olivaw. “R” stands for robot—-and his positronic partner was made in the image and likeness of the murder victim! (via Goodreads)

I’m killing several birds with one stone this week, reviewing something I just finished rereading (Book 4 for the year) for Throwback Thursday *and* it’s Crime/Mystery too!

The Caves of Steel, first published in 1953, is credited as being the first science fiction mystery. The blending of the two genres was thought to be difficult to pull off because the use of far-future technology could be used as hocus-pocus to cheat the reader. Actually, you wouldn’t necessarily have to go too far future. How would any of the recent CSI TV shows look to a person from 1953 if they hadn’t seen the progression of science? Asimov manages to pull it off though, and better than I remember from my first reading of this book back in high school. I’m also not sure how prevalent the “buddy cop” trope was in the 50s, but Asimov presents an instance that I’m surprised hasn’t been adapted into a Will  Smith movie. (I, Robot (2004) was loosely based on other Asimov robot stories.) Lije and Daneel are a fun pair.

Despite being set in the far future, the book is very 1950s. People curse “golly.” Women are depicted as, let’s say, frivolous. Computing involved a lot of punch cards and tape. It makes me a little sad that Asimov passed away in 1992. He never got to see what computing would really become in only another decade. I’d like to think that he would have appreciated it. Despite its inaccuracies in predictions, the novel does hit on some interesting topics. What happens when robots (or some other population) move in to do jobs that others don’t want? What will happen as our life-spans continue to lengthen? I recently read a review of Asimov’s Foundation series in which the reader was disappointed that Asimov’s conclusion for the human race was that we’d continue on like we always have, no better or worse. That philosophy comes out in The Caves of Steel as well. Personally, I find that somewhat comforting. Asimov was a student of history as well as the sciences (there are biblical references in Caves) and knew that the past is not as rosy as we’d like to think and the future will never be as grim as we often fear.

I also realized that my writing style has probably been influenced by Asimov more than I thought. The way the story is paced and structured remind me very much of how I’ve come to write stories. I wonder what other habits I picked up from authors I first read in my teens?

My one problem is that, while Asimov doesn’t exactly cheat, the solution of the mystery relies on a piece of evidence that could have been addressed earlier without giving the story away. The mystery plot is actually a little thin in comparison to the time Asimov spends on the worldbuilding. It’s not a long novel and its the corner stone for two Lije and Daneel sequels.

Genre: Science-fiction mystery
Why did I choose to read this book? Someone from the Bout of Books Readathon was reading the second one which reminded me that I’ve been meaning to give the series a reread.
Did I finish this book? (If not, why?) Yes!
Craft Lessons: That moment when you realizes you’ve been subconsciously imitating works you read 20 years ago.
Format: Kindle ebook
Procurement: Greater Phoenix Digital Library

Sorry Please Thank You: Stories

Sorry Please Thank You: Stories by Charles Yu

A big-box store employee is confronted by a zombie during the graveyard shift, a problem that pales in comparison to his inability to ask a coworker out on a date . . . A fighter leads his band of virtual warriors, thieves, and wizards across a deadly computer-generated landscape . . . A company outsources grief for profit, their tagline: “Don’t feel like having a bad day? Let someone else have it for you.” Drawing from both pop culture and science, Charles Yu is a brilliant observer of contemporary society, filling his stories with equal parts laugh-out-loud humor and piercing insight into the human condition. He has already garnered comparisons to such masters as Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams, and in Sorry Please Thank You, we have resounding proof of a major new voice in American fiction. (via Goodreads)

I picked up this book, figuratively at least, after reading a rather dismal drawing room “thriller” set in the late 1800s. I needed something different and I found it. The thing I kept thinking as read Sorry Please Thank You is, “These stories are for me. ” Me, being defined as a pushing-40 product of the 1980s technology boom. Cable TV, VCRs, and personal computers gave my generation the ability experience the stories we enjoyed more easily than ever before. Gaming and BBSes gave us the ability to share our own stories more easily than ever before. And all these things have led us to asked slightly different questions about our lives.

This book has helped me further my view of what YA fiction is because Sorry Please Thank You is not. YA asks a certain set of questions: “Who am I? What is my place in this world? What is expected of me? Who will I love? Who will love me?” These questions are well and good, but they are sort of first order questions. The next set of “questions” isn’t what YA is about: “Wait, this is who I am? I’m not too sure about the place I’ve chosen in my world. And I’ve pretty much blown any expectations that anyone has had of me. I love that person though. And I sincerely hope that person loves me too (’cause they say they do…)” It’s not quite mid-life crisis, but it’s the sort of thing that rattles around a pushing-40 Gen-Xer’s mind on occasion.

Yu has a light touch with his stories. There are plenty of geek culture references and science fiction tropes (though many, many less than Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One), but it’s the characters and their place in the world that are the focus of the stories. As it should be. My favorite of the collection is “Hero Absorbs Major Damage.” Yu looks at destiny and choice and the amazing amount of insecurity that even a hero might face within the structure of characters in a computer RPG. It’s a really good tale. If I were one of those voter/nominators for sci-fi literature awards, I’d put Charles Yu’s name in the hat.

Genre: Speculative fiction short stories.
Why did I choose to read this book? Originally entered a give-away for it on Goodreads, it sounded good.
Did I finish this book? (If not, why?) Yes!
Craft Lessons: A had a bit of a realization about YA/non-YA, but other than that I just sat back and relaxed and enjoyed the stories.
Format: Used Overdrive’s browser-based reading app, which was pretty nice.
Procurement: Greater Phoenix Digital Library