Genre Fiction Generator October 3, 2009
Posted by Cyd in fantasy, science fiction.Tags: SF, web comic, writing
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Since very little SF reading has been happening in these quarters of late, I’m going to diverge a little from the book commentary posting to relay this delightful genre fiction generator, recently posted on the Wondermark web comic site. Go see it, and while you’re there, read some of the other entries. I’ve recently become a big fan.
RIP Charles N. Brown, editor of Locus Magazine July 13, 2009
Posted by Cyd in fantasy, science fiction.Tags: Charles N. Brown, Locus Magazine, news
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Locus Magazine reports the sad news of the death of founder and editor Charles Brown on July 12, 2009. Mr. Brown was co-founder of a fan newsletter called Locus, which eventually became the magazine of the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror fields. I’ve been a loyal reader for years now, and have enjoyed Brown’s personable editorials and reviews. I can only hope that his legacy lives on for many years.
Good Omens. Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett June 22, 2009
Posted by Cyd in fantasy.Tags: angels, apocalypse, comedy, demons, fantasy, humour, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
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Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
This novel was originally published in 1990, before Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett were as well known as they are today. It’s a terrifically fun book, full of the silliness that I associate with Pratchett, and the inventiveness that I associate with Gaiman.
Eleven years ago, the stage was set for the end of the world. And now everything has been put in motion for the final battle between the armies of Good and Evil. Except for one small problem – someone’s botched things.
Aziraphale (an Angel) and Crowley (“an Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards”) are pressed by their respective bosses to make sure that everything goes right in the final moments of the Apocalypse. The problem is things aren’t going right, and the pair, who have been friends for ages (literally), are actually rather happy about that.
Enter into that mix a descendant of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the last existing members of the Witchfinder Army, a group of kids and an assortment of other characters, and you get this funny story of the end of the world (maybe). There is a lot of action, a lot of confusion, and a good bit of satire about the nature of good and evil, and of end-of-the-world prophecies.
I completely enjoyed reading this book. It’s a great light read, perfect for summer.
Making Comics. by Scott McCloud May 23, 2009
Posted by kaslkaos in graphic novel.Tags: art, comics, drawing, graphic novels, reference, scott mccloud
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Full Title: Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels
This book did not immediately catch my eye. It’s done in comic format and when I initially flipped through it (something I’m in the habit of doing with reference books) it seemed both too busy and flip. Since it was at the library, borrowing costs nothing and I brought it home.
Wow!
Once I started reading it in the manner intended, I realized this book divulges in entertaining detail the innermost secrets of the graphic novel world. This is not a beginners art book, it will not teach you how to draw; it will teach you how to tell stories in words and pictures. How to express emotions through changes in facial expressions and body language, how to slow down time with wordless frames and how draw the reader into a created world with a panoramic scene. I would tell you more, but I’m breathless with wonder. All these secrets are revealed with fully realized examples in every panel, and detailed, but fun explanatory breakdowns so that even the most technical phrases are simple and memorable. If you are an artist, this book is a treasure, if you are a comics fan, this is a fascinating read. I’d buy it if I had too, but I’ll just keep borrowing. Don’t expect to find it in the Whitchurch Stouffville Library any time soon–it’s with me.
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. Michael Chabon May 5, 2009
Posted by Cyd in science fiction.Tags: Alaska, alternate history, Michael Chabon, mystery, science fiction, The Yiddish Policemen's Union
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Michael Chabon is a rare sort of writer who moves from genre to genre to mainstream fiction with ease, and without anyone seeming to complain. After reading this novel I can understand why. He is quite simply a very good writer. His use of language is wonderful, his characters are interesting and complex, and his story-telling skills are first-rate. It’s not surprising that he has won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction (for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay).
This novel is science fiction only in the fact that it takes place in world with an alternate history to our own. In this world, Israel fell in 1948 and the Jews were dispersed around the world to wherever would have them. A temporary haven was created for them in the District of Sitka, Alaska, and a thriving community took root. The novel takes place a couple of weeks before “Reversion,” when the district is set to revert back to Alaskan control, and the Jews living there are being dispersed once again.
On the surface this is a mystery story in which a homicide detective, Meyer Landsman, defies the authorities to investigate a murder that takes place in the dive of a hotel he calls home. Together with his partner, half-Tlingit Berko Shemets, and the alternating interference and support of his boss and ex-wife, Bina Gelbfish, he tries to unravel the truth behind the murder.
Below the surface, though, is the story of a man who is trying to redeem himself and his life. He has hit bottom, and seems to feel he has nothing left to lose in continuing an investigation that appears destined to ruin him or worse. So he presses on into a world of chess, politics, the Jewish underworld and Jewish mysticism.
I loved the various twists and turns of the plot, the unpredictable events and the world that Chabon has created. I loved the humanity of the characters, and the complexity of the society of the Jews of Sitka. And I thoroughly enjoyed Chabon’s writing.
