Coyote

Allen Steele’s novel Coyote is an excellent, hard science fiction novel about the colonization of a new world. It combines politics, adventure and science into a pleasant reading experience. There are some minor discrepancies in the writing (like the river delta described in the trip down to the Equatorial ‘River’ being on the wrong side according to the map) but these are picky things and easily ignored.
The Coyote series was mentioned in two of the sessions I attended at Worldcon 2009, particularly Lots of Planets have a North. Steele was also one of the authors participating in the Atlanta Nights hoax novel I golbed about earlier.
I recommend it and would like to read the rest of the series!

The Shadow of the Torturer

I had heard vague rumours about the science fiction author Gene Wolfe and heard writers, whom I very much admire, refering to his work this summer at Worldcon. But I didn’t do anything about it until after I joined an online SF writing critique site and stumbled across something interesting when I was made curious about the background of one of the people who had commented on my short story The Oak Door. The site that gained my attention was for Lexicon Urthus, a 440 page book of years of fan analysis of Gene Wolfe’s New Sun series. I was intrigued that such a cult of fans could exist for an SF author I knew so little of.
So I read The Shadow of the Torturer (1980) which is the first novel in The Book of the New Sun. At first I found the language so wild and dense, I was daunted, but like Shakespeare’s rolling prose (and that is no idle comparison) you disarmingly and quickly get to a point where you can’t put the damn book down. Wolfe’s characterization and incredible imagery are stunning. His command of the language and ability to invent or re-use obscure words (and, by the way, make you feel that reaching for a dictionary isn’t really necessary although you’d like to if it wouldn’t be interrupting your reading) is incredible.
There is no question that I will be reading the rest of his books and likely re-reading The Shadow of the Torturer for pure pleasure.
There is enough written about Wolfe and certainly his work that I shouldn’t need to entice anyone to look into his writing. But if you absolutely need a spoiler that will goad you into reading this book then here it is: Wolfe conjures up a duel between two hooded men using alien flowers as weapons, makes it believable and creates an image that is very likely to be burned into your brain forever.
What can I say. Like Paul Linebarger, Octavia Butler and Neal Stephenson, Wolfe is a visionary writer and worth the time of any serious science fiction reader.

The Great Atlanta Nights Travis Tea

James D. Macdonald is a science fiction writer who organized the great Atlanta Nights hoax. So what, you might ask, is that?
First some background. PublishAmerica is a book producer that claims to be a ‘real’ publisher as opposed to a vanity press. They say they only accept high-quality manuscripts. They also said some pretty derogatory things about science fiction and fantasy writers that Macdonald was determined to act on. So he, together with a group of colleagues, created the book Atlanta Nights which was so bad it should never have been accepted as anything other than the joke it was intended to be. It was missing a chapter, had two chapter 12’s, chapters 4 and 17 were exactly identical and one particularly bad chapter was written by computer software. Nevertheless, PublishAmerica agreed to publish it. But over a month later and, coincidentally, one day after the authors publicly revealed it to be a hoax, they rescinded the offer.
The wiki article above is very entertaining and if you want more I would suggest listening to an interview with Macdonald on this podcast.

The Diamond Age

This has been the first Neal Stephenson novel I finished but it won’t be the last. I tried to read Stephenson’s Snow Crash previously but I wasn’t able to get into it before I had to return it.  Now that I’ve read The Diamond Age I certainly want to give it another try. This is an excellent read about a girl and her primer in a future where diamond windows and airships made lighter than air with nano vacuum suspension are easily created. Where nano engineers can design almost anything imaginable and make them available, at a cost, through matter compilers fed by pure streams of molecules. The new economy is based on ideas and where old national lines (although they still try to rear themselves up) are a thing of the past. So without countries what defines which team you’re in? Stephenson suggests that phyles are formed based on common economic goals and principles. The Neo-Victorians, controlling the largest sources for the matter compilers and having some of the best nano engineers is at the top of the stack. In this story, Stephenson chooses to focus on the Vickys as well as their interactions with other phyles.
A Vicky engineer (John Percival Hackworth is one of the best) is commissioned to create a primer for a girl. This book bonds to its reader and transforms itself into the best learning device for her. It is designed to not only pass on knowledge but also to ensure that the reader has ‘an interesting life’. But Hackworth’s desire for his own daughter to have the same opportunity in life, leads him to create an illegal copy of the primer. This copy falls into the hands of the main character Nell, a young, poor and innocent thete (someone without a phyle). The story then revolves around the chain of events this unanticipated act causes.
This book was nearly impossible for me to put down. The ideas were very interesting and the main characters, especially Nell, were incredibly engaging.
This is not an easy book to get through but great works of art often incur a price. This art is very highly recommended and worth it.

Ender’s Game

I have finally read Orson Scott Card’s brilliant novel Ender’s Game which is the first book in the Ender’s series.  This was originally a shorter novelette but was reworked into a full length novel by Card.  It is about a young boy named Ender who is a long hoped for military genius on a future Earth.  He is force trained to become the tool that will save mankind from an alien menace.  But Ender is, in the end, his own man or boy.  A product of his handlers but not them; the book has an incredibly surprising finish. 
I enjoyed it very much. It is intensely psychological and, like many of the best examples of fiction writers, Card dwells strongly in the territory of human relationships. That’s what makes Ender so interesting. In the end, Ender is more important than even Earth leaders think. The fate of more than just human’s is involved.
I definitely want to read more in the series.
Highly recommended.

The Outlander

This film starring Jim Kaviezel (Kainan) was a pleasant surprise. Although it involves Earth’s past, Vikings, an alien, his space craft, and a pissed off alien dragon it isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds.  The writer explains these so well that they didn’t remind me overly much of the rash of Beowulf movies lately. The back story (that humans had been seeded on Earth by Kainan’s people) and that Kainan crash landed with an imprisoned alien dragon was an explanation for his human appearance. It certainly seemed reasonable as I watched, anyway.  I liked the special effects for the Moorwen or dragon. It is a good adventure film and, I think, worth a couple of hours of precious time if you like good action sci-fi films.

Saturn’s children

Charles Stross‘ Saturn’s children: a Space Opera (Ace Books, 2008) is not what I’d call opera. Told from the perspective of Freya Nakamichi 47, designed as a sex bot for human pleasure, I would call it a good hard science fiction story. Freya’s trouble begins when she takes a job as a ‘courier’ for a secretive organization. On her voyages from Venus to Mercury, to Mars, to Callisto (a moon of Jupiter) and then finally to Eris (a dwarf planet bigger than Pluto and way out there) Stross explores various forms of interplanetary transport. Realistically. And, along the way, fills in an interesting history of the final era of humans to beyond their extinction in the 23rd century. What happens to the servants, slaves and helpers of humanity after they are gone is an interesting story line.
I picked this book up as it was being advertised heavily at World Con this summer and, at one of the Con parties, one of his fans told me that he was envious when I told him I hadn’t read any of Stross’ work. He said that I was in for a treat when I did.
I liked Saturn’s Children but I didn’t find it spectacular. But there’s no way I’ll give up on Stross (we have computer programming in both our backgrounds), I think I’d like to try Accelerando when I next try one of his books. It sounds like a cool idea.

The Final Cut

As I’ve indicated before I’m a big fan of Robin Williams so it’s no surprise that when Karen brought home The Final Cut, a 2004 sci-fi movie, I was very interested. Like One Hour Photo, this is a serious Robin performance. He plays a Cutter (Alan Hakman), a man who cuts people’s life memory implant footage to create a flattering portrayal of their lives.
This Zoe implant may sound like a gimmick but the ideal is well fleshed out and then dissected as the plot progresses. There is a group who actively oppose the implant and the ex-Cutter Fletcher (Jim Caviezel) re-enters Alan’s life trying to get the implant of an Eye-Tech lawyer (the producers of the Zoe implant) to try to discredit the company.
It’s an unusual science fiction film as there are so few special effects running the show.  They’re there but only to subtly provide authenticity. I have to give Omar Naim full marks as writer and Director for bravely letting the story sit in the driver’s seat to allow such an interesting film. Such a different tack for an American sci-fi movie. This is thrilling and psychological and feels realistic. The plot is complicated (like a good science fiction book) but worth it. It is extremely well acted, too.
The last scene (which I won’t describe as it would be a spoiler) is beautifully done.  So Brecht!
Very highly recommended.

Post Worldcon 2009 Impressions

OK. So I went. I saw. And I lurked. Worldcon 2009 was an incredibly rich set of awesomenesses.

Here are the sessions I sat in on from Thursday through to Sunday:

• Open Science – Workable Goal or Idealistic Fantasy?
• the last part of Bio-Ethics
• What is Consciousness?
• Re-reading
• First Contact: Worldbuilding
• How to Respond to a Critique of your Writing
• part of the Opening Ceremonies
• How to Get to Alpha Centauri
• Writing Workshop L
• Private Passions: Writing
• Friends Without Benefits?
• The Goldilocks Alien
• David Clements
• What Makes A Good Story?
• Mosquitos and Laser Beams
• How to Pitch Your Novel… and how not to
• Driven by Character; Starting with a Character
• Gaiman reads Doctorow
• Brewing and Distilling in Extreme Environments
• English-Canada Small-Press SF Publishers
• Lots of Planets have a North
• Private Passions: The Many Interests of Neil Gaiman
• Economics of the Star Traders
• The Herschel Space Telescope
• Hugo Awards Ceremony

There was also the Dealers and Artist Hall which was fascinating to stroll through.  And, in the evenings, there were the parties on the top (28th) and the 5th floors of the Delta.  I bumped into David Clements at one of these and picked his brain about low-metal planets.   During the many sessions I attended I learned a great deal: it will take a while to absorb it all. I would have attended more on Monday but I had to catch the Greyhound bus to return home with my bike on Monday morning at 5:30AM.

During the sessions mention was made, often in passing, of significant stories that influenced session leaders or audience. For example, They’re Made of Meat by Terry Bisson came up twice. Try the link above and you’ll see it’s a short read. Also, the short SF story writer Ted Chiang’s name was mentioned at least three times. I found the novelette Understand online and took the time to read it. Wow!

As a fan I saw many people whose work I’ve admired for years including Julie Czerneda, Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, James Alan Gardner, Nancy Kress, Larry Niven, Robert J. Sawyer, Robert Silverburg and Bill Willingham.

Scientists (also fans and some are writers too) attended Worldcon and participated too. The following impressed me: David Clements, Geoff Hart, Jordin Kane, G. David Nordley and Peter Watts.

I had volunteered to help with the Registration desk and did over 25 hours worth. That was fun, actually, as it gave me a chance to practice my Francaise and gave me a ‘home’ to return to after absorbing all the stuff! And if that was home then Lea was Mom, Dave was Dad, Elayne and Sandy were the live-in relatives who made things work and everyone else were siblings (including John whose family I know well from Guelph – small world!)

On a more personal note, two chapters of my novel “The Relater” were critiqued (along with offerings from two other aspirants) during a workshop lead by writers Laura Anne Gilman and Margaret Ronald. This was enlightening and useful: I intend to do some editing. I also met with the Publisher to whom I originally submitted back in April and discussed my intent to withdraw my submission until I can make changes. Luckily she hadn’t looked at it yet and agreed to wait until I resubmit. I want it to be the best it can be.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

In anticipation of seeing this new remake directed by Scott Derrickson I showed the original 1951 version to the kids. For all the money and special effects, the new movie had very little of the impact of Robert Wise’s classic film. It was merely an interesting effects vehicle and not worth the price of admission. You can buy the DVD if you must but be sure you get the one that includes the original film even though it doesn’t have many special features. I’m glad I waited for the library to get it before seeing it.
Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, Jennifer Connelly as Dr. Helen Benson along with Kathy Bates as the Secretary of Defense (Regina Jackson) and John Cleese as Professor Barnhardt were all good but the sum of the parts now just wasn’t gripping or revolutionary. One obvious lack was the whole relationship developed between Klaatu and the boy Bobby. This is, I believe, how Klaatu is originally won over. And the heroism of Helen, his mother, when she tries to save the alien and the world in the end. Just completely absent. And for those poor people who haven’t seen the original, I doubt the meaning behind the title is even remotely possible to make out.
So see the original which, though over 50 years old, I still say is very highly recommended. And if you must watch the remake be sure you don’t pay too much for the sad thing.