DICKENSIAN

I feel like the universe is telling me to read Charles Dickens and not just one book either. No, his total output. I'm not sure why this is happening either. The notion popped into my head a week or so ago and since then I've seen references to Dickens here and there in my life. It's not a project I'm going to undertake right now, especially with my reading of Infinite Jest scheduled to start in a week. Once that project is over, I'll already have been in an English class for a few weeks and will have a bunch of reading to do there, I'm sure. It remains to be seen if the idea keeps afloat in the back of my brain - if that's the case, I'll probably have to do something about it.

I did just finish my 16th book of the year, Stalking the Unicorn by Mike Resnick. Originally published in 1987, it was just reissued last year by Pyr along with a sequel, Stalking the Vampire (which I also have out from the library). John Justin Mallory is a detective in Manhattan who is drunk on New Year's Eve. He is hired by an elf to recover a unicorn, which takes him to another Manhattan where such creatures life, along with leprechauns, demons, Gnomes of the Subway, goblins, trolls, and magic doesn't exist (what you think is magic is just science you don't know). Over the course of the novel, Mallory learns about the world and makes a few big decisions about his own. It's a fun book. I've been trying to decide if I should plow straight into the next book or read something in between, just because. We'll see.

This week I also read the April/May issue of F&SF. It is the first of the new bigger-sized bi-monthly issues but the only real changes are just those two things. F&SF is always dependable and if this issue didn't have any particular standouts, it also didn't have any stories that weren't worth reading. I call that a win.

SOME THOUGHTS

I spent most of my day reading Prince of Stories, a book covering the work of Neil Gaiman by Hank Wagner, Christopher Golden, and Stephen R. Bissette. It features synopses of his comics, novels, short stories, and so forth along with details of his legal battles with Todd McFarlane and interviews and so forth. It's not a perfect book. For instance, the section on his Sandman series summarizes each issue and then includes a "People, Places, and Things" section that pretty much restates the summaries. Still, I enjoyed reading about his work and I chose this book to be my first of the year for a reason, which I will get to shortly. In the end, though, the book makes me want to reread Gaiman's work and pick up the stuff I haven't read yet. Guess the book did its job.

I learned yesterday that F&SF is going to be changing its publishing schedule to every other month starting with the Apr./May issue this year (I just received the Feb. issue in the mail yesterday). The issues will be bigger (longer than the usual double issues are) but they will be losing about 10% of their annual content. It's not surprising with the way things are in publishing these days and I don't fault Gordon Van Gelder for it in the least. I am also glad that the best SF magazine will still be published.

I chose the book about Gaiman because he is one of my favorite writers and I've felt he is an example of the sort of writing career I would like to have. I thought reading about him would help to inspire me. It's no secret that I've wanted to be a writer for a long time...really, ever since I was a kid. College was when I actively made the decision and then spent a long time putting a ton of pressure on myself and becoming depressed over the whole thing. It's a dream I've put on the backburner over the last five years or more as I found something I liked doing and found some self-worth for the first time since I was a teenager.

My "Year of 35" project back in 2006-2007 was a way of reconnecting with all of those old creative dreams. It was always my plan to include writing as part of the project but I was having so much fun with the music and it was on such a smaller scale that I was content.

I start this year realizing that I do still want to write and I think I'm in a better place to do so now. I've made changes in my life that have me heading in a direction for the first time ever and I am content with that direction. Looking back, I think part of my problem with writing is that I had pinned all of my hopes on it...I couldn't conceive of myself doing anything but being a writer. So much pressure. I don't have that pressure now.

I want to see what I can do. I'd love to eventually be published in a place like F&SF, because I respect the magazine so much and greatly enjoy many of the writers published therein. I know that's getting ahead of myself. I'm going to start by trying to get something down, to finish something I start, and see where it goes from there. It's a modest proposition and I'm perfectly fine with that. I'm looking forward to the journey.

F&SF SEPT. 2008

I'm still pretty well behind on reading my SF magazines but I just read the Sept. issue of F&SF in a couple days. Of course, it helps when the stories are good enough to make you want to read.

The lead story is the title track from Paolo Bacigalupi's story collection, Pump Six and Other Stories. His work has been prominently featured in F&SF over the last few years, so it makes sense that they would reprint a new story here. Bacigalupi usually writes about grim futures and "Pump Six" is no exception. He also writes very well about those grim futures and again, "Pump Six" is no exception. This is a future when intelligence is not at a premium in society, where there are trogs who just have sex all day, where drug use is an accepted part of culture, and where all the machines that keep things running (like sewage) and getting old and breaking down. The story does end on a bit of hope, however.

After the two books columns comes "Search Continues for Elderly Man" by Laura Kasischke. I didn't care for it. I got what she was going for but I didn't feel like there was anything to hold onto in the story.

Fortunately, Carolyn Ives Gilman's novella, "Arkfall" was up next. It takes place on a planet where the (human)population lives underwater and lives either in "arks" or in an overcrowded dome. Society has evolved into one of passive-agression and is relatively stagnant. Osaji wants to break from from that stagnation but is also caring for her aged grandmother and feels trapped. She literally becomes trapped in an ark with an off-worlder and they end up exlporing a lot of the planet after a volcanic eruption. The relationships and the adventure are well done and make a nice complement to the other. I liked it.

Rand B. Lee's "Picnic on Pentecost" was an okay tale of big changes for the human race out in the stars and "'Shed That Guilt! Double Your Productivity'" by Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn was a fun little story about an unusual service for writers.

A quick count shows that Robert Reed's "Salad for Two" is the sixth story I've read by him this year. I wouldn't say it's my favorite of his but even his lesser stories are well worth reading.

Finally, Jim Aikin's "Run! Run!"was a solid capper to the issue. It's an alternate world where the United States becomes fully Christian and unicorns exist. A woman reflects on events from when she younger and she ended up saving the unicorns that lives on her farm (and were hidden from everyone else until her sister told people).

In the end, another good issue of F&SF and I continue to think it is the best SF magazine available. I have already started on the Sept. issue of Asimov's, so you can look for a rundown of that later this week.

SUMMER PROJECTS

I spent a good part of my morning clearing the decks - paging through the Wizard I wasted money on the other day, plus the new Previews, Spin, and a couple issues of Entertainment Weekly. I just felt like I needed to make some psychic space for myself. Why? I have some summer projects in mind and as today is June 1, it seems like it's time to start.

When I looked like I would have 5 weeks off of work, I decided that it was time to finally start writing a novel. Now that I may be working more, I still want to start writing a novel. I know which idea I want to start with and I'm looking forward to the challenge. I have not as yet decided on a schedule or set word goals or anything. I think I'll just start and see how it goes.

I've also got it in my head that I want to record an EP and have it out by the end of the year at the latest. I have enough songs now but I'd like to write a couple more to give myself options. I have people who I would like to be in the first recorded version of Aquatic Detective and I'm pretty sure they will all say yes (Graham already has). I'm very excited about this possibility as well and will obviously update on any progress.

I want to reread Y: The Last Man in preparation for the final volume, which is supposed to arrive on June 18. That gives me about 2 1/2 weeks to read 9 trades. Of course, I have 2 books out from the library right now (I started in on The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy this morning) and another 7 requested. And that doesn't count the 4 issues of F&SF and the 2 issues of Asimov's that are stacked up. We'll see.

Side note: I've decided that I'm going back to reading only trades for my comics input. Jill did some cleaning this weekend and it solidified for me again that it's far easier to store trades than individual issues. I also have two trades in my file at the comics shop and buying a couple comics every week like I've been doing doesn't get me closer to getting those in my hands. So, back to trades it is.

Finally, I'm going to start my wife on Battlestar Galactica. I know she will like the show and it will be a good way for me to watch everything up to this point again. Only 2 more episodes left of Season 4 for now and who knows when will get the rest...maybe not until next year. Sigh. Oh, and if we get through BSG quickly enough, I want to start her on The Wire too.

I've set myself up for a busy summer and this doesn't include socializing and open mics and all of the other small pleasures that pop up along the way. That's fine. I'm ready for some ambition and can't wait to get going.

SHORTS

It was actually warm enough for me to wear shorts on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. I didn't but I could have. After the long winter we've had, that felt very good.

Earlier this week I finished reading Maps and Legends, the new non-fiction collection from Michael Chabon. The essays collected discuss comics, genre fiction, Sherlock Holmes, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, his personal history, his own work, and more. I loved it. He reminds me why I want to be a writer and why I should start being one now. It also has an amazing triple-fold cover by Jordan Crane; McSweeney's knows how to produce beautiful books, don't they?

I've finally managed to finish the March 2008 issues of Asimov's and F&SF. Asimov's was solid with no stories standing out or the opposite (though I didn't quite follow the Steven Utley). I liked F&SF a lot more - a bunch of good stories, my favorite of which is probably Nancy Springer's "Rumple What?," which is a fresh take on that old story.

I'm going to stay on my short story kick for the forseeable future too; my next 2 books are new collections from Kevin Brockmeier and Steven Millhauser. Can't wait.

FEBRUARY SF IN MARCH

I've spent the last 4 days reading the Feb. 2008 issues of Asimov's and F&SF. I haven't dipped into either magazine since early February and it was nice to sink back into some short SF.

The Asimov's issue was in the classic mode - big name authors, a conclusion to a serialization, some short stories that really were short, and examples of both classic and idea SF. The issue started with Michael Swanwick's "From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled...," about an attack that kills all humans but one and his (and his suit's - possessed by the intelligence of his dead lover) attempt to negotiate with and through aliens to survive. It's followed by a short sharp story from Nancy Kress; there's also another short not quite as sharp story from Edward M. Lerner, though only author I was unfamiliar with. "The Ray-Gun: A Love Story" by James Alan Gardner takes the idea of a kid finding an alien ray-gun and spools out a story of loneliness and heroism and love; I really liked it. Mary Rosenblum's "The Egg Man" shows a future where people in the US do what they can to survive and what one Mexican man does to help; "The Last American" by John Kessel is the story of a future President...and it's not a very nice story. Finally, Allen M. Steele concludes his Galaxy Blues in a sufficiently rousing fashion and reminds me yet again that I need to read all of his Coyote-related works.

F&SF offered up its share of goodies as well. The opening story, "Balancing Accounts" by James L. Cambias, is told from the POV of a ship trying to earn a living that gets caught up in the machinations of humans; it works very well. I love stories about books and stories about time travel, so the combination of the two in Ann Miller's "Retrospect" hit my sweet spot. When I think about writers I like, I never think about Ron Goulart. But his "Memoirs of the Witch Queen" reminds me that he always turns out entertaining stories, usually about regular guys with a few problems who get caught up in supernatural events. Matthew Hughes delivers a story not focused on Guth Bandar or Henghis Hapthorn but "Petri Parousia" still scores with a tale of a scientist who can separate the DNA of your ancestors and takes it a logical extreme (well, in one sense). A troubled marriage and dinosaurs playing soccer makes up "Bread and Circus" by Steven Popkes; a mystery surrounding even more books is at the center of the alternate world in "Philologos; or, A Murder in Bistrita" by the married writing team of Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald. Finally, Richard Bowes gives us "If Angels Fight" about the prodigal son of a great political family who still lives on 30 years after his death, ending the issue on a very strong note.

F&SF JAN. 2008

I had planned on finished the Jan. 2008 issue of F&SF before January ended but I missed it by a couple of days. Oh well. Life before stories, right? Well, at least some of the time.

The issues open with "The Twilight Year" by Sean McMullen. It examines how legends are born by telling the tale of a bard who creates Arturian as a way to try and throw off Roman rule. It's a good story and you find yourself wishing for things to be true that aren't necessarily...but that's still okay.

Next up is a time travel tale from a different point of view, that of a janitor who has seen many attempts at changing history come and go without success. He has his own theories as to how those changes could be made and he gets his chance. He's also a movie buff, which provides some substance. It's title? "It's a Wonderful Life," of course, courtesy of Michaela Roessner.

Have you ever thought that the fictional worlds created by Jane Austen and Mary Shelley should collide? I haven't but even so, I greatly enjoyed John Kessel's "Pride and Prometheus." One of the Bennet girls meets Victor Frankenstein, which leads to romance and tragedy and a highly entertaining story.

After a minor "Plumage From Pegasus" by Paul Di Filippo, we get a rather interesting story by Ruth Nestvold. "Mars: A Traveler's Guide" consists of information and responses from a computer system on Mars. As those responses unfold, you realize just what is going on. It's very clever and doesn't go on too long either.

One man's search for unknown creatures is the center of "The Quest for Creeping Charlie" by James Powell. It's a short piece that ends in a pleasantly unexpected way (well, pleasantly for the reader, at least).

Finally, Alex Irvine brings the goods once again with "Mystery Hill," a story about tourist attractions, aliens, alternate dimensions, and an odd group of characters. I think Irvine doesn't get enough recognition for his work in the shorter forms.

F&SF DEC. 2007

The highlight of the Dec. 2007 issue of F&SF is definitely M. Rickert's "Don't Ask." No surprise there, as Rickert is one of the best writers working today. This story is about a town that had boys stolen by wolves years ago and what happens after their return. It's creepy and sad and wise, plus it's told in the third person. One of the best stories I've read all year.

That's not to say there weren't other worthy stories in this issue. No, no. I was particularly taken with the cover story, "Finisterra" by David Moles. Its narrative is told within the framework of a truly alien world that is all air (it's called Sky) and it's landmasses are islands that float through the sky. Highly original. David Marusek's "Osama Phone Home" tells the tale of capable people who decided to do something about tracking down Osama bin Laden through the use of crazy technology...and how it ultimately backfires on them. And "Stray" by Benjamin Rosenbaum and David Ackert is about an immortal who falls in love with a black woman and has to learn to give up his ways.

"Who Brought Tulips to the Moon?" by S.L. Gilbow had its moments and some interesting ideas but it stayed on the surface of things and didn't quite earn the surprise ending. Frederic S. Durbin's "The Bone Man" had some nice atmosphere and writing about an amoral man learning about a local legend but I didn't care for the ending so much either.

Books columns, Lucius Shepard on films, and some Plumage From Pegasus by Paul Di Filippo round out the issue. Overall, another solid issue with the Rickert leading the way.

F&SF OCT./NOV. 2007

I took a few days out of my book reading to tackle the annual double issue of F&SF. Here's what I thought...

The issue starts of with a story from Robert Silverberg, "Against the Current." It's getting rare these days to see a new Silverberg story and I'm happy to see one, as he was a regular presence when I first started reading SF mags on a regular basis. In this one, Phil Rackman starts moving through time backwards and is able to interact with his past for a bit before heading off on a big adventure. Solid stuff.

Fred Chappell's "The Diamond Shadow" is a fantasy tale set in a world where shadows can be stolen and used by other people for various purposes. Here, Astolfo and Falco uncover the secrets of a diamond in order to help a Countess who is also a triple figure (child, adult, and crone in one). Again, solid stuff.

"The Star to Every Wandering Barque" by James Stoddard is a hopeful tale about what would happen if human beings suddenly realized how precious and beautiful life is and how stupid and mean we've all been to each other. No more wars, ending hunger, and space exploration picks up again. If only...

Albert E. Cowdrey gives us a Katrina ghost story in "The Recreation Room." To be honest, I wasn't quite expecting the ending and don't think the story really gave enough clues to get us to that point. On the other hand, Cowdrey is always readable, so I'm not upset that I read it. I liked it well enough until I got to the end. Happens.

I did not finish Judith Moffett's "The Bird Shaman's Girl" - she lost me early on with the varying religions of the world and an odd film project. Only the second story in F&SF this year that I haven't finished.

M. Ramsey Chapman makes a writing debut with "Two Weeks After," a very human ghost story that makes a lot of sense and has a great ending. Looking forward to more stories from Chapman...

"Fragrant Goddess" by Paul Park deals with alchemical secrets and an old house and an old relationship and doesn't quite hold together, though it is definitely interesting along the way.

My favorite story was "Unpossible" by Daryl Gregory, a look at what happens to children able to travel to magical lands once they grow up. Smart and fun and sad all at the same time. The story notes mention Gregory is putting out a novel next year and I plan on reading it - he's a writer worth watching.

I also loved Michael Swanwick's "Urdumheim." How could I not? First, it's written by Swanwick, one of the best writers out there. Second, it's a creation myth full of humor and despair and words and heroes, big and small. Villains too. Excellent stuff.

In addition, there are the usual books and film columns as well as a "Plumage From Pegasus" from the always dependable Paul Di Filippo. It's another solid issue with great work from Gregory, Swanwick, and Chapman.

F&SF SEPT. 2007

The Sept. issue of F&SF starts of with a story from Alexander Jablokov, "Wrong Number." Normally, I enjoy his work but this story took too long getting to the heart and too much time trying to be cute about what was going on. I just didn't have patience and abandoned it, the first time that's happened with F&SF this year.

After two books columns (by Charles DeLint and James Sallis) covering (among other things) Jonathan Lethem's You Don't Love Me Yet and the Lou Anders-edited Fast Forward 1 (both of which I read this year), came "Envoy Extraordinary" by Albert E. Cowdrey. It's a humorous tale of a pompous diplomat sent to defuse a situation with the tyrant of a backwards planet. Naturally, things don't turn out quite so well. It's a solid story.

Another humorous story follows - "Atalanta Loses at the Interpantheonic Trivia Bee" by Heather Lindsley. It's the story of how Hippomenes woos Atalanta in the midst of, well, a trivia. Atalanta is on a team with Aphrodite, Athena, and Artemis; Hippomenes is teamed with Zues, Apollo, and Hermes. It's a fun story.

John Langan delivers a much more serious story with "Episode Seven: Last Stand Against the Pack In the Kingdom of the Purple Flowers." It's the story of Wayne and Jackie, two friends on the run from the horrors of the Pack in an apocalyptic world. Oh, and Jackie is 8 months pregnant. It's told as a very short story (in bold) but also as a very detailed story (after every bold entry is a longer explanation in regular typeface). The story is very gripping and well-written and you're not sure what to make of it. Are these things really happening? Or is one of them hallucinating the whole thing? This is fiction at its highest quality.

More mythology and humor arrive in the form of a very short story that is formatted as a list in "Requirements for the Mythology Merit Badge" by Kevin N. Haw. Pretty much what you get and it's enjoyable.

You know, I usually glide over Lucius Shepard's movie reviews without comment but I had a thought as I was reading his put-down of Next. He may rip a movie but I always get the sense that he is disappointed with each and every movie that doesn't do its job. Some critics you think are writing negative reviews just because they can. Shepard writes negative reviews with anger that they weren't better than they were. That's a rare skill. Of course, he is one of the best writers we have today across all genres and mediums, so that shouldn't be surprising. And it isn't, really. I just thought it should be said.

Robert Reed is up next with the sixth story I've read by him this year, "If We Can Save Just One Child..." It's a future where illegal cloning of children is being done for nefarious purposes and has multiple viewpoints that shift around each other. At the center of most of those vignettes is Gary Olsen, who may or may not be participating in those illegal activities. It's a solid story with a quite a bit to think about as you read it. Not Reed's best but they can't all be.

The final story in the issue (after a Science column) is Ted Chiang's "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" and it is a fantastic story. It is a tale told by Fuwaad ibn Abbas to the Caliph and is set in Baghdad and Cairo is some unnamed past. The story is very much concerned with the past and the future and how neither can be changed. Fuwaad tells of his meeting with an alchemist, Bashaarat, who has built a Gate of Years, through which one can go 20 years into the past or future. Bashaarat tells Fuwaad several tales of people who have used the Gate both ways and that leads to Fuwaad also going through the Gate. The stories within the story are very well told and full of interesting implications. This is one of the best time travel stories I've ever read and I have a particular love for the genre. It is also one of the best stories of the year, if not the best, and I predict it will be winning awards next year and will appear in all the year's best anthologies.

The presence of the Langan and Chiang stories make this already solid issue of F&SF into a great issue.

F&SF JULY 2007

Only 5 stories this time around because almost half of the issue is taken up with a Lucius Shepard novella, "Stars Seen Through Stone." It's about people in the town of Black William, PA, many of whom seem to gain in intelligence after an unexplained event takes place. We see all these events through the eyes of Vernon, a music producer. He brings a talented (and worthless) musician to live with him and the story plays out during the course of their interaction. You know, I'm not explaining it very well. It's about how people interact with each other and the ties between creativity and what kind of person someone is. It's about love. Really, it's a Lucius Shepard story and that's all you need to know in the end. He's one of the best writers we have, genre or no genre.

The other stories in the issue all have their pleasures as well. My favorite of those is "Car 17" by P.E. Cunningham, in which we hear the tale of a sentient police car and a feral car that terrorizes a town. Ray Vukcevich is back after a long absence with "Cold Comfort," which is an odd and chilling tale about machines and/or humans interacting by passing the Turing Test. Lawrence C. Connolly has a classic SF tale of observers of an alien species ending up getting directly involved in "Daughters of Prime" and M.K. Hobson's "PowerSuit" is the tale of how personal AIgents make the business world of the future into something different and the same all at once.

On top of all that, we get a Lucius Shepard film column and the usual book columns (Charles DeLint and Elizabeth Hand, who covers that final book of John Crowley's Aegypt series and gives the good news that the books will be reprinted starting in the near future. Since I only ever read the second book in the series - without knowing it was a series - this is good news). And that all means another good issue of F&SF.