- This week’s debate: should sf be more optimistic? Kathryn Cramer has the right of it, I think, but there are robust responses from Lou Anders, Jetse de Vries, and Jason Stoddard.
- Semi-relatedly, Charles Stross is fretting about near-future sf again: “Put yourself in the shoes of an SF author trying to construct an accurate (or at least believable) scenario for the USA in 2019. Imagine you are constructing your future-USA in 2006, then again in 2007, and finally now, with talk of $700Bn bailouts and nationalization of banks in the background. Each of those projections is going to come out looking different.” To which my response is, largely, so what?
- John Clute on The City’s End by Max Page
- Stephen Mitchelmore on Night Work by Thomas Glavinic
- Nic Clarke reviews The Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod
- Abigail Nussbaum on “Stories for Men” by John Kessell
- From Locus, Gary K Wolfe reviews Anathem, and Paul Witcover reviews Cecelia Holland’s Varander
- Rudy Rucker on Anathem
- Elizabeth Hand reviews Allegra Goodman’s dystopic YA The Other Side of the Island
- In the Guardian, Christopher Brookmyre enjoyed Anathem, Stephanie Merritt wasn’t impressed by The Gargoyle, and Peter F Hamilton talks about sex: ‘”I’ve got a friend who writes a lot of chick lit. Compared to what goes into that genre we’re absolute puritans, yet the reaction you get is ‘Oh my God, it’s a sex scene,'” he says. Sex is a tiny part of his books.’ I promise, it’s not the quantity I have problems with. Except in Misspent Youth. (Oh, and he does talk about other things as well.)
- It is now possible for any and all to vote in the SFX Awards. Deadline is 28th of October, although the eligibility period seems to cover all of 2008 …
- A new award: The David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy, which has a slightly intricate process but looks like a good thing in general. Opens to nominations at the end of the year.
- Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go has won the Guardian children’s fiction prize. And why is sf successful in YA?
- Paul McAuley is serializing the opening chapters of his new novel, The Quiet War
- Martin Lewis has a new blog, where among other things he is blogging about the contents of Feeling Very Strange
- Your free book of the week: Bold as Love by Gwyneth Jones (pdf link)
- Paolo Bacigalupi has sold a book. I’m waiting for The Windup Girl, personally, but this should tide me over.
- Jake Seliger has more thoughts on science fiction, again
- And finally: the trailer for the new Charlie Kaufman film looks, well, like a trailer for a Charlie Kaufman film. Can’t wait, personally.