For their latest issue, Wired commissioned 6-word short stories from a variety of authors including Rudy Rucker, Charles Stross and Margaret Atwood, among others.
Feel free to post your own in the comments section.
Christian
Eric Brown, Michael Coney, and other stuff
George passed on part of an email from Solaris author Eric Brown. We'll be publishing two books from Eric: HELIX—a great space opera romp about four Earth citizens after they're ship crashes into a vast alien structure; and KÉTHANI—one of the best thing's I've read. Period. This mosaic novel collects Eric's highly-praised short fiction concerning the alien race, the Kéthani, and the impact they have on everyday lives. Wonderful, literary SF of the highest quality. When we all read this there was simply no doubt in our minds that we wanted to publish it, and it's the kind of thing that makes an editor's month a happy one. Keep your eyes fixed on the Solaris website for more news on these titles.
Anyway, it appears that Eric and I are both fans of a much-forgotten British SF author Michael Coney. I urge you all strongly to check this dude out. Sadly, Michael died last year.
There was a remarkable quality to his writing. On the surface they were easy to read, entertaining—framed with an elegant prose. But the depths within were darkly sophisticated, and all the time he was in full control of many remarkable and original ideas and concepts. My favourite is HELLO SUMMER, GOODBYE—which as Eric pointed out is going to be republished by PS Publishing next year, alongside the previously unpublished sequel, I REMEMBER PALAHAXI. This is wonderful news, and will hopefully bring Michael's works to some well-deserved attention.
A full list of Michael Coney's titles are online at Fantastic Fiction. Find some of his titles there, or on the Amazon.co.uk Marketplace. Or try AbeBooks. Go and buy a battered paperback and kick back this season with one of his books. Then go tell your mates about him.
And Quote of the Day yesterday from Christian, commenting on an email in his inbox: "I can't tell if this is spam or if it's actually a submission…"
—Mark N
Anyway, it appears that Eric and I are both fans of a much-forgotten British SF author Michael Coney. I urge you all strongly to check this dude out. Sadly, Michael died last year.
There was a remarkable quality to his writing. On the surface they were easy to read, entertaining—framed with an elegant prose. But the depths within were darkly sophisticated, and all the time he was in full control of many remarkable and original ideas and concepts. My favourite is HELLO SUMMER, GOODBYE—which as Eric pointed out is going to be republished by PS Publishing next year, alongside the previously unpublished sequel, I REMEMBER PALAHAXI. This is wonderful news, and will hopefully bring Michael's works to some well-deserved attention.
A full list of Michael Coney's titles are online at Fantastic Fiction. Find some of his titles there, or on the Amazon.co.uk Marketplace. Or try AbeBooks. Go and buy a battered paperback and kick back this season with one of his books. Then go tell your mates about him.
And Quote of the Day yesterday from Christian, commenting on an email in his inbox: "I can't tell if this is spam or if it's actually a submission…"
—Mark N
H G Wells may have got it right
And he did it all with brass engines and didn't know jack about DNA. Or maybe he did, because he was rather clever. Anyway, extra extra, mankind to split into two sub-species!
I knew it! You know, on the streets of Nottingham you can kind of see it happening already…
This is a fascinating article about 'predicting evolution', which of course I have reservations about. Evolution is about adapting to the now, and the immediate next generation, so it does of course make massive assumptions about the future. And the scientist in question has not even taken into account the Apocalypse! What about when Intelligent Life from the Sombrero Galaxy invade with galactic missiles and begin to alter our DNA? Eh? A theory is only as strong as its assumptions…
—Mark N
I knew it! You know, on the streets of Nottingham you can kind of see it happening already…
This is a fascinating article about 'predicting evolution', which of course I have reservations about. Evolution is about adapting to the now, and the immediate next generation, so it does of course make massive assumptions about the future. And the scientist in question has not even taken into account the Apocalypse! What about when Intelligent Life from the Sombrero Galaxy invade with galactic missiles and begin to alter our DNA? Eh? A theory is only as strong as its assumptions…
—Mark N
Novelist Knocked Out!
You may have heard in publishing news about novelist Craig Davidson promoting his book THE FIGHTER by challenging anyone and everyone to fight him in the boxing ring.
Well, he lost.
To a poet.
Bookninja comments on the event.
—Mark N
Well, he lost.
To a poet.
Bookninja comments on the event.
—Mark N
Man Booker-prompted ramblings…
The winner of the Man Booker Prize has been announced. Outsider Kiran Desai won with her book about 'globalisation, multiculturalism, inequality and the different forms of love'. So something nice and cutting edge then. I'm sure there are a plethora of opinions about this, most of them greaty more qualified that my own most likely. It seems that the Man Booker has not been particularly brave with its selections since D.B.C. Pierre's VERNON GOD LITTLE won (a bastardly brilliant book with style, panache, some damn relevant content, and most of all: balls). Every winner since has seemed a little flavourless to me. Perhaps that comes from reading too much genre fiction, where there is a great deal of plot movement and action. Not that literary fiction and action can't be combined, of course—but I'm talking largely about the Booker lists of recent times. And that is not to say I cannot enjoy literary fiction for its own merits. There have been some fabulous titles I've read over the last few months: Ian McEwan's SATURDAY, Ali Smith's THE ACCIDENTAL, James Meek's THE PEOPLE'S ACT OF LOVE. All very highly recommended. There has generally been a response to most recent Booker lists that there is too much 'blandness'. These books mentioned here can certainly not be accused of that.
It seems as if there is still a taste for books on multiculturalism with the Booker judges, which may or may not have moved on since Salman Rushdie et al pioneered that area a couple of decades ago. Interestingly, to my knowledge, you don't see all that much multiculturalism tackled in SF or fantasy (magic realists aside). Not that I can think of off the top of my head. Anyone else have any clues? Genre multiculturalism? (And not multi-species stuff...) I know that Ian McDonald's dizzying and mighty RIVER OF GODS is set in a future India, but it wasn't specifically about multiculturalism, and which wasn't the point. Moreover, has any SF novel been picked out for good reviews/awards because of this fact? I'm interested because the thing about SF is that it is meant to shine a light on ourselves in a way that other fictions simply cannot. It seems to be literary fiction that monopolises this rather large subject.
Marco and I were talking about the Booker this morning, and got onto the subject of David Mitchell. He is one of the shining beacons on Booker shortlists of recent years. I wonder if it is his SF content that denies him from winning one of the grandest of prizes? Incidentally, Mitchell used to be an SF buyer in a bookstore, and isn't ashamed to call a lot of his fiction SF - hurrah! Marco speaks very highly of his books. Once the Ballard phase passes, I shall hit him up on Amazon…
—Mark N
It seems as if there is still a taste for books on multiculturalism with the Booker judges, which may or may not have moved on since Salman Rushdie et al pioneered that area a couple of decades ago. Interestingly, to my knowledge, you don't see all that much multiculturalism tackled in SF or fantasy (magic realists aside). Not that I can think of off the top of my head. Anyone else have any clues? Genre multiculturalism? (And not multi-species stuff...) I know that Ian McDonald's dizzying and mighty RIVER OF GODS is set in a future India, but it wasn't specifically about multiculturalism, and which wasn't the point. Moreover, has any SF novel been picked out for good reviews/awards because of this fact? I'm interested because the thing about SF is that it is meant to shine a light on ourselves in a way that other fictions simply cannot. It seems to be literary fiction that monopolises this rather large subject.
Marco and I were talking about the Booker this morning, and got onto the subject of David Mitchell. He is one of the shining beacons on Booker shortlists of recent years. I wonder if it is his SF content that denies him from winning one of the grandest of prizes? Incidentally, Mitchell used to be an SF buyer in a bookstore, and isn't ashamed to call a lot of his fiction SF - hurrah! Marco speaks very highly of his books. Once the Ballard phase passes, I shall hit him up on Amazon…
—Mark N
Red rags to bulls, vol. 907
I know these things are designed solely to elicit debate and outrage and aren't really worth either, but I can't help but get dragged in. Over the weekend the faux-highbrow Sunday newspaper The Observer ran one of those Top X lists, this time allegedly the Top 25 Novels Since 1980 (written in English but not written by an American... slice that cheese, boys, slice that cheese). Despite featuring those well known sometime SFF writers Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguru, Michael Moorcock, Angela Carter, Anthony Burgess, Martin Amis and Iain No-M Banks, its sole genre offering was the most tedious, most recent Harry Potter. The rest of the list is the same dull canonical nonsense, overbearingly worthy but weary and bland, like a huge plate of cold stewed broccoli.
Equally notable was the list of voters, which they kindly also supplied; genre explorers were even thinner on the groud in that one. Stand up and be counted Jonathan Lethem, JG Ballard and Phillip Pullman. But of course. It was ever thus.
On the other hand, I'd love to know which clutch of the "150 top writers and critics" ganged together to vote in Derek Raymond's I Was Dora Suarez; beers all round for that one.
The Observer's blog picks up the debate. A fair amount more voting for more genre-oriented titles, especially Ballard and Alan Moore. A fair amount of slagging, and no visible support, for "daring" to include the Potter. And a clutch of Americans wondering why [insert worthy American writer and/or Haruki Murakami] for some reason wasn't listed...
-- marco
Equally notable was the list of voters, which they kindly also supplied; genre explorers were even thinner on the groud in that one. Stand up and be counted Jonathan Lethem, JG Ballard and Phillip Pullman. But of course. It was ever thus.
On the other hand, I'd love to know which clutch of the "150 top writers and critics" ganged together to vote in Derek Raymond's I Was Dora Suarez; beers all round for that one.
The Observer's blog picks up the debate. A fair amount more voting for more genre-oriented titles, especially Ballard and Alan Moore. A fair amount of slagging, and no visible support, for "daring" to include the Potter. And a clutch of Americans wondering why [insert worthy American writer and/or Haruki Murakami] for some reason wasn't listed...
-- marco
2006 World Cup of Writers
Bookninja links to an article on the World Cup of Writers. I was particularly surprised to see that fine literary SFF writer Graham Joyce playing in goal!
I love the bit about some guy reciting the end of Tennyson’s ULYSSES in a pre-match huddle. Do you reckon that's what they do in Millwall FC's dressing room around 2.50pm? Nah, they're clearly more Wordsworth fans. You can imagine the lads and the WAGs getting together in the drawing room after the game for brandy and Lyrical Ballads before moving on to the Taj Mahal for a lager and a Lamb Bhuna.
—Mark N
I love the bit about some guy reciting the end of Tennyson’s ULYSSES in a pre-match huddle. Do you reckon that's what they do in Millwall FC's dressing room around 2.50pm? Nah, they're clearly more Wordsworth fans. You can imagine the lads and the WAGs getting together in the drawing room after the game for brandy and Lyrical Ballads before moving on to the Taj Mahal for a lager and a Lamb Bhuna.
—Mark N
Farewell John M Ford
Even with the (hack spit) blogosphere, news doesn't always travel fast enough for my liking. I only just found out that the fabulous writer John M Ford died on September 24th. He was a rare gem, every one of his handful of novels a finely crafted whole. His The Dragon Waiting (1983) remains his best and most widely appreciated work, though his Star Trek tie-ins plainly took him much further in terms of sales. There remains a special place in my own geek heart, though, for his "Paranoia" RPG supplement, the legendary Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues, truly the work of a genuinely twisted mind. -- marco
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