• Farthing — Jo Walton: Folks, this is AWESOME. Okay, basically Walton’s set this alternative history in a world where Britain and Germany work things out, and WWII never happens. Germany’s building concentration camps ALL over the continent, and things suck for Eastern European Jews. Britain’s got its own issues with rising fascism, but, interestingly, Walton examines this rise in the upper classes. So, what we’re looking at are the political machinations leading up to such a consolidation of racial antipathy and political power. We’re also looking at how women’s ... READ MORE
  • silver screen — justina robson: ‘When I finally made it downstairs, wearing an old tracksuit I had found in my cupboards, she [my mother] put her hand to her mouth. “You look very sick,” she said. “Your eyes are like pits of tar: yellow and black. And your skin is the colour of white people. What were you trying to do? Die?”‘ (Silver Screen — 347) Oh. My. God. I think I have a new favorite book. My mother says that to me whenever I come ... READ MORE
  • Jade. Mara Jade.: Comments contain ***SPOILERS*** How do I love Mara Jade from Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars novels. Let me count the ways. (Oh, and this is going to be a *spoiler free* post for recent Star Wars novels, if you know what I mean. I’d prefer to keep it that way. And if you don’t know what I mean, this warning isn’t for you.) When Timothy Zahn came out with Heir to the Empire in 1991, it was the first officially Lucas-licensed Star Wars ... READ MORE
  • Unpacking the Invisible Back Pack in Atwood’s The Blind Assassin: Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin has been herald as one of the finest novels of the 21st century. And it is. Yet, it is perhaps a novel that often gets overlooked because of it’s “sci-fi” billing. Don’t’ get me wrong, I ADORE sci-fi/fantasy novels. In fact, at least eight out of ten trips to my local Borders Superstore will find me ensconced amidst the aisles, books in hands and no decision in sight. And perhaps, ... READ MORE
  • Gibson Girls of Cyberpunk: In my first year of teaching Freshman Comp at a local Boston college, I taught a class that I designed myself called “Virtual Realities, Virtual Bodies: Technology and Identity.” Students were asked to examine the evolving role of technology vis-à-vis human and gendered identity. Truth be told, I molded this entire class around one book: William Gibson’s Neuromancer. Neuromancer is the story of Case, a cyber “cowboy” who, at the beginning of the novel, has been robbed ... READ MORE
  • How to Talk to Girls at Parties, by Neil Gaiman: “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” has been nominated for a Hugo, and has been made available on-line. It’s one of the short stories in Gaiman’s collection, Fragile Things. I should first admit that although I’m a bit of a comics geek, Gaiman’s not on my must-read list. Occasionally I will adore his work, mostly it’s merely an afternoon’s read. It’s nothing in particular against him, merely that he’s not interested in writing about things I’m interested in ... READ MORE
  • I Would Love to be a Fly on the Wall at This Panel: I ran across this snippet at author John Scalzi’s blog Whatever this morning. It’s from the schedule at Penguicon, which is this weekend in Troy, MI. 6-7PM Promenade East Limited Female Roles In Fantasy, Comics, and SF TheFerrett, Elizabeth Bear, John Scalzi, Sarah Monette, M. Keaton Why is it that a female character will either be raped or lose her child? Do TV writers have difficulty coming up with a motivation for women that isn’t vagina-related? We rarely see every man’s ... READ MORE
  • An Acceptable Time – Acceptable Themes?: After a recent conversation with Michelle of I Am A Tree [blog since removed], I felt inspired to pick up and re-read Madeline L’Engle’s An Acceptable Time, which had been one of my very favorite books when I was a teen. More often than not, when I revisit things I was enthusiastic about when I was younger, I’m disappointed by the experience. Happily, An Acceptable Time was still as good a read for me at 24 as it was when I ... READ MORE
  • Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul: I just re-read Douglas Adams’ The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul, which I first read as a teenager and have read several times since. But this was the first time I realized why it’s my favorite of his books. I mean, they’re all fantastic entertainment – why this one? Because it features a lead woman character (Kate). Because Kate buys every bath oil and unguent she comes across. Because since her beloved husband died a ... READ MORE
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