Cat Country

I recently finished reading Lao She's Cat Country, one of the earliest works of sic-fi in Chinese. It is a fun read, and really gets you into what was going on in China in the 1930s. The tale is about a traveler to Mars and his interaction with the Cat People there. That's not to say that China was traveling to Mars in the 30s (nor meeting races evolved from cats), but the Cat People society is supposed to be a reflection of the problems in China at the time.

It's a good read. There's a reason Lao She is such a renowned name in modern Chinese fiction, and Cat Country is just a small part it. It happens to be a part I really like.


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a Poem by K. A. Hays

I love this poem, "Just as, After a Point, Job Cried Out," by K. A. Hays, and the animation that goes with it at the MotionPoems version.

JUST AS, AFTER A POINT, JOB CRIED OUT a poem by K.A. Hays from Motionpoems on Vimeo.

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Idylls of the King

I have to admit that when I recently read Tennyson's Idylls of the King, it was bad timing. I am a little burnt out on Arthur at the moment. Or to be more accurate, I am a little burnt out on anything to do with Empire, thanks to some unpleasant encounters with a few neoColonialists over the past year or so. The Arthur story, then, probably wasn't the best thing for me to be reading, but I'd had it on my reading agenda for two years, and felt I ought to get to it.

That said, how can you not like Tennyson's poetry? (At least the blank verse.) There are moments where it just transports you to another time and place. I loved the grandeur of what he's done, though there were some aspects of his take on Arthur that wore on me as I read, particularly how unflawed the king was.

Still, he's Tennyson. The verse is beautiful, and that alone made the read worthwhile.



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Harry Potter's iPhone

I came across this funny post recently. That's an bunch of apps I wouldn't mind having!



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Genesis

Frederick Turner's Genesis is something we just don't see enough of these days: a well-thought-out and well-written epic poem.

Genesis is a tale of the beginnings of life on Mars. It is written in verse, and is about 300 pages long. The poetry, however, is not difficult, and it makes for the perfect form for this particular narrative (which might surprise a lot of readers who think poetry is hard to understand).

The story is complex, the ideas are rich, and the unfolding of the story is managed well. I got my copy secondhand from Amazon, and before I'd even finished reading it, I ordered Turner's other epic poem, The New World, for my Kindle.

If you can get your hands on a copy of Genesis, it's definitely worth the read.

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The Last Dragonslayer

I am a big Jasper Fforde fan, and have enjoyed all of his books. When I saw, in Dec. 2010, that he'd written a book for kids called The Last Dragonslayer, I immediately picked it up. With a series of events that happened on the personal front, I was left without much reading time, and ended up not getting to read the book until about a year after I'd purchased it. I am very glad I finally found the time to do read it, despite being later than I'd like.

Something about it had a feel that was a bit like another of my favorite authors, Diana Wynne Jones. I was glad to see that Fforde's use of magic The Last Dragonslayer had a flavor that was much like that found in DWJ's books. But the humor was firmly Fforde's (Ffordian?), and the humor is always a big part of what I love about his work.

The Last Dragonslayer is a wonderful quest story, raising questions of fate, magic, and the world in which we live. I highly recommend it for readers of all ages.


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On Metallic Wings

What a fantastic poetry collection!

I actually picked up my copy of On Metallic Wings in 2010, and put it on my Reading Agenda for 2011. It took me until the year was almost over before I finally got to Angel Favazza's little gem, and what a treasure it was.

On Metallic Wings explores many of my favorite themes, including technology and how it fits into our future. The blurb on the back cover compares it to 1984, and that's a good starting point for thinking about whether or not you might like to read this volume.

I really enjoyed not only the themes and ideas examined in the book, but also the variety of forms Favazza employs. I'll be keeping an eye out for more of her work, and hoping to see much more of it in years to come.



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Ancient Robots

I recently came across this video, which shows a robot designed after the robots made in ancient Greece. While there were no electronics involved, these "robots" were automated objects that were mostly used to impress people with the operator's "magical" abilities.

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Sometimes While Dreaming

Marcie Lynn Tentchoff's Sometimes While Dreaming is a poetry collection that explores dreamworlds through fantasy, science fiction, and some horror.  The volume is a delightful one, with some thought-provoking pieces, and numerous amusing ones as well.  I especially enjoyed the recurring images of sea and the use of selkies.  

In Tentchoff's collection, dreamscapes rub up against our world, and much of what is of most interest to me is the space in between the two — which she explores masterfully in Sometimes While Dreaming.


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Sucker Punch

I watched Sucker Punch on the plane on the way back from Australia earlier this month.  That's not the ideal format for the film, I think, as it looks like something more suited to a bigger screen.  That didn't really matter much, as it's not normally the sort of movie I'd like, being a lot like watching a video game being played out for parts of the action.  I'm not much of a gamer myself, and get especially bored watching others play.  If I have to be involved with a video game, I'd rather be the player.  So, movies that look like video games don't generally appeal to me much.

That said, Sucker Punch had something to its story that I kind of liked.  I really enjoyed the ending, with the realization that came over Baby about what she needed to do to make the story work out.  It made the film more worth watching for me.  And, I did like the story embedded in a story, with yet one more layer embedded in that.  This sort of structure is usually a fun one for me.

I did think the little blurb, however, was a bit overflown, referring to the film as "epic fantasy."  It's more gaming and fantasy, I'd say.  If it had been labeled such, I probably wouldn't have watched it.  But overall, it was a good enough film to pass the time on the long flight.  (Not something I'd want to pay to watch, though.)



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Magazines and Journals

Since I've been back from Shanghai, I've gotten to catch up on some magazines and journals that were delivered to my house in Singapore while I was away.  It's been great — a lot of good reading comes in the mail when I am gone for three months!

I've gotten to catch up on Scifaikuest (Aug 2011 — Nov should be coming soon), Illumen (Autumn 2011), Sounds of the Night, Star*Line, Psychic Meatloaf, Aofie's Kiss, and Beyond Centauri.  I'm starting on some back issues now.

I really miss these 'zines while I am away.  I think I might have to stock up on some back issues to take with me on my next 3-month stint.



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The Defenders, Philip K. Dick

I picked up a free copy of The Defenders for my Kindle.  I am really glad the book is offered in this format, and that I got my hands on it and got to read the story.

The Defenders is a thought-provoking piece about the human-robot and human-human (interracial, international, etc.) relationships.  It's got a classic sci-fi  feel to it, with themes that are common in the genre.  But, as always, Dick's writing is what is special.  He is masterful.

If you have a Kindle, this is a good free piece to pick up.  I enjoyed it, and can recommend it wholeheartedly.


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The Place of the Lion

The Place of the Lion, by Charles Williams, is one wild ride of a book.  It's heady stuff, addressing ideas of classical philosophy in a fantastic setting.

I have read several Charles Williams novels over the years (and hope to finish the rest that I have on my shelf before much longer).  He's always fairly heavy in the ideas department.  The Place of the Lion is all about Ideas, too — in the Platonic sense.  It made for quite an engaging read, as Williams puts the stories together well.

I am not sure if it is just because of my preconceived ideas about Williams (and his work on Authurian romance), but I'm always struck by an element of romance in his fiction.  This is especially true of The Place of the Lion, and it makes for quite an uplifting (and challenging) read.




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Unbelievable

It's unbelievable to me that in all of my reading/viewing from October, I didn't get to read/view a single work of sci-fi or fantasy.  That's a rare occurrence for me.

I did get a few big projects wrapped up.  And I've been overloaded with "the real world" for weeks now.  I am ready to get into some real out-of-this-worldly writing and movies.  I hope to be back on track with reviews of speculative fiction, poetry, and movies in the upcoming weeks.

...'cos it's kinda scary in "the real world"!




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Library Thing

I just came across Library Thing recently when I found that one of my books was listed there.  I don't know yet how much I will like it in the long run, but for now, it seems like a really nice website.  Think of it as social networking that is all about books.  In that sense, it is the only sort of social networking that really appeals to me at all!

You can check out my Library Thing profile here, and while you're there, see if it's someplace you'd like to join too.



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Inkheart

I recently finished reading Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, one of the titles on my Fill in the Gaps list.  It took me a little longer to get into the book than I expected, but once I did, I couldn't put it down.  It was a fun read overall, though the beginning didn't suck me in quite like I expected it to do.

The writing is good, the story is a fun one, and it is well set into a specific tradition (fantasy world for bibliophiles).  The main character, Meggie, becomes a little more lovable over the course of the read, though she didn't grab me right away.  Having finished the book, Fenoglio, Farid, and Dustfinger actually remain my favorite characters, and perhaps Elinor.

I have not seen the movie, and been told by several people that I would not like it as much as you normally would expect me to like a fantasy/bibliophile movie.  I guess that is part of why I didn't run out to see it, and part of why it took me so long to get around to reading the book.  I am glad I read it, even though I'm not exactly running out to buy the next book in the series.  Not that it was bad, just that it I'm satisfied with this one.

I did think there were some fairly interesting parts, and that it probes into some fun concepts for exploration.



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Apexology

I received this announcement from Apex Books recently, and thought I'd pass the word along to other science fiction/fantasy readers here:

APEXOLOGY:Science Fiction and Fantasy
1. The study of literature-based artifacts left by the authors and editors of Apex Publications, particularly of science fiction and fantastical nature
2. An anthology of science fiction and fantasy containing mind-bending, entertaining ideas.

Contained within are eighteen stories to showcase the unique talents that Apex has published and employed in the past six years. Apexology: Science Fiction and Fantasy contains work from award winners, legends, and New York Time bestsellers.

Apexology: Science Fiction and Fantasy is available now in ePub, Mobi (i.e. Kindle) and PDF formats for one low price at DriveThruFantasy.com!

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Voices of the Elders

My third poetry collection is due out in February 2012 from Sam's Dot Publishing.  Entitled Voices of the Elders, it is the second in the series that began with Under the Ash earlier this year.

Both of my earlier poetry collections, Under the Ash and Cyborg Chimera, were also published with Sam's Dot.  You can order them online at the Sam's Dot book store.




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New Blu-rays

The new Blu-rays of the entire Star Wars saga are coming out soon, with some nice changes/updates to them.

AND... there will be about 40 hours' worth of bonus material!  yipeeeeeeeeeeeee!


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One of Our Thursdays is Missing

I can't remember exactly when I first came across Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, but I do remember that I read it out of order, reading Lost in a Good Book before I came across The Eyre Affair.  I immediately fell in love with the series, and have read every one of the books almost upon their release since I got started on it.

I didn't do a good job keeping up with things over the last few months, though, and only knew of the release of One of Our Thursdays is Missing when a friend (one whom I introduced to the series) pointed it out to me in the library.  We borrowed it and 3 of us made our way through it before the due date.

The first two books in the series are still my favorite (and I really liked his first in what seems to be another series, Shades of Grey), but this one is a good read too.  There are some really funny sections, and I really liked the character Sprockett.  I thought the little commentary on the RealWorld at the end of the book was nicely done too.

Overall, it's hard to beat a good Jasper Fforde read... at least, in my book.


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