Review of Years Best Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy Volume 2
Hi all, This is the best of the three volumes I have read in the Year’s Best Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy. I had thought volume one (2005) was good, but that was mostly based on the stunning first story, Singing My Sister Down by Margo Lanagan. I felt a bit let down by volume […]
Review of Cat’s Cradle
Kurt Vonnegut certainly has his own quirky writing style, a really warped view of reality. I would say Cat’s Cradle is less in touch with reality than Slaughterhouse Five. Cat’s Cradle is written in a tone amused at the strangeness of human beings and the way they interact with the world. Unfortunately, I was never […]
Review of Solar by Ian McEwan
Hi all, I have not read any other Ian McEwan novels. I gather his other novels are serious dramas, whereas Solar was more of a tongue in cheek comedy. I never laughed out loud, but none the less I found it amusing as the pompous, insular, brilliant and sometimes inept main character schemed his way […]
Science fiction year in review.
Books I read a few more books last year than in the 2009, including my first ebook on a Kindle. I try and mix my reading up by rotating genres: science fiction, fantasy or horror and than something non-genre. Usually I am reading a speculative fiction anthology or magazine too. I also read the odd […]
New year’s resolution – no to $5 or less ebooks.
Hi all, My news year’s resolution is not to download any ebook that is priced below $5. This includes any book requesting a donation. A lot of my posts last year were about the potential for free and ridiculously cheap ebooks to destroy the publishing industry, so I will only download ebooks where the author/publisher […]
Review of Timesplash by Graham Storrs
I enjoyed this novel by Australian Graham Storrs. It is about terrorists going back in time and causing mayhem, resulting in ripples in time. These ripples splash through to the present causing havoc capable of destroying cities. After a friend of Jay’s dies at a timesplash gig, he becomes a policeman who is seconded by […]
Media’s standards are slipping.
I have been marvelling at the media’s incompetence lately. I have noticed technical and intellectual stuff-ups all over the place. Last night I was watching the local Prime news, and for the third time in recent weeks the bulletin had blackouts and ads breaking in during news stories. Last night those errors wrecked a story […]
Aussiecon4 – editing panels.
Hi all, I attended two sessions on editing at Aussiecon4. Editing the Novel. Panellists were: Simon Spanton editor at Gollancz; Zoe Walton a publisher at Random House; science fiction author and freelance editor Jean Johnson; and Ace editor Ginjer Buchanan. They started the discussion by answering the question of how long a book should be. […]
Stop to smell the roses
Hi all, It’s one of those rare occasions that I have the house to myself. On these occasions, I usually take a holiday from my disciplined program of exercise, knowledge gathering and writing activities. I usually watch a few videos, listen to some music, have a few drinks, think about life and writing, and watch […]
Aussiecon 4 – The market sessions
Hi all, I have finally gotten around to writing a post about three marketing sessions I attended at Aussiecon4. My first attempt got lost on a click on my mouse and since then I have been busy. Well, busy for me. The three sessions I attended were enlightening. They emphasised how hard it is to […]