books just slightly out of this world
Over at Tor, they want us to let them know what we think was the best SF/F of the decade. Even if you don’t want to vote, it’s an excellent reading list. I voted for The Windup Girl by Colorado writer Paolo Bacigalupi. What’s your vote?
Yes, we’ve been in the new millennium for ten years. Can you believe it?
Happy Birthday to J.R.R. Tolkien! Without him, where would fantasy be? Of course, William Morris and Lord Dunsany came before him, and probably others I’m forgetting, but Tolkien is still the father of fantasy. I remember discovering Bilbo and then Frodo in the early 70’s when everyone was reading them. I even read Bored of the Rings, a fun satire. What a delight that Peter Jackson made his films. Again, he wasn’t the first, but his went global and created another Hobbit craze.
Now there’s a Tolkien Society and they’re planning a conference in 2012. He was a brilliant linguist as well. He didn’t fancy people speaking elvish, but then we don’t always get all our wishes granted.
My favorite Tolkien quote changes according to what’s going on in my own life. Today I’m favoring Aragorn’s speech at the Black Gate: “I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day.”
To those who still question the literary value of fantasy, I can only offer another quote from Tolkien: “Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.”
Happy New Year everyone! 2011 promises to be most excellent.
Here’s a review of my first novel, Under the Stone Paw, from a Spanish site.
Happy Solstice–the longest night giving birth to the light. This solstice we’re also treated to a full moon in Gemini, a full lunar eclipse, and a galactic grand cross. Quite the series of events to usher in the Age of Aquarius. Here’s the astrology of this event explained. Enjoy the flood of energy.
Listen to me reading from Under the Stone Paw, rereleased in April by Double Dragon. Join Broad Universe for the 11th Episode of the Broad Pod! This December, as the northern hemisphere approaches longer days and the southern hemisphere,
longer nights, five broads share tales of light overcoming darkness. Join hostess Trish Wooldridge, as she introduces you to Rin Kutoji, Christy Tohara, Kim Vandervort, Theresa Crater, and Kathryn Hinds, who lend us sparks of hope in troubled times.
Check out the Aether-Age website for news about my two novels, coming next year.
Ever wish Ancient Egypt had never faded? So does the Aether Age series. This alternative history anthology imagines a world where Egypt and Greece still rule.
My latest short story, “Bringing the Waters,” is one in this fun collection.
Buy Monday, November 29th!
