A quick update about the blog. Sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning a few things stopped working. Chiefly the backend UI and the comments. As a result we couldn't add any new posts to the site and you couldn't comment.

After discussions with our host, it appears that nothing is wrong technically with the hardware or the OS, though we did make a slight change that is now allowing us to access the UI to add new posts. You, however, still can't comment. I'm not sure how long this will last but we'll let you know when comments are working again.

Stay tuned!

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Posted by JP Frantz at Saturday July 04, 2009 at 8:17 AM

To all our American readers I hope you're having a happy Independence Day, full with the charred flesh of various animals and the libation(s) of your choice, all spiced up with small to medium explosive devices light by hand. Todays' the day we celebrate our Independence from the British (sorry guys, the spotted dick just isn't right) or aliens whose computers are suspiciously susceptible to a Macintosh virus of all things.

In any event, back in 1776 when our forefathers were hashing out the Declaration of Independence, I bet it sounded a little something like this (who knew K.I.T.T. could sing 233 years ago?):

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Humor
Posted by JP Frantz at Saturday July 04, 2009 at 6:41 AM

If you've followed the comments from our earlier Stargate posts, you'll know that "Emancipation" does not receive high marks from some people. And once you watch this episode, you'll know why. A cliched, heavy handed story, some poor acting and a setting that shows the writers reaching for an idea lead to a bad episode. I remember seeing this one waaaay back when. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. And really, what's up with all the people on the other worlds being able to speak English? I know it's a contrivance to make it easier to follow along, but it strains credibility. There's not even a nod to why SG-1 can talk to many different 'aliens'. This happens all through the series, you'll just have to put it behind you.

Bad bad Stargate writers! You're better than this.

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Stargate
Posted by JP Frantz at Saturday July 04, 2009 at 4:03 AM

Free Fiction and Stuff [courtesy of QuasarDragon]

• @Planet Magazine: "The Package" by Ilan Herman.


• Hypersonic Tales has its July issue online with fiction by, Sean Vivier, Ellen Denham, Guy Belleranti, A.K. Sykora, and Robert E. Keller.


• Drops of Crimson has its YA issue online with fiction by Joanna Gardner, Lilah Wild, Kenneth Mark Hoover, Che Gilson, Dennis R. Upkins, Kristopher Reisz, T.A. Moore, Aleksandra Butowt, Rich Mallery, Michael Merriam, and Julie Klumb.


• The latest issue of The Edge of Propinquity is online with fiction by Rick Silva, James M. Sullivan, Ivan Ewert, Nick Bergeron, and Alma Alexander.


• @Manybooks:
  • "Salvage in Space" by Jack Williamson (1933).
  
  
  • "Priestess of the Flame" by Sewell Peaslee Wright (1932).


• Audio Fiction:
  • @Escape Pod: "All you Zombies" by Robert A. Heinlein, read by Steve Eley.
  
  
  • @Pseudopod: "Mira" by Michael James McFarland, read by David Moore.
  
  
  • @The Classic Tales Podcast: Part one of two of "The Bottle Imp" by Robert Louis Stevenson, read by B.J. Harrison.
  
  
  • @PodCastle: "The Orange" by Benjamin Rosenbaum, read by Paul S. Jenkins.


• Graphic Fiction:
  • @Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: "Death for Hire" (1952).

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Free Fiction
Posted by JP Frantz at Saturday July 04, 2009 at 3:59 AM

Science of the Movies is a new show on the Science Channel (Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT) that lives at the intersection of Hollywood blockbusters and cool moviemaking technology. It's a geek's dream show because it shows the behind-the-scenes techniques used to create the outstanding special effects we see in a lot of genre films.

The host, Nar Williams does a good job of staying on topic with probing questions in between brief explanations, movie clips, and the inevitable eager fanboy reactions. (Would any of us act any differently? I think not.) The show hops between these moments quickly, though, preventing you from losing interest. (I hate it when documentaries and interviews show people talking and talking and talking...) This is a great show to share with your kids to show them "how it's done". (See, Timmy, that man's head didn't really explode.")

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Science and Technology, TV
Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday July 04, 2009 at 12:20 AM

• @Stronice Dukaja: Passages of "Other Songs" by Jacek Dukaj, translated into English.
• @Project Gutenberg: "Now We Are Three" by Joe L. Hensley (1957).
• Planetary Stories has its 15th issue online and Pulp Spirit hast its 6th. They feature stories by Shelby Vick, Michael Shack, Bob Bolin, Sue Ross, Johann Kuester, Gerald W Page, Erwin K Roberts, Erwin K Roberts, Rob Shelsky, and David Hardy.
• @Clarkesworld:
  • "Placa del Fuego" by Tobias S. Buckell.
  • "On the Lot and In the Air" by Lisa Hannett.
• @Beneath Ceaseless Skies:
  • "The Land of Empty Shells" by Caroline M. Yoachim.
  • "The Bone House" by James Lecky.
• @ChiZine:
  • "Teddy Bears and Tea Parties" by S. Boyd Taylor.
  • "In Bloom" by Caspian Gray.
  • "In Case of Doubt" by Tarl Roger Kudrick.
• Audio Fiction:
  • @LibriVox: Short Science Fiction Collection 20 with stories by Kurt Vonnegut, C. C. MacApp, Harry Harrison, Edmund H. Leftwich, Philip K. Dick, George O. Smith, Frederic Brown, Henry Slesar, William F. Nolan, and William P. Salton.
  • @Clarkesworld: "Placa del Fuego" by Tobias S. Buckell, read by Mike Allen.
  • @Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "The Mansion of Bones" by Richard Parks.
• @Graphic Fiction:
  • @The Horrors of It All: "Thing That Grew" (51) and "Dry Death" (1954).
  • @Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "A Warp In Time...Loses Everything!" (1970)

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Free Fiction
Posted by JP Frantz at Friday July 03, 2009 at 8:47 PM

We're finally off the pilot and on to new episodes. "The Enemy Within" is a rather decent episode. We get to see the ramifications of Teal'c switching sides, the politics in play between SGC and Washington and the usefulness of the iris in stopping travelers. We also see the base self-destruct mechanism used as a fail-safe device in case of invasion of the mountain. And we also learn more about how the Goau'ld operate. Add in some nice character moments and all in all, a good episode.

I'll say right now that Teal'c can be a great character, but it all depends, this season at least, on how the writers use him.

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Stargate, TV
Posted by JP Frantz at Friday July 03, 2009 at 12:25 AM

Wonder Woman Makes a Great Safety Monitor. I swear, these clips are the reason I grew up to be such a nerd.

[via Poe TV]

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: TV
Posted by John DeNardo at Friday July 03, 2009 at 12:15 AM

PS Publishing is making available free fiction samples from their catalog. Here's the first batch (click the free sample links):

• The Babylonian Trilogy by Sebastien Doubinsky
• Camp Desolation and an Eschatology of Salt by Uncle River
• Everland and Other Stories by Paul Witcover
• Harsh Oases by Paul Di Filippo
• Mystery Hill by Alex Irvine
• The Painting and The City by Robert Freeman Wexler
• Postscripts #18: This is the Summer of Love
• Random Walk by Lawrence Block
• Starfall by Stephen Baxter
• The Bridge by Zoran Zivkovic
• The Writer, The Book, The Reader by Zoran Zivkovic
• The Witnesses Are Gone by Joel Lane

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Free Fiction
Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday July 02, 2009 at 3:01 PM

The pilot episode for Stargate SG-1 concludes in "Children of the Gods, Pt. 2". I'm not sure if these were the episodes I saw way back when, but if they were, I can understand why I wasn't gung-ho on the series. It's not that it's a bad pilot, it's just that I found little to get really excited about. I supposed if you were a big fan of the movie Stargate it would be really neat to see the further adventures of O'Neill and company (sadly lacking any French Stewart, or is that happily?) but to me there wasn't really any 'oomph' to these episodes.

Sure we get the beginnings of character development and the intro of Teal'C, but here there isn't much to work with. I really like the idea of the Stargate but it's probably too much to ask to explore those possibilities right off the bat. Instead we get the writers setting things up for later. I will give them props for putting things in place which will payoff in season 2., but if I didn't know it had lasted 10 seasons, I would have thought it didn't last long.

Not bad, but not great.

Comments (1) | PermaLink | Category: Stargate, TV
Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday July 02, 2009 at 2:03 PM

Free Fiction and Stuff [courtesy of QuasarDragon]

• Reflections Edge has its July issue out with fiction by Jamey Robert Stegmaier, Don Pizarro, Autumn Canter, Tai Dong Huai, Lynn Rushlau, and Robert Laughlin.


• Lorelei Signal has its July - Sept '09 issue out with fiction and poetry by Gerri Leen, C.L. Holland, Rhonda Porrett, Rhonda Parrish, Ed Blundell, Christine Lucas, James Hartley, Megan Arkenberg, Daniel D. Jones, and Pam L. Wallace.


• Crossed Genres has its out its Anthropomorphism themed issue with fiction by Aaron Wilsford, Jennifer D. Munro, Benjamin Jacobson, Jeromy K. Smith, and Aleta Johansen.


• @Futurismic: "Homeostasis" by Carlos Hernadez.


• @Another Realm: "Effects May Vary" by David Beers.


• @Book View Cafe: "Elvis Invictus" by Judith Tarr (1994).


• @Suduvu:
  • Manifold Time by Stephen Baxter (2000).
  
  
  • Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (2007).


• Audio Fiction:
  • PodCastle: "On the Banks of the River of Heaven" by Richard Parks, read by Barry Deutsch.


• Graphic Fiction:
  • @Fantasy Ink: "Trick or Treat" (1971).
  
  
  • @Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "A Vision of Venus" (1975).
  
  
  • @Golden Age Comics: Planet Comics #62 (Sept. 1949), Planet Comics #63 (Winter 1949), Jungle Comics #8 (Sept. 1949).

Comments (1) | PermaLink | Category: Free Fiction
Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday July 02, 2009 at 12:30 AM

Like before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I've watched in the last several weeks.

Comments (4) | PermaLink | Category: Movies
Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday July 02, 2009 at 12:22 AM

Here are the top SF Signal posts for June 2009:

1. MIND MELD: Guide to International SF/F (Part I )
2. MIND MELD: Why is Genre Fiction Bleak and What Can Be Done About It?
3. 5 Reasons Why You Should Read a Warhammer 40,000 Book
4. MIND MELD: Real-Life Places That Inspire Exceptional World Building
5. eBook Readers, or, How To Miss The Point
6. MIND MELD: New SF/F Recommendations for the Golden Age Reader
7. REVIEW: Green by Jay Lake
8. INTERVIEW: 10 Questions with Joe Abercrombie
9. Han Solo P.I. - Star Wars/Magnum P.I. Mashup
10. Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 09 Jedi Vs. Sith Cinematic
11. REVIEW: 2009 Hugo Award Short Fiction Nominees
12. Book Cover Smackdown! Two Hawks From Earth vs. Death of a Starship
13. RIP: David Eddings (1931-2009)
14. Alastair Reynolds Lands Unprecedented 10-Year, 10-Book Deal with Gollancz
15. WINNERS: 2008 Bram Stoker Award
16. Book Trailer Theater: 'The Strain' by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
17. REVIEW: House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds
18. Friday YouTube Bonus: William Shatner Gives Conan The Finger
19. At the Trailer Park: The Last Airbender; 2012; ZombieLand; Ponyo
20. MEME: Which SF/F Books Do You Want To Be Made Into Movies?

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Meta
Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday July 02, 2009 at 12:13 AM

The winners of our Stargate: Atlantis Season 5 DVD Giveaway have been notified. They are:

• Lauren L. (Lakewood, CO)


• David R. (Los Angeles, CA)


• Christine G. (Winter Garden, FL)

Thanks to everyone who entered.

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Contest
Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday July 01, 2009 at 8:00 PM

I know a lot of people like Stargate SG-1, but I've never been a big fan. Way back when it originally aired on Showtime, I was unable to watch it until it went on syndication and when I was able to see it, I was underwhelmed by the first few episodes. Heck, I was underwhelmed with the original Stargate movie as well. In any case, I never went back to SG-1, even when it went to Sci Fi. They must have done something right as it ran for 10 seasons then spawned the Stargate Atlantis series and now Stargate Universe is premiering in October.

Comments (3) | PermaLink | Category: Stargate, TV
Posted by JP Frantz at Wednesday July 01, 2009 at 2:30 PM

There's a great big world out there! So we decided to ask folks from all over about the sf/f scene in their own countries/languages. This week we've got responses from the Netherlands, China, Poland, France, Italy, Finland, Russia and India. And the answers kept pouring in, so we'll be finishing up next week, for a total of three weeks!

I have traveled extensively for the day job (although now I have settled down a bit), and have always been fascinated by other places, other people and other cultures. There is a wealth of stories in every corner of this (admittedly round) globe. Obviously, since it is written predominantly by anglophone writers, English-language SF is mostly set in western countries with predominantly western characters (many exceptions notwithstanding).

Personally, I like seeing more settings and viewpoints from non-western countries. To encourage this, I have started a series of "Optimism in literature around the World, and SF in Particular" on the Shine blog. So far the following countries have been featured:

Comments (12) | PermaLink | Category: Mind Meld
Posted by Karen Burnham at Wednesday July 01, 2009 at 1:00 AM

Free Fiction and Stuff [courtesy of QuasarDragon]

• Electric Spec has its latest issue out with fiction by Devin Miller, Steven J. Dines, D. Lynn Frazier, Chris Doerner, Aaron C. Brown, Gustavo Bondoni, and David E. Hughes and Lesley L. Smith.


• @Hub: "The Bohemian of the Arbat" by Sarah Pinborough.


• @Labyrinth Inhabitant Magazine: "Minds Burned White" by Robert E. Keller.


• @Well Told Tales: "Promotion" by Cody Pinnick.


• @Manybooks:
  • "The Issahar Artifacts" by J. F. Bone (1960).
  
  
  • "No Hiding Place" by Richard R. Smith (1956).


• Audio Fiction:
  • @StarShipSofa: "Are You There" by Jack Skillingstead.


• Art:
  • @Golden Age Comic Book Stories: "Hannes Bok: A Memorial Portfolio"
  
  
  • @Monster Brains: A Gallery of Mike Dubisch Lovecraft Artworks.


• Graphic Fiction:
  • @The Horrors of It All: Another cool pair of Atlas horror comics "Don't Bury Me Deep!" and "Where?" (1952).
  
  
  • @Grantbridge Street & other misadventures: "Night Meeting"
  
  
  • @The Bronze Age of Blogs: "Arzach" (1974).

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Free Fiction
Posted by JP Frantz at Wednesday July 01, 2009 at 12:36 AM

REVIEW SUMMARY: Some kids' books are best read by kids.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A young girl named Emma discovers a magical hotel buried in the sands of a faraway land.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Baker's easy-going writing style; colorful characters; positive message for kids.
CONS: Missed opportunity giving Emma's back story some import; lacked the magical quality I was expecting.
BOTTOM LINE: A mediocre story for adults, though kids (the intended audience) may find it more enjoyable.

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Book Review
Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 30, 2009 at 1:29 AM

In case there was any doubt that Jekyll and Hyde fell under the label of horror...

[via Poe TV]

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Music
Posted by John DeNardo at Tuesday June 30, 2009 at 12:15 AM

Free Fiction and Stuff [courtesy of QuasarDragon]

• @Manybooks: Astounding Stories of Super-Science September 1930.


• @Book View Cafe: "Thin Man" by Steven Piziks (1997).


• @Strange Horizons: "River of Heaven" by Rachel Manija Brown.


• @Big Pulp:
  • "The Beast" by Jennifer Povey.
  
  
  • "Code Violation" by William Meikle.
  
  


• @Audio Fiction:
  • @Beam Me Up: Part two, the conclusion, of "The Street That Wasn't There" by Clifford Simak, read by Crystalwizard.
  
  
  • Relic Radio: Part two, the conclusion, of "Earth Abides" (1950).
  
  


• Graphic Fiction:
  • @The Horrors of It All: "Blood Brothers!" (1952) and "Stranger from Space" (1953).
  
  
  • @Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "Tall In the Saddle!" (1973)
  
  

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Free Fiction
Posted by JP Frantz at Tuesday June 30, 2009 at 12:08 AM

If you're like most of America, you missed Fox's premiere of Ron Moore's new SF show, Virtuality. We here at SF Signal also missed it so that's why we decided it was a good idea for all of us to find out why no one watched Virtuality. Together.

Don't say we aren't a caring bunch. Let us know what you think after watching, or if actually did watch you, you can skip the watching again part and give us your thoughts below. Note to the rest of the world: Sorry, Hulu is U.S. only, no Virtuality for you. Besides, that may not be a bad thing...

Comments (13) | PermaLink | Category: TV
Posted by JP Frantz at Monday June 29, 2009 at 11:39 AM

The winners of our Gail Z. Martin Giveaway have been notified. They are:

• The Blood King advance review copy #1, signed: Deborah P. (Bellerose, NY)


• The Blood King advance review copy #2, signed: Ana Cristina Amaral A. (Amadora, Portugal)


• Dark Haven copy #1, signed: Seahn G. (Coffs Harbour NSW, Australia)


• Dark Haven copy #2, signed: Joel B. (Riverton, UT)

Thanks to everyone who entered.

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Contest
Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 29, 2009 at 10:45 AM

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Three surrealist stories in which people follow odd people and odd things happen.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: The writing is spare and effective
CONS: I have no idea what to think about this collection of stories (but I've written 760 words about it anyway)

Comments (2) | PermaLink | Category: Book Review
Posted by Karen Burnham at Monday June 29, 2009 at 12:29 AM

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Books
Posted by John DeNardo at Monday June 29, 2009 at 12:12 AM

• Noah Wyle has signed on with DreamWorks Television to star in a pilot for a new science fiction show. The pilot is being executive produced by Stephen Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan). The show will be about a group of resistance fighters attempting to stop an alien invasion. And here I thought V had that sewed up.
• Anyone hoping that Ron Moore's Virtuality could be saved and picked up as a series due to strong ratings can stop hoping. The ratings are in and they are terrible. Yes, it's only the 18-49 demographic, but that's where the money is and Virtuality was basically seen by no one. Sure the specials about Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson didn't help. I bet Moore is cursing Fox's decision to move his show up a week.
• Unless you live in the U.S., you are unlikely to be able to stream videos from Hulu. But things will soon change in Britain as Hulu is set to go 'live' in September. It looks like they will be adding several British channels worth of shows and maybe have access to the U.S. shows as well. Sweet! No our British friends can watch The A-Team!
• Popmatters lists (at the end of the article) all the new science fiction shows on network TV through the fall season. The good news is there is a lot of SF-ish stuff coming, the bad news is almost none of it is of the 'in space, with spaceships!' variety. That's what I really like to see, but I'll watch the other stuff if it's good.
• You can excused if you've never seen (or heard of) the cable channel G4. It's been through a lot of changes since being aimed at gamers and seems to have settled on a Spike TV-lite motif. However, with Comic Con 2009 coming up in July, they are doing something cool. G4 will broadcast, live, the Lucasfilm panel from Comic Con, which will focus on the extended universe of Star Wars and will feature a a live table read of an exclusive new Clone Wars script. That's almost worth tuning in for (July 25th, 2pm/1pm C).
• And lastly, a belated clip with the recently passed away Ed McMahon. It seems that in 1979 NBC aired a live-action psuedo-Super Friends show called Legends of the Superheroes. It had Adam West and Burt Ward reprising their roles as Batman and Robin, and a large cast of other superheroes. Who knew? Ed McMahon played the role of the host in this bizarre variety show meets superheros production. [via Fanboy.com]
  
  

Comments (3) | PermaLink | Category: Tube Bits
Posted by JP Frantz at Monday June 29, 2009 at 12:02 AM

Steamboy is a Japanese animated film directed and co-written by Katsuhiro Otomo, his second major anime release following Akira. Here's a synopsis:

In this animated tale that's as riveting as it is retro, genius teen inventor Ray Steam receives a strange spherical device containing a mind-boggling new form of energy that can power a whole country. Soon two ominous gents turn up looking to get their hands on the gadget; next thing you know, Ray is caught in a battle between the Yanks and the Brits, who'll do anything to obtain the priceless orb.

Comments (3) | PermaLink | Category: Movies
Posted by John DeNardo at Sunday June 28, 2009 at 12:20 AM

Free Fiction and Stuff [courtesy of QuasarDragon]

• Raygun Revival 53rd issue of Space Opera online with fiction by, Swapna Krishore, Scott Davis, Brandon Meyers, L.S. King, Raz Greenberg, M. Keaton, Justin R. Macumber, and Keanan Brand.
• @Tor.com: "The House That George Built" by Harry Turtledove. [via Futurismic]
• @Book View Cafe: "The Boarder" by Madeleine Robins (1982).
• Audio Fiction:
  
  
  • @Maria Lectrix: "The Thief of Time" Part one and part two by S.P. Meek, read by Maureen O'Brien.
  
  
  • @Cthulhu: Episode #59 featuring "After a Year in the Asylum" by Justin Lowmaster.
  
  
  • @Radio Drama Revival: Episode 128 featuring Roger Gregg's "The Return of the Bogman Mummy." [via Monster Rally]
• Graphic Fiction:
  • @The Fabuleous Fifties: four classic horror comic stories "Murder at Midnight," "Dark Dungeon," "Beware the Eyes of Horror," and "The End of the World."
  
  
  • @Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "Believe It...Or Not!" (1970)
  
  

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Free Fiction
Posted by JP Frantz at Sunday June 28, 2009 at 12:15 AM

Kevin Maher writes in to point us to the original, darker ending to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. If you recall, Kevin was a participant in our Mind Meld Which SciFi Movie Ending Would You Change? and this was the film he cited...

Comments (1) | PermaLink | Category: Movies
Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday June 27, 2009 at 12:15 AM

There are only a few days left to enter our giveaway for a free copy of Stargate: Atlantis Season 5 on DVD.

See the original post for details on how to enter.

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Contest
Posted by John DeNardo at Saturday June 27, 2009 at 12:14 AM

Sure, we're in the midst of a brown out of SF on TV, but that's about the change as Sci Fi and BBC America gear up some SF shows in July. However, there are a few shows on TV this weekend that may appeal to the SF fan.

Comments (1) | PermaLink | Category: TV
Posted by JP Frantz at Friday June 26, 2009 at 2:30 PM

I'm not sure whether this is totally awesome or completely appalling. The people behind the Hello Wars website have taken it upon themselves to create and sell this stickers that are a mashup of Star Wars characters done in the artistic style of Hello Kitty, with bows. You can purchase them individually for $1 a piece, or in packs for $10. I keep thinking "Who's a cute wittle bounty hunter? You are aren't you Boba Kitty! Yes you are!"

Clearly I need help.

[via Japanator]

Comments (6) | PermaLink | Category: Star Wars, Web Sites
Posted by JP Frantz at Friday June 26, 2009 at 12:22 AM

Batman's not quite on the top of his game here. Methinks he's feeling a false sense of bravado rising in that supercool BatCopter. Though, to be fair, Robin's the noob who's overeager with the controls. And can someone tell me why, in God's name, does Robin have to hang upside down to hand Btaman the Shark Repellent spray?

Comments (2) | PermaLink | Category: TV
Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 26, 2009 at 12:15 AM

Free Fiction and Stuff [courtesy of QuasarDragon]

• @Audio Fiction:
  • @FrankMarcopolos.com: Part one of "The Hortlak" by Kelly Link, read by Frank Marcopolis [via Not a Journal].
  • @Escape Pod: "Requiem in D-minor (for prions, whale and burning bush)" by Ian McHugh, read by Frank Key.
  • @PodCastle: "Nine-Fingered Maria" by Hilary Moon Murphy, read by Christopher Reynaga.
  • @Dunesteef: "Cold Trail Blazing" by Stephen Gaskell.
• Graphic Fiction:
  • @Grantbridge Street & other misadventures: "Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species."
  • @Golden Age Comics: Mysteries Of Unexplored Worlds #3 (1957).
  • @The Bronze Age of Blogs: "Solomon Kane: The Right Hand Of Doom"
  • @Fantasy Ink: "Out on a Limb!" (1971)
  • @His Name Is. . .: "The Paul Revere of Time."

Comments (0) | PermaLink | Category: Free Fiction
Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 26, 2009 at 12:11 AM

[Note: Tidbit posts are going on sabbatical for at least a week, so get your fill!]

• Interviews & Profiles:
  • @SciFi Wire: Robert Charles Wilson explains why he destroyed America in Julian Comstock and Neil Gaiman reveals what killed the Sandman 20th-anniversary comic.
  • @Whatever: Sarah Rees Brennan (The Demon's Lexicon).
  • The Babylon Podcast interviews Babylon 5 creator/writer J. Michael Straczynski. [via SFFaudio]


• Tim Pratt's "Bone Shop" is a serialized, donation-funded urban fantasy novella.


• Angry Robot has posted free excerpts from Book of Secrets by Chris Roberson and Nekropolis by Tim Waggoner.


• Planet Stories changes format, frequency, and offers new subscription benefits.


• Joseph Mallozzi reveals his Book of the Month Club Selection for August: The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon.


• Cover Pr0n: David Herter previews the cover to his forthcoming PS Publishing book, One Who Disappeared, the final installment of his Czech trilogy:


• SF author Mike Brotherton reveals his Path to science fiction.


• Alastair Reynolds gets his rocket on.


• Heather at Galaxy Express looks at the intersection of Japanese SF & Science Fiction Romance.


• SF Awards Watch has the scoop on the nominnes for the Zajdel Award, which honors the best in Polish SF.


• Apex Magazine returns from hiatus.


• USA Today sez: Science fiction predictions resemble reality 36 years later.


• Sci-Fi Song #19: "The Transformers Theme" by John Anealio.


• Real Old Science: NASA space shuttle solves mystery 1908 Tunguska Event in Siberia: "The mysterious 1908 Tunguska explosion that leveled 830 square miles of Siberian forest was almost certainly caused by a comet entering Earth's atmosphere"


• At AMC, John Scalzi says: Relax! Transformers Is Not the End of Cinema as We Know It.


• For our UK readers, BBC has posted a trailer for the five-part series Torchwood: Children of Earth.


• Lists:
  • Bloginhood lists Top 5 Rejected Ideas for Transformers.
  • OUPblog lists "Set Phasers on..." Tweets.
  • Scifi Watch lists 15 Ways Publishers Can Increase Sales, Save Money, and Promote Publicity.
  • At AMC, Mary Robinette Kowal lists 10 Films That Feature Portals to Another World.
  • Several genre films make the Film School Rejects lists of 10 Most Awesome Movie Explosions Of All Time Ever.
  • Mike brotherton lists 10 of the Dumbest Things in Science Fiction Film.

Comments (1) | PermaLink | Category: Tidbits
Posted by John DeNardo at Friday June 26, 2009 at 12:08 AM

You know the saying, bad news comes in threes, and this week is no exception with the passing of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and now Michael Jackson. Whatever you may think of Jackson, his influence on music can't be denied. I did indeed purchase one and only one of his records, Thriller, specifically for that song and while I was never huge MJ fan, I did find the occasional song of his to be entertaining.

I thought we'd take a look back at a couple of his genre related videos made during the '80's: Captain Eo and Thriller.

Comments (2) | PermaLink | Category: Zombies
Posted by JP Frantz at Thursday June 25, 2009 at 10:00 PM

There are only a few days left to enter our giveaway for a free copy of The Blood King or Dark Haven by Gail Z. Martin.

See the original post for details on how to enter.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 25, 2009 at 11:29 AM

See what you started , Al?

SF Scope is reporting that Brandon Sanderson's latest books sales -- the first four books in a new series called The Way of Kings expected to appear in the second half of 2010 -- comes with a per-book advance in the six figure range. With performance-added bonuses, the deal "could exceed $2.5 million"!

That's a nice chunk of change.

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 25, 2009 at 12:22 AM

Analog has posted the table of contents for the September 2009 issue:

Serial:

• "Turning the Grain" (conclusion) by Barry B. Longyear

Novelettes:

• "Evergreen" by Shane Tourtellotte
• "The Last Resort" by Alec Nevala-Lee

Short Stories:

• "From the Ground Up" by Marie DesJardin
• "Attitude Adjustment" by Eric James Stone

Science Fact:

• "From Atlantis to Canoe-Eating Trees: Geomythology Comes of Age" by Richard A. Lovett

Reader's Departments:

• The Editor's Page
• In Times to Come
• The Alternate View by Jeffery D. Kooistra
• The Reference Library by Don Sakers
• Brass Tacks
• Upcoming Events by Anthony Lewis

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 25, 2009 at 12:13 AM

Asimov's has posted the table of contents for the August 2009 issue:

Novelettes

• "The Qualia Engine" by Damien Broderick
• "California Burning" by Michael Blumlein

• "Creatures of Well-Defined Habits" by Robert Reed
• "Blue" by Derek Zumsteg
• "The Consciousness Problem" by Mary Robinette Kowal
• "Two Boys" by Steven Popkes
• "Turbulence" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

• "Chicken from Minsk" by Karin L. Frank
• "Osteometry" by Erin Hoffman
• "Doing Splits" by Ruth Berman
• "And My Sinuses Are Killing Me" by Tina Connolly
• "Human Resources" by F.J. Bergmann

• Editorial: 2009 Readers' Awards by Sheila Williams
• Reflections: Adventures in the Far Future by Robert Silverberg
• Reflections: Adventures in the Far Future II by Robert Silverberg
• Thought Experiments: On James Patrick Kelly by Divers Hands
• On the Net: And the Winner Is by James Patrick Kelly
• On Books by Peter Heck
• The SF Conventional Calendar by Erwin S. Strauss

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 25, 2009 at 12:12 AM

Free Fiction and Stuff [courtesy of QuasarDragon]

• Author Robert J. Sawyer has made his novella "Identity Theft" available for online reading.
• @Manybooks: "Reel Life Films" by Sam Merwin (1954).
• @Book View Cafe: "Them Old Hyannis Blues" by Judith Tarr (1992).
• @Inside Spinward Fringe: First Light Chronicles: Freeground by Randolph Lalonde.
• @Ensorcelled:
  • "The Dome" by Lee Collins.
  • "Foretold" by Monica Parks.
  • "For Every Name" by Vicky Chen.
  • "Fragments of Dr. Skinner's Personal Log (recovered March 5, 2011)" by Kristine Ong Muslim.
  • "Take Your Time" by Aaron Milstead.
• @Audio Fiction:
  • @The Guardian Books Podcast: "Scales" by Alastair Reynolds. [Via SFFaudio and Free SF Reader]
  • @StarShipSofa: "Shoggoths In Bloom" by Elizabeth Bear.
  • @LibriVox:
    • Short Science Fiction Collection 19 with fiction by Andre Norton, Phillip K. Dick, Rog Phillips, Robert Silverberg, Edmond Hamilton, Anne Walker, David Mason, William Gerken, and Harry Harrison.
    • The Faerie Queene - Book 1 by Edmund Spenser, read by many readers.
• Art @Golden Age Comic Book Stories:
  • A gallery of pulp illustrations by artist, Boris Dolgov.
  • A gallery of art by the great pulp artist Virgil Finlay.
• Graphic Fiction:
  • @The Horrors of It All: "The Weaker Sex!" and "Sleep, My Love!" (1953).
  • @Hairy Green Eyeball: Flying Saucers #1 (1967).
  • @Magic Carpet Burn: "The Burning Corpse" (1974)
  • @The Olden Age: "Dr. Horror" (1941).
  • @Diversions of the Groovy Kind: "Forbidden Journey" (1970).
  • @Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: "Blood Thirsty"
  • @Golden Age Comics: This Magazine is Haunted #21 (1954).

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 25, 2009 at 12:11 AM

• James Wallace Harris is still writing excellent essays. (I've been hooked since his now-classic The Classics of Science Fiction.) His latest essay discuses The Time Machine by H.G. Wells: "The Time Machine is the big bang origin of the science fiction universe." Take that, Frankenstein!


• Alastair Reynolds comments on his recent book deal. Short version: business as usual. Cool! because his normal business is pretty darned good.


• Support Tim Pratt and his serial story idea.


• Speaking of International SF/F, Dr. Valentin D. Ivanov reviews some Bulgarian SF.


• Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff on Story-weaving in the Science Fiction Age. "Writing is a lot like painting. You have a palette made up of ideas and words and technologies and character relationships. Every 'color' interacts with every other color and alters it subtly or not-so-subtly." [via Bibliophile Stalker]


• Andrew Wheeler teaches Book Marketing 101: An Introduction.


• @Missions Unknown: Putting the Science in Science Fiction. 'If we want the next generation of SF fans to grow up with more than just an appreciation for the large franchises (Star Wars, Star Trek, Transformers, Terminator, blah, blah, infinite blah) we should ensure they have an appreciation for science as well."


• Interviews & Profiles:
  • The Dragon Page podcast-interviews James Enge (Blood of Ambrose).
  • David Steffen interviews Cat Rambo. [via Bibliophile Stalker]
  • io9 interviews Robert Charles Wilson (Julian Comstock).
  • @The Shirley Jackson Awards Blog: Ann & Jeff Vandermeer.


• Cool Graph of the Day: SFWA Grandmasters, by Age When They Won the Award courtesty of SF Scope and, I suspect, Excel.


• ABS-CBN News offers up tips on How to start a book club


• Fantastic Flashbacks goes ape over the the media hype given to the Planet of the Apes TV show premiere.


• All 18 episodes of Zerks Log Season 1 are on Youtube.


• Real Science: The Hunt for Life on Saturnian Moon Heats Up.


• Lists:
  • Mental Floss lists Surprising Facts About 15 Bestselling Authors. [via Bibliophile Stalker]
  • @io9: The 20 Best (And 20 Worst) Pets In Science Fiction.
  • Boing Boing points us to a cool X-Men Universe Relationship Map
  • @AMC: 10 Dream Double Features Worthy of the Drive In. [via BBT Magazine]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday June 25, 2009 at 12:05 AM