Some Comments on the 2021 Nebula Finalists

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Cora

The finalists for the 2021 Nebula Awards were announced today, again very close to the Hugo nomination deadline, though not quite as close as last year.

So let’s take a look at the individual categories:

Best Novel

None of the 2021 Nebula finalists for Best Novel are entirely unexpected, but they’re also not entirely expected. But then it seems to me as as 2021 had fewer obvious standout SFF novels – the ones everybody talks about – as 2019 and 2020, both of which were extremely strong years for longform SFF.

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark is a novel that’s also on my personal Hugo longlist (I haven’t finalised my nominations yet) and I’m glad to see it recognised here.

I pleasantly surprised to see A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark nominated for the 2021 Nebula Award, since I have been enjoying Clark’s alternate Cairo stories a whole lot. This one is also on my personal Hugo longlist.

Machinehood by S.B. Divya got a lot of buzz, when it came out early last year. I haven’t read it yet, though I’m looking forward to doing so.

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine is a sequel to the 2020 Hugo winner A Memory Called Empire and probably the most obvious finalist in this category. It’s also a great book.

Finally, Plague Birds by Jason Sanford is another very pleasant surprise on this ballot, since it got less attention than the other novels, probably due to being published by a small press, Apex Books. I’m also really happy for Jason, who’s one of the hardest working people in SFF. Plague Birds is a great novel as well, which hits a lot of my personal buttons.

Diversity count: 3 women, 2 men, 3 writers of colour

Best Novella

This category is a mix of the expected and the unexpected.

Tor.com makes another strong showing with four of seven nominees. Neither Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard (which is also on my Hugo ballot in this category) and A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers are a big surprises, since both are fine stories by popular and well regarded authors.

The other two Tor.com novellas, Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden and Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn are more of a surprise, since I did not see a lot of buzz for either of them. I haven’t read either, though they both sound interesting. Sun Daughters, Sea Daughters is an SF-nal retelling of The Little Mermaid, continuing both the trend for fairytale retellings and also for fairytale retellings to move further away from the originals than the first wave did. Flowers for the Sea, meanwhile, continues the trend of horror fiction winning nominations in the Hugos and Nebulas, which have traditionally been not all that open to horror.

The small press Neon Hemlock represented in this category with two novellas, And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed and The Necessity of Stars by E. Catherine Tobler, which makes me happy, because Neon Hemlock does good work and was the target of a vicious harassment campaign last year. I haven’t read either novella, though both seem to be dystopian (as is Flowers for the Sea), so we have another trend here.

I’m afraid that “The Giants of the Violet Sea” by Eugenia Triantafyllou passed me by, when it was published in Uncanny last September, probably because I was busy with other things at the time. However, Eugenia Triantafyllou is certainly a name to watch out for as well as one of my TOC mates in the upcoming Volume 7 of The Long List Anthology.

There’s also a note that Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells received enough nominations to make the ballot, but that Martha Wells graciously decline, declaring that Murderbot has already gotten so much love and acclaim that she’d rather open the floor to other voice. And that’s why Martha Wells is one of the best people in the industry.

ETA: Martha Wells explains that she asked SFWA president Jeffe Kennedy what would happen, if she declined the Nebula nomination and it turned out that there was a three way tie for sixth place, so three authors got to move up. As I said before, Martha Wells is a class act.

Diversity count: 7 women, 3 authors of colour, 3 international authors*

Best Novelette

I have to admit that this category was a big surprise to me, because I haven’t read any of the stories and none of them are on my personal Hugo ballot. That said, I’m looking forward to checking them out.

Nigerian author and editor Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki is one of the most interesting emerging voices in our genre, as is John Wiswell. They’re both wonderful people as well. P.H. Lee is a name I’ve increasingly noticed in the SFF magazines I read, though this particular story passed me by. Caroline M. Yoachim is another great short fiction writer who has popped up on the Hugo and Nebula ballot several times in recent years. Lauren Ring, finally, is another new writer and artist as well as another of my TOC mates in Volume 7 of The Long List Anthology.

This category also has a nice range of places where the stories in question were published. Uncanny is represented by two stories, GigaNotoSaurus and Galaxy’s Edge, two magazines that don’t get a lot of awards love, are presented by one story each, while the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction holds up the flag for the traditional print mags.

Diversity count: 2 men, 2 women, 1 non-binary, at least 2 writers of colour, at least 1 international writer

Best Short Story

Once again, there are a lot of excellent writers nominated in this category, even if there is little overlap with my personal Hugo ballot.

“Mr. Death” by Alix E. Harrow is the one story here that’s also on my Hugo ballot and a great story (and a real tearjerker) it is, too.

“Let All the Children Boogie” by Sam J. Miller is a lovely retro story about two small town kids bonding over radio in a not so alternate 1980s, where the Cold War is about to turn hot. As someone who’s about the same age as these kids and who also messed with the radio to listen to snatches of police radio or the weird beeps you got when you pushed the tuner all the way to the edge of the frequency range, this one really spoke to me. It came out very early in the year, so I had forgotten it was a 2021 story, but this might change my Hugo ballot.

“Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather” by Sarah Pinsker is a fascinating story in the form of a Wikipedia article plus discussion page about a (fictional) folk ballad.

“Proof by Induction” by José Pablo Iriarte completely passed me by, I’m afraid, though I look forward to reading it.

“For Lack of a Bed” by John Wiswell also passed me by, but as I said above, John Wiswell is one of the most interesting new voices in our genre as well as one of the nicest people. I look forward to reading this story.

“Laughter Among the Trees” by Suzan Palumbo is another story that passed me by, though I normally check out The Dark. This is another horror story nominated and more proof that the Nebulas are more open to horror than they used to be.

Once again, we have a nice range of places where the stories originally appeared. We have two stories from Uncanny, one from Tor.com, one from Apex, one from Diabolical Plots and one from The Dark.

Diversity count: 2 men, 3 women, 1 non-binary, 2 writers of colour, 1 international writer

Andre Norton Award for YA and Middle Grade SFF

There are comparatively few surprises and a lot of very good books in this category.

Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders was one of the most buzzy YA SFF novels of last year (and also a really good book), so I’m not at all surprised to see it here.

Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko is the sequel to last year’s Nebula and Lodestar finalist Raybearer and another fine choice.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao was another buzzy and much discussed YA SFF debut. I haven’t read it yet, though it’s on my list.

I haven’t read A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger yet, though I enjoyed last year’s Nebula and Lodestar finalist Elatsoe a whole lot.

Leah Cypress has been active in the SFF field for more than twenty years now, though I haven’t read her nominated novel Thornwood, which is yet another fairytale retelling.

Eden Royce is best known for her gothic and horror short fiction. Root Magic is both her first novel and her first foray into fiction for younger readers. I haven’t read it, but it sounds like something that should be right up my alley.

Diversity count: 5 women, 1 non-binary, 4 authors of colour, 1 international author

Ray Bradbury Award for Best Dramatic Presentation

There are a few surprises in this category, the most notable being the absence of Dune, which I fully expected to see here.

I’m not at all surprised to see both Loki and WandaVision here, since both shows were hugely popular as well as a lot better and weirder than most of us expected. Of the Disney+ Marvel shows, these two were clearly the highlights of 2021.

Marvel is also represented by Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings. Again, this isn’t much of a surprise since Shang-Chi was a thoroughly enjoyable movie, largely independent from the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe and it also nicely showed how the Marvel movies and TV shows absorb different influences to tell a broad range of different stories. The same goes for Loki and WandaVision, by the way. The reason Marvel is so successful, in spite of the many naysayers, is because they produce a lot of fun and well-made movies and TV shows.

I’m very happy to see The Green Knight here, since it was a beautiful movie and one that IMO got way too little attention. I guess the viewers were expecting Ridley Scott or Game of Thrones type knightly action and got something quite different.

I’m also very happy to see the South Korean film Space Sweepers here, a) because it’s a thoroughly enjoyable movie and b) because non-English language films often have a hard time getting recognised by the Hugos and Nebulas. That said, I’m surprised not to see Squid Game, also from South Korea, here, since that was a worldwide hit.

What We Do in the Shadows is one of those shows I’ve been meaning to check out for ages, only that there is more good SFF TV than I have time to watch. It’s definitely an offbeat show, so I’m happy to see it recognised.

Encanto is a hugely popular animated film with an earworm soundtrack, so I am not at all surprised to see it  nominated. Though I have to admit that the sing-songy Disney/Pixar animated movies aren’t my thing at all, but then I’m not the target audience and haven’t been for decades. The Black Cauldron was the last animated Disney movie I saw at the theatre. I remember enjoying it a lot – probably because I was at the right age for it – though oddly enough it’s one of the least well remembered Disney movies.

Arturo Serrano has a really great essay about Encanto from the POV of someone who’s from Colombia, i.e. the country where Encanto is set, at nerds of a feather BTW.

No diversity count, too many people are needed to make movies and TV shows.

Best Game Writing

I can only repeat what I said about this category last year and the year before, namely that I’m not a gamer, don’t recognise any of the titles and can’t really say anything about them.

That said, Thirsty Sword Lesbians is an awesome title.

No diversity count, too many people are needed to make games.

All in all, this is another excellent Nebula ballot. Those who are worried that not enough men are being nominated for the big genre awards will be happy to see that there are several men, including white men, on the ballot this year. Though I’m sure they will find something wrong with the men in question.

Tor.com is still fairly dominant in the novella category, though not as dominant as they used to be. Besides, the current novella renaissance wouldn’t exist without Tor.com. Uncanny still does well, but is no longer as dominant as they used to be either. Meanwhile, the print mags are declining further in importance and have nabbed only one nomination this year. Small Presses like Apex and Neon Hemlock are doing well this year and we’re also seeing a couple of magazines like GigaNotoSaurus, The Dark, Galaxy’s Edge and Diabolical Plots, which we rarely see on the Hugo and Nebula ballot. It is also notable that Clarkesworld, Lightspeed and Beneath Ceaseless Skies have not gotten a single nomination this year.

There are no indie writers on the Nebula ballot for the third year in a row. Is it because indies don’t have a marketing budget of a big publishers and are thus invisible to many nominators (but then we have a lot of small presses here) or because indies don’t write the sort of thing Nebula voters are looking for or did the indies all take their ball and went home after the 20Booksto50K uproar of 2019?

With regard to trends, we see a couple of longstanding trends continuing such as stories about and from the POV of robots and AIs, fairytale retellings, Lovecraftian horror and horror in general. We have several dystopian tales on the ballot this year, which is probably a response to the generally sorry state of the world. Science fantasy, i.e. stories which mix elements of science fiction and fantasy, also continues to make a good showing. Finally, we also have several dark-tinged fantasy stories which are closer to sword and sorcery moodwise than to epic fantasy.  I see very little of what might be called “squeecore” on the ballot, though I’m sure this will not stop the people trying to make “squeecore” a thing from claiming it dominates the ballot.

All in all, it’s a very strong Nebula ballot.

*International authors means authors living and writing outside the US.

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Non-Fiction Spotlight: Lovecraft in the 21st Century Dead, But Still Dreaming, edited by Antonio Alcala Gonzalez and Carl H. Sederholm

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Cora

The 2022 Hugo nomination deadline is approaching and the Non-Fiction Spotlights are coming fast and furious now. If you’re just joining us, the Non-Fiction Spotlights are a project, where I interview the authors/editors of SFF-related non-fiction books that came out in 2021 and are eligible for the 2022 Hugo Awards. For more about the Non-Fiction Spotlight project, go here. To check out the spotlights I already posted, go here.

For more recommendations for SFF-related non-fiction, also check out this Facebook group set up by the always excellent Farah Mendlesohn, who is a champion (and author) of SFF-related non-fiction.

The subject of today’s Non-Fiction Spotlight is a collection of scholarly essays about H.P. Lovecraft entitled Lovecraft in the 21st Century: Dead, But Still Dreaming, edited by Antonio Alcala Gonzalez and Carl H. Sederholm.

So I’m pleased to welcome Tony Alcala Gonzalez and Carl H. Sederholm to my blog today:

Lovecraft in the 21st Century: Dead, But Still Dreaming

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Carl: I am originally from Long Beach, California, but I’ve lived in Utah since 1996. I am currently a professor of Interdisciplinary Humanities at Brigham Young University, where I have taught for 21 years. I am also the co-editor of The Age of Lovecraft, another collection of essays that focuses on Lovecraft and his impact.

Tony: I’ve lived my whole life in Mexico City where I’m currently a literature professor at Tecnologico de Monterrey (campus Santa Fe). All my dissertation projects, from college to PhD, focused on Lovecraft and different aspects of his work, so you can say I’m Lovecraft-obsessed. At present, I’m specializing my research on a branch called Nautical Horror.

What prompted you to edit this book?

Carl: Tony reached out to me and invited me to be part of it. He wrote a generous review of The Age of Lovecraft and thought that expanding the ideas brought forward in that book would help spark more discussion about Lovecraft in the current moment. I agreed.

I must also note that editing this book was a pleasant experience overall. The authors gave us terrific work and were very easy to work with during the editing and revising phase. Tony and I were also very impressed with the ways the topics tended to cluster into clear categories from the outset.

Tony: I came up with the idea of this book after having witnessed for years the growing presence of Lovecraft in literature and media conferences as well as in the syllabi of graduate and undergraduate literature courses around the world.

Receiving such insightful proposals from our contributors was an amazing experience that confirmed the tentacles of Lovecraft’s legacy extend longer than the mere literary and film areas. Their contributions state that this author is here to stay for long.

Why should SFF fans in general and Hugo voters in particular read this book?

Carl: I first became interested in Lovecraft because of references to him in popular culture. As I began to read more and more of his stories, I became fascinated by the ways his work continues to show up in everything from heavy metal music to board games to internet memes to television shows. What I didn’t know was that there were dozens of others having similar experiences. This book provides a glimpse at what others have discovered in their own journey through Lovecraft. I think anyone with an interest in Lovecraft, including SFF fans and Hugo voters, can discover just how far Lovecraft’s influence goes through a book like this. Even those who already have a firm grasp of Lovecraft should be able to find new insights and research opportunities here.

Tony: Lovecraft’s Mythos have an ingredient of SFF, especially his production commonly known as Cosmic Horror where he speculates on the role of humanity when pictured against life and knowledge from beyond the confines of our planet. In such line, this book can become a helpful reference for readers interested in finding connections between SFF and the Antrhopocene, and the way Lovecraft even anticipated contemporary concerns about our relationship with the universe.

Do you have any cool facts or tidbits that you unearthed during your research, but that did not make it into the final book?

Carl: Although this isn’t necessarily a cool fact or tidbit, it is important to note that we had such a strong response to the call for papers that we decided to divide things into a book and into a special issue of an academic journal. It was amazing to see the overlap between the book and the journal issue, especially on topics like video games, Lovecraft and gender, and Lovecraft and race. We felt like the issue and the book were in dialogue with each other while we worked on them. In one instance, authors from each collection corresponded and shared some ideas.

Since all those essays are available to read online, anyone who wants to see what else came out of this larger project can find them at

https://www.aeternumjournal.com/volume-8-issue-1

More to the point, the project does not have any “deep cuts” so to speak. Everything our authors wanted to address went into print. For me, the biggest surprises came from how well the essays blend discussion of contemporary challenges with Lovecraftian fiction. He definitely seems to be more relevant than ever.

Tony: Indeed, rather than tidbits, what the project brought was the revelation that the discussion around Lovecraft can bring together many interdisciplinary perspectives in terms of both the media and the academia. As Carl says, the interconnection between the book chapters proves Lovecraft’s legacy can be approached from multiple lines; all of them pointing at the central concern of his thought: the questioning of what being human means in the vastness of time and space around us.

SFF-related non-fiction is somewhat sidelined by the big genre awards, since the Nebulas have no non-fiction category and the Best Related Work Hugo category has become something of a grab bag of anything that doesn’t fit elsewhere. So why do you think SFF-related non-fiction is important?

Carl: When I think of the Hugos, I imagine a community of readers who care about their subjects enough to comment on them and to share their ideas with others. Academic work fits into that impulse to share and discuss even though some people are reluctant to call themselves fans. To me, SFF-related non-fiction is a way to test out ideas and interpretations and to see what others think of those ideas.

Tony: That’s right, SFF-related non-fiction can provide additional angles to approach the way SFF fiction is read, thus enriching the scope of interpretative discussions around it.

Are there any other great SFF-related non-fiction works or indeed anything else (books, stories, essays, writers, magazines, films, TV shows, etc…) you’d like to recommend?

Carl: I would recommend the podcast called “Imaginary Worlds.” I’ve listened to it for years and I love it. The episode on Philip K. Dick was one of my favorites, but the show never disappoints. I’m sure lots of your readers already know about that podcast, but if they don’t, they’re in for a great experience. I’ve also been fond of K. J. Bishop’s writing for the last couple of years.

Tony: I can recommend Sara Wasson and Emily Alder’s Gothic Science Fiction 1980-2010 (2011) as a reference on studies that focus on the interconnection between SSF and other types of fiction.

Where can people buy your book?

Routledge

Amazon

Where can people find you?

Carl: I don’t use social media as much as I used to, but I can sometimes be found on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CarlSederholm

https://hum.byu.edu/directory/carl-sederholm

Tony: Mainly, at my FB account:

https://www.facebook.com/tony.alcala.5

http://sitios.itesm.mx/ehe/facultad/aalcala.htm

Thank you, Carl and Tony, for stopping by and answering my questions.

About Lovecraft in the 21st Century: Dead, But Still Dreaming:

Lovecraft in the 21st Century assembles reflections from a wide range of perspectives on the significance of Lovecraft’s influence in contemporary times. Building on a focus centered on the Anthropocene, adaptation, and visual media, the chapters in this collection focus on the following topics:

  • Adaptation of Lovecraft’s legacy in theater, television, film, graphic narratives, video games and game artwork
  • The connection between the writer’s legacy and his life
  • Reading Lovecraft in light of contemporary criticism about capitalism, the posthuman, and the Anthropocene
  • How contemporary authors have worked through the implicit racial and sexual politics in Lovecraft’s fiction
  • Reading Lovecraft’s fiction in light of contemporary approaches to gender and sexuality

About the Editors:

Antonio Alcala Gonzalez is founder of the International Gothic Literature Congress and chair of the Humanities Department at Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico City.

Carl H. Sederholm is professor of Interdisciplinary Humanities at Brigham Young University and chair of the Department of Comparative Arts and Letters.

***

Did you publish a work of SFF-related longform non-fiction in 2021 and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

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First Monday Free Fiction: Thirteen Minutes

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Cora

Welcome to the March 2022 edition of First Monday Free Fiction.

To recap, inspired by Kristine Kathryn Rusch who posts a free short story every week on her blog, I’ll post a free story on the first Monday of every month. At the end of the month, I’ll take the story down and post another.

These are dark times, so after some deliberation I decided to post a dark story today. Because dark stories serve as warnings. I doubt that the people who really need to hear that warning will read this story. But let’s not forget that it was stories – two TV movies in particular – who terrified the right people and thus helped to prevent what you’re about to read from becoming reality.

Today’s story is one of two short stories collected in Four Minute Warning. When I wrote both stories back in 2015, they were a period pieces, set in an alternate timeline where the world as we know it ended in 1984.  Recent events have made both stories a lot more timely than they used to be. So let’s hope that these stories remain period pieces, a stark reminder of a timeline that might have been, but thankfully never came to pass.

So follow college students Luke and David as they spend their last…

Thirteen Minutes

It was the long hot summer of 1984 and it was about to get even hotter.

Luke Stanton and David White, friends since childhood and now seniors at Bayshore College, were at the supermarket, buying burgers and steaks and sausages and beer for the annual Fourth of July neighbourhood barbecue. They were standing in the check-out line with a fully loaded shopping cart, moving towards the cashier at a glacial pace, when the sirens began to wail.

For the first twenty seconds or so, no one responded except for old Mrs. Zippowitz, who’d survived the firestorms of World War II in Europe and reacted badly to sirens ever since. But to everybody else, it was just a fire alarm or a tornado warning at worst.

Sure, there had been international tensions of late, in Europe, in the Persian Gulf, in the South China Sea. But there were always international tensions, always crises. And things always calmed down again eventually. No crisis would ever escalate to the point of nuclear war. No one would ever be so stupid, neither the Americans nor the Soviets.

Only that someone had been that stupid. No one would ever know who exactly it was that pressed the button or what it was that made him do it, cause there was no one left to tell. Not that it mattered much now. The deed was done.

Luke and David realised that something was seriously wrong at around the same time everybody else did. The sound of the sirens was wrong, for starters, not the steady sound of the tornado warning or the three blasts of the fire siren. No, this was a continuous wail, steadily rising and falling in pitch. And it didn’t stop, it just went on and on and on.

Luke and David exchanged a glance.

“Fuck, that’s a nuke attack warning,” Luke exclaimed.

***

This story was available for free on this blog for one month only, but you can still read it in Four Minute Warning. And if you click on the First Monday Free Fiction tag, you can read this month’s free story.

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Star Trek Picard Meets “The Star Gazer”

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Cora

Season 4 of Star Trek Discovery hasn’t yet wound down, yet season 2 of Star Trek Picard is already starting up. I’m not sure if I will continue to do episode by episode reviews of Picard or indeed any Star Trek, because it’s a lot of work and there is also simply too much Star Trek, let alone other SFF TV of interest, around to cover.

That said, you can find my thoughts on the season 2 premiere of Star Trek Picard below and my thoughts on season 1 here.

Warning! Spoilers below the cut! Continue reading →

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Non-Fiction Spotlight: Out of This World: Speculative Fiction in Translation from the Cold War to the New Millennium by Rachel S. Cordasco

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Cora

The 2022 Hugo nomination deadline is approaching and the Non-Fiction Spotlights are coming fast and furious now. If you’re just joining us, the Non-Fiction Spotlights are a project, where I interview the authors/editors of SFF-related non-fiction books that came out in 2021 and are eligible for the 2022 Hugo Awards. For more about the Non-Fiction Spotlight project, go here. To check out the spotlights I already posted, go here.

For more recommendations for SFF-related non-fiction, also check out this Facebook group set up by the always excellent Farah Mendlesohn, who is a champion (and author) of SFF-related non-fiction.

SFF-related reference books and overviews of a certain aspect of the genre have appeared on the Hugo ballot several times, including all three editions of the venerable Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.  The subject of today’s non-fiction spotlight is a work along those lines and also one that’s dear to my heart, because it focusses on SFF translated into English.

Therfore I’m thrilled to welcome Rachel S. Cordasco, author of Out of This World: Speculative Fiction in Translation from the Cold War to the New Millennium to my blog today.

Out of This World: Speculative Fiction in Translation from the Cold War to the New Millennium by Rachel S. CordascoTell us about your book.

Out of This World is a reference book for anyone interested in translated speculative fiction since 1960. SFT has been gaining an audience since the Cold War, though it really hit its stride at the beginning of this century. Each chapter, which is introduced by a guest scholar, focuses on a single source-language and the kinds of books that are available to Anglophone readers. The fourteen chapters explore SFT from the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I received my PhD in Literary Studies in 2010 and thought I would become a professor. After a single semester, I realized that it wasn’t going to happen, and I found a job as an editor at a historical society press. When I took a few years off to have my kids, I needed to keep my brain busy and started reading and reviewing science fiction, which I hadn’t read in years since my focus in grad school was American Literary Naturalism. Eventually, my interests in translation and science fiction converged, so I started SFinTranslation.com to track science fiction, fantasy, and horror in translation. My freelancing continued when I went back to my editing job, and somewhere along the line I started translating, as well. A few months ago, life started feeling pretty crazy and I decided to leave the editing job to focus on my kids, my freelancing, and my translating.

What prompted you to write this book?

After building the SFT website, I realized that a lot of the information it contained might be useful in book form. Following a discussion with an editor at the University of Illinois Press, I started writing a book that functions as a reference/analysis text. Each chapter reviews what’s available but also analyzes why certain subgenres are more prominent in some SFTs rather than others. Furthermore, my general introduction to the volume offers an overview of SFT as a subject of discussion (stretching back to the 1970s and even earlier). Hopefully, this book will help scholars in their exploration of world SF, professors who are building world SF courses, and readers just looking for new and interesting stories.

Why should SFF fans in general and Hugo voters in particular read this book?

This book isn’t necessarily the kind of thing you’d read in one sitting by the fire (though you definitely could!). Rather, it’s the kind of book that you’d read to learn about SF from different source languages. You might read the Finnish chapter if you’re interested in Sinisalo or Krohn. Then, if you’ve picked up a work of Japanese space opera at a bookstore, you could turn to the relevant section to learn about that  language’s wide variety of hard-science-fiction subgenres. You could even use the index to find themes that span the different SFTs and compose reading lists for your book club. Also, that cover is gorgeous (the people at UIP picked it), so it would be a lovely display for your coffee table.

Do you have any cool facts or tidbits that you unearthed during your research, but that did not make it into the final book?

I did have to cut about twenty thousand words to keep the manuscript within the word limits, but most of what I cut was textual analysis (which wasn’t necessarily crucial). I would love to write a second volume that focuses on underrepresented source languages in SFT: Romanian, Greek, Tamil, Bulgarian, Danish, etc.

SFF-related non-fiction is somewhat sidelined by the big genre awards, since the Nebulas have no non-fiction category and the Best Related Work Hugo category has become something of a grab bag of anything that doesn’t fit elsewhere. So why do you think SFF-related non-fiction is important?

SFF-related non-fiction represents the analysis/discussion side of the larger SFF genre. Authors write fictional texts, and then readers and scholars discuss them. SFF non-fiction is the tangible manifestation of those discussions and is an integral part of the genre ecosystem.

Are there any other great SFF-related non-fiction works or indeed anything else (books, stories, essays, writers, magazines, films, TV shows, etc…) you’d like to recommend?

In terms of SFF-related non-fiction, I highly recommend Ian Campbell’s Science Fiction in Translation: Perspectives on the Global Theory and Practice of Translation. The website https://sciencefictionruminations.com/, which reviews vintage science fiction published from the 1950s through the 1980s, is also a wonderful place for reviews of older SF (including translations) and some of the great SF art of the period.

Where can people buy your book?

You can buy the book directly from UIP (https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=45sfy6nx9780252043987) or anywhere else you buy books! Also, ask if your local or university library has it.

Where can people find you?

rachel@sfintranslation.com
https://www.sfintranslation.com/
Twitter: @Rcordas

Thank you, Rachel, for stopping by and answering my questions.

About Out of This World: Speculative Fiction in Translation from the Cold War to the New Millennium:

The twenty-first century has witnessed an explosion of speculative fiction in translation (SFT). Rachel Cordasco examines speculative fiction published in English translation since 1960, ranging from Soviet-era fiction to the Arabic-language dystopias that emerged following the Iraq War. Individual chapters on SFT from Japanese, French, and twelve other source languages feature an introduction by an expert in the language’s speculative fiction tradition and its present-day output. Cordasco then breaks down each chapter by subgenre–including science fiction, fantasy, and horror–to guide readers toward the kinds of works that most interest them. Her discussion of available SFT stands alongside an analysis of how various subgenres emerged and developed in different source languages and why some subgenres have been more likely to be translated into English.

An informative and one-of-a-kind guide, Out of This World offers readers and scholars alike a tour of speculative fiction’s new globalized era.

About Rachel S. Cordasco:

Rachel S. Cordasco founded the website SFinTranslation.com. She works as a writer, editor, and translator and is co-translator of Clelia Ferris’s Creative Surgery.

***

Did you publish a work of SFF-related longform non-fiction in 2021 and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

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Star Trek Discovery finds the “Rosetta” Stone

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Cora

Star Trek Discovery is back for the last few episodes of season 4 and in their infinite wisdom, Paramount decided to drop season 2 of Star Trek Picard, while season 4 of Discovery is still running. So here is the review of the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery. Star Trek Picard will follow in the next few days. Reviews of previous seasons and episodes may be found here.

Another one word episode title. It’s not just me, the episode titles have definitely become shorter.

Warning: Spoilers under the cut! Continue reading →

Posted in TV | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Non-Fiction Spotlight: Robert E. Howard Changed My Life, edited by Jason M. Waltz

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Cora

The 2022 Hugo nomination deadline is approaching and the Non-Fiction Spotlights are coming fast and furious now. If you’re just joining us, the Non-Fiction Spotlights are a project, where I interview the authors/editors of SFF-related non-fiction books that came out in 2021 and are eligible for the 2022 Hugo Awards. For more about the Non-Fiction Spotlight project, go here. To check out the spotlights I already posted, go here.

For more recommendations for SFF-related non-fiction, also check out this Facebook group set up by the always excellent Farah Mendlesohn, who is a champion (and author) of SFF-related non-fiction.

Essay collections have appeared in the Best Related Work category on the Hugo ballot several times and today, I’m pleased to feature a collection of personal essays about the impact that one of the great foundational writers of our genre had on many writers and scholars.

Therefore, I’m thrilled to welcome Jason M. Waltz, editor of Robert E. Howard Changed My Life, to my blog today.

This is already the second non-fiction book about Robert E. Howard that I’ve featured as part of the Non-Fiction Spotlight project after Renegades and Rogues: The Life and Legacy of Robert E. Howard by Todd B. Vick. If you’re looking for even more Howard scholarship, Jason was kind enough to send along a PDF of the Appendix REH (named after the famous Appendix N from the Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Handbook), a list of educational and inspirational reading about Robert E. Howard and his works from Robert E. Howard Changed My Life.

Robert E. Howard Changed My Life, edited by Jason M. WaltzTell us about your book.

“Color, action, movement–growth and power! The atmosphere was alive with these elements, stinging and tingling. Here there were no delicate shadings or subtle contrasts. Life painted here in broad, raw colors, in bold, vivid strokes.” (REH in “Vultures of Whapeton”) This is not my book. I’m just the guy lucky enough to have gathered these contributors into its covers, into the same place at the same time. The above quote is on the title page, and though Howard used it in his description of the land, the times, the conditions, the people, the atmosphere and the immediacy of his Western, it is to me the ultimate triumph of his own writing. There is no better depiction of Howard’s style, no better summation of his impact with words. Thus, it is the perfect introduction to a book containing 33 memoirs of his direct impact upon numerous creators following his legacy while navigating their own. REH CHANGED MY LIFE is a collection of personal essays examining the influence of REH and many of his characters on the lives of: Barbara A. Barrett, Barbara Baum, Fred Blosser, Rusty Burke, Bill Cavalier, Becky Cloonan, Adrian Cole, Nancy A. Collins, Bobby Derie, Jason Durall, Steven Erikson, Mark Finn, Jaym Gates, Chris Gruber, Dierk Guenther, Dave Hardy, John C. Hocking, Cecelia Holland, Matthew John, Howard Andrew Jones, Karen Joan Kohoutek, Joe R. Lansdale, Patrice Louinet, Michael Moorcock, Scott Oden, Deuce Richardson, Charles Saunders, Jeffrey Shanks, David C. Smith, Keith J. Taylor, Roy Thomas, Todd B. Vick, and C. L. Werner. It includes an Afterword by Janet Morris and ‘Appendix REH: Suggested Additional Inspirational and Educational Reading’ from the contributors. Cover art is by Didier Normand. REH CHANGED MY LIFE overflows with vivid color, raw action, and bold movement exemplified. Power and growth resonant throughout the essays shared. Bob Howard did not change my life until I united these essays within this salute to his extraordinary legacy. I daresay there is no other book of its nature, not in any concerned fields, and if there were no other compulsion to explore it, that alone makes it a worthy read.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a proponent of heroic literature: I read, write, edit, publish, collect, speak, and preserve it. I’m also just a fellow who happened to lend a hand one day back in 2005 when a few small press people solicited help. Things led to other things, and in 2008 I was suddenly the micro publisher Rogue Blades Entertainment, publisher of all that is heroic, specifically heroic fantasy. Several well-regarded (though never as many as intended) anthologies–such as RETURN OF THE SWORD, RAGE OF THE BEHEMOTH, CROSSBONES & CROSSES, REACH FOR THE SKY–and the popular non-fiction how-to WRITING FANTASY HEROES later, Rogue Blades Foundation was established specifically to take on larger scale titles like REH CHANGED MY LIFE.

What prompted you to edit this book?

I believe much of modern entertainment can be traced to REH, directly or via his influence. From music to gaming to professional wrestling, all the myriad forms of storytelling through any media owes its current existence to Robert E. Howard to some extent. I’ve often thought about exploring that connection, tracing that lineage. Frankly, I also always considered it too much work. Until I heard Bill Cavalier’s Guest of Honor speech “How Robert E. Howard Saved My Life” at Howard Days 2018 in Cross Plains, Texas. While much of that audience already knew that story–it truly touched me. Before the evening was over I considered it a revelation and immediately voiced efforts to gather similar stories I knew had to exist, though slightly tweaking the emphasis to be on changed rather than saved personal lives. My initial goal was a dozen essays, due to both my perceived contributor potential and the ensuing costs. Indy (Bill Cavalier) was graciously instantly on board, as well as a handful of others present. And then word spread and suddenly I was receiving requests to be included! It truly was amazing, with contributors coming to me or quickly accepting my invitation to join. Very few that I made contact with declined, though each who did specifically stated they could not unequivocally declare Robert Howard had changed their lives and so did not deem it appropriate to contribute. I find that alone makes this an amazing book, for that means that everyone who is present definitely can point to Howard as an influencer of change in their lives! And so what I had intended to be a small, almost chapbook like title mostly intended for the Howard Days crowd became the largest title I’ve ever worked on let alone helmed. And I am humbled by it: by its contents, by its contributors, and by its potential to be my own legacy.

Why should SFF fans in general and Hugo voters in particular read this book?

Fans of action adventure in all its glories should be highly interested in learning how a founding father of American heroic literature impacts today’s storytelling entertainment directly through these contributors who attribute some of their life and career choices, motivations, creations, and successes to him. SFF fans should even moreso read this title because this is not JUST a book about Robert E. Howard and his influence–it is ALSO a book about how 33 current heroic storytellers continue to impact today’s fantastical entertainment themselves! This is a book that covers much more than one man and his characters and stories no matter how numerous they are; this book shares the memories, realizations, personal growths, and sheer inspiring creativity of dozens of modern influencers who carry on the best of Robert Howard to the best of their abilities. Not only do they share how Howard changed them, they share what they did with that change and even further add recommendations for others to continue finding inspirational and educational reading in their pursuit of change. As one of the very few SFF awards programs to recognize non-fiction SFF/SFF-adjacent literature, the Hugo voters should seriously read this book.

Do you have any cool facts or tidbits that you unearthed during your research, but that did not make it into the final book?

Everything I learned/received during the compilation of this book made it within its covers, so no, there are no missing delights. There are, however, unexpected things that appear inside: what I believe is the final essay written by Charles R. Saunders, Father of Sword & Soul, and three salutes to his influence and friendship. Sadly, due to his untimely death, there are no recommendations in Appendix REH from the author. I deliberated quite awhile about including these salutes to Saunders in a title inspired by and dedicated to Howard. Finally I decided that doing so detracted from neither, and doing so honored both men and emphasized the underscoring theme of changed lives.

SFF-related non-fiction is somewhat sidelined by the big genre awards, since the Nebulas have no non-fiction category and the Best Related Work Hugo category has become something of a grab bag of anything that doesn’t fit elsewhere. So why do you think SFF-related non-fiction is important?

The analysis of creativity, of motivation, and of legacy should be a regular genre consideration. Not to the extent of peer reviewed thesis or literary journal material, but most assuredly in the informative and educational and frankly illuminating non-fiction exploration of SFF. From examinations and histories of entire genres, to biographies of the influential and even the obscure, to what storytelling changed the trajectory of our storytellers’ lives…all of it is of merit and worthy of recognition and promotion. With regularly-occurring material each year, SFF-related non-fiction should have its own category in each of the major awards programs.

Are there any other great SFF-related non-fiction works or indeed anything else (books, stories, essays, writers, magazines, films, TV shows, etc…) you’d like to recommend?

There have been a number of SFF non-fiction titles to appear within the last two years within my purview: heroic literature. David C. Smith and Todd B. Vick both released biographical looks at Robert E. Howard, while Brian Murphy wrote a history of Sword & Sorcery. In the past there were the Tales from Before titles examining what books and authors influenced those such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. There’s a long-overdue and greatly welcomed documentary style movie about Karl Edward Wagner. I’m sure there are others, those are all that come to mind at the moment.

Where can people buy your book?

Rogue Blades Foundation sells via Amazon, so here’s a hopefully working link to everyone’s own Amazon: http://authl.it/B09419WQZ9?d

Where can people find you?

Rogue Blades is found at https://rogue-blades.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/RogueBladesFoundation

Thank you, Jason, for stopping by and answering my questions.

About Robert E. Howard Changed My Life:

ROBERT E. HOWARD CHANGED MY LIFE is a brand-new way of understanding how the Texas author’s legacy continues today. 33 contributors long familiar with the man and his creations share how he impacted their lives and continues to impact modern entertainment. This is an intimate look at the changes wrought personally and professionally by the Father of Sword-and-Sorcery and a Founder of American Fantasy.

ROBERT E. HOWARD CHANGED MY LIFE is homage not only in memoir but also in financial support for Project Pride, the agency that sustains the Howard Home and Museum in Cross Plains, Texas. A portion of each sale of the hardcover and electronic book will be donated by RBF to Project Pride each year at the annual Howard Days.

ROBERT E. HOWARD CHANGED MY LIFE is as bold, raw, and filled with vibrant life as the words, characters, and works of the man himself. This collection of intimate essays on the impact of Robert E. Howard and his characters as catalysts of personal change comes from 33 scholars, writers, artists, publishers, and fans who can say, “Because Howard lived I am a changed person.”

A Riot of Life, by Jason M Waltz
How REH Saved My Life, by Bill Cavalier
REH, Conan and Me, by John C. Hocking
Dreams of the Purple Kingdom, by Jason Durall
Out there in the Wilds with REH, by Joe R. Lansdale
Bêlit, Queen of the Black Coast, by Jaym Gates
REH and Me: The Celtic Connection, by Adrian Cole
He Himself was in Every One of Them, by Rusty Burke
Crossed Swords and Bloody Seas, by David C. Smith
Taking the World by the Throat, by Karen Joan Kohoutek
The Black Dog and REH, by C.L. Werner
An Empire of Ghosts and Smoke, by Scott Oden
From Conan to Cormac: My Path to Howard Studies, by Todd B. Vick
REH: Opener of the Way, by Nancy A. Collins
Wyrd Ensemble, by Bobby Derie
The Ride of Falume, by Barbara A. Barrett
For the Honor of the Ship, by Christopher A. Gruber
An Ode to REH, by Cecelia Holland
A Love Letter to Bear Creek, by Mark Finn
On the Trail with El Borak, by David Hardy
The Were-Woman, the Gnome, and the Zebra, by Deuce Richardson
In the Footsteps of Steve Harrison, by Fred Blosser
Unearthing an Age Undreamed Of, by Jeffrey Shanks
How REH (And Glenn Lord) Changed My Life, by Roy Thomas
Kosru’s Road, by Howard Andrew Jones
1975: The Year of the Cormac, by Keith J. Taylor
In a Dark Place, by Steven Erikson
My New Friend Agnes, by Becky Cloonan
Sol K. and Me, by Dierk Günther
An Unexpected Gift, by Barbara Ingram Baum
A New and Mighty Mission, by Matthew John
White Spark, Black Fire, by Charles R. Saunders
The Extraordinary Inner World of Charles R. Saunders, Father of ‘Sword and Soul,’ by Jon Tattrie
Charles Saunders and I were Friends, by Joe R. Lansdale
The Importance of Charles Saunders, by David C. Smith
Why No Howard Character Ever Changed My Life, by Patrice Louinet
REH: A European Perspective, by Michael Moorcock
Afterword, by Janet E. Morris
Appendix REH: Suggested Additional Inspirational and Educational Readings

About Jason M. Waltz:

Jason M Waltz is THE RogueBlade, owner/editor at Rogue Blades Entertainment, a high octane adventure publisher sharing heroic literature, and founder/publisher at Rogue Blades Foundation, a literary publisher exploring heroics. As such, he gets to produce the wonderful titles from RBE & RBF listed here. In addition, you’ll find a few adventures of his own, mostly within the speculative and grand adventure genres.

***

Did you publish a work of SFF-related longform non-fiction in 2021 and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

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Non-Fiction Spotlight: True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abe Riesman

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Cora

Today, I’m continuing the Non-Fiction Spotlight project, wherein I interview the authors/editors of SFF-related non-fiction books that came out in 2021 and are eligible for the 2022 Hugo Awards. For more about the Non-Fiction Spotlight project, go here. To check out the spotlights I already posted, go here.

For more recommendations for SFF-related non-fiction, also check out this Facebook group set up by the always excellent Farah Mendlesohn, who is a champion (and author) of SFF-related non-fiction.

Biographies of SFF authors and other people of genre interest have appeared on the ballot for the Best Related Work Hugo several times in the past. So this Non-Fiction Spotlight features another excellent biography of an important figure in SFF history.

Therefore, I’m thrilled to welcome Abe Riesman*, author of True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee, to my blog. Furthermore, by some amazing cosmic coincidence (not really, since we timed it that way), True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee came out in paperback yesterday, so get yourselves to your favourite bookstore and buy a copy.

True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman

Tell us about your book.

It’s the first complete and unvarnished look at the life of the man born Stanley Martin Lieber. You know him as Stan Lee, the writer/editor who brought Marvel Comics to the world, changed global popular culture, and became an unmistakeable icon. But beyond those broad strokes, most of what the world knew about Stan Lee was false.

True Believer is based on more than 150 exclusive interviews and thousands of pages of archival material — from both Stan’s massive, rarely-visited archive and the private archives of others. True Believer’s narrative stretches from Stan’s ancestral trauma in eastern Romania to his shocking final days in Los Angeles. Along the way, it digs into many unsettling questions: Did Stan actually create the characters he gained fame for creating? Was he complicit in millions of dollars’ worth of fraud at his post-Marvel companies? Which members of the cavalcade of grifters who surrounded him were most responsible for the misery of his final days?

It’s a story of overreach; of a man who achieved so much, yet always boasted of more. It’s a story of obsession; of the birth of modern fandom and its ripeness for manipulation. Above all, it’s a story of ambiguity; of the fact that certain moral judgments and factual assertions can never be made with certainty. Living with that ambiguity is the great challenge of understanding the life and impact of Stan Lee.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a 36-year-old author and journalist based in Rhode Island. My main gig has been as a writer for New York magazine and its culture site, Vulture. I was on staff there for about six years, writing about a wide array of things — but especially about the geek-industrial complex, for lack of a better term. I’ve also written for The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The New Republic, and The Washington Post. I have made it my goal to bring serious analysis to topics where real harm is being done and no one is paying attention because the industry in question makes a product deemed silly by the mainstream media. True Believer is my first book, but I’m currently writing Ringmaster, a biography of professional wrestling’s Vince McMahon, for Simon & Schuster. I’m married to a wonderful journalist/editor named S.I. Rosenbaum and we have three cats.

What prompted you to write this book?

In the summer of 2015, while I was on staff at New York magazine, an editor named David Wallace-Wells stopped by my desk, plopped a book onto it, and said, “You should do something with this.” It was a galley of Stan Lee’s then-upcoming graphic memoir Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible. I was eager to show my mettle, so I got to work on a profile. A week later, I checked in with David and he told me he had meant I should write a short capsule review. Oops. But, to his credit, he said I should continue! So I wrote a long reported feature about Stan — without interviewing him; his people kept giving me the run-around — that was released in February of 2016. It was a hit. Flash forward to November 2018. When Stan passed away, an editor at Penguin Random House / Crown reached out to me about doing a full biography. I almost said no! I had no idea how to write a book! But sense was talked into me and I got to work.

Why should SFF fans in general and Hugo voters in particular read this book?

Well, first of all, superhero fiction is a subdivision of SFF, is it not? Its own unique, screwed-up species, to be sure. But the superheroes Stan worked on were all powered by radioactive accidents and ancient incantations. Even before the superhero days of the sixties, Stan did a wide array of SFF (well, mostly SF) comics — as did his most important collaborators, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko! By that basic measure, the core cast of this book is crucial for understanding the history of genre fiction. And the story of Stan, the possibly undeserving man at the center of it all, has simply never been told before now.

Do you have any cool facts or tidbits that you unearthed during your research, but that did not make it into the final book?

I keep kicking myself that I forgot to put this in, but there’s a fascinating bit in Stan’s co-written early-aughts memoir, Excelsior!, in which he talks about his difficulty adopting a child as a mixed-background couple alongside his wife, Joan Boocock Lee. Joan was an Episcopalian Englishwoman and Stan — well, as Stan puts it in the memoir, “My parents were Jewish.” Not “I’m Jewish,” mind you. It was such a window into Stan’s tortured relationship with his Jewish identity and his very stern, very Jewish father. But most of the stuff about that relationship made it into the book, Baruch HaShem.

SFF-related non-fiction is somewhat sidelined by the big genre awards, since the Nebulas have no non-fiction category and the Best Related Work Hugo category has become something of a grab bag of anything that doesn’t fit elsewhere. So why do you think SFF-related non-fiction is important?

Well, for one thing, because SFF is the dominant mode of storytelling in the global entertainment marketplace right now. Period, end of sentence, full stop, over and out. Of course we need serious historical and journalistic work on the behemoths that dominate our lives!

Additionally, we live in an age of genre storytelling where the Powers That Be have figured out how to make crude hijackings of fandom dynamics, and part of that has to do with fictional “non-fiction.” Memoirs from geek-celebs, official histories, adoring fanboy hagiography — it’s everywhere! And nobody seems to question it! I’m writing about wrestling right now, and it sort of laid out the template: wrestling superfans were always looking for the “true story” behind the scenes, and, eventually, promoters figured out how to seed the gossip mill with disinformation. Soon, people were superfans of the “real life” versions of the wrestlers — which were just as made-up as the in-ring versions. We see that all over the place in genre storytelling these days, and we need good nonfiction about the nature and creation of SFF if we’re going to get out of the apocalyptic mess we’re in.

Are there any other great SFF-related non-fiction works or indeed anything else (books, stories, essays, writers, magazines, films, TV shows, etc…) you’d like to recommend?

I always recommend this amazing, brief video-essay by Slavoj Žižek about John Carpenter’s They Live:

Beyond that, read everything written by comics critic Tegan O’Neil:

https://whenwillthehurtingstop.blogspot.com/

Where can people buy your book?

Head over to the book page on my website!

abrahamriesman.com/true-believer

Where can people find you?

abrahamriesman.com

twitter.com/abrahamjoseph

Thank you, Abe, for stopping by and answering my questions. Also, did I mention that True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee just came out in paperback?

About True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee:

The definitive, revelatory biography of Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee, a writer and entrepreneur who reshaped global pop culture–at a steep personal cost

“A biography that reads like a thriller or a whodunit . . . scrupulously honest, deeply damning, and sometimes even heartbreaking.”–Neil Gaiman

Stan Lee was one of the most famous and beloved entertainers to emerge from the twentieth century. He served as head editor of Marvel Comics for three decades and, in that time, became known as the creator of more pieces of internationally recognizable intellectual property than nearly anyone: Spider-Man, the Avengers, the X-Men, Black Panther, the Incredible Hulk . . . the list goes on. His carnival-barker marketing prowess helped save the comic-book industry and superhero fiction. His cameos in Marvel movies have charmed billions. When he died in 2018, grief poured in from around the world, further cementing his legacy.

But what if Stan Lee wasn’t who he said he was? To craft the definitive biography of Lee, Abraham Riesman conducted more than 150 interviews and investigated thousands of pages of private documents, turning up never-before-published revelations about Lee’s life and work. True Believer tackles tough questions: Did Lee actually create the characters he gained fame for creating? Was he complicit in millions of dollars’ worth of fraud in his post-Marvel life? Which members of the cavalcade of grifters who surrounded him were most responsible for the misery of his final days?

And, above all, what drove this man to achieve so much yet always boast of more?

About Abe Riesman:

Abe Riesman is a Providence-based journalist, writing primarily for New York magazine about arts and culture. Her work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The New Republic, and Vice, among other publications.

***

Did you publish a work of SFF-related longform non-fiction in 2021 and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

*The article has been updated with regard to Abraham Riesman’s pronouns.

Posted in Books, Comics, Non-Fiction Spotlight | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Star Trek Discovery Crosses “The Galactic Barrier”

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Cora

Star Trek Discovery is back for the last few episodes of season 4, so here is my somewhat belated review of the latest episode. Reviews of previous seasons and episodes may be found here.

Another short episode title and another one which is easy to turn into a blog post headline.  Is it me or have the episode titles become much shorter of late?

But before we get to the meat of this post, I also want to point you to the latest episode of Take Me To Your Reader, a podcast which discusses filmic science fiction adaptations. The subject of this episode of Robert Sheckley’s 1958 short story “The Prize of Peril”, which was adapted in West Germany as Das Millionenspiel in 1970 and in France as Le Prix Du Danger in 1983. I put in a guest appearance to talk about Das Millionenspiel (which you should absolutely watch, if you can find it, because it’s brilliant), while Emmanuel Dubois talks about the French adaption.

Warning: Spoilers under the cut! Continue reading →

Posted in TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for February 2022

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Cora

Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month
It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie and small press authors newly published this month, though some December books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

Once again, we have new releases covering the whole broad spectrum of speculative fiction. This month, we have urban fantasy, epic fantasy, historical fantasy, cozy fantasy, dark fantasy, sword and sorcery, YA fantasy, fantasy romance, paranormal romance, paranormal mystery, space opera, military science fiction, science fiction romance, weird western, vampires, werewolves, mages, healers, aliens, space marines, ghost ships, magical prisons, arrnaged marriages, time travel, barbarian kings, shattered gods, fake goddesses, crime-busting witches, crime-busting psychics, orc baristas and much more.

Don’t forget that Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month is also crossposted to the Speculative Fiction Showcase, a group blog run by Jessica Rydill and myself, which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things speculative fiction several times per week.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

Legends and Latte by Travis BaldreeLegends and Lattes by Travis Baldree:

High Fantasy with a double-shot of self-reinvention

Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.

However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.

A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.

The Secret of the Chateau by Carrie BedfordThe Secret of the Chateau by Carrie Bedford:

A jug of wine, a loaf of bread – and death.
She knows it’s coming, she has to stop it!

London architect Kate Benedict has barely shucked off her coat before she spots her host’s aura, a swirling pattern above his head that Kate has come to recognize as a prediction of death within a few days.

And she’s barely realized he’s in danger when he drops to the floor, shot by an unseen assailant.

It should have been the perfect junket—escaping miserably rainy London to a luxurious chateau in the Burgundy countryside. All she had to do was advise the owner on rebuilding his winery’s tasting room. But trouble seems to come in threes…

The first person to rush into the room, the young woman who manages the tasting room, also has an aura, as does the winemaker, nephew to the dead man.

Surrounded by absolute strangers and the ever-present reminders of imminent death, Kate is overwhelmed by uncertainties: Where is the danger coming from? Does it extend to her? And dodgiest of all, Whom to trust?

She makes fast friends with the tasting room manager, and she knows from past experience that if she can discover the source of the danger she can cheat death out of a victory. She desperately wants to save this woman.

So she’ll have to make the chateau give up its centuries of secrets: betrayals among the highly competitive vintners of the region, disputed ownership claims, deceitful spouses, treacherous employees, even secret passageways.

And, of course, since it’s a 700-year-old chateau, there will be ghosts. The question is: Does the elegantly-caped gentleman in the green hat mean to help…or to harm?

Just as you’re thinking, “What a clever solution,” the tale takes an even cleverer twist. This is a book with pretty much everything—a likeable heroine, an ancient chateau, all the wine you can drink, a fun plot, and a ghost to top it off. The very definition of cozy.

Antique Instincts by Odette C. BellAntique Instincts by Odette C. Bell:

They say some things can’t wait. One of them is destiny. The other is murder.

Sonia is meant to be normal. She isn’t. She has a rare magic – she can sort out the temporal order of anything.

But while that might be incredible, it can’t catch his eye.

Rushford Halsey is one of the most powerful vampires in the city. A resolute man who heads up Vampire Pharmaceuticals, he shouldn’t be interested in her. But there’s a problem. He’s her one-true vampire. Destiny has dictated they will be together. So what does Rushford do? Go and marry someone else.

He seemingly has no interest in Sonia – other than to keep her as far from his murky world as possible. When a dangerous drug hits the streets and she’s dragged into the police investigation to stop it, that all ends, and once more they are thrown together.

But destiny can be a fickle thing. It will give you one chance at happiness. Lose it or ignore it, and you will do so at your peril.

The Book of Shadow by Bruce BlakeThe Book of Shadow by Bruce Blake:

Llyris Fildarae is an outcast tainted by a sliver of magic in a world terrified of the supernatural. Loathed and distrusted, she uses her ability to control a magical Unnamed to survive.

Caedric Carpera is desperate to save his son from a deadly illness. He enlists Llyris to locate a lost tome containing secrets capable of healing him, but its location is a mystery that’s already claimed lives. Thrust into a hostile world, Llyris and her companions risk everything to find the relic and return before the child’s sickness prevails.

But who is the enigmatic old man who appeared out of nowhere to set them on this dangerous expedition? And what does he really want?

Only a perilous mission to an untamed land can save the boy and reveal the truth.

Except some truths are too shocking to be exposed.

Twelve Nooses by Richard Blakemore and Cora BuhlertTwelve Nooses by Richard Blakemore and Cora Buhlert:

Before Kurval became King of Azakoria in the year of the forked serpent, he was commander of a mercenary company in service to his predecessor King Orkol.

While helping to bring the rebellious northern provinces back under Orkol’s heel, Kurval is ordered to hang twelve innocent young women as an example to the rebels.

Kurval is disgusted by Orkol’s cruelty. But can he find a way to save the twelve young women from the gallows? And dare he defy King Orkol?

The new sword and sorcery adventure by two-time Hugo finalist Cora Buhlert and her occasional alter ego, 1930s pulp writer Richard Blakemore. This is a novelette of 14200 words or approx. 50 print pages in the Kurval sword and sorcery series, but may be read as a standalone. Includes an introduction and afterword.

The Tear of Chronos by Richard Blakemore and Cora BuhlertThe Tear of Chronos by Richard Blakemore and Cora Buhlert:

In the year of the forked serpent, Kurval came from beyond the sea, slew King Orkol and became King of Azakoria.

On the day of his coronation, Kurval consults the oracle in the temple of the goddess Ashvarya, where he is supposed to gaze into a magical jewel called the Tear of Chronos, hoping for a vision of the future.

But before Kurval can receive his vision, a young woman named Stella suddenly appears in a flash of light in the inner sanctum. Not only is Stella a deadringer for the goddess, she also wears the Tear of Chronos around her neck.

Can Stella help Kurval retain the throne he’s barely won? And is she truly a goddess or just an imposter?

The new sword and sorcery adventure by two-time Hugo finalist Cora Buhlert and her occasional alter ego, 1930s pulp writer Richard Blakemore. This is a novelette of 13500 words or approx. 45 print pages in the Kurval sword and sorcery series, but may be read as a standalone. Includes an introduction and afterword.

When Words Fail by Jonathan P. Brazee and J.N. ChaneyWhen Words Fail by Jonathan P. Brazee and J.N. Chaney:

The Galaxy is growing…and it’s more dangerous than ever before.

An all-out war within humanity has been narrowly avoided, and peace is finally at hand.

Yeah, right.

Human ships are being taken, their crews disappearing. Has an old enemy returned? Or has the galaxy revealed a new threat?

With humanity’s very existence at stake, Rev and the Perseus Union Marines have to put old rivalries aside and help form a last line of defense if the human race is going to have a fighting chance to survive.

Fight. Endure. Win. Live.

Prepare yourself for the seventh entry in the ongoing Sentenced to War series. Experience what fans are calling the military science fiction story of the year and find out why you just can’t keep a good Marine down.

Crown of Command by Chris FoxThe Crown of Command by Chris Fox:

An Empire Entombed Under Ash

Four centuries ago the Stewards decreed that the Elentian Imperium must be punished. For a year and a day ash rained from the sky forming what is now known as the Ashlands.

As a new member of the Temple of Celeste you are now privy to the truth. Our diviners have scried the infamous lich’s final moments. If you dare witness the memory, you will find it transcribed within.

The Crown of Command is a SHORT STORY set in the Shattered Gods universe. It foreshadows the fate of our protagonist Xal, and also shows one of the most important historical events in the series.

A Very Klagan Valentine by Holly HanzoA Very Klagan Valentine by Holly Hanzo:

From being jilted at the altar, to being ghosted by a blind date, Mia held onto the hope that one day, she’d finally be the bride and not the bridesmaid. The Elodian invasion of Earth and Mia’s subsequent capture changed everything. Mistaken for a Sudabian, and dropped on Sudabia, a pleasure planet she’s never heard of, Mia finds herself smack in the center of their annual hedonistic mid-winter celebration – and – up for auction.

Klagan Warrior Rylan’s mission takes a turn for the worse after a firefight with a lone Elodian cruiser over a remote planet in the middle of nowhere. His worst nightmare comes true when he’s forced to land on Sudabia. As a virtuous man who doesn’t mix business and pleasure, his only goal was to get off-world, and fast, until he stumbles across the auctions – and the frantic pleas of an unwilling participant in the auctions stirred something within him. Against his better judgement, Rylan rescues Mia from the auction block.

She wants to leave. He can’t let her go.

Haunted Plains Drifter by Lily Harper HartHaunted Plains Drifter by Lily Harper Hart:

Hannah Hickok and Cooper Wyatt are newly engaged and ready to celebrate. Cooper just didn’t think the celebration would involve a hike to a long-abandoned boom town called Blackridge. He had something more romantic in mind. Despite that, he agrees … and believes the trip will be fine, right up until they stumble across a homeless man warning them away from their destination.

Hannah tries talking to him but the man is out of it, to the point where she recognizes he needs medical help. They manage to call the local sheriff to provide that help, but when the team he brings to carry the individual out of the valley crosses the Blackridge border, a wave of magic ricochets back and knocks Hannah for a loop.

She recovers quickly, but there’s a question as to what happened. Once back in Casper Creek, that question becomes a concern. It seems the ghostly shadow that appeared in Blackridge at the time it fell more than a hundred years before is back, and now he’s focused on Hannah.

The dark man is more than a ghost. He’s more than a shadow. He’s a monster who can straddle two worlds. He needs Hannah to lift the curse that has kept him trapped for a century, and he’s more than willing to threaten those she loves to make it happen.

A new sort of terror has come to town, and Hannah has no idea how to fight him. She’s a strong witch, but she’s also a new witch, and when this battle lands on her doorstep, it’s going to be a doozy.

Buckle up, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

The Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage by HiyodoriThe Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage by Hiyodori:

“I never forgot the sound of you calling for me. Not for a second.”

The Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage is a slow-burn f/f romance set in an original modern-era fantasy world, featuring a magical tower with countless curious rooms. It’s a story of friends to enemies to reluctant allies, guilty secrets, love mixed inextricably with hate, fragile second chances, and the true price of boundless magical power.

In a country where mages have all the power and healers supposedly only exist to support them, Clematis—a talented healer—is despised for her past attempts to defy the mageocracy. In her early thirties, she’s already on year seven of a life sentence for treason.

But when the most powerful mage in the nation suddenly loses all her magic, the government wants unconventional Clematis to help get it back.

The mage is a tall, distant woman called Wist, and Clematis knows her all too well. They used to be classmates. Best friends. Perhaps more. Wist is also the person who reported Clematis for leaking state secrets. She’s the reason Clematis spent the last seven years in prison.

Clematis wants revenge for her betrayal, but she wants freedom even more. She’s got thirty days to recover Wist’s magic: miss the deadline, and she’ll be shunted back to prison for the rest of her life. Yet attempting to resurrect Wist’s lost magic will force her to face the real reason why Wist betrayed her—and to face her unresolved, unspoken feelings for the mage who stabbed her in the back and walked away.

Family Ties by B.R. KingsolverFamily Ties by B.R. Kingsolver:

When a man came into my shop in the Great Marketplace at the Crossroads of the Worlds and tried to kill me, it completely ruined my day. Not only did I have to clean up the blood, but disposing of his body made me late to meet my friends for drinks. A nagging little detail kept bugging me, though. As he died, he said he was hired by my mother’s family—people I hadn’t seen for more than a decade. Then I discovered that assassins had made attempts on my brother and sister as well. As much as I didn’t want to, I decided I should find out who wanted us dead, and put a stop to it. Talk about stepping out of the pan into the fire…

Smoke and Spells by Ryver KnightSmoke and Spells by Ryver Knight:

An ordinary girl. A rare power. A deadly game.

Lie low.
Don’t draw attention to yourself.

Fifteen-year-old Asha Olinger has abided by her sister’s rules her entire life. Every day, she works relentlessly as a cleaner to put food on the table, scrambling in the dredges of Althuria. Every day, she wonders about a life where she no longer struggles for a few measly coins.

But after discovering she wields a rare and destructive power, her quiet life is turned upside down. Her older sister gives her a mysterious warning. Lex Sylvester, with his fame, wealth, and stupidly charming looks—that she certainly never, ever noticed—starts flirting with her. And to top it all off, she receives a letter from the famed Luminus Academy, declaring that she got accepted through the lottery system. The terrifying probabilities quickly turn into incredible opportunities, and suddenly controlling her power doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

What is this darned ability of hers? Why does everyone keep telling her to stay away from the Queen of Althuria? And more importantly…

Who the heck is murdering girls at the Academy?

If she doesn’t find out soon… she might just be next.

Freaky Sights by Amanda M. LeeFreaky Sights by Amanda M. Lee:

Mystic Caravan Circus is on the move after their winter break. First stop? Moonstone Bay. Poet Parker and crew are looking for a permanent location because traveling won’t be an option for much longer. They’re expecting a normal trip.

They’re getting so much more … including a mystery.

The day after they arrive, a body drops in the ditch across from the city park, and what follows is a series of bone-chilling events that revolve around the island’s children. It seems something weird is causing them to act out of sorts … and they might just have murder on their minds.

Moonstone Bay is a magical place and Poet feels a kinship with the land and people who live there almost immediately. Unfortunately, the terror stalking the island isn’t something that can be ignored.

Poet has to band together with the island inhabitants – including a feisty witch and fiery half-demon – to figure out what’s happening. Their research leads them to an ancient story about a possessing demon, and the villages he left decimated in his wake.

Poet is strong. Her new friends make her stronger. If Moonstone Bay is ultimately to be their home, she’s going to have to go all out to protect it.

Two teams are coming together to fight a war. It’s going to take all of them to ensure a happy ending.

Buckle up. Things are about to get wicked on Moonstone Bay.

Scion of Lightning by J.T. MoyScion of Lightning by J.T. Moy:

The deadliest blades are not made of steel . . . When Jaks almost kills another soldier with his volatile magic, he is forced to tread the fearful path of the electromancer. Succeed, he will be the first in a generation. Fail, he will lose everything.

As the ruthless king of Voros invades the land with axe warriors, skyships and dragons, Jaks and his battlemage master begin a quest to train his powers and uncover a potent artifact that could halt the rampaging enemy.

On their journey through dangerous lands, they are accompanied by a sharp-eyed ranger, a lethal assassin, and a mysterious foreigner with unworldly weapons.

However, nothing is simple when Jaks’ greatest adversary is much closer than he knows.

The Fallen Shall Rise by James PylesThe Fallen Shall Rise by James Pyles:

Jepheth Shinzi, archeologist on the rigid backwater Kaamus star system, discovers a controversial anomaly when scans taken of space match up with 3,000 years worth of cultural mysteries.

Fearing being labeled a traitor to his government, he proceeds to share the findings in confidence before the evidence becomes overwhelming and the situation warrants in-person investigation.

There appears to be an ancient gate in deep space and it’s emitting an energy signal.

Gnome on the Range by Tammy SalyerGnome on the Range by Tammy Salyer:

The West wasn’t won with grit and guns. It took a sawbones with fae blood to git ’er done.

Book 1 in the Otherworld Outlaw series, an action-packed romp through the Wild West, loaded with living myths, dark magic, and bloodthirsty monsters aplenty.

Lula Cullen isn’t sweet and gentle, and she’s got no time for anyone’s guff. Esteemed Bostonian surgeon, she’s a woman with a career in a time when the very idea is laughed at. And nothing, not even her fiancé and his Brahmin family’s traditional values, is going to get in her way. Until…

Her ambitions are derailed like a runaway steam engine when her uncle and only living relative is killed in a freak lightning accident. His dying words—“Find Toxicore Darkheart. He’s the only one who can protect you now”—launch Lula into an ill-conceived and unchaperoned trip to Abilene, Kansas, where hanged men dangle for days for minor crimes and only married women are considered respectable.

Mistaken for a soiled dove the minute she hits the frontier, Lula decides to hell with respectability and starts swinging her uncle’s shillelagh at anyone who asks for it. And the West sure has a lot of folks asking for it. Upon finding Darkheart, whose peculiarities go well beyond his odd name, she unearths long-buried family secrets tied to her bloodline, secrets that ultimately led to her uncle’s murder and the disappearance of her parents when she was an infant. And worse, much worse, she discovers that though she’s the one hunting for the truth—she’s also being hunted.

Caught between a werewolf, a necromancer, and two fae queens of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Lula has to trade her scalpel for a Colt .45 and do it fast. Because they’re not just after her, they’re after her blood.

Don’t miss any of the magic-packed Otherworld Outlaws series

Balefire by Glynn StewartBalefire by Glynn Stewart:

A NEW SHORT DARK FANTASY NOVELLA

A demon born of human evil
A knight forged in holy fire
A town that he must either save…or destroy!

Alsan is a Paladin of the Intercessor, a holy warrior called to the village of Redgarton to investigate a demonic plague. Powerful magic of his fellow priests has sealed the village against the demon’s escape, and still more powerful magic awaits only his command to destroy demon and village alike.

To save the innocent, the knight must enter the village alone and learn what has unleashed the Abyss amongst them. If he can strike down the demon, his holy oath is sufficient to spare the town the balefire.

But the plague is spreading and the order he leaves behind is simple: come dawn, unleash the balefire.

Oscar Tremont: Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable by Cameron TrostOscar Tremont: Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable by Cameron Trost:

Introducing Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable.

Join Oscar Tremont on his first four cases as he tackles mysteries too strange for the police and assures his clients that a rational explanation lies behind what at first appears to be impossible. You will find clues, question suspects, don disguises, break into abandoned houses, solve codes and puzzles, and if you really have your wits about you, crack the case before our hero.

Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable consists of two novellas and two short stories that display the keen intellect of a private investigator who is bound to make a name for himself in the mystery genre.

  • The Hunt for the Stayne Fortune
  • The Ghosts of Walhalla
  • The Witch at the Window
  • The Secret of the Severed Hand

These four mysteries will challenge and surprise even the most experienced armchair detectives.

Ghost Ship by James David VictorGhost Ship by James David Victor:

Sometimes when things are at their worst, the only way out is to team up with the enemy.

Carl Sebastian has overcome every obstacle and fought every enemy. Now, he’s stuck on an abandoned ship, taken over by xeno-mutations that are fusing with the ship. Their only way off the ship is to work with a group of Palacian soldiers who have also been trapped. Can they escape this ghost ship or will the mutations finally take hold of Carl and his team?

Ghost Ship is the fourth book in the Gene Soldiers series. If you like fast-paced sci-fi adventures with alien mutations, genetically enhanced humans, and an interstellar war nobody was ready for, Gene Soldiers is your next adventure.

Download Ghost Ship and see what happens next in this epic adventure today!

The Four by Katelyn YoungThe Four by Katelyn Young:

Princess Kiera knows that one day she will be auctioned away in an arranged marriage, but she never imagined that her fiancés would be vampires.

When people from the Kingdom of Zayn go missing, Kiera’s father, King Zachariah, arranges for Kiera to marry one of The Four rulers of Vampira. This marriage will end the kidnappings and unite the two kingdoms. As per the rules of the engagement, Princess Kiera is given one month to decide which of The Four she will marry. Kiera wants to be a righteous ruler. She also wants to marry for love. Each of her four suitors has something unique to offer her. Kiera must figure out whose intentions are pure and whose are for show. What Kiera doesn’t realize is that this decision will last for all of eternity.

The Capture by Nicole ZoltackThe Capture by Nicole Zoltak:

I don’t recognize the danger until it’s too late for not only myself but also my sisters.

Our town is besieged by monsters, vile creatures. No one knows who or what they are, but the whispers, the rumors… Everyone stays in at night. I do my best to keep my sisters safe.

But then I’m captured.

I’m bitten.

I flee.

But I’m not safe. I’m turning into one of those monsters… a vampire. But I don’t recognize this until it’s too late.

It may be too late for us all.

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