Six Questions with Kim Harrison via Borders
Are you excited about the newest book? What did you think of the interview?
Family Film Guide: How to Read ‘I Am Number Four’ With Your Kids via MovieFone
Did you read I Am Number Four? Are you looking forward to the movie?
Girls & Gals Love SF—So Give It To Them Already! via The Galaxy Express
I love Sci Fi. But it does seem like most girls prefer Fantasy (even within our site) so publisher’s market that way. Which does suck for the girls who prefer Sci Fi and want to see strong, well written female characters. The article made an interesting point: you can get really good female characters in Sci Fi if you check the YA section. But sometimes I get sick of YA and want to read something else. I’m reading a book now that has strong women, but the main character (and only survivor–it’s told in flashbacks) is male.
Kameron Hurley, Author of God’s War, on “Bring Me Your Heroes” via Omnivoraious
“Hurley’s been kind enough to write a series of short pieces for Omnivoracious on issues related to her novel, the first on re-imagining revolution, the second on female characters in urban fantasy, and the third on fortune & glory. Here’s the fourth and final piece, which is particularly appropriate given the kerfuffle about heroic fantasy I blogged about earlier this week.”
Ray Bradbury: The fiction of ideas and giving the gift of books via Science Fiction Biology
“In [the interview], he talks about reading, writing and what science fiction means to him:
Science fiction is the fiction of ideas. Ideas excite me, and as soon as I get excited, the adrenaline gets going and the next thing I know I’m borrowing energy from the ideas themselves. Science fiction is any idea that occurs in the head and doesn’t exist yet, but soon will, and will change everything for everybody, and nothing will ever be the same again.”
The Living Earth and the Living Dead: The Ecology of Vampires via Huffington Post
“Maybe this fascination with the Living Dead is a coping mechanism, a way of engaging their imaginations, given all the end-of-the-world predictions. If you already know what it feels like to be human (i.e., dead), then maybe you can shift species and live on forever. Perhaps it’s just an adolescent form of the denial that drives all ages.”
Vampires Complicate the Monster Apocalypse via Escapist Magazine
“Of recent vampire pop-culture phenomena, very few have featured just vampires. Let the Right One In and its American remake, yes, but Twilight is chock full of werewolves. Being Human hits three supernatural species right off the bat. And by the end of last season, True Blood was a cryptozoological United Nations. Vampires now have to operate in context, as opposed to being placed in simple opposition to humanity…”
Building the Perfect Beast: Debut Novel From Deborah Harkness an Amalgam of Classics via Barnes and Noble
“Deborah Harkness’s debut novel certainly cannot be described as wildly original or innovative but, like Meyer, Harkness has succeeded in building the perfect beast by taking some succulent narrative elements from popular reads and fusing them together to create a wildly entertaining and deeply intellectual story.” I actually wanted to read this when I first heard about it, but the more I heard the less interested I became. The story does seem repetitive. I could be wrong though-I guess I’ll wait for more reviews (and the paperback).
Pan Mac acquires “dystopian fantasy” series via The Book Seller
“This is an incredibly imaginative and well-executed fantasy. Think Across the Nightingale Floor and Eragon mixed with steampunk, strong original characters and fast-paced action.”
Why Fritz Leiber is the least-known science fiction author you need to know via io9
“Lieber’s ability to blend realism with the fantastic has won him a Hugo Award and many fans, including literary geek Michael Chabon. But his great works remain mostly unknown.”
