Say it loud, I'm a nerd and I'm proud

These two posts on the acceptability of scifi really got my goat. They reek of the general snobbery that fears genre fiction. Their loss, right? They are missing the likes of Banks, Elizabeth Moon, James Ellroy and Philip Kerr. What's more, I would argue that today's genre novels scifi and mystery at least are superior to literary fiction at social analysis. Whatever, we on the nerdy side are used to the disparaging glances of the cognoscenti.

No, what really is annoying is the emphasis on the likes of Vonnegut and Phillip K Dick. Yes fine, pick the more literary scifi novelists from 20-30 years ago. I suppose that every few decades a worthwhile item will beach itself on the banks of the fetid swamp that is scifi. There is more decent scifi coming out each year that one can reasonably expect to read. You better recognize.

Two videos

Check the R rated trailer for Knocked Up, by the director for 40 Year Old Virgin. Looks like it will be pretty funny.

I was looking for a video of Beulah's indie rock classic Silver Lining and I found this video of a dude dancing to the song. No foolin', I wish more people would dance like this at indie rock shows. All those nodding heads and tapping feet get a little boring. I feel self-conscious. FYI, there is a scary moment in the video where it appears the dancer is about to get sexy with himself. I assure you this is not the case.

Movies

I saw For Your Consideration, the most recent Christopher Guest film, this weekend. While I certainly enjoyed the satirical take on Hollywood, I thought this was the slightest of his ensemble pieces. The film hits a number of Hollywood targets including the power of buzz, the idiot producers, the meddling suits, the brain dead press (Fred Willard is the best part of the movie) and the rising and falling hopes of the actors. I certainly laughed, but not as much as in the earlier movies.

I also finally saw Little Miss Sunshine. I think it is a tad over-rated, not as over-rated as American Beauty, but I'm not sure it was Best Picture material. It is certainly more effective than the above film in skewering its target, the obsession with success in American culture. I was glad to see Carrell go in a completely different direction and the rest of the cast was excellent as well. I wish Hollywood would make more of this simpler pictures that emphasize dialogue and the human relationships.

Which takes us to 300. I've not seen it, but I thought I would pass on Sven's thoughts:

What I liked:
1) Leonidas' character was unequivocal. No wavering between bad and good. No moral choices. He's just pure bad ass. It's nice to see a hero that some pansy-ass screenwriter hasn't turned into a crybaby who weeps for mama and feels guilty about what he has to do.

2) Pure unadulterated ass-kicking once they reach Thermopylae. No question about who is winning. No one in the Spartan ranks quivering or crying in combat. Just mean s.o.b.s with a job to do.

3) Visuals are amazing. I generally find computer-generated stuff a little tiresome, but this is extremely well done. I particularly liked a scene involving a storm just before the battle begins. The whole thing is dark and foreboding.

What I disliked:
1) Too much reliance on the grotesque to get the point across about how naughty the Persians were. The guy who betrays the Spartans looks like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Persians have some giant they keep in chains, a guy with crab claws, etc. Xerxes is a little weird. They ride around on rhinos and elephants. Like the idiots who made Gladiator, they try to make it appear that in 500 B.C., armies had access to what amounted to grenades. I'd have much preferred a bit more realism from the Persian side, but maybe they were trying to
portray the Greeks as humans/humanizing and the Persians as representing barbarism. A little heavy handed treatment though. They make the point a little too much.

2) I suppose you have to accept that most viewers are around 17 and couldn't tell you where Greece is, let alone Thermopylae. But, I thought it could have had some references to Marathon or Salamis. They did mention Plataea, but unless you knew about the Persian Wars, you
wouldn't come away with any sense of anything other than this unnamed battle was truth, justice and freedom holding out against enslavement. I can't complain though. If they'd have bogged the thing down in details in order to be historically accurate, it would have been a
snoozer and people would have bitched that the details were even debatable.

3) The film reeks of manliness. One's testosterone increases while watching it. However, I thought they caved in to the apparent requirement that every film have a romance going on. There's a subplot occuring at the homefront in Sparta, but I thought that that element was
a bit weak. I guess it was necessary to make one sympathize with what they were fighting for, but it takes time away from the ass-kicking and I didn't pay to watch Love Story.

A new direction

In an interview regarding his next scifi novel, Richard Morgan reveals he is working on a fantasy novel:

The plan is to carry over the noir sensibility of the Kovacs novels into a fantasy setting, and brew up some old style sword and sorcery alongside, but in practice that's not quite as simple as it sounds. I have a lot of old stylistic habits to unlearn, and a fair few fresh tricks to learn.

Alright, stop. Collaborate and listen

Are you an at least 15th level very large fantasy novel reader? Do you own +3 Bracers of Ogre strength that allow you to hold massive books for hours on end? Do you always win on the Comprehend Labyrinthine Plot savings throw? If you still reading, you might like the Malazan Book of the Fallen Series. I just finished Memories of Ice and I quite like it. There are a number of reasons to like it, and a few that might dissuade you from picking it up.

There is little point in discussing the plot of this book, as it will give spoilers aplenty. The overall story is only becoming clear in this book, but the surface story is about the Malazan Empire's attempts to expand its control over the world. The book reads a cross between the Illiad and the Forever War. Almost all of the characters are warriors or those forced to fight. The battle is nearly constant. Many of the major characters are Ascendents, or gods. Like the Illiad, they are flawed, in conflict, meddle directly in human affairs and can be killed. The overall plot concerns the shifts in human and divine power and how these changes influence the other realm. The Malazans and the gods themselves are fighting wars all over the planet and the death toll is incredible. Imagine the Mongols invading every continent at once and you get an idea.

So what is to like? The action is excellent. Endless battle could be quite repetitive, but Erikson keeps it fresh by using multiple characters with different skills and powers. His varies the battles as well, with sieges, meeting engagements, ambushes, one on one super battles and so on. The action is an unglamorized as possible. It is brutal, bleak and destructive. There is comic relief but it is on the black side.

His world is immense and he has clearly spent time developing the many, many players. There are multiple states and tribes on the human side and a confusing array of divine powers. He provides a list of the dramatis personae, but I would have appreciated a bit more detail here.

The character development leads a lot to be desired. You won't find anyone as realized as Martin's Tyrion here. Or even half as realized. But Erikson makes up for this by surprising you with yet another incredible battle or duel of wits between an angry God of Death and wily wizard.

The book is also crazy long. The paperback is 900 pages long and it is part of a TEN book cycle. Unlike the works of the Betrayer, these books are filled with story for the 900 pages, but still it is 900 pages. That's three normal books, which means reading this is not reading three other books. And you are buying nerd futures for the other 8100 pages. So you have to keep that in mind. You may hit your end at the end and say "I could have read Remembrance of Things Past!"

Hey man, hey!

New Shellac record this summer. I've heard tell that Spoke might be on it. That's not bad sound, the lyrics are all gibberish. Here's another new one.

Fun with the New York Times

Are you one of the literati who does not get 300? Well, Neal Stephenson has some words for you.

A full kickin' member of the literati, John Banville, has written a crime novel. He has an essay on why he decided to enter the genre world. I was going to say that he was slumming, but that's not really fair, as he argues that mysteries, at their best, are art. He claims that in his crime fiction he tones down his trademark use of obscure words, but he slips "rebarbative" into the essay. And it really is a good essay, read it. (NYT connection: I saw an ad in the Book section)

The new Christopher Buckley novel looks interesting. If you've not read any of his nasty little satires, this one might be a place to start.

The Buckley book is the first effort by the creepily named imprint called the Twelve. They will only publish 12 books a year you see. I am most intrigued by the next one by Christopher Hitchens. Titled God is Not Great, Hitchens is setting himself apart from the tide of atheist books. The title might as well be Fuck All Y'All. A large slice of these athiest books take their biggest swipe at Christianity. By turning around a central phrase of Islamic praise, Hitchens is ecumenical is his disdain. The right will hate it, the left will hate it, for the left cannot abide criticism of non-Westerners. And the developing world is pretty damn religious. Anyway, I expect lots of ugly exchanges on talk shows.

The Terror gets a negative review (there is a major spoiler in the middle, so read the beginning and the end) in the Times. I hope this is another case of the snobs looking down on genre fiction, especially as his principal complaint seems to be that it is long. This last line was pretty brutal: But when a writer as canny as Dan Simmons can talk himself into something as foolhardy as “The Terror,” you know there’s a kind of insanity loose in the world of publishing, and all I really want to say in my one little page is, Stop the madness.

Book blog

Nonfiction Readers Anonymous is written by a librarian and the author notes (his or her?) opinions on a variety of books. I liked this post where the author notes that some books remain unread because of the title alone.

Some comics

Graphic novels are sometimes transcendent, but more often they are pleasurable diversions, like a good mystery novel. I recently read 2 that were entertaining.

Fallen Angel. OK, this technically isn't a graphic novel (if I understand it precisely). Instead it is the first few issues of a periodic comic. Whatever. It is dark and nasty like many other graphic novels, so let's just pretend. This one is set in an American city called Bete Noire that is somehow without police but is managed by mysterious magistrate. He is given to mentioning that the whole world will end if Bete Noire goes crazy. The Fallen Angel is woman with powers not fully explained. Like Rogue, she is more or less invincible and she doesn't mind killing. She faces a bunch of nasties and a few moral choices. Like I said, nothing special, but fun. Of particular note to those looking for female bad asses.

In the multiyear gaps between Fire and Ice novels, George R R Martin has written a few short stories/novellas called the Dunk and Egg stories. They are set about 100 years before the series and involve a squire who impersonates a knight and a boy who befriends him. Marvel recently released the first story, the Hedge Knight, as a graphic novel. It is a small episode, probably worth one or two chapters in one of the novels, and I think some of Martin's detail may have lost in the transition. Still, the art is excellent, and the story has a few surprises. This one may come in handy while we wait for A Dance With Dragons.

I saw but did not pick up Testament, which is written as if Bible stories took place in the modern day. Lots of sex and violence (as one finds in the OT) so this one will be strange for a number of audiences.

Smatterings

Pillars of the Earth fans will have a lovely October. Follett has a sequel due to arrive that month. There is a bit more information here. The novel takes place 200 year after the events in Pillars and has the Black Death as its backdrop. If you haven't read Pillars of the Earth, you should pick it up. It is set in a 12th century English town and tracks the fates of builders and clerics involved in its construction. This may sound tiresome, but it is in fact excellent. For those seeking a broader canvas and more focus on historical accuracy, I recommend Sharon Kay Penman's Here Be Dragons. And if you are desperate for Pillars of the Earth action before October, why not pick up the Pillars of the Earth board game?

If you have been following the Cassini mission, this is pretty cool.

Fans of McCarthy's the Road will be excited to see the equally literary Jim Crace has penned a post-apocalyptic novel as well.

CG sent along this Q&A with Jonathan Lethem. I remain uncertain about his new one. She also sent this rather awful cover of Float On. To be honest, I say songs are IP, if you want to share it, go ahead. But that is objectively terrible.

My brain is hanging upside down

Rolling Stone assembled a panel of experts to talk about what is coming in Iraq. It's distressing reading to say the least. There is no good news or optimism anywhere in this piece. One that chilled me most came from Al Qaeda expert Michael Scheuer. He had this to say:

No matter what happens now, the Islamists will have beaten both of the superpowers -- first the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, and now the United States in the heart of Islam. The impact of that in Islamic civilization is going to be enormous. We have made bin Laden a prophet: His organizing concept for Al Qaeda was "The Russians are a lot tougher than the Americans. If we can beat the Russians, then we can eventually beat the Americans." Even more important, Al Qaeda will have contiguous territory on the Arab peninsula to attack from.

I don't blame you when you piss and moan

Who pissed in Tom Disch's cereal? I've heard outbursts more rational than this when I tell my kids we can't have another story because we have to get to preschool.

Way out in the water, see it swimming

Pessimism, thy name is Canadian Science Fiction. Oryx and Crake, most of William Gibson's work (fine, he's American, but he has lived in Canada since 68), and a fair chunk of Robert Charles Wilson's work are exemplars of the downer angle that works it way into SF of the great white north. But those guys have nothing on Peter Watts. His homepage proudly displays this quote : "Whenever I find my will to live becoming too strong, I read Peter Watts." This exaggeration is, no doubt, only slight.

With this warning in mind, I heartily recommend Watts' Blindsight. The basic story, first contact with aliens, is as old as SF itself. Watts adds a dystopian future where humans are retreating into a virtual reality heaven as AIs, cyborgs and vampires slowly take over the Earth. That's right, vampires. Watts has vampires as an extinct predator of humans gene-resurrected because of their hyper-intelligence (think about it predators are always smarter than the prey.) In order to investigate an alien presence in the Oort cloud, Earth sends a vampire, a cyborg with more than double normal human senses, a high functioning autistic who can read patterns, a super soldier and a woman whose brain has been cut to allow for multiple personalities. So it's aliens visiting aliens.

Watts is a hard science fiction writer which means an exploration of science is central to the book. In this case, Watts starts with brains and brain modification and then explores the relationship between consciousness and intelligence. The aliens brains are not built as ours are and this becomes quite important to the story. The science gets a bit challenging in places, but he weaves it well into the story. He embeds his politics and pessimism into the story itself rather than stepping aside to deliver a lecture. If you are a reader of scifi or have an interest in brain science this should be on your 2007 reading list.

This and that

Though she has often been compared to Anthony Trollope, one astute reviewer has termed her "the love child of Graham Greene and Iris Murdoch." Well, that's a hell of a comparison isn't it? The subject of the comparison is Susan Howatch, who has written a series of book about the Church of England, one of which you can find here. A colleague recommended her to me.

I have a hard time believing this is real. Mylanta Ice Cream sounds like a frat boy initiation torture device.

Sven sends word that Iran is protesting 300. The battle of Thermopylae was 2,500 years ago! I think there has to be a statue of limitations on such things. And it actually happened! American Scene has useful thoughts. Scifi.com approaches the movie for it what it is, a comic book adaptation. Given the piss-poor state of knowledge about the classical world, it's worth pointing to Obsidian Wings which correctly notes that Sparta is not a great role model and that Salamis is where the Persians were truly defeated. Those who took IR classes back in the Cold War days will recall that Sparta=Soviet Union, Athens=United States. All this aside, I always enjoy a movie packed with lots of ass-kicking.

Maybe everything that dies, someday comes back

One of the greatest of rock documentaries is Some Kind of Monster. It paints a rich, if not always flattering portrait of the band, while also showing how the rock lifestyle can prevent the successful from ever growing up. That movie is so good, I would recommend it to people who couldn't care less about Metallica. LoudQUIETloud, a film about the Pixies reunion tour, doesn't reach that height, but it still a must see for the (non-worshipful) fan.

If you are hoping to see the genius that penned the classic Pixies songs you won't find it here. The story in this movie is that the Pixies are mildly quirky but generally normal people who are somewhat taken aback by their reception. Joey and Frank Black are family men earning for the folks back home. Kim is a recovering alcoholic who switches to caffeine and cigarettes. David Lovering's father dies while he is on tour and he turns to Valium and wine. The movie makers try to portray him as getting out of control, but in rock star terms, it isn't much. At one show, he keeps drumming far past the time to stop and he acts a bit manic in scenes. He then pulls it back together. For some this will anger, I found it endearing. These are normal people who create amazing work. If you come to the movie as a worshiper on a pilgrimage, you will probably be disappointed.

Since documentaries have to have an overall story, some stand alone annecdotes have be left aside. Thanks to the wonders of DVD, these are now available. There is awkward scene where the Pixies visit Sigur Ros at their Reykjavik studio and no one seems to know what to do. There is another where Kim is interviewed with Steve Albini. There is a brief, but funny bit where Kim visits a music shop. After handing over her credit card, the clerk lets her know that there is another Kim Deal in a band called the Breeders. Finally, Kim Deal's ex-husband (Mr. John Murphy) shows up and gives the band some archival material he was keeping.

A classic

Perhaps my most venal reading sin is spending so much time trying to get my hands on the latest and greatest. I'm so busy chasing 2007 that I've already forgotten 2006. Publishers like Persephone books remind us that the past has much to offer.

They have republished Little Boy Lost, which sounds like a dated melodrama, but is far from it. The story is set in post-war France and centers on a priggish British intellectual. He escaped the Nazis when they overran France, but his wife and newborn son did not. Now after the war, he learns his son may have survived. He then travels to France to see if in fact the boy is his lost son. Sounds as treacly as Christmas Shoes, but let me assure you it is not. Instead we have a man wrestling against his worse nature and a view of the desolation of France in 1945. The intensity of the novel will surprise you. Seek this one out, Amazon has some used copies. To learn more, read this review in the Spectator.

My kind of March Madness

The Post has a Beer March Madness bracket up on the website. The first round has been completed and Dogfish Head and Rogue are now going head to head. Amazingly Bud beat Victory Lager and is now going on to battle Rolling Rock. We all lose that one.

You can vote for the beers you think should advance. I bet Dominion Ale will get votes as the leading DC area micro. Here is a related discussion.

Gift idea

If you are seeking a special gift for your nerdy friend/spouse/S.O., take a look at the Subterranean Press. They produce high quality editions of classic works as well as limited print runs of original works. For example, here is Tim Powers novella , a John Scalzi novella, and a three hundred dollar version of Feast for Crows.

Oh well

Jonathan Carroll's Land of Laughs and White Apples were great novels. I wish Bones of the Moon was as good as those, but I can't say it was. It was similar to the other two in that it featured a person in the modern world who discovers that our world overlaps with a magic world. This time it just didn't work. The dreamworld theme was just too strange. Dreams of course do not make sense, and Carroll emphasizes this by throwing in terms and words he never explains. Had he added more description it might have been more intersting. I think he was trying to capture the strange insanity of dreams that we accept while dreaming, but make no sense later. Not quite interesting enough. And this critical. In the books I have read so far, the character has been important, but it is the character's interaction with the magic that makes the book.

This too would have been fine if the central conflict were more interesting, but it isn't. For some, the central conflict may be enraging. It revolves around a woman dealing with her abortion. I can see alarm bells going off in some people's heads already. Even if you aren't so ideologically inclined, I doubt you will be engrossed by her journey. It's not terrible it was just not as interesting as those in the other books.

This would not be the place to start with Carroll. Try Land of Laughs or White Apples. Here is someone who completely disagrees.

Sunday morning coming down

Wowsers! Read this and then listen in to a conversation between Raymond Chandler and Ian Fleming! It's a big MP3 file and the I was only able to listen by downloading. It's great to hear their voices and listen to two greats discussing their craft. I like the bit where Fleming asks Chandler how one arranges a killing.

Rorschach!

Wonkette has an amusing piece comparing Brazilian protesters to US ones.

The Sunday papers have slightly changed my reading trajectory with two reviews. I had wanted to read Michael Burleigh's new book Sacred Causes. In his review Tony Judt closes with "Politico-religious zealotry is a timely topic, but anyone seeking a dispassionate account of it should look elsewhere. "Sacred Causes" is an ugly instance of its own subject matter." Wow.

Matthew Sharpe has a new book titled Jamestown, which is celebrating its 400 year anniversary. The Post review is intriguing. "This hilarious, poignant and often annoying novel reimagines the first permanent English settlement in America as a modern-day dystopia, an absurd hybrid of Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Walt Disney's "Pocahontas."