My poem, “The Green Lady,” will appear in Aberrant Dreams in 2008. I am thrilled to be accepted by AD again; in addition to finding my work worth publishing, they are a joy to work with, responsive to a writer’s every question or concern.

I also neglected to mention in this space that my review of Stephen Jones’ H.P. Lovecraft in Britain: A Monograph, was published in June by the SF Site.

Originally published at approximately 8,000 words. You can comment here or there.

My review of Tanith Lee’s young adult novel Indigara is now available on the SF Site. I felt a little bad turning in such a negative review of an author I have enjoyed in the past, but it’s my duty as a reviewer to share my feelings on the book I read even if I think it sucks.

Unfortunately, this is a book with serious faults that keep it from feeling like it ever gets off the ground. Most of the time when I read a book, there’s a point somewhere in the middle where I glance to the end to see how many pages are left. If it’s a good book then I am gauging how much pleasure I have left before I finish. If it’s a bad book I’m thinking the opposite — how many pages are left before I can move on to something better? Indigara was definitely a case of the latter, and that moment came a mere 80 pages into the book’s 200.

Check out my review then go looking for one of Lee’s other books; she’s a talented author, she just missed the mark this time.

Originally published at approximately 8,000 words. You can comment here or there.

My review of Richard Dansky’s first original novel, Firefly Rain, is now available on the SF Site. I really enjoyed this book, and think it is worth at least checking out of your library. I’ve already enjoyed his RPG writing, and his work with Storytellers Unplugged so this novel was a treat. I hope Dansky keeps writing original work, and I have high hopes he becomes an author of note in the Horror genre.

Read the review here.

Originally published at approximately 8,000 words. You can comment here or there.

I finished another review tonight, of Richard Dansky’s Firefly Rain. It still took me a while to write, but it came significantly easier than the last one. If I can stay in the habit of writing these regularly I’m sure they will come easier and easier with time.

We had Jennifer over tonight for a writing date, with some good discussion of writing, brainstorming, and a nice check-in about where we are writing-wise. Having Steve move in to the Slutbarn has created a lot of upheaval in the last few weeks; it’s been good change but change nonetheless, with a lot of energy expended on house and family. I’m pleased that my output did not drop off entirely, that I kept working even when very busy elsewhere; now I feel like I’m ready to get moving again. If I’m lucky I’ll do some more writing tonight, or at least a bit of catching up on Society of Voluptuaries critiques.

My review of Tanith Lee’s Indigara is slated for publication in an upcoming update to the the SF Site and I’ve requested several more books from their review copies. This is starting to become a bit of a habit, and I’m pleased with that.

Originally published at approximately 8,000 words. You can comment here or there.

I’ve decided to start writing book reviews again. I’ve been working for the last couple days on a review of Tanith Lee’s Indigara with minimal success; my review skills felt very rusty. When I complained to Reesa, she responded without a moment’s hesitation, “have you reread your old reviews?”

I had not. I did, and within a couple hours had finished the first draft of my review. My usual procedure when I finish a review is to revise it a little, then wait a day before revising it again. I find I catch a lot after ’sleeping on it.’ When I’m finished tomorrow, I’ll mail it in to Rodger at the SF Site. I really like writing for them for many reasons, and I’m looking forward to renewing our editorial relationship.

I’ll post again here when the review goes live.

Originally published at approximately 8,000 words. You can comment here or there.

If you are in a hurry and don't want to read the review that follows, I can sum it up in two sentences: There is a reason this book was originally published under a pseudonym and several years passed before it was published under the author's real name. That reason is that it is bad, and a poor addition to Richard Matheson's impressive legacy to boot. If you enjoyed Matheson's other works, such as I Am Legend or The Shrinking Man and haven't gotten around to this novel yet (perhaps because of the dour comments on it in The Encyclopedia of Fantasy) then you haven't been missing anything.

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One of the drawbacks of the average science fiction anthology is the mixture of good and bad stories. One story will entertain while the next will have you groaning at the approach of a predictable conclusion, or just struggling to contain your boredom as you skim ahead to the next story. As a reviewer, these stories are a bit more fun because you know you'll get to skewer them (and editors responsible) publicly; the average reader, lacking a similarly public venue to rant in, generally gets less enjoyment out of these books. Sadly for me, the stories in All the Rage This Year are uniformly readable and so there will be no skewering of authors or editors below.

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Few English-speaking authors on anime or manga could have the credentials of Fred Patten, purely by virtue of having been one of fandom's earliest members in the United States, not to mention a founding member of the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization, America's first anime fan club -- a group privileged enough to play host to the great Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy and Metropolis, not once but twice in the late 70s.

makinglight

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The biggest source of controversy in the minds of the average reader will be Costello's ratings -- is Terminator 2: Judgment Day (five stars) a better film than Star Wars: Episode IV (four stars)? At four stars, are both Ghost in the Shell and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within equally good? However, it is the double-edged sword of the Pocket Essentials imprint that the series' editors actually allow the authors to have an opinion of their own. It is my opinion that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, because it allows this book to be entertaining even if you happen to have seen every film in it (in which case, congratulations or, in some cases, my condolences). When John Costello calls Lucas a 'megalomaniac' for messing with his classics, or refers to The Black Hole as "so bad it created its own singularity and disappeared straight into it," the writing rises above the level of a mere Dummies guide.

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