Shaken & Stirred: Geek Out

« Wednesday Hangovers | Main | Friday Hangovers »

January 03, 2008

Geek Out

Just popping in to say that I'm really liking io9, the new science fiction concern of the Gawker empire. The contributions of the extremely smart Charlie Anders--who's also on this year's Tiptree jury--and editor Annalee Newitz are particularly fun. And the site's top ten most anticipated SF titles of 2008 included several of the books my own hot little hands can't wait for (especially Karen Joy Fowler's Wit's End, which will be fabulous).

Thus far the contributors seem to be playing nice with others, something that could never be said about many of the Gawker tentacles*... and I hope it stays like that or at least doesn't get mean in an uninteresting way. But, hey, Scalzi's watching that so I don't have to.

*Y'all know how I love the Fine Lines at Jezebel.

Posted at 03:40 PM in Scientifiction | Permalink

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

I think we're about as mean as we're ever likely to get. But ask me again when we've been doing it for six months and our brains are starting to fur over. I suspect we'll be dyslexic long before we get terribly mean.

Posted by:Charlie Jane Anders | January 03, 2008 at 08:31 PM

Apropos of absolutely nothing, I've just tagged you in a history meme blog game thingie. In fact I just created a whole new blog so I could play:

http://gemaecca.blogspot.com/

It's all about the main character in my new novel. (I hope this doesn't feel too chain letterish. It just seemed like a cool idea at the time...)

Posted by:nicola | January 03, 2008 at 08:52 PM

I'm glad to hear it, Charlie -- so far the tone is pretty much perfect. And in six months, you'll deserve a bitter(sweet) patch. Also, I believe there's a loophole in that it's not mean if the targets are deserving. (Oh, cruel loophole!)

Nicola -- yay on all counts. I will check it out immediately and meme-ify!

Posted by:Gwenda | January 03, 2008 at 09:07 PM

About

Appendices

Read Read

E. Lockhart: Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The
You might think the world doesn't need any more boarding school novels, but if you haven't read this one then you're wrong, wrong, wrong. E. Lockhart has surpassed herself with this fable of a girl coming into her own and challenging the boy's club at her prep school -- while falling in love with its members at the same time. Lockhart never simplifies or skirts gender issues and power dynamics, and lets Frankie be realistic instead of a treatise disguised as a character. The sly omniscient narrator tells the story perfectly, and leaves hope that maybe one girl can change the world. More novels as funny and true and perfect as this one, please.
Kathi Appelt: The Underneath
Appelt's first novel is a beautiful, magical fantasy for younger readers that will instantly become a classic. Seriously. I can imagine this book being in classrooms right alongside Charlotte's Web in a hundred years. The writing is poetic in the good way, and there's a lamia. Children are going to absolutely fall in love with Appelt's equally kind and brutal universe, where love conquers most, and it can take millenia to come to your senses.
Jincy Willett: The Writing Class
With her second novel, Willett matches the perfect pitch and execution of her brilliant short stories. Every writer will want to read this novel--very little wincing is involved, but expect a great deal of laughter. C and I found ourselves reading pieces aloud, after howling provoked the "what's so funny?" question. As with any good writing workshop or class, the characters become more appealing as you get to know them, and ultimately what she has pulled off is a satisfying mystery, and a satisfying exploration of humanity. Amy Gallup is a character to remember.
Karen Joy Fowler: Wit's End
A new novel by Karen Fowler really is something to be excited about, unlike many of the writers for whom such praise gets bandied about. (If you're smirking because you think you know something about her work from the title--not the book--The Jane Austen Book Club, please go sit in the corner and read any of her novels. You're welcome.) This is an unmystery-like mystery, concerned not so much with dead bodies--though there are plenty--as with the mysteries of healing and the heart, politics and people. How is it that a writer gets a lens on the present that's as revealing as the one she employs in historical fiction? Now that's a mystery. Highly recommended.
Steve Erickson: Zeroville
Steve Erickson novels are often like dreams, or revelations, or discovered artifacts, or written just for you. Zeroville's no different, although it is perhaps the most readily graspable example of his work to date. The Rosetta Stone is there; the secret decoder ring is a film projector. The dizzying Hollywood confidential stylings will make your inner film geek happy, but the uncovering of a truly mythic cinematic story--since cinema has existed forever--of sacrifice and redemption is even more memorable. See also: this review.
Ursula Dubosarsky: The Red Shoe (Neal Porter Books)
Set in Sydney during WWII, this wonderful novel travels between the view from inside each of three sisters. Dubosarsky perfectly captures the differences that come from being the younger, older, or middle child. Perfectly conjuring the period, and yet creating a completely accessible story, the narrative contrasts chapters focusing on the family with interstitials from the Sydney newspapers of the time, stories of polio, the H-bomb, and a defecting Russian spy (who happens to be in hiding next door). Nothing here is heavy-handed. Everything is perfectly balanced. It's a beautiful, beautiful novel. See my full take here.