Shaken & Stirred: Nostalgic Futures

June 11, 2009

Nostalgic Futures

Charlie Jane has a fun piece at i09 called "4 Writers We Wish Would Return to Science Fiction," including two of my favorite writers of all time, Nicola Griffith and Karen Joy Fowler. (I cop to not having read nearly enough Mary Doria Russell or Samuel Delany, though I enjoyed what I have read by each of them a great deal.) You should really go read the whole piece, but here's a snippet from Karen:

One final point. In the last couple of weeks I've read about toxoplasma — the parasite that alters our behavior until we're simply pawns in the paws of housepet cats; a woman in India found guilty of murdering her fiance based on her brain scan; a site on the internet where for a monthly fee a computer will pray for you ceaselessly. Stan Robinson says we all live in a science fiction novel now and it's clearly true. So I truly believe that science fiction is realism now and literary realism is a nostalgic literature about a place where we once lived, but no longer do.

For the record, I'll read anything either of these ladies write. Also, I got to read the new story K references at the workshop in the mountains last week, and it is fabulous.

Posted in Scientifiction | Permalink

Comments

Read Read

Rebecca Stead: When You Reach Me
This novel about a bookish girl who is obsessed with Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time will connect with many kids, but also deserves an audience by adults--particularly those who grew up in the '70s and '80s. It's only fitting that a novel obsessed with time travel would transport us back to the days of 20,000 Dollar Pyramid. Stead's restraint and honesty build intricately to a fitting and fulfilling conclusion.
Sarah Rees Brennan: The Demon's Lexicon
This debut goes off like fireworks, and I can only hope what they're spelling out in the sky is a long and prolific career for the author. Brothers Nick and Alan have been living on the run for years, hunted by magicians trying to take back their mother. Nick is the ultimate bad boy--a protagonist who should be unsympathetic, but sucks you in just like you knew he would. And there's an actual twist that is set up beautifully and works just as well. I can't imagine any writer of contemporary urban fantasy who wouldn't wish to have written this, at least a little bit. If you miss Buffy, what are you waiting for?
Cynthia Leitich Smith: Eternal
Set in the same world as Tantalize, Cynthia Leitich Smith has written the best kind of sequel--the kind that's even better than the first book. The novel follows teen Miranda into an undead afterlife, alternating her story with that of her guardian angel. If you never thought guardian angels could be awesome, we have something in common: We were wrong. Dark, witty, fabulous. Read this now.
Janni Lee Simner: Bones of Faerie
In her debut young adult novel, Janni Simner inventively and memorably adds to the post-apocalypse tradition, gracing it with a dark fairy tale of being lost in the woods--the terrifying, murderous woods. The meticulous creation of the human and faerie worlds, and the attention to the new operating tendencies of nature, makes this a good bet for anyone who likes to read about life after the end of things familiar. Full take here.
Kelley Armstrong: The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1)
Chloe Saunders has one freak out too many after seeing dead people, and gets sent to a small, private home for special kids. WAY special kids, we learn, as Armstrong teases out the reasons they're all there. One of the things I liked best is that the novel doesn't wear its context on its sleeve--I didn't discover it was set in the same world as the author's very popular urban fantasies for adults until after I read it. A wise decision, because in no way did this book ever feel overburdened by an immense back story. It's quite simply a page-turning pleasure, reinventing well worn tropes without a hint of laziness.
Jo Graham: Black Ships
A riveting blend of history and invention, of fantasy and realism--Graham proves herself more than up to the task of interpreting The Aeneid for today's readers. By focusing on a young Sybil named Gull, the book ably explores the ancient world without sacrificing the view from either the generational royalty at the top, or the displaced slaves and commoners at the bottom. And if you geek out over the mysteries and familial connections of gods like I do, you'll love this even more.