I have no idea how to rate this because I am still unsure as to what the fuck I just read. It’s the book with the kind of audacity and sheer sense of I have no idea how to rate this because I am still unsure as to what the fuck I just read. It’s the book with the kind of audacity and sheer sense of bonkers that you just plunge forward into the reading experience, hoping to submerge … You don’t quite, with this one. I will definitely have to reread it and give it much more thought. The line near the end, ‘the time traveller had been sentenced to death’, reminds me of ‘Behold the Man’ by Michael Moorcock. With lots more AI. And saliva. ...more
Mildly amusing continuation of the Sin du Jour saga ties in directly with Envy of Angels, or trots out the same tired tropes for a stale repeat, depenMildly amusing continuation of the Sin du Jour saga ties in directly with Envy of Angels, or trots out the same tired tropes for a stale repeat, depending how generous you want to be. This series about a goumet kitchen catering for supernatural clientele desperately needs new ingredients in order to become fresh again.
Merged review:
Mildly amusing continuation of the Sin du Jour saga ties in directly with Envy of Angels, or trots out the same tired tropes for a stale repeat, depending how generous you want to be. This series about a goumet kitchen catering for supernatural clientele desperately needs new ingredients in order to become fresh again....more
The first thing that captures your attention is that rather brash title, How Quini the Squid Misplaced His Klobučar, which apart from being intriguingThe first thing that captures your attention is that rather brash title, How Quini the Squid Misplaced His Klobučar, which apart from being intriguing contains quite a bit of information. Perhaps the keyword is ‘misplaced’, which seems odd, as this is a heist story about liberating the last-mentioned work-of-art from the tentacles of Quini, an underworld-type figure modelled on a stereotypical African-South American druglord-cum-arms-smuggler.
If you think I have given too much of the plot away, fear not … The surface gloss of this hugely entertaining, fast-paced caper hides a lot of sly misdirection and subversion. This includes a lovely twist on gender involving one of the heist members – and if you’re one of those hidebound readers who feel that SF is selling out to political correctness, do not worry your pretty head, for this is not a PC sop but is instead integral to the ending.
Prior to reading this I had not heard of Rich Larson, but was so impressed that I have his short collection Tomorrow Factory and his first novel Annex lined up to read as a result. Apart from the flashy, hip cyberpunk and neat twists and turns, there is a really nasty, seedy streak that runs like a fault line through the middle. And all of that in a mere 40-odd pages?
I read online that Rich Larson was born in Galmi, Niger, has lived in Canada and Spain, and is now based in Prague. Which kind of explains why his SF feels like a European art movie that subverts the tropes of a traditional Hollywood blockbuster, while celebrating these tropes at the same time.
It is a difficult balance to pull off, and can backfire spectacularly in the wrong hands, but Larson knows the nuts-and-bolts of SF and how to bend its structure to his own anarchic vision. He is one of those firecracker writers likely to go off in any direction, but who demands to be followed for the light he throws in the darkness.
Merged review:
The first thing that captures your attention is that rather brash title, How Quini the Squid Misplaced His Klobučar, which apart from being intriguing contains quite a bit of information. Perhaps the keyword is ‘misplaced’, which seems odd, as this is a heist story about liberating the last-mentioned work-of-art from the tentacles of Quini, an underworld-type figure modelled on a stereotypical African-South American druglord-cum-arms-smuggler.
If you think I have given too much of the plot away, fear not … The surface gloss of this hugely entertaining, fast-paced caper hides a lot of sly misdirection and subversion. This includes a lovely twist on gender involving one of the heist members – and if you’re one of those hidebound readers who feel that SF is selling out to political correctness, do not worry your pretty head, for this is not a PC sop but is instead integral to the ending.
Prior to reading this I had not heard of Rich Larson, but was so impressed that I have his short collection Tomorrow Factory and his first novel Annex lined up to read as a result. Apart from the flashy, hip cyberpunk and neat twists and turns, there is a really nasty, seedy streak that runs like a fault line through the middle. And all of that in a mere 40-odd pages?
I read online that Rich Larson was born in Galmi, Niger, has lived in Canada and Spain, and is now based in Prague. Which kind of explains why his SF feels like a European art movie that subverts the tropes of a traditional Hollywood blockbuster, while celebrating these tropes at the same time.
It is a difficult balance to pull off, and can backfire spectacularly in the wrong hands, but Larson knows the nuts-and-bolts of SF and how to bend its structure to his own anarchic vision. He is one of those firecracker writers likely to go off in any direction, but who demands to be followed for the light he throws in the darkness....more
Laugh-out-loud funny take on an apartheid era South Africa secret space programme to colonise a habitable moon with the Volk. However, the addition ofLaugh-out-loud funny take on an apartheid era South Africa secret space programme to colonise a habitable moon with the Volk. However, the addition of the Angolan War 'bossies' character Stefan also makes this a probing look at generational trauma and its impact on Afrikaner identity and ideology up to today. Latimer pokes a lot of fun at the lofty pretensions of space (de)colonisation and Afrofuturism. These are 'Afrinauts' (with black Springbok on their spacesuits) ... not 'Afronauts'. Of course, 'The Space Race' is a double entendre....more
'Don’t ever mix juju with technology. There is witchcraft in science and a science to witchcraft.'
I read this out of interest 'cos it's the basis of t'Don’t ever mix juju with technology. There is witchcraft in science and a science to witchcraft.'
I read this out of interest 'cos it's the basis of the Nigerian short film 'Hello, Rain'. Kind of a weird short story about evil wigs? Good premise for an Africanfuturist Rusical....more
The title is an (intentional) mouthful: 'Neither the First Word nor the Last on Deconstruction, Structuralism, Poststructuralism, and Semiotics for SFThe title is an (intentional) mouthful: 'Neither the First Word nor the Last on Deconstruction, Structuralism, Poststructuralism, and Semiotics for SF Readers'. The essay, collected here in its full form, is not only one of the best summations of this literary criticism minefield I have ever read, but also my 'go to' guide if I need any inspiration or clarity. A superb example of Delany's cogent, passionate analysis. It really feels like he is talking to you over your shoulder, and that you understand every word in that deep, calm voice of his....more
'Afrofuturism is a great tool for wielding the imagination for personal change and societal growth. Empowering people to see themselves and their idea'Afrofuturism is a great tool for wielding the imagination for personal change and societal growth. Empowering people to see themselves and their ideas in the future gives rise to innovators and free thinkers, all of whom can pull from the best of the past while navigating the sea of possibilities to create communities, culture, and a new, balanced world. The imagination is the key to progress, and it’s the imagination that is all too often smothered in the name of conformity and community standards.'
My God, this was magnificent. A hard SF novel – think ‘Bewilderment’ by Richard Powers, but as written by Kim Stanley Robinson – that is not afraid toMy God, this was magnificent. A hard SF novel – think ‘Bewilderment’ by Richard Powers, but as written by Kim Stanley Robinson – that is not afraid to go for good old-fashioned sense of wonder. That ending: numinous, ambiguous, terrifying, jaw-dropping. Full review to follow....more
Netflix gets a lot of flack for being this homogenising, corporatised streaming service that insists on a level of control extending to the types of cNetflix gets a lot of flack for being this homogenising, corporatised streaming service that insists on a level of control extending to the types of cameras and lenses used on its shows, producing what detractors call ‘the Netflix look’.
But when it does honour innovation and talent and is willing to give a project the budget it deserves, the results are spectacular. And LDR is a great example of that balls-to-the-wall commitment, a groundbreaking anthology series in the legacy of Heavy Metal that gave free reign to some of the best and most talented working in animation today.
In addition, the stories in the series are based on a veritable roll call of ‘who’s who’ in the SF genre, from JG Ballard to Harlan Ellison, John Scalzi, Neal Asher, Alastair Reynolds, Peter F. Hamilton, Ken Liu, Joe Lansdale, Paolo Bacigalupi, Michael Swanwick and Bruce Sterling.
Ramin Zahed’s book is the perfect LDR companion, giving just enough technical insight and behind-the-scenes geekery on every episode thus far. The real treat though are the gorgeous photographs, storyboards, sketches and other visual material that makes for an absolute feast for the senses. Let’s hope we get a Volume 4 of LDR!...more
I urge anyone who is interested in Samuel R. Delany, now 81, to read the incredibly moving profile by Julian Lucas in the July 10 & 17 2023 issue of ‘I urge anyone who is interested in Samuel R. Delany, now 81, to read the incredibly moving profile by Julian Lucas in the July 10 & 17 2023 issue of ‘The New Yorker’. Lucas begins his article with Delany describing what he called ‘the big drop’ of September 2023, which had all the symptoms of a mini stroke. Test results indicated a 15% decline in Delany’s capacity to form new memories – as a result of which he had to abandon his then novel-in-progress. After publishing over 40 books over several decades, Delany told Lucas it was both “a loss and a relief.”
For years, Delany has begun most days at four o’clock in the morning with a ritual. First, he spells out the name Dennis, for Dennis Rickett, his life partner. Next, he recites an atheist’s prayer, hailing faraway celestial bodies with a litany inspired by the seventeenth-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza: “Natura Naturans, system of systems, system of fields, Kuiper belt, scattered disk, Oort cloud, thank you for dropping me here.” Finally, he prepares oatmeal, which he faithfully photographs for the friends and fans who follow him on Facebook. Every so often, when the milk foams, he sees Laniakea—the galactic supercluster that’s home to Earth.
‘a, b, c: three short novels’ comprises ‘The Jewels of Aptor’ (1962), ‘The Ballad of Beta-2’ (1965), and ‘They Fly at Çiron’ (1993). It is a bit of an eclectic collection that eschews the more well-known and award-winning titles from the 1960s. Taken together, though, it is a wonderful introduction to (if you are new to Delany) and reminder (if you are already a fan) of his particular brand of speculative fiction. ‘Jewels’ was the first SF novel I read as a teenager, attracted by the rather gaudy paperback cover, and it instilled a lifelong love in me of genre-bending fiction. It was also Delany’s first published novel.
SF has changed so much in recent years, especially with the increasing chorus of voices from the Global South, it is highly likely the latest generation of younger readers has never even heard of writers like Delany, Le Guin, Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Simak, etc. (with Herbert being an exception, of course, given the latest ‘Dune’ adaptation by Denis Villeneuve.)
Not only was he a young prodigy who wrote his best SF in his 20s, Delany also penned one of the first, and one of the most influential, critical examinations of the genre in ‘The Jewel-Hinged Jaw’ (1977). While it has been overshadowed by Darko Suvin’s ‘Metamorphoses of Science Fiction’ (1979), I think Delany has emerged as the more important, and certainly durable, SF academic. ‘Occasional Views Volumes 1 and 2’ were published in quick succession in 2021.
Of course, Delany was an important member of the trio in Mark Dery’s 1994 ‘Black to the Future’ interview, in which Dery defined ‘afrofuturism’. Delany continues to be a significant contributor to the debate, as with ‘The Mirror of Afrofuturism’ (2020).
And then there are the gay / pornographic novels. I think for many readers, there has been a longtime schism between those who perhaps read his SF, those with an academic interest in the genre, and those who gravitate towards the latter gay works and essays. As Delany remarks in ‘Ash Wednesday’, the final essay in ‘Occasional Views Volume 2’: “As a writer, I’m known as a ‘sex radical, Afro-futurist, and grand master of science fiction.’”
Indeed. It is always a perilous undertaking rereading books you loved when younger. However, I have often found that age adds a patina of experience to the nostalgia. And great writing always withstands such a return and re-scrutinising in the light of one’s own life experience.
For completists, there is a new Foreword and Afterword written especially for this collection. The latter, in particular, is a sobering reflection on Delany’s 50-odd-year-long career.
Long may he continue to see the swirls of Laniakea in his morning oatmeal....more
Okay, I have just finished 400 pages and have no fucking clue what I just read. This is going to take some processing. Which I just realised is an AI Okay, I have just finished 400 pages and have no fucking clue what I just read. This is going to take some processing. Which I just realised is an AI joke.
My initial takeaway is that the hard SF elements (body-hopping, microchipped citizens, surveillance state) do not gel with the Afrofuturist elements (ancestral memory, primal feminine deities, non-binary pluralism) in a nearly coherent enough manner. Or maybe I am not leaning into its synthesis of AI and jujutech nearly hard enough?
If you're interested in the curveballs African speculative fiction continues to throw at the American dominated genre, Tsamaase is definitely a writer to watch....more
Another research reread, focusing on ‘The Necessity of Tomorrow(s)’ (racism in SF) and ‘Some Presumptuous Approaches to Science Fiction’ (theory). DelAnother research reread, focusing on ‘The Necessity of Tomorrow(s)’ (racism in SF) and ‘Some Presumptuous Approaches to Science Fiction’ (theory). Delany is as gregarious and as penetrating as ever:
These baker’s dozen disparate pieces discuss the past and the future of science fiction, those violences committed on our reading of science fiction texts by memory (and remembering) and desire (and although we have no English word re-desiring, desire itself is so closely allied to repetition that Freud could identify the two).
Matthew Cheney provides an excellent, fascinating introduction into Delany’s “new kind of criticism”, which is where “difference is what separates a science fiction text from other texts: a difference of representation and reference, a difference of reading strategies (protocols, codes), a difference of history.”
Of course, Cheney makes the useful connection to Derrida’s différance, and the (immense) fun Delany has poking at this bear of a structuralist theory. Despite its intimidating sub-title, ‘More Notes on the Language of Science Fiction’, following on from ‘The Jewel-Hinged Jaw’, this is a meandering, fun, occasionally maddening, sometimes obtuse and even irreverent, examination of a genre that remains a benchmark in SF criticism to this day....more
A nearly 30 page story with zero dialogue about a sentient starship that decides, in the interests of the galaxy, to change its mission ... Nail-bitinA nearly 30 page story with zero dialogue about a sentient starship that decides, in the interests of the galaxy, to change its mission ... Nail-biting, thought-provoking, and packed with pathos, this is Scalzi effortlessly flexing his SF muscles. And that ending ......more
'The s-f writer, whether he is writing about what he thinks could, should, or (heaven help us) might someday exist, or whether she is dallying with so'The s-f writer, whether he is writing about what he thinks could, should, or (heaven help us) might someday exist, or whether she is dallying with some future fantasia so far away all subjunctive connection with the present is severed, has become entranced with and dedicated herself to the realization of what is not. And all the “socially beneficial functions of art” are minimal before this aesthetic one: It allows the present meaning; it allows the future to exist.'...more
Ann Leckie attempting an Adrian Tchaikovsky 'humans are aliens' POV and failing disastrously in this insipid, barely comprehensible short story.Ann Leckie attempting an Adrian Tchaikovsky 'humans are aliens' POV and failing disastrously in this insipid, barely comprehensible short story....more
What a clunker. A tone deaf 'benign oppressor' allegory that undermines its own message of cross-cultural communication with a fatally botched ending.What a clunker. A tone deaf 'benign oppressor' allegory that undermines its own message of cross-cultural communication with a fatally botched ending. There's more holes in this short story than your average Swiss cheese....more
'An eternity, really, depending on how tiny you allowed time to be. A millisecond was nothing compared to an hour, and an hour was nothing compared to'An eternity, really, depending on how tiny you allowed time to be. A millisecond was nothing compared to an hour, and an hour was nothing compared to an eon. It was all relative in the void.'
Wow. This was so much better than a few of the weaker Expanse novels. Hard SF world building, multiple POV narration, and a bittersweet ending. SuperbWow. This was so much better than a few of the weaker Expanse novels. Hard SF world building, multiple POV narration, and a bittersweet ending. Superb....more
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