books
Brisbane geek shopping
I’m in Brisbane for a day for work and thought I’d take a break this afternoon and check out a couple of geek-related shops: Ace Comics & Games and Pulp Fiction. This is the first of my travel related shop reviews – I’ll do them as I go to visit places but please note that they’re just impressions from (usually) a single visit. › Continue reading
Defending George
It’s a bit odd but, in the last week, three extensive defences of why George R. R. Martin hasn’t finished A Dance of Dragons yet: one (in two parts) from The Wertzone, one from Suvudu and one from A Dribble of Ink (although this is more a commentary on the Suvudu one).
This is one of these odd things that never would have happened before the internet. Before the net, we never would have known anything about why he hadn’t finished it. But now we know about his football watching, travel plans, work on other books and we have forums dedicated to people moaning.
As for me? I don’t care. Yes, it’s kind of stupid that he is taking so long and yes, it does put off some people. But I still enjoyed the first books in the series and have no regrets that I read them. And Martin doesn’t ‘owe’ me the end of the series anymore than Fox owed me the end of Firefly. I’d prefer to have a conclusion but there is no implicit contract between author and reader that someone will finish a series to my satisfaction. But I’m certainly not going to spend my time defending Martin from critics either – he made his bed.
Some nice links
Chris Pramas announces that the A Song of Ice & Fire RPG has finally been given approval by George R. R. Martin.
According to Kotaku, the Chicago Tribune has asked if GTAIV contains the century’s best writing. Clearly the answer is no – I can think of 30 or so things that are better written from the last 8 years, including some other video games. But interesting the question is being asked.
It’s either fun culture jamming or annoying viral marketing, but they have some funny road signs in Austin.
And continuing on from the other day’s theme, the Guardian has some commentary on the unrepresentativeness of a lot of SFF. This was sparked by a post by Elizabeth Bear on how to produce more representative genre writing. All good stuff and thanks to Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist for the heads up.
The best 124 Science Fiction & Fantasy books EVA! From the Guardian
Apparently this is a new blog ‘meme’ that I read about on OF Blog of the Fallen. Below is the 124 science fiction and fantasy books that the Guardian chose for their Best 1000 Novels feature. It’s an odd list, and most of the books on there I have read, I wouldn’t really consider science fiction or fantasy, but there you go.
The idea is that you should go through the list and bold everyone you’re read. I’ve taken a hit from This Book and I Could Be Friends and italicised the ones I really want to read.
Race, genre fiction and roleplaying
Larry, at OF Blog of the Fallen, has written a really interesting post entitled ‘Whitewashing Diversity‘. It’s all about the lack of diversity in science fiction and fantasy writing and about the way that this is never interrogated, let alone noticed.
Too often in the SF that I have read (perhaps a couple hundred of books over the years, so it is very possible that I might not have read the right sorts of SF), way too often are the issues surrounding diversity/Otherness presented from the dominant culture’s point of view. While many SF authors over the years have taken great pains to avoid the “White Man’s Burden” point of view dominating their stories of First Contact, all too often the notion of “discovery” that creeps into these tales is that these Others (perhaps analogues for Africans, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, etc. in US society today?) is that these “discovered” peoples (aliens) are ciphers, are often dangerous or at least potentially threatening, and that too often there isn’t a concerted effort even to “understand” these alien groups.
Geek Resolutions for 2009
Most of us make new year resolutions of one sort or another, and most of them don’t last through January. I suspect that’s because most resolutions are thinks we don’t want to do, but think we should – exercise more often, diet, drink less, stop sleeping around, yadda yadda yadda (for the record, mine is a perfect example – quit drinking coke).
But I thought it would be nice to have some new year resolutions that I actually do want to achieve so here they are:
RPGs
1. Play in a regular campaign, work allowing. This should happen as I’m supposed to play in my friend Dan’s ‘Mythic Japan’ game, using the World of Darkness rules.
2. Run/Play at least one of the following games that are on my shelf but have never been opened in anger:
- D&D Rules Cyclopedia
- GURPS 4e (preferably using the complete collection of Transhuman Space books I have)
- Dark Heresy – the Warhammer 40k RPG.
- Angel – I had a great idea for a game set in Hong Kong in the lead up to the handover. Hong Kong is a city I know fairly well, having lived there as a kid and having visited at least once a year for the last three years as well, but no one I’m likely to play with really knows it at all.
3. Work on the campaign world I’ve got kicking around in my head – a grim, dark fantasy world with lots of malevolent faeries.
Video Games -
1. Finish at least three of the following:
- Grand Theft Auto 4 – I’m on the last bloody mission and can’t manage to finish it. Bah!
- Rainbow 6: Vegas – similarly, I’ve got one level to go. I refuse to buy the next one until I’ve finished this.
- Call of Duty 4 – I’m roughly half way through, and being annoyed by a sneaky level.
- Bioshock & Mass Effect - barely started these, but I was enjoying them both and with the sequels due either this year or next, I’d better get onto them!
- Fable II – again, barely started, but it’s a loaner so better get on with it!
As there’s nothing I’m actually looking forward to coming out on the 360 any time soon, I hope this resolution isn’t too hard.
2. Play online more – I have a Xbox Live Gold account which I’ve used next to never (OliveTheMage is anyone is looking to play). Currently it’s a waste of $100 a year so I’d like to either use it or drop it entirely.
Books
1. Read a bit more!
2. Read more of the Fantasy/Sci-fi classics that Gollancz publish. I’ve been working my way through some good stuff in 2008 – finally read Elric and some Gene Wolfe for example – but I’d like to make a concerted effort to read some of the origins of these genres.
3. Review. One thing I’ve like to do on here is review some of these books. These won’t be major reviews, but hopefully they’d be a good way of organising some thoughts on the books I read and perhaps even generate soem discussion.
Board Games
Once my friend Duncan gets back to Melbourne, I’d like to do at least one serious, all day, board gaming session. Perhaps a return to Axis and Allies?
So there you have it. Check back in 12 months and I’ll go through what I achieved!