Tor.com, a new blog and community site for SF lovers

In addition to my long-time duties as a Kick-Ass Mystic Ninja, which of course outweigh any obligations to friends, family, or nation, I work as an associate editor at St. Martin’s Press, a book publisher in New York City.

St. Martin’s is a part of Macmillan, which in turn owns Tor, the biggest and baddest SF publisher around. And Tor has just launched Tor.com, a publisher-agnostic blog and community site for SF lovers, and I’ve joined the team of bloggers (which includes some really, really terrific folks who are far more interesting than me like Jim Henley, Cory Doctorow, Charlie Stross, and more).

There’s also a gallery of SF art. And did I mention it’s a paying venue for new SF short fiction?

Currently, we’re all here at San Diego Comic-Con, blogging about the various geek-gasms to be enjoyed, but when we return the SF-related posts will continue 2 fast 2 furious, and I thought it might be up your Kick-Ass-enjoying alleys.

So go check it out, and let me know what you think of the site, both content and design. It’s in beta, so your thoughts are welcome and will be very much appreciated.

Tor.com: Science Fiction. Fantasy. And related subjects.

Great Things Come to Those Who Wait

2008 is an auspicious year.

It’s the year that Matt Stover’s epic Heroes Die becomes eligible for KAMN discussion.

This is the book that rekindled my interest in fantasy by showing me that fantasy could be so much more, and yes, validating the feeling that I hadn’t been getting enough story in my stories.

I was honored to finally meet Matt at a World Fantasy Con a few years back, fortunate to consider him a friend, and smart enough to know that over drinks at a bar next to him and Scott Bakker, my smarts are so outclassed, it’s fall-down funny.

If you read this book and get hooked/floored by it as most others who have read it, don’t neglect the sequel, Blade of Tyshalle, and keep your eyes open for the upcoming Caine Black Knife, due out fall 2008.

Most people love his Star Wars books, and I am one of the folks who believe that Revenge of the Sith could have been so much better if Matt’s dialogue from the book had been used in the movie, but if actions speak, then know that Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle are books that I’ve bought and given to other people to read (there’s only 4 other books I’ve done that with). None of those people were dissatisfied.

Poltergeist: 25th Anniversary Screenings

Ha! I’m not the only one who thinks Poltergeist is a cult classic that people remember!

Fathom Events is promoting theatrical screenings of Poltergeist all across the US on October 4th, to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.kickassmysticninjas.com/media/Fathom_PG.swf" height="152" width="270" /]

The complete list of theaters having anniversary screenings includes three locations in the Phoenix area. Although I dislike seeing movies on Friday nights, I may have to make an exception, if I can round up enough geeks to make a field trip out of it…

Madeleine L’Engle

I missed this news, but Madeleine L’Engle passed away on September 6 at the age of 88.

She was the author of over 60 novels, but her most noted novels were Time Quartet, consisting of the Newberry Award-winning A Wrinkle in Time (1962), and it’s sequels A Wind in the Door (1973), A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978), and Many Waters (1986).

I have fond memories of those first three books from my younger years. I remember being happily surprised to find a brand new book, A Swiftly Tilting Planet on the store shelves after having read the first two just a few years earlier.

I remember being enchanted by what felt like a magic in the words of those books. It’s been a very very long time since I’ve re-read those first three books, and again, I’m long overdue to sit down with them again.

Wikipedia: Madeleine L’Engle
Official Website: http://www.madeleinelengle.com/
CNN: ‘Wrinkle in Time’ author dies at 88

Fred Saberhagen

Fred Saberhagen passed away on June 29 from cancer. I didn’t know until a “Cover to Cover” listener sent me an email about it. The announcement had even been posted to Slice of SciFi, and I didn’t know.

To say the least, I was stunned.

I never got hooked by his Berserker series as some other friends of mine did back in the day, but I liked the “Empire of the East” series, I enjoyed his Dracula books (I’ve only read through “A Matter of Taste”), and also many of the titles in his Swords series.

Some of the earlier Dracula novels had been hard to find over the years, including “The Dracula Tape”, and “The Holmes-Dracula File” until a few years ago. The first couple of Lost Swords books have also been harder to find than the original Swords books, something I painfully discovered when I thought about getting them again about 10 years ago.

side note: losing two boxes of books during a move can be described as a particular level of Hell. I’m still replacing books that went missing then. Yes, I know they’re easier to find online, but a part of me still loves browsing through used bookstores and seeing for myself the condition of the book I’m going to take home.

“Empire of the East” was just added to the list of Future Topics a few months ago, so maybe I’ll try to get that one scheduled sooner rather than later. FYI, “Empire of the East” is the collected version of what had originally been the separate novels “The Broken Lands”, “The Black Mountains”, and “Ardneh’s World”. A sequel, “Ardneh’s Sword”, was published in 2006, but I don’t have it and haven’t read it yet.

He will be missed.

Links:
Berserker: The Official Fred Saberhagen Site
SFWA News
BoingBoing Announcement
2004 Interview (Baen Books )

Win a Trip to the Nebula Awards in New York

ABE Books and The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have just launched a contest where they will be giving a pair of SciFi & Fantasy fans a great fun weekend at the Nebula Awards in New York on May 11-12, 2007. A pair of banquet tickets and two nights in the event hotel will go to the winner. The contest is free and open to everyone.

Battlestar Galactica’s executive producer Ronald D. Moore will be this year’s toastmaster. The Nebulas acclaim the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the two previous years. Previous winners include Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, Greg Bear, Orson Scott Card, Arthur C. Clarke and many more.

For full details of the contest rules and regulations visit the AbeBooks.com contest page.

CASFS Book Club

For those of you living in the Central Arizona area, and if you happen to be free at 7pm on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, you might want to check out the CASFS Book Discussion gathering.

The Central Arizona Speculative Fiction Society is the energetic gang that brings you CopperCon and HexaCon each year, in addition to publishing the fan newsletter ConNotations.

Once a month, at The Bent Cover bookstore on 28th Drive and Cactus Rd in Phoenix, a group gathers to discuss a book, and on February 20th at 7pm, they will be discussing Storm Front by Jim Butcher, first in the Dresden Files series. On March 20th at 7pm, they will be discussing A Secret Atlas by Michael A. Stackpole, the first in the Age of Discovery saga.

If you’ve read them, or plan on reading them, go check the group out.

Original Star Wars Trilogy on DVD

Brad of PodCulture writes:

I am sure you’ve already run across this news, but just in case I’ve included the text and link for the article. Thanks for a great show!

The original Star Wars Trilogy to be released on DVD

No, Brad, I actually had no idea this was happening. Can’t you tell from listening to the show that I don’t really know much of anything about science fiction? Summer and Joe knew all about it, I’m sure, but I rely on helpful listeners like you to keep me abreast.

That’s wonderful news, though. I’d heard that Lucas had no intention of ever doing this. It’ll be a real treat to watch Star Wars the way it was meant to be seen, with Han shooting first and no stupid T-Rex’s lumbering around in the back of every crowd scene.

New York Times Science Fiction Book Reviewer

I’m incredibly pleased to discover that the New York Times has finally deigned to form a science fiction book review column. This is long overdue: Science fiction, as we all know, is just as valid a literary form as any other. The first review (link) is of David Marusek’s Counting Heads. You may recall that I reviewed that worthy book myself on the Dragon Page (link).

This is good news, I think. Science fiction’s already conquered television and film. It’s time that the brilliant books that provide all the source material and new ideas for those mostly lousy blockbuster films finally get a little respect.

Classic Cylon Centurion in Distress

See for yourself how low the old tin cans had fallen.

Afterwards, take a moment to look around the Cylon Replica Costumes website, including a video commercial featuring the Cylons (a promo for the return of the classic series to SPACE television).

They seem to be doing just as good a job as the Original Galactica Costume and Prop Museum with our treasured memories.

TV News: Dark Skies

It seems to be a new trend for older tv shows to show up on cable networks.

Sometime last fall, one of the Showtime channels began airing “The Magnificent Seven”, the TV series starring Michael Biehn and Eric Close. Now it looks like one of the Encore networks has begun airing “Dark Skies”, the scifi-mystery series starring Eric Close and Megan Ward.

Since “Magnificent Seven” showed up on DVD back in December (first season, anyway), I wonder if this means that “Dark Skies” might soon show up as well.

TV Shows: Threshold

About Threshold, Agusti wrote in comments:

Is it just me, or does anybody else feel like it’s getting better?

I started watching it from some distance. I thought (I still think) that the first episode was heavily “inspired” by Michael Crichton’s “Sphere”. I didn’t like the music. The acting left me cold.

However, it was entertaining, so I kept watching. And without a warning I have found myself hooked. I’m starting to actually care about what happens to the characters. The things that I like about the series and that I think are quite original are:

a) The EXTREME measures that the Threshold team are forced to take (don’t want to spoil anything, I will just say Miami)
b) The feeling of “we are oh so screwed”. The feeling that Threshold is failing.

I haven’t liked a bit that time switch. Smells like cancellation.

I think the time switch makes sense… Close to Home makes a better lead-in for Numb3rs than Threshold did. Cancellation isn’t in the wind for either of the new series, and I think they wanted to move Threshold out of SciFi Friday’s way.

Problem is, it’ll be up against House. So while it likely won’t win it’s time slot, it may pull in viewers who don’t watch House, and the folks who have been watching will follow.

And you’ve pegged the evolution of the team and their need to adapt to the aliens’ ways of adapting their methods… this is from a TV news item that was featured in Slice of SciFi #31:

Threshold producer David Goyer promises some surprising evolutions for series regulars now that CBS has picked-up the show for the entire season.

A strong cliffhanger that will end this season is hinted at. Goyer revealed that at the end of this season the news of the alien incursion leaks out to the general public and the shit really hits the fan. He also let slip that Dr. Molly Cafferey’s (Carla Gugino) contingency plan is actually broken down into three stages — “Threshold,” “Foothold” and “Stranglehold.”

“Martial Law is declared in Season 2 and by Season 3, we’re kind of in a 28 Days Later land,” stated Goyer.

QUESTION: So, is Goyer claiming that CBS has already agreed to a 3-year comittment to Threshold? Hmmmmmmmmmmm!

I really like the planned progression from the “Threshold” to the “Foothold” to the “Stranglehold” contingency plans. It means they’re expecting things to get worse, and we’ll get to see it. That’s what thrilled me about Babylon 5… and that I’ll get to see something similar unfold in a contemporary setting has me intrigued.

TV Shows: Night Stalker RIP

As mentioned in the comments of the earlier Night Stalker post, ABC has officially cancelled Night Stalker, and left us with a hanging cliffhanger.

So now I’m wondering how much longer Invasion will last, and I’m also wondering if they made a hasty call and officially cancelled the wrong show first.

Anyway, now there are no ABC shows on my schedule to watch (no, I do not watch Lost, and honestly have no interest in watching it). Guess they’ll try again next year to get my attention.

100 Scariest Movie Moments

[I meant to post this earlier, during Halloween weekend, but I didn't get back to it before leaving for WFC, so here it is now]

I’d heard of the Bravo miniseries The 100 Scariest Movie Moments, but I missed it when it came out the first time around.

Luckily for me, they aired it again a couple of times during Halloween weekend, and I made myself a DVD of it, sans commercials. A 5-hr miniseries boils down to about 3:35 without commercials… sad.

Anyway, what do you think of the movies on the list? I’m amazed as all hell that Near Dark made it into the list, because I’ve always thought that movie was underrated and underappreciated.

And I am pleasantly surprised that Jaws still tops the list. And to think, I saw that movie on the big screen when I was only 10 years old. Think that might have had an influence on my liking of monster movies? And yes, the shark counts as a monster.

Update Clarification: Remember folks, this list is NOT the 100 Scariest Movies of All Time, but the 100 Scariest Movie Scenes of All Time. So, a movie that is not known as a horror movie can have a scene in it that scares the pants off of you. There were several moments in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? that, in my opinion, should have made the list but didn’t.

Great Book - Great Price

The fourth book in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Feast for Crows, is coming out this November. (Finally!)

If you like epic fantasy, and you haven’t read this series, you can remedy this character flaw by getting the first book at a reduced price. A Game of Thrones is now available for only $3.99!

If you’re unfamiliar with this series, imagine Lord of the Rings, or The Wheel of Time, written for grown-ups. If you’re tired of reading stories where you know the good guys will all live and the bad guys will get what’s coming to them, this is the series for you.

If you like Robert Jordan, you’ll love George R. R. Martin. If you hate Robert Jordan, you’ll still love George R. R. Martin.