Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 3,174 entries, all of them here in full.
August 20, 2009 · 949 words
Reviews Too Late: Jodhaa Akbar
Jodhaa Akbar (2008) is an epic Bollywood film dealing with the relationship between the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great (former child star Hrithik Roshan) and his wife Jodhaa Bai (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, known to her fans as The Most Beautiful Woman in the World). What we have here is a chick flick, albeit one with [&he
Read entry →August 17, 2009 · 499 words
Revisiting the Classics: The Invisible Man
I hadn’t ever read The Invisible Man, so I thought I’d give the audio book a try. I had two initial impressions: (1) American audio book readers really shouldn’t try to read an entire book in a British accent (the reverse also being true, I’m sure), and (2) I hadn’t expected all the slapstick.The Invisible […]
Read entry →August 15, 2009 · 62 words
The Chart of Fantasy Art
Well, the most commonly seen element appearing on fantasy books published last year was, it seems, the sword. Closely followed by glowy magic, castles, and dragons. I suspect a few covers contained all these elements. Meanwhile, fans of unicorns, maps, and stilettos had a disappointing year, and perhaps were lost to ot
Read entry →August 14, 2009 · 84 words
Serious: the New Black?
One of the things I sensed about Worldcon was a longing on the part of the fans for seriousness.The program items featuring Paul Krugman were packed. Panels on political subjects were well-attended. A panel on the Drake Equation did well. Panels on social media were full— but then you’d expect that, with everyone
Read entry →August 14, 2009 · 124 words
Return of the Swedish Sea-Vikings!
The freighter Arctic Sea is missing, after allegedly having been boarded by a mysterious group of armed Swedes. The Russian Navy has been called in, and is looking for the ship with submarines. (I’d try a pair of binoculars first.) This article sums up many of the current conspiracy theories, though they seem to have [
Read entry →August 14, 2009 · 359 words
Nine Votes
The stats released from the Hugo voting at Worldcon have shown that Implied Spaces came just nine votes short of getting a Hugo nomination. Of course that also means that Implied Spaces came but nine votes short of being turned into an asphalt angel by Neil Gaiman’s Invincible Award-Winning Steamroller— but then
Read entry →August 13, 2009 · 392 words
First New Rule from Worldcon
So here’s my first new rule from the Worldcon: No more Utilikilts. This is strikingly similar to my first observation from last year’s Worldcon, but it’s obvious that people weren’t listening last year. Please note that I am not opposed to Scottish dress. When a Scot puts on a kilt he is stylin’. Just check […]
Read entry →August 5, 2009 · 148 words
High Class
I’m off to Worldcon in Montreal for the next week, so I thought I’d leave you with something to chew on.I was talking with genius New Mexico writer Daniel Abraham the other day, and once again he demonstrated why we all think he’s going to rule the world before he’s fifty. (And if not him, […]
Read entry →August 4, 2009 · 58 words
Sold Out!
The Subterranean Press edition of Songs of the Dying Earth has sold out! They won’t be printing any more. But look what Uncle Walter has found for you! A handful of copies remain in an obscure, hard-to-find online venue. If you don’t buy a copy now, you’ll have to wait a year or more for […]
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