marimbas, kalimbas, he's playing steel drums...
Five random things make a post.
1) Publishers Weekly review of Dust:
Dust
Elizabeth Bear. Bantam Spectra, $6.99 (342p) ISBN 978-0-553-59107-1
Bear proves there's still juice in one of science fiction's oldest tropes, the stranded generation ship, in this complex coming-of-age tale. Rien, a handmaid in a feudal society, must care for the prisoner Sir Perceval, a mutilated enemy who[m] Rien discovers is her half-sister by an absent scion of the ruling family. Their quest for a safer home tangles with their society's own quest for safety, as the descendents of an artificial intelligence and the genetically engineered crew battle for control to save the ship from an impending supernova. Standard plot devices litter the familiar landscape: tarot, pseudo-angels, named swords with powers, and politics as a family quarrel. But Campbell Award-winning author Bear uses them beautifully to turn up the pressure on her characters, who respond by making hard choices. And?as she did in Carnival and Hammered?Bear breaks sexual taboos matter-of-factly: love in varied forms drives the characters without offering easy redemption. (Jan.)
2) I just repotted the spider plant. It was pushing itself out of the pot, usually a sign it's time. Now it has much more generous digs, and may not be in constant danger of tipping itsdelf over by the weight of its own leaves.
3) Later today, I'm going to do some work on the secrit projekt, and get started on the final pass through Hell & Earth. Wish me luck; I'm going in. At least I might get to write some smut, if I'm lucky.
4) First draft of a winter season playlist. My taste in holiday music is probably questionable, but really, how anybody gets through December without "The St. Stephen's Day Murders" is beyond me.
( Collapse )
Hmm. Think it needs some Hedningarna.
5) Sadly, now it's time to go wash dishes. WAH! DO NOT WANT.
1) Publishers Weekly review of Dust:
Dust
Elizabeth Bear. Bantam Spectra, $6.99 (342p) ISBN 978-0-553-59107-1
Bear proves there's still juice in one of science fiction's oldest tropes, the stranded generation ship, in this complex coming-of-age tale. Rien, a handmaid in a feudal society, must care for the prisoner Sir Perceval, a mutilated enemy who[m] Rien discovers is her half-sister by an absent scion of the ruling family. Their quest for a safer home tangles with their society's own quest for safety, as the descendents of an artificial intelligence and the genetically engineered crew battle for control to save the ship from an impending supernova. Standard plot devices litter the familiar landscape: tarot, pseudo-angels, named swords with powers, and politics as a family quarrel. But Campbell Award-winning author Bear uses them beautifully to turn up the pressure on her characters, who respond by making hard choices. And?as she did in Carnival and Hammered?Bear breaks sexual taboos matter-of-factly: love in varied forms drives the characters without offering easy redemption. (Jan.)
2) I just repotted the spider plant. It was pushing itself out of the pot, usually a sign it's time. Now it has much more generous digs, and may not be in constant danger of tipping itsdelf over by the weight of its own leaves.
3) Later today, I'm going to do some work on the secrit projekt, and get started on the final pass through Hell & Earth. Wish me luck; I'm going in. At least I might get to write some smut, if I'm lucky.
4) First draft of a winter season playlist. My taste in holiday music is probably questionable, but really, how anybody gets through December without "The St. Stephen's Day Murders" is beyond me.
( Collapse )
Hmm. Think it needs some Hedningarna.
5) Sadly, now it's time to go wash dishes. WAH! DO NOT WANT.