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Tue Dec 8
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I've been finding short-story anthologies giving me more bang for my buck than novels the past year or two. And I don't think I read any of these Eclipses; trade paperbacks are too pricey.
@phoghat: Oh duh. I added the link now. Here it is: [www.borders.com]]&searchData={productId:null,sku:null,type:0,sort:null,currPage:1,resultsPerPage:25,simpleSearch:true,navigation:0,moreValue:null,coverView:false,url:rpp%3D25%26view%3D2%26all_search%3Declipse%2Bthree%2Bstrahan%26type%3D0%26nav%3D0%26simple%3Dtrue,terms:{all_search%3Declipse+three+strahan}}&storeId=13551&sku=1597801623&ddkey=http:SearchResults
If reading short fiction is labourious, how do you ever handle a novel? But if you mean reading an *anthology* is labourious, then I totally back you up. They're the ficton world's version of channel-surfing.
@Biku: Maybe this is a rant for another post, but a lot of short fiction is just kind of uninvolving, even stuff that's good in some ways. Either it's trying too hard to do something clever, or it's just a little too bland... it's a problem I don't have with novels, at least not in the same way.
@Charlie Jane Anders: For me anthologies are like having appetizers for dinner - I love 'em. I read sf for the concepts, the new ideas, and short stories are idea showcases. I can't imagine improving on A Sound of Thunder, All You Zombies, or All the Myriad Ways with a longer form. The best of them leave you wanting more and may make you wish they were a novel, but in my experience novels that have come from short stories (e.g. Carrion Comfort, Blood Music) tend not to add much to the original effort.
@Barnabus: I love short stories. And although the limit of my fiction writing ability was taking two quarters of short story writing thirty years ago, I do believe that it is _harder_ to write a good short story than a good novel.
Hooray for the Eclipse series! I hope these yearly anthologies will win over more readers and writers to find the best that is possible in speculative fiction short stories.
Another note, all these stories are seeing print for the first time but you will be seeing some of them again in award nomination lists and Year's Best anthologies.
Already looking forward to Eclipse Four!
I just picked up Strahan's annual anthology of the year's best sci-fi and fantasy, so I'm glad to hear that I'm in good hands. These days I'm as likely to follow a good anthologist, like Gardner Dozois or David Hartwell, as I am to follow a good author.
@Franklin Harris: I spoke to Jeremy Lassen of Night Shade Books and he is definitely trying for some of that. They recently became the publishing partner of Electric Velocipede to help keep venues for speculative fiction short stories alive in print.
@Franklin Harris: That's my perception too... but on the other hand, you still need short fiction magazines to nurture new talent and provide stories for anthologies to reprint.
@Charlie Jane Anders: Magazines are definitely better at nurturing new talent, but the anthologies we see now are increasingly publishing previously unpublished stories. I suspect one reason anthologies are supplanting mags is anthologies tend to offer more known talent for the reader's buck. But it could end up self-defeating is there's no place for new talent to become known.
The first two volumes of Eclipse were truly great. What I really dig is that these are general Speculative Fiction, no themes. You ain't going to cotton to every single story, but I'll guarantee you'll find something you love that's not really "your type of story".
And kudos to Jeremy and Johnathan for getting that piece of vintage SF art by Richard Powers for the cover. Nice touch.
@MosesMonster: Eclipse 3 comes out in October, as does Last Drink Bird Head Here's a link to the first two Eclipses: [nightshadebooks.com]
...or go to Amazon.
I think Russell hit it on the head: Who cares about labels? If a writer is a good writer then it should matter if they are producing SF or romance or cookbooks - it's going to be good if they know their craft.
I personally think William Gibson's best book post-Neuromancer is Pattern Recognition, and I have a hard time seeing that as SF. But it's a good book. Stephenson's Cryptonomicon isn't SF, but it's a good book.
If the author is good, then labels really shouldn't matter. Their interests, as Griffith said, will still be a part of them and it will still color their later work. As a result I'll read just about anything she (Griffith) writes and tend to enjoy it. The same goes for Stephenson or Richard Grant (if anyone recognizes him - and I don't mean the actor) and various others.
I seriously was going to finish an article for you guys tonight. Guess what it was about? Samuel R. Delany and Mary Doria Russell and why they should come back to us.
Granted, I had no interviews, just arguments.
Point being, I wanted to write it because I wanted to read it. This is why you are my favorite.
Speaking of favorites. I have had a hard on for Delany since I was 12 and yet I understand his leaving the genre. He left us with a lot to comb through and while being obvious science fiction, there was always something more going on. I won't rant, but I suggest that we all should read (or re-read) The Einsteinian Intersection.
@bronzeorchidsac: Oh yay! I'm glad you liked the post. And I'd be interested to see your arguments about why Delany and Russell should return to the genre...
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/20/09
#calendar
11/19/09
Where to buy?
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/20/09
I would love to read an article going more in depth into the subject (*hint hint*)
#calendar
11/19/09
Another note, all these stories are seeing print for the first time but you will be seeing some of them again in award nomination lists and Year's Best anthologies.
Already looking forward to Eclipse Four!
11/19/09
11/19/09
09/03/09
08/20/09
08/20/09
08/20/09
08/20/09
08/20/09
08/20/09
And kudos to Jeremy and Johnathan for getting that piece of vintage SF art by Richard Powers for the cover. Nice touch.
08/20/09
08/20/09
...or go to Amazon.
06/10/09
I think Russell hit it on the head: Who cares about labels? If a writer is a good writer then it should matter if they are producing SF or romance or cookbooks - it's going to be good if they know their craft.
I personally think William Gibson's best book post-Neuromancer is Pattern Recognition, and I have a hard time seeing that as SF. But it's a good book. Stephenson's Cryptonomicon isn't SF, but it's a good book.
If the author is good, then labels really shouldn't matter. Their interests, as Griffith said, will still be a part of them and it will still color their later work. As a result I'll read just about anything she (Griffith) writes and tend to enjoy it. The same goes for Stephenson or Richard Grant (if anyone recognizes him - and I don't mean the actor) and various others.
06/10/09
06/10/09
I seriously was going to finish an article for you guys tonight. Guess what it was about? Samuel R. Delany and Mary Doria Russell and why they should come back to us.
Granted, I had no interviews, just arguments.
Point being, I wanted to write it because I wanted to read it. This is why you are my favorite.
Speaking of favorites. I have had a hard on for Delany since I was 12 and yet I understand his leaving the genre. He left us with a lot to comb through and while being obvious science fiction, there was always something more going on. I won't rant, but I suggest that we all should read (or re-read) The Einsteinian Intersection.
Again, I love you Charlie.
06/10/09