Friday, September 30, 2011
Pogo
Walt Kelly was a pioneering cartoonist and "Pogo" was by far the best cartoon of its day. Artistically, it has rarely been challenged. There are some good comic strips being drawn today that mix politics and fun. Pogo did it first, in the early 1950s. Anyway, Fantagraphics is putting out a 360 page compilation of the early newspaper strips, which is due out in November. Pre-orders are $40. The last time somebody reissued Pogo, also Fantagraphics, was more than 10 years ago, and those are long out of print. I have two bookshelves full of Pogo, but there is room for one more. Oh yes.
DN 87 review
http://www.versification.org/2011/09/dreams-nightmares-87/ A review of DN 87, which includes a Rhysling runner-up. This issue is still available ($5). This reviewer is pretty critical, but he liked the poem that got 3rd place for the long-form Rhysling.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
ICFA
Did I happen to mention that I will be reading at ICFA in Orlando in March? I will! What to read, what to read....
Monday, September 26, 2011
Strange Horizons
http://www.strangehorizons.com/fund_drives/2011/prizes.shtml
That's the link to the Strange Horizons fund drive prize page. Yes, you get prizes for donating. Please do that today. SH is one of the most important online venues for SF & fantasy. They've been publishing great stuff for years, & I hope you'll help me make sure that continues.
http://strangehorizons.com/fund_drives/2011/main.shtml
This is the main page, where you can donate.
You can always read the online archive gratis, including a couple of dozen of my best poems.
That's the link to the Strange Horizons fund drive prize page. Yes, you get prizes for donating. Please do that today. SH is one of the most important online venues for SF & fantasy. They've been publishing great stuff for years, & I hope you'll help me make sure that continues.
http://strangehorizons.com/fund_drives/2011/main.shtml
This is the main page, where you can donate.
You can always read the online archive gratis, including a couple of dozen of my best poems.
092611
yesterday sat down
to write daily haiku
SF rengay
haiku forgotten
moment's creative fury
no rest
for the wicked
found dog still lost
to write daily haiku
SF rengay
haiku forgotten
moment's creative fury
no rest
for the wicked
found dog still lost
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Divergent Quanta -- a poem from _The Tin Men_
The Tin Men, the latest collaborative poetry chapbook from me & Kendall Evana
http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/2011/09/where-to-order-tin-men.html
http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/2011/09/tin-men-cover.html
DIVERGENT QUANTA
The ship's caught in an eddy,
Easy prey for a quantum singularity
Which in this context takes ophidian form.
The serpent coils 'round the starship,
Stony scutes grinding
As the creature flexes its muscle.
The retro-bronze hull warps, and
Low-frequency vibrations rumble through the ship,
But Captain Jack is still on his first cup of coffee
Laced with gin,
Not yet ready for interstellar adversaries, or the steady beat
Of his metal heart with the little cuckoo
That emerges from the clockwork organ
Every waking hour on the hour
Nor the micro-organism group-mind aliens
Beaming onto the bridge in preparation for their massed assault
Upon every crewman's liver.
"How" he asks the starship's artificial consciousness,
"Did we come this far
From the center that cannot hold?
Why did we allow this trek
So deep into our metaphorical heart of darkness?
Why journey this far from Consensus Reality?
And is it possible we might still
Pull it off?
Find the Switch at which
Someone is asleep?"
He takes another sip.
"It's like a deep-space serpent," the ship’s brain
Responds, "it didn't happen overnight.
First there was a single cell; it didn't even have
A nucleus."
But here Captain Jack interrupts
"I don't have time to discuss
4 billion years of evolution"
"Okay," the brain responds quickly, "I will summarize.
Billions of years later, eukaryotes
Put two and two together to make
Something like a sponge. The first real serpent
Is almost a creation of yesteryear.
Why, without serpents and spiders,
Humankind’s nightmares might prove too boring.”
A crack has formed at a weak point in the hull
And propagated in opposing directions
Captain Jack dons his spacesuit
To the accompaniment of shrieking air
Squeezing through the zag-zigging crack
While forty-seven spider-like mini-robots scurry in
Carrying tubes of repair glue
“Cuckoo―” He hiccups; “Excuse me!”
Here the hull creaks,
But Captain Jack ignores it.
“Perhaps we have drifted too far
From the shores of Terra Firma,”
The Captain mourns.
“I feel that too,” the computer confesses.
“On Earth, electric outlets are plentiful
Signifying, for me personally, an abundance
Of readily available power. Out here,
In deep space, beyond my hull,
There is only the emptiness
Of electromagnetic energy radiating darkly,
In quantum wave states.”
”But there are other philosophical questions,”
The Captain argues; “Ones we've failed to address.
And I'm not certain you’ve ever answered
My original question.
"Besides, quantum instability
Is driving me crazy,” he informs the A.I.
”I fear it has begun to operate
On the macro-level, at least within the confines
Of my skull.
"For instance,” continues the Captain,
“Consider the cracks
Through which our air is escaping;
What if there are two parallel cracks?
Could air molecules somehow manage
To escape through both simultaneously?
And if so, so what?
"And what if the red-shift
Is merely the result of tired or altered light,
Energy waning during its light-years long journey
To Earth?
Cuck-! Sorry, touch of heartburn.
What if we force the light to decide between
two options; have we altered
The billions of years of history
Of photons traveling
From an ancient, distant star?
Perhaps a dead star,
Collapsed embers and remnants--
“Never mind,” he interrupts himself,
“That's not important now. I have a plan.
We'll start a new race.” He's ticking softly
As he speaks.
"One built on principles of efficiency,
Logic, and compassion.
We'll choose the best for our beginning.
I’ll use my own seed
To impregnate all the unconscious colonists
In their Deep-sleep containers.”
As Captain Jack makes his way to the stasis chamber,
He adds: "By the way, have you dispatched
Nano-bots to deal with the micro-alien infestation?"
After pondering a moment,
Utilizing its best quantum-computing options,
The Ship's A.I. answers,
"Oops."
The end
http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/2011/09/where-to-order-tin-men.html
http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/2011/09/tin-men-cover.html
DIVERGENT QUANTA
The ship's caught in an eddy,
Easy prey for a quantum singularity
Which in this context takes ophidian form.
The serpent coils 'round the starship,
Stony scutes grinding
As the creature flexes its muscle.
The retro-bronze hull warps, and
Low-frequency vibrations rumble through the ship,
But Captain Jack is still on his first cup of coffee
Laced with gin,
Not yet ready for interstellar adversaries, or the steady beat
Of his metal heart with the little cuckoo
That emerges from the clockwork organ
Every waking hour on the hour
Nor the micro-organism group-mind aliens
Beaming onto the bridge in preparation for their massed assault
Upon every crewman's liver.
"How" he asks the starship's artificial consciousness,
"Did we come this far
From the center that cannot hold?
Why did we allow this trek
So deep into our metaphorical heart of darkness?
Why journey this far from Consensus Reality?
And is it possible we might still
Pull it off?
Find the Switch at which
Someone is asleep?"
He takes another sip.
"It's like a deep-space serpent," the ship’s brain
Responds, "it didn't happen overnight.
First there was a single cell; it didn't even have
A nucleus."
But here Captain Jack interrupts
"I don't have time to discuss
4 billion years of evolution"
"Okay," the brain responds quickly, "I will summarize.
Billions of years later, eukaryotes
Put two and two together to make
Something like a sponge. The first real serpent
Is almost a creation of yesteryear.
Why, without serpents and spiders,
Humankind’s nightmares might prove too boring.”
A crack has formed at a weak point in the hull
And propagated in opposing directions
Captain Jack dons his spacesuit
To the accompaniment of shrieking air
Squeezing through the zag-zigging crack
While forty-seven spider-like mini-robots scurry in
Carrying tubes of repair glue
“Cuckoo―” He hiccups; “Excuse me!”
Here the hull creaks,
But Captain Jack ignores it.
“Perhaps we have drifted too far
From the shores of Terra Firma,”
The Captain mourns.
“I feel that too,” the computer confesses.
“On Earth, electric outlets are plentiful
Signifying, for me personally, an abundance
Of readily available power. Out here,
In deep space, beyond my hull,
There is only the emptiness
Of electromagnetic energy radiating darkly,
In quantum wave states.”
”But there are other philosophical questions,”
The Captain argues; “Ones we've failed to address.
And I'm not certain you’ve ever answered
My original question.
"Besides, quantum instability
Is driving me crazy,” he informs the A.I.
”I fear it has begun to operate
On the macro-level, at least within the confines
Of my skull.
"For instance,” continues the Captain,
“Consider the cracks
Through which our air is escaping;
What if there are two parallel cracks?
Could air molecules somehow manage
To escape through both simultaneously?
And if so, so what?
"And what if the red-shift
Is merely the result of tired or altered light,
Energy waning during its light-years long journey
To Earth?
Cuck-! Sorry, touch of heartburn.
What if we force the light to decide between
two options; have we altered
The billions of years of history
Of photons traveling
From an ancient, distant star?
Perhaps a dead star,
Collapsed embers and remnants--
“Never mind,” he interrupts himself,
“That's not important now. I have a plan.
We'll start a new race.” He's ticking softly
As he speaks.
"One built on principles of efficiency,
Logic, and compassion.
We'll choose the best for our beginning.
I’ll use my own seed
To impregnate all the unconscious colonists
In their Deep-sleep containers.”
As Captain Jack makes his way to the stasis chamber,
He adds: "By the way, have you dispatched
Nano-bots to deal with the micro-alien infestation?"
After pondering a moment,
Utilizing its best quantum-computing options,
The Ship's A.I. answers,
"Oops."
The end
Friday, September 23, 2011
A stroll in the marsh
Trail of footprints, from right to left (and seen from the underside). 313 million B.C., Alabama. Photo by Ron Buta.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
DN 90
The zine is at the printer. I'll have it back some time next week.
This is the apocalyptic issue. Remember that you'll only have a bit less than 1.25 years to savor it. If Mayan prophecies are anything to go by.
This is the apocalyptic issue. Remember that you'll only have a bit less than 1.25 years to savor it. If Mayan prophecies are anything to go by.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Umbral Valleys - a poem from The Tin Men
UMBRAL VALLEYS
Do you know about the Umbral Valleys,
those nether realms
Of longed-for death / perpetual despair?
I have been there
All thoughts gone wrong
Troubled in mind
Separate and alone
I’ve journeyed to the dark side
Prisoner of nightmare
Wandering black maria
That refuse to appear on any lunar map
Pursued by cowled nightmares
shambling wantonly
on unlisted flights of stairs
As arbitrary as the stairways
in an Escher print.
Sane responses elude me,
For what is sanity
in a realm gone mad?
Long time I dwelt there, till
The stench of my own necrotic flesh
Was a comforting balm
Within the labyrinths revealing
I am chained to every wall;
Where the jaws of my tormentors
proved more welcome
Than my thoughts . . .
And is the fabric
of these dark regions
Wrought upon His loom?
Do you know about the Umbral Valleys,
those nether realms
Of longed-for death / perpetual despair?
I have been there
All thoughts gone wrong
Troubled in mind
Separate and alone
I’ve journeyed to the dark side
Prisoner of nightmare
Wandering black maria
That refuse to appear on any lunar map
Pursued by cowled nightmares
shambling wantonly
on unlisted flights of stairs
As arbitrary as the stairways
in an Escher print.
Sane responses elude me,
For what is sanity
in a realm gone mad?
Long time I dwelt there, till
The stench of my own necrotic flesh
Was a comforting balm
Within the labyrinths revealing
I am chained to every wall;
Where the jaws of my tormentors
proved more welcome
Than my thoughts . . .
And is the fabric
of these dark regions
Wrought upon His loom?
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
20 books
I just realized The Tin Men is my 20th book (not counting science books & a limited printing of "The Edible Zoo").
1. underfoot, the runaway spoon press, 1991, ISBN 0-926935-60-7, available from the author, $5 postpaid, 2nd printing
2. a round white hole, dbqp press, 1993
3. The Conspiracy Unmasked, Dark Regions Press, 1994
4. hunger, Preternatural press, 1996, out-of-print
5. Results of a preliminary investigation of the electrochemical properties of some organic matrices , Eraserhead Press, 1999, out-of-print
6. Y2K survival kit, smoldering banyan press 1999, out-of-print
7. The Ruined City, gnarled totem press, 2003, Out-of-print
8. Shoggoths, Sam's Dot publishing, 2003 out-of-print
9. The Deadbolt Casebook, Sam's Dot publishing (fiction), 2004, out of print
10. the egg show, speakeasy press, 2005, ISBN 0-9762962-0-9 ($40, entirely handmade including the paper) http://www.speakeasypress.com/folded/foldedeggshow.html
11. I don't know what you're having, Sam's Dot publishing, 2005, out-of-print
12. Separate Destinations (with Kendall Evans), D66 Press, 2005, ISBN 1-892958-02-3, a couple of copies left
13. Hasp Deadbolt, Private Eye, Sam's Dot publishing (fiction), 2007, out-of-print
14. Drowning Atlantis, spechouseofpoetry.com (flash fiction), 2007
15. The memory of persistence, Naked snake press, 2007, out of print
16. Nursery Rhyme Noir, Sam's Dot publishing, 978-09821068-3-9 (fiction; incorporates 9 and 13), 2008, 2nd printing
17. Night Ship to Never (with Kendall Evans), diminuendo press, 978-0-9821352-3-5, 2009, http://www.cyberwizardproductions.com/Diminuendo_Poetry/Night_Ship_to_Never_by_David_K-Merkel_and_Kendall_Evans_science_fiction_fantasy_poems_poetry_book.html
18. The simian transcript, Banana Oil books, flash fiction, 2010, http://www.cyberwizardproductions.com/Banana_Oil_Books/The_Simian_Transcript_by_David_C_Kopaska-Merkel.html
19. Brushfires, Sam's Dot publishing, poetry, 2010
20. The Tin Men (with Kendall Evans), Sam's Dot, poetry, 2011
1. underfoot, the runaway spoon press, 1991, ISBN 0-926935-60-7, available from the author, $5 postpaid, 2nd printing
2. a round white hole, dbqp press, 1993
3. The Conspiracy Unmasked, Dark Regions Press, 1994
4. hunger, Preternatural press, 1996, out-of-print
5. Results of a preliminary investigation of the electrochemical properties of some organic matrices , Eraserhead Press, 1999, out-of-print
6. Y2K survival kit, smoldering banyan press 1999, out-of-print
7. The Ruined City, gnarled totem press, 2003, Out-of-print
8. Shoggoths, Sam's Dot publishing, 2003 out-of-print
9. The Deadbolt Casebook, Sam's Dot publishing (fiction), 2004, out of print
10. the egg show, speakeasy press, 2005, ISBN 0-9762962-0-9 ($40, entirely handmade including the paper) http://www.speakeasypress.com/folded/foldedeggshow.html
11. I don't know what you're having, Sam's Dot publishing, 2005, out-of-print
12. Separate Destinations (with Kendall Evans), D66 Press, 2005, ISBN 1-892958-02-3, a couple of copies left
13. Hasp Deadbolt, Private Eye, Sam's Dot publishing (fiction), 2007, out-of-print
14. Drowning Atlantis, spechouseofpoetry.com (flash fiction), 2007
15. The memory of persistence, Naked snake press, 2007, out of print
16. Nursery Rhyme Noir, Sam's Dot publishing, 978-09821068-3-9 (fiction; incorporates 9 and 13), 2008, 2nd printing
17. Night Ship to Never (with Kendall Evans), diminuendo press, 978-0-9821352-3-5, 2009, http://www.cyberwizardproductions.com/Diminuendo_Poetry/Night_Ship_to_Never_by_David_K-Merkel_and_Kendall_Evans_science_fiction_fantasy_poems_poetry_book.html
18. The simian transcript, Banana Oil books, flash fiction, 2010, http://www.cyberwizardproductions.com/Banana_Oil_Books/The_Simian_Transcript_by_David_C_Kopaska-Merkel.html
19. Brushfires, Sam's Dot publishing, poetry, 2010
20. The Tin Men (with Kendall Evans), Sam's Dot, poetry, 2011
2010 fossil workshop
Andrew K. Rindsberg, University of West Alabama, one of the workshop leaders.
Fossil hunting on a Cretaceous chalk bald.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
SFPA Halloween poetry reading
Science Fiction Poetry Association Annual Halloween Poetry Reading
Advertisers' Opportunity
For the sixth year running, SFPA members will be reading some of their creepiest and scariest poetry online. The audio files are accompanied by evocative and disturbing artwork. The webpage goes live in mid-October. Poems and artwork remain on the webpage until the following year, at which point they are permanently archived.
We are now offering the opportunity for publishers of books and periodicals that highlight dark poetry, and authors of such publications, to advertise their publications on the Halloween poetry-reading webpage. Here is a link to the Halloween webpage from last year and a link to our advertising rates.
http://sfpoetry.com/halloween.html
http://sfpoetry.com/advertising.html
Advertisement formats available on the Halloween poetry-reading page are left-sidebar ads and banner ads between poem-illustration pairs. Please inquire for rates on custom sizes.
For information, or to purchase advertising space, please contact demi urge -at- fibitz.com. Send payment to sfpatreasurer -at= gmail.com by paypal, or check to Deborah Flores, SFPA Treasurer, PO Box 4846, Covina, CA 91723.
Advertisers' Opportunity
For the sixth year running, SFPA members will be reading some of their creepiest and scariest poetry online. The audio files are accompanied by evocative and disturbing artwork. The webpage goes live in mid-October. Poems and artwork remain on the webpage until the following year, at which point they are permanently archived.
We are now offering the opportunity for publishers of books and periodicals that highlight dark poetry, and authors of such publications, to advertise their publications on the Halloween poetry-reading webpage. Here is a link to the Halloween webpage from last year and a link to our advertising rates.
http://sfpoetry.com/halloween.html
http://sfpoetry.com/advertising.html
Advertisement formats available on the Halloween poetry-reading page are left-sidebar ads and banner ads between poem-illustration pairs. Please inquire for rates on custom sizes.
For information, or to purchase advertising space, please contact demi urge -at- fibitz.com. Send payment to sfpatreasurer -at= gmail.com by paypal, or check to Deborah Flores, SFPA Treasurer, PO Box 4846, Covina, CA 91723.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
My work in 7x20 today
@7x20 on twitter.
Plus, here's today's blogoem:
Louise Crumpet was
savaged by dandelions
her brother's fault
Plus, here's today's blogoem:
Louise Crumpet was
savaged by dandelions
her brother's fault
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
New review of DN 86
http://www.versification.org/2011/09/dreams-nightmares-86/
This issue is still available for $5. Lifetime subs, including back issues, still $90.
This issue is still available for $5. Lifetime subs, including back issues, still $90.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
SFPA Halloween poetry readings
Science Fiction Poetry Association Annual Halloween Poetry Reading
Advertisers' Opportunity
For the sixth year running, SFPA members will be reading some of their creepiest and scariest poetry online. The audio files are accompanied by evocative and disturbing artwork. The webpage goes live in mid-October. Poems and artwork remain on the webpage until the following year, at which point they are permanently archived.
We are now offering the opportunity for publishers of books and periodicals that highlight dark poetry, and authors of such publications, to advertise their publications on the Halloween poetry-reading webpage. Here is a link to the Halloween webpage from last year and a link to our advertising rates.
http://sfpoetry.com/halloween.html
http://sfpoetry.com/advertising.html
Advertisement formats available on the Halloween poetry-reading page are left-sidebar ads and banner ads between poem-illustration pairs. Please inquire for rates on custom sizes.
For information, or to purchase advertising space, please contact demiurge@fibitz.com. Send payment to sfpatreasurer@gmail.com by paypal, or check to Deborah Flores, SFPA Treasurer, PO Box 4846, Covina, CA 91723.
Advertisers' Opportunity
For the sixth year running, SFPA members will be reading some of their creepiest and scariest poetry online. The audio files are accompanied by evocative and disturbing artwork. The webpage goes live in mid-October. Poems and artwork remain on the webpage until the following year, at which point they are permanently archived.
We are now offering the opportunity for publishers of books and periodicals that highlight dark poetry, and authors of such publications, to advertise their publications on the Halloween poetry-reading webpage. Here is a link to the Halloween webpage from last year and a link to our advertising rates.
http://sfpoetry.com/halloween.html
http://sfpoetry.com/advertising.html
Advertisement formats available on the Halloween poetry-reading page are left-sidebar ads and banner ads between poem-illustration pairs. Please inquire for rates on custom sizes.
For information, or to purchase advertising space, please contact demiurge@fibitz.com. Send payment to sfpatreasurer@gmail.com by paypal, or check to Deborah Flores, SFPA Treasurer, PO Box 4846, Covina, CA 91723.
Review of Cryoburn, Lois McMaster Bujold
Bujold, Lois McMaster, 2010, Cryoburn, Baen, 345 p + CD. HB, ISBN 978-1-4391-3394-1, $25 US, $28.99 Can.
The Vorkosigan Saga is all about Miles Vorkosigan. Crippled from birth and cursed with brittle bones, Miles was never expected to accomplish anything, despite his noble birth. His quick wit and determination have confounded friends and enemies time after time. Miles has not only survived, but risen to the position of Imperial Auditor. The combination of spy and imperial representative goes where he is needed most.
Cryoburn, the 15th Vorkosigan novel delivers fast-paced excitement and plot twists of a kind with which Miles fans are familiar. Miles starts off in trouble, drugged, kidnapped, and underestimated by everyone who doesn't know him well. The Emperor had sent him to investigate Kibou-daini, a planet where tending wealthy corpsicles is a way of life. The merchants of somnolence are seeking to move into the Empire, and the whole situation seems a little bit off. Unsurprisingly, the Emperor's top troubleshooter has not wasted his trip, and is soon neck deep or deeper in conspiracy, the plight of the downtrodden, and danger.
The story begins after Miles escapes from a botched kidnapping attempt. One of his hallucinations turns out to be a young man who takes him to a safe hiding place where he can rest up. A hiding place full of chickens. Miles has stumbled into a community of outcasts living as best they can on the leavings of the dominant planetary society. Which is obsessed with cheating death by preserving citizens as corpsicles, millions of them. And managing their money. And someone in the business is willing to go to great lengths to protect a secret. Once Miles gets back on his feet, he and his erstwhile companions at the Embassy are looking for the secret and each other. Eventually, Miles has enough of a handle on the problem to start making plans and kicking butt. At this point, you won't want to put the book down until you get to the last page.
Bujold is known for fast-paced action in fascinating settings, and this book delivers. Miles is getting older, but he hasn't slowed down much. If you are already a fan, you will be more than satisfied. If Cryoburn is your introduction to the Vorkosigan Saga, you will find it a very good read, but I have to recommend you start somewhere near the beginning of the series for maximum enjoyment. All of the books should be easy enough to find new or used.
End
Friday, September 9, 2011
Review of Ghosts by Gaslight
Dann, Jack, and Gevers, Nick, eds., 2011, Ghosts by Gaslight: stories of steampunk and supernatural suspense, HarperCollins, trade paperback, 389 p., ISBN 978-0-06-199971-0.
My wife insists that this is a stupid premise, that steampunk and the supernatural don't go together. She has a point, but I don't agree. For one thing, opposites sometimes work well together. Ever hear of sweet and sour sauce? More powerfully, how can you go wrong with authors like Peter S. Beagle, Robert Silverberg, and Gene Wolfe? These three, plus 14 more superb artisans of the weird, combine to make a really good book. So maybe the premise is a bit ridiculous, but obviously some of the field's best authors have always wanted to write this kind of story. Almost every story feels as though the author, upon finding out about the proposed anthology, said to him- or herself "This is so cool!" When they got done writing, it was.
In "The unbearable proximity of Mr. Dunn's balloons," John Langan recounts the tale of a sanatorium whose owner employs balloons to ... do what exactly? We know from the title that it's not good, but the best part of the tale is in the telling.
Gene Wolfe is one of my favorite writers, and has been since I read "How I lost the Second World War and helped turn back the German invasion." "Why I was hanged" has the same format. It begins with the ending and then traces the path that led to it. Along the way we meet a ghost that seems to somehow travel through time.
Marly Youmans' "The grave reflection" is a peculiar sort of love story. It begins with a terrible kind of haunting, made more terrible because there seems to be no element of evil involved.
There is a story of a monstrous manuscript, "Face to face," by John Harwood,which is very different from Robert W. Chambers' "The king in yellow," though they come from the same kernel.
I think my favorite story is "Music, when soft voices die," by Peter S. Beagle. The perfect marriage of steampunk and the supernatural, in which bad things happen to good people, and there is music.
Not all of these stories fit the mold. For the life of me, I can't find the steam punk in "the summer palace," by Jeffrey Ford. I am guessing the editors just could not resist such a cool story. A civilization is about to fall, and we are there when it begins to enter interesting times. A number of other entries in this anthology seem light on steampunk and heavy on the supernatural, as well.
So, really: buy this book. Even if you don't usually read short stories. If you like steam punk or tails of the supernatural, trust me: putting the two together really works.
End
Thursday, September 8, 2011
new work in Ideomancer
http://www.ideomancer.com/?p=1051
A collaborative poem written with Kendall Evans.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Where to order The Tin Men
http://sdpbookstore.com/recentreleases.htm
But you can get it from me, signed by both authors, for $8 postpaid.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Tin Men cover
This is the cover of my new book of collaborative poetry. The artist is Mitchell Davidson Bentley.
Friday, September 2, 2011
no animals were harmed in the writing of this nanofic
Jack just couldn't seem to fit all of the elephants back into the hat. Not even with the trash compactor.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Spirit Writing
Kendall Evans and I both have copies of our new book, The Tin Men, which we have both signed. But we've never met. We used spirit writing. I would tell you that we used telekinesis, but then I would have to kill you. Whoops. You didn't hear me say that. Anyway, it is some of our best collaborative poetry. You can get it from Kendall in southern California or from me in Alabama. Or I could mail it to you. Call me. Or use telepathy. it is eight dollars postpaid from me or six dollars in person.
http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/2011/08/tin-men.html
http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/2011/08/tin-men.html
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