Fantasy and Science Fiction Writer's Day - June 23rd

I've been sitting here all day trying to figure out what I was going to write about for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writer's Day. As you can probably tell by my blog header, I'm a pretty big fan of fantasy!! But that hasn't always been the case. In fact, until about 4 years ago, my reading habits were vastly different. I seem to go through phases. I know a lot of fantasy readers grew up with the Narnia books or Tolkien. But I never read them (still haven't, if you can believe that!) I was actually into mysteries....Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and later Agatha Christie. I SO wanted to be a female sleuth! But then I picked up the book Carrie by Stephen King, and my future reading path was forever changed.

Later on, I read tons of "Chick Lit" and best sellers. I even went through a classics phase. Then an online book club I was in picked the book The Little Country by Charles de Lint. This a beautiful fantasy story that dealt with music, a mysterious manuscript, and magic. And I loved it!! So much so, that I started to hunt up books with the same magical themes.

It wasn't too much later I started this blog and found out there were tons of people that liked the same kind of books as I do! Today my reading is a bit eclectic...on top of the fantasy and sci-fi, I find myself picking up Classics, Young Adult literature, literary fiction, chick lit, and even the occasional memoir. But book blogging has definitely helped my love for fantasy evolve. I have made quite a few friends here whose love for fantasy have increased my TBR list from, well an actual list, to PILES of books! Not only that, blogging has brought me some new Favorite authors. Included in this list are Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Melissa Marr....and the top notch Neil Gaiman. One of the first books I read when I started blogging was American Gods. Neil Gaiman really rocks my world. With such wonderful stories and beautiful prose, I can't help but admire and love him. In fact, my literary crush on Mr. Gaiman grows with each book I read! If I had to list my favorite fantasy reads ever, I'm sure the top 5 would all be Gaiman's!

So, what is the difference between fantasy and science fiction? I've asked myself that alot. I looked up the definitions in Wikipedia: Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three (collectively known as speculative fiction). I read all 3, although the books I tend to really love seem to fall more into the "fantasy" category. But I do read the occasional sci-fi novel. One of the best that I have read is The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. But I do realize I'm seriously lacking in reading some of the masters like Robert Heinlein, Philip Dick, and Isaac Asimov just to name a few. One of my goals in reading for the next couple of years is to remedy this situation and expand my reading to more sci-fi.

I realize this post is kind of rambling. Not really much to it. But I just wanted to bring to light on this "special" day my love for fantasy and share a little about it. Now, if you'd really like to help me out, give me some tips. What authors, fantasy or sci-fi am I missing? What authors can you not live without? What are some of your favorite books? I really don't need to add any more to my list...but I'm going to try to do just that!!

I guess I will add a list of my 10 Favorite Fantasy books (or series, as fantasy tends to run in either Trilogies or series):

• 1. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
• 2. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
• 3. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
• 4. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
• 5. The Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling
• 6. The Mercy Thompson Series - Patricia Briggs
• 7. The Dresden Files Series - Jim Butcher
• 8. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
• 9. Memory and Dream - Charles de Lint
• 10. The Dark Tower Series - Stephen King

OK, so only the top 4 were Gaiman. I stand corrected!! I think this is a list I'd like to revisit at the end of the year to see if it's changed. Then maybe again at the end of next year, and the year after that....and so on. The books may change, but the love for Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror and Speculative Fiction never will!

Beware of Borders!

I've GOT to stop going to Borders! I'm always talking about saving money, cutting corners, budgeting. THEN I walk into Borders and that all goes flying out the window! Really....I just stopped to maybe pick up the new Stephen King/Richard Bachman book, Blaze. That's all I wanted to do. THEN I see all the signs for the Summer Reading special. TONS of books were marked Buy 3, Get 1 free. It's like crack to me, I swear! Award winners, YA books, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, fantasy.....you name it, it was probably on sale. I guess I'm lucky to get out when I did! So what did I buy, you ask?

• The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho


• The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier


• The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo (come on folks...how could I not with a name like that?? Besides...it's a VAMPIRE book!)


• 13 Bullets by David Wellington (MORE Vampires!)


• Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (Temeraire Book 2)


• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card


• A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (yes Chris....because of your review!)


• Changeling by Yasmine Galenorn

If that isn't a weird group of book, what is??

Now....if you are a Sci-Fi Fan, maybe you should go visit the University of California Riverside. I found an article in the Los Angeles Times today about UC Riverside. It houses the world's largest library of science fiction, fantasy and horror books. They have first addition copies of Bram Stoker's Dracula and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. George Slusser was the first curator of the Eaton Collection (named for J. Lloyd Eaton who donated 7,500 volumes to the collection.) It has been a hard battle for Slusser. Apparently science fiction isn't taken very seriously by the literary community! Really?? Who would have thought? Slusser retired in 2005 (and they are still looking for a replacement, if you are interested in the job!) BUT Slusser might be brought out of retirement to teach for the first Doctoral program in science fiction studies in the nation! How cool is that?

Happy Friday! Later!

Classic Sci-Fi and the Basis for Alien

The Voyage of the Space Beagle by A. E. van Vogt (1950, 192 pgs) is a book that I read for a number of reasons. Paul, at Backcountry Musings, offered up a challenge of reading new-to-him Classic Sci-Fi authors. Since I'm a newbie in this genre, just about everyone fits that bill!! Secondly, it's the June selection in the Yahoo group, Classic Sci-Fi. Somehow I got asked to lead this discussion. So I decided to go on a voyage!

This book was originally 4 short stories that were put together in a "fixup" by van Vogt. The stories are all about the crew of the Space Beagle (a Darwin reference) and its intergalactic expedition. The crew is made up of military personnel and scientists that are on board to study alien life in other galaxies. Eliot Grosvenor, is the books protagonist. He is the lone Nexialist aboard the ship. Nexialism is a relatively new science. It is one that encompasses ALL the other sciences and relates them together. It is more generalized than specific, but it also adds an element of hypnotism and mind control. At first, Grosvenor isn't given much thought. He is left to himself until trouble comes aboard and his skills are called into play.

Each story, or section, in the book describes contact with an alien race. In the first story, the crew members explore what they think is a seemingly deserted planet. The stumble across Coeurl, a cat-like creature that has tentacles and an incredible hunger. He pretends to be just another dumb animal, and the crew members "capture" him and take him aboard the ship to study. But Coeurl is hungry and he has an agenda. He quickly escapes and terrorizes the ship.

They also encounter the Riim, a bird-like creature that has great hypnotic power; the Ixtl, a devil-like alien that is keen on breeding, by implanting his eggs in the stomach of the crew members; and Anabis, who is galaxy-wide and is waiting to take over planets.

While the aliens are the main part of the storyline, what appealed to me even more was the relationships of the crew members. If the creatures outside don't get you, the people inside just might! There is a political undertone that reflects the climate on the ship. The military and the scientists always seem to be at odds with each other and underlies the harmony on the ship. It seems to be a pretty accurate assessment of ventures even today that involve the same types of people. While a lot of the "scientific" stuff is really dated, I was intrigued by the politicking going on inside the walls of the Beagle. This was a short, fun read. I can see a lot of present day science fiction that was influenced by this writer. Overall, I highly enjoyed it!! 4/5

Personal Challenge - Classic Sci-Fi

My friend Paul at Backcountry Musings has presented a personal challenge that he is going to try at least 6 new classic Sci-Fi authors in the next 12 months. Paul is the main influence on my new reading habits!! I read my first ever "Science Fiction" novel in December of this past year. It was Clifford D. Simek's They Walked Like Men. I followed this up with the wonderful John Wyndham novel The Chrysalids. Lately I have found a calling in fantasy and science fiction. But since I am new to the genre almost ALL of the authors are new to me!! I guess that would make it an easy challenge to complete! So I'm going to take Paul's list and maybe add a few of my own to it. (I figure I should probably read a little Heinlein while I'm at it!)

• Lest Darkness Fall - L Sprague de Camp
• The Voyage of the Space Beagle - AE van Vogt
• A Mirror for Observers - Edgar Pangborn
• The Best of Stanley Weinbaum - Stanley Weinbaum
• Earthman's Burden - Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson
• Triplanetary - EE "Doc" Smith

The alternates that he has chosen :

• Dying Inside - Robert Silverberg
• Tales of the Dying Earth - Jack Vance
• Cities in Flight - James Blish

And the few that I would like to maybe add to my list:

• The Puppet Master's - Robert Heinlein
• This Perfect Day - Ira Levin
• I, Robot - Issac Asimov
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick

So....anyone have any burning recommendations? I'm open to the all!! Would anyone like to join us on this quest? Just let me know!

Later!

Classic Sci-Fi at it's BEST!

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham is a futuristic tale told by a boy named David. At the beginning of the book he is about 10 years old living in a small community of people years after a devastating nuclear war has laid waste to much of the planet. God's Tribulation has destroyed the unworthy. In David's community life is spent without any technology and anything that isn't deemed normal, is looked at as an abomination in the eyes of God. People that have abnormalities, called "deviations", are considered Mutants. Mutants are sterilized, so that they can not reproduce, and sent to the "Fringes", the wild land outside of the community to fend for themselves. Any crop or animal that has a deviation is destroyed. Every child that is born must be inspected and given certification. Any type of difference is not tolerated. When David's friend Sophie is found to be a Mutant because she has 6 toes, he realizes how dangerous it is to be different. And David IS different. He, along with several other children in the area, are able to communicate with each other by "thought-shapes" or telepathy. After Sophie is taken, the children understand that they must hide their abilities. Although difficult at times, this works for awhile. Until David's younger sister Petra is born. Petra has the ability to communicate with the others as well. But Petra's powers are far superior to the others, but she is so young she can't control them.

David are Rosalind try to teach Petra to hide her abilities. But Petra communicates to someone outside their area. In a place that none of the other children have heard of. A place where there are many people with the ability to communicate through thought-shapes. A place where the children would not be considered different or a Mutant. But by this time, David, Rosalind, Petra and the others are under suspicion. What happens next is an escape attempt through the Badlands and the Fringes.

This book is so far ahead of it's time. It denounces bigotry and religious fundamentalism. It shows what a world that supports intolerance would look like. And it isn't pretty. This book was great and has my highest recommendations!! 5/5