April 4th, 2012
For the second year in a row Niall Harrison has looked at the gender balance in science fiction/fantasy reviewing, looking at both which books were reviewed and who reviewed them, for a range of sf and fantasy outlets. A month ago, Renay at Ladybusiness did the same for individual bloggers, which in turn inspired Martin Lewis to take a look at his own output, which prompted me to do the same.
As you know, last year I made an effort to read more female sf writers, both by picking a reading list at the start of the year as by in general paying more attention to female writers. As you may also know, I try and review everything I read, though I don’t always succeed; I’ve read some hundred books last year and wrote only fiftytwo reviews, not all of books finished that year. But of those fiftytwo reviews, it turns out twentyseven, or roughly fifty percent were by female authors. Slightly more than a third of those (twelve) were the books I’d put on my reading list; the rest are not just fantasy and science fiction, but also include a fair few history books.
Why is this important? Because obviously, if you agree that a rough gender balance in science fiction and fantasy is a good thing, just reading more female writers is not enough, you also need to talk more about them too. One of the perennial problems with female writers after all has been that their contributions to the genre have often been overlooked, ignored or minimised. Getting more people to review them is a first step to put this right.
Below is the complete list of reviews:
As for 2012, so far I’ve continued striking the right balance: of the twentyone reviews to date, eleven were of female writers.
Categories: books and books review, fantasy, Feminism, science fiction
April 2nd, 2012
I read a lot this month, but a huge part of that reading was pure pulp, as I read no less than seven of David Weber’s Honor Harrington novels in five days or so, pure as escapism.
The Honor of the Queen, The Short Victorious War, Field of Dishonor, Flag in Exile, Honor Among Enemies, In Enemy Hands, Echoes of Honor — David Weber
I swear, David Weber has found a way to embed crack in his Napoleonic Wars in Space series because after finishing Osama last month on my Android phone, I read all the books above in about five days or so. These are not good books, but they read so fast and Weber does always make me want to read on.
Dawkins vs Gould — Kim Sterelny
A short but interesting book about the scientific feud between the two best known evolutionary theorists of their generation.
Charlemagne — Rosamond McKitterick
A fairly recent re-evaluation of Charlemagne and the Carolingian empire, based on a re-examination of contemporary sources. Heavy going but interesting.
Keeping it Real — Justina Robson
Urban fantasy meets cyberpunk. Nicely written, entertaining fantasy novel by an author I’ve long wanted to read something of.
Genius, Isolated — Dean Mullaney & Bruce Canwell
The first of a trilogy of books dedicated to the art, life and career of one of American comics’ greatest geniuses: Alex Toth.
The Empress Theodora — James Allan Evans
A short biography/history of one of the most important empresses in Byzantine history.
At the Edge of the Solar System — Alain Doressoundiram & Emmanuel Lellouch
A lot has changed in the past ten-fifteen years in our understanding of the outer Solar System. This is an historical overview of how Pluto stopped being a planet, the other “dwarf planets” that have been discovered, as well as how the Kuiper Belt went from a theoretical construct to observed reality.
Laurels Are Poison — Gladys Mitchell
One of Sandra’s favourite novels from one of her favourite detective writers, which is why I read this.
Star Hunter — Andre Norton
Another book read on my phone, one of her classic young adult science fiction stories.
Hellflower — Eluki bes Shahar
Currently better known as Rosemary Edghill, this was her debut science fiction novel, the first in a trilogy of adventure science fiction stories that reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Moon’s similar novels, only much darker.
Categories: books and books review, posts interesting only to me
April 1st, 2012
Rule 34
Charlie Stross
358 pages
published in 2011
It’s only thanks to Christopher Priest’s tirade about this year’s Clarke Award shortlist that you remember that you haven’t reviewed Charlie Stross latest novel, Rule 34 yet. You know that, like Halting State, which it is a sequel to, it’s written in the second person and you briefly toy with the idea to write your review the same way. But then you come to your senses and decide to write the rest of the review in a less irritating way.
Not that I minded the second person point of view in Rule 34, as Charlie Stross made it work and it fit the central metaphor of these books, reality as a massive multiplayer immersive game. At the same time I can see where Christopher Priest is coming from when he writes:
Stross writes like an internet puppy: energetically, egotistically, sometimes amusingly, sometimes affectingly, but always irritatingly, and goes on being energetic and egotistical and amusing for far too long. You wait nervously for the unattractive exhaustion which will lead to a piss-soaked carpet.
Read more…
Categories: books and books review, science fiction
Tags: Charlie Stross, Christopher Priest, Rule 34
March 28th, 2012
Laurels Are Poison
Gladys Mitchell
237 pages
published in 1942
Whereas my fiction reading mostly centers around science fiction and fantasy, Sandra was always more interested in other genres, especially that of the classical cozy detective story. Her alltime favourite was probably Margery Allingham, but Gladys Mitchell was a strong second. Now while Mitchell was as prolific as any of the big name writers, averaging one novel a year, she never was as popular as an Agatha Christie or Ngaoi Marsh and her books weren’t reprinted as often, which meant they’re much harder to find than those of her more famous counterparts. Which is why Sandra had only a small number of Gladys Mitchell novels, but she read and reread them at least once a year. Of that small number, I think Laurels Are Poison was the one she reread the most, certainly the one she had read the most recent before she died. Which is why I decided to read it as well.
Laurels Are Poison stars Mrs Bradley, Mitchell’s version of the noisy old biddy detective ala Miss Marple (Christie) or Miss Silver (Patricia Wentworth). Mrs Bradley has been hired as head warden of one of the houses of a women’s training college. That’s her cover, but she’s really here to investigate the disappearance of the previous year’s warden, Miss Murchan, who was last seen at the end of term dance and never came back. As soon as she arrives at the college, it’s clear somebody doesn’t want her to start her investigation, as amongst a flood of not very funny but innocent practical jokes some not so innocent traps are set for her…
Read more…
Categories: books and books review
Tags: detective and crime, Gladys Mitchell, Laurels Are Poison
March 27th, 2012
Remember a couple of weeks ago I tried to predict the Clarke Award shortlist? Yeah, It’s not looking good:
The six shortlisted books are:
Greg Bear, Hull Zero Three (Gollancz)
Drew Magary, The End Specialist (Harper Voyager)
China Miéville, Embassytown (Macmillan)
Jane Rogers, The Testament of Jessie Lamb (Sandstone Press)
Charles Stross, Rule 34 (Orbit)
Sheri S.Tepper, The Waters Rising (Gollancz)
That’s two out of six, with only one book out of the shortlist read (Rule 34) and one more on the to be read list (Embassytown). Not a very inspiring list, what with Bear and Tepper on there, both being Big Name American science fiction authors whose best work is decades in the past at this point. Coming after the nomination of a Tim Powers book last year that was a decade old, it seems “respectable but aging American novelists” is the Clarke’s version of Connie Wilis…
Categories: books and books review, science fiction
Tags: Clarke Award
March 24th, 2012
Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth
Dean Mullaney & Bruce Canwell
324 pages
published in 2011
If you’re not a hardcore comics nerd you’ve probably never heard of Alex Toth, one of the greatest cartooning geniuses American comics have ever seen. That’s because he never really had a comics series or character that he made his own, but instead had his art scattered over hundreds of seperate assignments for dozens of publishers, often wasted on formulaic, throwaway stories. His true genius lay in his approach to the art form, the way he stripped down cartooning to its essentials, never putting down one more line than was needed. Once you see his artwork you can understand why he’s so revered by his peers, a true “artists’ artist”, but first you needed to find his artwork, which has long been difficult to find other than by hunting through back issue bins.
This has changed in the last decade or so, fortunately, as the American comics field in general has become more aware and interested in its heritage, leading to a flood of high quality reprint projects as well as art books/biographies focusing on individual artists. Toth has had some attention paid to him before, but with Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, the first of a trilogy of books devoted to Toth’s life and career there finally is a book that does true justice to Toth’s genius.
Read more…
Categories: books and books review, Comix
Tags: Alex Toth, Bruce Canwell, Dean Mullaney, Genius Isolated
