Tag Archives: Aliette de Bodard

Links and stuff, including Lincecum video and Moog Bass pedals

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Let’s start with the video that makes me like Tim Lincecum even more:

That gem comes courtesy the me via the good folks at Big League Stew.

Next is a beautiful Flickr gallery of the current incarnation of a Moog Taurus bass pedal.  When used correctly, this instrument can take the paint off the walls, remove fillings and rearrange internal organs:

moog-taurus-III-synth-porn-hd

Click here for the droolworthy gallery.  Via Sythtopia.

Steve Hackett will be playing NearFest next June.  Other acts include Iona, The Enid, Three Friends (what is that, a Gentle Giant cover band), Astra and Pineapple Thief.  Since I don’t know anything about the other acts, I have a lot of homework to do.  Nearfest takes place in Bethlehem, PA.  (Via Bill’s Prog Blog)

Zombi is coming to Johnny Brenda’s on December 19.  Should be a pretty good prog show.  So far, I like what I’ve heard from this Pittsburgh duo.  Tickets are ten dollars and it is the best place to see music of any type in Philadelphia.  Here’s a taste of Zombi:

via the @progscape twitter feed.

And a few fiction notes:

  1. Aliette de Boddard has some new fiction available for your reading pleasure.  ‘After The Fire’ is another intense SF short story that you can read here or listen to as part of a podcast here.  Both are highly recommended.
  2. There is a feisty conversation about my favorite book of the year, Jay Lake’s Green over at Torque Control.  You have excerpts of some reviews, but the real drama unfolds in the comments.  My thoughts are interposed and largely ignored by the literati sharing criticism.  The link came via the author’s twitter feed.

Hope everyone has had a nice weekend.  It’s a beautiful Sunday here in Philadelphia, so we’re off to do some outdoor chores.  Peace, live and music to you all!

It’s a READING frenzy!!

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After having (finally) finished Jay Lake‘s stunning new book, ‘Green‘, I’m all charged up to do some serious reading.  Em is out of town for the next two nights, so it will just be me and the four-letters.  Right away, there a ton of decent-looking selections close at hand.

Firstly, I have to give a special shout to John Scalzi’s ‘Big Idea‘ project. On his ancient blog ‘Whatever‘ he’s been highlighting a veritable cornocopia of tasty sci-fi, fantasy and more. I would never have heard of ‘Green’ or ‘W.W.W Wake‘ if it hadn’t been for Scalzi. And, as of today he’s now featuring ‘The Big Idea’ on his Twitter feed, so check it out.

The next novel I’m reading comes right off that list and tells the story of a Louisiana detective who uses demons to help her solve crimes. I’m not completely sold on the premise of the appropriately titled ‘Mark of the Demon‘, but it’s a good choice for Halloween and the reviews are very positive so far.  Plus, Scalzi hasn’t really steered me wrong yet.

In a piece of conceptual continuity, a great mystery writer whom I enjoy is taking up a great all-time graphic novel character. Ian Rankin of Rebus fame has written a nice fat graphic novel in the John Constantine series for Vertigo called ‘Dark Entries‘. As if that weren’t enough to get me on board (it is), the story puts Constantine, paranormal investigator, in the midst of a reality TV show – Brilliant!

In addition to those items, I’ve picked up ‘Sandman Slim’ by Richard Kadrey for after ‘Mark of the Demon’.  I think this is an urban fantasy about revenge from beyond the grave.  Again, it seems to fit in nicely with the theme I’ve got going.

In the realm of shorter works, the incredible Aliette de Boddard has just published a short story over at Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show.  This site takes the traditional sci-fi fiction journal and puts it online.  I paid about $2.50 for the September issue and I get de Boddard’s On Horizon’s Shores, which is the featured work, and a number of other tasty looking goodies.  It’s actually a novelette (as opposed to short story) and after just reading the first few paragraphs, I know it’s going to be great.

The other shorter work I’m excited to look at is a crazy-looking new wave script from 1980 that was linked on io9 today.  The Tourist would probably have made a great movie if it hadn’t been for infighting and development hell.  In present day (well, 1980, anyway) Manhattan, there are aliens living among us, in disguise.  In real life they look like amazingly icky H.R. Giger creatures, because he was brought in (following the groundbreaking success of Alien) to do the concept art.  There’s a link that lets you download the script and I’m hoping for something partway between Cronenberg and The Hunger.