Rustycon 26 -- save the date

Whether you're in or near Seattle or looking for a winter getaway after the holidays, consider going to Rustycon at the Seattle Airport Marriott. It takes place January 9-11 and I'm personally looking forward to it.

Featured author this year is Jay Lake. For easy access to his body of work here's his link. He's warming up his speaking skills next at Orycon, then after Rustycon he's the toastmaster at Radcon in February. With such a roster of conventions lined up, we should all be in for a rousing time hearing Chef Lake cook up the tales.

Round up a group to go...the tickets drop 10 bucks each if you round up a gang of 10. What a clever mathematical mnemonic device, eh?

For future reference

Speculative fiction writers technically don't need references...just keen observations, a knack for understanding social and scientific implications, plus a vivid imagination. However, when comparing ideas to what's emerging as truth in the current world, references can come in handy.

This month's edition of Discover magazine speaks to a lot of hot speculative fiction subjects. Some examples: pills for immortality, artificial meat and future cities.

In comparison to fiction you may have read featuring these topics, the reality isn't likely quite as wild. But these developments are real.

For example, stem cells have cranked out artificial tissues in petri dishes. The basic technology exists now for meat production although there are a number of processes and efficiencies still in development. Once these hurdles are jumped, however, we will definitely have artificial meat -- and soon: one fictional subject will go from speculation to how it actually happened.

Another interesting concept: longevity pills. We're not talking about the kind that makes everyone a centenarian but one that could extend lives for many folks. The key this time are polyphenols -- chemical compounds like those found in red wine. Ahh, yes, the red wine theory rears its head again. This development is actually not earth-shattering, just another scientific development that a writer could use to explain why folks are around longer in a fictional future setting. "Waiter, more wine, I want to live to 120."

Finally, there's an article about future city designs. Some are real developments, others designs. I guess if you really want a glimpse of what's next, look at what they're building lately in Dubai and the sky is the limit...literally.

Thanks to our friends at Discover for stoking the flames of prognostication.

Stephenson makes Seattle proud

It's good to have a neighbor like Neal Stephenson. He doesn't live that close to me by Seattle standards...he's on Capitol Hill and I'm in Belltown. Still, it's good to know that a mind like his is a few minutes away by cab.

Stephenson just released his latest opus Anathem. Love the title...one thing about his books that routinely catch my attention.

In the linked Matthew Bey article, the book critique starts with a bothersome point like: Arbre is a transparent metaphor for America's Wal-Mart culture.

Personally, I like the confidence an author like Stephenson has to plainly point out the culture flaws of today. No need to mix it up so much that it's completely up to conjecture. So, to me, this isn't really a critique as much as a characteristic of Stephenson's style.

Bey does go on to praise the book. He reassures us readers that Stephenson has done another good job. So, as a local writer, I'm proud to be part of the Seattle brethren. Another fine job according to Bey...now to get my hands on the book.

Doctorow's Someone Comes to Town...

Lots of speculative fiction fans have heard of Cory Doctorow. How do I know this? His name has appeared in so many magazines and on so many Web sites merely by chance that it must be true...considering my penchant for reading and writing about speculative fiction

If you're a similar enthusiast, you may go searching for interesting authors via reading lists or blogs. However, may I suggest my "recurrence method." It's not a documented approach...I'm musing right now. Rather, it's the way to find new authors to read by their frequency of appearance. That's truly why I just read Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town. A book of his first published in 2006.

It's not Doctorow's first book or his most recent one. I actually selected it when intentionally searching for any book bearing his name at a bookstore. There was an autographed copy of the novel so I bought it. No critical recommendations. No word-of-mouth from a friend. Just trusted my instincts.

Not your typical speculative fiction. This isn't Huxley or Asimov style future-musing material. Doctorow has written a wild fantasy in this novel.

There is one critique in the intro pages that perfectly captures my feelings about it...can't remember exactly how it goes but the essence is this: after being a bit bothered earlier on, I was pleasantly surprised how I was pulled in and enjoyed it.

If you like books adhering to formulas or writers who play by the rules, you'll hate this book to be sure. However, I remember thinking that Stephen King was a wild man the way he wrote The Shining. Creating the different thought patterns, he stretched style rules to the limit.

Doctorow does very similar things in Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town and he does it in his own fresh way. He may not write your typical speculative fiction but he's an author I'd recommend reading.

Tasty paper in your future?

Speculative fiction can steal many pages out of the green movement. When imagining "what might be" as a context for stories, writers don't have to look much further than scientific finds on the environmental frontier. Especially for near-future fiction.

This thought is based on recommendations like this one: make your paper out of wheat. Yes, we may be able to truly save a tree by taking that surplus wheat and creating paper with it.

Although this is an interesting concept, the timing seems rather goofy. We are, after all, moving toward a paperless society.

Regardless of impact, handy references like WorldChanging.com can give some suggestive hints to the fiction scribes among us. If you're writing about the future -- or just like pondering it -- there's a plethora of handy references waiting for you in cyberspace.

Chabon and Gaiman

I recently picked up a couple of books that were on my reading list:

Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union
and
Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

Chabon deserves all the praises he received for his novel...it's an extremely good read. As I'm always a bit behind the critics, I can only add my own personal views...the sense of place was stark. Ask me to drive around this fictional Sitka and I'll be your well-versed cabbie. There wasn't laborious detail on the subject...just plenty of indicators and creative texture of place that made me feel like I knew this environment. It goes beyond Sitka in the book...hinterlands, outskirts, etc.

True confession: there is a passage that details travels in my book Darwin's Orphans that's familiar to what I'm describing. Only in my case, I rattled off the furtive travel moves of the antagonists in rapid succession. Chabon takes his time and layers on the details in proper doses. I learned much from his technique.

So, onto the next book. Before I began to read, I picked it up and scanned the cover and leading pages...praises from Michael Chabon for Neil Gaiman's novel. How serendipitous. "With Chabon's recommendation, this should be a good book," I thought. The outcome: it is a solid read. Even though Gaiman got my attention through Hollywood endeavors like Stardust.

Gaiman doesn't have personal nuances and relationship development down like Chabon does...but he tells a fun story. He creates a world of magical personas that makes you want to read more about his characters. I can see him creating a Hollywood franchise one day.

Check both of these books out if you haven't already...my reading list references remain good advisors.

Cool reference: opening lines in fiction

Whether you're a writer or not, a great opening line is always appreciated. In the case of this post the focus is on science fiction.

No matter, the lines are cool whether you like your stories to include space suits or leather chaps. A few that made an impression on me are:

• "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." — William Gibson, Neuromancer.
  
• "The five small craft passed from shadow, emerging with the suddenness of coins thrown into sunlight." — Scott Westerfield, The Risen Empire.
  
• "Today is the two-hundredth anniversary of the final extinction of my One True Love, as close as I can date it." — Saturn's Children, Charles Stross.
  

This last quote is by Charles Stross and he's gotten lots of attention already on this blog. It makes sense that his work stuck out yet again...he's a personal favorite of currently producing speculative fiction writers.

Thanks to Charlie Jane Anders and again to I09.com for another insightful fiction article. They've provided a few meaningful references over the past year for Darwins Orphans.

Serious Wall-E

Ever think about Pixar features as much more than family films imbued with morals? Although I've been impressed by most of the movies, I've never rolled them onto my "greatest films ever" roster. They've always just been the very best cartoons you could find in long form to me.

Now, bring on Wall-E. According to this article, you can now tack Wall-E onto your list of the most meaningful films ever.

Admittedly, I haven't seen the flick yet. Once I do, I'll weigh back in on this opinion. However, it seems like comparing the movie to Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey might be a push. If you've seen the film and been blown away (or not) like Reed Johnson -- the article's author -- has been, post a comment here.

It's a very curious commentary. I'm trying to figure out if it was just one big gag or if I'm truly missing a heavy cinematic experience. More to come on this...check back soon.

Life on Mars? We may know soon

The time may come sooner than you think. Life on other planets may be found in the next day or two...seriously.

Check out the scouring that's going on right now on Mars. This AP article here spells it out for you.

Most life forms are bacteria or some barely multi-cellular forms. That's the nature of the most recent biological findings on the sea-floor and other exotic places here on earth.

So, as NASA analyzes the icy polar region on Mars, they could find life...not bi-peds walking out of spaceships like on Close Encounters of the Third Kind but living organisms not likely to answer S.E.T.I.'s extra-terrestrial life call.

Ice has that one thing life seems to invariably need: water. There are speculations about methane-based life forms on Europa but we'll learn soon enough on that one. For now, where water lives life could breed.

Keep a close eye on the Phoenix mission. Life on other planets may be a reality in your lifetime soon enough...maybe even tomorrow.

Author's note: this didn't have much to do with speculative fiction...but every writer of the sort is keeping watch.

What is speculative fiction?

The people at Books Worth Reading answered this question recently. Since I continue to encounter this same question while discussing my genre of fiction, it's a good subject to occasionally revisit on this blog.

A couple of the names you read about in my blog: Vonnegut and McCarthy, also show up prominently in their list of authors in the right page gutter.

Their article sets up the big mainstream categories first but then drills down into the other powerful areas of fiction that you can't neatly categorize...and they contain great books. To add to your reading list, take a few of their suggestions to heart.

Cinema icon for spec-fic: Christian Bale

Checking out this post in the Guardian, it hit me: Christian Bale is the speculative fiction fan's actor. Whoa! you say...what about Harrison Ford in Blade Runner and Star Wars or Peter Weller in Robocop and Naked Lunch?

It's true...there is quite a list. But when it comes down to performers, you want one that becomes the character. Christian Bale is that actor. For a reference (using a Western for a different view), see 3:10 to Yuma in which Bale is the magnet that draws you into the drama... sure Crowe has his larger-than-life persona running full steam but it's Bale that creates the drama...his family concerns become real and make you care about the outcome.

The same goes for Batman Begins. Michael Keaton was cool when the cinematic versions of the caped crusader came alive. Even Jack Nicholson was an amusing distraction. But true fans know that Christian Bale has captured the real spirit of the source publications: the DC comic series. It's far darker than Adam West ever portrayed...and Bale captures the training, intensity and selflessness that is the real Batman.

Cut to today and plans for John Connor in the next Terminators. It's a smart choice to cast Bale. If there are any doubts in the casting meetings or in negotiations, drop them. He IS the clear choice for the role. Speculative fiction fans that buy the tickets will line up if he's becomes John Connor.

Desiccation in your fiction

This interesting article in Wired magazine makes a point that could well play into speculative fiction. When we think about global warming and consider how it would be part of a future setting, people typically come up with more of a Waterworld scenario. After all, don't melting glaciers imply rising sea levels and more water everywhere?

Not so according to the central theme of the Wired article. As climate change marches on, we're actually seeing less freshwater in many parts of the world...even England. Personally, I never thought of England as a drought-stricken place. Most envision it as typically rainy and floating in spare water. However, this is not the case...quite the opposite.

So, if you're considering a bit of speculative fiction where our water condition is part of your setting, think twice. You may need to have seawater rise AND decrease your levels of freshwater at the same time.

More on Halting State

In late March, I posted this entry on Charles Stross' Halting State and I wasn't sure at the time what the title meant -- I was still awaiting my copy. Now that I've read the book, I get the clever play on words. It is only one of hundreds of clever twists and turns in the Halting State ride.

Stross' books are new to me. Unlike the speculative fiction superstars on the dust cover -- William Gibson, Vernor Vinge -- I hadn't checked out Stross' work before. Now that I finished his latest opus, more of his books are now on my reading list.

Although I enjoyed Stross' latest book, I should impart a few cautions:

• If you don't enjoy techie slang, he may not be for you. There is a good amount of computer geek content in Halting State so if it's not your bag I'd avoid it
  
• Points of view shift around and tracking on the storyline can be challenging. So, if you're after a low-attention-span novel, this won't fit
  
• Stross is a Scotsman and he uses the sassy, crass vernacular for some characters. Those seeking "clean" language in their books can't recommend this to their students or groups
  

My next Stross read will be Glasshouse and I'm expecting the same fun yet intellectually challenging story from it. From all accounts, that should be the case.

Earth Day reading

Our friends at the New York Times keep us abreast of interesting books. When I saw the term Ecotopia in a recent post, my earth week eyebrows crowned.

Ernest Callenbach doesn't get much press in the article but interesting reads fitting this week's theme do. The article mainly reflects on The Maple Sugar Book from years ago. It's an interesting reflection.

Taking Jennifer Schuessler's advice, we should all seek a solid earthbound tome this week. Feel free to comment here with your favorites.

Antonio Hopson's blog and World Changing

I've got this post linked up to Antonio Hopson's blog for a good reason. He's a local guy in the Seattle area that has an enjoyable take on speculative fiction. Check out his blog...the man knows how to entertain with the written word.

I've also got World Changing mentioned here. They've also recently been added to my blogroll. Alex Steffen is sending new wake up calls every week on sustainability. Is that a big deal, you may ask? This IS earth week...which, incidentally, happens to be my birthday week. So, due to feelings of connectivity, I pay loads of attention to the latest needs mother earth may have. Alex articulates her needs quite well.

So, whether you want to plug into earth day or week...or read some creative stream-of-consciousness from Mr. Hopson, check out the latest additions to the blogroll.

How real is your fiction?

An article in Illinois State's student newspaper has some interesting quotes from physicist Michio Kaku. You may wonder how far fetched speculative fiction concepts really are at times. Kaku puts them into tidy categories for you.

The technologies he considers are lumped into:
1) within the next century
2) within the next millenia
or
3) never

To dig really deeply, you'll have to buy Kaku's book The Physics of the Impossible. For a few quick insights though, read the Daily Vidette article. One interesting assessment from Kaku is that teleportation is possible in the next century. This was indeed a surprise.

Beam me up Scotty!

An interesting chat with Chris Carlsson

Check out this San Francisco Bay Guardian post from their Pixel Vision blog. Author Chris Carlsson has a new book coming out on May 1 called Nowtopia. Continuing in Carlsson's body of alternative lifestyle lit, this newest opus should expand the way we look at the world around us.

Yet another "topia" book, I plan to check it out and report opinions here. I revisited Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach this past year, so now it's time for Nowtopia.

Check out the Pixel Vision exchange. It should trigger a drive to read the book...although all indications are that it's social commentary and not speculative fiction like his After the Deluge. If you like to stick to speculative fiction, I can't blame you...it's my book of choice as well. However, Carlsson's got me intrigued.

I spent a few years in San Francisco...the swirling vortex that is Carlsson's world. Back in the 80's I used to read The Guardian before there was an online version of anything. So, I guess history as well as interest is driving me to check it out. If you visit me again in a month or so, I'll let you know what I learn.

More on Stross

A few days ago, I had just come across a review of Charles Stross' recent book Halting State. For more details, see this post.

Surfing around today, a new review on a different Stross book showed up...not sure why: the book was published in 2006 but the write up seems like one for a fresh release. Regardless, the novel Glasshouse also has an interesting premise and seems worth reading.

Halting State should arrive soon from the friendly Amazon delivery guy. If it's a solid book maybe Glasshouse will be next. I'll keep you posted.

Go with Halting State

You may not have heard of Charles Stross or his new book Halting State. I know I hadn't heard of either until I read this review.

However, after reading the premise, I just ordered it online. It sounds like a good read for speculative fiction fans...especially those that prefer near-future fiction like me. Admittedly, my book Darwin's Orphans is in this very same genre, but Stross' book sounds intriguing.

For example, RFID tags tracking people's locations is already a possibility...just not in practice (or at least we don't think it is). Cars are getting close to driving themselves, so the unmanned taxi scenario described in the book is also a reasonable expectation for our near future.

There are a couple of influences here requiring full disclosure. First off, this book is being recommended by an Aussie. I've got family from north of Sydney and they've turned me on to some good books. Secondly, there's a passage in the review that echoes a concept that I featured in my own book:

• A 15-year-old caught kissing a 16-year-old on CCTV is forever labelled with a "pedophile caution" in the EU's police database.
  

My story Darwin's Orphans features social labeling whereby a database lists folks with violent tendencies.

It sounds like Stross had much of the same fun I did in writing his thriller. When you consider where society and technology are heading, folding it into a story can be an enjoyable exercise. I know it was for me. Hopefully, Stross had a good time as well.

After I finish reading the book, expect a bit of follow up commentary.

Early memories of Authur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke was laid to rest today. He leaves behind stark memories in the minds of many readers...at least he left them with me.

On my personal Clarke journey, it all started with Childhood's End. Long before Hollywood produced Independence Day Clarke wrote a vision of aliens taking over the earth with a visceral effect. I remember, as a kid, a gutsy teacher of mine having us read the book. It was one of the finest assignments I've ever received and it definitely piqued my interest in speculative fiction.

Although I went on to read many similar works, I think this was the first book of its kind I ever read. Needless to say, I became hooked and have since written my own speculative fiction.

Clarke assembed a fascinating mix of characteristics in his aliens. The book also had a compelling dramatic struggle that a reader seeks as well. In hindsight, I don't recall any romantic aspects in the story but Clarke was never known to write about women or love matters in an effective way. As a young lad, I'm sure I didn't really care about that at the time.

Also during my youth, I caught 2001: A Space Odyssey on television. My brother and I were avid film buffs as boys but the movie was out before our time. It was an intriguing film that had so much sub-text about society but I'm sure my first viewing was more "woah!" than meaningful commentary.

Clarke appeared on television and in interviews since I got a grip on his visionary nature. It kept me on the look out for his commentary. He truly understood science yet was able to keep humanity in context of the scientific implications. It is this mixture of capabilities that made him such a wonderful writer. It was a blessing that we had him around for so many years considering his health challenges.

To Arthur C. Clarke: Cheers!