Showing posts with label 2017. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2017. Show all posts
Sunday, February 23, 2020
A Quilt For Emery
I'm working at getting my quilt entries caught up. This beauty was for our grandniece, Emery. She's a few years older now and cute as a button.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Review: Death's End
Death's End by Liu CixinMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is a 2-star review for a book that I did not finish.
The one character that I cared about early on dies early on. What is left is a female character that does as she is told and a male character that is the epitome of a cardboard cut-out, mustache-twirling villain.
The plot early on involves a plan to send a very small spaceship towards an attacking force. To be of any use, the ship must be light with a light payload. They use a solar sail and a series of precisely time nuclear bursts as propulsion.
Not only is this a version of propulsion first envisioned by Vernor Vinge roughly over 30 years ago, it ends up failing.
Which is where I closed the book and went on to something better.
View all my reviews
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Hugo 2017 Graphic Novels
Unfortunately, I was unable to read all of the graphic story nominees before voting closed this year.
I had previously read Monstress and was very taken by it. I feel that in terms of art and storytelling, Monstress is a first rate piece of work that is worthy of the award.
So I voted for Monstress and didn't vote for anything else. There were one or two other categories where I was familiar with one of the works but didn't think I could in good conscience only vote for it when I had not read/heard/seen the other nominees. Monstress is definitely first class material.
Had I voted in time, this is how my ballot would have looked.
1. Monstress - Volume One (The only vote actually cast)
Great art. Great storytelling. A unique perspective that is heavily influenced by Japanese anime. (Is that a redundant phrase?) One aspect of the story that I like is that women hold the positions of power in this fictional world. The author doesn't explain it. She doesn't lace the dialog with arsenic laden commentary suggesting many and varied deficiencies in men. The women here have power. Deal with it.
Hurrah! Finally, an author that can get off of their gender studies soap box and just create something entertaining while remaining true to their perspective.
Straightforward story telling coupled with great art and inventive world building make this series a clear winner.
2. The Vision - Volume One
The Vision series explores the attempt by The Vision and his family to live a prototypical American lifestyle. Being a family of synthetic humans, they suffer from all of the usual tropes about clan/tribe behavior that is adjacent to outright racism.
At the same time, as they open themselves up to human behavior patterns, they become susceptible to human foibles. They grow protective of their family. They develop attachments with humans that attempt to have a normal relationship with them. This is the dark side of a machine that becomes more human every day.
3. Paper Girls - Volume One
Paper Girls tells the tale of a small group of girls that deliver newspapers. It is set in the 1980s and suggests that girls delivering the newspaper was some sort of major step for women.
We had paper girls in the 1970s. There were not a lot of them, but they were there.
In this case, it is suggested pretty heavily that they had to work together to keep from being assaulted, kidnapped, and subject to all manner of abuse while delivering newspapers in suburbia. Back in the day, kids delivering newspapers in suburbia were given extra protection. People looked out for those kids. So on this issue, the plot is a little bit off.
Their world goes all wonky. Almost everyone disappears. Other entities/people start appearing to snatch up those that remain. There are two different groups of people that are apparently traveling through time to do whatever it is they are doing. The story gives you enough clues to keep the reader interested. The artwork is pretty good and the storytelling is great. It invites all sorts of readers to engage in the plot regardless of who the reader happens to be. I'm glad that I encountered this series.
4. Saga - Volume Six
OK. I changed my mind. Saga can thank Paper Girls for my moving it from just below No Award to just above it. I thought about it for a few days and I was really more engaged in the story plot than my initial reaction suggested.
The story revolves around a series of otherwise pedestrian plot lines that focus on race and gender identity issues. The artwork has improved since I encountered Volume 3 two years ago as another Hugo finalist. That volume was a hot mess of marginal art and a messy story. This was a definite improvement over that volume.
While this is a good nominee, it is not, IMHO, a great nominee. If it weren't for all of the allegories to human race and sexuality issues, this would be a middling series at best.
Saga can also thank Ms. Marvel because.....
5. No Award
6. Ms. Marvel - Volume Five
I put Ms. Marvel - Volume One in first position in 2015. It was definitely cutting edge in terms of art, character development, and story telling.
Volume Five is a big step backward. The art isn't particularly inspiring. The plot centered around the ubiquitous "evil corporation" that is gentrifying an urban area. Quite frankly, the "evil corporation" stuff has been done to death. Add to that the fact that gentrification improves an area rather than tears it down. Essentially, gentrification is a positive change due to people making choices due to their free will.
Reading Ms. Marvel also provided some scale that moved Saga above the line.
7. Black Panther - Volume One
Holy shnikes! What a hot mess!
While the art was great, the storyline bounced around more than a freshly hit racquetball. Black Panther would jump out to the jungle to fight someone. Then he would jump back to the city for some consultation and introspection.
Other people (I hesitate to call them villains, yet) experience bureaucracy in the city before they are whisked out to the jungle for imprisonment and other events.
The cities are gleaming modern citadels that enjoy a broad panoply of technology and modern architecture while appearing bereft of average citizens. Conversely, ordinary citizens live and work in the country under much cruder conditions with far less technology.
It is as if the people in control don't want to be bothered with actually interacting with common people. That plot line alone should have me in love with this series.
The storytelling is so disjointed that it is no surprise that Marvel killed it after so short a run.
This arc/series was written by Atlantic Monthly writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. I have read Mr. Coates columns in the Atlantic from time to time. There are times when I am deeply affected by his work. Other times less so, but that is as it should be in a world with a wide range of people.
Mr. Coates leftward leaning political tendencies are pretty well known. So I was surprised that the Black Panther came so close to embracing capitalism! The cities in the book are modern architectural confections, and the technology in the cities is so evident because they discovered a mount of vibranium elsewhere in the country.
This is (apparently) a highly valued commodity. So Mr. Coates endorses the exploitation of the environment for the purpose of consuming valuable resources. And he has no qualms about the profits of such activity paying for the aforementioned cities/technology.
Ta-nehisi Coates is apparently a capitalist at heart.
But wait! In his attempts to "save" his nation, he kills men that were providing for their families. He says that he will provide food and shelter. The men's widows proclaim that their husbands were already handling those issues nicely before the Black Panther killed them. Apparently, the wealth from the vibranium mines and industries is supposed to be spread around by the government instead of being earned by the companies and people doing the actual work. Alas but capitalism dies another cruel and unjustified death.
The Black Panther then goes on to inspire a large group of women to become radicals that will provide for themselves (food, shelter, defense) rather than rely on the government.
What does this book lack for a moderately libertarian soul, such as myself, to not be in utter love with it?
A coherent story. This series is unworthy of being nominated, much less making the short list.
I had previously read Monstress and was very taken by it. I feel that in terms of art and storytelling, Monstress is a first rate piece of work that is worthy of the award.
So I voted for Monstress and didn't vote for anything else. There were one or two other categories where I was familiar with one of the works but didn't think I could in good conscience only vote for it when I had not read/heard/seen the other nominees. Monstress is definitely first class material.
Had I voted in time, this is how my ballot would have looked.
1. Monstress - Volume One (The only vote actually cast)
Great art. Great storytelling. A unique perspective that is heavily influenced by Japanese anime. (Is that a redundant phrase?) One aspect of the story that I like is that women hold the positions of power in this fictional world. The author doesn't explain it. She doesn't lace the dialog with arsenic laden commentary suggesting many and varied deficiencies in men. The women here have power. Deal with it.
Hurrah! Finally, an author that can get off of their gender studies soap box and just create something entertaining while remaining true to their perspective.
Straightforward story telling coupled with great art and inventive world building make this series a clear winner.
2. The Vision - Volume One
The Vision series explores the attempt by The Vision and his family to live a prototypical American lifestyle. Being a family of synthetic humans, they suffer from all of the usual tropes about clan/tribe behavior that is adjacent to outright racism.
At the same time, as they open themselves up to human behavior patterns, they become susceptible to human foibles. They grow protective of their family. They develop attachments with humans that attempt to have a normal relationship with them. This is the dark side of a machine that becomes more human every day.
3. Paper Girls - Volume One
Paper Girls tells the tale of a small group of girls that deliver newspapers. It is set in the 1980s and suggests that girls delivering the newspaper was some sort of major step for women.
We had paper girls in the 1970s. There were not a lot of them, but they were there.
In this case, it is suggested pretty heavily that they had to work together to keep from being assaulted, kidnapped, and subject to all manner of abuse while delivering newspapers in suburbia. Back in the day, kids delivering newspapers in suburbia were given extra protection. People looked out for those kids. So on this issue, the plot is a little bit off.
Their world goes all wonky. Almost everyone disappears. Other entities/people start appearing to snatch up those that remain. There are two different groups of people that are apparently traveling through time to do whatever it is they are doing. The story gives you enough clues to keep the reader interested. The artwork is pretty good and the storytelling is great. It invites all sorts of readers to engage in the plot regardless of who the reader happens to be. I'm glad that I encountered this series.
4. Saga - Volume Six
OK. I changed my mind. Saga can thank Paper Girls for my moving it from just below No Award to just above it. I thought about it for a few days and I was really more engaged in the story plot than my initial reaction suggested.
The story revolves around a series of otherwise pedestrian plot lines that focus on race and gender identity issues. The artwork has improved since I encountered Volume 3 two years ago as another Hugo finalist. That volume was a hot mess of marginal art and a messy story. This was a definite improvement over that volume.
While this is a good nominee, it is not, IMHO, a great nominee. If it weren't for all of the allegories to human race and sexuality issues, this would be a middling series at best.
Saga can also thank Ms. Marvel because.....
5. No Award
6. Ms. Marvel - Volume Five
I put Ms. Marvel - Volume One in first position in 2015. It was definitely cutting edge in terms of art, character development, and story telling.
Volume Five is a big step backward. The art isn't particularly inspiring. The plot centered around the ubiquitous "evil corporation" that is gentrifying an urban area. Quite frankly, the "evil corporation" stuff has been done to death. Add to that the fact that gentrification improves an area rather than tears it down. Essentially, gentrification is a positive change due to people making choices due to their free will.
Reading Ms. Marvel also provided some scale that moved Saga above the line.
7. Black Panther - Volume One
Holy shnikes! What a hot mess!
While the art was great, the storyline bounced around more than a freshly hit racquetball. Black Panther would jump out to the jungle to fight someone. Then he would jump back to the city for some consultation and introspection.
Other people (I hesitate to call them villains, yet) experience bureaucracy in the city before they are whisked out to the jungle for imprisonment and other events.
The cities are gleaming modern citadels that enjoy a broad panoply of technology and modern architecture while appearing bereft of average citizens. Conversely, ordinary citizens live and work in the country under much cruder conditions with far less technology.
It is as if the people in control don't want to be bothered with actually interacting with common people. That plot line alone should have me in love with this series.
The storytelling is so disjointed that it is no surprise that Marvel killed it after so short a run.
This arc/series was written by Atlantic Monthly writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. I have read Mr. Coates columns in the Atlantic from time to time. There are times when I am deeply affected by his work. Other times less so, but that is as it should be in a world with a wide range of people.
Mr. Coates leftward leaning political tendencies are pretty well known. So I was surprised that the Black Panther came so close to embracing capitalism! The cities in the book are modern architectural confections, and the technology in the cities is so evident because they discovered a mount of vibranium elsewhere in the country.
This is (apparently) a highly valued commodity. So Mr. Coates endorses the exploitation of the environment for the purpose of consuming valuable resources. And he has no qualms about the profits of such activity paying for the aforementioned cities/technology.
Ta-nehisi Coates is apparently a capitalist at heart.
But wait! In his attempts to "save" his nation, he kills men that were providing for their families. He says that he will provide food and shelter. The men's widows proclaim that their husbands were already handling those issues nicely before the Black Panther killed them. Apparently, the wealth from the vibranium mines and industries is supposed to be spread around by the government instead of being earned by the companies and people doing the actual work. Alas but capitalism dies another cruel and unjustified death.
The Black Panther then goes on to inspire a large group of women to become radicals that will provide for themselves (food, shelter, defense) rather than rely on the government.
What does this book lack for a moderately libertarian soul, such as myself, to not be in utter love with it?
A coherent story. This series is unworthy of being nominated, much less making the short list.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Hugo 2017 Fancast
I completed my review of the fan-cast nominees a few weeks back.
From my perspective, a good podcast will include the following; good audio quality, news/information, an entertaining format, and engaging hosts. With respect to hosts, I appreciate it when hosts know how to share the microphone in a conversation as well as know how to get out of their lane with respect to understanding other perspectives. An additional consideration for the Hugos is whether or not I would recommend a podcast to someone else even if it might not be in my wheelhouse. I also evaluated podcasts against my current list of regular podcast subscriptions.
1. Tea and Jeopardy
I'm a fan. They are on my list of regularly experience podcasts. I donate via Patreon. Emma and Peter Newman provide a great podcast.
For those that haven't listened to their podcast, they combine radio theater with an interview podcast. Peter Newman portrays Emma's butler, Latimer. Latimer locates unusual and frequently perilous locations for Emma and her guests to take tea. Emma hosts her guests in a manner reflective to my American ears as that of a proper British lady.
She and her guests talk about books and writing and publishing and other oddments. At the end of the show, there is another bit of radio theater as the guests encounter a peril uniquely associated with the locale for the tea lair and/or the guest in question.
It is just simply great fun, wonderfully written (where writing is required), and most informative. The hiccups are few.
I have a tough time believing that any of the other nominees will be able to knock the Newmans out of first place on my ballot, but we shall see. (Yup! I was right!)
2. Coode Street Podcast
I listened to Episodes #286 & #292.
This is a fairly straightforward news and interview format. The hosts shared the microphone quite well. When they had guests, they asked relevant questions and then got out of the way to let the guests speak.
Those episodes were good enough for me to consider adding it to my regular list of podcasts.
One aspect of their program that I enjoyed was that it was conducted with a level of maturity. One episode included Canadian author Jo Walton. There was a discussion about preferential treatment of authors and their books.
Ms. Walton quite openly acknowledged that publishers, reviewers, and readers choose to focus their attention on a smaller range of the genre. She indicated that she will frequently discover rare gems from prior years that were ignored when they were first published in favor of other works.
It was a refreshing exchange that acknowledged the reality of publishing and media promotion. It is quite possible for Author X to write something superior to the work of Authors A, B, and C despite the publishing/media/fandom desire to promote Authors A, B, and C for any of a number of reasons.
3. Rageaholic
For the purposes of consideration for the Hugos, I limited my review to episodes that are limited to SF/F commentary. The host is clearly pro-Trump. I elected not to let that bleed over into my review.
I listened to the following episodes. They covered three video games and one comic series.
As with last year, I found the persona being presented to be over-the-top entertainment. I wouldn't want a strict diet of this stuff, but it is entertaining in manageable doses.
What comes through all of the rapid-fire delivery of invective is a central concern for properties that provide a satisfying experience. For video games, then need to provide an engaging experience within the respective sub-genres. The host appears to have enough playing experience within enough titles to be able to offer informed opinions about what works to provide a reasonable gaming experience.
There is also the basic subtext that he believes gaming journalism is placing non-gaming factors ahead of game playability factors when assessing the relative merits of a given title. Welcome to 2017.
His thoughts on various iterations of Nightwing were also interesting. I followed that series for a while a decade or so ago. It was pretty standard fare, so I stopped. But it looks like there was one period that I might want to go back and review. Specifically, the Nightwing/Huntress series written by Devin Grayson.
4. No Award
5. Galactic Suburbia
After attempting to listen to a Galactic Suburbia debacle last year, I wasn't exactly keen on listening to them this year. I ended up listening to Episode #148 (Ghostbusters Review).
On a positive note, the podcast was less of a hot mess than the episode I sampled last year. The participants were better able to "share the mic". A modest negative was that their commentary seemed to lean too frequently on viewing Ghostbusters (2016) via a feminist lens rather than simply relating the story elements that they found engaging. That is an important perspective. It isn't the only one worthy of their thoughts.
The moment that drove this podcast below No Award was when they started to suggest that they would consider alternative opinions once they purged stalking and threats of violence from that range of perspectives. That is (or should be) a no-brainer. But then they followed it up with a quick assertion that they wouldn't consider other perspectives anyway.
Exclusionary and eliminationist rhetoric isn't deserving of any reward.
I do have to give them credit as one of the co-hosts didn't really enjoy Ghostbusters (2016). Her reasons dovetailed with others that I have heard/read.
6. Fan Girl Happy Hour
I listened to Episodes #32 (No Fucks 2016) and #42 (2016 Hugo nominations announcement)
In episode 32, the hosts spent too much time talking about their other blogs/commentary projects. So they consumed a significant amount of time on one commentary project talking about their other commentary projects. Once they finally moved beyond talking about their opinions about their other opinions, the podcast became pretty informative and engaging.
Episode #42 was a reaction to the nominations for last year. It amounted to a half hour's worth of guttural sounds of exasperation and a half hour's worth of "I don't understand". Both of which are fine reactions, but not necessarily informative nor entertaining.
7. Ditch Diggers
I listened to episodes #29 and #33. Two people talking together. Occasionally informative, but not terribly entertaining. Presumptuous of the value of their opinions. And I say that while agreeing with quite a few things that they said about people taking advantage of freelance writers by offering "exposure" or "beer money" in lieu of, you know, paying people based on the value of their work.
In one of the episodes, Mur announced that Netflix had announced that they were developing one of her properties. She then went on a rant about the TV and film industries "white washing" properties. A couple of her secondary characters are gay. Mur was concerned that Netflix might change her work to make it more palatable to a wider audience.
Netflix is the same network that presents Sense8 that includes some pretty graphic scenes between gay and lesbian characters. While I share the concern about the displacement of authentic/original characters, Nexflix has produced a number of Marvel properties that emphasize the use of characters as originally created. Netflix isn't exactly a place where "whitewashing" is not a valid concern.
It just came off as a knee-jerk perspective as opposed to a reasonable concern based on the history of the production company.
While that seems like I'm teeing off on Mur, she was really the more engaging of the two hosts. Her co-host, Matt, was pretty self-absorbed. I kept picturing being stuck at a party with him and inevitably found that I would be seeking the quickest way out of the conversation as I could reasonably find.
I've listened to other SFF author based podcasts that offer similar advice. Those authors have a better format, better sense of perspective, demonstrate interest outside of themselves, and generally are more engaging in their presentation.
So What Is Better??
In addition to Tea and Jeopardy, I also nominated Sincast, Sarcastic Voyage, The Post Atomic Horror Podcast, and The Horror Show with Brian Keene. All of those other four podcasts are (admittedly subjectively) better than those that I put below No Award. Sincast and PAH utilize a combination of entertainment and information that is comparable with Tea and Jeopardy. The Horror Show uses a straight news/interview format. The entire range of regular hosts of The Horror Show are more engaging and entertaining than the shows that I put below No Award. The Sarcastic Voyage is a straight up bit of radio theater based on fantasy writing.
All of them deserve to have sufficient attention from fandom to be discussed as contenders for the Hugo awards. They would (or should) easily beat out those that I put below No Award.
From my perspective, a good podcast will include the following; good audio quality, news/information, an entertaining format, and engaging hosts. With respect to hosts, I appreciate it when hosts know how to share the microphone in a conversation as well as know how to get out of their lane with respect to understanding other perspectives. An additional consideration for the Hugos is whether or not I would recommend a podcast to someone else even if it might not be in my wheelhouse. I also evaluated podcasts against my current list of regular podcast subscriptions.
1. Tea and Jeopardy
I'm a fan. They are on my list of regularly experience podcasts. I donate via Patreon. Emma and Peter Newman provide a great podcast.
For those that haven't listened to their podcast, they combine radio theater with an interview podcast. Peter Newman portrays Emma's butler, Latimer. Latimer locates unusual and frequently perilous locations for Emma and her guests to take tea. Emma hosts her guests in a manner reflective to my American ears as that of a proper British lady.
She and her guests talk about books and writing and publishing and other oddments. At the end of the show, there is another bit of radio theater as the guests encounter a peril uniquely associated with the locale for the tea lair and/or the guest in question.
It is just simply great fun, wonderfully written (where writing is required), and most informative. The hiccups are few.
I have a tough time believing that any of the other nominees will be able to knock the Newmans out of first place on my ballot, but we shall see. (Yup! I was right!)
2. Coode Street Podcast
I listened to Episodes #286 & #292.
This is a fairly straightforward news and interview format. The hosts shared the microphone quite well. When they had guests, they asked relevant questions and then got out of the way to let the guests speak.
Those episodes were good enough for me to consider adding it to my regular list of podcasts.
One aspect of their program that I enjoyed was that it was conducted with a level of maturity. One episode included Canadian author Jo Walton. There was a discussion about preferential treatment of authors and their books.
Ms. Walton quite openly acknowledged that publishers, reviewers, and readers choose to focus their attention on a smaller range of the genre. She indicated that she will frequently discover rare gems from prior years that were ignored when they were first published in favor of other works.
It was a refreshing exchange that acknowledged the reality of publishing and media promotion. It is quite possible for Author X to write something superior to the work of Authors A, B, and C despite the publishing/media/fandom desire to promote Authors A, B, and C for any of a number of reasons.
3. Rageaholic
For the purposes of consideration for the Hugos, I limited my review to episodes that are limited to SF/F commentary. The host is clearly pro-Trump. I elected not to let that bleed over into my review.
I listened to the following episodes. They covered three video games and one comic series.
- The Rageaholic: Doom
- Razor vs Comics: NIGHTWING Rebirth #1-5
- Battlefield 1 - The Rageaholic
- Mechwarrior 5: For Real, This Time! (A rant)
As with last year, I found the persona being presented to be over-the-top entertainment. I wouldn't want a strict diet of this stuff, but it is entertaining in manageable doses.
What comes through all of the rapid-fire delivery of invective is a central concern for properties that provide a satisfying experience. For video games, then need to provide an engaging experience within the respective sub-genres. The host appears to have enough playing experience within enough titles to be able to offer informed opinions about what works to provide a reasonable gaming experience.
There is also the basic subtext that he believes gaming journalism is placing non-gaming factors ahead of game playability factors when assessing the relative merits of a given title. Welcome to 2017.
His thoughts on various iterations of Nightwing were also interesting. I followed that series for a while a decade or so ago. It was pretty standard fare, so I stopped. But it looks like there was one period that I might want to go back and review. Specifically, the Nightwing/Huntress series written by Devin Grayson.
4. No Award
5. Galactic Suburbia
After attempting to listen to a Galactic Suburbia debacle last year, I wasn't exactly keen on listening to them this year. I ended up listening to Episode #148 (Ghostbusters Review).
On a positive note, the podcast was less of a hot mess than the episode I sampled last year. The participants were better able to "share the mic". A modest negative was that their commentary seemed to lean too frequently on viewing Ghostbusters (2016) via a feminist lens rather than simply relating the story elements that they found engaging. That is an important perspective. It isn't the only one worthy of their thoughts.
The moment that drove this podcast below No Award was when they started to suggest that they would consider alternative opinions once they purged stalking and threats of violence from that range of perspectives. That is (or should be) a no-brainer. But then they followed it up with a quick assertion that they wouldn't consider other perspectives anyway.
Exclusionary and eliminationist rhetoric isn't deserving of any reward.
I do have to give them credit as one of the co-hosts didn't really enjoy Ghostbusters (2016). Her reasons dovetailed with others that I have heard/read.
6. Fan Girl Happy Hour
I listened to Episodes #32 (No Fucks 2016) and #42 (2016 Hugo nominations announcement)
In episode 32, the hosts spent too much time talking about their other blogs/commentary projects. So they consumed a significant amount of time on one commentary project talking about their other commentary projects. Once they finally moved beyond talking about their opinions about their other opinions, the podcast became pretty informative and engaging.
Episode #42 was a reaction to the nominations for last year. It amounted to a half hour's worth of guttural sounds of exasperation and a half hour's worth of "I don't understand". Both of which are fine reactions, but not necessarily informative nor entertaining.
7. Ditch Diggers
I listened to episodes #29 and #33. Two people talking together. Occasionally informative, but not terribly entertaining. Presumptuous of the value of their opinions. And I say that while agreeing with quite a few things that they said about people taking advantage of freelance writers by offering "exposure" or "beer money" in lieu of, you know, paying people based on the value of their work.
In one of the episodes, Mur announced that Netflix had announced that they were developing one of her properties. She then went on a rant about the TV and film industries "white washing" properties. A couple of her secondary characters are gay. Mur was concerned that Netflix might change her work to make it more palatable to a wider audience.
Netflix is the same network that presents Sense8 that includes some pretty graphic scenes between gay and lesbian characters. While I share the concern about the displacement of authentic/original characters, Nexflix has produced a number of Marvel properties that emphasize the use of characters as originally created. Netflix isn't exactly a place where "whitewashing" is not a valid concern.
It just came off as a knee-jerk perspective as opposed to a reasonable concern based on the history of the production company.
While that seems like I'm teeing off on Mur, she was really the more engaging of the two hosts. Her co-host, Matt, was pretty self-absorbed. I kept picturing being stuck at a party with him and inevitably found that I would be seeking the quickest way out of the conversation as I could reasonably find.
I've listened to other SFF author based podcasts that offer similar advice. Those authors have a better format, better sense of perspective, demonstrate interest outside of themselves, and generally are more engaging in their presentation.
So What Is Better??
In addition to Tea and Jeopardy, I also nominated Sincast, Sarcastic Voyage, The Post Atomic Horror Podcast, and The Horror Show with Brian Keene. All of those other four podcasts are (admittedly subjectively) better than those that I put below No Award. Sincast and PAH utilize a combination of entertainment and information that is comparable with Tea and Jeopardy. The Horror Show uses a straight news/interview format. The entire range of regular hosts of The Horror Show are more engaging and entertaining than the shows that I put below No Award. The Sarcastic Voyage is a straight up bit of radio theater based on fantasy writing.
All of them deserve to have sufficient attention from fandom to be discussed as contenders for the Hugo awards. They would (or should) easily beat out those that I put below No Award.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Hugo Nominations 2017
For what it is worth, here are my current nominations. Unless I find something in my "has been read" pile that I missed, I can't see this changing much. Nominees are not offered in any particular order with respect to how I would vote if my nominees were the only nominees.
Best Novel
A science fiction or fantasy story of forty thousand (40,000) words or more published in 2016.
Best Graphic Story
Any science fiction or fantasy story told in graphic form appearing for the first time in 2016.
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Any theatrical feature or other production, with a complete running time of more than 90 minutes, in any medium of dramatized science fiction, fantasy or related subjects that has been publicly presented for the first time in its present dramatic form during 2016.
Best Fancast
Any generally available non-professional audio or video periodical devoted to science fiction, fantasy, or related subjects that by the close of 2016 has released four (4) or more episodes, at least one (1) of which appeared in 2016, and that does not qualify as a dramatic presentation.
Best Series
A multi-volume science fiction or fantasy story, unified by elements such as plot, characters, setting, and presentation, which has appeared in at least three (3) volumes consisting of a total of at least 240,000 words by the close of the calendar year 2016, at least one of which was published in 2016. If any series and a subset series thereof both receive sufficient nominations to appear on the final ballot, only the version which received more nominations shall appear. While it isn't a requirement for this category, I do not intend to nominate for a series until it has been completed. Why should a 6-volume series get four opportunities to win this award while a 3-volume series only gets one?
John W. Campbell Award
Award for the best new science fiction writer, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo Award). A new writer is one whose first work of science fiction or fantasy appeared in 2015 or 2016 in a professional publication. For Campbell Award purposes, a professional publication is one for which more than a nominal amount was paid, any publication that had an average press run of at least 10,000 copies, or any other criteria that the Award sponsors may designate.
Best Novel
A science fiction or fantasy story of forty thousand (40,000) words or more published in 2016.
| Title | Author | Publisher/Where Published |
|---|---|---|
| The Silent Army | James A. Moore | Angry Robot |
| A Little Knowledge | Emma Newman | Diversion Books |
| The City of Mirrors | Justin Cronin | Ballantine Books |
| Saint's Blood | Sebastein de Castell | Jo Fletcher Books |
Best Graphic Story
Any science fiction or fantasy story told in graphic form appearing for the first time in 2016.
| Title | Author | Publisher/Where Published |
|---|---|---|
| Monstress Vol. 1 | Marjorie M. Liu | Image Comics |
| Outcast Vol. 3 - This Little Light | Kirkman & Azaceta | Image Comics |
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Any theatrical feature or other production, with a complete running time of more than 90 minutes, in any medium of dramatized science fiction, fantasy or related subjects that has been publicly presented for the first time in its present dramatic form during 2016.
| Title | Studio/Network/Production Company |
|---|---|
| The Magicians | SyFy |
| Stranger Things | Netflix |
| The Expanse | SyFy |
| Westworld | HBO |
Best Fancast
Any generally available non-professional audio or video periodical devoted to science fiction, fantasy, or related subjects that by the close of 2016 has released four (4) or more episodes, at least one (1) of which appeared in 2016, and that does not qualify as a dramatic presentation.
| Title | Web address |
|---|---|
| SinCast | iTunes |
| The Sarcastic Voyage Podcast (Contentment Corner) | Website |
| The Post Atomic Horror Podcast | Website |
| Tea & Jeopardy | Website |
| The Grim Tidings Podcast | Website |
Best Series
A multi-volume science fiction or fantasy story, unified by elements such as plot, characters, setting, and presentation, which has appeared in at least three (3) volumes consisting of a total of at least 240,000 words by the close of the calendar year 2016, at least one of which was published in 2016. If any series and a subset series thereof both receive sufficient nominations to appear on the final ballot, only the version which received more nominations shall appear. While it isn't a requirement for this category, I do not intend to nominate for a series until it has been completed. Why should a 6-volume series get four opportunities to win this award while a 3-volume series only gets one?
| Name of Series | Author | Qualifying Volume | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Forges | James A. Moore | The Silent Army | Angry Robot |
| The Passage | Justin Cronin | The City of Mirrors | Ballantine Books |
John W. Campbell Award
Award for the best new science fiction writer, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo Award). A new writer is one whose first work of science fiction or fantasy appeared in 2015 or 2016 in a professional publication. For Campbell Award purposes, a professional publication is one for which more than a nominal amount was paid, any publication that had an average press run of at least 10,000 copies, or any other criteria that the Award sponsors may designate.
| Author | Example |
|---|---|
| JR Handley | The Legion Awakes/Fortress Beta City/Demons of Kor-Lir |
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