BOOK REVIEW: THE UNBALANCING BY R.B. LEMBERG
I felt drawn to the mythology of Lemberg’s Birdverse and was intrigued by the structure of the island society, but most of all, I enjoyed the well-developed characters, their contrasts, and where their interactions led — to a relationship, to magical discoveries, and to a struggle for survival amid upheavals.
My Superpower: Michelle Kan
When I was a kid, my primary school teachers thought I might have hearing problems, but my paediatrician determined that I was actually just a ‘selective listener’. That was the accepted explanation for a long time. I was scatterbrained, away with the fairies, head in the clouds. These things were (and still are) true, but eventually it got to a point where none of those things could adequately explain why I couldn’t always control the beehive in my head. So earlier this year, and after a lot of thought on my part, I made myself some appointments and was formally diagnosed by a professional as having Attention Deficit Disorder on the Inattentive spectrum. ADD is, in two words: A Trip.
Book Review: In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard
I’ve been a fan of Aliette de Bodard since 2012, when I read her award-winning short story “Immersion” and the much-nominated novella “On a Red Station, Drifting,” Since those fascinating science fiction stories, she’s gone on to write books and stories ranging from what’s been called Aztec noir to the Dominion of the Fallen series, plus more science fiction/space opera. Her new novella, “In the Vanishers’ Palace,” is officially released today. At first glance it seems a less complex story than many of her other works, with fewer characters and far less intrigue, but it’s very much worth reading and offers a lot to think about, and I love it.
My Writing Superpower: Relentless Larceny by Tracy Townsend
My Superpower is a regular guest column on the Skiffy and Fanty blog where authors and creators tell us about one weird skill, neat trick, highly specialized cybernetic upgrade, or other superpower they have, and how it helped (or hindered!) their creative process as they built their project. Today we welcome Tracy Townsend to talk about her writing superpower of relentless larceny.
Month of Joy: The Order of the Air by Trish Matson
Last month, I reread the five existing books of The Order of the Air series by Melissa Scott and Jo Graham. These are some of my favorite comfort reads. Parts of these period adventure-fantasies are very cozy, but aside from the wonderful characters’ mutual support, love, and humor, there are also some tense and exciting action sequences, with almost ordinary people teaming up to resist evil and try to make the world better.
Movie Review: "Blade Runner 2049" (‘As clear as dreaming’)
I can’t remember ever being as disturbed and enthralled at one time by any movie as by “Blade Runner 2049.” That makes it fine art in my eyes. The movie is disturbing because it so explicitly poses questions about personhood, objectification and empathy. I gasped a few times and flinched several more times, and so did my companion. Besides the consent issues, the violence in it is also disturbing, and this vision of 2049 is even more dystopic for PoC and women; however, I saw those elements not as gratuitous, but rather as deliberate showcasing of the problems of society. I’ll discuss that more after the spoiler warning. The movie is enthralling because it is so well done. I said before that it “poses” questions instead of “asks” them, because aside from some brief future-history infodumping, there is a whole lot of show-not-tell in this movie, the opposite of the much-derided voiceover in the 1982 movie’s theatrical version. I suppose a person who’s oblivious to social issues could take everything that happens at face value, as though the viewer is supposed to be okay with the situations and choices being shown, but it seems obvious that a person who thinks about them is supposed to be cringing.
