The 2024 Hugo Awards Committee has disqualified 377 votes that were determined to have been not cast by “a natural person” as the WSFS constitution calls for. See the details here or watch the video below.
Charlie Jane Anders thinks there are plenty of Doctor Who stories left on the table, and she shares 11 story seeds in her newsletter.
The Sunday Morning Transport offers us a free story. (Thanks to File 770.)
Peruvian art installation/theme park Area 21 looks pretty cool.
July 24th, 2024. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | no comments |
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Caitlin Starling’s 2022 novel The Death of Jane Lawrence got enthusiastic critical reviews and was nominated for a Stoker Award, so clearly people loved it. In spite of an interesting premise, the book was a disconnect for me. Your mileage may vary.
Jane Shoringfield is an orphan raised by a kind couple after her parents were killed in a war. She is impoverished, and no longer willing to be a drain on the resources of her guardians, she decides to arrange a marriage.
July 18th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2.5 | Caitlin Starling | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
I know we were all worried that the Glasgow WorldCon would go off with no scandals or dust-ups, but have no fear! George R.R. Martin has a complaint.
Tananarive Due, Laura Blackwell, Elizabeth Hand and others were honored at the Shirley Jackson Awards last weekend.
In the wake of last year’s disastrous Hugo candidate selection, this year’s WSFS business meeting faces 15 proposals that deal directly with the aftermath. Some attempt to remediate the damage done to eligible authors who were excluded for no known reason. Others attempt to prevent similar events in the future.
July 17th, 2024. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | no comments |
Camp Damascus (2023) starts off as a demonic thriller and ends up as a plucky-kids-fight-humancentric-evil story, in Chuck Tingle’s first non-erotica novel. The author, who had a large audience on X/Twitter, came to the attention of many of us during the 2016 Hugo awards (all scandals aside, don’t say the Hugos never did anything nice for us). Previously known for men/men (or in some cases, men/dinosaur) erotica online, with Camp Damascus Tingle successfully makes the jump to horror,
July 12th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Chuck Tingle | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Even the Wall Street Journal is weighing in on “romantasy.” (Thanks to Kat for this link.)
Reactor shared a short story from Nisa Shawl’s Everfair universe.
“Fantasy science for the win.” Judith Tarr writes columns on various topics for Reactor, including movie reviews. Here is her slightly acerbic take on 13th Child.
For Harlan Ellison fans everywhere, File770 has published the Table of Contents for the upcoming anthology The Last Dangerous Visions.
Harry Potter author J.K.
July 3rd, 2024. Marion Deeds | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen
Johanna Van Veen’s My Darling, Dreadful Thing (2024) is a gothic horror love story set in the 1950’s Netherlands. Lush descriptions and an original, creepy take on spirit companions made this story a seductive, engaging read.
Roos Beckman has had a spiritual companion named Ruth since she was a little girl, when she was first pressed into service by the woman she calls Mama to help fake seances. Crouched in a cubby under the floorboards, Roos pulled ropes and pushed levers to create the effects of spiritual visitation.
July 1st, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Johanna Van_Vleen | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Orphan Black; Echoes premiered last Sunday. The Daily Beast liked it a lot—Variety, not so much. My personal observations, from the most superficial to the relatively less superficial, are: 1) Krystin Ritter is so skinny it’s distracting; 2) what the heck is a 4D printer, and 3) can they convince me the woman scientist is who they say she is?
Yahoo news shares some tidbits and interviews about the new clone show.
Neon Hemlock has a cover reveal for their We’re Here 2023 anthology.
June 26th, 2024. Marion Deeds | SFF Reviews | no comments |
In my first post about Lost, I casually referred to Jacob and his unnamed twin, two characters who appear in Seasons 5 and 6, as “demigods.” After I wrote that, I had some doubts. The traditional definition of “demigods” is the offspring of a deity and a mortal. (Hmmm… so it doesn’t have to be a human, just a “mortal.” There could be demigod rabbits or demigod earthworms or… Oh! Demigod trees!)
But I digress.
There is no mention in the lore of Lost that Jacob and his brother have a divine parent.
June 19th, 2024. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | no comments |
I chose Blake Crouch’s 2022 novel Upgrade out of curiosity because I’d never read anything of his. He is a popular author whose books are everywhere, and he writes thrillers, usually with a speculative-fiction flavor. I’d heard of him years ago when Fox TV made a show based on his WAYWARD trilogy, and the one or two episodes I saw (Season 1) had a nifty, paranoid, who-can-you-trust vibe. Upgrade shares that vibe.
My plot synopsis may contain mild spoilers.
June 18th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Blake Crouch | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
I’ll admit I got Wexler’s 2024 fantasy novel, first in the DARK LORD DAVI series, mostly because of the title, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying. I couldn’t help noticing that blurbs and reviews both take delight in describing this book as funny and raunchy. I don’t see “raunchy” as a description that much anymore—in this case it is accurate. Davi, our first-person narrator,
June 17th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Django Wexler | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Oh, Marion, you say "but dark" as if it were a bad thing! 😂
Hammer Studios is... reborn? I only ever read the "Kane" stories, which I found good but dark. It's a little…
Oh...and the men used the name "The Great Northern Expedition" to throw people off as to their actual destination, even…
Oh, it IS, Marion! It is!
Sorry if I mislead you in this detail, Paul...the voyage by ship was only the first leg of the quintet's…