Intergalactic House of Paisley

The lovely, talented and totally twisted ursulav and her publishers at Sofawolf have launched a Kickstarter to producs an omnibus edition of the Hugo-award winning graphic novel Digger. You need to support this, at the highest level you can. Why? Because Ursula is an amazingly talented writer and artist, and Digger is an amazing story that will keep you up all night (or day, depending) in alternating states of shock, entertainment, hilarity, wonder, awe, and awwwwww.

Trust moi, you want to do this. You need to do this. The Big Blue Cock* commands you!


*Art by Ursula Vernon, oddly enough. Just fucking do it, 'k?

Well, look who's back, and just in time for Friday! It's been over 100˚ here pretty much every day, despite the best efforts of the little a/c. I am hoping to get a larger one up here from the dining room this weekend. In any event, here's some tunes to cool off with.


1) Pulse of the Earth, Hungry Lucy

2) Little Furnace, Jim Guthrie

3) Have a Cigar, Pink Floyd

4) Couldn't Stand The Weather, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

5) Brown Sugar, The Rolling Stones (Brussels Affair '73)

6) I Need a Life, Born Ruffians

7) Hollywood, World Party

8) King of Kings, Neil Young

9) Heartbreaker, Jenn Grant

10) Junglework, Warren Zevon (May 4, 1980, The Roxy, Los Angeles)


contined on next rock


11) Holdon, Apparat

12) Even Though, Norah Jones

13) Hey!, Oingo Boingo


The deadline for Hugo voting is 11.59p on Sunday, July 31, PDT. There's a lot of good stuff on the ballot this year, but remember, if you only vote for one nominee, make it Rachel Bloom. My new career as a Ray Bradbury impersonator depends on it!

A link to this appeared in my email this evening (alas, I am too cheap to have an account where I can show you, so you'll need to click). Trust me, you can use the laugh. I'll wait.


OK, so I know everyone will be nominating these for the Best Graphic Story Hugo next year, right? I must say I am disappointed that they aren't adapting "Song of Solomon." It would bring whole new meaning to their slogan of "Biblically Accurate," doncha think?

An in the spirit of things that need to be nominated, Michael J. Walsh has suggested this, and I wholeheartedly agree. I mean, I hear Ray loved it!






The artist's name is Rachel Bloom, the title, well, I think you know it (but please, no asterisks. Use the correct title). The category, Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form (nothing personal, Mr. Bradbury).

Now go, nominate my minions! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

It's time to nominate for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Achievement Awards, aka the Hugos. If you are a member of Aussiecon, or were a member of Anticipation, you are eligible to nom nom nominate. The details and online ballot are here. The ballot must be received by 23:59 PST Saturday March 13 2010 (Sunday March 14 07:59 UTC/GMT). Below are my suggestions for worth nominees in the categories where I feel like I can fake something resembling knowledge. Other locations for suggestions include SF Awards Watch, NESFA and the livejournal community.

( And here we go: )

It is midnight, and I am too tired to continue. The fan categories tomorrrow.

Vote Early! Vote Often!

Well, the city got its part of the job done Thursday, and Anthony Plumbing showed up bright and early Friday morning and took care of the rest of it, so there is no longer an ever-widening hole in the front yard, and we even have better water pressure than before. Now, the question is what to do to keep the dirt on the slope of the front yard where it is, as opposed to washing away when it finally rains again.

the evening was highlighted by the "we're not at worldcon, damnit!" party. Kalimeg came by and presented me with a bottle of Unibroue's Terrible, my fave of their many fine beers. Athenaartemis, her new sister Skylar and uncle Lyle also came by, as did the injured Robin Bailey anhis long-suffering wife Diana. With the Royals kicking the crap out of the As as a background, we talked worldcons, fandom and many other topics, and as the beer and wine (for the legal drinkers) flowed, things got stranger, and ended with the creation of Maya Con Dios: Chicxulub in 2012 -- It's the End of the WorldCon as We Know It! Details to follow.

Woke up this morning feeling very well, and did some cleanup here in the belfry. Had a quiet interlude on the porch with a tasty Perdomo Lot 23 torpedo and a bottle of Great Divide's 15th Anniversary Oak Aged Double IPA.

Now, after a tasty dinner of pork chops and wild rice, I am preparing to quasi-liveblog the Hugos, right here from Kansas City. So stay tuned, people, for fun, excitement and surprises galore.

Yo-oh-oh-oh! Yo-oh-oh! Oops, wrong video. Sorry about that.

So it's almost the deadline for nominating for the 2008 Science Fiction and Fantasy Achievement Awards, aka the Hugos. Said deadline is 28 February 2009, at midnight PST (2a here in flyover land). If you were a member of Denvention, last year's WorldCon, you are eligible to nominate. If you are a member of Anticipation, you are eligible to nominate and vote (note: if you voted for site selection in 2007, you are a member of Anticipation. Your Hugo PIN should have been emailed to you in the recent past). There's also a pdf to download, but it must be received by 28 Feb.

Don't wait until late Saturday, teh intarwebs are fickle bitches, and will fuck you up for the fun of it. I had problems last night trying to put this together.

Due to requests from my hordes of fans and admirers, here are my suggestions in the categories where I feel like I have the knowledge to hold opinions. Like that ever stopped anyone before. Yes, there are more than five suggestions in some categories. Deal with it


Novel:

Anathem, Neal Stephenson (Morrow)

Saturn's Children, Charles Stross (Ace)

Half a Crown, Jo Walton (Tor)

The Dragons of Babel, Michael Swanwick (Tor)

An Evil Guest, Gene Wolfe (Tor)

The Hidden World, Paul Park (Tor)


Novella:

Arkfall, Carolyn Ives Gilman (F&SF 9)

The Political Prisoner, Charles Coleman Finlay (F&SF 8)

The Roberts, Michael Blumlein (F&SF 7)

The Flowers of Nicosia, David Ira Cleary (Asimov's 12)

Truth, Rober Reed (Asimov's 10-11)

The Philosopher's Stone, Brian Stableford (Asimov's 7)

The Hob Carpet, Ian R. MacLeod (Asimov's 6)


Novelet(te):

How the Day Runs Down, John Langan (F&SF 12)

Days of Wonder, Geoff Ryman (F&SF 10-11)

Pump Six, Paolo Bacigalupi (F&SF 9)

Immortal Snake, Rachel Pollack (F&SF 5)

Pride and Prometheus, John Kessel (F&SF 1)

Vinegar Peace, or, The Wrong-Way Used-Adult Orphanage, Michael Bishop (Asimov's 7)


Short Story:

Dhuluma No More, Gord Sellar (Asimov's 10-11)

Cascading Violet Hair, R. Neube (Asimov's 7)

From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled, Michael Swanwick (Asimov's 2)

26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss, Kij Johnson (Asimov's 7)

"Evil Robot Monkey", Mary Robinette Kowal (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Volume Two)


Best Related Book

Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998 - 2008, John Scalzi

Lexicon Urthus: A Dictionary for the Urth Cycle, Second Edition, Michael Andre-Driussi (Sirius Fiction)


Best Graphic Story (this is the category added this year by the Anticpation committee, it will become a regular category next year)

Coraline, Neil Gaiman, adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell (HarperCollins)


Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form:

Let's get real, the battle is between Dark Knight and Wall-E, with Iron Man on the outside, which at least saves us from Jumper, Indiana Jones and the AARP, Twilight, The Day the Earth Fell Asleep and other light classics. I would, however, like to suggest a different option, an original audiobook,
METAtropolis, written by Tobias Buckell, Elizabeth Bear, Jay Lake, John Scalzi and Karl Schroeder


Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form:

I have to admit I don't watch any SF/F tv series. Sorry, that's how I roll. So you're on your own here.


Best Professional Editor, Long Form

Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Toni WeissKopf


Best Professional Editor, Short Form

Gordon Van Gelder

Peter Crowther

Sheila Williams

Ellen Datlow

Gavin Grant & Kelly Link


Best Semiprozine

(note: this is probably the last year of the Semiprozine, or best Locus category. A preliminary vote to remove the category passed last year at Denvention; the final vote will be at the Business Meeting in Montreal. Personally, I think this llast award should go to a 'zine that has rarely or never won it, thus these recommendations)

Interzone

The New York Review of Science Fiction

Weird Tales

Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet


Best Professional Artist and Best Fan Artist: I'll get back to you on that real soon now.


Best Fan Writer

James Nicoll

John Hertz

Kate Nepveu

Steven Silver


John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (with Tiara!)

The best list of eligible writers is here:

http://www.writertopia.com/awards/campbell

I have to admit I don't recognize most of these names. Given I have nominated Gord Sellar above, and he had another good story in Asimov's last year, I will be nominating him.


For further recommendations, the following:

http://community.livejournal.com/hugo_recommend/

http://www.nesfa.org/recommends/hugos08.html

http://www.sfawardswatch.com/

http://www.locusmag.com/2009/2008RecommendedReading.html

Cheryl Morgan liveblogged the Hugo ceremony, and here are the winners (my first place vote in parentheses, if different from the winner)

Special awards to NASA on its 40th Anniversary, and NESFA Press

Keith Stokes Presents the First Fandom Awards

Hall of Fame Awards to Mike Ashley and Isaac Asimov

The Sam Moskowitz Award for Excellence in Collecting: Frank Robinson and Bob Peterson (tie)

Big Heart Award: Suford Lewis


And now the voted awards

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer: Mary Robinette Kowal

Best Fanzine: File 770 by Mike Glyer (PLOKTA)

Best Fan Writer: John Scalzi (Steven Silver)

Best Fan Artist: Brad Foster (Taral Wayne)

Best SemiProzine: Locus (NY Review of SF)

Best Professional Artist: Stephen Martiniere

Best Professional Editor, Short Form: Gordon Van Gelder, F&SF

Best Professional Editor, Long Form: David Hartwell (Patrick Nielsen Hayden)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: "Blink," Dr. Who (saw none of the nominees, didn't vote)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Stardust

Best Related Book: Brave New Words, the Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction, Jeff Prucher (Breakfast in the Ruins, Barry Malzberg)

Best Short Story: "Tideline," Elizabeth Bear ("A Small Room in Koboldtown," Michael Swanwick)

Best Novelette: "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," Ted Chiang ("Finisterra," David Moles)

Best Novella: "All Seated on the Ground," Connie Willis ("Memorare," Gene Wolfe)

Best Novel: The Yiddish Policemen's Union, Michael Chabon (Brasyl, Ian McDonald)

Commentary: the Chiang and Willis wins were a given (his first story in several years, and, well, it's Connie in her hometown), as was Locus for Best Locus (h/t, Teresa Nielsen Hayden). Several old hands won after a drought, but the big surprises to me are Stardust and Chabon. I'm betting the former benefitted from a split vote between Heroes Season One and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I must say I am impressed that Chabon won for novel. He is marketed as a "mainstream" author, even though almost all his work has been sf/fantasy by any reasonable definition of the term. He was present to accept the award, and said "I have wanted to win a Hugo all my life." We'll see if this affects his marketing in the future.