Posts Tagged ‘Fantasy’

Books Read: Naomi Novik’s Temeraire: Throne of Jade

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

Naomi Novik
Temeraire: Throne of Jade

This is a solid follow-up to the first Temeraire book. In this one Lawrence and his Celestial dragon are forced to take a slow boat to China to see the Emperor, who is evidently most upset that his dragon (a gift to Napoleon) is now enrolled in the English aerial corps. Some have said they found their attention flagging through the long sea voyage (which takes up a bit more than half the book); actually, I didn’t find my attention flagging until right after they first make landfall in China. So I think the book could be trimmed a little (maybe 10%), but it still engaged me.

New Page for Lame Excuse Books

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Given TimeWarner’s continued incompetence, I’m slowly pulling all of my website from rr.com over to here. I now have the main Lame Excuse Books page at:

https://www.lawrenceperson.com/lame.html

If you’ve never bought anything from me before, Lame Excuse Books specializes in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and Slipstream first editions, with an emphasis on small press and signed editions. I have lots of books available by the like of Joe R. Lansdale, Howard Waldrop, Neil Gaiman, Charles Stross, John Scalzi, etc.

So update your book marks! And it wouldn’t hurt for you to buy a book or ten…

Neal Barrett Jr.’s Author Emeritus Party

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Since Austin’s own Neal Barrett, Jr. was named SFWA Author Emeritus for the 2009 Nebula Awards, FACT threw a party at Casa Siros to celebrate the occasion, with luminaries coming from as far away as Nacogdoches (Joe R. his ownself) to pay homage.


Susan Wade, William Browning Spencer (occluded), Neal Barrett, Jr. (holding up the art SFWA had commissioned, featuring himself and three of his characters), Don Webb


Susan Wade, William Browning Spencer, Neal Barrett, Jr., Don Webb


Susan Wade, William Browning Spencer, Neal Barrett, Jr., Don Webb


Neal Barrett, Jr. holding up the SFWA Author Emeritus, which is a kaleidoscope. (“Kaleidoscope” is also the name of an awesome Ray Bradbury story from The Illustrated Man.)


The back of Joe R. Lansdale’s head, Ruth Barrett, someone whose name I should remember, and Scott Cupp


A closer (albeit oblique) view of said painting; I took a straight-on picture, but the flash reflection on the glass made it impossible to see.


Neal iz 2 kewl 4 this skewl!


More of the same. Less of the sane.


Just a few of Casa Siros’ vast array of Glowing Gizmos.


Three excellent authors who have had their books published by St. Martin’s. Also, three authors who are not on The New York Times Bestsellers List. These two facts may be related.


Neal cuts the cake, while Carol is just slightly too slow to avoid being incriminated with the rest of us.


Joe R. Lansdale, William Browning Spencer, Don Webb, and Neal Barrett, Jr. Susan Wade would be in this picture, had she not been eaten by a Grue.


FACT party attendees. Just after this picture, one of their number was ritually chosen by lot to be stoned to death.


Joe R. Lansdale and William Browning Spencer, in the last known photo of them before being horribly devoured by Pixar characters.


“Walk towards the light….walk towards the light…”

Gene Wolfe Recovering from Heart Surgery

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

A double-bypass and valve repair, according to Locus Online.. He’s evidently up and walking, and “his mind is as sharp as a tack,” which is a relief. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Gene.

Books Read: China Mieville’s The City & The City

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

I finished China Mieville’s The City & The City just before the Christmas holidays hit. It’s a very solid, and very interesting, novel, and speculative fiction if you consider Ruritanias fantasy. A police procedural set in a sort of Trans-Balkens City-State duopoly of Beszel and Ul Qoma, which are not just side by side, but deeply intermingled with each other, different addresses on the same block geographically, for example, could be in entirely different cities, with different languages, laws and customs. Residents must “unsee” the residents of other cities as they pass through their daily life, their virtual apartheid guarded by the fearsome, unseen offices of Breach. It starts with Beszel Inspector Tyador Borlu investigating the death of a woman who believed there was an ancient third city, Orciny, dwelling in the shadows of the other two. The more Borlu investigates, the more he realizes that something is wrong, and that his victim’s murderers may dwell much higher among the city (or the city)’s citizens than he ever imagined. The novel works both as police procedural and extended metaphor for the parts of their own cities readers “unsee” every day. It displays the imagination of China’s other novels, but unlike several of his most recent, engages the reader in the plot much earlier.

I’m pretty sure this will have a place on both my Hugo and Nebula ballots this year.

New Lame Excuse Books Catalog Real Soon Now

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

I’ll be sending a new Lame Excuse Books catalog of science fiction, fantasy, and horror first editions out via email later this week. Email me at lperson1@austin.rr.com if you want to receive a copy.

I participated in a Mind Meld over at SF Signal

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

On the best SF books and movies I enjoyed this year.

Sadly, almost none of those actually came out this year…

Frank Frazetta attempts to steal paintings by Frank Frazetta

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

It’s not every day you read about an attempted $20 million art heist, much less from the museum dedicated to the works of famous fantasy artist Frank Frazetta. However, the real kicker is that the perp (or, technically speaking, “alleged” perp) is Frank Frazetta’s own son.

The main tool of theft seems to be a backhoe rather than a broadsword.

(Hat tip: John DeNardo of SF Signal.)