Today I was finally able to put up the review Genevieve did of Aztec Rex, a movie that is exactly as bad as it sounds from the title. Go read.
Tag: Fantasy Magazine
Today @ Fantasy
Jeremy Tolbert Asks: How Has The Internet Changed Fandom?
Today, we see almost weekly flare-ups and controversies in this thing called the blogosphere. New movements among writers appear almost as regularly, sometimes lingering (such as the Mundane SF manifesto). They burn bright, fast, and die down, it seems, just in time for the next major brouhaha. I think that’s the downside to this ease of communication. The Internet makes everything personal. Enemies are made quickly–but friends too. Perhaps not a unique trait of the medium, but a trait nonetheless.
I’d like to invite you to talk about the ways in which the internet has helped you connect with others and what communities you have formed or joined because of it.
Go comment! Win $10.
So…
Yesterday was interesting, wasn’t it?
Science vs. Fantasy – Fight?
Today’s Blog For A Beer is a bit different. I invited Mike Brotherton to expand and repost some commentary from his blog as a jumping off point for this week’s Fantasy Friday. It’s an experiment, we’ll see how it goes. The post is pretty interesting.
A conflict under these situations, pitting a logical scientific type against a wild-eyed believer, reason against belief, is a false conflict. Scientists are not dogmatic and their measurements, experiments, and observations can and do change their minds. Or not, in too many cases. How many times have you seen the skeptical scientist character in a story with fantastic elements mutter something like, “There must be a logical explanation,” and then go on to offer something feeble and likely stupid in face of the reality of the story? Let me illustrate this with some TV series that regularly pitted science against the fantastic.
The only real quibble I have with his thesis is the part about scientists not being dogmatic. hahahahahahaha NO, I say. Sure, Mike probably isn’t, but hoo boy, I have come across many dogmatics in my brief exposure to various types of sciences. I think scientists are like any other group of people. Some are prone to dogmatism and head in the sand behavior and some aren’t. We’re all human (I hope), it comes with the territory. And at least those type of scientists don’t tell me I’m going to hell. That’s a step up!
Anyway, go read and comment, it’s sure to be an interesting discussion today.
In which I have an opinion about fantasy fiction
I know, this is very different from every other day of my life.
Today on Fantasy I have some commentary up about one of the things that annoy me about many fantasy stories and novels I have read:
…my biggest pet peeve is with stories and novels that lack specificity–specificity of place, time, culture, even ethnicity. The reader is given a default medieval Europe-type setting, filled it with random, unspecified peasant or royal types, no discernible culture beyond “they believe in magic” or “X fantastical creatures/races are real”, but not much else. Yes, there are characters who have personalities and Do Things and are specific, and the plot they find themselves in is spelled out, sometimes in great detail, and all of this is good. But it does not excuse the fact that the author has not done the work of creating a fully realized world, because so much of it is left nebulous, or left for the reader to fill in themselves. And I feel this makes for bad fantasy.
I would like to note that though this commentary came about because of the many, many, many conversations I had with folks surrounding the story posted on Monday, this commentary is not specifically about that story. I am speaking to the trend. Also, this is not the first time I’ve said something along these lines:
An editor can shout from the rooftops all he or she wants that they would love to see more stories by women, or by minorities, with female and minority characters. However, writers will not believe them if they look at the magazine and see nothing but Blandy McWhitey White in Blandy McNeighborhood in America or Blandy McMedieval Europe or Blandy McDefaulty Man in any setting anywhere.
I’m particularly proud of the phrase “Blandy McWhitey White”.
What I’m Saying Elsewhere
1. The Fangland contest is over! But you still have a chance to participate (a little). We have more than one copy to award, so we’re going to give one to the entry the readers like the most. Check out the entries here and vote for your favorite in the comments. The entry with the most votes wins Reader’s Choice. We’ll reveal the winners on Tuesday. @ Fantasy
2. PodCastle Has Girl Cooties! I have been poking my head in the forum topic and the post for the third episode, “Run of the Fiery Horse” because Rachel, the editor, asked me to do the intro (because I love, love, love the story). As with most Escape Artist forum discussions, people have wildly varying reactions to and interpretations of the story. But there’s also been some discussion of the “tone” of PodCastle as being too women-centric/feminist. Quotes & Anti-Quotes @ FeministSF The Blog.
3. On Feminism, Part 2. Feminism is made for and by white women. And I really feel like this is one of those areas where the white women need to get enlightened before things can change. But, of course, many of them won’t be because they don’t see racism, which is directed against women of color, as a feminist issue. They’re hard pressed to acknowledge that racism is as great a problem as sexism at all.
No, actually, what I should say is that the white feminists who are seen as leaders, who are given press and attention and cred are in need of enlightenment. Because there are plenty of white feminists who do get it, who are enlightened, who can see the interconnectedness between anti-racist work and anti-sexist work. So what’s really needed is a good purge. Those of you who know what’s up need to weed out or educate those of you who don’t. Because obviously we women of color are too angry or jealous or indelicate to do it. @ ABW
Branching Out
We’re adding several new features/columns at Fantasy magazine over the next few months. (And I’m in charge! Wooo! I love being in charge.) One of the more fun aspects is getting in more different types of reviews. TV, Film, Comic Books, etc. (I asked Wil Wheaton to do the comic column, he never answered me. Now I can’t decide if it’s because my email got lost/overlooked or because he was insulted that I said we couldn’t pay.)
Anyway, the first of our film reviews is up today. Genevieve Valentine gave up several hours of her life–at dear cost, I might add–to watch and review a SciFi channel miniseries. All to make you people laugh. So go over there and read it.
I will say, the majority of our reviews will not be so heavily styled. But once I read the text she gave me, it had to be done that way.
Next week I talk about that damn Torchwood finale of fail and perhaps the Doctor Who first two episodes of win.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Due to some stuff on the Internets, I did some research (omg) on the # of women writers in the three digests so far this year. The results of this, and my thoughts on the magazine that came out on top (Asimov’s), are over at the FSFBlog today.
Sean Wallace informs me that last year Fantasy published 83% women. And, if you don’t remember, when certain types of people noticed this (I’ll leave it to you to determine what types of people those were), there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth and rending of cloth and cries of “Oh, it’s so sad that Fantasy magazine doesn’t care about me and my stories”, and other such goings on. (cue tiny violin.)
Blog for that Beer, yo
It’s that time again: Fantasy Friday. Blog something and win Beer Money! woot.
Fantasy Contest
We’re running a fun contest over on Fantasy that involves writing flash fanfiction (essentially) for classic genre tales. We’ve got five books to give away, so I’d like to see ten MILLION entries! ;)