Today's OED Word of the day is âme damnée: "A person slavishly devoted to another, and willing to carry out onerous (and sometimes disreputable) services on his or her behalf; a puppet; a tool." Happy Independence Day. May we live to see another.
J. Michael Straczynski naming names in the afterword of The Last Dangerous Visions for…reasons? This seems wildly irresponsible and self-serving at the very least. Redacted are the name of eleven “diverse” writers.
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons..." --1 Timothy 4:1
These are the four books I’m reading right now. I am increasingly of the opinion that fantasy thrives best in the 250 page range. The John collection is 253 pages, the Moore collection 201 pages, and the Anderson novel 271 pages. Hocking’s Conan book is 507 pages but it’s an omnibus of two novels.
I recommend the new sword & sorcery collection To Walk on Worlds by Matthew John. Enthusiastically. (Aside: I love the s&s community's commitment to bringing back the mass market paperback!)
A friend asked if any of my books are available at her public library, so I searched "Rowe, Christopher" in the author field of the website of the Warren County Public Library in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
One time I was being kind of a whiney smart ass about writing and Ted Chiang turned to me and quoted this verbatim. I write it down in my daybook anew about this time every year, as I finish my story for the Sycamore Hill workshop (which starts Saturday so why am I on social media?)
New shades. Going for a bad cop gone good in time to save the kids, heroically dying in the process, natch, in an eighties movie about bicycle messengers fighting the Russian mob kind of feel. Now to figure out who would play me.
No grass or boulders on the last two yet but that’ll have to wait until I return on Monday. Here’s a King Crab KGC-001, a Hunchback HBK-6N, a Wraith TR-1, and a Longbow LGB-8C for the first of next week’s games.
Maybe this looks to you like a two-inch tall piece of molded plastic, but in reality, it's a KGC-001 King Crab, a twelve-meter high, 100-ton engine of war fielded by the 30th Marik Militia.
The amazing cover of the new issue of @asimovssf.bsky.social magazine does not, alas, illustrate the story by me contained therein. But at least my name made the cover!
Contributors copies of the latest Wold Cards book, of which I wrote the plurality. The figure with back turned on the cover is meant to be a character I developed named Tesla, a freelance intelligence operative. Available now wherever fine books are sold.
Available today wherever fine books are sold. I wrote a quite long piece for this, interweaving among and connecting all the other stories. No need to have read any of the previous entries in the series!
On the one hand, I like wearing a beard. On the other, I think it makes me look 10 years older than…however old I look (I’m 54). Thinking of growing it out but am unsure. What say ye?
Maybe a couple of points off for using computer fonts instead of handwriting, but I'm glad people still make posters like this. I'm glad people still put on shows like this.
A friend just sent me this copy of his latest novel and ended his message on the title page, “May your Smith always Cordwainer.” If you know, you know.
Here is of the first chapter of the 1986 novel TALKING MAN by the late Terry Bisson, a great American. It’s a short first chapter. I believe this to be one of the great openings in American fantasy. Servants of the Secret Fire and wielders of the flame of Anor can ride in the back seat.
An extract from the memorial piece I've written about Terry Bisson, who died last week. He was a great man. I loved him very much and I will miss him to the end of my days.
