Spec Fic Recs from October
10 Nov
So there was a very, very minor site update last night– if you’re here take a sec and check out the sidebar. If you can’t see the category headings (“info”, “project excerpts”, etc.) or if the title image looks somehow wonky (apart from the quality of the artwork itself…), let me know. If everything’s cool, I’ll, ah, assume it’s cool. I just had an urge to replace some stuff so I did it while I watched the Steelers get beaten yesterday.
But we won’t talk about that any more. :/
Moving on, I did absolutely nothing for Nano this weekend, after clocking out on Friday with over 28k. That felt good, but I’m far enough into the book now to miss the company of my main character when I’m not writing.
I was always very attached to my imaginary friends as a kid. Nice to know some things never change.
And now to the important things! I read quite a lot of good stuff last month, seeing as it was October, but since I’m writing a novel that will inevitably end in extreme depression, I have an urge for things that strike me as fun. Therefore, this tiny edition of Spec Fic Recs is going to use that as a theme. Two stories this time, both of them awesomely fun– no hint of melodrama or despair.
Anyhow, it’s that time of year when there isn’t enough sun to go around, now. So I’d best start this off on the right foot.
The first of my two picks today is The Girl Prince by Merrie Haskell, from the last issue of Coyote Wild. This is sci-fi meets fairy story, a quest to save the princess in the tower, but with space suits and references to giant alien squid creatures. I know, how much more perfect can an idea get? But Haskell writes beautifully, deftly wielding the dual charms of true adventure and utterly disarming combination of practicality in fairy tale romance. (I do mean “romance” in the larger sense of the word, of course.) I’m also a sucker for fun physics and/or superhero science applications in my fiction, and this story is full of those goodies. She takes a good idea and makes it great.
As a sort of side note, growing up a girl who was into speculative fiction was sometimes a real pain in the ass. People would tell me I would love Piers Anthony, and I’d sit there with this look of horror on my face as I choked down the misogyny of the Incarnations of Immortality and wondered what the hell they were thinking. (They meant well, and I still like that concept, but man. The pain.) There were good things about it too– my dad hooked me on fantasy by giving me Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon when I was way too young for it, for example, and it’s still one of my favorite books to this day. I’m not saying that’s a reason to read The Girl Prince, it’s not a feminist story or even trying to beat down that nonsense (except by mocking them to death), but it’s definitely one of the reasons it struck me as so very true and clever as a girl, if not a prince, myself.
But don’t worry, feeling slightly marginalized as a kid isn’t a pre-requisite to enjoying it; it’s fun for everyone. Nobody likes to wait to be forbidden not to do what they really want, after all. (Hm, that makes more sense in context. Sorry.)
And the second fun read for the month is Catherine Schaff-Stump‘s The Initiation Rites and Incantations of the Vampire Killers Junior Auxiliary, from the inaugural issue of Drops of Crimson. This is not your typical vampire story by any stretch of the imagination, first of all (not that I’d mind if it was, because, er, vampires!). Instead it’s a groovy slice of an original world, wherein vampires occupy suburbia now and then, and vampire hunting is a real career option. This one follows the fabulous ten-year-old duo of Vince and Abby through a short, weirdly adorable adventure. What I love most about this is the understated prose and extraordinarily engaging storytelling. From a technical standpoint, I could learn a lot here.
From a reader standpoint, ha! That was awesome! I’m such a sucker for a great vampire (okay, that sounds like I’m trying to be punny, but I swear I’m not), any kind of vampire, but this one is just too cool.
So there we have it, some light spec fic to convince us all not to give up hope on our nano novels– or other novels, while the rejections and brain-blocks continue to roll in mercilessly in spite of the fact that this is November, dammit!
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Now playing: Keane – Black Burning Heart
posted with FoxyTunes
You are kicking NaNo’s ass – I am in awe.
Weirdly enough, my only progress for all of Sat, Sun, and Monday came in a spurt between 11 and 12 midnight last night, where I sat down and told myself to type without stopping for an hour.
As Cory said to me when I finished, that was a rush.
But probably not something I can do often. My head felt like it was on sideways for a while.
I’m far enough into the book now to miss the company of my main character when I’m not writing.
And that, right there, is why your stuff is amazingly awesome.
On Piers Anthony – oh, yes, the pain. The only thing that made me want to throw things faster was the Thomas Covenant crap. I swear I only made it to just past The Scene before it hit the wall across the room. I might’ve toughed it out if the main character hadn’t immediately turned into a whiny emo SOB, but… yeah.
Mists of Avalon was my coming-of-age book. I tried some of her others after that, but only liked Firebrand. She tends to get a bit preachy for my tastes, and her forwards to the Sword and Sorcery anthologies are a case study in arrogance. I’m almost afraid to go back to Mists – I would be terribly sad if it wasn’t as good as I recall.
For other good Wymmin Power:
Maggie Furey (Aurian and its sequels, though the last fell a bit flat)
Jennifer Roberson (Lady of the Forest and Lady of the Glen)
Juliet Mariller (Sevenwaters Trilogy – I still pimp her nearly as much as Terri Windling.)
Okay, I am adding this stuff to my Christmas Book List– which shall entertain me not only through the holidays, but on my trip to India.
Really good points about MZB, actually. I never read her forwards, but I pretty much only like The Firebrand and Mists as well. I read all the pre-quels and stuff to the latter and they fell a bit flat. I like her research but… yeah.
I did re-read Mists about two years ago though. And it was still pretty effing cool.
And now I will go back to thanking whatever gods feel like listening that I was not subjected to Thomas Covenant.
PS- Thanks for re-posting this. I am so jacked at WordPress at the moment…
No problem.
And on Thomas Covenant… the ONLY reason I picked it up in the first place is that my girlfriend-at-the-time (you know the one) swore it was the best book ever.
Guy can do really pretty descriptions of scenery, though. I’ll give him that.
Oh – and this one isn’t specifically girl-power, but I can’t recall if I ever pimped Kristine Katherine Rusch’s The Fey series to you. She does some fantastic politics-related stuff between different sorts of Fae. I normally have no patience for politics, but I couldn’t put her stuff down.
I actually love politics-related fantasy and sci-fi. It’s pretty much my favorite thing– probably because trying to write it would cause my pitiful brain to sputter and die.
Hell yes!
(And yes, I know the one. Why am I not surprised…)