A quote by John Fowles that I want to save for future reference. A short but fascinating statement on the meaning of ‘voice’ in fiction. The most difficult task for a writer is to get the right “voice” for his material; by voice I mean the overall impression one has of the creator behind whatContinue reading “John Fowles on Voice”
Author Archives: Damien Walter
Genre needs to stop applauding crap, and respect its best writers
Sarah Crown has started a fascinating discussion on the resurgence of fabulism in literary fiction over on The Guardian book blog, brought on by Tea Obreht’s surprise win in the Orange prize. I didn’t need to read the comments to know there would be at least half a dozen from irate members of fantasy fandom,Continue reading “Genre needs to stop applauding crap, and respect its best writers”
What are reviews for ?
I’ve been reviewing books for a few years now. I wrote occasional reviews right from the outset of this blog, and then not long afterwards began reviewing from the (much missed) The Fix. And my regular articles for The Guardian often hide a few book reviews. So I’ve been enjoying a brief exchange of viewsContinue reading “What are reviews for ?”
Alt.Fiction 2011
Alt.Fiction has a special place in my heart, as the one and only SF convention I have been to every year for its entire five year history. I’ve even written about it for the GU book blog. This year I’ll be on a number of panels about various aspects of SF writing. I’ll be hopingContinue reading “Alt.Fiction 2011”
Murakami Murakami Murakami
I’m in the midst of a Haruki Murakami binge. I finished Norwegian Wood a few days ago, and had to go right back to the beginning and start reading it again. I’m tearing through After Dark, and have Sputnik Sweetheart at the top of the ‘To Be Read’ stack. (The ‘To Be Read’ stack lives byContinue reading “Murakami Murakami Murakami”
not a game a man is supposed to grow strong in
I’m writing whilst debating whether to spend £6.99 on the iTunes download of Rollerball, the original Norman Jewison version of 1975. (There are of course other options, including renting the 2002 version for £2.49, but this is not really even an option). It’s not the money alone giving me pause, but the irony of purchasingContinue reading “not a game a man is supposed to grow strong in”
Thoughts on 500 SF novels
Give or take a few. We invited readers of The Guardian to name their favourite SF novels as part of the Guardian Review SF special a week or so ago. The list of over 500 suggestions was published yesterday and has been the most viewed article in the books section all day. It’s a listContinue reading “Thoughts on 500 SF novels”
Mieville, Embassytown and radical SF
Is SF becoming cool? If it is, as China Miéville claims, then the award-winning author, whose new novel Embassytown hit the shelves yesterday, may have something to do with it. In our current era of austerity, with the largest-ever protest march on the nation’s capital and a previously apathetic youth culture rallying to the UKContinue reading “Mieville, Embassytown and radical SF”
GROWL
GROWL for SF Fandom I. I saw the best minds of my genre destroyed by sanity, well fed, rotund, naked. dragging themselves through the convention centre at lunch time looking for affordable beverages longhaired hippies hunting for the dusty hardback collectible anthology of Hugo winners in the dealers room at night, who poor and t-shirtedContinue reading “GROWL”
War. What is it good for?
War. What is it good for? No, seriously, what? If you, like I, responded “absolutely nothing”, then it is likely that you will react to the existence of Baen books with kindly bemusement. Baen is the world’s leading publisher of military science fiction, with a stable of authors who regularly top the New York TimesContinue reading “War. What is it good for?”
Why SF is not genre
Originally written in response to the SF Signal Mind-meld question: What non-genre books have influenced you in some way? I’m fascinated to see this issue discussed at the moment. If I was to place one major criticism at the door of Speculative Fiction, it would be the way it continues to segregate itself from theContinue reading “Why SF is not genre”
New women’s worlds in fantasy fiction
Continuing the slow progress of archiving my pieces from The Guardian. It’s interesting to think that three years on from this piece, women writers now seem (to me at least) stronger than ever in all the genres of speculative fiction. I hope it’s a trend that continues. It’s also interesting for me to see howContinue reading “New women’s worlds in fantasy fiction”
Damien Walter 