Jim Worrad is a member of of my writing group, The Speculators, and a fine writer of space opera styled science fiction. Jim and I were discussing the logistical problems of getting stories out to American magazines, and wonderful human being that he is, Jim agreed to pen a piece on the subject for thisContinue reading “Guest Blog: The Silence of the Limeys”
Author Archives: Damien Walter
The iPad is a notebook replacement
Er…so…I bought an iPad. I tried to resist, but Steve kept telling me that I wanted one, and in the end I just gave up and bought one. I’m still not entirely sure whether I really like the iPad, or whether Steve is telling me that I like the iPad. I feel like I mightContinue reading “The iPad is a notebook replacement”
Where is the Booker winning SF?
The Man Booker prize longlist was announced yesterday. It’s a subject I haven’t been shy coming forward about in the past, having previously stated my hatred for the prize and accusing it of ignorance and bigotry. And this years longlist does nothing to raise my opinion of the award. Narrow and elitist are about theContinue reading “Where is the Booker winning SF?”
Why E-Books Are Winning
I’ve spent a good part of this evening reading an e-book on my iPhone. Which, since getting the new iPhone 4 with the excellent high definition Retina display, has become a regular activity. Combined with the iBooks and Kindle apps, the iPhone is a great e-reader, and has displaced my Sony Pocket, primarily because itContinue reading “Why E-Books Are Winning”
Bizarro fiction. It’s Shatnertastic!
Jeff Burk’s Shatnerquake is the story of William Shatner. Yes: Wiliam Shatner. All of the characters he has ever played are suddenly sucked into our world on a mission to hunt down and destroy the real William Shatner. As one Amazon reviewer insightfully states, if you have ever wondered what would happen if William ShatnerContinue reading “Bizarro fiction. It’s Shatnertastic!”
Show Me the (Urban Fantasy) Money
So. Jeff Vandermeer has called on me as ‘someone who comes from the old-school urban fantasy and an appreciation for it’ to ‘investigate and report back’ on the current state of the urban fantasy genre. Now. Jeff knows of my abiding love for the urban fantasy genre, not just because I mentioned it in askingContinue reading “Show Me the (Urban Fantasy) Money”
Who reads urban fantasy?
Or indeed any other truly mass market fiction? Now, let me contextualise my question. I like urban fantasy. This is not an attack on the genre. And I understand that lots of people enjoy reading it. What I don’t understand is who reads it in the kind of bulk quantities that justify the vast numberContinue reading “Who reads urban fantasy?”
A Little Something for Us Clarionauts
Today is the two year anniversary of the start of Clarion 2008. This time two years ago I was being collected by Dan Pinney and Megan Kurashige from a random street corner in San Diego, for the drive up to La Jolla and UCSD where I and seventeen others were going to spend six weeksContinue reading “A Little Something for Us Clarionauts”
Should new writers know their SF history?
I’m between social engagements, and reading the introduction to The Mammoth Book of 20th Century Science Fiction. Editor David G Hartwell offers a cogent history of the SF genre through the last century, one that considers not just the genre but the field (the former defined as the body of texts, the latter as theContinue reading “Should new writers know their SF history?”
Re-Engineering Science Fiction
Will Ellwood asked me to expand on a section of last nights blog-post, which I am also interested to do because the idea came out of left field whilst I was writing it and it seems like it might be worth exploring further. As I read the handbook, Shock is making me think some things.Continue reading “Re-Engineering Science Fiction”
Who wants to play a game of Shock with me?
I am reading Shock: Social Science Fiction v 1.1.1 by Joshua A C Newman. Not a novel but a ‘fiction game’ (Or Role-Playing Game if you are old style) handbook leant to me by the eminently cool Will Ellwood. Shock is pretty effing fascinating. The first page explains that the handbook uses the ‘DIN fontsContinue reading “Who wants to play a game of Shock with me?”
Too many ideas..ah..ah..stop them!
Kelly Link continues her blog tour around the paperback release of Pretty Monsters with a post about ideas, where they come from and why we have them. (Kind of.) (Kelly was our Week One instructor at Clarion ’08. She is a brilliant writer, an evil Mafia player and I can’t think of her without thinkingContinue reading “Too many ideas..ah..ah..stop them!”
Damien Walter 