Upcoming (Virtual) Panel Appearance!

 I'll be appearing on this panel, talking about my experiences editing anthologies over the years. My debut was the first Lace and Blade (2007) when I got to work with the great Tanith Lee.

Short Book Reviews: Ideas, Not Action

  

Trouble with Lichen, by John Wyndham (Modern Library)

British writer John Wyndham is known to the science fiction community best for his novel, and then the movie based on it, The Day of the Triffids. The publisher Modern Library isn’t exactly known for its modern (excuse the pun) science fictional sensibilities. So to judge this novel as contemporary science fiction is, I believe, a disservice to both the book and the community (and the reading community at large, as well, especially those who still reflexively look down their noses at genre fiction). Rather, it is a quintessentially British literary novel that employs a science fictional concept as a vehicle for examining societal issues, especially those relating to gender roles.

In many ways,  Trouble with Lichen violates the contemporary expectations of genre. Most of the book consists of conversations (“talking heads”) rather than action. Indeed, almost every pivotal event occurs offstage, leaving the reader with the long-drawn-out, convoluted, and often ambivalent reactions of the characters. Dramatic tension is slight compared to that in today’s science fiction novels. To this American reader, most of the characters sounded similar (similarly British); they had different points of view, but they all talked the same. (To be fair, a few of the secondary characters had strong voices, usually unpleasant ones.) And yet, I found the book neither boring nor slow-paced. Its center revolves around ideas, not action, but those ideas are provocative.

I enjoyed the slow evolution of reactions and visions of the potential of the mcguffin (an extract of lichen that slows down aging, potentially extending human lifespans to several centuries) to transform lives and greater society. My favorite point of discussion was the way a greatly enhanced life expectancy would result in accumulation of knowledge, experience, and (hopefully) wisdom. For every anticipated benefit, there would be a host of drawbacks (ever-young people refusing to retire, others stuck in meaningless jobs for a hundred years, unhappy marriages turning into eternities of hell). Wyndham himself doesn’t bash the reader of the head, telling us how we should think and feel; he allows his characters to explore nuance and unfolding realizations. The book is out of date in terms of feminist sensibilities, not to mention LGBTQ+ and environmental/population concerns, but taken for what it is and when it was written, I found it surprisingly relevant. As I said, I enjoyed it and recommend it. Just don’t expect a lot of frenetic rockets’n’rayguns action. Instead, have a cup of tea ready.

 

 

Jodi Picoult Responds to Book Banning

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. She writes mainstream fiction, but with so much passion and clarity, her work takes my breath away. She tackles complex, troubling contemporary issues with integrity and nuance. (See below for a few of my reviews of her work.)

Now a Florida high school library has pulled 20 of her books from the shelves because one parent, who admitted she had not even read Picoult's work, decided the books were "adult romance." Not an elementary school library, mind you; this is high school. And, as Picoult points out, not only does she not write "adult romance" but there is hardly a kiss in her books. ABC News reporters Gio Benitez and Kayna Whitworth interviewed her here. It's worth reading the whole interview, but here are some highlights.

BENITEZ: Why do you think your books are getting banned, especially there in Florida?

PICOULT: That is an excellent question. But unfortunately, in Martin County, Florida, and in many places in Florida, one parent can decide to pull a book from a shelf without even giving a reason for that. And the one parent who wanted to ban all 20 of my books said on her form that she had not read the book, she admitted to that. And she said that some of them were adult romance, which is really interesting because I don't write adult romance. And, in fact, half of the books she pulled do not even have a single kiss in them. But they do have topics like gun rights and women's reproductive health rights and gay rights and things that make—

BENITEZ: Because all of your books are very topical. It's like what's happening in the moment.

PICOULT: Yeah, so they're books that are to encourage kids to think for themselves. 

Here are some of my reviews. I encourage you to check out her work for yourself. Review it, talk about it, give work like this the buzz to reach everyone. 

A Spark of Light. Tackles the abortion debate and pulls no punches.  

Wish You Were Here. A heart-wrenching novel of Covid times.

Small Great Things. Racism, white privilege, and courage.

The Book of Two Ways. Ancient Egyptology, death, and choices.

Short Book Reviews: Demons Never Lie

 The Long Game, by K. J. Parker (Subterranean)

Demons never lie. They just don’t tell the entire truth, especially when it involves a plot running for thousands of years to ultimately seduce humankind so that Evil can reign on Earth.

The unnamed narrator is an Ecclesiastical Adept, rather full of himself and his abilities (including the knack for sliding through exams with the least possible amount of effort other than raw talent). He’s supposed to be carefully guarding the world against the forces of Evil in the form of demons, but actually he has—somehow, he’s not sure exactly how—formed a friendship with one of the Enemy’s minions. The demon is no match for the Adept’s powers and all too ready to exchange a few favors here and there for the right to continued residence in the mortal realms. So when a young, beautiful, mysterious woman from a land formerly thought to be mythical murders a local prior, it’s up to the Adept and his ever-helpful demon to solve the case. But nothing is as it seems when it comes to demons. They are notorious for playing the Long Game, in this case, The Very, Very, Very Long Game. They do this by telling the truth. Just not all of it.

The best thing about this short novel is the wonderful voice of the narrator, snappy and sarcastic and oh-so-unreliable when it comes to his own nature and motives. And the plot twists. And the mystery. It’s just delicious!

 

JEWELS OF DARKOVER story list!

Here's the story list for Jewels of Darkover!

Golden Eyes, by Marella Sands

Little Mouse, by Shariann Lewitt

Avarra’s Scion, by Evey Brett

Finders Keepers, by Deborah Millitello

A Cold, Bleak Day in the Hellers, by Barb Caffrey

Field Work, by Margaret L. Carter and Leslie Roy Carter

To Reach for the Stars, by Lillian Csernica

Fire Seed, by Diana L. Paxson

Nor Iron Bars A Cage, by India and Rosemary Edghill

Pebbles, by Rhondi Salsitz

Berry-thorn, Berry-thorn, by Leslie Fish

Release date May 2, 2023

Preorder: https://www.amazon.com/Jewels.../dp/B0BWCJ1DB7/ref=sr_1_1...