WWLD: What Would Lucas Do?

Ensign: But sir, I don't know if the market can stand another sequel.

Captain: Acknowledged. Reverse thrusters. Full power.

Ensign: Sir, are you sure, that would mean...

Captain: Yes, ensign - it's time for

PREQUELS

The sad thing is that if the upcoming movie does well, this is only going to get worse.

Have we learned nothing from Dune or Pern?

Covering Covers (and Contents): The YBSF: Twenty-Ninth Annual Collection - Gardner Dozois

Via Pat Cadigan's livejournal via Tobias Buckell's twitter, here is the line-up for Dozois's 29th annual SF collection:

• "The Choice" by Paul Mcauley
• "Silently And Very Fast" by Catherynne M. Valente
• "The Man Who Bridged The Mist" by Kij Johnson
• "The Ants Of Flanders" by Robert Reed
• "A Soldier Of The City" by David Moles
• "The Invasion Of Venus" by Stephen Baxter
• "Laika's Ghost" by Karl Schroeder
• "The Beancounter's Cat" by Damien Broderick
• "The Vicar Of Mars" by Gwyneth Jones
• "Dolly" by Elizabeth Bear
• "Martian Heart" by John Barnes
• "Ascension Day" by Alastair Reynolds
• "The Smell Of Orange Groves" by Lavie Tidhar
• "After The Apocalypse" by Maureen McHugh
• "A Long Way Home" by Jay Lake
• "What We Found" by Geoff Ryman
• "The Incredible Exploding Man" by Dave Hutchinson
• "The Copenhagen Interpretation" by Paul Cornell
• "The Way It Works Out And All" by Peter S. Beagle
• "The Dala Horse" by Michael Swanwick
• "Earth Hour" by Ken MacLeod
• "The Ice Owl" by Carolyn Ives Gilman
• "Digital Rites" by Jim Hawkins
• "Cody" by Pat Cadigan
• "Ghostweight" by Yoon Ha Lee
• "A Response From Est17" by Tom Purdom
• "Digging" by Ian McDonald
• "A Militant Peace" by David Klecha & Tobias S. Buckell
• "For I Have Lain Me Down On The Stone Of Loneliness And I'll Not Be Back Again" by Michael Swanwick
• "The Iron Shirts" by Michael Flynn
• "The Boneless One" by Alec Nevala-Lee
• "Canterbury Hollow" by Chris Lawson
• "The Cold Step Beyond" by Ian R. MacLeod
• "The Vorkuta Event" by Ken MacLeod
• "Dying Young" by Peter M. Ball

Lots of familiar names on that list - and a few new (to me) ones. Got some more reading to do...

As for the cover, I'm afraid Dozois continues to lose ground to Strahan, whose competing 6th volume features this gorgeous piece of art:

 Or maybe it's just me. Either way, congrats to all the authors who were selected!

Suicide Watch

Some advice for all the noobs out there - mainlining the first 60 issues of The Walking Dead is not good for your soul.

Need a visual representation?

And that guy was a Ned Flanders-class optimist before he started reading.

I fear the only cure is to eat copious amounts of fresh, warm-out-of-the-oven Christmas cookies.

Wish me luck.

Books Received and Other Things

Still here. Still around. Trying to figure out some real world type stuff while not letting the day job implode. We can't all start our own publishing imprint... Although I wouldn't be opposed. In the mean time, here's what I've received recently...

That's right - yours truly has obtained a copy of The Drowned Cities and I didn't even have to defraud a teaching convention to do it. Although that's not to say I wouldn't if I had the chance.

In other news, I hope to have a review of Michael Sullivan's Theft of Swords up in the near future. I finished the book/books yesterday and I was impressed if not blown away. The first book feels a little "self-published" (if that's a thing) at first but Sullivan eventually finds a rhythm and puts together two solid fantasy outings. There are a few pacing problems which lead me to question the omnibus format but I was pleasantly reminded of my childhood experience of reading The Belgariad.

In any event, Rise of Empire has jumped up the reading list. But should I read that or Seed? Or Throne of the Crescent Moon? Or The Drowned Cities? Decisions, decisions...