Hellstrom’s Hive, by Frank Herbert
Posted by: Redhead on: January 28, 2012
Hellstrom’s Hive, by Frank Herbert
Published in 1973
where I got it: purchased used
There will be spoilers in this review, if only because they show up early in the novel, and it would be impossible to tell you anything about the plot without spoiling a few surprises. But don’t worry, there are many more surprises I didn’t tell you about.
If you’ve read Dune, you’ll be familiar with Herbert’s odd style of telling a story in third person, yet showing nearly everyone’s internal monologues and thoughts processes as if it were first person. For people who have never read a Herbert before, it is a strange style, and you’ll get used to it fairly quickly.
Something very strange is going on in a rural valley in the Pacific Northwest. An unnamed government agency has a file on the documentary maker Nils Hellstrom. They know something subversive (probably communism or a religious cult) is happening on his rural farm slash movie studio, but they can’t seem to catch him in the act. And every agent they send in as a lost backpacker or hiker disappears without a trace. When an agent finds a secret Hellstrom document partially outlining some kind of super weapon, the agency knows it’s time to up their game. We get to know a handful of agents, and in only a few pages (sometimes a few sentences), Herbert digs deeps into their personas to flesh them out into full developed characters with hopes and fears. If you ask me, Herbert has always been a master of subtle character development.
And then we get the story from Nils’ point of view. He’s not harboring communists or making dirty movies. He’s desperately trying to save the human race. More a culture than a cult, he has helped created a utopian society, one free of fear, jealousy, hunger, and anger. A society where everyone is peaceful and happy, where everyone works in harmony to help the larger group. This perfect society, the only way to save the human race, is based on another on of Earth’s creatures, albeit on most humans find unsavory.
The Wanting Seed, by Anthony Burgess
Posted by: Redhead on: January 25, 2012
Vintage Science Fiction Month Returns!!
The Wanting Seed, by Anthony Burgess
published in 1962
where I got it – garage sale
In this Dystopian futuristic London, Earth’s population has exploded,requiring government involvement to keep population under control. Solutions include limiting families to one birth, allowing a high infant mortality rate, and doing anything to discourage pregnancy. Energy is scarce, so nothing is wasted, and dead bodies are used as fertilizers and energy. Most people subsist on government supplied rations of artificially created foodstuffs. Burgess writes so perfectly smoothly that you don’t even feel the disturbing qualities overtake the story. By the time you realize what’s happening, it’s too late to put the book down.
The story follows Tristram Foxe and his wife Beatrice-Joanna. Tristram is a scholar and school teacher, and Beatrice-Joanna is having an affair with her brother in law, Derek, who is a government official. in a future where procreating families are looked down upon, homosexuality is a highly promoted lifestyle choice as a way of having a perfectly healthy sexual relationship where children are impossible. Many heterosexuals act homosexual in public, as overt homosexuality has become a way to further one’s career opportunities. Derek, for instance, flirts with men all day long, but visits Beatrice-Joanna as often as possible. Beatrice-Joanna becomes pregnant by Derek (after purposely misusing her government supplied contraceptives), and when Tristram finds out the child may not be his, he kicks her out, and she goes north to find shelter on her sister’s farm.
Their marital troubles aside, society is falling apart around Tristram and Beatrice-Joanna. The government has started to threaten random blood testing of women for pregnancy, further enforcement of government supplied contraceptives, and social pressures for sterilization. Ranks of the angry unemployed are hired as junior police officers and general goons to keep the populace terrorized.
ConFusion give away!
Posted by: Redhead on: January 24, 2012
- In: give away | John Scalzi
- 10 Comments
Congrats! You survived my EpicConFusion posts, as full of geekery, author stalking and horrible photos as they were. (BTW, thanks for all the comments, I am slowly getting to respond to them. too slowly. it’s all twitter’s and my day job’s fault)
But you survived! You deserve a prize!
How about a hard cover Limited Edition of John Scalzi’s The Sagan Diary, with stunning cover art by Bob Eggleton?
here’s the blurb:
Fans of John Scalzi’s “Old Man” universe, prepare yourselves: there’s a long new story in that universe, told from the point of view of one of the series’ most intruiging characters.
Subterranean Press is proud to present The Sagan Diary, a long novelette that for the first time looks at the worlds of the Hugo-nominated Old Man’s War and it’s sequel The Ghost Brigades from the point of view of Lieutenant Jane Sagan, who is a series of diary entries gives her views on some of the events included in the series. . . and sheds new light into some previously unexplored corner. If you thought you knew Jane Sagan before, prepare to be surprised.
If you’re a fan of his Old Man’s War series, you’d probably be interested in this. I’m interested in it too, but as husband and I both received copies, even if I give one away, I’ll still have one to read.
This contest will be open until the evening of Sunday, Jan 29th, Eastern Standard Time. It’s open to anyone living on planet Earth, however if you live outside the US the shipping might take a while.
Sounds great you say? How do I enter, you ask? All you have to do is leave a comment in this post telling me an author you’d love to meet at a convention. The winner will be contacted within a few days after the give away closes.
Good luck!
Final Epic ConFusion post: the Epic Scott Lynch Post
Posted by: Redhead on: January 23, 2012
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This is part FOUR of my EpicConFusion posts. Click accordingly for parts ONE, TWO and THREE.
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Come on.
this is me.
of course there is a massive fangirlish Scott Lynch post. If you’re not a fan, or you don’t know who he is, or you don’t care, skip this. It’s 100% fangirl drooling. But now I can say I’ve met him!!
if you’re just here for updates on Republic of Thieves, it’s about two thirds of the way to the bottom.
He was very nice. and tall. and has a lovely voice. and didn’t freak out too much when my attempts at wit came out horribly awkward. Sunday morning I was pretty much following him around like a puppy. Luckily his girlfriend (the wonderful Elizabeth Bear) was cool about it. Apologies that this may not be perfectly in chronological order. Epic ConFusion was that kind of weekend.
There was a mass autographing session on Saturday afternoon. Not knowing how crowded it was going to be, I got in line early, planning to find Lynch’s table as soon as I got through the door. Not only was his the first table I went to, but I was the first person in line for his autograph. I awkwardly said something about how I came to this con just for him, and that I’d been stalking him online, and if he registered for a restraining order against me by the end of the weekend I would feel like my mission was completed. He politely signed my well loved copies of The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies:
For Andrea: You need to set more things on file to get a restraining order. Cheers and Best Wishes, Scott Lynch
ConFusion post the third: Cosplay and the Rocky Horror Muppet Show
Posted by: Redhead on: January 23, 2012
- In: conventions | Cosplay | Filk
- 8 Comments
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This is part THREE of my Epic ConFusion posts. Click accordingly for parts ONE, TWO and FOUR
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Oh was there a lot of cosplay, and it was awesome! I saw at least two Inuyashas, a spot on Doctor Who and River Song, two Tardises (Tardisii? Tardisae?) two Jesuses (again, Jesusi? Jesii? Jay-Z’s?), What I thought were Mokono hats (you know, from xxxHolic and Tsubasa?), possibly some furries, at least one The Dude, a Hunter S. Thompson, a few Trekkies, some Star Wars aliens, Doctor Frankenfurter, buckets of top hats and other crazy hats and goggles and random victoriana, and quite a bit of cross dressing. Husband and I played “guess the gender” a few times.
I learned something very important during this con. I learned that I haven’t a freakin’ clue how my stupid digital camera works. So most of my pictures came out like crap. Here are a few badly taken pics, and some links to much better image libraries.
extra feet??
Look Ma, I found Jesus! or at least one of them.
How many can you identify?
Alright, enough of my awful photos, here’s some pro and semi-pro albums:
Al Bogden’s Gallery
Dave Hogg’s ConFusion Flickr
Davroz’s albums
But much better than learning that I’m digital camera clueless, was learning about the crazy amazing hilariousness that is the Rocky Horror Muppet Show.
EpicConfusion wrap-up the first
Posted by: Redhead on: January 23, 2012
I have returned from EpicConfusion!
And it was incredible. I was in geek heaven. Everyone’s first con experience should be like this. There were authors hanging around, authors doing organized and well planned panels, authors autographing stuff (not just books!), and plenty of cosplay, humorous music (Rocky Horror Muppet Show!) and every flavor of crazy and fun. I met so many wonderful folks, authors, artists, other. Rothfuss was incredibly friendly, Lynch was gracious, Elizabeth Bear said I had pretty hair, Abercrombie may not be aware how irresistible that “British rogue” thing is to American women, Ahmed wins for nicest guy and best hair, Kameron Hurley is insanely interesting, Myke Cole gave me a hug anyways, and Peter Brett let me interrupt his dinner to talk about a panel he’d just done (btw, don’t interrupt peeps who are trying to eat. It was a total asshole thing I did), and Jim Hines is even more hilarious and friendly than I expected, even when he was completely exhausted and I was bugging him. When people found out it was my first con, they told me I picked a good one. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, and I was not disappointed.
I’ve so much to tell. . . . and so many blurry photos to post (wait, what? my camera has a low-light setting? Why didn’t someone tell me that before!). To keep you from having to slog through stuff you might not be interested in, there will be a post on fun/funny author interaction (that’s gonna be this one, by the way), panels, cosplay and of course, Scott Lynch gets a post all to himself.
I was that girl who faux pas’ed my way through my first con by hijacking conversations and bothering people and talking to anyone and everyone who looked interesting (including the goth cross dresser) and now I’m gonna be that girl who gives WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION. read at your own risk, and don’t say I didn’t warn you!
There will be a giveaway for peeps who survive all of these ridiculous posts.
Off to EpicConFusion!
Posted by: Redhead on: January 20, 2012
Well peeps, Vintage science fiction month is on hiatus for a few days while I am at EpicConFusion in Troy, Michigan! If all goes well, I’ll arrive sometime Saturday morning. While there, I hope to see (and possibly meet, get autograph of, buy drinks for, drool over and stalk) the likes of Patrick Rothfuss, Scott Lynch, Jim Hines, Joe Abercrombie, Robin Hobb, Saladin Ahmed, Sarah Zettel, and tons more, and hook up with fellow blogger Justin from Staffer’s Musings. This is my very first Con, and I’ve been bubbling with excitement since I got the tickets last summer.
I’m not sure what the interweb accessability in the hotel room will be. . . so you may not hear from me until Monday. You can expect multiple posts and buckets of photos.
And what does the future of Vintage SciFi Month hold? Anthony Burgess (if you’re not reading him, you should) and more Arthur C. Clarke.
Well, off to pack, take care of my eight page to-do list, and see how many books I can cram in my suitcase with the hopes of getting them autographed!
Mission to the Stars, by A. E. Van Vogt
Posted by: Redhead on: January 19, 2012
Mission to the Stars (also published as The Mixed Men), by A. E. Van Vogt
published as a novel in 1952, based on short stories written in the 1940′s
where I got it: purchased used
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With an incredibly immersive and involved story, Van Vogt manages to use very few words to imply so much about characters, the environment, and complex political situations. I was happily surprised at how few pages it took me to feel like I was “in” the story. And another happy surprise, a female main character, who is also in a position of power, along with a handful of other female officers! How wonderfully unexpected!
Grand Captain Lady Laurr Gloria Cecily commands the Earth ship Star Cluster on their ten year mapping mission of the Megallanic Cloud. As their mission comes to a close and they are readying for the interstellar trip home, they come across a lonesome weather station, manned by a suicidal meteorologist named Watcher. What is a weather station doing out in the middle of no where, where humanity has barely been, and why in the world did he kill himself after he had been given medical care on board the Star Cluster? Against the strong suggestions of the rest of the captains on the ship, Grand Captain Gloria Cecily decides to dive back into the Magellanic Cloud to search for possible colonists.
The government of Earth is a singular government, and does not tolerate any independent human colonies. Revolts are either put down, or the populations involved are killed. If there are human colonists living in the Magellanic Cloud, they will be absorbed into the government of Earth. But these people do not want to be found!
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