Enough stuff to make a post
May. 28th, 2010 08:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
megwrites1. I am going to be moving to Dreamwidth soon. I'll answer comments here and crosspost, because I don't expect everyone to magically move to a whole other site, but I'll make the announcement when I get the !@#$%ing layout to work over there.
2. I'm so far behind on book reviews. But after vacation, a massive ear infection, finishing a novel, starting two more, and getting a new job, I just have fallen so far behind. Expect some review spam coming in the next few days.
3. Speaking of reviews, does anyone know any really good sites that do trustworthy reviews of SF/F books? Or sites that at least list what new SF/F releases are coming out each month? I'm looking for somewhere good that will give me the heads up on what awesome new stuff might be coming out. I feel like so many titles I'd be really interested in reading come out and I miss them because I don't stop by brick-and-mortar stores but maybe once every quarter (otherwise I will spend my entire life savings on books and we just don't have that kind of room in this apartment).
4. I have this whole big post about that little fanfiction kurfluffle that went around about a month and a half ago. Until then, at least go read![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jimhines giving us the facts about Marion Zimmer Bradley vs. Fanfiction. From what I've read, it seems to me that very, very smart, savvy authors fully support fanfiction of their works and give their fans their complete blessing to fanfic at will, but at no point actually get involved in fanworks based on my original works. Not because I disapprove, but because
Maybe it's just me, but I have this thing where I think it's extremely BAD form for an author to get involved in any kind of response to their work, whether be a review, a criticism, or a fan work. It just seems...officious, overbearing, controlling, and generally unwise.
I think literature needs to be a two line conversation. The author creates the work, the audience reacts, end of conversation. I think for the author to reply to the audience's reaction, whether that's a review, a comment, or a transformative work is to cross a boundary that shouldn't be crossed. Because when the author steps down to meddle in the affairs of readers, they come from a position of control and power. They created that work, they control the "official" version of it. And involving themselves in the reactions of the audience will change the reactions to the work based on something besides the work itself. And then it becomes about the author, not the work, and I personally find that a bit sketchy.
5. As Monty Python once said, "Five is right out."
2. I'm so far behind on book reviews. But after vacation, a massive ear infection, finishing a novel, starting two more, and getting a new job, I just have fallen so far behind. Expect some review spam coming in the next few days.
3. Speaking of reviews, does anyone know any really good sites that do trustworthy reviews of SF/F books? Or sites that at least list what new SF/F releases are coming out each month? I'm looking for somewhere good that will give me the heads up on what awesome new stuff might be coming out. I feel like so many titles I'd be really interested in reading come out and I miss them because I don't stop by brick-and-mortar stores but maybe once every quarter (otherwise I will spend my entire life savings on books and we just don't have that kind of room in this apartment).
4. I have this whole big post about that little fanfiction kurfluffle that went around about a month and a half ago. Until then, at least go read
jimhines giving us the facts about Marion Zimmer Bradley vs. Fanfiction. From what I've read, it seems to me that very, very smart, savvy authors fully support fanfiction of their works and give their fans their complete blessing to fanfic at will, but at no point actually get involved in fanworks based on my original works. Not because I disapprove, but because Maybe it's just me, but I have this thing where I think it's extremely BAD form for an author to get involved in any kind of response to their work, whether be a review, a criticism, or a fan work. It just seems...officious, overbearing, controlling, and generally unwise.
I think literature needs to be a two line conversation. The author creates the work, the audience reacts, end of conversation. I think for the author to reply to the audience's reaction, whether that's a review, a comment, or a transformative work is to cross a boundary that shouldn't be crossed. Because when the author steps down to meddle in the affairs of readers, they come from a position of control and power. They created that work, they control the "official" version of it. And involving themselves in the reactions of the audience will change the reactions to the work based on something besides the work itself. And then it becomes about the author, not the work, and I personally find that a bit sketchy.
5. As Monty Python once said, "Five is right out."
no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 12:28 am (UTC)The Green Man Review (http://www.greenmanreview.com)
SF Site (http://www.sfsite.com)
For keeping up with what's coming out, I regularly check:
http://www.scifiguy.ca/
http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/
http://www.walkerofworlds.com/
http://tezmilleroz.wordpress.com/
http://www.locusmag.com/Resources/ForthcomingBooks.html
Crashing the paaaaarty
Date: 2010-05-29 02:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 02:58 pm (UTC)http://evesalexandria.typepad.com/eves_alexandria
For more comprehensive coverage, I periodically binge on the last few months' Publisher's Weekly online reviews; if you're only reading the sf/f section it's manageable. They're not available as far in advance as they are to those who subscribe, of course. But I used to work in the business, and I got hooked. It might not be as efficient as the sf-specific sites listed above, but it's great if you're also checking out other genres at the same time.