…killer. She has gone unchallenged for decades–until a once-wayward citizen comes back to her decks for a family funeral… Where to Buy Subterranean Press (North America) JAB Books (Rest of World) Buy Now Aliette de Bodard adds to her acclaimed Xuya universe with a brand new novella, In the Shadow of the Ship. Nightjar, sentient ship and family matriarch, looms large in Khuyên’s past. Disappearances drove teenage Khuyên from it, but death will steer…

…ing unfriendly places because religion has changed beyond all recognition, compared to what he remembers from his childhood, and this is SO true. And it has Bear’s usual pretty writing, which flows along effortlessly (even though I’m sure the actual process of couching it onto paper involved blood and sweat); and wonderful and deep characters that refuse to become established stereotypes, and feel very much like real human beings with their flaws…

…ey’re running fiction on Tuesdays, the most recent being “Dancing Together Under Polarised Skies” by Milena Benini (do note that the fiction has been professionally translated–the poor vocabulary and grammar are deliberate). Also, couple of interviews, one with Sayuri Ueda (author of The Cage of Zeus published by Haikasoru), and one with Hannu Rajaniemi (who needs no presentation–if you feel you need one, read the awesome Quantum Thief). -Over at…

And in the midst of various upheavals, I’ve been really remiss in not posting those, but there are a couple of anthologies which include my fiction in them: –Transtories, edited by Colin Harvey, contains my short pseudo-Chinese story “The Axle of Heaven”. It was the last project Colin worked on before his death, and it’s got a stellar lineup, including Lawrence M. Schoen and Joanna Hall. Well worth a look, whether you knew Colin or not. -Deb Hoag…

…ly gender-typed (though there are a few women fighters), but Gemmell never denigrates what women do, and indeed his fighters often find themselves envying women, knowing that the greater courage is on their side. And his heroes are just impressive and memorable, and he never hides that they have terrible flaws, but can rise above them (it’s been rather a lot of years, but I can remember Tenaka and Druss and Ananais quite clearly). All in all, very…

…the street urchins–sorry, I have a nasty mind), and the other one ends up coming out of left field, and feeling a bit forced as a result (a side effect, I suspect, of too many reveals piled up). And I really wish people would stop thinking a Sherlock Holmes novel needs to have Moriarty, Mycroft, and Lestrade in it to be successful. I’m personally holding out for more Mrs. Hudson, because what the world needs is more women around Sherlock Holmes……

…reminisciences of how important Terri Windling is and has been to the field. Well, now she’s in deep legal and financial trouble, and there is an awesome fundraiser with cool places to help her out. See here for a list of what’s on offer….

…gle word. The first one is that this concept of “gender characteristics” sounds very much like something that a long-standing Anglophone speaker would come up with: a lot of Anglophones I’ve met have been fascinated by the idea of giving gender to nouns, but in a very odd way. No, I don’t think of a table as female. I think of it as gramatically feminine, which is a different beast. There is a difference–yes, they’re not totally dissociated concep…

…I might not have written half a novel in November, but I did total 50k words of original first drafts and non-fiction (blog posts for guest blogs). Can I collapse now?…

…sinh cỏ.” Literally (I think, the translation is mine, and I’m not at “can understand effortlessly” stage): “Heaven made the elephant, [and] Heaven made grass”. I think it’s “God will provide”, but I could be wrong (translating a proverb word for word not giving me much about its actual meaning). And a less-lovely one: “Trọng nam khinh nữ”, which means “hold men in high esteem, despise women”. No prizes for the interpretation, it’s pure Confucian…