The BFS Awards longlist has been posted–I was mightily pleased to see my Chinese horror tale “Golden Lilies” (published in the August 2009 Fantasy Magazine) in the short story category.
W00t!
(and congrats to all the friends on the list–lots of familiar names in there…)
-Elizabeth Bear at Ideomancer (which, BTW, has an awesome new look):
In Servant of the Underworld, Aliette de Bodard has created a rather good debut novel, replete with magic, blood, and complex worldbuilding. There was a great deal to enjoy in this book, not all of it the immediately obvious.
-Josh Vogt at Examiner:
(…)for those who enjoy mythology, subtle horror, and even “detective” stories, Servant of the Underworld blends these elements into a unique story. Fortunately, it’s labeled the first book in the Obsidian and Blood series, so hopefully we’ll be seeing Bodard’s next release soon. Looks like book 2 is called Harbinger of the Storm. Sounds…peaceful.
-And Hereward L.M. Proops at Booksquawk (who didn’t like it so much, alas, but you can’t win every time):
(…)those looking for something truly different could do much worse than check out this novel. Whilst not perfect, Aliette de Bodard’s debut shows a great deal of potential which could be better realised in the inevitable sequels.
-The book also gets mentioned over at SF Signal as part of the “What Book Have You Recently Read That’s Good Enough To Recommend To a Friend?” discussion.
-Still at SF Signal, my short story “Golden Lilies” is identified as one of several “Nebula-worthy” short stories by Eugie Foster
-Finally, BestSF reviews “The Wind-Blown Man”, in the February 2010 issue of Asimov’s
Aliette de Bodard looks to China to create an alien society, alien cultures and technology – a world in which China is on a par, or better, with Western Christian society. For my money, I’d rather see Earth cultures used as inspiration to create truly alien societies, as that is true SF – but failing this, I’d much rather see the creative efforts as put in by de Bodard.
Just found out that “Golden Lilies” was among the top five stories of Fantasy Magazine as voted by the readers–along with stories by Jessica Lee, Camille Alexa, Aidan Doyle, and Cate Gardner. My deepest thanks to everyone who voted for it!
In other news, I sold my Aztec steampunk story “Memories in Bronze, Feathers and Blood” to Beneath Ceaseless Skies, to appear in an upcoming issue. Many thanks to the Liberty Hall people who took a look at it, and to my WIBite pals for the help (including a new, catchier title and a better ending paragraph).
Your Sunday morning pimpage:
-Fellow WIBite Keyan Bowes has a story up at Cabinet des Fees, “Nor Yet Feed the Swine”, a creepy take on the Curlylocks nursery rhyme. Bet you’ll never see strawberries the same way after reading it…
-Fellow VDer Stephen Gaskell‘s “Aequestria” is in the current issue of Interzone: a neat SF take on colonisation, with a nice twist at the end (and gorgeous, full-colour artwork by Jim Burns).
-And, with some delay because I hadn’t got around to reading it until recently, Angela Slatter‘s “The Chrysanthemum Bride” in Fantasy Magazine, a horror story set in Ancient China, about a vain woman taken to be the bride of the Emperor. You know it’s going to end badly and suspect some of the ending, but you still can’t stop until the end…
Fantasy Magazine is having an annual fiction poll (with prizes!) Go here for more information.
(my story “Golden Lilies” is eligible, should you feel like voting for it; but I also recommend Rochita Loenen-Ruiz’s sweet and hilarious “Teaching a Pink Elephant to Ski”, Jean-Claude Dunyach’s atmospheric “Birds” “Offerings”, among many others).
Fantasy Magazine‘s interview of me is up here. If you want to learn about golden lilies, Chinese ghosts and why Aztec mythology is fun, this is the place to go. Thanks to Rae Bryant for the spotlight!
(I was going to add something on Daoist sex, too, but I figured there’d been enough gruesomeness as it was. I’ll save that for another day–or another story…)
My short story “Golden Lilies” is up at Fantasy Magazine.
It was the smell which woke me up, insinuating itself between the planks of my coffin: cooked meat mingling with the sweet odour of aromatic rice, and the tangy hint of fruit and spices — a powerful summoning if there ever was one.
Read more.
For those of you who prefer their fiction in audio form, it’s also available as a podcast read by the talented M.K. Hobson (who does a truly awesome job).
