¹ As rule I prefer my Sci-Fi to be extrapolated from existing science to have believable future tech rather than wildly unlikely technology. Though if something with wildly unlikely tech has an interesting story or characters that can be fun too (e.g. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi).
² I’m glad lunch is coming up soon, I’m starting to get pretty hungery. *smile*

EP134: Me and My Shadow © Mark McKibben, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.

So I say shame on you Mr. Eley for bringing us this tripe and implore you to look for more stories like:

• #005: Snow Day
• #007: The Trouble With Death Traps
• #013: The Once and Future Dentist
• #020: The Burning Bush
• #028: Your Corporate Network and the Forces of Darkness
• #031: Robots and Falling Hearts
• #034: Free Will, Baby
• #038: L’Alchimista
• #039: My Friend is a Lesbian Zombie
• #042: Practical Villainy
• #045: Are You Ready For the End of the World?
• #047: Poet for Hire
• #052: Single White Farmhouse
• #054: Tk’tk’tk
• #056: The Clockwork Atom Bomb
• #061: I Look Forward To Remembering You
• #064: Head of State
• #070: Squonk the Dragon
• #075: Nano Comes to Clifford Falls
• #076: The Dinner Game
• #078: The Shoulder of Giants
• #082: Travels With My Cats
• #100: Nightfall
• #102: The Angle of My Dreams
• #104: Lust for Learning
• #110: Frankie the Spook
• #123: Niels Bohr and the Sleeping Dane

Notes…

• Why no, this post is not a blatant attempt at being named BofW and getting a free book from Escape Pod. What would ever give you that idea. *grin*
• Ok, I could be fibbing when I made the above comment.
• Alright I was fibbing and it is a blatant attempt at just that.
• However I also wrote up this post to draw attention to what I feel are the very, very best of Escape Pod. Any sci-fi and/or fantasy fans not listening to Escape Pod should start and they should definitely start with the stories on this list!

Escape Pod, for shame! © Mark McKibben, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.

Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs)

A quiet and underrated master of “hard science” fiction who, among other things, foresaw integrated circuits back in the 1940s.

Well, that’s a new way of finding different authors to read. I mean I’ve been reading sci-fi for practically as long as I’ve known how to read and I’ve never heard of this guy. Thanks for the quiz/link Boing Boing

Which science fiction writer are you? © Mark McKibben, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.

The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi
My Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book is a delightfully wacky tale of one man’s fight to keep a very special sheep alive. In the process, our hero will have to fight off various aliens and a few treacherous villainous humans. Scattered throughout The Android’s Dream are numerous one liners. Each one of these taken by itself and outside the context of the story are funny, but put together and in context they’re hysterical. LOL is a common abbreviation used online that stands for “Laugh Out Loud”. These days it is mostly used to indicate somebody found something else amusing and does not actually mean any truly laughed outside of their own head. I bring this up as I repeatedly found myself laughing out loud while reading The Android’s Dream. Below are a few of my favorite lines from the book:

Jesus, forgive me, he thought. I really shouldn’t have eaten that panda.

“No more shoes in advance for anyone,” he said.

“Today people have tried to kill me, the police are looking for me, and I’ve just discovered every Easter of my childhood, I ate one of my relatives with mint jelly. I’m just fine.”

“I don’t know … You’d have to ask the sheep.”

It drives physicists mad and every few years on e will snap and begin raving that sentient beings should nae fuck with that which they ken nae unnderstan’

If my little review here fails to entirely convince you to rush out and find a copy of this book to read, then try Bookgasm’s review

Review: The Android’s Dream © Mark McKibben, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien*
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein*
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14. Children Of The Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
16. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card*
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson* This is really three books that they’ve lumped altogether and I don’t see any combined version for sale on Amazon. The individual books are: Lord Foul’s Bane (Book 1), The Illearth War (Book 2) and The Power That Preserves (Book 3).
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
27. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams*
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview With The Vampire, Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash., Neal Stephenson
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein*
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

50 most significant sci-fi/fantasy novels © Mark McKibben, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.

Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

Are you part of my crew? © Mark McKibben, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.

Threads of Malice
My rating: 4 out of 5.

I read Threads of Malice last week¹ and wowsers! If you’ve read Ghosts in the Snow then you need to be warned before reading Threads that Ghosts is a much lighter book than Threads. The villian in Threads is far more evil than the one in Ghosts and this gives the book a much darker tone. Still with that being said, Threads is a great read.

This time around Mrs. Jones takes us out of the castle and up into The Reach. Young boys have been disappearing throughout the region for the past couple of years. When Dubric arrives in the area; he’s greeted by dozens of ghosts all at once. It’s quite the unexpected & draining experience for him. Additionally, we get to see Dien’s family and Lars learns what real family life is like.

I don’t really know what else about the story I could tell you without giving away either the mystery or the good non-mystery bits. This is a problem that I’m not the only one has. I say this because at ICON this past weekend, I attended a panel where Mrs. Jones read some passages from Threads; as well as a few pages from her third Dubric book². One of the passages she read from Threads was included one of my favorite scenes in the book, though it turns out we visualized it somewhat differently. The scene takes place as Lars along with 2 of Dien’s daugthers are walking into town to buy some supplies³.

He hurried after them, their names hovering in his throat, but he halted after a few steps. Aly climbed onto the head of a massive stone rabbit, then slid down its back, laughing all the while. Jess leaned against it, her hand on its nose, regarding him with mirthful eyes.
“Lars, Hargrove, I’d like to introduce you to your geandfather’s rabbit.” She bowed with a flourish and grinned at him.

That’s just a fragment of the scene, but it’s the important part to me. When I first read this scene, my mind drew up a picture of a rabbit sitting up on its hindlegs wearing a waistcoat (like something you’d expect from Alice in Wonderland). The rabbit was made of a “mostly” white marble, with bits of grey scattered about here & there. The weather had caused a small crack to form near the top of the rabbit’s head, just above the left eye. Some moss had begun to grow in that crack, looking something like a scar and giving the rabbit a certain roguish appeal. From speaking to Mrs. Jones at ICON, I found out she had imagined the stone rabbit looking like a rabbit you’d see in nature. Ok, so maybe it’s not all that important but I found the scene very endearing.

I’m feeling a bit out of it; so I’m going to wrap this review up. The book was excellent but didn’t quite grip me like Ghosts had. On the other hand, the intense evil and darkness in this book was somewhat balanced out with Lars getting his first real taste of what family life is like. It’s a highly enjoyable read and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to any adult readers⁴. Mrs Jones, good job and I look forward to the next book!

¹ Since then I’ve read through Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters and Witches Abroad. I just didn’t feel like writing up reviews for those books.
² Currently, the third book is titled “Valley of the Soul”.
³ Taken from pages 144–145 of Threads of Malice.
⁴ Given the forms that the evil takes in this book; I would not recommend this for younger readers.

Review: Threads of Malice © Mark McKibben, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.

• Things Hagrid the Half-Giant Would Say If He Served Jesus Instead of Harry Potter.
• Con as in Convention!
• Ding!
• Regarding New Orleans
• Badger Badger Badger
• Coffee So Strong.….…. [Editor] I don’t know seems like it’s kind of weak coffee to me if you actually have to drink it to wake up from the Matrix. With truly coffee, smelling the aroma of it should be enough to do that.
• Exploring Communities, Questions and Concerns of Lesbian Video Gamers

Not from Pukka

• Scone recipe: how to make/bake/cook fruit scones
• President Bush: Sell the Ranch
• Reader² [Editor] It’s kind of like del.ico.us or Flickr but for books.
• iTunes Tip: The “Perfect” equalizer setting [Editor] On the off chance that this blog is your sole source of news; Apple released a new version of iTunes this week. Along with the first iTunes enabled cellphone from Cingular/Motorola and more importantly, the iPod Mini replacement.… the iPod nano. Yum!
• Escape Key
• The Signal [Editor] This is a podcast by fans of the cult favorite TV show, Firefly. Firefly came out back in 2002, quickly gained a devote following but the dorks in charge of FOX killed it after showing only 11 of the 14 produced episodes had been made. The Singal’s goal is to pump up support for the movie follow-up to the tv show, Serenity. I just started listening to it this week and have nearly caught up to the current shows. Probably my favorite one so far is the one where they interview Gina Torres. Although the interviews are cool my favorite segements are the “learning chinese” bits; they lend a whole new insight into various scenes in the series. All the more I have to say about that is 易爆的大象腹泻 ¹.

Oh and in case you’re wondering about almost total lack of posts this week… We’re going into our next beta at work (much extra crudola to deal with). Additionally, I’ve been trying (and pretty much failing) to write an online, registration form for a local sci-fi con² that captures the data we need and accepts payments via PayPal. *sigh*

¹ Explosive elephant diarrhea (chinese translation obtained via Babelfish).
² ICON 30

Pukka’s Links of the Week © Mark McKibben, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.

• Copy the whole list into your blog.
• Bold the things that are true about you.
• Add something that is true about you.
• Optional: Add a comment after answer in italics

Survey Meme

1. I miss somebody right now.
2. I don’t watch much TV these days.
3. I love olives
4. I own lots of books.
5. I wear glasses or contact lenses.
6. I love to play video games.
7. I’ve tried marijuana.
8. I’ve watched porn movies.
9. I have been in a threesome.
10. I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.
11. I believe honesty is usually the best policy.
12. I curse sometimes.
13. I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.
14. I have a hobby.
15. I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.
16. I’m TOTALLY smart.
17. I’ve never broken someone’s bones. Just my own
18. I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal.
19. I hate the rain.
20. I’m paranoid at times. It’s not paranoia if they’re really after you. Alas, for me it REALLY is just paranoia!
21. I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scar-free.
22. I need money right now.
23. I love sushi.
24. I talk really, really fast.
25. I have fresh breath in the morning.
26. I have long hair.
27. I have lost money in Las Vegas.
28. I have at least one brother and/or one sister. 3 older brothers.
29. I was born in a country outside of the U.S.
30. I shave my legs (females) or face (males) on a regular basis.
31. I have a twin (or a triplet, or somesuch).
32. I have worn fake hair/fingernails/eyelashes in the past.
33. I couldn’t survive without Caller I.D.
34. I like the way that I look.
35. I have lied to a good friend in the last 6 months.
36. I know how to cornrow.
37. I am usually pessimistic.
38. I have a lot of mood swings.
39. I think prostitution should be legalized.
40. I think Britney Spears is pretty.
41. Slept with a Suitemate.
42. I have a hidden talent.
43. I’m always hyper no matter how much sugar I have.
44. I have a lot of friends.
45. I am currently single.
46. I have pecked someone of the same sex. (given that pecked means kissed…)
47. I enjoy talking on the phone. I wish I knew someway to reverse bold this answer; as I HATE talking on the phone.
48. I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants.
49. I love to shop.
50. I would rather shop than eat.
51. I would classify myself as ghetto.
52. I’m bourgie and have worn a sweater tied around my shoulders.
53. I’m obsessed with my Xanga or Livejournal. Nope, but I do like updating my blog an awful lot…
54. I don’t hate anyone. I dislike them. To hate somebody requires you to know them on a much more personal level than I get with people I don’t like.
55. I’m a pretty good dancer
56. I don’t think Mike Tyson raped Desiree Washington.
57. I’m completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother.
58. I have a cell phone.
59. I believe in God. Though not necessarily your God or in the same way that you do.
60. I watch MTV on a daily basis.
61. I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months.
62. I love drama. (Somebody else’s, not my own) In books and movies only.
63. I have never been in a real relationship before.
64. I’ve rejected someone before.
65. I currently have a crush/like someone.
66. I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.
67. I want to have children in the future.
68. I have changed a diaper before.
69. I’ve called the cops on a friend before.
70. I bite my nails.
71. I am a member of the Tom Green fan club.
72. I’m not allergic to anything. At least, I’m not aware of having any allergies and somedays I really wonder if I might have some.
73. I have a lot to learn. I ain’t dead yet, so this has to be true.
74. I have been with someone at least 10 years older or younger.
75. I plan on seeing Ice Cube’s newest “Friday” movie.
76. I am shy around the opposite sex. Still true, though I’m not nearly so bad as I was back in my high school days. I got over most of this by making friends among the opposite sex and learning they’re actually people too! :)
77. I’m online 24/7, even as an away message.
78. I have at least 5 away messages saved.
79. I have tried alcohol or drugs before. If you live in an industrialized nation (particularly in the U.S.A.), then you almost have to have this marked. The majority of our food is loaded with chemicals and if you’ve ever been sick; you’ve probably taken cold medicine which is a drug!
80. I have made a move on a friend’s significant other or crush in the past.
81. I own the “South Park” movie. *shudder* NO!
82. I have avoided assignments at work school to be on Xanga or Livejournal.
83. When I was a kid I played “the birds and the bees” with a neighbor or chum.
84. I enjoy some country music.
85. I would die for my best friends. I’m answering this yes, but I cannot say with 100% confidence it’s true. If I saw them in immediate mortal danger; I’d like to believe I’d leap to help them without thinking about myself.
86. I think that Pizza Hut has the best pizza. None of the big chain pizza joints are any good and many of the little places around town suck, but Pizza House is great!
87. I watch soap operas whenever I can.
88. I’m obsessive, anal retentive, and often a perfectionist.
89. I have used my sexuality to advance my career.
90. I love Michael Jackson, scandals and all.
91. I know all the words to Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story”.
92. Halloween is awesome because you get free candy.
93. I watch Spongebob Squarepants and I like it.
94. I have dated a close friend’s ex. Nope, but there was one back in high school that I really wanted to.
95. I like surveys/memes.
96. I am happy at this moment.
97. I’m obsessed with guys.
98. I am bisexual.
99. Democrat.
100. Conservative Republican.
101. I am punk rockish.
102. I am preppy.
103. I go for older guys/girls, not younger.
104. I study for tests most of the time.
105. I tie my shoelaces differently from anyone I’ve ever met.
106. I can work on a car. I can change: tires, batteries, oil and possibly spark plugs.
107. I love my job. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! No.
108. I am comfortable with who I am right now. More so than I have in any previous part of my life.
109. I have more than just my ears pierced.
110. I walk barefoot wherever I can.
111. I have jumped off a bridge.
112. I love sea turtles.
113. I spend ridiculous amounts of money on makeup.
114. I believe in prophetic dreams.
115. I plan on achieving a major goal/dream. Someday I’ll buy a house.
116. I am proficient on a musical instrument. Nope, but I’d like to be
117. I worked at McDonald’s restaurant. Does 3 months at a Hardee’s count?
118. I hate office jobs.
119. I love sci-fi movies.
120. I’ve never been in love.
121. I think water rules.
122. I am going to college out of state.
123. I am adopted.
124. I like sausage.
125. I am a pyro.
126. I love the Red Sox.
127. I have thrown up from crying too much.
128. I have been intentionally hurt by people that I loved.
129. I love kisses.
130. I fall for the worst people and have been hurt every time.
131. I adore bright colors.
132. I love Dear Abby.
133. I can’t live without black eyeliner.
134. I think school is awesome.
135. I think pigtails serve a purpose.
136. I don’t know why the hell I just did this stupid thing.
137. I usually like covers better than originals.
138. I don’t like multi-textured ice cream
139. I think John Cusack is adorable.
140. I f**king hate chain theme restaurants like Applebees and TGIFridays.
141. I watch Food Network way too much.
142. I love coaching youth sports.
143. I can pick up things with my toes.
144. I can’t whistle. I say I can, but my wife doesn’t agree with me.
145. I can move my tounge in waves, much like a snakes’ slither.
146. I have ridden/owned a horse.
147. I still have every journal I’ve ever written in.
148. I can’t stick to a diet. I’ve never really tried to diet before. A while back I got a physical and the doctor recommended I try losing some weight, but so far I’ve not had much luck at doing so.
149. I talk in my sleep.
150. I’ve often thought that I was born in the wrong century. But I’ve never been able to settle on what century I should have been born into.

Survey Meme © Mark McKibben, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.

Again, this is another book that I’d highly recommend (5 out of 5 stars) for anybody to read, but especially if you remember sitting down once a week to see what sort of trouble Wesley could get into this week.

¹ Yes, I know technically it’s step-father but the obvious pride & affection that Mr. Wheaton feels for his kids overrules any such stupid technicalities and makes his a “real dad”.

Review: Just A Geek © Mark McKibben, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.