I want to go on a little pro-Defying Gravity campaign. Defying Gravity is a Science Fiction Romance series that had a two hour debut on ABC last Sunday night, to a dismal 3.5 million viewers and a few pan reviews. I was especially dismayed by a scoffing review from a Tor columnists. If SF and SFR writers and readers don't support their own genre-related fair, who else is going to?
Personally, I liked the show, and I liked it much better after watching it a second time. Yes, the show had some questionable SF elements. But what SF story--movie, TV, book or otherwise--hasn't?
This show, like SFR, is as much about the characters and their relationships as it is the hardware. And it has some very promising characters with intriguing backstories (including the MC who had to leave two crew members behind on Mars in an earlier mission), a space opera setting and a big mystery, plus as icing on the cake, the grandness of space itself as a backdrop. But let's face it, like Firefly, and most of the good SF before it, Defying Gravity is in jeopardy of being canceled before it even has a chance to develop a fan base. It needs to attract a lot more viewers (and better reviews).
OK, fellow SFR Brigade...this would be a good time to support your cause.
If you missed the debut, here's a summary from Airlock Alpha to get you up to speed.
Defying Gravity is on Sunday nights on ABC. Watch it, and if you like it, talk about it on your blogs, websites and talk to your friends who may also be interested. Let's not let Defying Gravity fall to the same fate as Firefly--bad network decisions and the predetermined failure of innovative SF shows.
Besides, if fans don't support more ground-breaking original series, they're going to get exactly what they deserve--more mindless reality shows.
Are you with me now? :)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
For my Fellow Firefly Fans
There's an article on GeekDad about an excellent workshop I took at RWA from Jacqui Jacoby--Lesson of Firefly: Learning from the Works of Joss Whedon.
Well worth the read and if you ever get a chance to take Jacqui's workshop, by all means check it out.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Playing with HUNCH
I stumbled on this search website called Hunch and decided to task it with finding some recommended SF and SFR books.
On my first attempt, I typed "Science Fiction novel" into the "Today I'm making a decision about..." search box. I then answered or chose to skip a series of questions and Hunch gave me the top picks based on my suggestions, all of which I've read and loved.
#1 DUNE by Frank Herbert
I read this classic ages ago and was struck with the rich world-building and fascinating characters. I went on to read most of the series. Still a favorite icon of mine.
#2 SLAUGHTER-HOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Anything Kurt Vonnegut was a favorite read, but this one really piqued my imagination about Billy Pilgrim, a man who became "unstuck in time" after being driven insane by events in WWII. It involves alien abduction and a really twisted view of life as only Vonnegut could deliver it.
#3 SIRENS OF TITAN by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
I recently listed this one as one of my favorite SF novels of all time on a writer's site. It was the only Vonnegut mention amidst all the classic SF authors, yet probably one of the most deserving along with #2 above. Few people think of Vonnegut as a SF author, yet he was a Hugo Award winner.
For the Wild Card it came up with THE CITY AND THE STARS, a rewrite of Against the Fall of Night by Arthur C. Clarke. If I remember correctly (I'll have to go Google this), this novel was about a planet where the residents destroyed their civilization every time there was a total eclipse, which happened once every 5,000 years. There were some startling parallels to Earth and our own course through history that made me think, "What if..." It was my first foray into the alternate history realm and probably the origin basis for the premise of my WIP, Draxis.
Hunch also offered the full list of 33 novels which included more Vonnegut, Brabury (FAHRENHEIT 451), Asimov (FOUNDATION), Heinlein (THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS), Crichton (SPHERE), a Star Wars novel and several on my TBR list including THE LAST COLONY by John Scalzi and ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card.
I ran another search for Science Fiction Romance authors, and answered or skipped another series of questions. This time Hunch returned...
#1 Connis Willis
#2 Kage Baker
#3 Alan Dean Foster
I haven't read any Willis or Baker, but I have read several Alan Dean Foster novels, all some time ago. Interesting.
Next I did a search on Science Fiction Romance novels. Although the survey asked questions like what sort of SF did I prefer (apocalyptic, other worlds, future Earth, etc.) and the level of the romance (G, PG, R), the results were a total disappointment.
#1 WIZARD'S FIRST RULE by Terry Goodkind (a Fantasy)
#2 STARDUST by Neil Gamon (which sounds SF, but is...Fantasy!)
#3 GUILTY PLEASURES by Laurel K. Hamilton (which is not only Fanstasy...it has vampires and shape shifter. Ugh!)
Yet another site that, even with detailed survey questions, can't distinguish between fantasy and science fiction, not to mention SFR. Now I'm aggravated.
But just out of sheer stubborness, I try again with slightly different responses. And this time...
#1 THE CITY AND THE STARS by Arthur C. Clarke
#2 SLAUGHTER-HOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
#3 ANATHEM by Neal Stephenson
Although all sound like interesting stories, I wouldn't classify any of them as Science Fiction Romance. Like so many other areas in our industry, once again Science Fiction Romance "does not compute."
Even so, Hunch is a lot of fun to query on a variety of topics. Just for fun, I queried on the best pet for me. The results were worth a good chuckle.
#1 Cat
#2 Cat
#3 Pet Rock
#4 Peafowl
You'd have to understand my extreme preference for dogs over cats to see why I was so amused with "cat" being the top two picks for me. (Oddly enough, my spouse has two cats, but they live in his alternate household.) But pet rock? Is that a comment on my pet quotient? And peafowl? Even my dogs would be amused, I think.
Give Hunch a try and see what kind of results you get. There may be some surprises.
On my first attempt, I typed "Science Fiction novel" into the "Today I'm making a decision about..." search box. I then answered or chose to skip a series of questions and Hunch gave me the top picks based on my suggestions, all of which I've read and loved.
#1 DUNE by Frank Herbert
I read this classic ages ago and was struck with the rich world-building and fascinating characters. I went on to read most of the series. Still a favorite icon of mine.
#2 SLAUGHTER-HOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Anything Kurt Vonnegut was a favorite read, but this one really piqued my imagination about Billy Pilgrim, a man who became "unstuck in time" after being driven insane by events in WWII. It involves alien abduction and a really twisted view of life as only Vonnegut could deliver it.
#3 SIRENS OF TITAN by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
I recently listed this one as one of my favorite SF novels of all time on a writer's site. It was the only Vonnegut mention amidst all the classic SF authors, yet probably one of the most deserving along with #2 above. Few people think of Vonnegut as a SF author, yet he was a Hugo Award winner.
For the Wild Card it came up with THE CITY AND THE STARS, a rewrite of Against the Fall of Night by Arthur C. Clarke. If I remember correctly (I'll have to go Google this), this novel was about a planet where the residents destroyed their civilization every time there was a total eclipse, which happened once every 5,000 years. There were some startling parallels to Earth and our own course through history that made me think, "What if..." It was my first foray into the alternate history realm and probably the origin basis for the premise of my WIP, Draxis.
Hunch also offered the full list of 33 novels which included more Vonnegut, Brabury (FAHRENHEIT 451), Asimov (FOUNDATION), Heinlein (THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS), Crichton (SPHERE), a Star Wars novel and several on my TBR list including THE LAST COLONY by John Scalzi and ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card.
I ran another search for Science Fiction Romance authors, and answered or skipped another series of questions. This time Hunch returned...
#1 Connis Willis
#2 Kage Baker
#3 Alan Dean Foster
I haven't read any Willis or Baker, but I have read several Alan Dean Foster novels, all some time ago. Interesting.
Next I did a search on Science Fiction Romance novels. Although the survey asked questions like what sort of SF did I prefer (apocalyptic, other worlds, future Earth, etc.) and the level of the romance (G, PG, R), the results were a total disappointment.
#1 WIZARD'S FIRST RULE by Terry Goodkind (a Fantasy)
#2 STARDUST by Neil Gamon (which sounds SF, but is...Fantasy!)
#3 GUILTY PLEASURES by Laurel K. Hamilton (which is not only Fanstasy...it has vampires and shape shifter. Ugh!)
Yet another site that, even with detailed survey questions, can't distinguish between fantasy and science fiction, not to mention SFR. Now I'm aggravated.
But just out of sheer stubborness, I try again with slightly different responses. And this time...
#1 THE CITY AND THE STARS by Arthur C. Clarke
#2 SLAUGHTER-HOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
#3 ANATHEM by Neal Stephenson
Although all sound like interesting stories, I wouldn't classify any of them as Science Fiction Romance. Like so many other areas in our industry, once again Science Fiction Romance "does not compute."
Even so, Hunch is a lot of fun to query on a variety of topics. Just for fun, I queried on the best pet for me. The results were worth a good chuckle.
#1 Cat
#2 Cat
#3 Pet Rock
#4 Peafowl
You'd have to understand my extreme preference for dogs over cats to see why I was so amused with "cat" being the top two picks for me. (Oddly enough, my spouse has two cats, but they live in his alternate household.) But pet rock? Is that a comment on my pet quotient? And peafowl? Even my dogs would be amused, I think.
Give Hunch a try and see what kind of results you get. There may be some surprises.
Monday, August 3, 2009
SFR Novel Giveaway!
Don't miss Jess Granger's "Release Week Madness," celebrating the debut of her SFR novel BEYOND THE RAIN on August 4th. (Yes, I know I"ve been uber vocal about this one, but that's because I'm very excited.)You can win a free copy of BEYOND THE RAIN just by posting a comment on her blog (how easy is that?), and she'll have some fun topics. Click here to beam yourself over to Jess's blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)